Chapter 80: CH 80

Author: Byuon

I don’t know how many times I searched Gabriel’s mansion to find this, avoiding people’s eyes.

The house I’m living in right now was originally prepared by the Emperor for Gabriel’s biological mother.

It was the truth that was revealed when the side story about Gabriel’s house was released at the end of the original story.

At that time, the Emperor planned to have Gabriel and his mother live in the residence.

However, things went awry when his stepmother kicked Gabriel’s mother out without the Emperor’s knowledge.

The Emperor gave the residence to Gabriel who had returned. Even though Gabriel still doesn’t know.

“What is this necklace?”

“This necklace will be the answer. Wasn’t it a problem for the Crown Prince to be the son of a maid?”

“……”

The Emperor picked up the necklace and examined it closely.

It was Cesare who found this necklace in the original.

It was discovered while spending the night together in the residence with Gabriel, who became Emperor, to comfort him when he was in trouble.

I don’t want to even imagine it now, but Cesare is my man.

The Emperor’s eyes widened slowly as he was examining the necklace.

He discovered a pattern engraved in the sapphire.

The Emperor raised his head.

“This!”

“Yes, that’s right. His Majesty the Emperor, it is a token that the former Emperor gave to Her Majesty the former Empress.”

“How do you have this? which I have not been able to find in the imperial residence for so long!”

“I found it in the residence of the Crown Prince.”

The Emperor’s eyes fluttered.

You would never have imagined that this necklace would come out of an unexpected place.

The pattern engraved on the necklace belonged to the previous empress. And about the history of this necklace, everyone who worked in the Imperial Palace at the time knew it.

Even the old nobles who are still living now!

I never realized how helpful it would be to know the original

“Why is this necklace there!”

It was a mansion built after the death of the previous Empress, so it was likely that there would be such a reaction.

The Emperor was portrayed as having a deep affection for his mother, which explains why he was so disturbed by her traces.

Besides, a lost item has appeared…

“The necklace was with the letter.”

“Letter?”

“Yes, His Majesty the Emperor. It was a letter written by the previous Empress to the birth mother of the Crown Prince.The Crown Prince’s birth mother had helped the former Empress’s once before. And in return, the previous Empress promised to release her from her maiden status and grant her a small title.”

“I see… It seems that my Mother passed away without fulfilling the promise.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Actually, I forgot this too.

How could I think of such a detail when suddenly Cesare was captured and I was locked in the mansion?

I was able to think of it only after I made up my mind that I had to do something to save Cesare.

If Gabriel and I had remained as friends, I might have found this for him.

Because I rejected Gabriel, but at the same time felt sorry for him.

“… Where are the letters?”

“It is kept by my maid in the mansion, Your Majesty.”

“Why not bring it?”

I smiled bitterly.

“Because I couldn’t bring it in under surveillance, Your Majesty, and because I’m not allowed to…”

I looked into the eyes of the Emperor.

Fortunately, the Emperor only had a surprised face, and he didn’t seem to have any hostility or ill will towards me.

“I thought you had to have a hidden hand to offer a deal.”

“… deal?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

The Emperor grabbed the necklace.

Anger flashed across the emperor’s face, then faded.

I was holding my breath, the Emperor took a deep breath and said:

“It’s rude and outrageous. But given the circumstances and the good you’ve done, I’ll take it all into consideration and listen to your story.”

Finally.

I felt like my soul was being threshed out of me.

I closed my eyes tightly, opened them, and slowly opened my mouth.

****

After returning to the mansion, Joseph pushed Cesare into Daphne’s room.

The servants lined up in front of him with worried faces, but Joseph firmly shut the door.

“Sir Joseph. A meal to the Duke…”

“Butler, that doesn’t matter now.”

Joseph shook his head with a pale face.

If you had seen Cesare’s endless digging, if you had seen his tears, you would not have spoken such words.

He was on the verge of breaking, and I needed something to save him.

So he drove Cesare into Daphne’s bedroom in the hope that there might be something left inside.

‘If this also fails…’

Joseph bit his lip.

“Have the knights been released from custody now?”

“Yes, Sir Joseph. Burstoad has regained all its rights and prestige.”

“Good job.”

If it didn’t work out, I was planning to kidnap Daphne so that she can meet Cesare.

Joseph sighed deeply. That’s why he shouldn’t have let that person in….

He shouldn’t have picked up the slave from the hunting grounds.

No, if he did that again, and a vengeful crown prince pointed the finger at Burstoad and blamed him for everything…

“Ahh.”

Joseph grabbed his head.

How did I get entangled in this…

The servants sighed as if they could agree with Joseph’s feelings.

*****

Left alone in Daphne’s room with Joseph on his back, Cesare looked around the room slowly.

Daphne’s scent was still there.

Cesare sat down in Daphne’s bedroom.

“Daphne…”

Although traces of Daphne remained, she was not here.

I can’t get an answer…

Cesare pressed a palm to the corners of his eyes.

It was strange to me that I had become so weak.

Cesare took Daphne as his wife, so it was natural for her to be with him.

But she was also the one who could disappear if he failed to fulfill his role as a husband.

As stated in the divorce letter that Daphne sent, he had dishonored her nobility by serving a sentence and failed to fulfill his duty as a husband to protect his wife. This is how he realizes once again that she is a person who can leave at any time.

He was almost disillusioned with his arrogance.

“Haha.”

Cesare let out a sad laugh.

It was as easy as filing for divorce, and now Cesare and Daphne had nothing to do with each other.

Cesare slowly got up and looked around the room.

Daphne’s touch was still there.

Just before leaving, the gown was hanging haphazardly on the sofa, perhaps in an emergency.

Cesare scanned it with his fingertips.

I opened the room connected to the bedroom and found Daphne’s office. The scent of Daphne is full here as well.

Cesare sat down on the chair.

For some reason, no energy enters the body.

When he was in prison, he thought he would show Gabriel the bitterness he deserved for causing him this humiliation and get Daphne back.

But when I was released from prison, I started to wonder what use was all of them.

Daphne has already left his side.

The marriage had been arranged by the grandfather.

It was a contract marriage…

Even Cesare didn’t attach much importance to marriage.

I just thought of it as a duty I had to do.

But now…

Cesare leaned back on the chair and washed his face dry.

Sitting here, I remember Daphne sitting at her desk with a small body and doing her work.

Daphne has always been ambitious.

She would say that no duchess ever did nothing, so she would do her share.

As the Duchess, she said she wanted to socialize as well.

Since when did Daphne, who had been passive while living in the estate, change like that?

All since Gabriel came to his mansion.

Suddenly, she made a water bag for poultice and prepared a strawberry cake, showing a side he had never seen before.

She would drop by his office unannounced and organize small tea parties.

Perhaps it was Gabriel who changed Daphne.

And maybe that was the ‘Love’ that Daphne was talking about.

Unlike Cesare, who wasn’t sure about love, Daphne always seemed confident.

Cesare covered his eyes with his hand.

Tears streamed down his hand that covered his eyes.

But now it’s too late to regret.

The moment Cesare, who had calmed down, decided to leave the room, an unusual object entered Cesare’s sight.

A round cylindrical object.

I’ve seen Daphne fiddling it a few times.

“Ah….”

It was an item I had bought at an auction in the past, and Daphne handled this strange-looking item very well.

Memories of that day flooded Cesare.

Daphne smiled brightly, and Cesare’s heart seemed to brighten as well.

The memory of drinking the alcohol we bought at the market together was also vivid.

‘We were supposed to go again….’

Cesare was fiddling with that small object and then dropped it on the desk.

It began to make a strange noise as if something had been pressed wrong.