Previously
Lucia interrupts Helio and Liliana, scolding Helio for neglecting political duties with the Gabriel family. After Helio leaves, Lucia advises Liliana to build a power network and hints at a secret strategy involving the Emperor.
The Emperor's palace, waiting for its master, remained ablaze with light as if it were day, even in the dead of night. Helio stood at the entrance, gazing up at those brilliant lights.
The glow flickered across his face, yet his expression remained dark.
Helio thought those words were utterly absurd. Wasn't she the one who had yearned to return so desperately? How, then, could she be unhappy? Was it because of that son whom she had stared at with a blank face, showing no care at all? Because of himself…
Helio felt those words had been dreadfully cruel.
At the same time, he felt pity for his mother.
As Helio lingered motionless at the palace entrance, the servants around him grew anxious and tense. He ought to head inside quickly, if only for their sake, but with his heart churning with such tangled emotions, he knew he would not be able to sleep even if he went in.
Helio turned his steps away.
The Head Butler asked cautiously, and Helio answered with a sigh.
The Head Butler answered as if he had expected it all along. The servants believed Helio was deeply fond of Liliana and treated her with great affection.
Helio himself, however, could not fathom what this feeling truly was.
Yet one thing was certain.
If he went to Liliana's side, he could leave these distressing emotions behind, and perhaps even smile, hollow though it might be.
❈❈❈
Liliana was lying in bed, chatting with Choo Choo.
Choo Choo, curious about the parties humans held, was peppering her with questions about everything.
Liliana frowned as she recalled the Gabriel heir.
What had he really been after? Since he had been carrying two bottles of wine, he was definitely lying in wait for her. Had he been watching her as she left the banquet hall, then?
Remembering his desperate attempts to strike up a conversation, she let out a sigh.
Choo Choo shouted eagerly.
Liliana chuckled and stroked Choo Choo's chin playfully.
Before that, however, she had to break the seal binding Choo Choo.
Throughout the preparations for the Empress Dowager's birthday party, she had been so busy that she hadn't managed to learn magic properly. She figured she would have more time to devote to it now that things had settled down.
Her body felt worn out, so she decided she had better turn in for the night soon. The moment she blew out the lamp, she noticed a light approaching from outside.
Liliana knew immediately who was coming.
At this late hour of the night, only one person could arrive at the Emerald Palace.
‘I haven't managed to get any Contraceptive Pills yet…’
Liliana bit her lower lip nervously. Just then, Choo Choo hopped onto her knees, cupped their hands, and declared loudly,
Liliana laughed softly and reached out to pat Choo Choo's head. It might have been a decent idea. Even so, she felt she didn't need to go that far.
Even if Helio had come for that reason, she was confident that if she expressed her refusal, he would not dare force her.
Liliana placed Choo Choo down on the small table and shook her head.
Before long, Sophia knocked on the door and announced that Helio had arrived. Liliana draped a shawl over her nightwear and stepped outside.
By then, Helio had already made his way into the Emerald Palace.
Thus, the two of them met right in the foyer of the Emerald Palace.
Liliana spoke to him in a reproachful tone.
Helio held out his hand to Liliana, and she took it. Together, they ascended the staircase with smooth, orderly steps, in the formal posture of an escort.
The maids stayed down below, and only one person followed them up: Sophia. Once Helio made sure of this, he leaned down and whispered into Liliana's ear.
Liliana gave a faint smile. As she had thought… Helio was no brute. Seeing her calm smile, Helio clicked his tongue in mock displeasure.
His words sounded half in jest, half in earnest.
Liliana looked bewildered, not entirely grasping his meaning, but her innocent gaze made Helio feel as though he had committed a crime.
Liliana asked, but Helio did not answer.
In the end, leaving Sophia waiting outside the bedchamber, the two stepped into the room.
Inside, Choo Choo was watching Helio with sharp eyes, looking ready to burst out if he made a single false move, posturing like the most formidable presence in the room.
Of course, Helio, who had no power to see fairies, couldn't see any of this.
Helio sat on the bed and gestured for Liliana to sit beside him.
Then he lay back on the bed, stretching his legs forward and resting against the pillows.
Liliana sensed that something was off with Helio, but she said nothing.
She simply remained seated on the bed, looking at him.
What should she say to comfort him? Liliana was at a loss. Since when had she wanted to comfort him, anyway?
Her thoughts were in such disarray that she couldn't sort them out, so it was Helio who spoke first.
His tone was frail, as though he were thoroughly exhausted.
Liliana raised an eyebrow and replied,
Liliana lay down on the bed, looking at him as her wide eyes cast an innocent gaze his way. But Helio did not seem to register her expression, gently resting his hand over her brow instead.
Liliana answered somewhat casually,
Her words were remarkably harsh despite her delicate, innocent features. And that was precisely what drew Helio to her.
While lost in thoughts of her homeland, Liliana murmured,
A sorrowful pink hue filled Liliana's eyes, brimming with deep yearning.
Yet the moment did not last. A self-deprecating smile touched her lips, and she said,
Liliana said, shifting her posture.
As she turned onto her side and looked up at Helio, strands of her pink hair spilled across the bed like blooming cherry blossom boughs.
Liliana's voice was calm.
It was hard to believe she could speak of such cruel memories with so much detachment.
Helio looked at Liliana, who was speaking so serenely, with a strange expression.
He could hardly believe this was the same girl who had smiled with such innocence all this time.
Helio rested his hands on his thighs, making no attempt to conceal his astonishment as he said,
At those words, Liliana sat bolt upright, raising her eyebrows as if taken aback by herself.
A sudden wave of embarrassment washed over Liliana, and her face flushed red. She pressed her cheeks between her palms, looking at a loss for what to do.
Helio smiled, caught her hand, and pulled her toward his lap. In an unexpected moment, Liliana found herself kneeling before Helio, her hand held fast in his.
With a pout, Liliana said,
Helio looked away, speaking casually.
His voice carried a tone that didn't sound sorrowful in the least. But Liliana knew. It took a long time, along with deep helplessness and resignation, to speak of tragedy as if it were nothing.
Liliana reached out toward Helio's face. Helio knew that such a touch was impertinent. Yet his instincts showed no intention of pulling away from the warmth of her hand.
Eventually, her hands gently cradled the back of his head and drew him close. As if his hands had surrendered to her, Helio lowered his head and buried his face in her shoulder.
Where else could one find such a bold Queen? Even so, Helio did not think of pushing her away or punishing her.
Helio wrapped his arms tightly around her waist.
It was so sudden that Liliana's body instinctively stiffened with tension.
When Helio did nothing further, however, she gradually began to relax.
Folding her hands over him, Liliana murmured,
Helio snapped like a petulant child, and Liliana smiled softly.
Her voice, however, remained earnest.
“Because you still love her.”
Surely Liliana could not have known what happened in the banquet hall. She was a Queen who had grown up an abandoned princess, possessing no power base to stand upon, with nothing but a single loyal maid at her side.
Yet she spoke as if she saw through everything. Strangest of all, it didn't bother him in the least.
Gently lifting Helio's face from her shoulder, Liliana gave a tender smile.
Even with such absurd words coming from her, he was not annoyed. Helio let out an incredulous laugh.
In the end, he had found what he came looking for.