After enjoying the mask festival, Cedric and Emily decided to spend the night at the Archibald family villa in the capital tonight and continue their journey to the Grand Duchy of Leander tomorrow morning.
“Get in,” Cedric said, holding out his hand to help Emily climb onto carriage.
Thump… Thump… Thump… His heart felt like it was pounding wildly.
‘Is my heart broken?’ Cedric wondered.
Emily climbed into the carriage without saying a word.
Outside, Arthur and Philip began mounting their horses, preparing to head to the Archibald family villa, which was about a half-hour ride from downtown.
“Why are we suddenly stopping at the villa?” Philip asked Arthur.
“Who knows,” Arthur replied briefly with a meaningful smile.
He then spurred his horse ahead of the group.
Philip just stared blankly at his friend’s vague answer.
‘My friend Philip is so smart about everything except matters of the heart,’ Arthur muttered.
…
Meanwhile, Cedric and Emily sat side by side in a quiet, awkward silence.
They both looked out the window as they waited for the carriage to depart.
From the carriage window, they could see the lanterns beginning to light up again as the lunar eclipse faded.
And the nighttime atmosphere in the heart of the capital was growing lively once more with all the festival activities that would continue until midnight.
Clop… clop… clop….
The wooden wheels began to roll slowly along the cobblestone road.
The silence was now filled with the sound of horse hooves coming from outside.
Until the carriage suddenly jolted as it passed over a large rock.
Emily lost her balance, causing her body to be pushed forward.
Instinctively, Cedric grabbed Emily’s waist to keep her from falling.
And in an instant, the distance between them vanished.
Emily fell into his arms.
… For a few seconds, no one spoke.
The sound of the carriage wheels was the only thing breaking the silence.
Cedric hadn’t let go of Emily And strangely, he didn’t want to let her go.
Cedric gazed at Emily’s face with mixed feelings, as if he wanted to find the answer there.
This naive girl had turned his life upside down; life with her was always full of surprises.
His calculations, which had always been accurate, consistently failed to predict what actions Emily would take.
How could she defy her parents just for a stranger she’d only known for two months?
How could this girl choose to stand by him, after he’d pushed her away time and time again?
Cedric opened his mouth.
Then he closed it again.
Because for the first time in his life, he didn’t know what to say.
He knew only one thing.
He didn’t want to pretend anymore.
The carriage continued on its way.
Carrying them through streets that grew increasingly quiet.
While Emily and Cedric’s hearts were bursting with emotion.
Their eyes met.
Cedric moved closer, slowly.
Giving Emily space to pull away if she wanted to.
But Emily remained still.
She didn’t even look away.
So Cedric closed the remaining distance.
Smooch… Slowly and gently, Cedric’s lips touched Emily’s.
When their lips parted, the carriage continued on its way as before.
But for Cedric, it felt as though the whole world had changed.
Emily lowered her head, trying to hide her blushing face.
Meanwhile, Cedric finally realized that what he was feeling was something dangerous.
Love.
And for the first time, he had no intention of running away from those feelings.
Cedric cupped Emily’s face in both hands again and tilted the head of the girl who had suddenly become shy, until… Knock… Knock… Knock… “My Lord, we’ve arrived at the villa,” Philip called from outside the carriage.
Hearing Philip’s voice from outside, Cedric and Emily exchanged surprised glances.
HAHAHAHA They burst into laughter.
“I swear, one day I’ll tie Philip to a fishing boat and send him out to sea,” Emily joked.
“Hey, he’s my loyal companion after all,” Cedric replied, gently running his fingers through Emily’s hair.
As soon as Cedric and Emily got off the carriage, they were immediately greeted by the news of King Killian and the High Priest’s arrival—they were already waiting inside the villa.
======================================================================== Today seems to be Emily’s lucky day—how could it not be?
After an unpleasant encounter with Emily’s family from this world, the person who had been on her mind for the past few days suddenly appeared right in front of her.
“What is Damian doing here?” Emily wondered.
Meanwhile, Damian smiled broadly and waved when he saw Emily.
How could this be happening?
Let’s rewind a few minutes.
— A few minutes earlier — After hearing the news about King Killian and the High Priest’s arrival at the Archibald family villa, Cedric and Emily immediately rushed to the guest waiting room.
Upon arriving at the designated room, Emily saw three people inside.
A young man with golden-blond hair, sharp eyes, and a charismatic presence sat in the center of the room.
‘He must be King Killian’ Seated next to him was the High Priest he had met earlier that afternoon, but what surprised him most was the person sitting next to the High Priest.
‘What is Damian doing here?’ … “Good evening, Your Majesty,” Cedric and Emily bowed their heads in greeting to King Killian.
Then they bowed their heads in greeting to the High Priest.
“Good evening, High Priest.” Cedric and Emily then sat down in front of the guests.
“I thought you’d be out a little longer, strolling with Lady Emily at the festival, Cedric?” King Killian asked with a smile.
After all, Killian and Cedric were close cousins; they had been friends since childhood.
So Killian didn’t hesitate to tease Cedric.
“What brings Your Majesty and the High Priest all the way out here in the middle of the night?” Cedric asked, cutting through the small talk to hide his blushing face.
“Oh, right—before that, I’d like to introduce my grandson to you both.
This is my grandson, Damian,” said the High Priest, introducing Damian, who was sitting next to him.
“My name is Damian Goldwin.
Nice to meet both of you,” Damian said, bowing his head in greeting.
“Gr-Grandchild?” Emily asked in surprise.
“Oh, HAHAHA… forgive me.
It seems Lady Emily doesn’t know that even though I look like this, I’m actually quite old,” the High Priest replied with a laugh.
“And to be more precise, Damian is my older brother’s grandson.
So he’s practically my own grandson.
HAHAHA,” he added.
Emily looked surprised, but on second thought, there was indeed a resemblance between them—especially that silver hair.
But how could the High Priest have a grandson working in the underworld?
The world really is full of surprises, isn’t it?
“Oh, actually, Lady Emily and I already knew each other before this regarding business matters.
Right, Lady Emily?” Damian said, looking at Emily and smiling sweetly.
Seeing Damian acting so close to Emily, Cedric’s blood boiled.
An overwhelming aura immediately radiated from Cedric’s sharp gaze toward Damian.
‘What is this bastard doing here?’ Cedric thought.
… Emily herself was scared out of her wits when she heard Damian say that they knew each other through business.
What if Cedric finds out that she’s been sneaking out of the house and going into town frequently?
“Y-yes, that’s right,” Emily replied nervously, glancing at Cedric.
Emily’s heart nearly leapt out of her chest when she saw Cedric beside her wearing an annoyed expression.
‘What should I do?’ Then Emily grasped Cedric’s hand, trying to calm him down.
“Hah…” Cedric let out a long sigh.
Like magic Just from the warmth of Emily’s touch, Cedric’s anger seemed to vanish instantly.
“What brings Your Majesty, the High Priest, and Sir Damian here?” Cedric asked in a softer tone.
Killian, who saw Cedric’s mood change just because of Emily, was surprised and impressed.
His childhood friend, who usually seemed indifferent to everything, appeared to be head over heels for his fiancée.
Although Cedric had initially strongly opposed this marriage plan—since his fiancée was the daughter of the Archibald family’s sworn enemy—it seemed Lady Emily had managed to melt his heart.
“I don’t think I made a mistake in choosing your future wife, Cedric,” Killian said with a faint smile.
“Thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty,” Cedric replied, bowing his head.
Killian picked up the teacup in front of him and sipped it slowly.
His movements were calm and charismatic.
In the novel, it is described that Killian was forced to become king at a very young age because his half-brother, Aaron—who had a different mother—rebelled against the previous King of Malakar.
Killian, helped by Cedric and his troops, managed to defeat Aaron’s forces, but unfortunately, Aaron managed to escape and remains at large to this day.
“Isn’t the novel’s plot supposed to start in three months?
What is King Killian doing here?” Emily wondered.
“I want to ask both of you to help ensure the success of my marriage to Asha Ignis, the princess of the Kingdom of Sylvengate,” Killian said after setting the cup back on the table.
Killian then looked at Emily.
“You must know that there are some parties who oppose this marriage, for their own interests.
Yet this marriage is important for the country.” It was clear that Killian was referring to the family of Duke Maynard, Emily’s father.
It was unclear why Killian had come here to ask for help from Cedric and Emily—whether he wanted to test Emily’s loyalty or truly trusted her.
This is precisely why Emily despises the world of politics; she has no talent for it.
“If I may ask, what kind of help does Your Majesty have in mind?” Cedric asked.
“I’d like to ask Lady Emily to serve as Lady-in-Waiting to Princess Asha, given that she’ll be coming alone to a foreign land.
Who else can I trust, other than my closest cousin’s fiancée?” Killian replied casually.
Cedric glanced at Emily, seemingly confused about how to respond.
Emily herself remained silent, deep in thought, her serious expression giving no hint of what was on her mind.
… Meanwhile, Emily was deep in thought.
In the novel’s plot, which would unfold over the next three months, many events would threaten the country, Killian, and even Cedric.
How could she possibly refuse this request?
Regardless of whether this is a trap or a genuine request.
She couldn’t pass up this opportunity.
She had to do whatever it took to save Cedric.
Emily then lifted her head and looked at Killian with determination.
“I accept, Your Majesty.” No matter the danger, I will prevent the horrible events in the novel from happening to Cedric.