ELND Chapter 71

Chapter 71

 Only You

“Hey, Mr. Ex-Husband. Do you like me that much?”

When I turned toward Cedric, a gentle breeze tousled my hair.

His blue eyes shimmered like the vast emerald sea, waves of emotion crashing and rising endlessly within them.

We stared into each other’s eyes—neither of us willing to speak first.

Yet, our silence was louder than any words could ever be.

As if trying to cool the heat that pulsed between us, the spring breeze swept softly through, brushing my flushed cheeks with its chill.

It was then I realized—unlike the perpetually frozen north, the capital was now in spring.

That meant our promised time together was already racing toward its end.

Perhaps that was why Cedric’s eyes, when he looked at me, carried both sorrow and joy—tangled together in a bittersweet mess.

When his lips finally parted, some time had passed.

“‘Like’ isn’t enough of a word.”

He spoke slowly, as though confessing a secret he’d long hidden in his heart.

“When I first saw how you’d changed, I just thought it was strange. I couldn’t understand it, but I kept watching you.”

“……”

“And then, at some point…”

Cedric lowered his gaze, pausing for a long moment.

When he looked back up at me, his eyes were soft and steady.

“I fell in love—with the person you’ve become.”

The weight of his confession pressed heavily on my heart.

When I finally managed to breathe again, my pulse spread through my whole body, quick and hot.

Cedric’s gentle gaze held me as he continued.

“Every time I see you—or even think about you—I feel helpless, like a man tossed before a raging wave.”

“……”

“It’s unfamiliar. Having something I can’t control. And the fact that it’s you who makes me feel that way…”

“……”

“It unsettles me—and yet, I can’t stop wanting you.”

“……”

“And though I hate feeling powerless… I can’t help but want to surrender to it.”

“Are you sure that feeling isn’t because of the imprint?”

“It’s not. These feelings came before that.”

Cedric’s tone grew firm, as if to sever even the smallest sprout of misunderstanding.

“If anything, I was shocked that nothing really changed afterward. I’d heard all the stories about how the imprint transforms people completely, so I thought it would be the same for me.”

“……”

“But nothing was different.”

A faint, self-deprecating smile curved his lips.

“Before and after—it’s always been the same. I want only you.”

“……”

“You have no idea what I’m capable of… what I might do for you.”

“……”

“I’m almost afraid of myself now—because even I don’t know where this ends.”

Love—an unfamiliar, boundless realm.

Even the man who seemed perfect in every way was lost and trembling in its winds.

I wrapped my arms around his neck, closing the space between us.

As the distance dwindled, Cedric bit down on his lower lip, struggling to hold something back.

Seeing that, a small laugh escaped me.

But my smile lasted only a moment. Leaning closer, I whispered softly in his ear.

“We don’t need any more words, do we?”

And with that, the distance between our lips became dangerously thin—ready to vanish at any moment.

Meanwhile, just moments earlier, Adrian had already made his way up to the third floor.

He had gone there to avoid the nobles who crowded around Emperor Letitz, pretending familiarity.

The layout of the third floor was similar to the others except for the first—an open central space with a staircase overlooking the grand hall below.

Along the walls stretched a U-shaped corridor, with glass terraces spaced at intervals. Those were favored by young nobles whispering love or sharing secrets.

For a man alone, entering one of those terraces would have seemed pointless.

So Adrian merely leaned against the railing beside the main staircase and took a slow sip of champagne.

He exhaled tiredly.

That was when a familiar face appeared, climbing the stairs.

His lips lifted instinctively in a smile.

“Your High—”

But his greeting froze on his tongue.

Rebecca’s face was clouded with deep thought.

Adrian hesitated, wondering how to approach her—when she suddenly lifted her head and looked around.

He raised his hand slightly, hoping this time she would notice him.

But her eyes did not find him.

They fixed instead on the man across the corridor, standing on the glass terrace.

Duke Cedric Twins.

Without the slightest pause, Rebecca went straight toward him.

As though nothing else in the world existed.

She reached the terrace door, and Cedric turned at the sound.

“…Rebecca?”

The two were far apart, but Adrian could still hear faintly.

“What are you doing here?”

Cedric’s voice carried mild surprise—but there was an unmistakable warmth in it.

Rebecca, however, simply looked up at him in silence for a long time.

Finally, her beautiful lips parted.

“Cedric, I came because there’s something I want to ask you.”

With that, she closed the glass door behind her.

And just like that, their voices were gone.

All Adrian could do was watch—just as he always had.

He told himself he’d grown used to being in this position.

But at that moment, something about Cedric’s presence beside her burned in his chest.

His hand clenched unconsciously, knuckles whitening.

The fuse was short, and the spark was already lit.

“Adrian, there you are. I’ve been looking for you.”

His brother, Elliot, had arrived.

“What are you looking at?”

Following Adrian’s gaze, Elliot saw what held his attention.

He sighed deeply, stepping closer.

Adrian still couldn’t tear his eyes away from Rebecca.

And in those eyes, Elliot saw something intense—raw emotion, almost feral in its depth.

He had known his younger brother all his life, but he had never seen such fire in him before.

“……”

Elliot looked at him with quiet pity and patted his shoulder.

Startled, Adrian finally turned his head.

“Ah… Brother, you’re here.”

Even as he spoke, he couldn’t quite compose his face.

He looked like a seventeen-year-old boy learning love’s bitter edge for the first time.

Elliot gave a soft, rueful chuckle.

‘Good grief. At this rate, if he ever forms an imprint, it’ll be chaos.’

He patted Adrian’s shoulder again.

“Adrian, I just came from speaking with Her Highness.”

“With Her Highness?”

Elliot nodded slowly.

“Yes. And I realized—she still doesn’t know about the imprint.”

“…You tested her?”

“I’d heard of the tension between you two, so I expected as much.”

“……”

“But I needed to confirm it. For our family’s sake, it doesn’t hurt to be cautious.”

Adrian’s expression dimmed.

“Brother, because of me, our house shouldn’t have to—”

“No.”

Elliot cut him off firmly.

“Adrian, you are destined to become the strongest head in Monteur family history.”

His gaze didn’t waver as he spoke.

“Whatever you decide to do, every vassal of Monteur will follow you.”

“Brother…”

“So don’t waste the chance to claim what’s yours.”

Elliot stepped behind Adrian, gripping his shoulders and turning him toward the terrace.

Adrian’s eyes instinctively fell on Rebecca’s scarlet hair.

“Take what you’ve long desired—with pride.”

At his brother’s words, the image that filled Adrian’s mind was only Rebecca’s smile.

That dazzling smile—and her, standing just out of reach.

Tormented by that distance, Adrian heard Elliot’s voice again, low and steady in his ear.

“Time is short, Adrian. You might not have bonded yet because of the discord between you—but the future is unwritten.”

“……”

“Look at them now.”

At that, Adrian’s gaze shifted to Cedric beside Rebecca.

Those blue eyes that once seemed cold now burned with a warmth—no, with something hotter, heavier.

A hunger he recognized.

Because it was the same look he himself had worn.

Realizing that, Adrian’s jaw tightened.

I don’t want to lose her to another man.

That thought filled his head—nothing else.

And at last, he understood: giving her “the freedom to choose” had been nothing but hypocrisy.

He didn’t want to let her go.

No matter the cost.

“…Brother.”

When his lips finally moved again, his voice was steady.

“I will become the Head of House Monteur.”

Elliot exhaled slowly and clapped a hand on his shoulder.

“Well decided, Adrian. You’ve made the right choice.”

His eyes drifted back toward the terrace—toward Rebecca and Cedric.

Then, with a look of faint sorrow for his brother, Elliot stepped back.

“I’ll give you some privacy.”

And he was gone.

Left alone, Adrian’s gaze sharpened.

There, beyond the glass, stood the two figures—Rebecca and Cedric.

And then—he saw their lips meet.

The veins on the back of his hand bulged as he clenched his fist tight.

“No more…” he muttered, voice low and trembling.

“…I won’t just stand by and watch anymore.”