Silence hung over Carlisle and Elena after they left the palace. It was only when they reached a fork in the path did Elena shatter the quiet.
âIâll go this way. â
She turned away, whenâ
Tak.
A hand captured Elenaâs wrist. She looked questioningly back at Carlisle, who responded in a firmer voice than usual.
âI donât know what she gave you, but whatever it is, dispose of it now.â
âIf I dispose a gift from the Empress, there will be gossip. Donât worry, I have a plan in mind.â
ââŚYou make me worry about you.â
âYou neednât be concerned about me.â
Carlisleâs eyebrows lifted at Elenaâs over-confident answer, but she refused to retreat. She knew Carlisle was worried, but he didnât understand her position right now.
âI am not a little girl hovering at the waterâs edge. Are you going to be angry simply because I hadnât yet told you about the Empressâ gift?â
His jaw clenched, but he had nothing to say about it.
âDonât forget our contract, Caril.â
It wasnât as if she had made the decision so easily. After receiving the plant from the Empress, her first course was action was to come up with a solution, not to go running to Carlisle at the first sign of danger. She didnât come to the Imperial Palace to depend on him, but to ultimately make him emperor and save her father, brother, and Mirabelle. She couldnât bear to lose them again in this lifetime. As her heart became more desperate, so did the burden on Elenaâs shoulders become heavier.
ââŚAre you telling me to leave you alone, no matter what you do?â
âIâm not saying that. I just want you to trust me.â
In less than a year, Paveluc would attempt to seize the throne. When Elena had returned to the past, it was as if her blood dried up when she realized that she had so little time left. She threw herself into doing everything she could for Carlisleâsword fighting, power games, living in the palace. Sometimes, however, Carlisleâs overprotectiveness threatened to obstruct her path.
ââŚYouâre mistaken. Itâs not that I donât believe in your ability. In truth, Iâve admired everything youâve done so far.â
Elenaâs ruby eyes shimmered at the unexpected answer. She thought he didnât believe in her decisions, as he always tried to stop her every time she tried to do something.
Carlisle continued, his voice soft.
âTrusting you and feeling worried about you are different. The Empress is known to be vicious and clever, both at home and abroad. I canât leave you vulnerable to her.â
âBut if youâre going to be emperorââ
âWhy the hell are you so obsessed with me becoming emperor?â
ââŚ!â
Elena was struck dumb. Carlisle may be ignorant, but it was because she couldnât confess her motivations. She wasnât sure how much he would believe in a situation that couldnât be explained logically.
ââŚI would be lucky if he didnât see me as a madwoman.â
Elena didnât answer, and Carlisle continued on in a suspicious tone.
âI thought you wanted to be empress because you desired wealth, but you have no care for it at all⌠I donât understand why you want me to become emperor.â
To her amazement, Carlisle seemed to have gleaned Elenaâs thoughts in all the time they were together. In fact, all of what he said was true. She wasnât greedy for wealth or power. What she wanted was to protect what she had. No one knew how horrendous her past life was, how she shivered in the biting winters surviving for days on a piece of bread, with only one thought in her mind.
âI want to see my familyâŚâ
She had spent those decades possessed with regret and anger. After experiencing a hellish life, she had a miraculous chance to turn her fortune. She decided she had to change her future at all costs, no matter the pain and sacrifice.
âWhen you become emperorâŚI hope that someday I will be able to explain it to you with a smile.â
Carlisleâs brow furrowed at the seriousness of her tone. So she couldnât tell him right now.
âYou leave me with a big question.â
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âForget about it for now. Whatâs important is that I will support you immensely in your path to emperor.â
Elenaâs eyes and Carlisleâs complicated gaze met in midair.
Hwiiiingeuâ
A warm spring breeze blew past them, and Elena raised her hand to catch the stray locks from flying in the wind. Carlisle lifted his hand and arranged her fine golden hair. It was a special gesture without physical contactâŚ
A strange feeling welled up within Elena. It was something that she had never felt before in her life.