Chapter 25: Making an End

After spending some time with Odin, Clea felt much better.

She sighed at feeling a different kind of anxiety than what she had felt until now.

Once realized, she would no longer be free from this emotion.

But thinking about it wouldn’t change anything.

She quietly accepted that even the sadness of not being able to stay with him for long was her fate.

“Did you have a good time outside?”

“Are you feeling a bit better?”

“Thanks to Your Highness’s care.”

Shortly after returning to the Crown Prince’s palace, Edmund also returned.

He seemed unaware that she had cried or gone outside.

Clea thought this was fortunate.

‘I don’t want to cause unnecessary worry.’

She already felt guilty for causing him so much concern.

Even without her, both his shoulders carried enough burden to weigh him down.

Not wanting to add to that burden because of herself, she smiled.

“Did you eat while you were out?”

“Not yet.”

“Why didn’t you eat while you were out?”

“Because I wanted to eat while watching you eat.”

Hearing this, Clea laughed in disbelief.

She wondered what he would say if she told him she had already eaten.

She fell silent at Edmund’s next words.

“I know without asking, so don’t lie.”

“Even if I say I’ve eaten?”

“You look too lifeless for that.”

Edmund’s gentle hand touched her cheek.

He softly caressed her cheek, sharing his warm touch.

Clea didn’t push his hand away.

There was no reason to, as she also enjoyed his touch.

His hand slowly moved toward Clea’s lips.

Clea’s lips curled up, finding Edmund cute.

“I think I need to eat something else before dinner.”

“Such as?”

“Your Highness’s lips, perhaps.”

Edmund held his breath at her words.

At this rate, it was only a matter of time before they headed to the bedroom instead of having dinner.

But fortunately, someone nearby advised to keep his reason intact.

“Your Highness, perhaps you should have dinner first. If you’re concerned about the lady’s health.”

Hearing Oberon’s words, Edmund withdrew his hand from touching her lips.

When the warm touch covering her face suddenly disappeared, Clea briefly looked toward Oberon with a dissatisfied expression.

Though she clearly sent a disgruntled look, Oberon didn’t return it.

Usually, he would have returned it with a look of disgust.

“The lord seems quite concerned about my health lately.”

“After seeing that sight, how could I not be concerned?”

Clea wasn’t the only one who found his change unfamiliar.

Edmund, watching from the side, wondered what Oberon had seen to change his attitude so drastically.

‘For someone who used to look at her like an enemy to change so suddenly… could she be terminally ill?’

But Edmund dismissed his thought.

Though her health wasn’t good, he couldn’t imagine she had such a serious illness that only occurred occasionally.

“Oberon is right, we should eat first.”

At Edmund’s words, Clea withdrew her dissatisfied gaze.

Perhaps because she had just spent such a terribly lonely time, just being beside him was enough to make her feel good.

* * *

“Why don’t you eat a little more?”

“Overeating isn’t good for the body.”

“But eating as little as you do doesn’t seem good either.”

Both of them felt better as they continued eating.

Perhaps it was because they saw nothing in each other that would cause weariness.

“Where did you go today?”

Clea didn’t hesitate to ask Edmund what she was curious about.

Edmund briefly considered whether it would be alright to answer directly about where he had been.

But thinking she had a right to know since it concerned her, he answered honestly.

“I went to the Grand Duke’s house.”

“Because of the matter between Lloyd and me.”

“Yes.”

The incident with Lloyd…

She briefly looked at the back of her hand.

Perhaps the curse caused adverse reactions when she’s near people she disliked.

‘Nothing happened when I faced him before, but suddenly my body started acting strangely.’

She looked at her body coldly.

She showed strong adverse reactions when the people she didn’t like were nearby.

Conversely, her body felt comfortable when good people were near.

What if the curse didn’t just bring death? Only now did she think there might be rules to the curse.

Clea looked at the second hand on the back of her hand.

“Is there something on the back of your hand?”

“…Nothing.”

She smiled bitterly at Edmund’s words.

Since it wasn’t visible to anyone’s eyes, of course he couldn’t see it either.

Even if it were visible, Clea didn’t want to show this mark to Edmund of all people.

She felt it wouldn’t be pleasant regardless of how he might react to seeing this mark.

“So, what happened there?”

“I informed them that you had left the Odoi family.”

“The Grand Duke and his wife are good people.”

“Yes, they seemed like good people.”

Edmund agreed on that point.

They truly cared about Clea.

The Grand Ducal couple extremely avoided attending social events due to certain circumstances.

Nevertheless, at gatherings with Clea, they deliberately showed how preciously they cherished her.

They believed only what they had directly seen and felt about Clea, not the rumors.

Edmund remembered seeing this while beside Lloyd.

“I hope the Grand Ducal couple won’t face any disadvantages because of me.”

“That’s no longer up to Lloyd.”

In truth, Edmund had only informed the Grand Ducal couple of the situation.

Though that alone would surely cause Lloyd to be severely scolded.

But now that the Grand Ducal house knew the truth, they would take some action.

Once they learned that Clea had left the Odoi family and understood what kind of relationship had formed between the three people.

“More importantly, I received a letter from the Odoi family.”

“To Your Highness?”

Clea frowned when the name Odoi came up.

She hadn’t thought they would dare send a letter to the imperial family, especially to Edmund.

Edmund had the same reaction when he first received it.

The Odoi family itself belonged to a faction not particularly close to the imperial family, so it was extremely rare for them to contact members of the imperial family.

“It was a letter asking if I had met you.”

“Did you send a reply?”

Clea responded calmly upon hearing the letter’s contents.

As if she already knew why they were looking for her.

Edmund shook his head regarding that.

“I haven’t heard your answer yet, so I wonder how I should reply.”

Clea reached for the wine in front of her.

Taking a small sip of the red wine, she contemplated for a moment.

Edmund intended to give her plenty of time.

He was about to say it would be fine even if it took several days since he wasn’t asking for an immediate decision.

“Could you arrange a meeting between them and me?”

“Are you sure that would be alright?”

Edmund thought she wouldn’t want to face her family.

They had only used her as a means to an end, far from treating her like a duke’s daughter.

It seemed certain that no good conversation would occur if they met.

He would have preferred if she asked to cut ties with them permanently.

But Clea thought differently.

‘I can’t leave even that to you.’

Originally, the people of the Odoi family were those she would never meet again in her life.

Whether they searched for her or not.

However, looking at Edmund before her, she had a thought. She needed to make their relationship legitimate.

After facing Aria, she examined her relationship with Edmund.

Whether others would consider her presence beside him to be justified.

“I need to make them stop looking for me.”

“I can make that happen.”

“This is an issue I want to handle myself.”

Though Edmund didn’t want to leave this matter to Clea, he finally yielded.

“Still, don’t push yourself too hard. I’m here beside you.”

“Thank you, Edmund.”

After raising the white flag and declaring surrender, Edmund immediately sent a letter to Grit.

He stated that he hoped to meet and requested a visit to the Crown Prince’s palace on the specified date.

* * *

“Father, be careful.”

“Ha! Just hurry and come!”

After arriving at the Crown Prince’s palace, Grit internally expressed his displeasure.

‘Already acting like he’s the Emperor.’

He didn’t appreciate being summoned like this by someone notably younger than himself.

In other circumstances, he would have sent Steve with an excuse of minor illness.

But because of the final line Edmund had written, he had no choice but to come himself.

That one sentence saying he would reveal Clea’s location if he came.

‘Clea, once I see you, I’ll make sure you never go outside again!’

Having been anxious for several days, he resolved to capture her the moment Edmund revealed her location.

However, shortly after making this resolution, his expression completely distorted.

As they nearly reached the reception room, an unexpected person was waiting before Grit and Steve’s eyes.

“Clea!”

The Clea they had been desperately searching for was sitting right in front of them.

“Please come in and sit down. I’m the one who called for you both because I have something to say.”

She was looking at the guests she invited with a smile.