I Will Disappear, Grand Duke

Julia looked at him, who had no answer.

 At that moment, Fernan looked down again and pulled her closer instead of answering.

 As he hugged her soft shoulders, Julia's body completely touched him.

 Julia, who was frozen for a moment with her eyes wide open, followed him and slowly raised her hands.

 Then, with her thin arms, she hugged his waist tightly.

 Somehow, it felt like her ears were getting hotter little by little.

 In order to hide her blushing face, Julia quietly buried her face in his arms.

 She thought that this was Fernan’s answer.

 At that moment, a cool breeze blew past them.

 A large hand gently brushed her hair, which was ruffled by the wind.

 Julia felt his touch and gently raised her lips.

 The uneasiness that filled her heart without form disappeared little by little in his arms.

 Cedric looked out the window and saw the two of them walking together from afar.  As the castle's couple entered the doorway, the workers stood in line and bowed their heads.

 Julia, who still remembered nothing, has been spending time with the Grand Duke these days.  In Cedric's gaze, the two hands were naturally clasped.

 Cedric, clenching his fists involuntarily, slowly loosened his hands only after their figures disappeared into the entrance.

 It was more bitter than he thought to watch that figure from afar every time.

 Sometimes he thought he was an uninvited guest here.

 It may be true.  The fact that he looked at Julia with these eyes right now was something he doesn't like at all.

 He decided to wait for her memory to return, but nothing came to her mind yet.

 Was it really that difficult to wait without promises?

 “…  ha."

 Cedric felt ugly emotions slowly filling his heart.

 It was not the time to be jealous of the Grand Duke like this, but he was anxious about what if Julia didn't want to come back.

 And on the other hand, he thought that it would be a better option for Julia to stay here as it was.

 Cedric turned around, staring endlessly at the now empty gate.

 As he left the guest room and walked along the hallway, he stopped for a moment on the stairs.

 Down two floors, there was Julia's bedroom.

 In the meantime, whenever Kalosa visited her, Cedric also occasionally joined him as an assistant.

 Yet, he had never met Julia alone.  He didn't even have long conversations with her.

 At least once he wanted to talk with her alone.

 Cedric made up his mind and went down the stairs.

 He stopped on the floor where Julia’s bedroom was, and stepped into the hallway.

 “Can I see Her Grace for a moment?”

 Cedric asked the maid who was standing near her bedroom.

 She confirmed that he was a guest staying in the castle, and she replied with a bow.

 “Are you here for treatment?  I'll tell her right away, and I'll come back."

 She thought he had visited for Julia’s treatment, and the maid walked into the bedroom without hesitation.

 And it wasn't long before he got permission to come in.

 As Cedric cautiously stepped into the room, he saw Julia sitting at the table, as she always did when receiving treatment.

 “Welcome, priest.”

 Unlike when he saw her outside the window a long time ago, now Julia had her hair tied.

 When he saw it, he naturally remembered the time they spent in the monastery.

 There she always lived with her hair in a loose ponytail.

 And Cedric loved to see her hair fluttering behind her back.

 “Priest?”

 When Cedric stood silently and didn't say anything, Julia opened her mouth again with a puzzled expression.

 Only then did he come to his senses, and belatedly, he shouted ‘ah.’

 “I’m sorry.  I was thinking about something else for a second.”

 Then Cedric slowly approached the table and sat down.

 The woman opposite him tilted her head slightly.

 “Didn’t you come with Priest Kalosa today?”

“Actually, I’m not here for treatment, but because I have something to tell you.”

 Although Julia was puzzled by this, she soon looked at him calmly.

 Cedric looked at her face for a moment.

The pale face when she was in her long unconsciousness was nowhere to be seen.

 Since she woke up, her health has improved noticeably.  Her face was also full of vitality.

 Perhaps, than when she was staying in the monastery, Julia seemed to be more comfortable and happier now.

 “Grand Duchess….”

 Before he could say anything more, someone swung the door open.

 At about the same time, the faces of Julia and Cedric, who looked at the door, changed to contrast.

 "Your Highness."

 The one who opened the door was the Grand Duke, who was standing with his forehead slightly frowned.

 Seeing the maid standing behind him, it seemed that he knew Cedric came in alone and opened the door.

 Julia, who called Fernan with a pleasant voice, looked at him warmly as he approached.

 “I don’t think the treatment day is today.”

 Fernan opened his mouth with a softer voice, unlike the narrowed brow.

 His gaze was on Julia, but the words he threw were directed at Cedric.

“Yes, I came here today because I have something to tell the Grand Duchess.”

 But they weren’t able to talk any more when the Grand Duke arrived.

 Just as he came to visit Julia recklessly out of a rush, the Grand Duke also didn’t want him to meet her alone.

 Cedric looked at the standing Grand Duke for a moment, then turned his gaze to Julia.

 She was facing the Grand Duke with a bright face unlike when she looked at him (Cedric).

  Staring at her, Cedric slowly clasped his hands on his lap.  Then he relaxed and opened his mouth.

 “The Grand Duke has come, so I’ll say what I was going to say again next time.”

 “Do it now. In front of me.”

 The Grand Duke let out a slightly cold voice, unlike a little while ago.

 It seemed like an unspoken pressure not to allow Julia and Cedric to meet alone.

 At that moment, as if sensing a strange atmosphere, Julia looked at Fernan with her eyes wide open.

 Any more quarrels here would only embarrass her, so Cedric slowly stood up.

 And he said with a firm expression, looking straight at Fernan.

 “I will come back next time.”

 Cedric bowed his head to the two with the words that fell as if declaring.

 With a brief silence, Cedric immediately left the bedroom.

Click, the door closed, and there was a brief silence in the bedroom.

 "Your Highness?"

 Julia called Fernan, who was standing there with an expression of suppressing something.

 At that moment, Fernan, who turned his gaze back to her, released his expression as if nothing happened.

 "Perhaps… you don’t want me to meet the priest alone?”

 Unexpectedly, Julia threw out the correct words.  Fernan looked at her like that and recited low.

 “…yes."

 Then a low, subdued voice followed.

 “If you want to meet, I can’t stop you.”

 At this moment, Julia thought that Fernan looked a bit uneasy.

 As if there was another reason, not simply the priest from a while ago.

 Julia slowly got up from her seat and approached him who was standing still.

 And with her eyes lowered deeply, she looked up at him.

 “Don’t look like that.”

She didn't feel good either because he seemed anxious.

 All the while, she thought it was just her who was worried about what to do if this dreamlike time was broken, but this man seemed to be even more so.

 Julia gently grabbed his firm hand and lifted the corners of her lips.

 “Let’s be together.”

 “….”

 “I want to be with you forever.”

 Fernan’s eyes widened for a moment at Julia’s unexpected words.

 Then he grabbed her soft hand and held it tight again.

 “So do I.”

 More, he wanted to be with her. In his heart, he wanted Julia beyond comparison.

 Fernan held the heavy emotions that filled his tightly held hands.

 He didn't want to let Julia go.  He wanted to keep her like this forever, making it impossible to remember anything and never leaving his side.

 Fernan put down those heavy emotions with all his might.

 Then he slowly released Julia’s hand and held it more gently so as not to hurt her.

 “I will be with you. Forever."

It was only then that Julia nodded with her lips lifted more comfortably.