DLRV 22

Unlike me, Heinley firmly denied my opinion.

“Apologies, my Lady. Unlike my brother, I have long taken great interest in a lady who might have been my future fiancée.”

“…Interest?”

Even before my engagement to Maxell, I had occasionally visited the Imperial Palace—to meet the Emperor and Empress.

I had exchanged greetings with the princes a few times, but I had never spent time with them separately. After all, what mattered in the engagement between the Imperial Family and Roam was not love or friendship, but solid power.

Naturally, I hadn’t bothered to remember who my potential fiancé might be. The only one I needed to remember was the single person who would emerge victorious.

I felt a bit bewildered. Before my engagement, Heinley must have been too busy pouring all his efforts into becoming Crown Prince. Was he saying that during such a critical time, he was distracted by a woman?

“I grew suspicious when I saw your back, and I became certain when I heard your voice.”

He could recognize me instantly, just from my back and voice?

“I never realized you were so interested in me.”

“If I had shown even the slightest interest in my brother’s fiancée, I would have lost what little life I managed to keep.”

That was true. After the Crown Prince’s coronation, Heinley had been extremely cautious about any public activities. Depending on interpretation, every single person he met and every event he attended could be seen as treasonous ambition.

I narrowed my eyes as I stared at him in confusion. I understood his circumstances. But why was he speaking in circles?

“Did you arrange this tedious conversation just to reminisce about old memories? You said you weren’t going to report me, so let’s get to the point quickly. I’m rather busy.”

Surely, he wouldn’t be angry over my lack of formal etiquette.

Even though I had somewhat rudely pressed him, he didn’t lose his smile. His voice remained as gentle as ever.

“Your magical artifact seems to be of higher quality than mine. Mine doesn’t conceal my eye color.”

What was he getting at?

“Did you acknowledge me just because you wanted my magical artifact?”

“…Just once.”

Cutting off his words, he hesitated for a moment before letting out a deep breath and speaking calmly.

“Could you undo that appearance-changing spell?”

“Right now, here?”

Was he planning to sell me out to secure his position? The suspicion ballooned in an instant.

Despite his loss in the power struggle, Heinley was still a prince. The First Prince of the Empire.

Unlike his other brothers, who were ultimately driven to their deaths, he had preserved his life and title. That meant, at the very least, he had some degree of cunning.

For all I knew, he might have received an offer—if he captured an unprecedentedly resurrected person, he could be granted some distant territory and the title of Grand Duke.

“I just want to see your true appearance. That’s the reason I acknowledged you.”

So, that was it? He just wanted to see my face? I let out a disbelieving laugh.

Was he joking with me?

“Are you recording this?”

“I already told you—I have no intention of reporting you.”

“In this world, even family can’t be trusted.”

Heinley gave a bitter smile, as if he understood the deep distrust in my response. He lowered his gaze in thought for a moment before suddenly pointing at the book in my hands.

“You seem to like that book. I can let you take it with you.”

“This one?”

“Yes.”

Of course, I’d love to take it. But the real problem was that I still didn’t trust him.

And for good reason—he had never shown the slightest affection toward me before. Regardless of his motives, we had always been distant.

Yet now, out of the blue, he recognized me and claimed to have been interested in me for a long time?

And if I simply showed my face, he would let me take the book and wouldn’t report me? This wasn’t charity—why was he offering such a deal?

“Why are you making such a proposal?”

“It’s goodwill.”

No way. He and I were not in a relationship where we exchanged goodwill.

“Just be honest. What do you really want?”

“I already said it—your true appearance.”

And that was supposed to be valuable enough to be considered a trade?

I wasn’t the only one frustrated by the circular conversation. After a brief silence, Heinley swept back his slightly fallen bangs.

“When I heard you had returned to life, I couldn’t believe it. The temple had hidden even a single strand of your hair, covering and concealing everything. I wondered if they had used your corpse for some gruesome dark magic. That’s why I was here, searching for any information that could explain your resurrection.”

So, in short, he wanted to confirm that I was truly alive. He didn’t want to rely only on recognizing my back or my voice—he wanted to see my living, breathing face for himself.

I don’t see how that changes anything, though.

I glanced at the book in my hand and took a slow, deep breath. Then, I turned the central gemstone on my necklace to the opposite side.

Heinley, who had been watching me intently, slowly lost his smile.

And as my dull red hair transformed completely into silver, he let out an awed murmur.

“…It was true.”

He neither stepped closer nor backed away. He simply stood there, unable to take his eyes off me.

“You really have come back to life. By the blessing of the gods.”

And I found Heinley’s reaction unsettling. Honestly, I was half bewildered, half dumbfounded. There had been many who secretly admired me, but Heinley was someone I had never even considered. A member of the imperial family harboring such immature emotions?

His persistent gaze, unwilling to part from me, was burdensome. As I quickly moved the gem again to alter my appearance, Heinley, who had been staring at me blankly, seemed to snap out of a daze.

“Now that you’ve confirmed it, all your questions must be answered, right? May I leave now?”

“My Lady.”

Heinley lowered his gaze with a bitter expression. The slight flush on his cheeks from seeing my true form had now paled. With his long lashes casting shadows over his sorrowful eyes, he spoke in a heavy voice.

“I wanted to say that I’m sorry.”

Could this be a trap?

Startled, I looked around, but the office remained unchanged. The tightly shut door was still in place.

“I always wanted to apologize for not helping you in time, using the excuse of preserving my own life. I have regretted it ever since.”

Ah, that apology. I thought it was something else. For a moment, I had assumed he was apologizing for betraying me.

While I placed a hand on my chest, calming my startled heart, Heinley lowered his gaze further, as if sincerely seeking my forgiveness.

Surprisingly, this was the first apology I had received since coming back to life. And it wasn’t even from someone who had betrayed me—it came from someone entirely unrelated.

I gazed at his shadowed face for a moment before speaking indifferently.

“Perhaps I am forgetting, Your Highness, so allow me to ask.”

His crimson eyes, damp as if he were on the verge of tears, looked at me. Ah, the imperial bloodline truly had striking looks. That was all.

“Did I ever, even once, ask for Your Highness’s help?”

“…You did not.”

“Yes, exactly.”

As I smoothly lifted the corners of my lips, Heinley’s eyes trembled slightly.

“Then surely, you understand that I have no apology to accept.”

I had entertained him long enough.

I stepped past him and reached for the door handle. Heinley did not stop me. He only continued to gaze at me, sorrowful and unmoving.

Just as I was about to open the door and leave, I suddenly paused. Even then, Heinley had not taken his eyes off me.

As I met his desperate gaze—one even Maxell had never shown me—I erased the faint smile lingering on my face.

“If I could ask for one last favor, Your Highness, it would be this: I sincerely hope that we never meet again, not even by coincidence.”

A trace of wounded emotion flickered in his red eyes.

No wonder he lost the crown prince’s position—he was too easily swayed by a woman.

That cold thought passed through my mind, though thankfully, I didn’t say it aloud.

“It may sound strange, but you remind me of Maxell.”

At the mention of Maxell’s name, Heinley’s expression stiffened.

“And that makes me want to punch you without realizing it.”

Leaving Heinley frozen in shock, his face drained of color, I finally stepped out of the office.

I was still a little bewildered, but I had obtained the book and avoided being reported. That much time wasted was acceptable.

Whatever the case, as long as the ending was good, everything was good.

***

“This is a library book! Are you committing theft now?”

“I received it as a legitimate gift.”

“That’s ridiculous…!”

Ignoring Xenon, who anxiously scanned the windows as if expecting trouble, I sat on the bed. I opened the book, but the words refused to settle in my mind.

I have always wanted to apologize for not helping you in time. I have regretted it ever since.

There were times, as I became more isolated and felt my early death approaching, when I desperately wished for someone’s help.

When my family abandoned me.
When Maxell abandoned me.
When my closest friends left me.

On nights when I coughed up blood alone in my bed, I thought, If only someone would help me. If only someone would understand my injustice and resentment. Ah, if only someone, anyone…

If Heinley had reached out to me then, would anything have changed?

If he had truly helped me in time, as he said.
If he had risked his life for me, without caring for his own precarious position.

If, before I died, I had experienced even a shred of such love—if I had even just witnessed it—then would I have…

“Lady Annelie?”

I snapped out of my thoughts.

My gaze met Xenon’s, who was looking at me with concern. My mind, which had been drifting through the distant past, finally returned to the present.

“Are you all right?”