HTRE 04

Chapter 4

When she raised her head at the shadow blocking her way, Ethan was standing there. The ship carrying the Crown Prince of Palestine was soon going to dock at the Franz Port.

They were on their way to the harbor she had left exactly eight years ago.

Many emotions crossed inside Eroika at once. She was returning to Franz with hatred in her heart.

“It smells familiar.”

Eroika recalled a scent she could never forget.

“And it is painfully cold.”

As they came closer to Franz, light snow began to fall. Gradually, the cruel cold touched her skin.

“I have waited for this day. It feels very different to be here again.”

Ethan quietly looked at her.

She was a woman who was as beautiful as ever. Her inner self was as firm as a hard wick.

She was always close to him, yet she was a woman he could never hold in his hands. Still, Ethan liked Eroika. So he decided to use all the strength within his reach to help her with her revenge.

He dreamed that after her revenge was over, he would be the one to win her heart.

“The Third Prince of Sorbenia greets the Emperor of Franz.”

“The Second Princess of Dorthea greets His Majesty the Emperor.”

“I am an envoy from Jakman. On behalf of His Majesty the King, I convey his wishes for your well-being.”

Because of the endless visits from foreign royals and delegations, blessings never seemed to end in the Empire.

Before the coming-of-age ceremony, the Emperor and the princes personally came outside to welcome the visitors.

The Emperor, the Fourteenth Prince, and his brothers were seated in the place prepared to receive the guests. Only the Third Prince, Andrea Halshalt, who was bedridden because of his weak health, did not attend Kailef’s coming-of-age ceremony.

Among the brothers seated in order, the Fourteenth Prince sat beside the Emperor. As a person with divine power, he had the highest rank among the brothers, so it was only natural that he was treated with the highest honor.

The Empire was enjoying more luxury than ever as visitors arrived carrying bundles of all kinds of jewels.

Bosarva could not hide his excitement at the sight.

“The daughter of Dorthea is quite beautiful.”

Whenever women appeared, Bosarva always added a comment while chuckling. His voice was especially excited today.

But there was no response.

Why was the person beside him of all people the cold Kailef?

It was a chill that could even silence his excited voice.

Feeling awkward, Bosarva quickly turned away from his younger brother.

On the day of the prince’s coming-of-age ceremony, all the brothers had bright expressions. Since it was an event representing the Empire, everyone present was the same.

Only Kailef, the main character of this celebration, remained expressionless.

However, he was more interested than usual in the appearance of the guests.

The Crown Prince of Palestine, whom Kailef had been waiting for, appeared near the end.

Along with noisy sounds from far away, Ethan appeared, displaying magnificent gold ornaments and animals.

“Tch. How noisy. Is he showing off because his country is called a nation of wealth and prosperity?”

Bosarva’s displeased voice could be heard, but all of Kailef’s attention was focused on one place.

He had hoped the letter he had seen was a lie.

He had desperately hoped that it was a false accusation meant to insult the Emperor.

But his wish did not come true.

From far away, he saw Ethan getting out of the carriage. Then Ethan held out his hand to someone inside.

Kailef held his breath as he watched.

Perhaps he had known for a long time that the future would turn out this way.

But this was the scene he least wanted to face.

He had sincerely wished for her to live happily after going far away. But he could not predict what feelings she would have when she returned.

A white, delicate hand was placed over Ethan’s large, deeply tanned hand.

Then a pure white ankle appeared, and she lightly stepped onto the land of the Empire.

The silver hair and violet eyes he had imagined all day appeared before his eyes.

Unable to face her, he lowered his head toward the innocent ground.

“That girl seems to be the youngest daughter of Claudius? Wasn’t she incredibly beautiful?”

He wanted to make Bosarva, who was talking beside him without knowing anything, shut his mouth.

He felt like he wanted to grab his pounding heart and force it to stop.

But before that, another desire rose within him—the desire to see the face he had longed for all this time.

“Ethan Hoffman of Palestine greets His Majesty the Emperor of Franz and His Highness the Princes. Congratulations on coming of age, Your Highness Prince Kailef.”

He could not hear a word of the Crown Prince’s congratulations before him.

His head refused to rise, while his desire to see her face fought against it, causing him pain.

“Are you the hidden youngest daughter of Claudius?”

While he was lost in thought, Bosarva, who had a rather impatient personality, quickly asked the woman standing behind Ethan.

The head that had refused to rise finally moved toward the Emperor.

“Yes, that is correct. Eroika Claudius greets His Majesty the Emperor.”

Her smooth voice clearly spoke in Franzian.

His body reacted before his mind could.

With strength, he raised the head that he could no longer control.

When he finally looked forward, his blurry vision slowly came into focus.

And when their eyes met, he felt as if his rapidly beating heart would burst out of his chest.

“I have personally set foot on Franz’s land to celebrate Your Highness’s coming-of-age ceremony. Congratulations, Your Highness.”

She was looking at him, not the Emperor, with eyes that had become even deeper.

She wore a fresh yet alluring smile, completely different from the bright smile she had once shown.

“We will talk about you little by little. For now, enjoy the prince’s coming-of-age ceremony.”

The youngest daughter of Claudius, whom everyone had thought had perished along with her family, aroused everyone’s curiosity.

However, for now, it was proper to continue welcoming the endless stream of guests.

The Emperor also had many things he wanted to ask her, but for the moment, he decided to let her leave.

For Kailef, watching the place where she had left seemed to last for a very long time.

There were too many eyes watching, so he could not pretend to know Eroika.

After that, he remembered nothing.

It felt as if his mind had gone completely blank.

Even when someone presented a gift or offered congratulations, nothing remained in his mind.

Even when he tried to think about something else, his thoughts eventually returned to her.

No matter how much he tried to deny her existence, she was still the same girl from his childhood.

The pure child who had once made the whole world quiet.

The face he had only imagined was now right before his eyes.

She had grown from the familiar girl he remembered into a mature lady.

Kailef, who always maintained his composure no matter what happened, could not remain calm as usual in front of Eroika.

“Why are you…?”

After the last guest, Kailef left the place without hesitation.

As soon as he returned to his room, he roughly pulled at the tie choking his chest and tore open the buttons of his shirt one by one.

His throat felt as though it were burning.

Even after he drank water in one gulp, his thirst did not disappear.

While he was wondering several times whether he should immediately go to her room—

Knock, knock.

A careful knock came from the door.

Kailef, already on edge, irritably looked toward the sound.

It seemed an unwanted guest had come.

“Who is it?”

His voice was so sharp that it seemed capable of making one’s bones ache.

“Your Highness, it is me. May I come in for a moment?”

There was only one woman in the Empire who was not intimidated by Kailef’s cold voice.

Realizing who the voice belonged to, Kailef let out a deep sigh and walked over to open the door.

His mood became even worse, but he could not send this guest away at the door.

In the end, Kailef opened the door slightly and turned his back to her.

Brigitte followed the prince inside even though he did not spare her a single glance at her arrival.

His familiar way of treating her always hurt her heart when she saw his back.

“Congratulations on coming of age. It is nothing much, but I prepared a small gift. Will you accept it?”

Brigitte forced her voice to sound cheerful and held out a small box behind the prince.

As the only daughter of Count Besalonia, she had never stopped pursuing Kailef since the first time she saw him.

He could not be bothered to push her away, so he had simply remained still.

Before long, people freely decided that she would become the prince’s wife.

“Put it over there.”

He was truly an indifferent man.

Without even thinking of opening the box the woman had given him as a gift, Kailef simply pointed toward the table.

Brigitte did not care and opened the box herself, taking out a cravat she had embroidered herself.

“I would be happy if you wore this cravat at the banquet. And may I also hope that you will escort me tonight?”

Brigitte always looked at the prince with clear eyes.

Because there was not the slightest lie in those eyes, Kailef did not bother to reject her.

If he had to choose a partner, he usually went with the Count’s daughter because there would be fewer rumors about her than about others.

He thought it would be troublesome if the woman beside him changed all the time.

However, because of his meaningless kindness, she kept hoping for more and more.

“I will. Is there anything else?”

If he stayed with her like this, their conversation seemed likely to become longer.

With his answer, Kailef made it clear that if she had finished her business, she should leave.

To emphasize that he would not give her any more time, he even picked up and opened a novel that he normally never read.

Brigitte had no choice but to believe the prince’s words.

As far as she knew, her beloved was not very good at lying.

“Then, Your Highness, I will see you soon. I will be waiting.”

The prince’s answer had not been perfect, but she had received his agreement, so that was enough.

Unlike when she had entered, Brigitte left with much lighter and more cheerful steps, closing the door behind her.

Only after Kailef heard the door close did he close the book.

He wanted to clear his messy thoughts.

Especially the thoughts about the troublesome Brigitte.

Eroika was alive.

He wanted to focus on nothing but that thought.