Chapter 8 (Part 2)

Celestia sat in her room, trying to calm her racing heart.

‘Kayev… So you’ve returned safely after all.’

His image from earlier lingered behind her eyelids. His face was sharper than she remembered, his build just as strong, with no visible injuries.

‘So the rumors about him being engaged to the princess were true…’

Leaning against the closed door, Celestia slowly slid to the floor without realizing it.

Ever since she had heard the news that the war had ended, Celestia had been waiting for word from Kayev.

Even if his feelings for her had faded, she thought he would at least offer her an explanation. Surely, he would come to see her just once. That was the kind of person Kayev had always been. If he had received her letters, she believed he couldn’t simply ignore her. She had been so naive.

As she waited endlessly for news from him, all she heard were unbelievable rumors.

‘The Duke of Ruden has returned safely after conquering the southern territories. I heard the Crown Prince is very pleased with him.’

It had started as an ordinary rumor. After the war, Kayev, already a famous figure, became even more celebrated. His accomplishments in the southern conquest and the trust of Crown Prince Jacob were the main reasons, but his youth and striking appearance also captured the hearts of many women.

A young head of a prestigious noble family was a desirable target for noble houses seeking political marriages. In high society, his reputation now stood just below that of the Crown Prince.

However, it wasn’t long before rumors began to circulate that surprised not only the nobles who had been eyeing Duke Ruden but also Celestia herself. The rumor was that Crown Prince Jacob had chosen Kayev Ruden as a potential husband for his younger sister, Princess Jules.

‘And seeing them arrive together today… it must be true.’

She let out a deep sigh of resignation.

For the past two years, Celestia had lived with the sole purpose of meeting him again. Deep in her heart, she still didn’t fully believe the butler’s words and felt she needed to talk to Kayev herself.

However, two years was more than enough time for such thoughts to waver. As the days passed, each seemingly similar yet different, her memories grew faint, and her recollections faded. The certainty she once had about Kayev’s feelings was no longer there. Yet, because her own feelings remained unchanged, her days were all the more agonizing.

It was during this time that the news of his engagement to the princess reached her. It was around then that Celestia began to slowly change her plans for the future.

She started to think about leaving the Earl’s estate. There was no longer any reason for her to stay in the kingdom.

Once again, she considered Gwen Island as her destination. She had abandoned the idea once before, but now, she felt it might truly be the right place to go.

She had endured all this time for the chance to meet Kayev, not because she particularly liked staying at the House of Earl Glemming. She could no longer see a clear future for herself. She couldn’t keep drifting from one noble house to another, living like a parasite.

Starting anew in a different place didn’t seem like such a bad idea. Clutching her aching heart, Celestia began to make preparations step by step.

The first thing she did was purchase a ticket with the money she had saved from her work as a governess. Officially, only ships transporting criminals could enter or leave the island, but due to the dire shortage of manpower, tickets were secretly sold under the table.

After asking around extensively, she had finally secured a ticket three months ago. And now, with only three days left until the ship’s departure, she had unexpectedly run into Kayev.

Celestia thought fate was truly cruel. If the party had been held after she had left, such an encounter would never have happened. Why did this meeting have to occur just before her departure?

Yet, she couldn’t deny it. Deep down, in the most secret part of her heart, she was glad to have seen him, even like this. It seemed the heavens had reluctantly granted her wish to see him one last time, even if only from afar.

Kayev looked perfectly healthy, apart from having lost a little weight. As for what he might have been thinking when he saw her, she would never know. But recalling his hardened expression, she thought perhaps it was better not to know.

Now, she felt no lingering attachment to the Kingdom of Panien. Having seen the face of the one she had longed to see one last time, she thought she could leave this place with a completely unburdened heart.

Just as she collected herself, a loud pounding reverberated through her entire body. Someone was banging aggressively on the door she was leaning against.

Who could be visiting at this late hour? Could it be that the Countess of Glemming needed something? 

Dusting off her skirt, Celestia stood and opened the door.

***

Kayev was tearing through the Glemming Estate like a madman, searching for Celestia, whom he had just encountered. He grabbed every maid he came across, demanding to know her whereabouts, but his intensity only frightened them, and they shook their heads in fear. It was the butler of the estate, drawn by the commotion, who finally managed to calm him down.

‘I’m looking for a maid—no, a governess—named Celestia.’

According to that damned Marquis Fenel, that was what she had been called.

Hearing Kayev’s words, the butler led him to the very top floor of the estate. It was a long climb up four flights of stairs. Standing before a shabby door just beneath the roof, Kayev cursed inwardly.

‘Is this what they call a room fit for a human being…?’

Just before knocking on the door, a whirlwind of thoughts and emotions surged through his mind.

When he had first arrived at the Glemming Estate and spotted Celestia, he had thought he was dreaming. At first, he assumed she was simply someone who resembled her. With her hair neatly pinned up and wearing a dull brown dress, she looked like an entirely different person.

But when their eyes met—those blue eyes, still unwavering and direct—he realized he had truly found her.

All his senses, save for his sight, had faded into the distance. The princess’s voice became a muffled noise, and his lungs, forgetting how to breathe, stopped moving.

What should I say? What kind of expression should I wear? 

His thoughts had come to a complete halt, and Kayev soon found himself battling the rage that consumed him.

‘Marquis Fenel.’

‘You should head upstairs now, Celestia.’

Those two sentences from an unfamiliar man snapped him back to reality. Kayev knew exactly who he was. He also knew that the House of Earl Glemming was related to the House of Marquis Fenel.

‘So she disappeared only to rely on her former fiancé…?’

The taste of iron filled his mouth from biting his lips too hard. After months of searching the kingdom as though turning it inside out, Kayev finally understood why he hadn’t been able to find her.

Having witnessed her with Marquis Fenel, Kayev was now forced to acknowledge her betrayal. She had chosen another man over him. But understanding the truth and accepting it emotionally were two entirely different matters. Kayev felt as though his vision had turned red with jealousy and anger.

As the princess had pointed out, he couldn’t focus on the banquet. His gaze remained fixed on Marquis Fenel like a predator stalking its prey, while his mind was consumed with thoughts of Celestia, who was somewhere in the estate.

Kayev seethed at Marquis Fenel’s shamelessness. He played the role of a devoted husband in public while secretly keeping a mistress hidden in a relative’s home.

Images of Marquis Fenel and Celestia together plagued Kayev’s mind endlessly.

Since when…? Was it right after I left? Or had it started even before that…?

The mere thought of it was enough to drive him mad. His mind was a chaotic mess of tormenting thoughts. Even without the princess pushing him, he would have stormed out of the banquet hall.

When he had run into Celestia earlier, he had been so stunned that he let her slip away. Escorting the princess, he couldn’t very well chase after her retreating figure. But now that he knew where she was, he couldn’t just stand by.

Standing before the worn door, Kayev steeled himself. His emotions continued to swirl within him—expectation, resentment, longing, disappointment, and the inescapable affection he still held for her…

With so many emotions coursing through him, he couldn’t think clearly about what he would say when they finally met.

His body moved before his mind could catch up. His large hand knocked on the door without hesitation. There was a rustling sound, and the door opened promptly. Kayev felt his entire body tense with nervous anticipation.

It was time to confront the past.