“Ha······.” The tree with fresh green leaves was his mother’s planted tree.
His tree, which had dried up and died after his mother’s death, grew higher and larger, and the green leaves were shining green.
Raymond knew who saved the dead tree. Ellie. Because he had seen Ellie raising dead plants when he was young. Besides, Ellie was the only one who could save this tree, which no one was interested in.
‘Ray, what is this tree? Why is Ray’s name engraved on it?’
‘This is the tree my mother planted when I was born to pray for my health. If this tree gets sick, I can get sick too, so my mother always takes care of me with utmost sincerity.’
‘Wow······. Then, I will also have to help Lady Loaz so that this tree will never get sick in the future. Because I really don’t want Ray to be sick.’
A scene from the past flashed before his eyes. Ellie remembered what was flowing, something he couldn’t even remember.
‘Because you are Raymond, the man I love so much, I wanted to be with you for the rest of my life. Even though I know you don’t love me.’
The image of her calmly speaking of love with her wounded eyes came to mind. For a long time, she never asked for love from him.
But it wasn’t that he didn’t know her mind. She didn’t say it out loud, but she was telling him I love him with every action.
It must have been because she didn’t want to put a burden on me.
Yes, I knew and pretended not to know.
Knowing everything, I pretended not to know. We’re a couple, so I thought it wasn’t too bad. Even so, I thought she would always look out for me.
“Ha, heuk·····!” His throat tightened, as if someone was trampling on his chest, and he couldn’t breathe. Raymond knelt before the tree. A heavy breath came out, but the pain in his heart did not go away.
Emotions that he had been neglecting came flooding over him.
His face, who pretended not to miss him….. pretended to be nothing, fell horribly.
Elijah’s voice calling to him is so clear, but when he turns his head, she is no longer there.
He had the illusion that she would always be there. Stupidly and foolishly, He didn’t realize until after she left that he also loved Ellie. He got used to it, so he didn’t realize love and made her feel lonely.
He tried to ignore the feelings he realized only after letting her go, but now he love her so much that he can’t forget it.
“I can’t let go, Ellie…” Raymond clenched his fists and stood up. He couldn’t live without her.
It’s okay to insult and hate me, so I’ll catch her.
In the middle of the night, the gates of the Imperial palace were opened. Raymond, who was not accompanied by an escort, ran madly to the duke.
He ran nonstop and arrived in front of the Duke of Croft, which is located outside the capital. The guards, who were dozing off deep at night when dawn approached, came to their senses, startled by the cry of a horse stopping in front of the gate.
Raymond, who had to ride the unusual black horse, took off his robe and spoke to the soldier with a frightened face. “Tell him I’m here to see Ellie Croft.”
At the sudden visit of the emperor, the light of the duke lit up.
The guards ran in and the gates opened shortly after. Raymond ran to the front of the mansion at once, saw the duke in the lobby, and got off his horse.
“I see the Emperor, the sun of the Empire.”
“Duke Croft. Sorry for coming here late.” Raymond was talking to the Duke, but his eyes were looking for someone else.
The brightly lit mansion brightened up, but Ellie was nowhere to be seen.
“You must have heard my name, but didn’t you call me on purpose?”
Raymond looked at Duke Croft with a hardened face. It seems like I’ve been through something like this before.
I remembered the day when I was blocked from entering the Empress’s Palace.
“You said that you would make Ellie happy. Now, are you keeping that promise in your majesty?”
The words the Duke had said came to mind again. Just as I couldn’t answer that day, so is now. The duke, no, he was a man who had never seen Ellie’s father.
But even if it was late, I had to catch Ellie. Raymond slowly opened his mouth to the Duke, who was unlikely to back down easily.
“Duke, I have something to tell Ellie,” Raymond said eagerly.
For this moment, it was a request as a man, not an emperor. The duke’s eyes fluttered slightly at the first sight of the emperor.
But the surprise was short-lived. This is because there were many disappointments and resentments accumulated by the emperor.
“I’m sorry, Your Majesty. You wouldn’t see Ellie now.”
“Duke. Please. I need to see her. I realized my feelings too late, but…”
“What kind of feelings are you talking about?”
“I’m so used to having Elijah by my side that I only found out after leaving like a fool… But I love her. I can’t live without her.”
It was a desperate confession of love. There was not a single lie on Raymond’s face.
The duke, who met his bitter black eyes, let out a smirk like a sigh.
“I’m sorry, Your Majesty. But as Your Majesty said, it is too late. Ellie is not here.”
“…what do you mean by that?”
“She left. Ellie left the empire completely. She left completely.”
An ominous foreboding chilled Raymond’s back… “I heard that she was going on a trip. Yeah, I guess she’s already gone. So when is she coming back? No, where did she go?”
It’s probably just a trip. Then she’ll be back soon. Raymond has turned away from his ominous forebodings. But his ominous forebodings don’t go away as it always ridicules him.
“She will not come back. Your Majesty, Ellie has not gone on a journey, but has left the empire forever.”
“What do you mean ····?” Raymond’s black eyes fluttered wildly. Ellie completely left the empire.
“It is literally, Your Majesty. Ellie herself left, not wanting to see His Majesty forever.”
The duke put a hammer on him that he would never see Ellie again.
Raymond’s face was terribly contorted at the decisive duke’s eyes.
“Duke!” Raymond’s lost voice rang loudly in the mansion.
His aura, which became bloody in an instant, made the workers tremble in fear. But the duke repeated his words without the slightest trembling.
“Your Majesty, I don’t know. Please don’t look for my daughter. That’s good for you and for my daughter.”
“Is it for Ellie so that I do not seek her?”
“Yes, Your Majesty. If you say you are looking for Ellie now, what can you do?”
“What can I do for her?….” The duke rudely interrupted the emperor and spoke in a firm tone.
“Today, Your Majesty’s illegitimate child has become the Crown Prince. Would you like to convince the woman you love to become the mother of the illegitimate child?”
“…that name can be withdrawn at any time.”
Throwing out the prince who has already been sealed. It was absurd, but Raymond could not make a rational decision.
The duke, who had narrowed his brows for a moment, spoke calmly.
“If you don’t make him the prince, does Edmund not belong to His Majesty’s bloodline? The people of the empire already know whose son Edmund is.”
“……..” Seeing Raymond, who was speechless, the Duke spit out harsh words for the first time.
“Your Majesty knows better than anyone, but there are no parents or brothers in the struggle for the throne. If Ellie ever had another child with his Majesty, they would all be thrown into the sea of blood.”
The Duke looked at Raymond with a cold gaze.
It was Raymond who buried his own blood and ascended to the throne. Just imagining that Ellie would stand in that cruel wind of blood made his heart grow cold.
“Your Majesty. The way to protect everyone is for your Majesty to give up on your heart. I will not listen to what Your Majesty has said today. Please go back.”
The duke was courteous to the emperor. It was to make sure that he didn’t want to hear any more.
“……I’m going back for today.” Raymond left the duke with a stiff face.