The Cold-Hearted Grand Duke Obsesses Over Me After My Death - Chapter 151

Chapter 151. The One I Miss

“He can recognize me even though he only arrived late this afternoon. He’s insisting on staying at the Prince’s palace.”

Adam whispered quietly from the side. It was because his face was the same as it had been fifteen years ago.

“Then does that mean His Majesty is ten years old right now?” Asher covered his mouth with one hand and asked in a low voice.

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“Ha….”

Asher was at a loss for words.

“What did the physician say?”

“He said His Majesty is in a very exhausted state and that we need to observe him.”

Is this a side effect of losing his memories last time?

If I’d known this would happen, I would have stopped him when he said he was leaving.

He had thought something was off from the moment Louid said Emilia was alive, but to think the trip that was supposed to help him refresh himself would only worsen his condition.

Asher let out a deep sigh. Things were only getting worse.

“Your Majesty, it’s night, so we will escort you to the Crown Prince’s palace,” Adam spoke politely.

“Why the Crown Prince’s palace? I like it here.”

Louid asked with a blank expression. While he claimed to be ten years old, it seemed he had forgotten everything else as well, as he did not ask about the late Emperor.

***

A few days later, at night. Emilia stood on the terrace of the residence, gazing up at the night sky. The stars were especially clear in the sky above Domer village.

‘Is he doing well? Is he not hurt?’

He used to say he could only sleep well if he slept beside me….

As the time to give birth approached, she thought of him even more.

“Emilia, what are you doing?”

While she was lost in thought, Damian came out onto the terrace.

“I was looking at the stars. That’s the Gemini constellation. Like us.”

Emilia pointed at the sky and traced the shape of the constellation with her finger.

“I see.”

“It looks like it’s standing still, right?”

“Yeah, it does,” Damian replied. The constellation Emilia pointed to was a bright and beautiful one that looked like two people standing shoulder to shoulder.

Lately, Emilia often came outside at night. Whenever he came to look for her, she was always staring at the stars.

“Let’s go inside.”

“Okay.”

‘He said he would come find me if I waited, but there’s no news.’

Like that constellation, if she stayed still and waited, she thought maybe he, who had regained his memories, might come to find her.

As Emilia was about to close the terrace door and go inside, she looked toward the entrance of the farm. It felt like Louid was standing there.

She missed everything.

***

The next morning.

“Chloe, good morning. Are you feeling alright?”

Laura, who helped with the farm work, brought fresh milk.

“I’m fine. Thank you.”

The workers who had joined a few months ago through Evan’s introduction were a couple in their sixties. The husband, Jerome, worked on the farm with Evan, and his wife, Laura, helped with cooking and housework.

“Have a safe trip.”

After breakfast, Emilia saw Damian off.

“Alright. Don’t overdo it and take care of yourself.”

“Okay. You be careful too.”

Damian headed to the imperial capital again. He said that after this trip, he would stay at the farm for a while. Her due date was approaching, and there was more work to be done in the vineyard, so the workers alone were not enough.

Around that time, rumors that the Emperor had lost his sanity spread quietly among the nobles. However, they hadn’t reached the southern region where Emilia was.

*** 

Louid’s condition continued to worsen.

“Why do you keep calling me ‘Your Majesty’? You should call me ‘Your Highness.’”

Today again, he was getting angry at the man who insisted he was Asher.

“I’m sorry, Your Highness.”

“I have to save that child.”

“That child?”

“The one who looked down from the tower. She asked me to save her.”

“Which tower are you referring to?”

“There’s a child trapped in the tower of the Berthe ducal castle.”

“….”

“The blue bird died.”

Louid rambled incoherently, then plopped down in front of the blue bird’s grave in the backyard of the Prince’s palace and began to play with the dirt.

“Gasp.”

At the sight of his friend, Asher sucked in a breath. They said that when someone suffered too great a shock, their mind could break. Now he felt like he was the one about to lose his sanity. A few days ago, he had spoken seriously with the physician.

“It seems a severe aftereffect has occurred due to the immense shock. He lost His Late Majesty and Her Majesty the Empress one after another.”

That would do it.

Asher nodded and asked, “Will he return to normal?”

“According to medical texts, he may recover, or he may never return.”

The physician, watching his reaction, answered vaguely.

“What kind of answer is that… ha….”

Damian was also standing at a distance from Asher. He did not go right up to the Emperor, but watched Louid’s condition with a dark expression.

He thought of his sister.

Though she seemed to have forgotten everything, Emilia would sometimes wear a dark expression. She would sigh and look up at the sky.

And at times, she would sit staring blankly at an empty place. It was in the direction of the imperial palace.

Damian’s gaze returned to Louid.

***

A week later. He was in Asher’s office.

“Are you not coming up anymore?”

“I think I can come during the winter when I return.”

“That’s unfortunate. I really need your help.”

Asher was so busy these days it felt like he needed ten bodies. The Emperor was ill and it was unknown when he would recover, and handling both the Emperor’s state affairs and the duties of the minister of administration meant the work never ended.

Lucian, despite his delicate appearance, was sharp and capable, able to turn one task into ten. It was truly regrettable that he couldn’t help.

“By the way, I have something to tell you.”

“What is it?”

“In truth, Her Majesty the Empress is my sister.”

“What? What do you… gasp.”

Asher, who was always composed, was speechless for a moment. Now that he thought about it, they resembled each other greatly. If Lucian dressed as a woman, he could pass as the Empress.

“Explain in detail.”

“My name is Damian Berthe. I am the grandson of the late Duke Berthe, and Emilia and I are twins. My sister is alive.”

Damian calmly explained everything that had happened. He spoke about their childhood, how he had helped Emilia escape, and that she was now living at a vineyard in the south.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t tell you sooner, Your Grace.”

After finishing, Damian bowed his head.

“No, you did well. You did what any family member would do. You’ve done a great thing, Damian.”

Rather than getting angry, Asher praised him.

***

A gentle spring breeze rustled through the grapevine leaves. Today, Domer village was peaceful as well.

The sound of waves from the sea echoed softly, and the vines were fresh from the rain that had fallen the day before.

The tiny green grapes had grown larger, and the grape blossoms were preparing to bloom.

“Grow well.”

After trimming the smaller cluster growing beside a large bunch of grapes, Emilia headed to the chicken coop. The crooked coop Damian had built was endearingly clumsy.

“I’m sorry, my little ones.”

Apologizing to the chickens, she gathered fresh eggs into a basket, then went to the annex behind the farm to receive freshly churned milk and butter from Mrs. Laura.

When she reached the entrance of the residence, two horses were standing in front of the farm gate.

Did Damian come back already?

It wasn’t yet the day he was supposed to return, and Damian usually came by carriage, so it was strange that he had come on horseback.

A moment later, when Emilia saw the person entering through the gate, she dropped the basket she was holding with a thud.

“Your Grace.”

Grasping her skirt with both hands, she knelt and greeted Asher as he approached. The moment she saw him, tears welled up in her eyes.

“It has been a long time, Your Majesty the Empress.”

Asher, who had approached her, knelt on one knee and bowed his head in greeting. His eyes were also moist.

“Empress?”

Emilia looked puzzled.

“Your Majesty the Empress, please call me Asher.”

“Yes, I understand. Sir Asher, please rise.”

“Let’s go inside and talk.”

Emilia served soup for the two, thinking they must be hungry. The three of them sat around the table with serious expressions.

“But why am I being called Empress?”

“That’s because I….”

Damian hurriedly opened his mouth. For Emilia’s stability, he had planned not to tell her anything about the imperial palace until after she gave birth. So Emilia did not know that she had become Empress.

“It seems you were not aware. I will explain.”

Waving one hand toward Damian, Asher began to explain everything that had happened in detail. When he spoke about holding the coronation with a doll, Emilia’s eyes widened as much as they could. But there was even more shocking news than that.