Joseph swallowed his saliva.
It was impossible for Joseph to make up his mind about Daphne’s feelings. But…
“Why don’t you talk to the Duchess directly? What did the Duchess say at the end?”
It was clear that she couldn’t leave Cesare in that state..l
“Did she say goodbye? I don’t want to see you again, or get lost or….”
Cesare shook his head.
“It was a kiss goodbye…”
That was Cesare’s conclusion.
Meanwhile, he pondered the meaning of the kiss.
At first, it was thought that Daphne was forced to file for divorce in order to free Cesare.
As soon as the divorce papers were filed, they decided to release him.
It’s disgusting that Gabriel himself asked the Emperor to release Cesare, didn’t he?
That alone should have been enough.
This was the situation where Gabriel was playing with Cesare, who had fallen into a well-planned trap.
So I thought I had to bring Daphne back.
It wasn’t until I met Joseph that I changed my mind.
‘Do you love the Duchess?’
After hearing the question, Joseph repeatedly said that Cesare must have loved Daphne.
Since he’s a smart and capable secretary, there’s a good chance that’s true.
But what about Daphne?
Does Daphne love Cesare?
Daphne had never once confessed her love to Cesare.
She had only asked Cesare.
The moment he got that realization, he felt like a stone was falling over his head.
Even if Cesare is in love, Daphne might not be.
That is why Cesare lost all his motivation.
Cesare had even come to the point of concluding that Daphne’s kiss was a farewell kiss.
No matter what Joseph said, Cesare couldn’t hear it.
It was overwhelming to try to mend and comfort a broken heart.
Cesare never imagined that he would feel this way.
He was out of breath.
From the moment he realized that he could no longer be with Daphne, he could no longer find the meaning of living.
Cesare crouched down and grabbed his throat.
“Duke!”
“Stop calling me that. What kind of Duke is incompetent man?.”
Cesare murmured in a suppressed voice.
I didn’t want to do anything. He wished he could just die.
“Why are you doing this before you hear the Duchess’s story, come on! A kiss could mean something else!”
Joseph exclaimed in earnest voice.
Cesare was a strong man. He’s never shown his weakness.
Joseph can’t even imagine what would happen if such a person collapsed.
A tree that bends is not scary, but a tree that breaks is scary.
I felt goosebumps all over my body.
Joseph grabbed Cesare’s arm.
“Couldn’t it be a promise to come back? Weren’t you and the servants released after the divorce papers were filed? You said so yourself, Your Excellency! Why are you so sure about that, Your Excellency the Duke, think about it. Was the Duchess the kind of person to turn against you so easily.”
Cesare’s tears fell.
These were tears that Joseph had never seen before.
Cesare grabbed the necklace around his neck.
Cesare felt like it was choking his neck.
“Daphne never once told me that she loved me.”
Cesare’s voice cracked.
“It’s the love you speak of.”
“That…”
Joseph kept his mouth shut.
“How can Your Excellency be sure of feelings that madam didn’t say?”
“That’s why you should check….”
Joseph’s eyes widened as he spoke. Cesare had a messy expression on his face.
Cesare was seeing emotions she had never seen before.
That’s obvious… It was fear.
A man who had become a coward in front of love was sitting there.
Joseph could no longer say anything to Cesare.
****
It was as I expected.
Gabriel decided to take me to the Imperial palace.
“Daphne, you can get in.”
I looked at Gabriel and get in the carriage.
Gabriel smiled sadly and reached out to me.
Today was the first time I’ve seen Gabriel properly since that happened.
As we moved, only suffocating silence filled the carriage.
Gabriel called me as if he wanted to say something to me, but I ignored him.
My feelings for Gabriel were complex, a mixture of anger, regret and guilt.
What did Cesare and the others do to deserve this, and it’s not like I’m guilty of anything, how well did I do when I came here.
Gabriel or Cesare changed their route.
Come to think of it, Gabriel didn’t know about the future he would be with Cesare.
Therefore, the guilt for Gabriel is the kind that only I keep to myself.
There’s also a part of me that wonders how lonely he must have been to do this.
Maybe it was because I was the only one who was nice to him while everyone else turned away.
But do you really have to do this?
This is a crime…
I stood up and walked past Gabriel.
Gabriel quickly came and stood by me.
It looked like a chick I had seen a long time ago.
I remembered Gabriel, who was chasing me wherever I went like a chick.
The servant who met us led me and Gabriel to the place where the Emperor was waiting.
It was a banquet hall.
The Emperor was looking at me and Gabriel with a complex expression.
You must do well, Daphne. Your life depends on it. I can’t live with Gabriel in this suffocating state.
I wasn’t stupid enough to confuse compassion with love.
I pity Gabriel, but I never love him.
My happiness was not with Gabriel.
I bowed my head and used the etiquette I practiced with Shannet.
“I see the Empire Sun. Daphne, the daughter of Peliard, greets you.”
“… Lady Daphne. Come and sit down.”
The Emperor said to me,
I am no longer the Duchess. Nor am I the young lady like before my marriage.
“Prince, you too.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Gabriel sat on the right side of the Emperor, and I sat on the Emperor’s left.
At the Emperor’s gesture, the servants carried food, and the table quickly filled with food.
To be honest, I don’t know whether the food goes through the nose or the mouth, but I ate it eagerly.
Because I couldn’t resist the Emperor’s heart.
I had to somehow look good and get a chance to tell the Emperor what I had prepared.
How hard was it to move without Gabriel knowing…
After eating for a while, the Emperor beckoned. The silence meal was over.
Gabriel had not said anything until then.
Things don’t look so good between the Emperor and Gabriel either…
Also, the Emperor would be happy about this.
The Emperor wants to put Gabriel on the throne. So my existence would be nothing but a blemish on Gabriel.
And to see if my prediction was correct, the Emperor gave Gabriel an order.
“Stay away. I have something to talk about with Lady Daphne.”
“Your Majesty the Emperor!”
Gabriel called the Emperor with an anxious face.
But the Emperor was adamant.
“Stay away, Gabriel. Don’t make me say the same thing over and over again.”
Gabriel looked back, but had no choice but to leave the banquet hall.
The Emperor looked at me.
“… I have arranged this place to have an honest conversation with Lady Daphne.”
“May the glory come to you, Your Majesty the Emperor.”
“Speak frankly. In this situation, is it true that Lady Daphne wants it too? I mean, you’re separated from the Duke of Burstoad and you’re living with Gabriel.”
“… I swear in my heart that I love Cesare Burstoad.”
Tears were about to burst out as I said that.
I’m making a lot of confessions that I couldn’t even say to the person concerned…
Thinking about Cesare brings tears to my eyes.
“I see.”
The Emperor sighed with a frown on his face.
“But in this situation, I can’t force Gabriel to break his will. That kid already has a lot of flaws. These are the flaws I made. But if I show a feud with Gabriel, the nobles will bite Gabriel.”
I knew that too. How hard it was when I read this novel.
As for Gabriel’s current situation, I had guessed everything.
The Emperor’s heavy eyes were engulfed in anguish.
“What if I had a way to cover that flaw?”
He took a deep breath and said,
“In what way? The class system is the foundation of this Empire. Are you going to turn it over?”
The Emperor’s eyes turned cold.
“There are things that even I, the Emperor, can’t do. It undermines the foundations of the country.”
“It’s not like that, Your Majesty. I never dared to think like that. However…”
I placed the necklace I was wearing around my neck on the table that had been cleaned.
It was a bit old, but it was a sapphire necklace that still radiated a brilliant light.
These were the things Shannet and I prepared.
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