I Will Disappear, Grand Duke

Up until now, whenever they fell asleep together, Fernan was always the first to wake up, so seeing him still peacefully sleeping like this, Julia felt a new sensation and she couldn’t help but smile.

 As she was about to hug him like that, she suddenly felt a strange sensation.

 When she looked down, she could see some blood dripping from the bandage around Fernan's waist.

 “Your Highness…  !”

 When Julia got up in shock, Fernan slowly opened his eyes.

 Fernan's hazy gaze at the astonished Julia began to gradually become clearer.

 Before he could ask what was going on, Julia stuttered.

 “Blood, you’re bleeding. Hurry up and see the doctor…  ”

 As Julia, who was in a panic, tried to get out of bed, Fernan pulled her back again.

 Julia, who laid back on the bed as it was, looked at him with a puzzled face.

 However, the patient, Fernan, comforted her with his nonchalant voice.

 "It's okay.  It’s not a big deal, so sleep more.”

 “Isn’t that a big deal? You’re bleeding like this…  ”

 Julia narrowed her eyebrows anxiously as she looked at him.

 “No. I'll call the doctor right away."

 Mumbling, Julia tried to get out of bed again, but Fernan wouldn't let her go.

He put her back in his arms, and Julia tried to criticize him somehow, but sighed deeply instead.

 Because she wasn't in a position to criticize him.

 Besides, now he seemed to want to enjoy this moment.  As if still considering Julia in front of him as a dream, he carefully stroked her back.

 Leaving him like that, Julia lowered her gaze and looked at his body.

 Yesterday, the room was dark and there was no time to examine his body in detail.  But his body, seen from the brightly lit sky, was more serious than she thought.

  As Lloyd had said, it became clear again that Fernan had been using his body carelessly.

 When Julia lowered her head with an upset heart, Fernan gently removed the body that was in contact with her.  Then, he lowered his head to make eye contact with her with a serious expression.

 "It doesn't hurt.  It's not a big injury."

 “… ”

"It's telling you the truth."

Julia glanced at him. Even though he didn't look like a person who had just woken up from sleep, he was showing a clear face in no time.

 However, when she looked down, she saw terrible scars that showed how devastated he had been.

 Very upset by the image, Julia bit her lip again.  Then she reached out her arms and hugged his neck tightly.

She felt sorry for this man who was so hurt and heartbroken. It was all the more so because it was because of her.

 “… ”

 Fernan looked at Julia for a long time like that, and then naturally embraced her.

 Fernan, who was stroking Julia's back, which was easily held in one arm, smiled slightly for some reason.

 Julia, who still cared about him, was like a dream, and at the same time, Fernan felt a deep satisfaction that all of Julia's attention was on him.

He felt a little bad because Julia, who was engulfed in her anxiety because of him … .but he thought it didn't seem too bad to get hurt.

 While Fernan was thinking such contradictory thoughts, Julia whispered quietly as if she had noticed his intentions.

 “Your Highness, please don’t get hurt recklessly from now on.”

 With those words, Fernan turned his head slightly and looked at Julia quietly.

 “I heard from Lloyd. He said that Your Highness intentionally injured your body…  ”

Fernan’s gaze shook as he watched Julia speaking softly while crying.

  In the end, he had no choice but to get rid of all the thoughts he had been thinking about a while ago.  As extra, he hated to see Julia upset.

 He answered in a submissive voice.

 "Yes, I'll do that."

 "Promise me."

 Julia emphasized again whether she was not relieved even after Fernan answered.

 Fernan reassured her once more by stroking her hair.

 "I promise. I'll listen to anything you say from now on."

At that moment, Julia smiled slightly. Seeing that, Fernan also smiled with satisfaction.

****

 "Your Highness, Grand Duchess has returned, so why don't you visit His Majesty?"

 Fernan, who was being treated by his doctor, looked at Lloyd, who was nearby.

 "I thought it might be better to inform His Majesty that Grand Duchess is back.”

 “Yes, I should do that.”

 While disinfecting the wound on his waist with a medicine, Fernan responded with an indifferent face.

 As Lloyd said, he needed to meet and talk to the Emperor.

 Because Julia is known as Marquis Elody’s daughter, if she returned to the position of Grand Duchess, there was a possibility that there would be a quarrel.

 Some of the cowardly people might criticize that she was involved with the Elody family in the civil war.

 Fernan was going to get rid of those men and ask the Emperor to clarify that Julia had nothing to do with the Elody family.

 While Fernan, who had the new bandages on, got up from his seat, Lloyd spoke suddenly.

 “Ah, I just heard the day of the execution of the Marchioness Elody is soon.”

 With those words, Fernan buttoned his shirt one by one, looking in the air for a moment.

 Marchioness Elody was the one who had trampled on Julia from the closest of hers.

 Even before her execution, he thought she would die of starvation or exhaustion, but the Marchioness was holding up well.

 But either way it would never be a comfortable death.

 Fernan got out of the infirmary only after buttoning up his cuffs.

While he was going back to the parlor where Julia would be, the sun was pouring down through the windows in the hallway.  Normally, he would not have even paid attention to such a warm sight, but Fernan suddenly stopped in front of the window.

 It was the time when the end of spring had passed, and summer was slowly starting to arrive.

 All of a sudden, Fernan thought that there was a light in the whole world. It was the first time in his life that he had felt such vain appreciation.

 While he was looking out of the window for a moment, he heard the sound of slow, steady footsteps from afar.

 Even just hearing the sound, Fernan recognized that Julia was approaching him.

 Fernan looked at Julia, missing the world beyond the window.

 "Your Highness."

 Only after seeing Julia getting closer to him did Fernan instinctively notice.

 Because she came back, that was why a bright light had permeated his world.

 Fernan walked towards her.  As he faced her like that, he felt an unfamiliar feeling again.

 Surely they were together all last night, and even though he had watched her all morning, he still couldn't believe Julia in front of him.

 “Did your treatment go well?  Is there anything else wrong?”

Julia, who asked worriedly, started examining his body.  Fernan looked at Julia and shook his head.

“The injury is healing fast.”

 Fernan grabbed Julia's hand, who was still examining his body.  At that moment, Julia looked up at him, and her eyes lit up and held his hand tightly.

 “I’m going to the capital soon.”

 When Fernan spoke, Julia quietly nodded her head.

 “Do you still have a lot of work to do?  Don't worry about me and come back soon.”

 Fernan looked at Julia, who readily answered.  He answered, gently stroking the back of her hand.

 “No, let’s go together.”

 "What?"

 Julia tilted her head and lowered her eyes slightly.

 "But…..”

 Julia seemed to ask if she would get in the way if she followed him, or if he would get in trouble.  She must have vaguely guessed her current situation.

 Fernan stroked Julia's hair and raised his lips slightly.

 "Don't worry about anything. You don't have to look at anyone."

 He had no intention of leaving Julia alone any longer.  Because the result of leaving her behind had always come with despair.

 Now, wherever they went, they had to be together.

If anyone looked at her with a strange look, it would have been enough to get rid of that person.

 Julia looked up at Fernan and immediately nodded her head.

 "Then… I’ll go.”

 Julia, who answered meekly, smiled pleasantly.

 “Because I also want to be with Your Highness all the time.”

 Julia did not want to be separated from him anymore.

 The wind blew softly between them as they looked at each other and smiled.  At that moment, Julia turned her head and looked at the window.

 It was a sunny day. Julia suddenly thought that the scenery beyond was very beautiful.

 Just like Fernan, there was a clear light permeating her world.