The Abandoned Empress Will Not Return

Cerdian, who never lost his composure, looked impatient unlike usual.
There were no signs of hesitation, from the moment he closed the door to the moment they got to the bed.

 

The feeling of the soft bed was transmitted to the entirety of her back.
Her mind blanked out from the impatient kisses that came rushing in.
The thoughts that dominated Rodelia’s head had long since dispersed.

 

The things wrapped around her body were torn apart one by one, finally revealing her immaculate skin underneath.
The cold air enveloped her bare skin, making his hands feel even hotter.

 

Cerdian took in every bit of Rodelia in his sight as if he didn’t want to miss a single thing.
Her body, bathing in the broken moonlight, was stunning, sublime even.

 

“Do you love me?”

 

Where only the sound of heavy breaths could be heard, Rodelia, who had been quietly accepting his touch, asked softly.
Perhaps it was a question to convince herself.
The question—whether she can fully trust him.

 

Cerdian’s gaze turned to her green eyes.
Rodelia’s calm and serene forest contained only him.
He had to admit it now.

 

He wanted her like crazy.

 

When he first laid eyes on Rodelia, and from that moment on, he had always wanted her.

 

Cerdian finally realized that all the feelings he felt for her was not sordid possessiveness, that the true identity of these feelings were love.

 

“Of course.”

 

A parched, barely audible voice scratched her eardrums.

 

It wasn’t a perfect answer.
But it was enough.
She was satisfied with this much for now.

 

As though she got the answer she wanted, Rodelia faintly lifted the corners of her lips.
Cerdian, who had been gently stroking her hair, kissed her again.

 

The desire that once leaked out showed no signs of fading away.

 

To the extent that he didn’t know how he had been able to endure it, the things he had been holding down burst out all at once.
Cerdian felt a feeble disdain for himself at his instinctive actions but he couldn’t stop.
In spite of all this, the burning thirst in his throat was hardly relieved.

 

He couldn’t wait to devour her with this vulgar, trivial desire.
His large hands brushed her soft skin, the humid air thickening as they entangled with each other.

 

The fiery kisses that flooded her entire body made Rodelia melt into an endless lake.
She could feel embers wherever Cerdian touched her. 

 

In her seemingly endless time with him, she quietly closed her eyes.
With the thought, ‘As long as I’m with Cerdian, I can wait for anything.’.

 

 *

 

Feeling tightness weighed down on her body, Rodelia slowly lifted her eyelids.
Cerdian was already out of bed, perhaps he had gone to do his work.

 

Rodelia struggled to get herself up.
Her lips curled as she stared at the spot where Cerdian had been lying.

 

The air in the room became heated with yearning and the moment they wanted each other was something she would never forget.

 

The traces of last night were undeniably clear.
Red bruises all over her body traced the memory of their love affair without a filter.

 

The moment Cerdian pressed her down, the moment when the irregular pain finally turned into pleasure, and the moments of endless kisses.
Those moments……

 

The door then opened with a thud.
Due to the returning Cerdian, the thoughts that filled her head scattered like dust.

 

“I figured you’d be hungry.”

 

Cerdian’s eyes bent upwards as he set down a well-prepared tray of appetizing food.
Rodelia looked at him and blinked motionlessly.

 

It was strange.
Seeing Cerdian taking care of someone was awkward.
If others see this, they might pass out.

 

“Pft.”

 

His unfamiliar appearance made her laugh.
The tickling from a corner of her heart kept rising.
It was a pleasant sensation that she hadn’t felt in a long time.

 

[T/N: or never…]

 

Cerdian put the tray down and handed Rodelia a cup of hot tea.
Its sweet scent hovered around her nose.
She took it carefully and took a sip.
The warmth spread all over her body, and she felt the fatigue from the night before go away a little.

 

“I’m sorry.
There are a lot of eyes, I think you will have to cover them for a while.”

 

Cerdian, who was handed the teacup again, said while stroking the marks on Rodelia’s neck.
He had a very worried face.

 

“It’s fortunate that it’s winter.”

 

When Rodelia playfully pushed him away, Cerdian didn’t respond and pulled the blanket over her body even more.

 

“I’m thinking of telling them about our relationship now.”

 

“… Already?”

 

“Because it can’t be hidden forever.
Are you still unwilling?”

 

Rodelia shook her head slightly.
She thought Cerdian was reluctant to reveal their relationship…

 

[T/N: yes, they gonna update their relationship status on Facebook]

 

“Everything in the Grand Duchy—the entirety of Luvenia, is now yours.”

 

Cerdian gently lowered his lips over her raised forehead.

 

He said it as if it were natural.
There didn’t appear to be any hesitation about officially declaring Rodelia Florence the Grand Duchess.
Thanks to that, her heavy heart seemed to have become lighter.

 

After that, she remembered something from a corner of her mind that she hadn’t mentioned to him.

 

She had been worried that he would think she was messing around, but now she was sure he wouldn’t think so.

 

“Oh, I have something to tell you…..”

 

Rodelia paused and shut her mouth again.
She was going to tell him about the secret study but… 

 

Cerdian smiled as if he was ready to listen.

 

“No.
I will tell you later.”

 

She couldn’t break this sweet atmosphere by saying useless things.
Fortunately, Cerdian didn’t pry.
Instead, he just added to tell him whenever she wanted.

 

After that day, unbelievably happy days followed.
However, Rodelia could not fully accept this happiness.
The insecurities nestled in the back of her mind remained to haunt her.

 

However, the happiness he gave her for a moment made her forget even the hardships she had suffered in her life.
So, wouldn’t it be okay to forget the hard things and enjoy this happiness, even for a moment? And if that happiness erases even a little bit of her anxiety, wouldn’t that make it better when she faces reality again?

 

Rodelia’s determination soon collapsed.
The full moon was approaching.
It took too much time to wait for the next full moon.

 

‘It would be better for me to investigate first and then tell him.’

 

She didn’t want to add unnecessary things to Cerdian’s worries.
At dawn when everyone was asleep, Rodelia headed back to the hidden study.
Because she needed to know the time, she also had a small watch with her and in her arms were some parchments and a fountain pen.

 

She made her way to the study rather skillfully than the first time and picked up the top book from her previously arranged pile.

 

“The origin of the Kirkel family….”

 

She sat down, leaned back on the chair and began to read the book.

 

“This isn’t very useful… I don’t think this is such an important issue….”

 

Rodelia murmured and quickly turned to the bookshelf.
The information she needed was limited, but the data is so vast that it took a long time.

 

Still, thanks to her days as empress, things progressed faster than expected.
After organizing the information about the Kirkel clan, Rodelia picked up one of the last remaining books.

 

 

‘I still have a little time left, so let’s read it.’

 

They were a family wrapped in a veil, but because it was Cerdian’s family, she was curious.

 

Rodelia carefully opened the book.
The origin of the family, the past grand dukes and their achievements were written one after another.

 

She lost track of time as she immersed herself in the book, finally opening the last table of contents.
Soon, her eyes widened.

 

“Descendants of the divine beast…?”

 

There were a few cases where superstition was used to elevate one’s family, but she never thought that even the Aizen family would use this legend.
She was a little surprised and her interest in this family grew stronger.

 

‘Perhaps Cerdian knows it too, right?’

 

Since such legends were usually handed down as tradition, the direct descendant must be aware of it.

 

Knowing Cerdian’s personality, he wouldn’t have believed this….
Anyway, thinking that she should ask Cerdian, she turned to the next chapter.

 

 

“This….”

 

Rodelia’s brows deeply furrowed.

 

Rodelia’s concentration increased as the Green sisters’ conversation, as well as Cerdian’s pained appearance, flashed through her mind.
It was because she had wondered if there was anything she could do to help him.

 

And just as she was about to read the third chapter of the book, the alarm rang.  Rodelia immediately came to her senses and looked at the watch.

 

“Oh my goodness.”

 

She was startled and rose from her seat.
It was almost time for the servants of the mansion to begin their daily routine.
If she were to delay a little longer, she would be caught. 

 

Rodelia roughly packed her things and headed for the exit.
Thanks to her speedy gait, she was fortunate enough to return to her room by a hair’s breadth.

 

“I almost got caught.”

 

She hurriedly hid her notes in a drawer.
Thinking that she was lucky, she fell asleep.