I Won’t Accept Your Regrets

Raymond headed for his room, not his office. And when I followed him, he showed off all the servants.

Left alone with me, he rubbed his forehead roughly, as if he wanted to show how angry he was.

I let him cool down for a while, standing with his back to me.

"I apologize for such a sudden visit."

"This Leon Sios, I'm going to torture him to death if he doesn't open his mouth."

"Your Majesty, that would be…"

“Ellie, I don’t want to go crazy in the end. It makes me sick at the thought that I raised him as my son, " Raymond interrupted me with a restrained voice.

“I also want to find out the truth as soon as possible. However, Your Majesty, no matter how much he has abandoned that family, the life of that family is at stake. How can he open his mouth so easily?”

“…”

A feeling of tension that was about to explode immediately rushed into the room.

It's not that I don't understand Raymond's feelings. I couldn't even imagine how much patience he needed right now.

But that's why I needed to stop all this even more.

"If you take him to the corner, he can commit suicide. If that happens, even the only witness will be lost."

"Do you think I don't know?"

"Your Majesty."

"Ellie, you don't know how I feel right now."

The situation was delicate. Even if the only witness was lost, it would be even more terrifying never to know the truth.

“Well, no, Your Majesty. I know you better than anyone else."

His eyes twitched uncontrollably towards me.

"Your Majesty, we must find out the whole truth. And for this we need Leon Sios’s help."

Leon once left the Marquis house, who enjoyed authority in the Empire. So Leon's life isn’t a pursuit of money or power. No one knew for certain of his nature.

And I didn’t know how to convince such.

But above all, Raymond needs to  persuade him. And above all, I had to calm Raymond down.

"Your Majesty."

When I called him again, the Emperor's gaze turned to me.

“I know,” he replied dryly.

At the end of his response, the tension concentrated on his fingertips seemed to evaporate.

"And in general, until recently you were eager to carve out time for the family. It’s not good to be nervous now, even if you don’t have solid evidence.”

“…I am too disturbed.”

"Is it connected with your brother? No wonder Your Majesty's head is clouded."

This strange look of his turned back to me, but I didn’t avoid it.

Because I knew better than anyone else how awful Raymond's feelings were going to be.

"Ellie.”

“It would be better not to go to Leon anymore today. And it would be better to let Leon know that we found other witnesses by Carter's hands."

It seems, realizing my deceitful maneuver, he replied with a smile:

“…It will make him nervous.”

"Yeah. Then he'll open his mouth for anything."

"…"

It may not be ideal, but at the moment it was the best solution.

Now I was puzzled by Raymond, who suddenly fell silent and stared at me.

"Your Majesty, if you have any alternative…"

"No… Yes… You're right."

Raymond suddenly began to avoid my gaze. And he was the first to step back from me.

“…”

When he, who from time to time forced himself to be closer to me, suddenly tossed aside, the situation became awkward.

Yeah. The oddity would be the absence of oddities here.

Had he thought of quietly slitting Leon's throat?

"Yes, it would be better to do what you say. If you can figure out how to open Leon's mouth more politely, don’t hesitate to tell me."

"I will do that."

"But what about Carlisle now?"

"Oh, the prince with Helen."

"Oh yes. Right."

“Looks like you'd better have some sleeping pills and sleep tonight. I'll tell the servant to bring the medicine."

"Ellie…"

"Yes?"

"If you continue to do this, I may misunderstand you. I sincerely think that you suddenly became not indifferent to me."

His eyes seemed to want to find something in me. In the past, I would have heard the discomfort and unpleasantness of these conversations, but not now.

"I am the Empress, and I will do my job as the Empress."

‘Is that really all?'

At that moment, a question about it resonated in my head, a question I didn't want to hear.

"Yes, I know. Still, I can't help but consider your future behavior. You better go to Carlisle. It's late, he must have been waiting,” he said, smiling gently..

"Then I have to go."

Passing by, I didn’t miss the loneliness in his eyes.

* * *

The time Ellie was talking to Raymond.

Carlisle got up from his seat shortly after eating.

"Your Highness, have some more."

Helen was worried about the food he left behind, but Carlisle shook his head.

“It's because I'm eating alone… It's not good. I'll stop eating."

"Then I'll ask you to bring dessert."

"I want to return to the palace. I want to eat this while reading fairy tales."

"Okay. Then I will prepare everything."

Carlisle glanced at the empty seats of his father and mother, and then looked out the window.

After dinner, he always went out with mother and father.

In fact, they only recently started walking together, but Carlisle is already used to it.

The road to the palace was lonely, and Carlisle's face was dark as the night sky.

"Your favorite strawberry cake is being served today."

At the word – strawberry cake. "Carlisle showed his puppy look.

"Really?”

"Yes."

"Well, if I eat cake at night, won't my mom scold me?"

Carlisle's dinner dessert has always been light fruit. Sweet things like cookies and cakes were unhealthy desserts that his mother didn't allow.

"I will speak with Her Majesty. So do not worry."

Carlisle was happy to have his strawberry cake, so he began humming a song.

But then Carlisle stopped when he saw a person approaching.

"Greetings to His Highness the Crown Prince."

That person was none other than the First Prince.

Carlisle didn’t see his brother's face for a long time. Edmund might have wanted to go out to play, but his mother repeatedly refused to let him.

"Brother! I missed you!"

So, Carlisle was so glad to meet by chance like this.

Helen, Edmund and everyone around them suddenly became uncomfortable.

Carlisle hasn’t yet fully grasped the rapidly rotating situation in the Empire.

Edmund's throne, like his grandfather and grandmother, all of them sank into oblivion when Carlisle stepped into the Imperial Palace.

And the state of abandonment of the Emperor.

After Carlisle became the crown prince, Edmund's position instantly turned into an abyss.

Edmund hated Carlisle for his innocent appearance.

“Your Highness the Crown Prince, control yourself. You still haven’t mastered etiquette to the proper extent."

Maybe that's why. The way of speaking came out abruptly.

Carlisle’s face was colored with embarrassment by Edmund's cold voice.

"Oh, that's… I…. Because I'm glad to see you…”

“I was on my way to see His Majesty. If you have nothing to say, I will go my own way."

Edmund cut Carlisle coldly. Carlisle's dark eyes trembled, showing how hurt he was.

Edmund's heart was heavy when he saw this.

He himself knew perfectly well that Carlisle was innocent. Yet Edmund didn’t take pleasure in such a meeting.

The moment he ignored Carlisle and tried to walk past, Carlisle grabbed Edmund by the hem.

"…What?"

“Brother… No, the First Prince. You can't go to His Majesty."

"What are you talking about?"

"His Majesty meets a man named Leon. So he's busy."

"Your Highness!"

Helen was immediately embarrassed, and hastily called out to Carlisle.

However, this happened after he mentioned the name ‘Leon’.

Helen quickly looked at the First Prince's face. However, he gave no more than just a puzzled look, as if the name told him nothing.

"Leon? Who is he? At this time…"

He didn’t understand what kind of meeting with the Emperor at a late hour.

Perhaps the first prince didn’t know about the existence of Leon, who had long left the Sios family.

Helen was relieved. Edmund realized that he had already heard the name somewhere.

"Leon, then…"

Edmund murmured a name under his breath with a look of surprise. Soon after, he bowed to the Crown Prince, rapidly gnashing his teeth.

"Thanks for letting me know."

The First Prince, who had been wrinkling his face for a while, immediately turned and left as if he had no regrets.

Carlisle remained there looking at the back of the first prince. He found it difficult to understand his abrupt change in attitude.

“Your Highness, it’s too late. Shouldn't we return to the palace?"

"Yeah."

Carlisle's face darkened again. He didn't think the strawberry shortcake would cheer him up this time.

Carlisle drooped towards the palace.