By Zephyria 
The sunny weather continued day after day. Cecile leaned his head out the window and soaked up the pouring sunlight.
He had nearly regained his strength. His once dry skin was now smooth and radiant, and his dark brown hair boasted a soft texture.
Dressed neatly and adorned with jewels, he looked like the usual Cecile Adrian. However, the face looking outside showed little sign of a smile. He appeared as if all motivation had vanished.
After days of solitary contemplation, Cecile finally resolved to tackle the matter he had been putting off. Today, he would visit Yuria.
He wanted to meet her, apologize, and have an open conversation. Perhaps he also wished to clear up the unjust misunderstandings through their dialogue.
At Yuria’s residence, there were far more knights standing guard than before. As soon as they spotted Cecile approaching, their eyes flashed, and they blocked his path.
“What is your business?”
“I’ve come to see Yuria.”
“Have you received permission?”
“Permission? From whom?”
The knights exchanged glances among themselves and tightened their guard even further.
“You cannot meet the Saintess. There has been an order not to let anyone in.”
“Please tell her that I wish to see her….”
“Forgive me for saying this, but it is even more impossible for you, Sir Cecile.”
The knight spoke as politely as possible, but Cecile could read strong suspicion and disdain in their expressions.
To them, he was as good as someone who had harmed Yuria. With their duty to protect the Saintess, they had a firm resolve not to let him in.
He had anticipated that it wouldn’t be easy to meet her, but he never expected to be turned away so coldly. Biting his lip, Cecile managed to respond with difficulty.
“Fine, I understand. I will come back later with permission.”
With half-hearted resignation, Cecile turned away.
However, the bad news didn’t end there. As soon as he returned to the Peridot Palace, he was summoned by the Emperor and received a severe reprimand.
“Cecile, I am truly disappointed in you. How could you do such a thing!”
“…I apologize, Your Majesty.”
“Do you understand how important the Saintess is to our Empire? You must have lost your mind. There’s no other explanation for such nonsensical actions. I warn you, if you threaten the Saintess again, you will not come out unscathed.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“I don’t want to see your face for a while. Do not appear before me until I call for you again.”
The Emperor’s anger was more intense than Cecile had imagined. Even the beloved Cecile was cast aside in an instant. After more than an hour of scolding, Cecile left the main palace, utterly drained.
But as if that wasn’t enough, he was soon summoned by the Empress. No, it would be more accurate to say he was dragged there.
The Empress, having heard from her informants that Cecile had been rejected by the Emperor, was furious. Upon seeing him, she threw the goblet she was holding to the floor, shattering it, and scolded him for his unilateral and reckless actions.
Cecile could have stood up to the Empress, but he chose not to. He was already exhausted from everything he had experienced that day.
He was well aware of the contemptuous gazes and the malicious finger-pointing from others, so he thought he could handle it.
However, it was harder to accept than he had anticipated. Perhaps it was because, for a brief time, Cecile had lived a good life.
After a while, as he left the Empress’s palace, he let out a dry laugh. Everything felt unbearably tedious. He didn’t even dare to approach Alexis.
But living within the palace walls meant he couldn’t completely avoid him. Perhaps it was just a bad day, but on his way back to the Peridot Palace, Cecile unexpectedly ran into Alexis.
Their icy gazes met.
He had faced rejection and scorn from everyone all day, but nothing felt as difficult as meeting Alexis’s piercing stare.
The moment he saw the disdain in Alexis’s eyes, Cecile felt his carefully composed heart crumble.
As Cecile stood stiffly without greeting, the corners of Alexis’s mouth twisted up in a smirk.
“I was wondering when we would meet. You seem to have been busy wandering around everywhere. You look surprisingly well.”
“Did you… want to see me?”
“Not at all.”
Ah… I thought as much. But the difference between thinking it in my head and hearing it directly from Alexis was stark.
Cecile bit his lower lip tightly. Clenching his trembling fists, he swallowed the rising frustration within him. With a steely resolve, Cecile glared back.
“Then why do you care what I do? You have no interest in me anyway.”
“You’re still as arrogant as ever.”
“That’s just who I am. Is there still anything left for you to be disappointed in me about?”
As Cecile retorted without backing down, Alexis’s firm jaw twitched slightly. Despite his calm demeanor, the veins on his temples bulged, revealing his anger. He replied coldly with a sneer.
“Indeed, I am disappointed. I must have been blind to not see your true nature; it deeply discourages me about my judgment.”
“……”
“Trying to trust you, even for a moment, was the biggest mistake of my life. You made a fool of me.”
“It seems we can never be close to each other.”
“We were never meant to be.”
“Yes, I’m glad you’ve realized that now. There’s no point in us facing each other, so I won’t show my face in front of you again.”
Without a word, Cecile turned sharply and walked away. He knew well how rude it was to throw out his thoughts to the Crown Prince and leave, but he was not in a state to consider that now.
Having exchanged just a few words, Cecile felt as if he had been clawed by sharp talons, leaving his body and mind in tatters. Even though it was all his fault, he felt a surge of resentment and bitterness towards Alexis for not recognizing the truth.
Living within the palace was dreadful. He wanted to escape this suffocating place immediately. With determined steps, he headed straight for the palace stables.
The stable master, humming a tune while tending to the horses, was startled to see Cecile approaching with a serious expression and rushed over.
“Sir Cecile, what brings you here… Ah, it’s the Empire’s little star.”
“I’m going out. Bring me a horse I can ride immediately.”
“If that’s the case, I’ll prepare a carriage for you.”
“I said to bring me a horse.”
His voice was so sharp that the stable master, feeling intimidated, complied with Cecile’s order. When he brought a healthy white horse, Cecile quickly mounted it, placing his foot in the stirrup.
“Sir Cecile, what about your companion? You’re not going alone, are you? When will you be back?”
As Cecile attempted to leave without any attendants, the stable master’s concern grew. He had a feeling that it wouldn’t be right to let him go alone.
“I don’t know when I’ll be back.”
Cecile left those words behind and turned the horse’s head. Soon, he galloped out of the palace gates, raising a cloud of dust.
The stable master scratched his head. Wasn’t it common for royals to act on their whims? It was just a bit unusual for someone to ride out like this, but he thought nothing of it.
Sure, riding in a carriage could feel stifling. He would probably just take a breath of fresh air and return without any issues. The stable master shrugged it off and returned to his work.
A little while later, the Peridot Palace was thrown into chaos. Their master had completely vanished from within the palace.
The attendants hurriedly sought news of Cecile’s whereabouts and confirmed from the stable master and the guards at the gate that he had indeed gone out.
With no information about his destination or whom he was meeting, the attendants were filled with anxiety.
Didn’t Cecile also receive an order from the Emperor to reflect on his actions? If this fact came to light, it was clear he would face even greater reprimands.
“What should we do? Where can we find Sir Cecile?”
“For now, let’s trust and wait. He went out without anything, just himself. He’ll be back before sunset.”
“What if something happens? How will we handle that!”
While the attendants of the Peridot Palace fretted and paced, Johannes hid behind a wall, eavesdropping on their conversation. He too was burning with anxiety.
Cecile, who they believed would return after a brief outing, had not shown up even as the sun began to set.
As darkness fell, the attendants could no longer wait idly. Thinking it was a problem they couldn’t solve on their own, the head attendant, Leo, immediately rushed to the Saint Palace.