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Eileen's mother had never approved of even her visits to Cesare.
When she had heard about the dance lessons, she had exploded, screaming and throwing things around the house.
Eileen had sobbed, pleading and promising she would never do it again.
Only when her eyes were swollen from tears did her mother's rage finally subside.
Then, overcome by a sudden shift from fury to remorse, she had hugged Eileen, and they had cried together.
"Forgive me, Lily.
But you know. in my life, there is only you and His Highness..."
The wife of a mere baron, she took immense pride in having been the wet nurse to a prince with a claim to the throne.
It was that very pride that sustained her throughout her life.
Her mother would have laid down her life for Cesare.
Eileen didn't want to cause pain to her beloved mother.
She also didn't want to become a hindrance to His Highness.
So, she had stopped the dance lessons.
When Eileen informed him she was quitting, Cesare hadn't asked for the reason.
Since then, she had never danced again.
*‘And now, here I am dancing with His Grace once more.’*
Eileen ran a finger along the edge of her dance card.
Through the silk of her glove, she could feel the sharp edge.
The ensuing silence felt strangely heavy with tension.
Feeling his intense gaze on her, she even broke into a slight shiver.
To break the awkward atmosphere, Eileen spoke.
"Shouldn't you return to the ballroom?
Everyone is waiting for your return..."
"I have time to look at the plants."
Cesare scanned the greenhouse.
"They say a new tree from the East was brought here."
He had come here specifically for her.
Eileen let out an internal sigh, realizing she was distracting the guest of honor of the entire evening.
She used to believe that Cesare truly loved plants.
After all, he listened patiently to her stories about flora, the same stories that made everyone else grimace.
*‘How foolish I was.
I didn't notice the obvious at all.’*
Then again, she didn't seem to notice much even now.
Berating herself for her past and present naivety, Eileen walked beside Cesare deeper into the greenhouse.
Swallowing to calm herself, she resolutely began her prepared speech.
"Thank you for the lilies.
And for the dress.
And forgive me for not being properly prepared despite your care.
I thought I would just greet you and leave.
Had I known I would be dancing, I would have put in every effort to look my best..."
Eileen, obediently reciting her practiced lines, suddenly went silent.
Her eyes and mouth slowly opened.
"Good heavens!"
She dashed over to a pot containing a sapling.
"It’s a Camellia!
I’ve seen it in books, but this is the first time I’ve seen one in person."
It was a tree she had long dreamed of seeing.
She had become interested in it after learning that its petals were used as a hemostatic agent, but had given up on the idea after realizing how difficult it was to obtain.
Who would have thought it would be brought to the Imperial Palace gardens?
Eileen crouched down directly in front of the sapling, ready to literally bury her nose in the Camellia.
"They say the leaves look like thick leather, and it’s true.
The shine is so brilliant...
See here, the edges of the leaves have fine teeth, like a saw.
Unusual, isn't it?
I would love to see it in bloom.
The illustrations in the book showed the stamens so clearly, they looked so beautiful I truly wanted to see them for myself."
Trying not to look at the Camellia with too much greed, Eileen continued to speak as calmly as possible.
"They say its flowers are also unusual—they have no stalks, the petals attach directly to the branch.
That’s why the whole flower falls off at once.
In the East, they say it looks like a person's severed head and is considered a symbol of misfortune..."
Caught up in her excitement, Eileen suddenly stopped.
She realized that, in her fervor, she had been babbling in front of a man who cared less for plants than for a single discarded leaf.
"A flower that severs heads," a deep voice repeated her words.
Eileen stole a glance away from the Camellia.
Cesare, crouching beside her, was at her level.
He didn't even turn his head toward the tree, looking only at Eileen.
A strange atmosphere settled between them.
Meeting his gaze, her previously clear mind seemed to malfunction.
Perhaps it was due to the darkness enveloping the greenhouse?
His pupils had taken on a particularly dark red hue.
"Do you like such a flower?"
"It’s not so much that I like it, I'm just curious...
Ah!"
Eileen cried out—Cesare had grabbed the Camellia sapling.
His large hand looked as if it were about to crush the fragile plant.
"What, why, what are you doing?!"
Cesare only smirked in response.
With a frustrating grin on his face, he made Eileen break into a sticky sweat as she pleaded, "M-maybe you could let go of it first, and then we can talk?
It’s a sapling, it’s easily damaged."
Then he calmly let go.
His sudden roughness made Eileen’s heart nearly stop.
She cautiously looked at his face.
"Forgive me, Eileen.
I haven't been myself lately."
He apologized with a face that showed not a shred of regret.
Eileen, wincing, asked, "Are you having difficulties?"
"I don't know.
Perhaps because you were nearly decapitated on a guillotine."
"I’m sorry..."
Not knowing what to say, Eileen fell silent after her apology.
If Morpheus had been discovered by anyone else, her head truly would have rolled from a guillotine by now, just as he said.
*‘But he wasn't like this before...’*
If he hadn't liked the Camellia, Cesare would have handled it his way—discreetly having it removed by his subordinates.
This impulsive action felt strange and unfamiliar to her.
What had happened during those three years?
Eileen looked at him with bewilderment.
Cesare leaned a little closer to her.
Then he spoke quietly.
"The wedding is in a month.
I would have liked it sooner, but at least a minimum of preparation is necessary."
Eileen slowly blinked.
All the carefully chosen words she had meant to say to him became a jumble in her head.
Failing to offer a proper objection, she only asked, like a defeated soldier, "If I say I don't want to, will it change anything?"
"You're an adult now; you must endure what you don't like."
Cesare rose slowly.
Standing at his full height, he looked down at Eileen, who was bathed in moonlight.
His scarlet eyes stared intently at her.
"What could be so bad about it..."
His lips curled into a smirk.
"You have to marry someone eventually—am I not better than some old pig?"
*Some old pig?* Just as her eyes widened at the crude word, Cesare abruptly turned his head.
Frowning slightly, he grabbed Eileen’s hand and pulled her up.
The sharp pull made her stagger to her feet.
In the next moment, shadows of uninvited guests fell over the quiet greenhouse.
Dressed in all black from head to toe, there were clearly more than five of them.
Eileen asked with an expression of disbelief on her face, "Assassins?.."
"Yeah."
He answered in a nonchalant tone.
Eileen was on the verge of tears from fear.
In the Imperial Palace, Cesare was completely unarmed.
No pistol, not even a ceremonial sword.
Fortunately, the assassins were also only armed with swords.
Firearms had limited production and were easier to track, and they were noisy.
Swords were quieter and more convenient for covert work, so the assassins had apparently chosen them.
But even against swords, an unarmed Cesare couldn't defeat so many armed opponents.
Eileen clenched her fists.
If even one of them was to survive, it certainly had to be Cesare.
Eileen lowered her voice to a whisper.
"Your Highness," she said with a resolute expression when he looked at her.
"I will try to distract them."
"Distract them?"
"Maybe you can escape while I do?"
He was agile—a moment would be enough for him to slip away alone.
She thought it was a great idea, but Cesare only laughed.
"Eileen."
"Yes!"
"Close your eyes for a moment."
"What?"
"You can even sing a song."
"A-a song?
For how long?.."
Cesare answered in a tender voice, "One should be enough."