Chapter 57
Arden, looking tired, turned his gaze away from the documents and stared out the window. He stood up from his seat. When he drew the curtains, the garden, now enveloped in the dark night, came into view.
“Perhaps a walk would help, and it would also give you some fresh air?”
“If I go for a walk at this hour, I’ll run into the Queen.”
He chuckled softly and shook his head. Since that day, Leticia had been going for nightly walks. At first, he couldn’t understand why.
“Why on earth is she walking at night?”
“Maybe her mind is troubled?”
A smile appeared on Arden’s lips at Raymond’s words. It was a good sign for Arden if Leticia’s mind was in turmoil because of him. If she didn’t care about him, why would she be troubled at all?
Arden wanted her to be more confused because of him. The more she thought, the more cautious her actions would become, and she’d have to reflect on her feelings. They had been married for at least a year, and now she was trying to leave, making all sorts of excuses. It didn’t make sense to him.
If she truly didn’t love him, Arden hoped she’d continue to question and struggle with her emotions. Even if it was selfish, he didn’t mind. After all, he hadn’t made her Queen for her own sake to begin with.
A little more greed on his part wouldn’t be condemned by anyone. And even if it was, he wouldn’t care.
“It seems she’s gone for another walk tonight.”
Arden’s eyes caught sight of Leticia once again on her usual evening walk. His blue eyes followed her figure as she walked through the darkness. At first, she came out with a maid, and the two of them chatted happily as they strolled. Not wanting to disturb them, Arden had deliberately kept his distance for a few days.
Now, the maid followed behind Leticia, and she seemed to still enjoy her walks. Sometimes, she would even walk alone without her maid.
“It’s been quite a while since the two of you had dinner together, hasn’t it?”
“Yes, it has.”
Arden scratched his chin. It wasn’t that he avoided dinner with her because of work, but they hadn’t dined together for some time. Whenever that happened, Arden would draw the curtains and look outside. Seeing Leticia walking in the garden around the same time quenched his thirst.
“By the way, what happened with Verotin?”
“He disappeared without a trace, and we’re having trouble finding him. Also, there’s some strange news about the elves that I mentioned last time.”
“What kind of strange news?”
“They say traces of elves have been found in the Empire.”
Arden narrowed his eyes at Raymond’s words. Why would elves appear in the Empire? Suddenly, he remembered the Emperor’s interest in Leticia.
“Is that the reason?”
It seemed the Emperor had harbored ulterior motives, looking at Leticia with greedy eyes. The power of the elves… was he after that? The immortal elves, though the method wasn’t clear, were spoken of in old legends.
“They say drinking the blood of elves transfers their life force, making one immortal. But that’s just a baseless myth. It’s not something that could even be possible in the first place,” Arden thought.
While it couldn’t extend one’s lifespan, it was said that elves did possess powers that could influence life. However, only high elves were known to have such abilities, not the common ones. Whatever that power was, it was undoubtedly mysterious, as is often the case with beings of transcendence. Perhaps Leticia knew something about it.
“This might be necessary for the investigation, so I should ask her,” Arden decided.
The only thing he knew about elven powers was their ability to manipulate dreams. Beyond that, the unique vitality possessed by high elves was common knowledge. He needed more information.
If he could find Leticia’s mother, Elocha, Leticia would surely acknowledge his efforts.
“Inform them that I will attend dinner tomorrow.”
“Understood,” Raymond replied with a broad smile and quickly conveyed the message to the servants.
Leticia felt both relieved and anxious that Arden wasn’t seeking her out.
In truth, his absence gave her a sense of clarity as her once chaotic thoughts settled. She mentally mapped out the path leading deeper into the garden, toward the forest.
‘There’s a knight stationed over there, so I should head this way,’ she reminded herself.
Although the path was overgrown with vines, Leticia had decided to rely on the spirits for help. They had promised to clear the vines so she wouldn’t get hurt, and she had readily agreed.
With that, her preparations were complete. Now, she had to stop avoiding him and face him directly. Only then would she have the opportunity to escape.
As her walk ended, Leticia glanced at Arden’s office on her way back.
‘Don’t make any rash moves that might cause misunderstandings,’ she thought. There was no need to ruin her carefully crafted plan out of impatience.
Tomorrow would mark one week. Before that, Arden needed to initiate a conversation with her. By now, both of them should have had enough time to sort out their thoughts. She just had to acknowledge her feelings and reassure him. Like always, she could pretend to agree with him, letting him win the argument as usual.
When she returned to her room, Ruena was beaming.
“Did something good happen?”
“The Prince said he’ll be attending dinner tomorrow!” Ruena exclaimed.
“…Is that so?” Leticia sighed in relief. This meant that everything was progressing according to her plan, without her having to take any drastic measures.
Leticia dressed simply, as usual. Nothing flashy, just something plain enough that others might even find it modest.
Her steps toward the dining room felt awkward. After all, it had been nearly a week, so it was only natural for the path to feel unfamiliar.
She had been eating either in her bedroom or the garden every day, so the formal dining room felt stiff and uncomfortable.
Sitting across from each other at the long table, they exchanged the usual greetings and focused on their meals. After a long while, Arden, seemingly with something to say, wiped his mouth with a napkin and stared at her intently.
“…Stop staring and say what you need to. You’ll make me lose my appetite.”
“I’ve become curious about something.”
“Curious about what?” Leticia felt a sense of dread whenever Arden expressed curiosity about something. She couldn’t shake the feeling that he might have discovered something.
“Is this why people say that one can’t live without committing sins?”
She had never thought deceiving him would be easy, but she hadn’t expected to be this anxious about it. Arden rinsed his mouth with water before speaking.
“Do you know anything about the powers possessed by high elves?”
“…Aside from living an immortal life and being able to put others to sleep, I don’t know much else. High elves can manipulate dreams at will, though.”
Now that she thought about it, that was strange. Leticia wasn’t a high elf, yet she had been able to put him to sleep and manipulate his dreams.
Her powers had awakened after spending a night with Arden. “Could it be that sharing love with someone I care for was the key to unlocking my abilities?”
Thinking that way made her understand why she could put him to sleep, but she still couldn’t grasp the mystery behind manipulating dreams.
“I see. There must be a reason for it, even if it’s not well known.”
“Perhaps the more it’s known, the more their lives would be threatened?” Leticia suggested.
Arden nodded in agreement at her words. She opted for water instead of the pre-meal drink and set down her utensils.
“Your Highness, I’ve thought carefully about what you said the other day.”
“What do you mean?”
“As you said, I think I still love you.”
“…”
“Let’s sleep together tonight. I heard you haven’t been able to get proper rest due to work this past week.”
She spoke calmly, just like always, but she didn’t forget to wear a slightly worried expression.
“I may feel resentment and anger toward you, but we’re still married. It’s hard to let go completely… it would be a shame otherwise.”
“Do as you wish.”
“Then I’ll head to your room tonight.”
Arden nodded. He maintained a neutral expression, and the two of them continued their meal with a more comfortable demeanor.
Leticia stood in front of Arden’s room. Dressed lightly, she nodded to the attendant, who promptly announced her entry.
“Come in,” Arden said.
At his words, Leticia carefully stepped inside. He looked tired, a hint of exhaustion showing on his face as he leaned against the bed and gazed at her.
As she cautiously approached him, Arden’s eyes opened slightly. His drowsy gaze swept over her, and he reached out a hand.
Pulled closer, she found herself in his embrace, blinking in surprise.
“I’ll put you to sleep,” she murmured.
“Later,” he replied.
“You look tired.”
“I can sleep anytime.”
He closed his eyes again. Leticia lifted her gaze to him, biting her lip.
*“Alright, before I leave, I need to confirm this.”*
She wanted to leave no room for regrets, to hear it from him directly.
“Your Highness, I’ve heard that effort is necessary even between spouses. I thought about what we might need… and I think having a child would be nice.”
“…A child?”
Her unexpected words startled him, his blue eyes flashing with a mixture of surprise and something darker.
“What would you do if you and I had a child?”
“…”
He looked down at Leticia, who was nestled in his arms, with an expression that seemed devoid of warmth. *“I should be honest with her.”*
Having a child between them was out of the question.
“I don’t want a child. Besides, it’s impossible for me to have one, so don’t harbor any unnecessary hopes.”
“…You can’t have one?”
“It’s impossible for me to have a child since I’m on medication. You’ve never cared about having kids, have you?”
Arden narrowed his eyes at her question. The sudden topic weighed heavily on the atmosphere.
“I see.”
“Is having a child that important to you? It’s not to me.”
He didn’t want a child, and she knew that. Arden opened his mouth as if to say something, but Leticia interrupted.
“No, no, it was just a thought. You don’t have to worry about it.”
“Is something going on?”
“Can I beg you for something?”
Leticia whispered as she gently stroked his hair.
“Please, just sleep well tonight.”
