---
After three years of war the Traon Empire won a decisive victory.
Cesare, who had concluded a treaty humiliating for the Kingdom of Calpen, was returning to the empire.
The whole way home he thought about the smiling face of the child.
*‘One must certainly bring at least a small gift to her who so yearned for me,’*—he meditated on the way home.
But Cesare was met with news of Eileen's death.
Having heard the sad news from the gloomy Leone, he slowly closed and opened his eyes.
And asked: "Why?"
Were his brother the emperor, who had personally interceded for her, the child would have remained alive.
Or at least, knowing that this child was dear to the heart of Grand Duke Erzet, one could have drawn out time until his return.
It completely did not fit in the head.
But Leone was in no hurry to answer.
Cesare patiently waited.
After a long silence the brother finally spoke, but it was not that answer Cesare expected.
"Forgive me, Cesare." Blue eyes filled with tears.
Watching as they streamed down the cheeks, Cesare asked the question for the second time.
"I asked 'why', brother."
"Eileen Elod... herself chose death," Leone with difficulty squeezed out the heaviest words.
"For the sake of the honor of Grand Duke Erzet."
Cesare silently looked at Leone, then crookedly smirked.
What honor can there be if because of it a child dies?
These words simply did not combine.
"The nobles used this case to attack the imperial family." Cesare listened to all Leone's desperate excuses to the end.
After the death of the former emperor from drug addiction, Leone, who’d occupied the throne, introduced strict laws against the distribution of drugs.
It was a preparation for catching anti-monarchically minded nobles who during the civil war had created illegal drug supply channels to finance their goals.
Pardoning Eileen, who had broken the law, could have become a pretext for the transfer of power from the imperial family back to the nobles.
To save Young Lady Eileen from a insignificant baronial house, having renounced high principles, was extremely ineffective and politically ruinous.
Leone's decision was rational and logical.
Moreover, Eileen herself asked for execution.
Not having tried even once to beg for her life.
Leone tried to save her by any means, but having learned the situation, Eileen got on her knees before the emperor in prison.
She implored him to observe the law.
Asked to finish everything before the Grand Duke tried to save her.
Desperately begged for execution.
Only to protect the honor of Grand Duke Erzet.
And therefore the emperor of the Traon Empire took the right decision.
It was also right not to inform the commander-in-chief of what happened at the final stage of the war.
For Cesare had already once deserted from the battlefield for Eileen's sake.
Cesare put all his strength into the conquest of Calpen.
He believed that while Leone was in the capital, he would protect the child.
But it was a fatal mistake.
Leone acted not as Cesare's brother, but as the emperor of Traon.
Therefore Cesare didn't even see how Eileen died.
Not knowing of anything, he returned with the laurel wreath of a victor to the glory of the empire.
"Brother." Cesare looked at Leone with a calm gaze.
Without a shadow of emotion he asked the question of the emperor confessing his guilt: "How do you think, why did I make you emperor?"
The child died.
The dead don't return.
It's an immutable law.
To believe in the return of the dead—is the lot of those who mourn them.
"Forgive me.
Forgive me, Cesare...
I wanted to preserve everything..." Leone took off the imperial crown and held it out to Cesare.
Sobbing, he begged for forgiveness.
"I waited to return it to you.
I'm no longer worthy..."
Seeing the gold crown, Cesare laughed.
For some time he coldly looked at it with red eyes, then snatched it from the brother's hands and placed it back on his head.
"No, wear it.
You too must pay."
"Cesare..."
"As I must."
It was Cesare who’d set up the death of the former emperor from overdose.
Like a flap of a butterfly's wings that gave birth to a hurricane, each of his choices led to the death of the child.
But to regret the past was senseless.
Cesare looked at things soberly.
Therefore he decided to do what was in his power.
He would make everyone involved in Eileen's death pay.
Not for her sake.
Will a dead child know of this?
It's just a memorial service to quiet his soul.
In that moment the sword protecting Traon turned against the empire.
In stupid naivety he thought that it would become easier so.
Having turned the Traon Empire into hell, he would find peace.
"Eileen." Adjusting the child in his arms, he called her.
"Eileen, Eileen..."
Not daring to wake the soundly sleeping, he whispered her name, biting and caressing with tongue the delicate skin on the neck.
Perhaps he was too insistent, because Eileen, who had lost consciousness, frowned and groaned.
"Enough...
Prince, I can no more..."
Having heard the sleepy complaints, Cesare weakly smiled.
Then he lifted Eileen and headed for the bed.
Substituted his hand instead of a pillow and, instead of covering her, firmly pressed her to himself.
He was always hot, so she was in no danger of freezing at night.
And even the weather lately was warm.
He tightly hugged the fragile body, feeling over each part.
Time after time checking that she was here, for a long time he turned in fingers the hand with the ring.
Finally he parted his tightly clenched lips and kissed her with all his might before closing his eyes.
For the first time in a long time he felt he could fall soundly asleep.
At least for today.
***
Eileen came to herself from an aching pain in the whole body.
But didn't open her eyes, for some time lying motionless.
To misfortune, the events of the past night stood before her eyes too clearly.
She remembered every trifle of her disgrace.
Eileen was ready to flee to the bedroom on the second floor of the brick house and bury herself under the blanket with her head.
But couldn't.
Because of the strong male arms that had entangled her.
The newlyweds on the bed were interlaced with limbs, pressing to each other.
Eileen cautiously parted her eyes.
Right before her Cesare was sleeping.
A ray of sun that had broken through the crack in the curtains tickled his face.
She dared to examine the lit face.
Like a person secretly beholding the face of a sleeping god, she looked at Cesare a little at a time.
It was not believed that this beautiful man was her spouse.
Not blinking, she looked until it went tickling inside, as if from a feather.
This was not a dream.
This was reality.
Cesare was her husband.
At this moment his eyelids lifted, revealing red eyes.
Without a shadow of sleep, clear, they looked at Eileen.
Eileen froze, staring at Cesare.
He smirked, looking at the girl petrified from surprise.
"Slept well?"
For some time she lead with eyes to the sides, then greeted: "Good morning...
Did you rest well?.."
"Not very.
On the wedding night the wife fell asleep earlier than the husband."
*‘She didn't fall asleep—she lost consciousness...’* But Eileen, burning from shame for yesterday's disgrace, couldn't object and only murmured something inarticulate in response.
Cesare however added fuel to the fire, adding: "Upsets you didn't come?"
Eileen gawked and stared at him like at a shameless man.
But Cesare only toyed with her hair, paying no attention to her gaze, and continued to joke.
He narrowed his eyes: "Next time will you bring the husband to the end?"
Eileen from surprise asked again: "We didn't reach the end?!"
"Only once."
"That... happens even twice?"
"Two is too little."
"Then three?.."
Cesare only snorted in response.
Then, not saying a word, kissed Eileen and rose from the bed.
He pulled the cord to call servants and said: "Lie down a bit.
I'll bring breakfast."
Soon Cesare himself brought a tray with food and put it on the knees of Eileen, sitting on the bed.
A servant who entered after prepared on the table a tea set and accurately laid out newspapers.
Each morning Cesare looked through all the imperial newspapers.
Fleetly running with eyes over the headlines, he didn't change his habit even on the day after the wedding.
Eileen reached for *La Verità*, but lowered her head.
It was frightening to her to learn what was written there.
But even curiosity took the upper hand.
Having suffered a bit, she didn't endure and stealthily cast a glance.
On the front page was a huge photo.
Having seen it, Eileen widely opened her eyes.
Beside Cesare in wedding uniform stood an unfamiliar girl in a wedding dress.
Frightened, she glanced at the headline.
Only two lines:
[Birth of the Grand Duke Erzet Couple.
Recreation of the Myth of the Founding of the Traon Empire].