Chapter 14 – Part 7

“I thought you’d changed your mind.”

“Of course not.”

Leonard replied with a laugh, then turned his head.

At a flick of his eye, servants began to stream in through the open door.

First came a bouquet of flowers so large she could barely see their torsos, then a row of boxes, large and small.

“Your Majesty…….”

The steadily piling crates were far too large for the gifts they were supposedly extorting from the nobility.

Leonard smiled as Tenere looked at him in disbelief.

“This one is for the Marquis, and this one’s for you.”

“What’s this…….”

“It’s nothing much.”

Leonard winked at her, and the waiting official retrieved the locker he was holding.

Leonard took it from him.

“Marquis of Evan.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Eric bowed respectfully at Leonard’s summons.

“As lord of the Marquisate of Evan, will you grant me permission to ask your sister, Tenere Evan, for her hand in marriage?”

As a member of the Evan family, Tenere was under Eric’s protection.

So, it was essential to seek Eric’s permission as Tenere’s guardian.

Eric glanced at Tenere and nodded.

“Of course, Your Majesty.”

When Eric’s answer fell flat, Leonard looked back at Tenere.

“Tenere.”

He undid the clasp that sealed the locker and lifted the lid, revealing a marriage proposal bearing the Imperial seal.

Tenere clasped her hands together and straightened her back as Leonard knelt on one knee in front of her.

“I, Leonard Evgenia, do once again ask for your hand in marriage, pledging my undying love to you.”

Wordlessly, Tenere accepted the box containing the marriage proposal.

A white handkerchief was folded neatly beneath the letter envelope, sealed with the imperial seal.

It wasn’t there when she received the first proposal.

“This is…….”

Tenere picked up the envelope and handkerchief. The white handkerchief was embroidered with red roses.

It looked too sloppy to have been made by an artisan.

“I remember you once embroidered a handkerchief for me.”

“…….”

“Of course, it’s sloppy compared to your work.”

Leonard added with a smirk.

Tenere fiddled with her handkerchief, unable to reply.

They had often spent time embroidering together when Beatrice was alive, but Leonard was more of a watcher than a maker.

In other words, he was not a very good embroiderer.

“You made this yourself?”

At the cautious question, Leonard nodded slowly.

He still looked embarrassed, as if he wasn’t too confident in his skills.

“It’s not perfect, but it would bring me great joy if you accept it.”

That’s what Tenere said when she first offered Leonard his handkerchief.

Tenere looked at Leonard, then carefully cut the envelope open with a paper-knife.

Her gaze slowly skimmed over the paper.

It had the formality of a marriage proposal, but it was no different from the letters she had received for days.

“My dear Tenere,” it began.

Feeling a bit regretful for accepting it so quickly, she couldn’t help but think she couldn’t boast any unnecessary pride anymore.

“I will gladly accept the Emperor’s proposal.”

At those words, his face lit up.

Seeing the joy on his face, Tenere smiled like a spring flower.

* * *

“It’s the embroidery I did when I was young. Father mostly wanted to discard them, but…”

Tenere and Leonard were up in the attic with Joshua.

They had originally planned to leave the child with a nanny and explore the mansion on their own, but after seeing his father for the first time, Joshua clung to Leonard and wouldn’t let go.

“This one looks like mine.”

“Oh, that’s…… when I was nine…….”

“…….”

Leonard looked at the relatively crude embroidery, coughed a little, and put it down.

Joshua, who had been curiously touching the colorful embroidery, slid off his father’s lap and squatted on the floor.

Leonard watched him fiddle with the old toy, then turned his head toward Tenere.

“Have you been staying in this room?”

“My room was on the same floor as my brother’s and father’s. I just… liked watching the stars from here.”

Ludwig Evan was a man of his word, and he didn’t want the other nobles to know that he was treating his daughter poorly.

So, despite the small room’s lack of sunlight, he made sure the room’s location and furnishings were similar to those of other noble children.

But Tenere had grown quite fond of the attic.

It was a cozy place for children, and it was where she’d sat on Tasha’s lap as a child, watching the stars.

“Father didn’t like me coming here, so I stopped coming at some point.”

Having said that, Tenere leaned her head on Leonard’s shoulder.

The noon sunlight illuminated the small attic.

“……I’ve been doing some more research on the Marquis’ treason.”

Leonard opened his mouth, and Tenere turned her head to look at him.

Leonard touched her hand.

“Viscount Landerck indeed encouraged him, but when it came to actually doing something about it, he backed out.”

Apart from the retaliation against Viscount Landerck, Ludwig Evan’s treason itself could not be ignored.

No matter what, he was the mastermind.

When he was found out and brought before the system, he didn’t even claim innocence, but instead, like a madman, insisted on abdicating her daughter.

“He brought this upon himself.”

Tenere nodded in silence.

Viscount Landerck was going to be out on the streets after his title was revoked, and Marquis Evan was going to be granted immunity as the Empress’s next of kin for having given birth to a prince.

So, she didn’t want to pay much attention to unimportant matters.

The sloping ceiling windows revealed a cloudless blue sky.

Looking at the clear sky, Leonard suddenly thought of the girl who must have seen the stars from this room.

He wondered what she must have thought as she stared out the window alone.

Did she cry in loneliness? Did she wish to meet her mother who left her again?

How did she, as a young girl, endure those years?

“I wish I could have met you sooner.”

Even though he knew they had many more years together, he couldn’t help but regret the time we didn’t have.

He felt sorry for not knowing her and guilty for letting her suffer alone.

‘Would your life have been a bit more peaceful if I had held your hand back then?’

“…… Me too.”

Tenere replied with a small smile. Her gaze fell to the child banging a wooden doll.

“But sometimes I look at Josie and think, that’s what you must have looked like when you were little.”

The child looked too much like her father. The black hair that turned red in the light, the golden eyes that smiled when you looked at them.

It’s strange and lovely to see someone who looks so much like him, and she wants nothing more than for him to be happy and not hurt.

“It’s quite fascinating. Even someone like Father or the late Marquis Salvatore must have had such times.”

She often thought that when she saw a child smiling innocently.

She wondered if there was a time when people whom one feared or disliked gave joy to someone just by existing.

What would the people who loved them when they were young think when they saw them grow up?

“Josie will be fine, you’re a good mother, and I’ll try my best to be a good father.”

Leonard said, touching Tenere’s hand.

Tenere nodded slowly.

“Now shall we go downstairs, it will soon be time to eat.”

Tenere’s voice had brightened.

“After we’re done eating, we can take a look around the garden. My brother has made it pretty…….”

Tenere pushed herself up on her knees.

But the low ceilings of the attic, cozy enough for children, were no match for her adult height.

Leonard reached out quickly before her head hit the ceiling.

Tenere’s body jerked forward at the tug.

“Ah……!”

With a short scream, Tenere spun around. So did Leonard, who tugged at her.

Kudangtang!

There was a loud crash, and Tenere lifted her head as she landed on top of Leonard’s body.

Joshua’s eyes widened at the noise and he looked over.

He looked up to see his mom draped over his dad and giggled.

“Are you …… okay?”

“Yes. Leon, you’re the…….”

Tenere tried to sit up, but she remained frozen in place.

Leonard looked at her questioningly.

“Tenere?”

“I’m…….”

Tenere grabbed his shoulder as if to immobilize him.

Leonard jerked at the sudden touch, and Tenere made a face and tightened her grip on his shoulder.

“Tenere, why are you suddenly…….”

“My legs are tingling.”

“…….”

“I’ve been sitting on the floor for too long, and suddenly…”

It seemed like her legs weren’t receiving blood properly from the unfamiliar position of sitting for too long.

When she suddenly moved, she realized her leg was tingling and she couldn’t get up.

“Is it on the left?”

“…Yes. Don’t move, just a moment…”

As Leonard tried to move his body to massage her numb leg, Tenere recoiled in terror.

It was just then. Eric, who had just come up the stairs, spotted them.

“Uh…….”

Eric had only come to tell them that lunch was ready, but the sight stopped him in his tracks.

What he saw was Leonard half lying on his back and Tenere on top of him.

“Tenere……?”

“……Brother.”