When the tear fell, no one was more shocked than Caesar himself.
He was so stunned that he froze in place, unable to even wipe it away.
A tear. I actually shed a tear like this. How pathetic.
When Evelyn had asked what was wrong, his heart had been overflowing with things he wanted to say.
He wanted to tell her he had overheard her conversation with Katana.
He wanted to ask if she had only ever pitied him.
If it was just sympathy, why had she treated him so kindly all these years?
And above all—he wanted to beg her not to leave.
But what actually escaped his lips was childish jealousy.
A foolish, desperate question: Can you not go to the debutante?
And now, on top of that, he had let her see him cry.
For years, he had worked so hard to avoid acting like a child in front of her.
He had even promised that he would be the one to protect her.
Now, all of it had crumbled away.
“…Your Majesty.”
Evelyn’s voice finally broke the suffocating silence.
Caesar flinched.
What must she be thinking of him right now?
She had approached him with concern, acting so mature—only for him to say this.
He couldn’t bring himself to face her. He squeezed his eyes shut.
Another tear slipped down.
“Are you okay?”
Evelyn sounded utterly flustered.
Through their still-clasped hands, he could feel her shifting anxiously.
“Um… So, Your Majesty… Have you been upset all this time because of my debutante?”
Caesar felt even more wretched.
Hearing her say it out loud made it sound so ridiculous.
“…Not exactly.”
“Then what?”
Evelyn gently stroked the back of his hand.
It was as if she were comforting a small child.
“Your Majesty, if you don’t tell me, how can I help you?”
Finally, Caesar forced himself to meet her gaze.
Her soft green eyes were filled with concern.
They were looking up at him—so much lower than before.
We used to be the same height.
He swallowed a sigh.
What did it matter if he had grown taller?
Evelyn was still so much more mature than him.
Even now, she was taking his ridiculous plea seriously.
She was even trying to comfort him.
Pulling his hand from her grasp, Caesar muttered,
“…It’s nothing. I didn’t mean to say that. Just forget it.”
But Evelyn immediately grabbed his hand again, gripping it tightly.
She locked eyes with him and spoke firmly.
“Caesar, I—”
“I get it.”
“…What?”
Then, with a determined look, she nodded.
“I won’t go to the debutante.”
Caesar blinked, stunned.
Had he heard her correctly?
“That’s what you wanted, right? Then, will you stop making that face now?”
“I…”
He couldn’t finish his sentence before Evelyn spoke again, deliberately cheerful.
“You already know I don’t care about the debutante. It was delayed a year already, so delaying it again won’t make much of a difference.”
“……”
He wanted to say no.
To tell her to really forget what he had said.
But the words wouldn’t come out.
“Actually, my mother suggested getting a new dress today, and I refused. It’s a good thing I did! Besides, I don’t even like big crowds or dancing.”
Evelyn continued speaking as if it were no big deal.
Caesar could only stare at her in disbelief.
Is this real?
She’s really not going? Just like that?
“Then… does that mean everything’s okay now?”
Evelyn looked up at him hopefully.
And in that moment, Caesar knew.
She pitied him.
She had seen his tears and couldn’t bring herself to refuse him.
Her eyes held the same look as that day in the garden, all those years ago.
Do you pity me?
He had asked her that once.
And she had never answered.
“Your Majesty?”
Caesar looked into her clear, innocent gaze.
Then, nodding, he forced himself to say,
“…Yeah. Everything’s fine now.”
Evelyn finally smiled.
And as she did, Caesar thought to himself—
This is enough.
Even if it was just pity, if it meant she would stay by his side—then it was enough.
If this is pity…
Then he could live with it.
“As I’ve told you before, Your Majesty looks best when smiling!”
Evelyn beamed at him, reassured.
“Besides, next year, you’ll be coming-of-age too! It’ll be better if we attend together, right?”
“…Yeah, I guess so.”
Coming-of-age.
That words pierced his heart.
“I won’t be needed anymore.”
“I’ve been planning this from the start.”
Caesar replayed her words in his mind.
Her kindness had an expiration date.
Once he came of age and awakened his power, even this pity would disappear.
Then what?
What would happen to him?
Evelyn smiled at him so effortlessly, unaware of the turmoil inside him.
Meanwhile, his golden eyes darkened.
He couldn’t let it end like this.
How do I stop this?
How could he make sure this pity never ran out?
How could he stay by her side?
It wasn’t difficult to figure out.
He couldn’t delay coming of age.
That left only one option.
The only way to stay with Evelyn…
Caesar clenched his fists.
If he had to do it—then he would.
There were only six months left until his coming-of-age ceremony.
****
The new year arrived.
It was the year Caesar would turn eighteen.
And that meant two things.
First, he was now of age to attend his own debutante ball.
And second, he had reached the age for his awakening.
As soon as February arrived—the month of Caesar’s birthday—I could barely contain my excitement.
Caesar is finally going to awaken!
I had been waiting for this moment since the day I first met him.
What kind of ability would he gain?
How much more powerful would he become?
It wasn’t even my own awakening, yet my heart raced in anticipation.
That woman’s hair turned red, and she could control fire. So what about Caesar? His color is black, so… would it be darkness?
Lost in my own thoughts, I walked toward the emperor’s palace, my steps light.
In the distance, I noticed a group of maids and attendants struggling under the weight of numerous packages.
I didn’t even have to ask what it was for.
Everything must be for Caesar’s debutante preparations.
The event was held in early summer every year, meaning there were still about six months left.
Yet the palace was already buzzing with activity.
Even the emperor’s palace maids, including myself, had been busy making arrangements—searching for the most luxurious decorations, the finest fabrics, the grandest embellishments.
It was only natural.
After all, the emperor himself would be attending this year’s debutante ball.
This was unusual for the empire, where most emperors ascended the throne after reaching adulthood.
But Caesar wasn’t just any emperor.
After two years of relentless effort, imperial authority had stabilized.
The noble faction hadn’t completely backed down, but compared to before, things had drastically improved.
Still, preparing for the debutante half a year in advance?
Then again, most nobles started preparing months ahead of time.
Maybe I was just too indifferent.
Speaking of which… will I finally be able to attend my own debutante this year?
Two years ago, I had missed it due to Caesar’s rampage.
Last year, I skipped it because of his request.
I still wasn’t sure why he had made such a request.
I could only guess that, like the first time he learned my age, he simply didn’t like the idea of me debuting before him.
Well, at least this year, we’ll finally attend together.
Caesar had agreed.
So this time, there shouldn’t be any strange requests.
“Lady Evelyn.”
As I walked through the halls of the emperor’s palace, a familiar imperial guard called out to me.
“Yes?”
“Are you on your way to see His Majesty?”
“Yes, I was heading to the office. Why?”
“His Majesty is currently in the reception room.”
“At this hour?”
According to the schedule, he should have been in his office.
“A group of tailors arrived. They’re doing the fittings for his ceremonial attire.”
“Oh…”
That made sense.
“Then I’ll just wait for him in the office.”
“Actually, please wait.”
As I started walking past him, the guard gently stopped me.
“His Majesty asked for you to come to the reception room.”
“What?”
He called me there?
Why?
Surely he wasn’t expecting me to help pick out his attire.
Caesar already knew I wasn’t particularly interested in fashion.
Still, if he called me, I had no choice but to go.
“Alright, thank you.”
After giving the guard a nod, I changed directions.
It wasn’t long before I arrived at the reception room.
There was hardly any need to knock.
Even from the hallway, I could hear the commotion coming from inside.
Still, out of courtesy, I gave a light knock before pushing the door open.
And the first thing I saw—
Was Caesar, completely buried in a mountain of clothes.
Comments (0)