“…..Is it because he’s the male lead?”
At Elysia’s sudden words, Mariela froze.
Elysia’s face looking at her was clearly that of a daughter born from her womb, but with an unknown expression.
As if she wasn’t her daughter.
“You…. how do you…..”
In response to Elysia’s confident attitude, Mariela trembled terribly, unable to say ‘no‘.
Elysia’s eyes, whom she had unintentionally affirmed, were cold without any bond or affection between mother and daughter.
Before the heartless eyes of her beloved daughter, Mariela had the ominous feeling that something had gone wrong with her.
“E…Elysia. Did….did your memories come back?”
“Mother, you possessed someone in this world, right?”
Before losing her memory, Elysia knew very well that Mariela was a possessor.
However, Elysia’s next words were even more shocking.
“I am also a possessor.”
“What….what did you say?”
Elysia kept talking, avoiding her gaze.
“I’m sorry. I became your daughter. I thought you’d be shocked if you find out.”
Mariela was dumbfounded.
What the hell does this mean?
I can’t believe Elysia is possessed. That’s nonsense.
She was so startled that she felt like her head was in a mess.
“It’s not my fault. You also possessed the body of someone’s precious daughter. So I thought you would understand me.”
“What…..what does that mean? Elysia! Explain to me so I can understand!”
Mariela screamed involuntarily.
“My real name is Won Yoon-Ji. It’s been about half a year since I came here.”
“…..!”
“I don’t know what happened to your daughter’s soul. Like you don’t know where the real Mariela’s soul went.”
“Ahh…ah…”
Mariela began to cry while screaming.
“Oh, oh, my daughter…… Elysia! Elysia!”
She fell to the floor and began to weep.
But Elysia couldn’t comfort her. She had no right to comfort Mariela.
“I’m sorry.”
It’s not my fault, but I’m really sorry.
“El….Elysia…. you…..”
When she heard Mariela’s sorrowful cry, Elysia burst into tears.
What defines human existence?
It’s the memories.
My memories of myself.
And the memories of others who remember me.
Surrounded by Won Yoon-Ji’s ego, which possessed Elysia’s body without any of her memories, and unable to act like the real Elysia to those who remember her.
Meanwhile, Elysia thought that Mariela’s actions were dubious.
What makes her, the Duchess of the Empire, so fearful and challenging?
Why does she treat Elysia like a child, and why is she so terrified?
Like someone who knows the future.
Elysia Yuter is an obstacle for the main couple who, when their love comes true, will become a dead person who doesn’t exist.
Mariela’s actions fit perfectly with those of a possessor.
“I won’t live as Elysia.”
She told Mariela.
“And I have no intention of dying just like in the original story.”
Tears of pain fell from Mariela’s eyes as she looked at Elysia.
“…… I can’t be your daughter. I’m sorry.”
“…ugh.”
Mariela beat her chest and cried. Elysia looked at her for a long time.
* * * * *
KNOCK KNOCK
There was a knock on the door of the Grand Duke’s office.
Eleon replied without taking his eyes off the document he was looking at.
“Come in.”
Cedric entered with his characteristic angled footsteps and stood up straight.
“I have investigated what Your Highness ordered.”
Eleon asked, leaving what he was looking at on the desk.
“How did it go?”
“There is no sign that Her Royal Highness has used her expenses. In the accounts of the Imperial Bank, for the past four years, Her Royal Highness’s private property has not been spent.”
“It’s strange. My mother is not a person who spends very little.”
It was five years ago, when Eleon was still on the battlefield, when his mother, the former Grand Duchess Lev, went abroad.
Eleon’s father, Grand Duke Desar Clevent, died of an illness at the young age of 40. It was a shame he died young.
No matter how vacant the seat of the head of state was, under Imperial Law, a minor could not inherit the title.
The large estate was guarded by his vassals on behalf of the young heir.
They swore allegiance to the late Grand Duke Desar and waited for their master to grow.
Meanwhile, Eleon went to the military academy and polished himself up. As soon as he celebrated his coming of age at the age of 16, he immediately inherited the Grand Duchy.
When her son officially inherited the title and became the Grand Duke, the Grand Duchess Lev announced that her official title should no longer be Grand Duchess Clevent, but Princess Lev like before her marriage.
The Emperor had no reason to oppose his younger sister, who married early.
As soon as her official title was approved by the Emperor, Princess Lev didn’t want to stay in an empty house without her son, so she left the capital and went down to the Clevent estate.
At first, it seemed that she was trying to manage the estate on behalf of her son, who had gone to war.
However, she soon began to leisurely tour around her estate. She wasn’t too worried about her son.
Then she went on a trip to a foreign country. Of course, she traveled to another foreign country due to her status as a princess and seemed to have enjoyed the luxury while being treated as a guest of the state.
At first, she often sent letters and gifts. But since 4 years ago only short letters have been received.
And two years ago, when her son went blind, she finally contacted him to tell him she couldn’t return.
“My mother said that she caught an indigenous disease. If she had died, or her condition had worsened since then, she would have contacted me. It’s strange.”
The Emperor’s sister had disappeared.
It seemed strange to him that there were no expenses in the account in the name of House Clevent, which should have been used if they had traveled.
Furthermore, it was highly doubtful that Princess Lev would contract the disease because she was also a successor to Oder’s blood.
One of the characteristics of Oder’s blood is physical strength and health, which is different from that of ordinary people.
“Didn’t His Majesty the Emperor look for my mother all this time?”
“The Imperial Family seems to have sent several letters asking her to return to the country, but it is said that the Emperor has not been able to get a response because she travels so fast.”
His mother disappeared while Eleon wandered on the battlefield where he lost his sight and was unable to properly function as a human being.
He had previously talked to Bernard half-jokingly about whether or not to find his mother. Princess Lev was also a mother, whose affection for her well-grown son was above average.
It could be a big disappointment if the Duke of Yuter didn’t like him.
However, it was strange that no traces of his mother could be found.
“Find out where my mother is.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
After reporting, Cedric bowed his head and left.
“Sigh.”
Eleon saw a large velvet box on one side of the desk.
It contained the tiara and necklace sent from Mrs. Oze’s jewelry.
“I hope my mother appears.”
When Eleon talked to Bernard about his mother’s whereabouts, he had no idea that the wedding would proceed so quickly.
All of this is because of Elysia.
Every time Eleon looked at her, he felt a longing that seemed to be unable to bear it any longer.
「“What? Are you saying you like me now?”」
「“Yes.”」
「”Oh my gosh.”」
Eleon smiled automatically when he recalled her wide-eyed face.
“Haha.”
He didn’t know his confession would be so blunt.
No, I always had a lot of moments like this when I spent time with Elysia.
He discovered many sides of himself he didn’t know he had.
“I never thought I would want someone so much.”
You ask me if I believe in fate. That was a silly question. How could I not believe it?
Eleon’s fate brought Elysia to him like a surprise gift.
She was a woman who would serve God all her life.
Elysia lost her memory in an accident on her way to Grerosa. There was no way that she had come to the Grand Duchy by accident.
The probability was so absurd that it was only considered a miracle.
When he looked out the window, it was dark outside.
“I guess I won’t be able to sleep well tonight.”
He can’t see Elysia until the sun comes up.
After Rona’s disappearance, Eleon never slept peacefully.
Even after finding her, he couldn’t fall asleep at the thought that he would only be able to meet her when the night passed.
The night deepened with Eleon’s heartbreaking sigh.
* * * * *
The next day, Eleon went to the Duke of Yuter with a marriage proposal.
It was so early that he broke social etiquette.
Eleon, who was led into the drawing room, tried to relax.
“I can’t believe I’m nervous.”
This is very funny. I had never felt like this in my life.
An Oder was physically superior that he had nothing to be nervous about.
Isn’t this the blood that God gave to rule over humans?
But unlike usual, Eleon felt his shoulders tense due to the ring box in his pocket.
“Will she accept it?”
What if she doesn’t like it?
The stories his men told whenever they had time on the battlefield were love stories. Some of these married couples used to emphasize the importance of the proposal ring.
「“Unconditionally, the bigger the stone, the better.”」
「“What are you talking about! It’s important to choose a design that suits the lady well.”」
「“You know nothing. Proposals are made with the face and body. You bastards.”」
During the day, the men ran around the battlefield where blood flowed like a river, and at night they drank alcohol and talked nonsense.
They consciously tried to escape from the madness of murder and the futility of war.
He thought that those who told their love stories and how they attached a lot of meaning to trivial things were fools.
But he didn’t feel bad when he joined the fool’s club.
The ring that Mrs. Oze painstakingly worked hard on was thick and beautifully shaped.
It was like a sparkling piece of art, so it satisfies Eleon’s aesthetics.
“It bothers me that I only brought a ring.”
He thought that he should have brought five or ten proposal rings so that she could choose and wear the one she liked best.
“Your Highness.”
As soon as he heard the beautiful lady’s welcoming voice, Eleon quickly stood up from his seat.
He was ecstatic the moment he saw the woman he had been missing all night.
He felt like he was dreaming.
The fact is that he can see Elysia with his own eyes.
Eleon greeted Elysia affectionately.
“Did you have a good dream?”
“I don’t know.”
Lovingly looking at the woman who gave him a skeptical reply, Eleon quickly walked over to her.
Proposing to her was just the starting point of marriage preparations if it was a marriage between nobles.
Since Eleon didn’t want to delay it even for a moment, he was determined to simplify the rest by skipping Imperial etiquette.
“I’m sincere, will you marry me?”
Elysia stared at it.
Her unresponsive face seemed confused with an expression of surprise.
Eleon was puzzled to see that she did not willingly accept his marriage proposal.
“I’m sorry, Your Highness. I can’t accept this.”
WHY
I think her mother said something. DANG!