EEA Chapter 16

May 15th

The next morning, the knights vacated the outer castle and moved to the mansion the crown prince had prepared for them.

A few days later, a carriage arrived to take Ailea to the imperial palace. The escort knight who had arrived under Roylin's orders cut through the protective barrier with his sword. Fortunately, he seemed completely unaware that Clint had hired a mage to cast a suitable protective barrier.

Ailea had worried about not having a dress, but fortunately they had sent along one outfit to wear for the annulment ceremony. It was a plain black dress.

Entering the imperial palace for the first time in two years, Ailea was wearing a veil covering her face after such a long time.

After passing through the palace gates and entering within the walls, she could see the knights of the royal guard protecting the castle. At the very front of them stood Kaiton, a knight from the Tiliph Knights. Though he was the youngest in the Tiliph Knights and often got nagged and had his throat grabbed, his rank had risen considerably as a member of the knights who had achieved great merit in the war.

Ailea wanted to greet him but couldn't. As she hurried toward the crown prince's office, she encountered a group of noble young ladies admiring the May flowers in the garden.

The sight of them sitting at elegant white outdoor tables enjoying tea time was a peaceful and lovely scene. It was currently a group centered around the empress. Since they had the empress backing them, there was no one in this imperial palace who would dare clash with them.

"His Highness Roylin gave it to you?" 

"Yes, at the victory party." 

"Ah, how envious."

A young lady continued speaking, "So? He’s having the annulment today, right?" 

"Yes, that's what he said."

Ailea tried her best to keep her head down and pass by quickly. That's when Rita called out to her.

"Are you by any chance Lady Ailea?"

When she called out, Ailea flinched in surprise and stopped. Ailea had no choice but to nod. There was a ring on Rita's finger. Somehow sensing Ailea's gaze, Rita was startled and hid her hand behind her back.

"Oh, that's not... 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. Well then, I should be going..." 

"Ah, yes! Sorry for stopping you. Are you coming to Commander Clint's title conferment ceremony by any chance? There's going to be a party that day too."

At Clint's name, small gasps came from beside them. Ailea answered, "No, I'm not feeling well."

Rita seemed to understand and was about to step back when the other young ladies asked. "Wouldn't it be better if you came? You should look for another man too." 

"Oh, that's true."

‘But I think I'm going to marry the protagonist of that ceremony…’

Ailea felt troubled but also slightly pleased by the attention from girls her age. She didn't really notice that the young ladies were currently mocking her for being abandoned by the crown prince. Having lived alone for too long, her social skills had hit rock bottom.

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

At those words, Ailea, who had been blinking as if asking what she meant, said "Ah" in surprise. "That's right."

Then the young ladies giggled and said to Ailea, "What are you going to do now that you realize? Ah, but His Highness the Crown Prince will take care of you, right? Since he called for you today." 

"He probably won't." 

"Oh come on, surely not. If you receive a gift, show it to us when you come out. We're curious."

At those words, Ailea made a troubled expression.

She barely escaped from the group and headed toward the office.

Kaiton, who had been watching from afar while managing his expression as much as possible, spotted Clint walking from the imperial library a moment later.

The gazes of the young ladies in the garden immediately focused on Clint. As he entered the palace corridor, Kaiton briefly left his post and asked Clint in a small voice,"Where are you going?" 

"His Highness the Crown Prince told me to take Ailea away immediately after the annulment ceremony ends, so I'm going to fetch her." 

"Ah, that's perfect timing. Did you happen to know that today is Lady Ailea's birthday?" 

"Birthday?" 

"Hey, hey. You didn't know. Well, you would have had to date properly to know that." 

"That's not something I want to hear from you, someone with no popularity."

"Commander!" 

"Fine. Ailea's birthday, you said?" 

"Yes. You know, it was supposed to be the wedding day. The young ladies who are always with Her Majesty the Empress were mocking her saying she didn't receive anything, but Lady Ailea doesn't even realize she's being mocked."

As Clint walked silently, Kaiton continued, "Maybe because she lived alone for two years, she has no awareness of such things."

Hiding his bitter feelings with unnecessary scolding, Kaiton left. Clint, who had remained silent throughout, only muttered to himself when he stood in front of the door,"Why does it have to be today of all days."

An annulment on her birthday. Of course, it wouldn't have been intentional. There was no way Roylin would remember Ailea's birthday. Clint's expression became fierce again.

Seeing Ailea enter the office, Roylin said,"Oh, you're here."

Actually, Roylin had wanted to handle this roughly with just a letter, but there were many things he needed to make excuses for.

"Is that cat still alive?" 

"Yes." 

"I know you're angry at me."

Appeasement, or excuses. Roylin thought of various things. However, he was not someone who was good at such things.

"I'll let you live." 

"Pardon?" 

"Instead, we'll have the annulment, and you must never speak anywhere about what happened between us."

It was an absurd statement. He was telling her to keep secret that he had tried to kill her, in exchange for not killing her.

However, Ailea didn't want to lash out or nitpick at his words in this situation and miss this opportunity.

"I see... Though it's sad that I cannot become His Highness Roylin' wife, I'm grateful that you're looking out for me like this."

Once again, an unexpected reaction came from her. Grateful? And to the man who had tried to kill her, no less?

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

"So today I called you to sign documents stating that you and I have been annulled." 

"Yes, I'll do that."

Roylin said to his secretary, "Call the priest." 

"Yes, Your Highness Roylin."

The secretary went out and returned with the priest. Soon, the two signed in front of the priest. Though Teniac allowed free love, it was different once marriage was promised. Divorce was very difficult, and even royal annulments required proper procedures.

The priest first performed a ceremony for the crown prince, asking him to receive God's blessing and forgiveness for the annulment. Then he soon said to Ailea,"Please remove your veil for a moment."

Ailea hesitated briefly, then soon removed her veil. In her beautiful golden hair, a pretty flower pin was inserted. It was the same flower pin he had seen when he went to kill Ailea. Roylin looked at her.

Without his knowledge, she had matured considerably. As he stared intently at her profile—her hair neatly arranged, her hands folded together—the priest spoke,"Face each other and pray for each other's future happiness."

The two faced each other. Their eyes met.

Roylin looked properly into Ailea's sky-blue eyes, which seemed filled with beautiful time, ironically for the first time during the annulment ceremony.

Ailea also looked at him, then smiled without realizing it. May 15th, the day she had waited for hoping it would be the happiest day. Since coming to the imperial palace, not once had anyone ever cared for this day—a day she had always spent missing home or missing Roylin.

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

On that day, Ailea was having her engagement annulled. She felt as if this ceremony was like a key that would free her from the past that had trapped her.

"...Why are you smiling?"

Roylin asked, forgetting the priest's words to pray for each other's happiness. Then Ailea answered,"Because I'm praying for Your Highness's happiness."

‘Who are you to dare pray for my happiness?’

He disliked her kind words. Roylin was seized by the urge to grab Ailea's slender neck right there in that place. She didn't seem sad at all about what he was discarding. Rather, she was smiling peacefully as if she had been waiting only to be annulled.

And with such beautiful eyes, no less.

Roylin' expression kept contorting. Meanwhile, all the ceremonies ended, and Ailea bowed to Roylin.

"I'll be going now." 

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

Roylin put the veiled hat she had removed back on Ailea. For a moment, bewilderment flashed in her eyes. Now? Did that mean Clint had come?

Roylin walked straight over and opened the door, and there stood Clint. He acted cleverly surprised, widening his golden eyes as he looked at Ailea in her black veil. However, he soon greeted Roylin in a calm voice.

"Did you call for me, Your Highness the Crown Prince?"

When he spoke stiffly, Roylin opened his mouth,"This woman is Ailea Elgar Yuliana, the daughter of former Knights Commander Ron. We've been annulled, so you may take her now."

Roylin continued, speaking to Ailea mockingly,"This is the man you'll marry." 

"Marriage?" 

"I can't just abandon you. By His Majesty's great magnanimity, it's been decided that you'll marry this fellow."

At their conversation, Clint struggled to keep his expression from crumpling. To explain only after I appeared. If Ailea had been in a state of knowing nothing, how shocked would she have been? To be suddenly called, have an annulment, and then immediately passed to another man like an object.

Roylin spoke nonchalantly.

"You must have heard the name. This is Clint Rishers, commander of the Tiliph Knights. He's the hero who reclaimed Excalizer this time. He'll match very well with the dazzlingly beautiful you."

"......" 

"You think so too, don't you, Ailea?"

Ailea couldn't give any answer.

‘Dazzlingly beautiful.’ 

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

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

Suddenly, Clint grabbed Ailea's arm as if to show off and pulled her close. He looked at Roylin and said,"Anyway, she's my woman now." 

"C-Commander Clint?"

Ailea said in shock.

This was rude behavior even for the usually brazen Clint.

Ailea tried to pull her arm free, but to Clint it felt like nothing more than a very young child playing around. Ailea said in a trembling voice,

"Let go of this." 

"I refuse."

At his refusal, Ailea's eyes widened. Clint soon gently stroked Ailea's wrist with his finger where Roylin couldn't see, as if to reassure her. At that small gesture, Ailea felt relieved. Then Clint's rising anger also subsided.

Clint wanted to let Roylin know.

That the woman he had discarded wasn't just some object to be left in a drawer and forgotten. That she was a woman whose pulse was beating pleasantly like this, a woman that someone in this world would desperately want to be with if she had appeared.

Someday he would make this man understand. Clint resolved.

"I'll accept her gratefully."

Clint bowed mischievously and left, closing the door while still pulling her along.

The office where Roylin remained became quiet.

He had thought he would feel refreshed after dealing with Ailea, but Roylin wasn't feeling good at all. She had been something he didn't want to possess. But he couldn't understand why he didn't feel relieved.

What kind of reaction would Clint show later when he removed Ailea's veil? He would probably be so shocked that he'd run away on the spot. Only after thinking this did Roylin feel slightly better.