Are We Still In love?

“Lady Monte.”

“Yes?”

“Please bring me paper and a pen.”

Cecilia gave the order as she swung her legs down from the bed.

“Are you writing a letter?”

Lady Monte brought a pen and paper to the round table where Cecilia was seated.

“Yes. I’m writing to Illina Nova.”

Illina Nova? Lady Monte blinked several times, turning the familiar yet unfamiliar name over in her mind. Illina, daughter of Count Nova, was known by name, but since she remained in the territory with her father, sightings of her were rare.

“Why are you writing to Miss Nova? You’ve hardly crossed paths with her.”

“I’ve heard that Illina Nova is quite clever and capable.”

Cecilia answered with a faint smile. She had already written Illina Nova’s name at the top of the letter as the recipient.

“Count Nova has been working so diligently for our house, I should repay him in kind.”

Of course, that wasn’t her true intention. Cecilia wanted to draw Illina into the townhouse, believing it would make gathering information about the Nova family easier.

“Besides, I’m currently without a personal maid. I think Miss Nova would make a good assistant.”

Just as Illina had known Cecilia well in their past lives, Cecilia now understood Illina perfectly.

Illina wasn’t one to keep her mouth shut. Even in casual conversation, she was bound to let useful information slip. If she had been that way as an experienced adult, then surely, she would be even more careless as a young woman.

Cecilia planned to use Illina to extract valuable information and ultimately overturn the Nova family.

“As a maid…?”

Considering that Illina had become Eden’s mistress in the previous life, the odds of her being drawn to him again were high—whether for status, wealth, or his appearance.

Moreover, Illina loved to show off. If she gained a man she fancied, she would surely flaunt it with a smug sense of superiority, provoking others for her own satisfaction.

“Exactly.”

Lady Monte nodded obediently, unaware of Cecilia’s true motives.

“In the process, we might find her a suitable match as well.”

Cecilia continued casually, her hand moving smoothly over the page.

“A match?”

Lady Monte blinked wide-eyed in surprise.

“Yes. She’s around my age.”

“That’s true.”

Cecilia intended to find Illina a husband herself eventually. Of course, it wasn’t some petty plan to keep her from meeting Eden.

“Count Nova truly ought to be grateful to Duke Rain’s household.”

Lady Monte murmured, clearly moved by Cecilia’s generosity.

Naive Lady Monte.

Cecilia gave no indication of her less-than-pure intentions and simply ignored Lady Monte’s admiring words.

“Indeed. It’s better for her to find a husband here in the capital while serving as Her Grace’s maid than to search within Vester.”

“Exactly.”

It would be pleasing to Count Nova, and an honor for Illina Nova. Unaware of Cecilia’s hidden agenda, Lady Monte believed just that.

And Cecilia, fully aware of the truth, simply observed Lady Monte’s misjudgment in silence.

“Cecilia.”

Cecilia turned her head toward the door at the sound of two gentle knocks. Lady Monte, who was finishing Cecilia’s hair, gestured subtly to Evie.

“I thought preparations were complete.”

“Almost finished.”

Lady Monte hastily withdrew her hands from Cecilia’s hair, signaling she was done.

“We’re ready now.”

At Cecilia’s words, Eden stepped in without hesitation and reached out his hand. Cecilia took it and rose from her seat. Fortunately, etiquette dictated that men wear gloves, or she would’ve had trouble hiding her discomfort at physical contact.

“Lady Monte, don’t forget the task I asked of you.”

“Of course.”

Lady Monte nodded with a smile. Cecilia offered a brief farewell and stepped into the carriage, leaving Lady Monte behind.

“That necklace suits you well.”

A short while after the carriage had begun moving, Eden spoke in a low voice. Cecilia turned her gaze toward him. His eyes lingered on her bare, pale shoulders, her collarbone, and the pearl necklace resting upon her chest.

“Lady Monte praised Your Highness’s taste.”

Cecilia’s compliment drew a faint smile from Eden.

“If she hadn’t known me since childhood, she might’ve suspected the Crown Prince was hiding another woman from his fiancée.”

“Marrying early worked in our favor, then.”

Judging by the faint amusement on Eden’s face, he didn’t take her words as sarcasm.

“I tried to recall the first day we met, but I can’t seem to remember it clearly. Do you recall it, Your Highness?”

At her question, Eden nodded.

“You were wearing a yellow dress. And lace gloves.”

Cecilia in Eden’s memory had been very small and delicate. Of all things, she had worn a yellow dress that day and had seemed almost like a butterfly.

“And I believe you cried as soon as you met His Majesty, the Emperor.”

Though she hadn’t wailed, she had shed tears like raindrops, overwhelmed by the majesty of the Imperial family. Just as Duke Rain had been about to lift the child in alarm, Eden had approached Cecilia. He had wiped her tears with a neatly folded handkerchief, then sat beside her and gently patted the back of her hand.

He had smiled kindly, as if to reassure her. Watching them, the Emperor had laughed heartily, teasing that the children were already playing house like a married couple.

“And from then on, whenever we met His Majesty, you were so nervous I always had to accompany you.”

The Emperor often summoned Cecilia to the palace, saying he was curious to see how much she had grown or that it would be good for her to converse with Eden. But in truth, he had hoped they would grow familiar through frequent meetings.

“Aren’t you nervous this time?”

“Do you plan to hold my hand again before His Majesty, like back then?”

“If you want me to.”

Eden smiled as he recalled the younger Cecilia—rounder cheeks, still childlike and innocent. Ten-year-old Cecilia had been adorable, undeniably so, even if he had tried to deny it.

“I’m not ten years old anymore.”

Cecilia rejected his offer with a sidelong glance.

“I’ll carry myself with the dignity of the Grand Duchess.”

“I look forward to it, my lady.”

Still, to Eden, she wasn’t much different now from the Cecilia of those days.

“On that note, I’m thinking of bringing Illina Nova into my service as a lady-in-waiting.”

At Cecilia’s unexpected statement, Eden looked surprised. Though Cecilia was the only daughter of Duke Rain and the designated Grand Duchess, she had not taken a single maid into her personal service.

“That’s a sudden decision.”

“Since Count Nova has served our house faithfully, appointing his daughter as my lady-in-waiting and helping her find a good match would be an appropriate gesture of goodwill.”

At her explanation, Eden nodded. There was no need to allow Count Nova to slip someone unknown into the duchess’s household—Cecilia’s plan avoided that and made political sense.

At that moment, the carriage creaked to a halt. Cecilia, hearing the horses pawing at the ground, glanced out the window.

“It seems we’ve arrived.”

Eden nodded in agreement. Soon after, the coachman knocked on the carriage door, announcing their arrival at the Imperial Palace. Once Eden gave his permission, the door opened.

“……”

Eden stepped out first, then turned back toward Cecilia. A familiar scene unfolded behind him.

This was the place where people dear to her had been killed—the place that had driven Cecilia herself to death.

Her fingertips felt cold. Without realizing it, she hesitated. Eden looked at her curiously, then extended his hand.

“Cecilia.”

His voice jolted her frozen body into motion. After a short, steady breath, Cecilia placed her hand in his. Eden’s warm hand closed over hers, firm and comforting.

“You said you weren’t a child anymore.”

In her past life, before she knew anything, that warmth had felt good—like a promise of eternal protection.

But now she knew. Eden wouldn’t protect her forever. In fact, he would be the one to plunge a blade into her heart—leading the charge without hesitation.

He would pretend to uphold the vows of marriage, to guard her life to the end—but in truth, it would be a betrayal disguised as loyalty. All because he had found another woman to love.

“I suppose it’s just been a while.”

Because of you.

But she couldn’t say that with disdain. Instead, Cecilia smiled awkwardly, offering a weak excuse. Her feet, clad in heeled shoes, finally touched the ground.

“His Majesty has been awaiting you both since this morning. Allow me to escort you.”

A chamberlain approached and bowed politely to the Grand Duke and Duchess. Eden naturally offered his arm to Cecilia, and she accepted it mechanically.

It was a place she had never wished to return to. Standing here, even for a moment, was far from pleasant.

“Oh, you’ve finally arrived!”

But she could endure it. She wouldn’t be caught off guard this time. Not again—never again.

“Come in, come in!”

And so, Cecilia smiled more gently and beautifully than anyone else. She had lived as an Empress before. Hiding her true heart—this level of pretense was nothing at all.