# 17
The sword that was fiercely cutting through the wind had suddenly stopped.
However, Hugo Bernstein's eyes, which were looking ahead, quickly turned to a certain place.
“……!”
Towards Angelica Ratlay.
It was as if his eyes knew she was in this area from the moment she stepped on the ground.
On the contrary, Angelica's eyes were shaking violently as if the ground had shaken.
'He's crazy...'
When she previously called him Hugo, she had no problem meeting his eyes, but now, when she thought of Hugo as her favorite person, it became difficult.
The problem was originally in his clear face.
You don't know why he combined beauty, attractiveness, and handsomeness at the same time.
'This is not a dream. It's actually Hugo. I now see Hugo in front of me.'
These thoughts increased a strong feeling in her heart, and her thirteen years of love for him quickly passed before her eyes, making her feel like crying.
If she looked at him more, maybe she would break down in tears and scream at him with all her feelings.
But she couldn't bear it any longer. She was about to avert her eyes from him, but…
Suddenly.
Hugo passed in front of her quietly, as if he did not know her. She watched his back, dazed.
“A...did he not see me?”
She began imagining herself in useless moments, and her shoulders slumped.
'We exchanged glances. He must have seen me.'
He was simply avoiding her, and she knew very well why.
'In Hugo's eyes, I must look strange.'
He was the person she was laughing with yesterday, but now everything was strange.
If it were up to her, she would have approached him as she had done before, without barriers.
But the name “Hugo Bernstein” was a major obstacle.
He was no longer the man who began to grow in her heart, but rather he became “Hugo Bernstein,” whom everyone loved.
'Oh, why did I say 'I love him' to him when I was drunk?'
It was not just a confession of love, but it was a manifestation of all her ridiculous feelings that had lasted for more than ten years, as if she was showing her stalker character.
Even thinking about it made her face burn.
“Oh, what will I do?”
In order to get closer to him, she had to temper her love for him.
But how will you do it? How can one stop their feelings?
Sometimes, she found his actions attractive.
But now…
'I want to say, look at those scattered strands of his hair waving in the wind. It's very attractive! What will I do?'
She might die before she gets married, just because of his beauty.
She wiped away a tear that had come out of her eyes, and took heavy steps towards the house with her servant urging her to walk.
However, even after she met him, she still had a long way to go.
❈❈❈
On the other hand, Hugo Bernstein had coldly turned his back on her.
“…….”
He clenched his hand and carefully stepped forward.
After he walked out of the interview room, Angelica's face trembling with fear was what filled his mind.
He tried to forget that by immediately training the sword in the training ground, but he couldn't push those thoughts away.
Even as he focused on his sword, her sweet words echoed in his mind.
His training was non-existent in this case. Suddenly, when he decided to stop training, he found her eyes filling his vision.
“Oh…”
She was far away, but her sighs were clear, as if she were next to him.
Her eyes sparkled like red flowers in a royal garden.
“…….”
The reason for this bright color made his mood suddenly drop.
Her eyes, instead of being the blood-red color that befitted him, were filled with dazzling rose colours.
When he realized his feelings for her, he felt a bit jealous of the roses themselves.
He gripped the sword hilt tightly again and began swinging it sharply.
After a while, her eyes happened to rest on him.
He didn't need to look at her; The feelings were clear. Therefore, he increased the intensity of his sword strikes.
Maybe she was afraid.
“Is he really crazy?”
“…….”
Her reactions when she finds out my identity...
Although, fortunately, there did not seem to be a mixture of contempt in her eyes. But, of course, her speaking style became completely different from before.
Heck―!
She instinctively closed her ears. The sound of the sword cutting through the wind was louder than her voice, masking her words.
But still, the sudden sounds that interspersed could not be ignored.
“My apologies, princess!…The castle knights have been informed...”
“How could this person...carry a sword...”
Her tone was tense.
It is natural for her to explode like this, so how can she bear the sight of someone who brought down her empire before her eyes without getting angry?
However, despite knowing all that, Hugo, once again, looked into her eyes stupidly.
"Yes."
Why did he do that when he knew? Now she couldn't even meet his eyes properly.
The gap that appeared between them in just one day hurt him, making him feel deeply sad.
“Ah, what should I do?”
Hugo laughed sadly at her soft voice.
Exactly, Angelica Ratlay, how should I deal with you?
In fact, the answer was clear.
'I should get away.'
Even if we meet again in the future, it won't be normal for us to chat anymore.
The best thing he could do was restrain himself, suppress his desires and live that way.
Therefore, it would be easy for him to resist the love that grew in his heart for the first time in his life.
With a deep sigh, he swallowed his decision, and walked with steady steps to the Emperor's office.
But,
“Hugo, in a week your wedding will take place. The bride will be Princess Angelica Ratlay.”
He did not expect to hear this from the Emperor just a minute after his decision.
Hugo Bernstein froze in the face of this situation, which was difficult for him to accept, and he struggled to refocus.
His face, which had been frowning before, became even harsher.
"What are you saying?"
There was a slight anger in his tone. His terrifying voice seemed calmer now.
On the other hand, Kane was calm as always.
After he signed the documents he was reading, he responded calmly.
“What’s the matter? As I heard, in a week, your wedding will be with the princess and it will be in an atmosphere of celebration.”
“Cain Avendale.”
Hugo said in an angry tone, his eyes full of anger.
The Emperor's office became as if snow had fallen in the heart of the northern region.
He felt the intensity of anger on the back of his neck, and Cain could barely put down the pen to finally face him.
Unlike his previous calm speech, the Emperor's face had now frozen.
“Hugo Bernstein, do you think I'm kidding you?”
“It seems like lines have been crossed here. I warned you before. You have to find a workable solution.”
“Well, is there a more realistic and practical solution than this? No one can oppose this. The princess will marry a man from our empire and live here.”
Cain held it lightly with both hands.
“In addition, the princess has already agreed.”
“Is this called a consent threat? Stop lying before I get angrier.”
"Lies? How can I tell a lie in a case involving you?"
“……”
“Hugo, it's all real.”
“But she...”
Hugo suddenly stopped talking and closed his mouth tightly. His fist was so strong that the tendons were visible.
“Angelica, she has someone else she loves.”
"Hmm? You like someone else?"
"Yes. She has been in love with someone else for more than ten years. How can she marry me?"
Then, did you agree to this?
It's an incredible talk.
Didn't he feel it himself? How was she treating him now?
She has become afraid to see him, perhaps even hates him now.
“Hmm...”
Cain, on the other hand, was not convinced, but rather seemed to twinkle with his eyes.
“Well, it's not my job to know about the princess's inner affairs. The most important thing is that she should marry you.”
“But―”
“Hugo Bernstein, this is not a request. It is an order from the Emperor.”
Cain tightened his grip on his hands, then smiled slightly.
Then, suddenly, he stopped smiling and asked quietly:
“Or do you not want to marry the princess? If so, no problem, we can marry her to another man. I think that old man would be suitable. I heard that Lord Williams, who lost his wife last year, wants to marry again. What do you think?”
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