Chapter 34
At last, Ethan spoke, his voice tight and strangled. Even then, Howard bristled at what he said, finding it unbearable—but he couldn’t argue.
He knew what was written in the contract.
There were only two clauses.
First: if Ethan returned alive from the war, Count Leslie would acknowledge Ethan’s relationship with Elisa Leslie.
Second: the contents of the contract must never be revealed to anyone.
By those terms, Ethan was the one who had broken the contract.
Whether by chance or not, Prince Howard had seen it.
The Count, on the other hand, had never spoken of it to his loyal secretary or even his wife.
He had promised to accept the two of them if Ethan survived.
The only thing he refused responsibility for was Elisa’s heart—if she changed her mind, that was Ethan’s problem.
Cowardly. Vile. That was the kind of man Count Leslie was.
If the Count ever learned that Howard knew about the contract, he would pounce on the chance to declare it invalid.
That was why, no matter how much Howard wanted to help Ethan, he couldn’t.
“You bragged so confidently, and now look at you.”
Howard’s tone was sharp—frustrated, yet tinged with pity.
Ethan only tilted his head back with a bitter laugh.
The wind swept in through the wide-open window, ruffling his hair.
“I was confident.”
It would be a lie to say he hadn’t been afraid, but back then, his confidence outweighed his fear.
That was why he asked Giselle Briana to lure Elisa onto the gondola.
He knew Elisa disliked swimming.
But in the chaos of the festival, the gondola was the only place where they could talk quietly.
There had been no other choice.
Besides, he remembered that Elisa hadn’t minded boat rides as long as she didn’t touch the water.
That was why he chose it. But it had been a terrible mistake.
In the end, Elisa had fallen into the water—and the whole thing had turned into a disaster.
So please… let’s stop this, Ethan.
The memory of her weary face, her tired voice, and the way she never looked back as she walked away made Ethan shut his eyes tight.
Howard, watching him tremble as if he might crumble with the slightest touch, spoke gently.
“Maybe… It’s time to let go.”
He almost added, I’ll introduce you to someone better than Elisa Leslie.
But the look that hardened on Ethan’s face made him bite back the words—and thank God he did.
“Never. I’ll never give her up.”
The words came out like a growl, his expression so terrifying that Howard knew—had he said the wrong thing, Ethan would have torn into him instead.
“I should’ve just killed him back then…”
Howard’s eyes went wide at the muttered words.
The man who once trembled at the sight of blood now spoke of murder without a flicker of emotion in his ash-grey eyes, darkened by the setting sun.
The chill of it made Howard’s skin crawl.
“You used to be a coward, scared stiff at the sight of blood. Look at you now. War really does change people.”
Howard shook his head slowly, full of regret.
“Just in case—if you plan on killing Derek Grenville, tell me first.”
He said it with utter seriousness.
This wasn’t a battlefield, and the aftermath had to be handled properly.
Ethan shot him a withering look.
“Instead of wasting time on pointless thoughts like that, why don’t you focus on stopping Princess Camilla’s nonsense?”
The conference itself didn’t bother him much.
What mattered was the royal marriage delegation.
If he were sent to the Lause Kingdom, the chances of ever coming back were slim.
He had to prevent it at all costs.
“Don’t worry, I’m working on it,” Howard muttered, scowling at the very thought of Princess Camilla.
He leaned back in his chair, one leg crossed, irritation plain on his face.
“We still need to attend the alliance conference, though. I don’t like what they’re saying, but they’re not wrong either.”
“When is it?” Ethan asked.
“The first Monday of next month. Considering the travel time to the Moro Kingdom, we’ll have to leave in two days.”
Two days—the exact day Derek Grenville was scheduled to be discharged.
Assuming, of course, there was nothing wrong with his head.
The thought of finishing what he started—crippling Derek for life—rose in Ethan like a dark temptation.
Burying him in the ground might be even better.
Scowling, he yanked open his desk drawer, as though to distract himself.
“Anyway, they’ll decide today whether or not you’ll join the delegation.”
Failing to find what he wanted, Ethan dragged a hand down his face and looked at the prince.
“And you? Shouldn’t you be at the palace?”
“Even if I were, I couldn’t stop them. Better to get some air than sit around listening to their bickering—it drives me mad.”
Howard pulled a cigar case from his pocket, annoyance etched on his face.
Ethan’s eyes followed the motion, and Howard hesitated mid-gesture.
“…I shouldn’t smoke, should I?”
Ethan silently stretched out his hand. Knowing persuasion was pointless, Howard surrendered the cigar.
He expected Ethan to snap it in half and toss it away.
Instead, Ethan lit it and brought it to his lips.
The flame flickered, and smoke curled into the air.
Howard blinked, startled.
“I thought you quit. What’s this about?”
When the smoke thinned, Ethan let out a dry chuckle, staring down at the half-burned cigar.
“If I don’t smoke this… I don’t think I’ll stay sane.”
His voice was calm, but behind the veil of smoke, his face was etched with exhaustion.
***
Thankfully, Derek’s head injury wasn’t serious. He was discharged on schedule.
Though he had family to help with the paperwork, Derek wanted Elisa to do it.
Normally, she would have refused. But guilt weighed too heavily on her, and since he was still recovering, she agreed.
Discharge was scheduled for one o’clock. Elisa decided to arrive thirty minutes early.
The streets were quiet on a weekday afternoon, and she reached the royal hospital sooner than expected.
With time to spare, she stayed in the carriage, waiting.
“…Did you hear? Baron Esteban is joining the alliance delegation!”
The sound of that unwelcome name drifted in through her open window.
Though she didn’t want to listen, her ears caught every word.
“Baron Esteban’s loyal to Prince Howard. So why would he be chosen? The leader of the delegation is Prince Alex…”
“Apparently, Prince Alex himself requested Esteban. Said they needed him if Petra was to strengthen its influence in the alliance.”
“Well, he is the hero who saved the alliance. Especially in that last battle—his achievements stood out.”
Their voices faded, and silence returned.
Only then did Elisa unclench her hand.
Her nails had dug so hard into her palm that the marks remained.
So that’s why she hadn’t seen him since that day.
He’d been busy, preparing for the delegation.
Camilla’s words came back to her—her desire to take Ethan to Lause Kingdom. Perhaps this was all part of that plan.
“…Good. Go far away.”
Only then could she—and Noah—be free.
But even as she told herself she wanted Ethan gone forever, a pang of longing rose in her chest.
Startled, Elisa flinched.
“It’s over.”
The sheet of music bearing Ethan’s name had already reached its finale.
So stop thinking about him, Elisa Leslie.
She whispered it to herself like a spell.
By the time she checked the clock again, it was nearly one.
Flustered, she stepped down from the carriage and hurried toward the hospital.
Unseen by her, a man in a fedora quietly followed behind.
