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From a young age, Cesare had adapted perfectly to the wilderness of the Imperial Palace.
Poisoning attempts were so commonplace they elicited only a yawn from him.
It wasn't just Cesare; other members of the Imperial family were the same.
Wasn't it natural to kill another to survive oneself?
Even Cesare's elder brother, despised for his softness, wouldn't have batted an eye in such a situation.
So Cesare, remembering how he had been at Eileen's age, had executed the servant.
He had even done her a favor by not showing the execution itself, but for Eileen, it had been a shock that turned her world upside down.
Until that moment, Eileen had firmly believed that Cesare was an angel with broken wings.
Aside from his inhuman beauty, he had always been kind to her.
He often gave her delicious sweets and books she wanted to read.
But most importantly, he listened with pleasure to her stories about plants, which no one else was interested in.
In Eileen's small world, Cesare was a just and kind deity.
But it turned out he was actually a terrifying demon.
The shock had been so severe that Eileen had fallen ill.
It had taken a long time for her to recover.
When she finally did, Cesare invited her to the Imperial Palace.
In a letter delivered through her mother were words of comfort.
It also said she could refuse.
Eileen had reflected for a long time, clutching the Prince's letter tightly in her hands.
If she had refused, Cesare wouldn't have held her back and would have simply cut ties.
She would never have seen him again.
But Eileen couldn't let the Prince go.
Because without him... there would be no one to listen to her stories.
Eileen realized that telling the Prince about unusual plants was far more interesting than touching leaves alone.
Fear and loneliness fought a tense battle.
But the outcome was decided quickly.
Eileen was already coming up with excuses for Cesare.
*‘That servant wanted to kill the Prince.
He had no choice.’*
The method might have been cruel, but the opponent had been the first to want to kill Cesare.
The more she thought about it, the more she wanted to protect the lonely and suffering Prince.
So Eileen returned to Cesare.
After that incident, he had refrained from any cruelty in her presence.
*‘I was a fool then, and I’m a fool now.’*
Chewing on her scrambled eggs, Eileen reflected.
In the Imperial Palace greenhouse, they had been confronted by an assassin, and she had told Cesare to run while she stalled for time.
In response, Cesare had smiled and told her to close her eyes and sing.
*"One song will be enough."*
Not understanding what he meant, she had obeyed.
When Eileen, her eyes squeezed tightly shut, began singing the national anthem, Cesare had laughed again.
But as soon as his laughter died down, terrifying sounds erupted.
Eileen hadn't even finished the first verse when everything went quiet.
*"Open your eyes, Eileen."*
Eileen opened her eyes, sobbing.
Through blurry vision, she saw Cesare, covered completely in someone else's blood.
He clicked his tongue.
*"And such a coward still said those things back then."*
Stripping off his blood-soaked gloves, he wiped away her tears.
In a low, firm voice, he told Eileen:
*"You shouldn't try to take my place.
Understand?"*
Eileen had nodded through her tears, after which she was led to the banquet hall.
There, Cesare had been saying something while holding her hand, but she hadn't heard a word, as she was in shock.
She only remembered Michele escorting her home.
So the victory banquet had been ruined.
The only positive was that, because of it, she hadn't had to dance.
"Ah."
Finishing her meal, Eileen drained her glass of water and let out a heavy sigh.
Her chest felt heavy.
Eileen was afraid of Cesare.
Since that incident when she was eleven, she had encountered his cruelty more than once.
No matter how he tried to hide it, sometimes it manifested.
Every time, Eileen trembled with fear, just as she had at eleven.
But she still couldn't leave him.
In the end, she had fallen in love with him.
*‘But what can I do about these feelings...’*
Her heart, nurtured by his kindness, had swollen and expanded her love to incredible proportions.
Now, Eileen could do nothing about it.
*‘I’m a fool.’*
Objectively evaluating herself, she cleared the table and glanced at the first-floor bedroom.
Her father's room was still empty.
Cesare would find him soon; she just had to wait.
But with each passing day, her anxiety grew.
After washing the dishes, Eileen went upstairs and changed to go out.
Today she was heading to the commercial district to pick up a gift for Cesare.
Originally, she had wanted to pick up the victory gift she’d commissioned for Cesare on the day the news of the Triumphal Arch was published.
But Cesare's sudden appearance had ruined those plans.
Because of the series of events, she’d had to postpone it and only today was she finally able to go for the gift.
*‘I hope His Highness likes it.’*
Eileen walked quickly toward the commercial district.
On her way, she saw a newsboy but pretended not to notice him.
The newspapers surely contained detailed accounts of the incident during the triumphal procession and the banquet.
The city in the Traon Empire was arranged so that seven streets radiated from the central square.
Avenue Street, which Eileen chose, was home to many expensive shops.
While everyone else traveled in carriages, Eileen walked.
Finally, she reached her destination.
A bell chimed as she entered the shop.
"Hello!"
Eileen's destination was a clock shop.
"Finally!
I've been waiting for you to come."
The shop owner greeted her happily.
Luca, the owner of the elite clock shop on Avenue Street, wore a magnificent mustache and a monocle.
He was obviously a gentleman who paid attention to his appearance.
He had suffered from chronic headaches until Eileen sold him a remedy made from willow bark.
Since then, he had become her regular customer.
Through buying her medicines, they had naturally become friends, and he had helped her with the purchase of the gift.
"How are you?
I've brought the headache medicine."
"Just ran out, thank you.
Wait a moment; I'll bring the watch."
Luca winked one eye and went into the back.
Soon he returned with a red velvet box.
Eileen's heart beat faster.
"Wow!.."
In the box lay a dazzlingly clean platinum pocket watch.
Luca puffed up, seeing her delight.
"I took special care with it, since it’s for you."
Eileen cautiously reached out.
Fearing to leave fingerprints, she didn't even touch the watch itself, only lightly touching the box.
A platinum pocket watch cost a fortune.
But for a Grand Duke, such a gift was justified.
There was no room for cheap things in his pockets.
Fortunately, Luca had given her a discount, and she had been able to gather the necessary sum.
"Would you like to engrave a name?"
"No.
I'll just give it as it is.
Thank you.
It’s perfect."
She would have liked to engrave his name, but Cesare's name was too famous.
Luca didn't even know Eileen was a noble.
"I’ve made a new ointment; I’ll give it to you next time."
"Stop giving things away for free.
Let me pay you properly.
By the way, how is the pharmacy?"
"Ah...
I'll keep it closed for now."
Usually, customers found Eileen's lab themselves, but after the lab was closed by the Duke's order, she thought about asking the innkeeper to sell medicines for her.