“I found her.”
Eleon recalled the moment he saw Elysia in the Imperial Palace.
The Imperial Family and Eleon had a delicate relationship.
Originally, there was no second in the line of succession to the throne in the Empire of Constance.
This is because only one child with the characteristics of an ‘Oder‘ is born in each generation. And unconditionally he would become Emperor.
Even an ‘Oder‘ had some divine ability by nature, so his physical ability was different from ordinary people’s, including becoming a swordmaster.
Thus, there has never been a case in over a thousand years when an Oder, the successor and sole heir, went wrong. And it has never been necessary to create a meaningless hierarchical order.
The reason that Eleon became second in the line of succession to the throne was that he was born with the characteristics of an ‘Oder‘, not Sabiel.
Eleon was able to fully use the ‘Oder‘ power, though it was never revealed due to repression from her mother, Lev.
The reason why he is careful despite knowing this is because he understood early on that his very existence could be the cause of a political conflict.
At a very young age, Sabiel was a good cousin, with moderate fights and pranks.
He was a rather friendly cousin who took young Eleon and showed him every corner of the Imperial Palace.
However, when Sabiel was just beginning his teenage years, at some point, he looked at Eleon with jealousy and began to avoid him like he was a monster.
In the end, Eleon watched one after another, wanting to ruin him.
It’s not Sabiel’s fault. It’s not my fault either.
It was a problem of those who clung to old-fashioned customs, who gave meaning to traditions and the will of the gods, asking for the Crown Prince to be replaced.
As a result, he couldn’t feel comfortable going back and forth to the Imperial Palace.
One of the good things about being on the battlefield all the time was that he didn’t have to go to an audience with the Emperor.
Go from this side to another side, from that side to that other side. The order to move the battlefield was reduced to a single decree.
While he was away from the capital and the Imperial Palace, Eleon could not be more comfortable.
There was only one thing that Eleon needed, and that was why he deliberately went to the Imperial Palace today.
Because he didn’t want Rona’s unclear identity to get in the way of their marriage.
A marriage license is issued by the Emperor’s special order.
The Seven Years’ War is a thing of the past.
The land that the blind man could neither rule nor manage had been properly distributed long ago.
The Emperor couldn’t give the land back to Eleon, and he did not want it either.
Instead, he would get what he wanted.
If he kept putting it off, there was a chance he’d get something worse than he wanted.
Eleon walked out, holding in his hands what he wanted so much.
From the opposite side, he saw two noblewomen walking towards the Sun Palace.
They were very similar as if they were mother and daughter.
However, it was the young lady who caught his attention. Her golden hair, thick as honey, and slightly wavy, flowed over her white skin. The purple eyes beneath the long golden eyelashes were as clear and dark as a high-quality amethyst.
She was beautiful.
She was a beauty that would steal all hearts.
But that wasn’t what caught Eleon’s attention.
He had never been interested in a woman.
Even after greeting Eleon several times, the ladies were trying to win his affection, and since he couldn’t remember their faces or even their names, they ran out of the ballroom crying.
It was the dress that caught Eleon’s attention.
A silky purple satin ribbon tied the waist of a white chiffon dress, which looked fluffy. And an unusual lace draped over her shoulders.
「“These laces were brought by boat from the north.”」
「“What kind of pattern is this?”」
「“It is white lace with purple grapes and vines.”」
「“Purple.”」
It was an unusual lace with purple decorations that seemed to suit a woman with red hair and blue eyes.
「“This will look good on her.”」
「“That’s right. It’s perfect for Miss Rona.”」
「“Make a summer dress with this as well.”」
It was a dress Eleon picked and ordered because he thought it would suit Rona, but it was canceled.
It was just as he had imagined.
It was a dress that he wanted Rona to wear, even his fingertips still tingled from the fabrics
……. It must be a coincidence.
Eleon tried to pull himself together as he saw grapes and vine-patterned embroidery hanging from the ends that fluttered every time the woman walked.
There was no way to know if the owner of Le Ballein had sold the dress design to someone else.
Where is Rona now?
He had the Emperor’s decree in his hand that would solve all of Rona’s problems. But Rona wasn’t there.
His memories with Rona took over Eleon’s consciousness.
Until the woman who had just walked past him, spoke.
「“Elysia, are you alright?”」
「”Yes. I’m sorry. I am not used to the new shoes”」
Eleon who had been walking indifferently, stopped.
All his attention was focused on the sound of her footsteps that disappeared into the Sun Palace.
Rona
It was the voice that woke him up every day.
Eleon’s day started with Rona’s voice and ended with Rona’s voice.
A familiar and nostalgic voice. It was a voice that drove him crazy after not being able to hear it for a long time.
Grasp
Eleon who almost dropped the decree, grabbed it tightly.
I need to confirm it.
He wanted to leave the Imperial Palace right away, but Eleon waited for her to leave the Sun Palace.
Since I came in for lunch, it must be tea time. It should take at most two hours or an hour.
He knew how the Emperor’s audience worked.
However, he had to look at the watch over and over without noticing that even that hour passed slower than usual.
In order to leave the carriage in the main castle and go to an audience, you need to go through this corridor.
Eleon stood in the shade of a nearby tree, waiting for her to come out.
Soon the woman was guided by a maid and led to the garden where Eleon was.
He walked slowly behind her, looking for a chance to talk to her.
「“Ouch!”」
Eleon embraced her slender body when she almost fell over.
There was an answer in Elysia’s eyes when she raised her head and looked at him.
Are you in pain, are your eyes good, and how are you doing?
Eleon did not have anyone to care about him, except Rona.
For a blind beast like him.
Eleon unknowingly lowered his head and almost kissed her.
How did I resist that temptation?
He barely suppressed his desire to have her right away with the thought that he couldn’t be a beast after being blind.
“Elysia Yuter.”
Her name is pretty, too.
If there were no class differences, there would be no problem in bringing her to the Grand Duchy.
“This has become useless.”
It’s not useless at all. I went to the Imperial Palace to get this useless thing and found her, so maybe I should make it a family heirloom.
KNOCK KNOCK
Bernard walked in. Having just returned from Clevent Estate, he brought a lot of specialties and was motivated to prepare a meal today.
“Your Highness, when are you going to have dinner tonight? Didn’t you come back late from the Imperial Palace today?”
Bernard asked him to fill his stomach with anything.
Instead of answering the butler’s question, Eleon asked something else.
“What does Rona look like?”
“You mean Miss Rona?”
Bernard sighed.
“Her hair is blonde, but it must be a bit unusual. It’s not a crumbly color, it’s like a well-brewed tea. And her eye color is purple, but this is not a very common purple. The color is deep and every time she smiles, it gives off a dazzling light, she gives the impression of being pure and cute.”
“Did you see that?”
Eleon felt uncomfortable.
The butler, who did not notice, worked hard on her portrayal to appease the master’s heart, who was depressed because he couldn’t find Rona.
“Rona said she was twenty-seven years old, but she looked much younger than me. Her skin is white. There were a few people who were interested in Miss Rona, but they seemed to have lost interest because she didn’t have an identification card.”
“Bring the documents you got from the agency.”
The butler soon picked up a simple piece of paperwork from his room.
“I should have taken the butler with me when I went to the information guild.”
If that were the case, he would have corrected Eleon when he was looking for a woman with red hair and blue eyes.
Cedric had never seen Rona, so he couldn’t help at all.
“Why did you lie?”
Eleon was speechless.
“Besides, why did you lie about your identity?”
Did she think I would never open my eyes?
But Eleon didn’t think so. He drank the medicinal tea she gave him, and his eyes improved.
If she didn’t want his eyes to be healed, she wouldn’t have brought him the medicine.
Rona had no other intentions and treated Eleon with sincerity.
If this really goes wrong, there is no going back.
“Well, it doesn’t matter. After we get married, we will have plenty of time to talk.”
The butler’s eyes widened as he heard Eleon speak to himself.
“Yes? Grand Duke? What are you saying now… … Are you getting married? With whom?”
Eleon looked over Elysia’s report handed over by the Information Guild and said.
“Dinner. Bring it now.”
“Your Highness?”
That night, the cry of the butler, who was hurt by his alienation, resounded in the Grand Duke’s residence.
* * * * *
The next day, Elysia was smiling awkwardly in front of Crown Prince Sabiel, who suddenly came to the Duke’s residence.
“Yesterday, Her Majesty said that Lady Elysia will be waiting in the garden. Her Majesty had something to discuss with the Duchess and told me to speak with you but since I was so busy with work, I forgot about it.”
“I see.”
The question about the two cups of tea prepared on the table was solved.
Yesterday’s work in the garden seems to have been prepared by the Empress.
I think Eleon is doing well. Did something happen to him when he came to the Imperial Palace? Will he go somewhere far away?
He had been on the battlefield for 7 years before he suffered an eye injury.
There was no war at the time, but the borders of a huge empire were always in turmoil.
There were still many places where a strong knight was needed.
“I heard you lost your memory by the way.”
“…..Yes.”
Sabiel is Eleon’s cousin.
He’s tall and has dark hair or something similar.
She didn’t think they looked alike because of his blue eyes, wavy hair, and the impression on his face.
He was certainly a handsome man who stole Karina’s heart.
Elysia, who had already given a rough evaluation of Sabiel due to Karina’s bragging, though she was not curious about it, only wondered why he had come to her.
“The Empress wants me to get along with you.”
“Yes?”
“She wants to welcome the little fairy born in Yuter’s paradise as my Crown Princess.”
At that moment, Elysia felt a sense of déjà vu.
A little fairy born in Yuter’s paradise.
This person is…….
Elysia realized the role given to the body she possessed.
Thank you! Oooo so glad he found her. But the CRown prince is cringy. Wonder what her role was in the story.