For the One Who Hates Me - Chapter 66

Ruan ran to Aura and hugged her tightly. Aura stroked his back and laughed. “You’ve been waiting for a long time, haven’t you?”

“…No. It’s just…” Ruan sighed. “I feel relieved.”

“…Let’s go. We don’t have much time.”

“Right. Oh, before we go, I’ll give you Finn back.” Ruan took the pouch from his pocket. Aura took it and put it in her own pocket.

“Thank you for keeping it safe for me.”

“There’s something else for you. The lady-in-waiting told me to give it to you. Her brother, Hosea, sent it. She said it has all the information you were looking for.”

“Hosea did?” Aura’s eyes lit up. Ruan handed her the envelope.

“I didn’t look at it. I wanted to, but I didn’t.”

“I’ll look at it and tell you what it says.” Aura quickly tore open the envelope. Inside was a worn, half-burned letter. She started to read it.

“…I see.” She folded the letter and put it back in the envelope.

Ruan asked, “What does it say?”

“It’s what I expected. Finn is with the Archduke and the Tein Dukedom. Now we can move without any worries.” Aura put the envelope under her horse’s saddle. “Let’s go, Ruan.”

“Okay.”

They put on the robes Ruan had prepared and covered their faces. The plain they had to ride through was sparsely populated. But that also made it easier for the two of them to be seen.

Ruan looked at Aura intently. This feels weird. It feels like I’m missing something important…

Ruan called out to Aura, who was about to get on her horse. “Aura.”

“Yes?”

“Is that all the letter says?”

“Yes, that’s it.”

“What about how to break the seal? She said all the information you needed was in there.”

Aura was silent for a moment. She looked at the horizon of the plain and then frowned. “The Archduke is supposed to know.”

“…Are you sure? Can I see the letter, too? I mean, I don’t distrust you, it’s just…”

Aura looked at Ruan and gave a bright smile. “I’m sure. Trust me, Ruan. I will find your magical powers.”

She gracefully got on her horse and pulled the reins. The horse let out a long neigh. Ruan had no choice but to get on his own horse.

“Ruan, how long will it take to get to Sutra?”

“It will take a full day. When do you think the Emperor will realize we’re gone?”

“I don’t know,” Aura shook her head. “The time it takes for him to realize I’m gone, the time it takes for him to realize I went to Sutra… it will probably take a while. Even if he realizes everything quickly, the conclusion will be the same.”

“…”

“We have to ride like crazy to get to Sutra.”

“…Alright. Let’s go.”

The two of them began to ride. The dust raised by their two horses followed behind them.

‘The sacrifice of True Blood.’ Aura gripped her reins tightly.

Karl’s eyes snapped open. He slowly sat up and looked to his side. The bed was empty.

He quickly got dressed and left the lodge. The sun was already setting. The only horse tied up outside was his.

Aura might have gone hunting alone. But he had a strong feeling that she hadn’t. This wasn’t the first time Aura had done this to him.

Karl sat on the ground and examined it. There were fresh hoof prints leading to the west.

His mind began to race. The first thought that came to him was, ‘with whom?’

Did she leave with Emile?

He immediately shook his head. Just by looking at her behavior in his office, he knew that wasn’t the case.

“You gave me Finn as an apology. My forgetting our promise is my own personal mistake. Why should the people suffer because of that? And a lover?”

Aura had let out a small laugh. “I haven’t even properly held his hand since the ball.”

Aura has always put Finn first. She wouldn’t do this just to elope with a lover. But if she went to find Finn with Emile, that would be a different story.

Then the question became, ‘where?’

The west side of Hunt Mountain is in the opposite direction of the capital. It’s not too far from the Tein Dukedom. On the other hand, she would have to take a long route to get to Sutra. But it could be a diversion. Going to Sutra is a long journey anyway, so taking a small detour wouldn’t make much of a difference.

In a crisis, Karl became more clear-headed. It was this trait that had saved him from many crises in Debela.

I can catch her. We’re still in the Empire. And…

His thoughts came to a halt. Aura’s voice suddenly rang in his head.

‘I told you. You are special.’

“…” Karl clenched his fists.

‘So… don’t forget that, Karl.’

Only now did Karl understand what she meant. And how selfish her words were.

A fire ignited within him, dispelling his composure.

“…Ha.” A hollow laugh escaped him.

She wants me to take what happened today as a precious memory and live the rest of my life consoling myself with it?

Karl got up. The wind blew through his shirt, which was not fully buttoned. He reached up and touched his neck. The feeling of Aura’s arms weakly wrapped around him was still there.

Aura, who had remembered everything. Aura, who said he was special. Aura, who smiled at his declaration of love. Aura, who hugged him with her whole heart. Aura, who truly wanted him. All those images flashed through his mind.

She’s going to give me all of that as charity and then leave?

She was an incredible woman. She was so cruel that he wanted to applaud her.

But Aura probably didn’t know what Karl had realized when he received that ‘gift.’

Everything she had given him was what he had always wanted. And it was more beautiful and more perfect than he could have ever imagined.

That was why he couldn’t let her go.

He wouldn’t blame himself for being so foolish as to fall for the same trick. Was there even a way to win against an Aura who acted like that? Karl thought no. He just had to endure it.

And he just had to get her back.

Let’s do this all over again, Aura. Run as far as you want. Karl clenched his empty fists. I can keep this up as long as you can.

Two hours later.

The hunting competition was completely over. The nobles gathered at the southern gate of Hunt Mountain. The servants checked their numbers and the size of the animals they had caught.

Now, all that was left was the festival that would continue late into the night. As the nobles chattered loudly, Josh said to Theo, “Why isn’t His Majesty here yet?”

“I know. He was nowhere to be seen during the entire competition.”

Just then, Karl’s figure appeared on the side of the mountain. Josh and Theo quickly went over to him.

“You’re back?”

“You really did go separately from the Empress.”

“Where is the Empress?”

“She hasn’t come down yet.”

Karl was silent. Josh and Theo felt like something was wrong. Not a single rabbit was hanging on his horse.

“Your Majesty… is something wrong?” Theo asked cautiously.

Karl said, “Both of you, come and talk to me for a moment.”

Sensing the seriousness of the situation, they quickly followed Karl. The three of them gathered in a secluded area. Karl dismounted his horse and leaned against a tree.

“The two of you, secretly release the knights and search Hunt Mountain.”

“…Pardon?”

Josh asked again. Why would he do that when the nobles hadn’t even all returned yet?

“If you don’t find the Empress, assume she ran away and start a pursuit.”

“!”

“Ra- ran away?” Josh stammered in surprise. He didn’t say, ‘that can’t be true.’ Aura had a history of running away, and Josh was the one who had let her go last time.

Theo asked cautiously, “Did she go alone?”

The Empress’s lover, Emile, had been dismissed last night. And the Empress had disappeared today. To anyone, it looked like they had eloped. But Karl cut him off.

“That’s not important. Catching her is what’s important.”

“Ah… yes, Your Majesty.”

“There are two possible destinations. One is the Tein Dukedom, and the other is Sutra.”

The Tein Dukedom and Sutra.

From their perspective, there was no reason for either of those places. The only connection was that Tein and Ryan were close with the late Crown Prince. But they couldn’t ask any more questions. Karl knew the Empress better than anyone.

“Josh.”

“Yes.”

“After you search Hunt Mountain, check the Dukedom. Leave Tein alone and talk to Elise. And Theo.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“If there are no traces of the Empress at the Dukedom, I will go to Sutra tomorrow morning. Prepare for that.”

Theo thought about it. The Emperor moving personally was one thing, but his plan was inefficient. “Why are you going tomorrow morning? Searching Hunt Mountain and the Dukedom won’t take that long.”

The sun had just set. If everyone moved quickly, they could start the pursuit tonight.

Karl said, “People can’t find out that the Empress is missing. I’ll tell everyone at the festival that she wasn’t feeling well and went back early. And tomorrow morning at the meeting, I’ll let it slip that she went away for a few days to rest.”

“You, personally?”

“People will soon find out that Emile was dismissed last night. In a situation like this, if the Empress and I both disappear without a word… people will say we eloped.”

“…”

“If I say she went for a rest, they will believe it’s a rest.”

Theo swallowed. If Karl’s plan worked, everything would seem normal even when Aura returned. The fact that she had run away would be erased.

Karl said, “The Empress never ran away. Not anywhere.”

“Ah…”

The two of them were speechless. They were an incredible couple in many ways. The Empress who ran away, and the Emperor who made it so her running away never happened.

“Now go.” Karl said flatly.

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

The two of them quickly left to carry out his orders. Karl, left alone, quietly stared at the dark mountainside.

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