Those Who Received Her Love (1)

The red sunset, reminiscent of a sea of blood, hung heavily in the sky. The man, while gazing at it, furrowed his forehead as he felt a throbbing sensation in his head.

It was a strange feeling. Although he had finally achieved what he had been striving for for years, he felt low. Was it because he thought of it as an ill-fated destiny that would only end with death? Leonard, who was pressing his forehead due to a habitual headache, turned his head in the direction of a voice that had come from somewhere.

“Are you okay?”

The owner of the voice was his beloved, Lerian. Leonard quickly wiped away the worry that had momentarily creased his face in response to her voice, then casually replied.

“There’s no reason for me not to be.”

No, he should be more than okay. The source of his long-standing troubles had finally disappeared, so what else could it be if not relief? However, an inexplicable heaviness still lingered in one corner, as if waiting to be expelled. It was truly a puzzling thing.

As if to dispel it, Leonard shook his head lightly and stared at Lerian. His beloved, who was so lovely that she wouldn’t hurt his eyes even if he were to gaze at her for ages. Her cheeks still looked rather pale, perhaps the effect of Kilianerisa’s poison had not yet completely healed. As they say, time is the best medicine, so the worries and anxieties etched on her face should gradually fade away with the passage of time.

It felt like they had fought a long and tiresome war. She had lost, and they had won. So, there was no need for them to shiver in agony anymore. Despite thinking of it that way, the bitterness remained, but still, his heart felt a little lighter.

There were no more reasons to suffer.

That simple sentence was more than welcome, but oddly, his lips that were curled into a faint smile felt heavy.

“I love you.”

With a sweet kiss that gently caressed his heart, his lips, which had been weighed down, lifted slightly. Yes, there was no need to dwell on it any longer. It was already over. He had fought a long battle to reclaim this moment.

No matter what, he didn’t want to burden himself with complicated thoughts today. Even if it was just for a moment, he wanted to rest peacefully. Now that his greatest enemy had disappeared, it should be okay to take a short break.

“Well then, I’ll be going now.”

Seeing a satisfied smile blossom on Lerian’s face, Leonard nodded his head and opened his mouth as a thought occurred to him.

“Empre…”

Just as he was about to caution her to be careful with the Empress, he belatedly remembered what had happened during the day. Leonard quickly changed his words before Lerian could express her confusion.

“Since the Empress is gone, I can elevate you to the position of Empress now.”

Upon hearing his words, a lovely blush appeared on Lerian’s cheeks. Judging from her expression, she seemed to have accepted it naturally, which made Leonard inwardly relieved. It was a phrase he could have said out of habit, but he didn’t want to bring it up and trouble her, especially since she had spent the whole day being weighed down by unexplainable guilt.

As soon as Lerian left the room, Leonard let the smile he had struggled to maintain fall heavily.

“How did such a mistake happen…?”

He raised his head and covered his eyes with one hand. How could this day be such a mess? Just why the hell was that woman so obsessed with him even after her own death?

No. She was already dead. So, she was no longer his concern. There was no reason to pay any more attention to her. Leonard shook his head, forcing himself to shake off the thoughts that had crowded his mind.

The confusion that filled his head was because he hadn’t yet adapted to the bizarre situation at hand. It had only been over half a day, of course, the habits ingrained in his body were not going to change easily.

Yes, this was merely a habit. So, it should pass soon.

Even though he tried to comfort himself, his unsettled heart showed no signs of calming down. If anything, he felt even more strangely restless now than when he had witnessed her death moments ago. Nevertheless, he didn’t feel any regrets.

Thinking about it, she was a woman he never truly had any affection for from the beginning. Of course, that didn’t mean he had actively shunned her. In one way or another, she had been the Empress-designate, and regardless of the outcome, she was his wife.

Even if he had someone he loved, the position he held was too heavy and lofty for him to be greedy or scheming for such personal reasons. Kilianerisa was the only daughter of Duke Hameln, a famous imperial statesman. When Leonard was still the Crown Prince, aside from his late mother, there was no woman of higher rank than her.

Of course, he had no enthusiasm for such a thing. Wealth and honor had always followed him like shadows due to his birthright as the Emperor’s heir, so there was no other power that could catch his eye. In his eyes, she was nothing more than someone in a similar position as him.

“Your Majesty! I already have a woman I promised my future to. But an engagement?!”

The Emperor, who had been watching the frantic Leonard with a dry gaze as he spoke, finally spoke quietly.

“My dear son, love alone cannot protect anything. And the Lady of Hameln will give you the power to protect what you desire.”

For the first time, the gentle voice of his father, who had always been kind to him, now felt strangely unfamiliar. Although a surge of resistance welled up within him, he couldn’t say anything and had no choice but to comply with his father’s wishes.

Surprisingly, what he didn’t anticipate was that Lerian, who he thought would be furious, accepted it with an understanding look. Leonard was extremely grateful to Lerian, who understood his situation, one he felt sorry for, and this made him cherish her even more.

However, that didn’t mean he had neglected Kilianerisa. She was the beloved princess of the Duke, and through their marriage, he gained the support of the House of Hameln. Although it wasn’t his intention from the beginning, he was not an inconsiderate person. Regardless of his own feelings, he made efforts to ensure that she wouldn’t be labeled as an unloved Empress.

But it seemed that she didn’t know anything about their situation until the moment she died. Perhaps she hadn’t even attempted to understand. No, maybe she had never cared in the first place.

In retrospect, she had always been a consistent woman from beginning to end.