âDid you⦠did you save me?n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
âYes. I donât know where you came from, but if you fall down in a place like this, you are likely to become food for animals.â The woman closed her mouth and stared at Paris.
Upon seeing her up close, he noticed that she was incredibly beautiful, even more so than his first impression. Her dark purple eyes, which were not visible when she was unconscious, were also fascinating.
âWhatâs your name?â
ââ¦.Amoreta.â
âThatâs a beautiful name for a beautiful woman. I am Paris, the prince of the empire.â
Amoreta looked at the man through her blurry gaze. He smiled softly from the moment she opened her eyes, and it was definitely an expression that she had seen somewhere.
âAmoreta.â
The man who introduced himself as Paris carried her and put her on a horse. He made eye contact and spoke softly, âCome to the palace with me.â
He was almost nineteen at that time. A man with bright blond hair that had not yet escaped his teenage years.
âIâm looking for someone.â
âThen just stay here until you find that person. Iâll help you.â
Parisâ kindness reminded Amoreta of her savior in Lishan. The one she wanted to find in the capital. She didnât know that personâs face or age because of the robe, but the slightly visible features of her savior strangely looked similar to this man.
Amoreta smiled brightly at the sudden encounter. Paris also responded with a bright smile.
âEven if you canât find that person, you can stay in the Imperial Palace forever.â
As she had lost all her money and had not been able to eat for several days, Amoreta did not take her eyes off his face even if she was still confused. She nodded weakly before fainting again.
***
Uriel sighed deeply as he walked through the hallway. He was having a hard time controlling his emotion.
He nearly flipped out when he saw Apollonia unconscious in the forest, and his heart cracked upon hearing that she proposed to Caelion.
However, he had already set his mind. He wouldnât let himself waver. When he saw Apollonia crying in his arms after losing Sid, he had already vowed.
âI wonât let her cry again.â
Nothing else mattered as long as he could keep his vow. Regardless of who she was married to, Uriel was the winner if he could see Apollonia smiling. Walking fast, he went back to where he had just been before. It was his old habit to pace back and forth whenever his mind was crowded with thoughts.
Thud!
While he was deeply immersed in thought and unable to look ahead, he bumped into someone.
âOuchâ¦.â
It was Caelion. Judging from the pile of thick books that fell on the floor, he seemed to be heading to the study. Aside from the study that Apollonia normally used, there was one more that was hidden to avoid the eyes of the servants.
âAre you okay?â Uriel picked up the books.
Caelion, whose physique was still much smaller than his, rubbed his pained forehead while receiving the books from Uriel.
âWhy wonât you stay still when your wound hasnât healed?â
Instead of answering, Caelion only stared at him.
âIf you have something to say, just say it.â
âYou still talk informally to me.â He said as if it were interesting.
Uriel only sneered. âYou should work hard to be worthy of that respect.â
At this moment, he was not very pleased with Caelion. In fact, he wanted to punch him from the moment he heard about the proposal. Uriel passed by him without even hearing his answer. However, he had no choice but to stop when he heard Caelionâs remarks.
âMy sister and I have no affection for each other.â
E/N: reminder that Caelion calls her that out of respect, not that theyâre literally siblings FDKLSAFJLSDKFJ
ââ¦What?â
âMy sister said it when she proposed to me. She wants me to live freely and meet another woman. My sister doesnât love me like that at all.â
Uriel already knew about that, but for some reason, he was glad to hear those words. He slowly turned around and faced Caelion. âSo what?â
âSo thatâs what happened. Whether my sister likes someone or someone likes her is none of my businessâ¦â Caelion trailed off, observing the other personâs reaction.
Uriel did his best to put on a calm expression.
ââ¦So Iâve been wanting to ask you. Do you like my sister?â
The serenity cracked.
Then, Caelion smiled softly as if he knew everything. âDo you think itâs not obvious? I can tell from how you look at my sister. Someone as skilled as you can easily live comfortably next to any powerful person, but you choose to stay next to my sister. Well, even though Iâm in a similar situation as you now.â
âStop beating around the bush.â Uriel cut him off sternly.