EEA Chapter 16

May 15th

The next morning, the knights vacated the outer castle and moved to the residence the Crown Prince had arranged for them.

A few days later, a carriage arrived to take Ailea to the Imperial Palace. The escort knight, dispatched under Roylins' orders, slashed through the barrier with his sword. Fortunately, he seemed completely unaware that Clint had hired a mage to cast a proper protective barrier.

Ailea had worried about not having a dress, but thankfully they'd sent along an outfit for her to wear at the annulment ceremony. A plain black dress.

Entering the Imperial Palace for the first time in two years, Ailea wore a veil covering her face—something she rarely did anymore.

Once past the palace gates and through the walls, she could see knights of the Royal Guard protecting the castle. At the very front stood Kaiton, a member of the Tiliph Knights. Though he was the youngest in the Tiliph Knights and constantly nagged and pressured, his position had risen considerably after returning from the war with great accomplishments.

Ailea wanted to greet him but couldn't. Hurrying toward the Crown Prince's office, she encountered a group of noble ladies admiring the May flowers in the garden.

It was a peaceful, lovely scene—ladies seated at elegant white outdoor tables, taking their tea time. They were a group centered around the current Empress. With the Empress backing them, no one in this Imperial Palace dared clash with these women.

"His Highness Roylins gave it to you?"

"Yes, at the victory party."

"Oh, I'm so jealous."

The lady continued.

"So? You're having your annulment today, aren't you?"

"Yes, apparently so."

Ailea kept her head down as much as possible, trying to pass by quickly. That's when Rita called out to her.

"Excuse me, are you Lady Ailea?"

When she called her name, Ailea flinched and stopped. Unable to avoid it, Ailea nodded. A ring was fitted on Rita's finger. Somehow sensing Ailea's gaze, Rita startled and hid her hand behind her back.

"Oh, that's not—I mean, Lady Ailea..."

"Yes?"

"I'm sorry. I called out because I wanted to apologize."

At her words, Ailea smiled and shook her head.

"It's fine. Then I should be go—"

"Oh, yes! Sorry for detaining you. Are you coming to Commander Clint's investiture ceremony, by the way? There's supposed to be a party that day too."

At Clint's name, small gasps erupted from the side. Ailea answered.

"No, I'm not feeling well."

Rita seemed to understand and was about to step back when the other ladies asked.

"Wouldn't it be better if you came? You should be looking for another man, after all."

"I... I suppose that's true."

Except I'm probably going to marry the man whose ceremony this is...

Ailea felt awkward yet slightly pleased by the attention from girls her own age. She didn't quite pick up on the fact that the ladies were mocking her for being abandoned by the Crown Prince. She'd been alone too long—her social awareness had hit rock bottom.

One of the ladies said, "Oh, now that I think of it, Lady Ailea, isn't today your birthday? Your wedding was supposed to be on your birthday, wasn't it?"

At those words, Ailea blinked as if to say What are you talking about? Then she gasped. "Oh."

"That's right."

The ladies giggled and said to Ailea, "What are we going to do with you, only just realizing now? Oh, but surely His Highness the Crown Prince will take care of you? Since he summoned you today."

"I doubt it, probably."

"Oh, come now. If you receive a gift, show it to us when you come out. I'm curious."

At that, Ailea made a troubled expression.

She barely escaped the group and entered toward the office.

Watching from a distance with his expression carefully managed, Kaiton soon spotted Clint walking from the Imperial Palace library.

The ladies' gazes in the garden instantly locked onto Clint. As he entered the palace corridor, Kaiton briefly left his post and asked in a low voice, "Where are you going?"

"His Highness the Crown Prince told me to fetch Ailea as soon as the annulment ceremony ends, so I'm going to get her."

"Ah, perfect timing. Did you know today is Lady Ailea's birthday, by any chance?"

"Birthday?"

"Hey, hey. You didn't know. Well, I suppose you'd have to have dated properly to know."

"That's not something I want to hear from you, you unpopular bastard."

"Commander!"

"Fine. Ailea's birthday?"

"Yes. You know it was supposed to be the wedding day. The ladies who always hang around the Empress were mocking her for not receiving anything, and Lady Ailea didn't even realize she was being mocked."

As Clint walked silently, Kaiton continued.

"Maybe it's from living alone for two years, but she has no sense for these things."

Hiding his bitter feelings behind unnecessary criticism, Kaiton left. Clint, who'd been silent the whole time, finally muttered to himself as he stood before the door.

"Why did it have to be today."

An annulment on her birthday. Of course, it wouldn't have been intentional. There was no way Roylins remembered Ailea's birthday. Clint's expression turned fierce again.

Roylins spoke when he saw Ailea enter the office.

"Oh, you're here."

Truth be told, Roylins had wanted to handle this roughly with just a letter, but he had much to explain away.

"Is that cat still alive?"

"Yes."

"I know you're angry with me."

Appeasement, or perhaps excuses. Roylins considered various approaches. But he wasn't someone suited to such things.

"I'll let you live."

"Pardon?"

"In exchange, we'll annul the engagement, and you won't speak of anything that happened between us to anyone ever again."

It was an absurd statement. I won't kill you, so keep it secret that I tried to kill you.

But Ailea didn't want to snap back or quibble over words in this situation and miss this opportunity.

"I see... Though it saddens me that I won't become Your Highness Roylins' wife, thank you for being so considerate of me."

Once again, an unexpected response came from her. Thankful? To the man who'd tried to kill her?

Hidden behind her veil where Roylins couldn't see, she was smiling gently. Roylins spoke with a somewhat reluctant expression.

"So today I've summoned you to sign the documents stating we've annulled our engagement."

"Yes, I'll do that."

Roylins said to his secretary.

"Bring the priest."

"Yes, Your Highness Roylins."

The secretary left and returned with a priest. Soon, before the priest's eyes, the two signed. Though Teniac allowed freedom in courtship, it was different after a marriage promise. Divorce was extremely difficult, and even imperial family annulments required proper procedures.

The priest first performed a ceremony asking divine favor to forgive the Crown Prince's annulment. Then he addressed Ailea.

"Please remove your veil for a moment."

Ailea hesitated, then soon removed her veil. In her beautiful golden hair, a pretty flower pin was nestled. It was the same flower pin he'd seen when he went to kill her. Roylins looked at her.

Without his knowing, she'd grown considerably more mature. He stared at her profile as she arranged her hair neatly and clasped her hands together, when the priest spoke.

"Face each other and wish for the other's future happiness."

The two faced each other. Their eyes met.

Roylins gazed directly—for once, ironically at this annulment ceremony—into Ailea's sky-blue eyes, eyes that seemed filled with the beauty of time.

Ailea looked at him too, and smiled without meaning to. May 15th—the day she'd waited for, hoping it would be her happiest day. The day that, since coming to the Imperial Palace, no one had ever acknowledged, the day she'd spent always missing home or missing Roylins.

May 15th, today—a day she never wanted to recall again.

That day, Ailea was having her engagement annulled. The ceremony felt to her like a key releasing her from the past that had imprisoned her.

"...Why are you smiling?"

Forgetting the priest's instruction to wish for the other's happiness, Roylins asked. Ailea answered.

"Because I'm wishing for Your Highness's happiness."

Who are you to dare wish for my happiness?

He hated her tender words. Roylins was seized by the urge to grab Ailea's slender neck right there in that room. She's not sad at all about what I'm discarding. Rather, she's smiling peacefully as if she'd been waiting only to be annulled.

And with such beautiful eyes at that.

Roylins' expression kept twisting. In the meantime, all the ceremonies ended, and Ailea bid Roylins farewell.

"I'll be going now."

"Wait, your future husband will be shocked if he sees."

Roylins placed the veiled hat she'd removed back on Ailea's head. For a moment, confusion crossed her eyes. Now? Did Clint come?

When Roylins walked straight over and opened the door, Clint stood before it. He made a show of feigned surprise, his golden eyes widening as he looked at Ailea in her black veil. But soon, in an indifferent voice, he greeted Roylins.

"You summoned me, Your Highness the Crown Prince?"

When he spoke stiffly, Roylins opened his mouth.

"This woman is Ailea Elga Yuriana, daughter of the former Knight Commander Ron. We've annulled our engagement, so you may take her now."

Roylins continued, addressing Ailea in a mocking tone.

"This is the man you'll marry."

"Marriage?"

"I can't just abandon you. In His Majesty's great generosity, we've decided to marry you to this fellow."

At their exchange, Clint struggled to keep his expression from crumpling. Explaining only after he appeared. If Ailea had known nothing, how shocked would she have been? Suddenly summoned, annulled, then immediately handed over to another man like an object.

Roylins spoke casually.

"You must have heard the name. Clint Rishers, Commander of the Tillif Knights. The hero who recaptured Excalize this time. He'll suit you beautifully—you, with your dazzling beauty."

"..."

"Don't you think so too, Ailea?"

Ailea couldn't answer at all.

Dazzlingly beautiful. Clint should have met such a woman. Not herself...

Clint wondered about Ailea's expression hidden behind that veil. He wanted to know what she was thinking. He could see her fingertips trembling.

Suddenly, Clint grabbed Ailea's arm pointedly and yanked her toward him. Looking at Roylins, he said, "She's my woman now, at any rate."

"C-Commander Clint?"

Ailea said in shock.

This was rude behavior even for the normally cheeky Clint.

Ailea tried to pull her arm free, but to Clint it felt no more forceful than a very young child playing. Ailea spoke in a trembling voice.

"Let go."

"No."

Her eyes widened at his refusal. Clint soon stroked Ailea's wrist gently with his fingers, reassuringly, where Roylins couldn't see. At that small gesture, Ailea felt relief. Then Clint's rising anger also subsided.

Clint wanted to tell Roylins:

That the woman he'd discarded wasn't just some object to be forgotten in a drawer. That she was a woman with a pulse beating pleasantly, a woman someone in this world would desperately want to be with if she'd been born.

Someday I'll make this man understand. Clint resolved.

"I'll accept her gratefully."

Clint gave a mischievous salute and, still pulling her along, closed the door and left.

The office where Roylins remained fell quiet.

He'd thought he'd feel refreshed after dealing with Ailea, but Roylins felt far from pleased. She was an object he didn't want to possess. Yet he couldn't understand why he didn't feel relieved.

Later, when Clint removes Ailea's veil, what reaction will he show? He'd be so shocked he'd run away on the spot. Only after thinking this did Roylins' mood improve slightly.