And Thus… It All Comes to an End - Chapter 38

The sound of our footsteps echoed softly against the cobblestones, as if we had been carved away from the tense atmosphere surrounding us.

Stepping into the courtyard, soft light reflected off the flowers, and a breeze rustling the leaves brushed pleasantly against my cheeks. I must have been more on edge than I realized; the tension suddenly drained from my shoulders, and my breathing became a little easier.

“I wonder what was the matter with everyone. Was my choice of Prince Consort truly that unexpected?”

When I tilted my head slightly in confusion, Julius laughed gently. I had told Grandfather in advance and yet, even he had been flustered for some reason.

“I am certain they were surprised in a ‘different’ sense,” Julius added modestly, a trace of a smile on his face. “Lady Luciana, are you truly content with me as your Prince Consort?”

“Yes, of course. That was my intention from the moment I invited you to this country.”

“Is that so? …I am honored.”

Julius’s voice resonated a bit deeper. Reassured by his calm expression, I asked him a sudden question.

“You never seemed particularly troubled by the idea either, Julius… but are you alright with this? Being the Consort instead of the Prime Minister?”

“Yes. I have been thinking about it for a long time.”

“About becoming the Prince Consort?”

I couldn’t help but laugh. Julius let his own expression soften before turning slightly serious.

“No. As I told you before, I had already made up my mind. No matter what happened, I would support whatever path you chose.”

He was always like that. Quietly, without hesitation, affirming the choices I made. I lowered my eyes for a moment, searching for the right words.

“Lady Luciana, I have watched you from your side since back when you were still the Crown Prince’s fiancée. In those busy days, visiting your room with arms full of documents was the highlight of my daily routine.”

That’s right, it was.

“Even if those documents were the very reason you were so busy, I eventually found myself looking forward to it.”

Julius’s voice was steady and soft.

“You were always so earnest when you started working. But I used to think the face you made when you knit your brows in deep thought was quite lovely.”

“What are you saying? That’s embarrassing.”

I laughed despite myself. I had been the same. Amidst those hectic days, the sight of him appearing at my door with his armful of materials had become one of my few joys before I even realized it.

“…Of course, I was much older than you, and you were the Prince’s fiancée. You had your status, so I never spoke a word of it.”

Each word he spoke soaked into the depths of my heart.

Back then, as I struggled to get used to the work and lost myself in thought, he would watch over me in silence, occasionally letting a tiny smile grace his lips. I had noticed. On the days I stayed up late poring over papers, he would quietly brew tea for me.

“You look tired. I am not as skilled as Anne, but please, have some.”

Even though my face had been half-hidden by a veil, the fact that he noticed my exhaustion made me inexplicably happy. At some point, my eyes began to follow him. When I collapsed from overwork, he was the one who protested to the Prime Minister. A faint longing, and the security of being protected. Just meeting his eyes made the world look a little softer.

I had been in love with him.

I realized now that every time I touched upon his gentleness, I was receiving courage, little by little. That was why, more than anything, I wanted him to walk beside me.

“I was worried that the atmosphere made it impossible for you to refuse the role of Consort. No—to be precise, one could say I made it so you couldn’t refuse.”

At my teasing remark, Julius narrowed his eyes and smiled.

“Ah, I see. Then I made a bit of a mistake in how I said it.”

“A mistake?”

At his quiet voice, I looked up.

“The way I phrased it just now would make you bear the responsibility for my decision to become the Prince Consort.”

“What do you mean?”

I intended to take that responsibility, of course.

“I am grateful that you chose me. However—”

Julius took a quiet step closer to me. The color of his eyes caught the light, wavering softly.

“I want to be your husband by my own will. I ask that you choose me not as a ‘King,’ but as a woman. Lady Luciana… will you be my wife?”

For a moment, it felt as though time had stopped. His gaze serious in a way I had never seen before pierced straight to the center of my heart. I drew in a breath.

“Of course.”

A smile spilled over naturally.

Julius let out a small breath of relief and returned to his usual calm expression. In the corners of his eyes, a faint trace of his earlier tension remained, and a light flush dusted his cheeks. Smiling with a touch of bashfulness, he reached out, touched my hand, and squeezed it gently.

“Shall we head back to the others? I am sure they are waiting for us, quite worried.”

“Yes, let’s. Heh… I think I’ve realized why everyone was so flustered. Let us return to the room with you escorting me like this. I’m sure that will satisfy everyone.”

“Yes, that sounds perfect.”

With few words, but with our breathing perfectly in sync, we began to walk.

The light pouring into the courtyard softly illuminated the flowers. The sound of our shoes on the stones created a world for just the two of us, separate from everything else.

Looking up, I caught sight of everyone hurriedly pulling away from the windows. I couldn’t help but smile at the sight.

I squeezed Julius’s hand back.

‘A blessing to those who choose true love.’

The words spilled from my lips before I could think. Was it a celebration from the Goddess? The light shone even more intensely, making the colors of the flowers vibrant and bright, while the wind shook them gently.

Between the two of us, a quiet, warm afterglow of a blessing spread out.

END