Chapter 51 – Realizations (1)
Translator: Lunarise
Editor: Namita Suberi, Larkspur
She hugged him back. He lifted her and walked to the tree she had sat under, never once breaking the kiss. He placed her down, she could feel the lush, green grass beneath her back. He deepened the kiss and held her even closer. Her toes tingled; she closed her eyes and gave in to the kiss. Finally, they broke apart to breathe again.
“Who taught you sword fighting?” he asked, looking at her tenderly.
Viola waited for her heart to stop pounding. “Edward, my brother,” she replied sadly.
“There was a prince in the Kingdom of Koronis?” he asked, puzzled.
He didn’t know, obviously. Viola and Edward had been the shame of the royal family. Bastard children born by a slave woman. But to her, Edward had been everything. Her family had been precious.
“Yes,” she said, “I am only telling you this because I am no longer a crown princess candidate. We are the king’s children from a slave woman, a concubine. He died in an accident.”
“I see,” he said, looking at her.
Viola didn’t want to reveal that he had died in a battle with the Blood Army. The less he knew, the safer it would be for her. Arpen Empire was her target for revenge. She planned to avenge Edward’s death. If she told Lune, it would endanger her and others. She would be branded a traitor. Besides, as the Commander of the Imperial Knights, he as much killed her brother as the crown prince himself.
“Now, please get out of my way, it might not be good for people to see us like this.” She got up and patted the leaves off her dress. “I am curious about something,” she said.
“What is it?” he asked, looking up at her.
She straightened her dress and tied her hair. “What’s your official position?” she asked.
“Took you long enough to ask,” he said, smiling at her.
Viola shrugged. She pretended like it didn’t matter to her either way.
“Duke Lune Armioned,” he said, “that’s my title and my full name.”
Viola’s heart dropped. What if he was of imperial blood? But that couldn’t be. He might be the son of a duchess, nothing else.
He raised his eyebrow as relief flashed across her face. He grabbed her hand and pulled her down with him again. Viola looked at him over her and he looked down at her full of love.
“Is it that relieving to know that I am not part of the imperial family?” he asked.
“Yes,” she said.
“You do know that I work for them,” he said, “so, my loyalty still lies with the imperials of Arpen Empire.”
“Of course,” she said, “but I hope you don’t expect me to show the same loyalty to them.”
“I know,” he said, “but dare I hope?”
“No,” she said vehemently and looked away. He grabbed her chin gently and turned her to face him again.
“No matter how bloody the Arpen Empire is,” he continued, “we do have our sense of principles and pride.”
She laughed mockingly. “Principles? Pride?” She spat the words one by one. “Isn’t it just arrogance? The Arpen Empire enjoys the wealth it snatches by slaughtering smaller countries. You shouldn’t say that to a hostage that you took from one such small country. Don’t justify your bloodlust!” She pushed him away with force, stood up, and shook the dirt off her dress. She turned on her heels, but he grabbed her hand.
She turned to him. He was still sitting there, looking up at her. “Will you listen to me for a while,” he asked.
“No,” she replied angrily, “I don’t want to listen anymore.” She jerked her hand away from his grasp and curtsied. She then turned her back to him and walked away, feeling his stare as she did.
She leaned against the door of her room and sighed sadly. She was grateful to him for saving her from the crown prince’s clutches, but her resentment for the Arpen Empire and its rulers was too great to overcome. She couldn’t forgive the empire for killing Edward, and for exploiting small countries. Arpen Empire needed to be wiped off the face of the earth for the Slovenian continent to regain its peace.
She felt exhausted as she walked into the room and sat on the sofa. She saw the platter of delicacy that Lune had given to Rosha for her. It filled her with disgust. She grabbed the platter and flung it out of the window.
♛
She expected the evening walk to be cancelled because of the day’s incident. But he was there as she was finishing her dinner.
“I want to ride today,” she said, trying not to look at him.
“Of course,” he said, “change and come. I will wait.”
Viola changed into her riding gear and grabbed a cloak. She was supposed to be his lover, so she needed to keep her face covered when outside the imperial villa. She pulled the hood up as she reached the stables. The man in charge rushed over and greeted them. She looked around but saw no sign of Paul. Rosha must have informed him already but there was no one in sight.