When I came to my senses, I found myself outside the alley without realizing how I’d gotten there.
“Hah.”
Beware of your ‘friend.’
“Could she mean the owner of the letter?”
Though I hated to admit it, there was no one else Eloise could reasonably refer to as a “friend.”
Oddly enough, the old woman seemed to act as if she knew exactly who I’d been exchanging letters with.
“Hah, what the hell is going on…?”
Confused, I rubbed my forehead.
I stood there for a while before stepping back into the alley, only to find that the path I had taken earlier was gone. In its place was an unfamiliar scene, as if warning me that I wasn’t supposed to return yet.
“…….”
As I lowered my head and absently rubbed my left wrist, where the bracelet had been, a voice called out from afar.
“Madam! I’m here!”
It was Vivi, running toward me. She must have been in such a hurry that beads of sweat dotted her nose, even though it wasn’t a particularly hot day.
“You didn’t go anywhere!”
Her tone, as if praising a child for staying put, left me momentarily dumbfounded. I took the water she offered.
“Where did you go that you’re so out of breath?”
“Ah, it wasn’t far, but I got oddly confused on the way. I’ve never gotten lost in the marketplace before! Oh no, am I terribly late?”
She looked startled as she asked, but I shook my head slowly.
“No, you’re right on time.”
“Thank goodness!”
Glancing between Vivi and my left wrist, I handed back the glass of water and began walking.
“Let’s head back.”
“Huh… already? Didn’t you have somewhere to go?”
“I’ll come back another time.”
At my response, Vivi gave me a puzzled look but eventually agreed and led me back toward the carriage.
By the time we returned to the ducal residence, less than two hours had passed since we’d left.
“You said you were just going for some fresh air,” Ian said, meeting us at the main building’s entrance. He extended his hand to help me down from the carriage.
I took his escort naturally as I stepped down.
“Two hours is enough.”
“For a little escapade, it’s rather short.”
“So you knew it was an escapade?”
“Yes. After all, I happen to take great interest in you, my lady.”
With a subtle shrug, he escorted me to the lobby and handed me something—a letter bearing the imperial seal.
“Her Majesty has summoned you.”
Taking the letter, I tilted my head.
“Later than I expected. I thought she’d call for us right after we returned.”
“Her Majesty is a busy woman.”
“Well…”
At least it wasn’t drawn out for too long. If the Emperor was summoning Ian and me now, it was undoubtedly to discuss the matter of relinquishing his claim to the throne.
Opening the envelope, I skimmed the letter. As expected, it instructed us to enter the palace this weekend.
I looked at Ian after finishing the letter.
“Ian.”
“Yes, madam?”
“I just want to ask one more time, just to be sure. You’re really okay with giving up your claim to the throne? I plan to settle this matter once and for all.”
Ian’s indigo eyes gazed steadily at me.
“And you, madam?”
“…What?”
Why is he suddenly asking about me?
Caught off guard, I blinked, and he replied calmly.
“I’m asking if you’re still fine with me, even as a duke without a claim to the throne.”
His gaze was unwavering.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
I asked, perplexed.
Surely Ian knew better than anyone that he had no intention of taking the throne. Even the symbolic weight of his claim was more of a political tool than anything else.
Not that it’s a big loss anyway.
But Ian’s expression was more serious than I expected.
He added,
“I’m asking if someone like me—without a claim to the throne—is still someone you and the House of Alphius need.”
“…….”
“Setting aside my feelings for you, I haven’t forgotten the reason you chose to marry me.”
For a moment, Ian’s steady, low voice struck me like a blow.
That’s right. Eloise married Ian because of his position as a duke with a claim to the throne.
It had been a marriage of convenience, calculated and pragmatic. A change in circumstances could always lead to divorce.
It was something I’d even told Ian myself when I first visited his office.
And yet… ever since Ian confessed his feelings, I somehow forgot about that.
Thinking about it now, while Ian had confessed to me, I’d never given him an answer.
Despite the obvious effect he had on me, I had never responded to his feelings.
Until I gave him an answer, we remained a couple bound by mutual interests, one that could end at any moment.
On top of that, I had unintentionally been avoiding Ian lately.
Realizing this left me with a strange, unsettling feeling.
Ian, meanwhile, continued to look at me with sincere eyes.
“If this matter gives you a reasonable excuse to leave me—”
“No, Ian. As I said, it won’t change anything. Whether you have a claim to the throne or not, it doesn’t matter to me.”
I instinctively tightened my grip on his hand, cutting him off mid-sentence.
Then I tried my best to speak clearly, not knowing why I felt compelled to reassure him.
“And…”
“……”
“I’m not going to run away because of this. Do I seem so disloyal to you?”
I cracked a small smile and joked, and the tension that had been etched into Ian’s brows finally eased slightly. He glanced briefly at the hand I was holding before nodding.
“That’s enough for me.”
I released my grip, and the emptiness in my left hand was immediate.
As I started to feel the invisible bracelet on my wrist once again, a thought flashed through my mind, and I looked up.
“Ian.”
“Yes, please speak.”
His gentle response made me hesitate before I finally managed to speak.
“Well, hypothetically… if, by some chance, I’m not the person you think I am.”
“……”
“Would you still feel the same way about me?”
Whether all of this was a coincidence or an orchestrated inevitability, I could never truly be the real Eloise.
In the end, everything I had done was driven by my perspective as a reader of this novel, hoping for Diana’s happiness.
In the past, I didn’t think such things mattered, but now it felt different.
‘I can’t deny it—I’m starting to waver.’
My heart pounded uncontrollably, making it impossible to think clearly. Ian’s usual cerulean eyes blurred my vision, sinking into my consciousness.
Just as Ian opened his mouth to respond, I interrupted.
“Wait, stop!”
“…Madam?”
“I’ll hear it later, later.”
I wasn’t ready to hear his answer yet.
Ian looked puzzled at my sudden move to stop him, but I hastily turned away, pretending to clear my throat. I couldn’t bring myself to meet his gaze any longer.
“Well, I’ll head up first.”
“……”
“Let’s meet again at dinner!”
❖ ❖ ❖
Perhaps it was because I cut him off so abruptly, or maybe for some other reason entirely.
After that day, the chance to have a similar conversation with Ian never came again.
Strangely enough, after meeting the old woman, the visions of the past Eloise that I used to see through dreams or illusions no longer appeared. It seemed to be thanks to the bracelet she had placed on my wrist, which also hadn’t been visible since that day.
And so, a week passed, and Ian and I headed to the Solar Palace to meet with the Emperor.
When we followed the secretary into a familiar sitting room, the Emperor was reclining lazily on a sofa, waiting for us.
“Presenting the one and only first sun of the Levant Empire, Her Majesty Empress Elisia Levant.”
“Enough with the formalities.”
She waved dismissively and gestured for us to sit across from her.
“This way, madam.”
“Yes.”
As Ian escorted me to my seat with a practiced ease, the Emperor watched us with a satisfied smile and asked with a sly glint in her eye:
“Judging by your glowing faces, it seems your honeymoon went quite well.”
“……”
“So, any special news to share? Perhaps a long and eventful night?”
“Cough, cough!”
I choked on nothing, coughing uncontrollably as my face burned with embarrassment.
I looked at her in disbelief.
“…Pardon?”
“Judging by your reaction, I suppose not. What a shame.”
This—this Emperor truly had no filter!
• • •
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