Chapter 3
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Considering these circumstances, marriage to the Grand Duke, though drastic, was a decent solution for both of them. In fact, Aileen stood to gain immensely, far from suffering any loss.
'Of course, accepting is the right thing to do.'
Cesare was no longer a discarded Imperial Prince. He had the Emperor as his elder brother and was the Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Army, a Grand Duke. Now, he was also a national hero who had even acquired the Arch of Triumph.
The opportunity to become the wife of such a man was a proposal that should have been met with joyous leaps. However, Aileen couldn't readily accept.
She knew he possessed a cruel nature, incapable of loving anyone.
For Cesare, a kiss or a proposal held no emotional significance. He proposed simply because it was necessary, and the kiss was merely to confirm to Aileen that sexual relations were possible.
If his plan required a different woman, he would have acted no differently. That fact was unbearably painful.
Because Aileen...
Was secretly in love with Cesare.
She didn't want her long-standing crush to culminate in a hollow relationship. She'd rather be far apart, occasionally hearing news of him in the newspapers, than become an empty shell of a couple.
A sharp pain struck her heart. As Aileen's complexion darkened, Lord Rotan gently chided her.
"You have no choice, even if you dislike it. Why did you do that? If it weren't for His Excellency, you would have been dragged to the Guillotine."
Rotan's words were no exaggeration. If someone other than Cesare had discovered her first, Aileen would have been immediately sentenced to death.
Aileen, fidgeting with the candy and handkerchief on her lap, muttered gloomily.
"I wanted to be of help to His Excellency."
She hadn't uttered a word in front of Cesare earlier, but excuses flowed freely before Rotan.
"Strong painkillers are essential in war. I thought it would be an innovation..."
Her words trailed off. A question flashed through Aileen's mind.
"But how did you know?"
Morpheus was still in the experimental stage. It was a double-edged sword, so she had been researching it with utmost care, never releasing it outside the laboratory.
"I am more surprised that you thought His Excellency wouldn't know."
Rotan responded to Aileen's question with disbelief.
"How could he not know when you were so diligently buying opium? At first, I thought you were addicted to opium, or that you had been thoroughly scammed."
"I'm not that foolish..."
"Have you forgotten that you were once kidnapped for a piece of candy?"
Aileen's face flushed red as she exclaimed.
"That was when I was twelve!"
It had been over a decade. And it wasn't just because of a piece of candy.
The kidnapper gave her a bag of lemon-flavored candies and a bag of orange-flavored candies she had never tasted before. He also offered to show her a unique plant specimen, which was why she followed him.
There was a somewhat complicated reason, but Cesare's subordinates all remembered Aileen being kidnapped for candy. Rotan muttered in a heavy voice.
"Just remembering the chaos back then makes me dizzy..."
"I'm definitely not like that now."
Aileen dragged Rotan, who was trying to sink into memories at will, out of his reminiscence. Cooling her burning cheeks with the back of her hand, she said to him.
"Anyway... if there's another way, I want to avoid marriage as much as possible. I feel like I'll be a burden to His Excellency, and it's too sudden..."
She couldn't speak confidently, as she had committed a crime, and mumbled. Rotan gazed at Aileen, his expression understanding. Unlike his rugged appearance, he spoke in a rather gentle tone.
"It must be burdensome for you. But His Excellency is doing this all out of concern for you."
"..."
"He is also not one to change his decisions."
Aileen knew that well. Since Cesare had decided to make Aileen the Grand Duchess, it would be so. Just like when he decided to make his brother the Emperor.
Even knowing the predetermined future, Aileen made a futile resistance, however slight.
"Please give me some time. I need to talk to my father too."
The moment Aileen mentioned her father, disgust flashed in Rotan's eyes. However, Rotan composed himself before Aileen could notice. After a moment of silence, he changed the subject.
"Come to think of it, it's been a long time since I've seen you."
"Have you been well?"
"I have. Why didn't you send letters to His Excellency?"
Aileen was startled and asked back.
"Yes? Letters?"
After Cesare left for the battlefield three years ago, Aileen sent him letters every day. She sent letters steadily for nearly a year, but never received a single reply. She wasn't disappointed because she had no expectations. She was just a little depressed.
"I thought he wasn't reading them. Since there were no replies, I assumed personal letters weren't delivered on the battlefield... Even if they were delivered, I thought His Excellency wouldn't have the time to read them in the midst of his busy schedule..."
She didn't want to be a nuisance to him. So, she stopped sending letters from the following year. For the past three years, she had only received news of Cesare through newspapers. But today, Cesare suddenly came to her and proposed.
"His Excellency was very happy every time a letter arrived."
Then why didn't he reply even once? It seemed like Rotan was just saying that to comfort her. Rotan was Cesare's direct knight, so he must have witnessed all the letters being discarded.
Hiding her bitterness at Rotan's kind consideration, Aileen smiled, pretending to be cheerful.
"Now that he's back in the capital, letters aren't necessary anymore. I'll make up for it in other ways."
"Yes. Just being by his side is enough."
When Aileen pretended not to hear the words about becoming the Grand Duchess, Rotan smiled. Just then, the carriage stopped.
"We have arrived."
Before she knew it, they were in front of her house. The cozy two-story brick house with a small garden was the inheritance her mother had left Aileen.
Originally, it should have been inherited by her father according to Imperial law, but thanks to Cesare's intervention based on her mother's will, Aileen inherited it.
An orange tree in the garden swayed its green leaves in the wind. The tree, laden with orange fruits, added vibrancy to the brick house.
Despite the picturesque scenery, the orange sapling was actually a very expensive luxury item. It shouldn't have been in the garden of the Elrod Family, a fallen noble family. The orange tree was also a gift from Cesare.
Rotan got out first and opened the carriage door. As the sound of rustling leaves filled the air, Rotan looked at the orange tree with delight.
"Have there been any thieves trying to steal the oranges?"
"How could there be?"
There was only one theft after she received the sapling as a gift. The brave orange thief was shot dead by the Grand Duke's soldiers. Since then, no one had dared to approach the orange tree, let alone Aileen's house.
Aileen glanced up at Rotan, who was escorting her. The man with the rugged appearance smiled brightly as soon as he met Aileen's eyes, his burn scars crinkling.
Like the orange tree that didn't suit the Elrod Family, the Grand Duke's knights were like beings from another world to Aileen. They were definitely not people she could casually laugh and talk with. Especially the Grand Duke...
Aileen forced herself to lift her sinking spirits and smiled back.
"Thank you, Lord Rotan. Do you have time for a cup of tea?"
It had been a long time since they had met, and she didn't want to just send him away. She was also curious about what had happened in the meantime. Rotan readily accepted Aileen's invitation.
The two shared tea together in the small drawing room of the brick house. Rotan listed the recent activities of those who missed Aileen.
"Senon misses you very much. He said he was going to see you today and asked me to convey his regards several times."
"Lord Senon?"
"Yes. And it's not just Senon. Michele was also making a fuss. Diego talks about you whenever he gets the chance, but he still seems to think of you as a little girl. He even bought a rabbit doll as a gift for you when he returned to the capital this time. So I punched him."
