Time-Limited Saintess, You’ve Been Caught by the Tyrant Once Again - Chapter 100

Chapter 50.2

If she had ever loved anything, it wasn’t her children—it was her country, her sorrowful past. Branded with the mark of shame, she was condemned to life as a Normaty slave. A mother who wandered through the lands of her enemies, only to be forced into the arms of the emperor who had destroyed everything she held dear.

She had lost the ability to love.

His mother had always been that way.

Even when she gave birth to Harald, even when she chose death not long after Charlotte was born, death had been the easiest choice. She had never once reached out to comfort her children before embracing it.

Arkan had stared at her lifeless body for a long time.

How could someone who had never received love possibly understand it? That was why he had never believed he was capable of it.

Understand love? What a joke.

And yet, that word lingered in his memory.

He pitied his mother, and perhaps that was why he wanted to look after Ellin, another slave. Because that fragile, almost ephemeral presence wouldn’t leave his thoughts. Because he couldn’t forget those pale green eyes staring into his own. And because she looked so helpless standing in the rain.

That was why he had brought her with him.

A pitiful slave, just like his mother.

Even when there were simple emotions like pity and sympathy, was he really capable of something as complex as love?

A cold smile curved his lips.

That day, when the sunset painted the sky so beautifully, Arkan had been reviewing documents, propping his chin on his hand, staring out the window, just as he was now.

The sun had already begun to sink below the horizon.

From what he remembered, Ellin had free time that afternoon.

Even as he dismissed Marquis Kasmin’s talk of ‘love,’ he found himself rising from his seat. That morning, when he saw Charlotte, he felt something strange and unpleasant about her cold words. And beneath it all, he sensed a faint ache in his heart.

He pressed a hand to his chest.

Something felt strange.

“I’m just checking, that’s all.”

Muttering to himself, Arkan rose from his seat and strode out of his office. Before he realized it, he was searching for Ellin.

Through the swaying leaves, he could see the sun sinking lower in the sky.

At that moment, he was unaware that, along with his confusion, there was something else… a feeling dangerously close to happiness.

His feet carried him toward Ellin’s quarters, a place he knew all too well.

‘What was she doing right now?’

Unaware that curiosity about others was an unfamiliar feeling for him, he simply followed his instincts, letting his feet guide him forward.

The maids greeted him, but lost in a trance, he roamed the palace without so much as a glance in their direction. In that moment, the imperial palace was no longer the wretched place tainted by his father’s screams, his mother’s cries, and the blood of his siblings… it was just the place where he searched for her.

Pushing down an unfamiliar emotion, Arkan quickened his pace. As the sun sank lower, the sky was painted in hues of crimson.

Where could she be? She wasn’t in her room, nor in the princess’s palace.

He moved again, thinking of where Ellin might be. Just then, the sound of cackling laughter reached his ears. Arkan flinched like an animal perking up its ears. Without a word, he stepped forward and silently made his way toward the sound.

Ellin was sitting on a swing at the back of the imperial palace.

He caught a glimpse of her profile. Behind her, Melissa held the swing’s ropes, gently pushing it forward.

“I didn’t even know this was here.”

“It’s one of our little joys that the high-ranking nobles don’t know about.”

“Ah.”

When Melissa pushed with all her strength, Ellin soared through the air, bursting into laughter once more. Her laughter rippled softly through the air.

Ellin curiously nudged the swing with her foot, intrigued. A soft breeze drifted through the air.

“I come out here whenever I have free time. Isn’t it time for a break now?”

“I’m still not used to the idea of free time.”

“Oh dear… Ellin, you really need to rest a little.”

“Is that so?”

Having worked constantly, the idea of taking a break felt foreign to her. Hearing the sorrow in her voice, Arkan let out a quiet sigh. If he increased the number of maids, she would have more time to rest.

Just then, his gaze met Melissa’s.

He pressed a finger to his lips and gestured with a wave of his hand.

Melissa quietly stepped away.

Ellin, unaware of what was happening, still thought Melissa was standing behind her. As Arkan approached and grasped the swing’s rope, she finally spoke again.

“Maybe that’s how I’ve always lived. I don’t think I’ve ever truly lived with a peaceful heart.”

As she spoke, she lifted her gaze to the sky. The sky was strikingly clear, with not a single cloud in sight. Even the distant clouds were painted in shades of crimson.

“I’ve lived without even knowing how beautiful the sunset is.”

Arkan gently pulled the ropes of the swing. Through the shifting view, he caught glimpses of Ellin, her eyes gleaming as she watched the sunset.

“The sunset’s red glow in the sky is truly beautiful.”

Her smiling face was filled with light.

He lifted his gaze to the sky she had been gazing at. In that moment, he realized how beautiful the colors of the setting sun were. It was utterly, indescribably beautiful. The realization struck him like a bolt of lightning, and his gaze returned to Ellin. He realized not only the beauty of the sunset but also the beauty of the one who smiled at it.

‘I wanted to know the beauty of the setting sun with you.’

He flinched as a fleeting voice echoed in his mind. Along with it came a wave of affection and bittersweet longing that filled his heart.

“Love is an instinct.”

Ah, he was in love.