The Abandoned Empress Will Not Return - Chapter 69
The people of Luvenia were kind.
“Welcome!”
“Welcome to Luvenia.”
“Lady Rodelia, welcome to Luvenia!”
Rodelia accepted their hospitality wholeheartedly. Rodelia’s face bloomed brightly like a flower. Cerdian’s eyes were fixed on her for a while.
Rodelia seldom smiled brightly ever since they met again. Seeing her look happy again also made his lips go up delightedly.
Cerdian held out his hand to Rodelia who was riding her horse. After hesitating for a moment, her fair hands reached his. They seemed a bit rough.
It was only a short period of time but the hardships she had gone through in the past could be felt. It must have been hard work for an aristocratic woman who had only ever been served all her life to be alone.
Cerdian’s red eyes showed a subtle glint.
As she held his hand and safely set foot in Luvenia, Rodelia trembled at the realization that she had finally left Thebes.
Even though it was summer, the slightly cool air and hazy fog reminded her of dawn, so she felt even cozy.
“It is such a beautiful place…..”
“I’m glad you like it.”
She exclaimed in admiration and Cerdian answered in a calm voice. Rodelia grinned, thinking that his low, deep voice suited Luvenia very well.
“Everyone’s welcoming me, thank you so much.”
She added. Of course, there were those who did not welcome Rodelia very much therefore Cerdian had left orders to take action beforehand.
They might already be locked up in a dungeon by now. If they were to be released later, they would probably be able to get out of there only after writing a memorandum stating that they would strictly control their mouths.
However, Rodelia had no way to know such a dark side. She seemed to like Luvenia and it would be great if she would continue to feel the same.
Cerdian approached Rodelia who was receiving the greetings from the people of Luvenia one by one.
“It’s not that big, so you can look around in about three days.”
“What?”
Rodelia was startled from hearing his low voice beside her. Turning her head, Cerdian bent down and held her close to him.
“I’ll guide you later, so I think we’d better go to the castle now.”
“Oh…..”
“You look tired.”
Cerdian chuckled faintly. His breath tickled her ears.
She was indeed very tired. Her body had become very weak because she had not been getting enough nutrients. Rodelia nodded softly, agreeing with him.
“The guest needs to rest, so let’s end the greetings here.”
At Cerdian’s words, the crowd that had gathered to welcome her began to scatter.
“Then we will go first. See you again, Lady Rodelia!”
The Green sisters also said their farewells as they had some urgent matters to attend.
After the surroundings had quieted down a bit, Cerdian escorted Rodelia to a waiting carriage. She got on the carriage that was bearing the Aizen family crest.
The carriage started to move, stirring up dust. Outside the window, she could see the natural terrain, which she loved. Cerdian deliberately didn’t pay attention to her so that she could look around comfortably.
He only carefully reviewed the documents that were handed over to him by the attendant before he boarded the carriage. Occasionally, whenever he shifted his gaze to Rodelia, she would be smiling innocently.
It was an appearance she seldom showed while she was the empress, hence he could not take his eyes off her.
Sensing his gaze, Rodelia turned her head that had been close to the window, and her eyes intertwined with his deep eyes. The image she had built up so far was collapsing and she felt as if she had been caught. She could feel the heat rising to her face.
“Are you normally this bright?”
Cerdian asked without malice but to Rodelia who had already reached the peak of her shame, even that question sounded sarcastic.
It was natural. This was the first time Cerdian was seeing her unraveled figure which others had never seen. She had shed a lot of tears in front of him but this was a different kind of problem.
Rodelia shut her mouth tightly in unbearable shame. Cerdian didn’t want an answer from her either, so he stared at her before moving his attention back to the papers.
She wanted to quickly get out of this confined space.
Fortunately for her, it didn’t take long for them to arrive at the Grand Duke’s castle. But that short time seemed to be longer than the time it took to get from Thebes to Luvenia.
The Grand Duke’s castle resembled Cerdian.
A classical exterior, neatly manicured gardens, and…
A large snake-shaped statue placed in the middle of the Grand Duke’s castle.
Its red eyes were like the snake’s from her dreams. Come to think of it, Grand Duke Aizen’s family pattern was also a snake, so why was she so surprised?
She lowered her eyes again and looked around the garden. Unfamiliar white flowers blooming by the road were scattered in the garden.
At first glance, they looked like winter flowers. However, they were bigger, brighter and more fragrant than winter flowers. The urge to inquire about the flower rose but she did not ask.
It was because the question he asked curiously kept running through her head.
Whether or not he knew how she felt, Cerdian got out of the carriage and casually escorted her. Rodelia said nothing until she reached the room he had guided her to.
“Stay here for the meantime. The maids…..”
“Thank you, Grand Duke.”
Cerdian’s eyebrows furrowed slightly.
Rodelia roughly cut off Cerdian’s words and quickly closed the door behind her. She was still embarrassed from what happened a little while ago. Cerdian, who was almost knocked aside, laughed.
He never thought that he would be denied entry at a door in his own home.
He didn’t know why she did that all of a sudden but it was something that wasn’t like her, so it was both interesting and embarrassing.
‘Why did you do that all of a sudden?’
Moving neatly, he thought that he should attach a talkative maid to her.
*
Bruce, the butler, wondered about the anxiety on his master’s face.
Cerdian returned to his room and sat at his desk for a while, resting his hand on his forehead. His expression looked as if he was trying to solve a conundrum.
The butler was even more curious. Rodelia Florence was safely brought back and she appeared to be unharmed as well. Isn’t that what you wanted? Bruce, eventually unable to contain his curiosity, asked.
“Do you have any concerns?”
Only then did Cerdian raise his gaze.
“No, it’s nothing like that.”
He said he had no concerns yet it was evident on his face…
Bruce was one of the people who had watched over Cerdian since childhood and knew him very well. Cerdian was never the kind of person who would be shy like this for no reason at all. There must be some reason.
And it seemed highly likely that it had something to do with Rodelia Florence. At this moment, there shouldn’t be any problems yet. Bruce asked again.
“Are you sure you don’t? Isn’t it a concern regarding Lady Rodelia?”
“How did you know?”
As expected, his prediction was right.
“What can I do for you?”
Cerdian narrowed his eyes as Bruce triumphantly inquired. He looked smug as if he had all the answers himself.
But the answer that came back puzzled him.
“Nothing happened.”
“Is that so…?”
“Nothing happened. She suddenly barred me from the door to her room.”
“Suddenly….?”
“That’s what I said.”
There was no way he could have been barred at the door if nothing happened.
Bruce believed that Cerdian, who had absolutely no interest in women, had made a mistake with her.
As a matter of fact, he was surprisingly indifferent to everyone, men and women alike.
If so, he had no choice but to step up. Bruce spoke in a stern tone to Cerdian, who was still frowning.
“Then let me find out.”
*
The days in the Grand Duchy passed very quickly.
The maids Cerdian had attached were incredibly kind. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that she was treated more cordially than when she was the empress.
However, meeting Cerdian was rare. Maybe he was busy with work but he didn’t visit Rodelia at will.
Perhaps he was upset because she didn’t answer him back then? She was also a little sad. To think that after bringing her here, he wouldn’t show his face even once.
With unfocused eyes, blankly thinking of Cerdian, she turned her gaze back to the maids who were diligently wiping her body.
It was the first time she saw one of the maids today. They chatted for a long time, never running out of things to talk about. Now she can hear their voices properly.
“You’re too skinny, Lady Rodelia!”
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