I Will Disappear, Grand Duke

There were about two moored ships in the harbor.  A crew member was checking the identity of the passengers to help them get on and off.

 Julia stood behind Cedric wearing a worn out robe.

 When it was his turn, Cedric showed the two IDs and tickets he had prepared in advance.

 The sailor looked at Cedric once and then stared at Julia.

 The sailor removed his long gaze and nodded as if saying it was okay to enter.

 The two of them safely entered the passenger ship and were able to relax for an hour.

 “Julia, you’re in the cabin.”

 Cedric stopped in front of the reserved cabin.

 “I’m going to look at the deck for a moment. Just in case, Julia shouldn't come out.”

 Julia nodded.  So Cedric disappeared into the hallway, and she immediately went inside and closed the door.

Looking through the window attached to the cabin wall, the outside was gradually getting dark.

 The ferry was going to depart in thirty minutes.  After passing through the Ruth Territory as a stopover, it was a route that ended in a small principality called Edina.

 Once the ship leaves, everything will go as planned.

 Looking at the waving sea, Julia sat down on the cot.  By now, the news that she disappeared would have reached Fernan. Belatedly, she thought she should have left him a letter.

‘No…’

 Slowly shaking her head, she took off the robe that she was wearing. There was no need for her to write a letter and leave regrets behind.

 Julia just wanted him to live well.  She knew that the man who seemed perfect actually had a very difficult life… she knew that now.

 Already within her, her long-standing hatred and resentment for Fernan had faded. It might be sudden for him, but it would be better for each other to end it like this.

 Julia took a deep breath and then brushed her disheveled hair behind her ear.

"The passenger ship will depart soon, so please get away from the exit."

 Only after hearing the crew's instructions did Cedric walk away.  Perhaps it was because it was an evening ferry, there were not many people on the deck.

  As he crossed the deck with slight doubts, suddenly raindrops began to fall little by little.

 Cedric looked up at the sky for a moment and then lowered his head to the front again.  At that moment, his whole body stiffened.

 It was because a man came into his view.

 Black hair engulfed in darkness and brightly golden eyes.  A man who was different from others because of his overwhelming appearance.

 They had never met, but Cedric immediately knew who the man was.

Julia's husband, Grand Duke Caesar.

‘How….?'

 As Cedric took a step back and was about to turn around, a couple of men blocked him.

 Judging from the fact that they were wearing swords, they were clearly knights.

 “…Ah."

 Cedric's eyes began to waver.

 Did the Grand Duke know from the beginning that Julia was going to board this evening ferry……?

 Hearing the sound of footsteps coming closer behind him, Cedric fell to his knees as he was grabbed by the knights without even having time to resist.

 Meanwhile, the sound of footsteps stopped in front of Cedric.

 When he looked up, the Grand Duke was looking down at him with his eyes gleaming with madness.

 "okay……  It was you again.”

 A cold voice descended.

 Cedric couldn't help but look up at the handsome man in front of him.

 When and how did he know…  ?  While Cedric's head was pounding in chaos, an order was issued.

 “Search all the rooms.”

 "Yes, Your Highness!"

 The knights scattered all at once, and then Fernan headed for the cabin with a reckless pace.

 Fernan's gaze, passing through the broken door, scanned the room thoroughly.

 His golden eyes, like the eve of the storm, were eroded by a frenzied obsession that had disappeared for a while.

 Julia ran away again.  With her gentle smile and loving touch, she deceived him.

 Fernan's lips trembled slightly, then hardened.  He actually noticed. He knew that Julia was sending and receiving letters with the priest. That she was full of thoughts of leaving at any time.

Even though he knew everything, he was deceived again.  

 Bang, the door opened, each room was empty.

 Fernan, who had been randomly opening doors for a long time, stopped in front of a certain room.

 His hand with tight veins turned the doorknob without hesitation.

 Through the gap in the door, a familiar figure standing in front of the window caught his eye.

 Instead of the gorgeous dress he gave her, Julia, wearing shabby and worn-out clothes, was standing by the window.

 Her long, light hair fluttered slightly. Julia turned her head.

 “Cedric, why the ship……”

 Unable to finish her words, Julia's eyes widened in an instant.  Realizing it wasn’t Cedric, she slowly opened her mouth.

 “Your Highness……”

 Fernan approached her slowly.  As the distance narrowed, her gaze shifted upward little by little.

 His still voice, which suppressed his emotions, descended upon her.

 “Let’s go back, Julia.”

 “How do you know……  ”

 Before Julia could finish her words, Fernan took her delicate hand.  Contrary to his eyes that seemed to have lost his reason, his hand holding her was not strong as if he didn’t release his power.

 As he tried to get out, Julia shook off his hand.

Fernan stared at her then he looked down at his empty hand.

 “Your Highness, I am not going back.”

 “…Why?"

 “Because I don’t want to stay by your side.”

 Julia's voice wasn't as cold as when she first pushed him away.  Rather, it was soft, as if she was trying to convince him.

 But they were sharp as dozens of sharp arrowheads to Fernan.

 “I want to find my own life, not the life that belongs to anyone.”

 “…  ”

 “So please let me go.”

 Fernan, who was silently listening to the next words, moved his dry lips slowly.

 “I will give you that life. I'll give you everything you want.”

 "no…  you can’t.”

 Julia raised her clear eyes and looked at him.

 Lockman once said  Fernan wasn't completely indestructible from the start, saying he wasn't the one who had it all, and he wasn't as strong as everyone thought he was.

 Even so, his and Julia's eyes were still very different.

 Julia wasn't confident enough to climb with him on the high ground he had set on.  She didn't want to live by his side as his woman, as someone’s wife.

She wanted to be free from all the bondages that held her down.

 “I heard that you had many marriage proposals.”

 Breaking the precarious silence, Julia spoke again.

 “I hope that you will walk the path of the future with someone who really suits you, not me.”

 “…  ”

 “I, I don’t hate you anymore, I don’t even resent you, so you can let go of all the guilt you have left.”

 As she said that, her face was calm and peaceful.  As if she didn't really feel anything towards him anymore.

 “I want you to be happy. I will, too.”

 Her words pierced through Fernan's heart.  Julia's voice, wishing for his happiness, was slashing through his whole body like knives.

 "Happiness…  ”

 Fernan murmured in an empty voice. Happiness, happiness.  Fernan, who had forced her beautiful words into his mind, took a step closer to her.

 “Julia, without you… I can’t be happy at all.”

 His piercing voice, as if he had lost his mind, threw a stone at Julia's calm gaze.

 As he looked straight into her blue eyes, which began to tremble little by little, he continued to whisper.

 “There’ll be no other person who suits me, that option won’t exist even if I die.”

 “…”

 "I only need you. As long as I have you, I don’t need anything else.”

 His graceful face was horribly distorted. He wasn't in the slightest threatening.  Rather, he was pouring out words with a desperate voice.

 But at this moment, Julia felt as if he would swallow everything in her.

It seemed like she would never get out of it again.

 “What should I do?”

 “… ”

 “How, how can I be your life?”

 Fernan continued to ask as if he was talking to himself.

 Julia couldn't help but look up at him with a puzzled face.

 Then she lifted her hardened lips and let out a more determined voice.

 “No matter what you do, I will not go back.”

 “…No matter what I do?”

 Fernan’s lips trembled with a dark gaze. He slowly reached out and grabbed Julia’s face.

 A dangerous breathing sound came out of him as he lowered his head.

 "…if I kill him…"

 Then, a cold voice that completely killed the desperation poured out.

 "If I kill that priest, will you come back to me?"