Ghosts of the Past
When she faced him, memories that had been blurry as if from a distant past began to surface vividly.
Her hands trembled. The letters she had sent to Rezef begging for help. The long clothes she wore even in summer to hide the bruises. Memories of hiding in the darkest corners of his mansion like playing hide-and-seek.
Cayena had nowhere else to beg for her life. Rezef had thoroughly abandoned her.
So in the end, she wrote a letter to Raphael. But the letter hoping for mercy never reached the Kedrey ducal residence. It was discovered by Gillian.
‘Yes. That day, the mad Gillian asked if I still had lingering feelings for Raphael and killed me.’
Cayena clasped her trembling hands together, gripped by the fear deeply imprinted in her heart.
“Which family’s young master are you?”
Fortunately, she was able to speak calmly.
Gillian bowed with a face that couldn’t hide his disappointment.
“……Henverton Gillian greets Your Highness the Princess.”
Just hearing his voice was torturous. Why hadn’t she thought about Gillian at all? Was it because the memory was too horrific that she unconsciously avoided recalling it?
Cayena spoke, feigning composure.
“So you’re the son of Viscount Gillian.”
“We danced together at the last ball. Don’t you remember?”
As he said that, Gillian took a step closer to Cayena.
‘If I coldly reject him saying I don’t remember, I don’t know what he might do.’
Cayena recognized the madness in his eyes. She felt like she was going to be sick.
“Now that you mention it, I do remember.”
At her reply, Gillian took another step forward and spoke. Only about three steps remained between them.
“You danced with me twice that day. Since then, I’ve been hoping to see you again, but I never expected to meet you like this today.”
It was a ridiculous statement. He had clearly come after hearing that Cayena was here.
Cayena didn’t want to continue the conversation.
Vera, who had been watching the situation from the side, intervened.
“Your Highness, it seems the carriage has arrived, so let’s depart now.”
Gillian’s eerie gaze turned to Vera.
Cayena tried to move her feet. But she felt that if she took even one step like this, her strength would give out and she would collapse.
‘Pull yourself together. It’s all in the past now.’
She kept trying to think calmly. Right now, Gillian couldn’t lock her up, beat her, or stab her with a knife. However, the more she recalled those memories, the more her breathing quickened.
If only she had worn a veil over her face. Maintaining a blank expression as if nothing was wrong was already consuming a lot of her mental energy.
“I’ll be going now.”
Gillian had no intention of backing down unless Cayena left first. When Cayena bid farewell, Gillian strode up to her and extended his arm.
“Then allow me to escort you, Your Highness!”
It felt like a terrifying threat to Cayena. For a moment, she saw the Gillian who had charged at her with a gleaming knife, overlapping with the man who had stabbed her in her previous life.
Cayena hurriedly stepped back, but her legs gave out and her body swayed backward. Just as she tightly closed her eyes, anticipating the dizzying pain.
Thud!
She was caught in someone’s broad embrace.
A chest firmly supporting her back, arms like boulders wrapping around her body to prevent her from falling sideways. A faint scent of ink.
Cayena was held as if completely enveloped by someone, and only the hat she was wearing fell to the floor with a soft thud.
“Are you all right?”
A familiar voice reached her ears like a low whisper. When she lifted her head, red eyes sparkling like starlight clearly pierced her vision.
Cayena called his name as if holding it in her mouth, her expression completely free of the sharp wariness that had been there moments ago.
“……Raphael.”
* * *
Raphael had visited the Imperial Academy before Cayena because he had matters to attend to regarding the scholarship system for students sponsored by his family.
“Did you hear?”
It was strange. Normally, he wouldn’t have paid attention to his attendant chattering excitedly with the other servants about something he’d heard somewhere. But today, strangely, the attendant’s excited voice caught his ear.
“What happened?”
Baston, who loved gossip as much as the attendant, quickly asked.
“Her Highness Princess Cayena is visiting the Imperial Library next door right now!”
“What? Her Highness the Princess?”
He paused.
At the mention of the princess, Raphael stopped writing the documents and raised his gaze.
“So now the students are making a fuss, getting visitor passes to go to the Imperial Library. She hasn’t gone out even once recently, after all.”
“Right. But to choose the Imperial Library for her first outing in a while……”
Baston frowned and tilted his head. The library didn’t seem to suit Cayena at all.
“What’s all the commotion?”
Just then, Jeremy entered the reception room and asked.
“Lord Jeremy! Did you hear? Right now at the Imperial Library……”
“You’re disturbing His Lordship while he’s working, you fool.”
The attendant glanced at Raphael and shut his mouth. Jeremy approached Raphael.
“If you want to observe the sword training, you’ll have to wait a bit. What will you do?”
“How long do I have to wait?”
“They say it’ll take 40 minutes.”
Raphael looked at the Imperial Library visible outside the window. Since it was close, it seemed like he could make a quick trip and still have time.
“I’ll stop by the Imperial Library while I wait.”
The attendant’s and Baston’s eyes sparkled. It was because they had noticed that Raphael was going to meet the princess.
Jeremy asked.
“Shall I prepare the carriage?”
At those words, the attendant quickly shared the information he’d heard.
“Pardon me, but carriages are crowding in front of the library right now to see Her Highness the Princess. It’ll probably take a long time if you go by carriage.”
“Since it’s close, I’ll walk there and back.”
“I’ll accompany you!”
Baston hurriedly followed behind Raphael. Raphael’s red eyes swept over Baston once.
“I’ll go alone.”
Then, without waiting for a reply, he swiftly left.
“Oh……. Our master is definitely acting strange, isn’t he?”
Baston watched Raphael’s retreating figure with a knowing look. Then Jeremy smacked his head with a document and scolded him.
“Disloyal fool! Don’t say unnecessary things.”
“Did I say anything wrong? This is already the second time he’s going to see Her Highness the Princess first.”
“Then of course he would go. Don’t you know that these days, both in high society and politics, everyone is paying attention to Her Highness the Princess’s movements?”
Jeremy scolded him like that, but in truth, he also found it strange. Although Raphael had never said anything separately, Jeremy knew that he was reluctant to engage in contact or relationships with people. Yet the fact that he was proactively meeting the princess twice was quite unusual.
‘Though the princess has changed a bit recently…….’
The impression of her previously dissolute behavior was still strongly etched in his mind.
‘If Madam finds out about this, she’ll probably push the marriage talk even more aggressively.’
Jeremy scratched his eyebrow and let out a deep sigh.
* * *
Raphael walked along the passage from the Imperial Academy to the library.
‘It looks like it’s going to rain.’
Clouds had started gathering in the sky since morning, and now it was ashen gray. It seemed like it would pour rain within an hour.
‘The princess might be getting ready to leave soon.’
He quickened his steps a little. He wanted to see her as soon as possible. It wasn’t because of any personal feelings. The political situation had been so turbulent lately that he just wanted to see her face, hear her voice directly, and talk about the situation. Otherwise, there would be no reason for him to be curious about Cayena like this.
In reality, various incidents had occurred in the imperial palace recently. Cayena had collapsed due to an allergy, and by the emperor’s order, all the maids had been dismissed. Moreover, Prince Rezef had been ordered to reflect on his actions.
‘They say she knelt for three hours begging for the prince and collapsed.’
After that, the emperor temporarily delegated authority over the inner palace to her. Among the nobles, there was an ongoing debate about whether this incident was the princess’s scheme or a coincidence. Raphael judged it to be Cayena’s scheme.
‘Though it hasn’t been widely known because of the princess, one of the marriage proposals that came to me has already disappeared as she said.’
The Count of Aivan’s family had been absorbed into Archduke Heinrich’s faction because they couldn’t repay their debts. That incident was much less interesting than the exciting events in the imperial palace, so it was briefly mentioned among people and quickly forgotten.
While walking along the passage, Raphael spotted a familiar figure.
‘It’s the princess. ……Is that the son of Viscount Gillian?’
There was no one else in the passage except them.
But something about the atmosphere felt off. He could see the young master Gillian approaching her. He wasn’t sure if it was his imagination, but there was a strange madness in his actions. Raphael found himself almost running as he quickly approached.
And then.
Thud!
Cayena’s slender body was caught in his embrace. He held his breath for a moment at the soft fragrance that gently wafted over. His heart tightened.
……Why am I suddenly like this?
Raphael composed his inexplicable emotions and asked, feigning composure as much as possible.
“Are you all right?”