CH 17.2

Escorted by a chamberlain, Lila stood in the presence of the Emperor.

“You must not look into His Majesty’s eyes. When you answer, keep your head still.”

Lila nodded lightly at the simple request.

“Lila El Este has arrived, Your Majesty!”

The chamberlain’s shout brought a voice from within the realm.

“Enter.”

“Come in.”

The gatekeeper opened the door for her. Lila cautiously stepped into the audience room.

Inside, there was a dazzling array of gold. The ornaments, the statues, and even the throne upon which the Emperor sat were all made of gold.

“Greetings, His Majesty the Emperor, the Sun of the Empire of Vassium.”

Lila bowed to the Emperor, who had the same black hair and red eyes as the Crown Prince.

“Raise your head.”

With the Emperor’s permission, Lila loosened her grip on her waist and lowered her gaze.

“Hmph… So, you’re that Lady Este. Curious, curious.”

The Emperor looked her over as if observing her.

“Very pure… How could you have deceived me so easily.”

He seemed to be referring to her changed appearance. Lila silently moistened the inside of her dry mouth with her tongue.

“Come closer.”

Standing at a distance, Lila moved ever so slightly closer to the Emperor’s words.

“A little closer.”

At the Emperor’s urgent request, Lila moved a little closer, her eyes widening.

“Hmm…”

Resting his arm on the armrest and resting his chin, the Emperor was admiring her mysterious scent.

His attention was drawn to Lila even more, for he was not unaware of the Crown Prince’s blatant approach to her that day.

Although they had not yet been formally married, Lila was Lucas’s prospective wife. Moreover, he himself had given them permission to marry.

The sudden interest of the Crown Prince was a bit of a head-scratcher. So he called her in to find out for himself, which only made things more complicated.

‘What is this scent and…’

The scent emanating from Lila was very sweet and thick, almost like a dark lilac or ripe fruit.

The Emperor opened his eyes and observed Lila standing before him.

“Are you wearing perfume or something?”

Lila’s eyes widened slightly at the out-of-the-blue question, and for a moment she was troubled. She wasn’t exactly sure why he was asking, but then she remembered Lucas.

Every day he buried his nose in the nape of her neck. And there was a scent, faint though it was, wafting to the Emperor. It was sweet, but repulsive.

Her dry lips parted cautiously.

“Yes, that’s  right.”

She hadn’t had time to apply the perfume, but she lied. Somehow, it felt awkward to be honest with the Emperor.

“I did.”

The Emperor’s interest waned at the mention of perfume. He thought it might be a woman born with a scent like Lupus’s companion, but his interest waned because she wasn’t.

“Yes, I’ve heard that you suffered a terrible fate at the Autumn Ball. I will bring you to justice this time, and you may go home.”

In response to the Emperor’s congratulatory decree, Lila took an example. But she got the point of what he said.

The words ‘this time.’

“Then, I will leave.”

The Emperor clicked his tongue slightly at the way she bowed deeply at the waist. She was a beautiful woman, he thought, and therefore worthy of the Crown Prince’s desire.

But the House of Montefeltra was very important to him. They were the source of the money that kept the imperial family afloat.

The Emperor withdrew his sharp gaze, deciding to wait and see. Lila hurried out of the audience room.

Feeling unnecessarily nervous for doing nothing wrong, she took a deep breath over her pounding heart.

“Well, let me show you around, then. Let’s go.”

The waiting chamberlain told her. Lila gave him a quick nod, then followed him.

As they walked down the corridor without a word, a man suddenly jumped out at them.

The chamberlain recognised him and asked.

“What is it?”

The Crown Prince’s chamberlain bowed to the emperor’s chamberlain.

“His Highness the Crown Prince is coming this way. Lady Este will have to wait a moment.”

Lila stiffened, puzzled by the unexpected appearance of Theobald.

“Hmm, His Highness is coming?”

“Yes, he asked me to go first and ask for the Lady’s understanding.”

“I see…”

Lila pursed her lips in confusion, wanting so badly to refuse.

The Crown Prince’s chamberlain glanced at her changed appearance and spoke again.

“Despite the fact that he is not yet well, he said that he must see the young lady, so will you spare a moment to do so?”

Before, there was no way he would have come to see her, but the chamberlain’s demeanour had completely changed. Lila narrowed her eyes at his attitude. Ever since her appearance had changed, she’d had mixed feelings whenever she’d noticed a change in the way people treated her.

But that was it, she wanted to refuse to meet the Crown Prince, so she hurried to speak. 

Just then, the Crown Prince’s figure appeared at the end of another corridor. Their eyes locked for a moment, and she was stunned by his intense red eyes.

Reflected in the red sunlight streaming through the corridor window, they seemed to burn brightly.

Even more intense than his eyes was his scent. It was his scent that reached her first, wafting, not the faint trace she’d seen at the Autumn Ball.

Lila blinked at the dizzying sensation, and Theobald, who had reached her, smiled brightly.

“Lila.”

The familiarity was pervasive, as if he had always known her.

“I present to you His Royal Highness, the Crown Prince, the Little Sun of the Empire.”

Lila bowed, hiding her embarrassment. Theobald did not like her formality.

“It seems that the title of Highness is too rigid. Call me Theo.”

Lila’s lips stuck together like a clam at his sudden insistence on a nickname.

Running a hand through his dishevelled black hair, clearly in a hurry, Theobald ordered his chamberlain.

“Get ready for tea.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

The Crown Prince’s chamberlain bowed. Theobald took one look at the warm sunshine, then spoke again.

“You had better get the garden ready.”

“Yes, I will.”

The chamberlain stepped away quickly. The Emperor’s chamberlain, too, bowed and withdrew.

Left alone with Theobald in the courtyard, Lila could not hide her distress.

Theobald, noticing her expression, offered her a reassuring smile.

“I need to talk to you about something. Do you have a moment?”

Really, Lila didn’t understand. Why would the Crown Prince be so friendly to her?

It’s not like they’ve known each other for very long. Suddenly, she remembered the original Lila from her dream.

Recalling her dreams and her otherwise unfortunate end, Lila hardened her expression and replied.

“I understand, and I’m sorry, but I can’t stay long.”

“… Yes.”

Theobald’s heart tingled at her flat response. It all came back to him now. How stupid of him to remember now.

Surely his words would change her mind, Theobald had no doubt.

Going to the table the chamberlain had hastily prepared, Lila shared tea with the Crown Prince.

Theobald could not take his eyes off her as he watched in wonder as she moved.

At the Autumn Ball, he fainted, only to wake up two days later. In the aftermath of the dream and his returning memories, he was gripped by a terrible sense of loss, unable to move.

Imperials are born with extraordinary abilities, and knowing this, he was quite upset that none of them had manifested themselves.

His father had been gifted, too.

The Emperor was not as powerful as Lucas, but he had powers beyond those of most men.

Then, as his memory returned, he knew it all. The reason he was incapacitated was to save his flower.

That alone seemed to be his reward. If he told her all the sacrifices he had made, surely she would believe him.

No, no, no.

It would be too far-fetched to be believed.

Still, it was worth a try.

She lifted her steaming mug of tea. Lila was overwhelmed by the Crown Prince across from her, unable to take his eyes off her.

And the scent.

His scent, like Lucas’s, was caressing her body, making it all the more unpleasant.

“What do you have to say?”

She wanted to get this over with and go home, to smell Lucas’s scent, sweet and green. Not the thick, pompous scent of the Crown Prince, like a bright peony.

“I know this is hard to believe. But you have to know what I’ve sacrificed for you.”

From the first word, Lila was wary. What the hell is he talking about…

Theobald pursed his dry lips at her expression. When he finally spoke, he was nervous.

“I’ve been dreaming about you for months now. Ever since you started wearing that weird make-up, I’ve known who you really are.”

Lila’s eyes widened at the Crown Prince’s words. Checking her expression, Theobald spoke.

“In my dream, you and I were lovers. We were happy, and we had everyone’s blessing.”

After a moment of wistful, superior gazing, Theobald continued.

“But we were misunderstood by others. If it had not been for the Duke of Frederick and the Marquis of Benière, our ending would not have been such.”

As he spoke, Lila’s heart began to beat faster and faster. Her veins dilated, making her dizzy.

What he was saying, though different, was what she had tried so hard to avoid in the original.

She couldn’t understand why the Crown Prince’s dream was so similar to the original.

“Ah…”

Then she remembered. The keyword she’d left in her diary.

A regression.

Her mauve eyelashes fluttered. Realising that what she knew was pre-regression in the original, Lila’s eyes widened as if they couldn’t get any wider.

Her dilated cobalt pupils reflected Theobald’s expression. His expression varied as he searched his memory. One moment he was smiling brightly, the next his eyes were red with sadness. Unable to hide his distorted expression, Theobald finished.

“I travelled back in time to save you. I know it’s hard to believe right now, but trust me. I can prove it. So…”

At that moment, a familiar, longed-for scent washed over her like a tidal wave. Unlike at the Ball, Theobald’s expression turned ferocious as he groped Lila’s body, playing with her scent freely.

“Lala, there you are.”

Lucas burst into the room, dressed as he had been this morning, his chocolate-coloured hair slightly dishevelled.