# 15
"Yes!"
When she realized that Hugo was called Hugo Bernstein, she quickly covered her mouth with her hand.
Although she was not as drunk as yesterday, her emotions were fluctuating greatly.
Her nose and eyes were naturally red, and she felt so happy that her body was trembling.
At the same moment, images of the past passed through her mind as if they were a panoramic scene.
She had been kidnapped by him, spent many nights getting to know him, and even enjoyed partying with him yesterday!
“Can I die now without regret?”
Now, her nose was getting redder and tears were beginning to pool.
Although she knew that this wish could not be fulfilled, she would sometimes imagine herself with him.
13 years ago, it was natural to give up, but how do you achieve this now?
"Yes!"
She was in tears, yet she was grateful that she had not spoken his name.
“Princess…?”
On the other side, Emperor Cain Avenel was feeling astonished as he watched Angelica Ratlay.
He had read Hugo's letter to the point that the edge of the paper was frayed.
Contrary to what was known about the princess, her personality was active and she built a close relationship with Hugo, so he began to doubt himself.
It wasn't just a joke, he felt like maybe they could actually get married.
Indeed, when he learned that the two had enjoyed celebrating together yesterday, he had partially put his plan into action.
But, what happened?
The princess was as firm as in the speech of warriors or the words of knights, but she collapsed at the sound of the name “Hugo Bernstein.”
Cain's endlessly rising expectations were dashed, and in an unexpected moment, they were extinguished.
Cain looked at Angelica with a confused expression and then turned his gaze to Hugo.
If asked who in this world knew Hugo Bernstein best, Cain would have replied that it was himself.
He brought him to the academy, they studied together, and he was the one who made Hugo stay in the empire's capital until now.
Of course, he knew his feelings very well.
'He said he didn't believe in love, but he seems to have fallen into it now.'
His looks were completely different from the way he treated others. He seemed to not care, but in his red eyes there was life and vitality.
It was a face that neither me nor Cyril had ever shown before.
He saw him yesterday with a touch of kindness in his eyes.
“Sir, I will go now.”
“…Okay. Thanks for your efforts, Knight Bernstein.”
Now, his eyes were filled with resignation.
Hugo tried desperately to avoid Angelica as he turned around. He knew very well that her gaze was fixed on his face.
In fact, he had no choice.
If they met again, she would panic and drown in tears.
“As I expected...”
Although he did not care about anything else, “Hugo Bernstein” was something he found difficult to accept.
Anyone else would have felt the same.
Even the saint in the temple would have been shocked to see him.
But why did I think it would be different if it were her?
I thought I was ready for it, but apparently I wasn't.
Cain suppressed the frustration building in his heart with great effort as he walked out of the interview hall.
Isabel Cotton, who had been watching from afar, followed behind him.
-Close!-
The heavy door closed, and the cold air in the hall wrapped around Cain and Angelica.
Cain called to Angelica, whose eyes were still fixed on the hall door.
“First, I apologize for the inappropriate manner in which I brought you, Princess.”
“Yes...”
“As you know, the Eye of the Sage is a legendary figure, so I had to check it quickly.”
“I see...”
“My statement may come as a surprise, but have you considered joining the Empire… Princess?”
“Huh?”
“Can you hear me now?”
Cain asked her with a confused expression as he tried to hide his surprise.
At that moment, Angelica had only been looking at him for a few moments, but her eyes were still fixed on the door.
She was wiping the tears falling on the back of her hand and nodding her head.
“Ah, of course. Joining is natural...”
“Really? If you're saying that out of pressure, I can give you time to think.”
“Why are you there to think? I have Hugo here.”
"What?"
Cain suddenly backed away, surprised.
Did he hear that correctly? “I have Hugo?”
Was it just his imagination, or was the voice he heard a hallucination?
No, it's just a hallucination, Cain said to himself, trying to hide his confusion.
But before he could calm down, Angelica suddenly asked:
“Why is the name of the empire Selene? Wouldn’t it be the ‘Avenel Empire’?”
“Is information about the empire withheld even from princesses? We changed the name of the empire three years ago in honor of peace with neighboring countries.”
“Aha, why did you choose that name?”
“Princess...”
“If it had been Avenel, I would have been able to spot it sooner!”
“…”
Cain left Avnel trying to understand Angelica Ratlay.
Especially when she was crying and holding her head.
“As I expected, rumors are unreliable.”
Cain remembered what he heard about Angelica Ratlay's character from his sources.
Since she was young, she was taciturn and had a cold temperament, which made her unpopular with everyone.
It was said that if she had been born a boy, she would have led her emirate to a golden age.
For this reason, her brother, the Crown Prince, hated Angelica.
'Therefore, he might have preferred to send her to the Jerpy Empire.'
He was unaware that the person in front of him could not be evaluated by anything.
Cain continued to watch Angelica, who was covering her face with her hands and muttering incessant words.
“Oh my God, is this not a dream? Really? What should I do? Wait, I have to calm down! What did you say yesterday? No, how can I declare love in front of the same person... No, if I had known beforehand, I wouldn’t have enjoyed the celebration as much as I should, but if I had known, I wouldn’t have said something strange... But it’s really nice.”
Her words ended by saying, “Nice.”
But what's nice? Cain raised his eyebrows and pulled his chin in question, then felt something strange pass through his body.
While her smile was getting clearer, Cain lazily sat down in the chair.
“Princess Ratlay, if you want to join the empire, there is one procedure you must follow.”
"Yes? What is it?"
“In fact, taking the princess to the empire is a crime, and there must be a proper reason for it, such as marriage.”
“Marriage?”
Her face, which had been oscillating between feelings of joy, anger, and sadness, suddenly turned into harsh wrinkles.
Even the thought of it made her teeth chatter, so she withdrew with hesitant steps.
Cain focused his gaze on Angelica, then began broaching the topic directly.
“So, what about marriage?”
"Huh? Why should I...?"
“The right person would be Duke Hugo Bernstein.”
“……!”
In an instant, her eyes that were filled with hatred suddenly widened.
“As I expected.”
Cain covered his lips with his palm.
It seemed that what he heard was not a hallucination.
Her face, which quickly reddened, and her breaths, which trembled from intense emotions, were evidence of this.
Finally, she said:
“Me...and Hugo...get married...?”
Her transparent eyes filled with the look of Hugo Bernstein, and then disappeared completely.
The Emperor, Cain Avnel, was sure.
“Finally, that cold one has found his destiny.”
Thus, he had found the shackle that would detain the “Ain Al-Hakim.”
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