116. The Road to Summer

2024.01.24.

Noel explained his situation in a trembling voice.

Bollonico did not let Noel go after he gave a hint about the Pelliese treasure.

The moment he heard the treasure story, he nodded at first, but from that evening onward began visiting Noel’s palace, throwing tantrums and even accusing Noel of coveting the throne, claiming he dared to rummage through restricted areas for such books, pressuring him relentlessly.

Then, determined to find out what Noel’s intentions had been in reading those books, he took away every single document related to the Pelliese family that Noel had been reading.

“H-h-he seemed anxious. H-he t-thought I w-was c-c-coveting the throne.”

Empress Marilyn, seeing how Bollonico ransacked Noel’s palace and openly tormented him, offered her private villa to Noel.

She judged it suitable for protecting Noel, since Bollonico rarely visited the empress’s palace.

Noel explained that while he himself had always believed the Pelliese treasure to be the “Black Blade,” Bollonico gradually shifted his interest from the blade itself to the Pelliese family as a whole.

He suspected that Bollonico, using his wide network and influence, might have found a clue about the Pelliese treasure.

After all, it was entirely possible that the treasure wasn’t the Black Blade, but something else entirely.

No one but the person who tore the page would know what the treasure mentioned in the torn section of the book truly was.

Thus, Noel guessed that Bollonico might have turned Count Pelliese into his pawn and lured Yu An into the palace to find the treasure.

“D-don’t hate C-Clade. J-just r-run away from this palace now. H-hate only me. Yu An’s sister wasn’t killed by Clade.”

Yu An’s eyebrows drew slightly together.

What a foolish person.

To carry such a heavy burden of guilt simply for telling his brother—who had always ignored him—that one line about the Pelliese treasure enabling someone to become emperor.

Such foolishness, willingly locking himself in this villa and trying to bear everything alone, even anticipating that the only friend he had ever opened up to would leave him.

Suddenly, blood trickled from Yu An’s nose—due to extreme stress.

Noel hastily stood up, handing over a handkerchief, his eyes filled with pity, compassion, and inexplicable affection toward Yu An.

Ah. What are you trying to do, Yu An Pelliese?

You ended up hearing the innermost thoughts of someone you could never truly confide in.

And you somehow succeeded in making someone you couldn’t even hate into a friend after all.

“Thank you for finally telling me.”

After a long silence, Yu An finally spoke.

“And be grateful. Tomorrow, I’m leaving for the southern region.”

“Yu An……!”

Seeing Noel’s face brighten slightly, Yu An added firmly:

“To be honest, right now I don’t want to see Noel’s face. But don’t go blaming yourself like a fool. Don’t assume I hate you and spend each day crying over it.”

“A-am I not hateful?”

“I hate you!”

Noel, who had been about to rush forward as if to embrace her, froze in place.

“But my sister’s death wasn’t your fault.”

Yu An averted his gaze as she firmly pressed down with both hands on the bag packed full of belongings.

She flattened the overflowing contents by leaning her weight into it, then forcibly slammed the bag shut.

“I know that better than anyone.”

***

The next morning.

When Yu An entered the drawing room with puffy eyes, Tasha, who had come to pick her up, flinched.

She instructed the servants to move Yu An’s increasingly reduced luggage, then glanced around the drawing room filled with books.

The gradually narrowing space between her brows was evidence that she easily deduced who had been using this room lately.

Tasha stole a glance at Yu An before speaking.

“I completely forgot. I was supposed to tell you yesterday, but we’re not the only ones leaving today.”

As Yu An gently pressed her swollen eyes and looked at Tasha, Tasha spoke as if she hadn’t originally intended for Yu An to hear, directing her voice toward the air.

“They’re preparing to depart. His Highness Prince Noel as well.”

And before Yu An could even react in surprise, Tasha swiftly left the drawing room with Yu An’s luggage.

There were barely thirty minutes left until departure, yet she chose to deliver this news only now.

Of course, the one more shocked than Yu An was Noel himself, who had been hiding behind the drawing room curtain, intending to secretly see her off.

Noel’s blank expression, having lost his grip on the curtain, remained fixed on the door through which Tasha had already left.

His eyes were even more swollen than Yu An’s.

“T-t-tasha really does hate me, doesn’t she?”

It was a question he asked Yu An, forgetting he had meant to stay hidden.

He seemed utterly lost, gripping his golden hair with both hands and scratching it vigorously.

Yu An, startled by his sudden appearance, widened her eyes, then replied coldly.

“This might be your last chance.”

Seeing Noel’s bewildered face, Yu An shot at him directly.

“Whether it’s on the road to the south, or while staying there—this time, you must express your feelings clearly.”

Yu An left the villa, leaving behind Noel who had rushed back to his room in a panic.

Outside the villa stood Tasha, who had gone ahead, and Yu Jin Kimfri, whom Yu An hadn’t seen in quite a while.

‘So these two are siblings.’

Not only because they shared the surname Kimfri, but also because of their upright posture, strangely cold expressions, tall, slender builds, dark navy hair, and bright amber eyes—all silently screaming to Yu An that they were family.

“Glory untainted to the great Euphris.”

“Pff.”

The moment Yu Jin Kimfri spotted Yu An, he immediately bowed formally, while Tasha beside him covered her mouth with her hand, laughing.

She cackled as if her brother’s formality were the funniest joke in the world.

Yu Jin Kimfri, seemingly accustomed to Tasha’s behavior, didn’t even blink and reached out his hand toward the small travel bag in Yu An’s grasp.

Startled, Yu An pulled back when she realized the bag contained Louise’s letter and various books, causing Yu Jin Kimfri to freeze as well.

“Her Highness doesn’t trust my brother much, does she? Ah, Your Highness. Let me introduce: Yu Jin Kimfri, my brother, the future heir of the Count Kimfri family.”

“Rude, Tasha.”

“No, it’s fine. No need for formalities. And the bag is fine too.”

“Pff.”

Tasha, looking more relaxed than Yu An had ever seen her, mocked her brother while opening the carriage door for Yu An.

Yu An stood on tiptoes, carefully placing the bag on the carriage seat, neatly covering it with her coat, then stepped back from the carriage.

She could feel Yu Jin Kimfri’s gaze piercing into her from the side.

“Ah. Your Highness, by the way, Lord Kimfri has agreed to escort us all the way to the southern region.”

“Thank you for your help.”

“Yes.”

“Pff.”

Through the formal greetings, Tasha’s suppressed laughter continued.

During the past few days, while enduring hardships together in the empress’s palace, Tasha seemed to have grown more at ease.

Yu An had been quiet and composed, occasionally conversing with Court Doctor Karen about Empress Marilyn’s condition, so perhaps Tasha’s impression of her had changed.

Either way, Yu An found it much more comfortable that Tasha, who previously seemed stiff around soldiers, now freely joked and relaxed beside her brother.

“Since we’re not taking many servants, you can call on Lord Kimfri whenever we need anything. I specially asked Her Majesty the Empress.”

“Oh.”

“In short, during our trip south, we’ve gained one large, dull servant.”

As Yu An nodded, listening to Tasha’s explanation, Yu Jin Kimfri frowned and replied:

“Lady Kimfri. We’re not going on a leisure trip, you know.”

“The Empress is going south to change her scenery. People usually call that ‘going on a trip,’ Lord Kimfri.”

Yu An stood awkwardly between the siblings until Noel came rushing out, frantically packing.

Only when Tasha coldly ignored Noel after meeting him and climbed into the carriage did Yu An finally break free from the pair.

Unlike Tasha, who elegantly stepped into the carriage with her long legs, Yu An, inexperienced with boarding large carriages for long journeys, awkwardly lifted her leg—only for Yu Jin Kimfri to extend his hand.

When she cautiously placed her hand in his, Yu An’s looked absurdly small.

Trying hard not to look up at Yu Jin Kimfri, who she felt was staring intently down at her, Yu An climbed fully into the carriage with a soft “Ugh.”

The carriage finally passed the villa’s entrance and then the empress’s palace gate.

Yu An naturally turned her eyes toward the rose vines on the outer wall of the empress’s palace, just about to burst into bloom.

‘Thank goodness.’

Clade had safely returned to Roxenhardt.

And perhaps, she could now drift a little further from news of Ariesta dazzling the capital’s summer social season and Clade escorting her.

Clade toward his own reclaimed summer.

The roses toward their fresh, blooming summer.

And Yu An—toward a summer that would only consume her life further.

***

The black mansion was just ahead.

Eddie, unfolding a letter delivered by messenger pigeon, closed the distance to Clade, lightly tapping the horse’s rump as he rode forward.

Clade had remained completely silent for days, ever since leaving the palace and heading toward Roxenhardt, as if undergoing a vow of silence.

“Your Highness, the reckless crown prince. We might have to pack up and leave again the moment we get back?”

“What do you mean?”

Lancelot galloped over, asking the question on Clade’s behalf, who kept his lips tightly shut. Eddie ignored Lancelot and answered Clade directly.

“The next destination should be the southern region. That’s where the first contact came from.”

“The south?”

For the first time, Clade spoke, raising an eyebrow with his finger, reacting to Eddie Rev’s suggestion that this social season should head south.