It’s Not Night - Chapter 201.1

“You told me to prove my worth.”

Returning as a grown man from the battlefield, he took Yona’s hand and knelt before her. His firm grip on her hand made it impossible for Yona to pull away.

Everyone held their breath as they watched the youngest princess, who had lived in silence all her life. Once again, as her brothers turned their gaze to her, Yona felt an overwhelming sense of distance.

“I will be your dog, Your Highness. So, please allow me to stay by your side. I will only ask for that much.”

“Stop, I… “

“So please, rejoice. Soon everyone will look up to you.”

Ah. In that moment, Yona let out a final sigh. There was no trace left of the foolish expression she had once known on Zeon’s face. He was now coldly delivering his message to the princess who had once abandoned him.

The moment she met his violet eyes that was focused solely on her, Yona understood.

He was a cunning man.

Finally, Eden had figured out what Yona truly wanted. He now understood why she had hidden and crouched down all this time. Instead of begging her for love as he had seven years ago, he had made sure she had no choice but to choose him.

Yona lowered her gaze, thinking of her mother’s face.

“You must love that person; it’s your fate.”

Love…

The princess suddenly burst into laughter. Ahahaha!

It was unlikely she would ever find a proper answer from the woman who had gone mad, but Yona no longer nodded in agreement.

The one you told me to love was the one who made you this way. And in your madness, you must have already known the answer.

Finally, Yona nodded.

“Yes.”

I won’t fall in love.

Soon, the princess spat on the man who had been her father and crowned herself with the golden crown. Behind all of this, a new Duke stood.

And so, Yona became the Emperor.

* * *

“Your Majesty… Your Majesty.”

The voice calling to her woke the Emperor from his thoughts. The chief attendant had come closer to her. It seemed she had drifted off to sleep for a moment.

The chief attendant offered her a cup of water and whispered that Viola had requested an audience. The Emperor nodded and, with the chief attendant’s assistance, stood up.

By now, the sun had fully risen, and its brightness was blinding. The Emperor paused mid-step, suddenly stopping in front of a cluster of violet hydrangeas. She flicked a droplet of water off a petal with her fingertips, and the glistening droplets tumbled to the ground. The Emperor silently watched it fall.

Every time she came here, she couldn’t help but think of that man.

“Do you like this flower? I hear it’s a new variety from the East. The leaves and stems are also used as a fever remedy.”

The man asked. Whether she liked the flower.

In truth, the Emperor did not care for flowers.

They wilt too easily.

She didn’t want to be like a flower that blooms beautifully for a season only to fade away.

She had only glanced at the flower that was sitting in the office, which she had never seen before. But when the Duke, who was explaining the flower, looked so pleased, she nodded in acknowledgment. The man smiled even more happily at her response.

At that moment, the Emperor realized that, back then, the man had preferred to cultivate and admire flowers rather than wield a sword.

“Duke, come to think of it, I never properly thanked you. Do you want something?”

Eden didn’t respond right away. It seemed he hesitated, but when the Emperor urged him to speak in confusion, the man’s request was an unexpected one.

“I would like… a flower garden.”

The Emperor turned her gaze to the hydrangeas where the man’s eyes had briefly fallen.

Not long after, she gifted a garden full of hydrangeas to her husband. She remembered the look on his face then. He hadn’t seemed particularly happy with the gift, despite having asked for it.

Still, he visited the garden frequently, almost obsessively.

“Your Majesty?”

“The weather is nice, so it brings back old memories.”

The Emperor turned her head and quickened her pace, but once the memories began, they didn’t stop until she had left the garden. As she continued walking, her gaze fixed on the endless hydrangeas, the Emperor remembered the voice echoing in her mind.

“Have I ever asked you to love me, Your Majesty? I asked for only one thing, nothing more.”

Even after becoming the Prince Consort and having everything, he didn’t seem happy. The Emperor understood what the man truly wanted. But she couldn’t give it to him. Even if she wanted to, she simply could not.

Eden had known that from the start. Yet, from time to time, he still believed that one day he could receive it, and that belief led to more despair. Without realizing it, she had created a monster within himself that was slowly destroying him.

“I only asked for one thing, Your Majesty—to have your side. And yet, if this is how it is, how should I take it?”

“Your place beside me will always be yours. The Prince Consort of the Ishur Empire will forever be yours as well. I don’t understand why you’re angry. I have never broken my promise to you.”