Chapter 16
Ken hated it with every fiber of his being.
The family he had once been so proud of had, in an instant, become a source of shame. He had grown disgusted with the reality surrounding him.
From that day on, he lived with constant anger.
But more than anything else…
What he hated most was that woman’s attitude.
After taking his mother’s place, she acted as though she truly were his mother, without the slightest hint of guilt.
Her arrogance knew no bounds.
Who did she think she was, trying to embrace him?
The very idea wasn’t even laughable.
She seemed utterly convinced that if she continued approaching him, then someday he would eventually accept her.
As a child, that unwavering smile—one that always carried that quiet confidence—had made him feel suffocated.
Her arrogant belief that she could replace Diana.
Her arrogant belief that simply because she had been his mother’s closest friend, she had the right to become his family.
Yes.
He had hated her.
Not once, after his mother’s death, had he ever liked her.
When he continued treating her with hostility, his father had practically forced him into the Imperial Knights.
But Ken hadn’t simply been driven away.
He had taken the opportunity to escape from the family that had refused to listen to him no matter how many times he tried to speak.
When no one would communicate with him…
He had simply been the first to let go.
Even now…
His feelings hadn’t changed.
Soon…
The man wearing a cloak—the one presumed to be the Third Prince—left the gallery.
After seeing him off, Kasia quietly began cleaning the gallery by herself.
Even as dusk settled…
Even after she finally stepped outside and locked the building…
Ken remained standing in the same place, lost in thought.
When Kasia suddenly seemed to sense something and turned around while locking the door…
Ken quickly hid behind a nearby tree.
She tilted her head in confusion before closing the shop and walking away toward what was likely her home.
“…Seriously…”
Crossing his arms, Ken leaned against a roadside tree and watched her retreating figure.
“…What a joke.”
Turning away…
He began walking.
Even now…
He still didn’t like her.
* * *
The following day…
The gallery’s day off was unusually bright and sunny.
I was on my way somewhere.
Sitting inside a horse-drawn carriage beneath the warm sunlight, I quietly admired the scenery around me.
Unlike the enclosed carriages used by nobles, the rural carriage was completely open, making it perfect for enjoying the landscape.
The horses moved at an unhurried pace, leisurely trotting along the road.
Clop. Clop.
The steady rhythm of their hooves echoed pleasantly through the quiet countryside.
The scenery that unfolded before me hadn’t changed from the past.
Wildflowers swayed gently in the breeze.
Large trees cast broad shadows across the grassy fields.
The cool yet comforting country wind softly brushed against my skin.
One by one…
Those familiar sights guided me back into distant memories.
Eventually…
The carriage came to a stop.
As I stepped down, it departed without me.
The sound of the horses’ hooves gradually faded into the distance.
When I looked up…
A magnificent villa standing all by itself filled my vision.
…Nothing has changed here.
On the outskirts of Lorencia stood the vacation villa of the Allison Count’s family, quietly isolated from everything else.
This was the very place where Diana and I had spent so much time together as children.
After those seven long years…
I had always intended to come see Diana at least once.
It would have been better if I had visited her grave before leaving the Duke’s estate…
But everything had been so chaotic that the thought had never even crossed my mind.
So this…
Would have to be enough.
Perhaps…
Only after everything was finally over had I found the courage to come.
I gently pushed open the front gate.
It wasn’t locked.
Walking into the garden…
Neatly trimmed grass formed a path leading deeper inside.
Although the villa was rarely used anymore, someone still maintained it regularly.
It seemed the Allison family continued caring for the estate.
Beyond the garden fence…
The vast ocean stretched endlessly before me.
“…”
A quiet sigh escaped my lips.
The strong yet gentle sea breeze fluttered my skirt.
The sea before the villa looked exactly as it had in the past—
Grand.
Deep.
Sunlight poured across its dark blue surface like countless scattered jewels.
When we were children…
The ocean here had always seemed dazzlingly beautiful.
“Kasia, would you like to come to our family’s villa again this week?”
“But we came here last week. Is it really okay?”
“Of course. If you want to, let’s go.”
“You love the view of the sea from our villa, don’t you?”
Diana’s warm smile…
Her gentle voice…
They came back to me as vividly as if she were standing beside me.
The Allison family’s territory wasn’t far from here.
When we were young…
Diana and I had visited this villa countless times.
Before she fell in love…
She had spent nearly all of her time with me.
Back then…
Diana’s kind-hearted parents, who had since passed away, were always here as well.
Not long after Diana’s death seven years ago…
Count and Countess Allison had also passed away.
The grief of losing their beloved daughter had consumed lives that had once been full of vitality.
The last memory I had of them…
Was at Diana’s grave.
They had embraced me.
Comforted me.
Gently patted my back.
Though I had been little more than a commoner…
They had always treated me warmly simply because I was Diana’s friend.
They were truly wonderful people.
To me…
They had been another family.
This place was filled with those memories.
And now…
I was the only one left.
“Have you been doing well?”
The sky above the unusually blue sea was perfectly clear.
Looking up at the drifting clouds, I quietly continued,
“Your children have all grown up.”
“They’re now old enough to officially inherit their titles.”
“I…”
“I protected them, Diana.”
The clouds floated silently across the sky.
There was no answer.
I kept speaking.
“They’re all healthy, so you don’t have to worry.”
“Nick is still a little timid, but he’s grown into a dependable young man.”
“Your husband hasn’t changed very much either.”
“They all still miss you from time to time…”
“But I think they’ve finally begun to move beyond their grief.”
A flood of emotions rose within me.
Unable to continue…
I paused before speaking again.
“…To be honest…”
“I don’t know if I truly fulfilled the role of Duchess the way you hoped I would.”
A faint laugh escaped me.
“The truth is…”
“I never became close with the family.”
“My relationship with the Duke remained distant.”
“I ended up hurting Ken.”
“And even Nick struggled to accept me.”
“The Duke was an adult, so that wasn’t too difficult…”
“But dealing with the children…”
“That was much harder.”
“I really did try my best…”
Feeling embarrassed…
I scratched my head before lowering my eyes.
Silence lingered.
After hesitating for a long moment…
I finally spoke again.
“And…”
“There’s something I’ve always wanted to ask you.”
“About the diary you left behind.”
Looking toward the brilliant sky…
I quietly asked,
“You thought about me too…”
“Didn’t you?”
The sky remained silent.
Lowering my gaze…
I smiled.
“To be honest…”
“There were times when I felt hurt.”
“Whenever life as the Duchess became difficult.”
In a way…
Diana had left behind one final request that I simply couldn’t refuse.
She had deliberately left that diary in my room.
And with it…
Her final wish.
It had been something I genuinely wanted to do.
Yet sometimes…
I couldn’t help wondering what she had truly been thinking when she made that final decision.
“…Still…”
“I want to believe it came from a good place.”
“After all…”
“We were friends.”
“Right?”
No matter what…
I could never believe that our friendship had been false.
The Diana I had known while growing up…
Could never have been a lie.
The memories we built together…
The little world that belonged only to the two of us…
No matter what anyone else said…
Those happy days…
And everything I had felt within them…
Could never have been fake.
I looked up at the sky once more.
“How is it there?”
“You’re not in pain anymore…”
“Are you?”
Diana…
The friend who had always smiled so kindly at me.
She had been warm sunlight itself.
A light I had once believed would remain beside me forever.
“…I miss you.”
“So very much.”
I smiled toward the sky.
The brilliantly white clouds.
The dazzling sunlight.
Today’s weather…
Was so very much like her.
* * *
How much time had passed?
Slowly…
I lowered my head.
I had said everything I wanted to say.
“…I can’t even cry.”
Had my emotions completely dried up?
Looking down…
I let out a bitter smile.
It wasn’t as though tears themselves mattered.
But after seven years…
After finally fulfilling every promise I had made to Diana…
I had thought I would finally be able to cry openly.
Yet from the day of her funeral until now…
How was it possible that I still hadn’t shed a single tear for someone so precious?
Even I couldn’t understand myself.
Absentmindedly…
I kicked a small stone along the ground.
I looked out over the blue sea one last time.
After taking in every corner of this place…
I finally turned around, thinking it was time to leave.
Then—
A familiar voice called out.
“Kasia?”
It had been so many years since I had heard it.
Yet the instant I did…
I knew exactly who it belonged to.
Slowly…
I turned toward the sound.
Standing there…
Was a man I knew well.
“…Mikael?”
It was Diana’s older brother—
Count Allison.
