I Will Disappear, Grand Duke

Cedric, who left for Richel's estate, was reunited with Gabrielle in a mansion there.

 After confirming that both the children and Gabrielle were unharmed, he was able to relax.

 They were living comfortably.  The mansion was spacious, and there were helpers.

 He thought they would have simply found a place to live, but the Grand Duke seemed to be more attentive to their convenience than expected.

 “Cedric. Is it true that the person who helped us was Julia's husband… ?”

 Gabrielle whispered in a low voice. She was very quick-witted as she got older.

 Cedric nodded his head with a complicated expression.

 “…  Yes, I think so.”

 “Yes.”

 Gabrielle spoke with a worried look on her face.

 “Since he’s treating us so generously, you must believe that he’s also taking good care of Julia.”

 “… “

 “However, her health is what I’m most worried about.”

 Cedric nodded his head with a grim expression.

 If her mind was uncomfortable, her body would also be uncomfortable.  So, he hoped she was at ease there.

‘…  It might be difficult.’

 Cedric sighed and lifted his lips.

 “Gabrielle, if you happen to know Yulia's location, please send me a message."

 “Okay, don’t worry and go back. I’ll write you a letter.”

 There was nothing Cedric could do for now.  He just has to wait for Julia to contact him first.

At this time, Cedric was so miserable because he felt incompetent.

 At the same time, He felt a sense of shame that filled a part of his heart.

 Feelings that should have been enough just to worry about Julia were mixed with something that was not at all pleasant.

 He was jealous lest she be shaken by the Grand Duke. He was afraid and anxious that she would never come back.

Of course, Julia could not have wanted to stay with the Grand Duke now.

 It must be so, but he couldn't figure out why he had such a vague feeling.

Cedric, who came out of the mansion, briefly captured the world in spring.

Even on such a beautiful day, his heart was just hopeless.

 He missed the days walking with Julia. The times when they laughed and talked about little things in the evening breeze at the monastery.

 His heart throbbed greatly.  Cedric took a deep breath and lowered his gaze.

 ***

 For a while, Julia had been living with chaotic emotions.

 She made up her mind to leave this place somehow, but her firmness kept crumbling down for some reason.

 Julia, who was walking on the plain, looked at the distant forest.

 If running for a long time along that forest, she would see a steep mountain foot.  If she went down there, she would find a road leading to the village.

 The way to escape has already been memorized.  If she went down the mountain entrance with the excuse of going out, maybe she could run away.

 However….

 When Julia lowered her gaze with a somewhat complicated face, she suddenly felt a strange presence.

 “… ?”

 Julia, who flinched at the rustling sound, looked back.

 Her eyes gradually grew bigger.  Because a white horse was walking slowly towards her.

 “… Ah."

 At this moment, there was a scene that passed Julia's head.  A few days ago, she was a white horse downtown.

 Then, a soft voice fell over her head.

 “He’s a gentle guy, he’ll listen to you.”

 When she turned around in surprise, Fernan was standing there.

 He spoke calmly.

 “It’s a horse for riding, so it should be suitable for you.”

 Julia turned her gaze to the white horse again with a bewildered expression.

The horse with its head down was quietly grazing.

 “Is that the horse I saw in the downtown area that day?”

 As she murmured in the distance, Fernan, who came a little closer to her, swept the horse.

 “At that time, the white horse was not of good breed, so I got it from another place.”

 Then, when she looked closely at the horse, the color of its eyes was indeed different.

 Contrary to that horse back then, this white horse had pale green eyes.

 The horse with its soft, white hair made a pleasant rustling sound.

Julia, who was briefly distracted by the mysterious figure, soon came to her senses and looked at Fernan.

 "…  I can't ride horses.  So you’d better bring it back.”

 Then she quietly turned her gaze away from the horse.

 Julia has already received a lot from him.  Excessive luxury that she didn’t even want.

 It wouldn't be hers if she left anyway. Moreover, she didn't want to receive anything from him anymore.

 Just as she was about to turn around like that, a low voice came from Fernan again.

 “I’ve have already given it to you, so there is no need to return it.”

 “…  ”

 "If you don't know how to ride, you can learn."

 Julia, who stopped his feet, looked back at him.  Fernan was approaching with the reins of the white horse.

  "If you don't use it, this horse will be useless and will be kept in the stable."

 Julia looked up at him.  She couldn't tell if he was threatening her or just saying it.

 Meanwhile, the white horse, who came close to her, looked at her clearly.

 It then gently pushed its snout as if it wanted to be stroked.

 Julia’s shoulders flinched and she closed his eyes slowly, then she reached out without realizing it.

 Carefully sweeping the white hair, the horse neighed again.  It was as if it was saying that it felt good.

 As Fernan said, it seemed to be a gentle and friendly horse.

 Julia's blue eyes began to twinkle slightly.

 “Let’s try it once.”

 Fernan, who was watching her closely, suggested.

 "That…”

 Julia hesitated and blurred the end of her words.  Fernan, who took one step closer to her, looked down at her as if inviting her again.

 When she bit her lip as if she was agonizing without letting go of her hand from the horse, Fernan leaned down.

 She looked at his approaching face, and before she could panic, her body suddenly lifted up. As Julia looked down at him from afar, she already sat on the saddle in an instant.

 Fernan took her arm and helped her straighten her tilted posture.  Julia suddenly grabbed the reins in her hands.

 It was her first time riding the horse alone.  She was just frozen, holding the reins tightly.

 Fernan, who was looking at her frightened figure, climbed on the back lightly.

 His tight arms supported her unstable body in an instant.

 “It’s okay, kick the horse on the waist a bit.”

 Said Fernan, with the reins over her hand.

Julia, who flinched her hand for no reason, hesitated and kicked her foot gently as he said.

Soon after, the horse began to walk slowly.

 Julia straightened her bent posture and looked in front of her.  Fernan’s large body supporting her back gave her more stability.

 Perhaps because of her increased visibility, the familiar scenery looked different.

 Her tension was gradually released from her stiffened body in the open air.

 Fernan felt her body more softly, spoke gently.

  “Horseback riding is not difficult, you will learn it quickly.”

 “…  ”

 “If you want, I’ll teach you often.”

 Unsurprisingly, Julia thought that the voice coming from behind her was unfamiliar.

 It was soft and warm. She couldn't deny that it wasn’t.

 Biting her lip, Julia looked down at Fernan’s large hand that completely wrapped around hers.

 His hands were long and gracefully outstretched, seemingly rough with calluses.  It was the first time she had looked so closely.

 As she looked at his hand for a while, she remembered her old memories a long time ago.

 The day she and him first met. She remembered holding his hand for a long time.

 Julia suddenly wondered if he still didn't remember that day.

 So without realizing it, she opened her mouth.

 "Your Highness."

 At her little call, Fernan lowered his head slightly towards her.

 "Do you remember? In the past, Your Highness held my hand like this…"

 But in the end, her blurred speech did not continue any longer.  It was because when she opened her mouth, I thought it was pointless to ask.

 There was no need for her to recall the memory of that day, and it was far less necessary for her to mention the day to Fernan.

 As she closed her mouth as she thought so, Fernan wrapped her hands more tightly.

 “I remember. Everything.”

 “…  ”

 Julia blinked her eyes with her slightly startled face.  Meanwhile, Fernan's voice continued.

 “You were going to tell me your name when we meet again.”

 At the sound of his low voice whispering into her ear, Julia's shoulders flinched slightly.

 “If we meet again someday, I will say my name then.”

 Julia lowered her head slightly with a subtle expression.

But when they met again, he said he didn’t remember her.

  So, there were times when she wasn't sure if the boy she met was really Fernan.

 Because when they reunited, he was not the man she had imagined and painted, but a heartless person with a layer of ice around him.

For sure now, it was this man she met at that time.

 She had no intention of attaching any meaning to the events of now and then.  But she felt a little strange.

 While Julia bowed her head lower, Fernan didn't speak any more, but only held her hands tightly.

 And Julia did not shook him off like usual. Instead, she whispered in a quiet voice.

 “I want to run a little faster.”

 She didn't want to be engulfed in this feeling that started tickling her heart.  If she ran a little faster, perhaps she would be able to forget this feeling.

 An answer came straight from Fernan.

 "Okay."

 Fernan swung the reins lightly.  The horse that changed direction soon began to speed up.

 Julia felt the wind blowing on her face while his arms supported her body stably.

 The wind was cool, and the body temperature of the man behind her was warm.

 They ran for a long time like that.  However, the trembling feeling never seemed to subside.