Somehow, the voice sounded angry.
Could it be that, for the first time in his life, Cesare was angry with Eileen?
Feeling completely intimidated, Eileen replied in a low voice:
- No…
She shrank back slightly, biting her lip in apprehension. Then, Cesare reached out and tenderly wiped Eileen's eyes.
Is it because of Baroness Elrod?
Eileen neither confirmed nor denied her statements.
In truth, she knew, her mother loved her, but devoted even greater affection to the Prince. The distance between the love her mother gave her and the love she directed towards the Prince only increased with time.
As the distance grew, her mother became increasingly cold. Eileen was aware of her abnormal condition and continually strived to overcome it.
But when she could no longer contain herself, she simply lost control. The first time the woman exploded was when Eileen was twelve years old.
It happened a few days after she was kidnapped and later rescued, thanks to Cesare. Her mother reprimanded her mercilessly, probably influenced by rumors or stories she had heard.
"It was your fault, all because of you!!!"
That was also the first time she yelled at Eileen not to look at her with those repulsive eyes. When the anger subsided, Eileen cried with her mother, hugging her tightly, even with her little legs swollen and bleeding.
From that day on, the woman could no longer contain her fits of rage. She even tried to gouge Eileen's eyes out with scissors, taking out her pent-up anger on her husband.
But it wasn't always like that. There were also moments of affection and joy.
Memories of the two of them cooking together, washing dishes side by side, and sharing laughs. Remembrances of bracelets made from flowers Eileen had picked. Of her mother gently stroking her hair until she fell asleep…
Even if it was just a little bit of love, those memories persisted.
Even if it were only remnants of the affection she had for the Prince, if she could receive even a little of that affection, Eileen would endure anything.
While biting her lip, lost in memories, Cesare frowned. He pressed his lips together with his fingers, then parted them and spoke:
Your mother's opinion isn't everything in the world, Eileen.
— But… even so, my mother wouldn't say those things without a reason…
So, my words don't matter?
— Oh no, Your Grace… I mean… Cesare, you too…
The more she spoke, the more she felt she was digging her own grave. Eileen said the safest thing she could think of:
- I'm sorry.
He didn't know exactly why, but he apologized anyway. However, Cesare was not an easy opponent to deal with.
- Why?
Faced with the short question, Eileen fell back into reflection. And she found another confident answer:
I think you got angry... because of me.
"Because of you? " Cesare's incredulous response indicated that he had never considered such a thought.
He let out a dry laugh and pinched Eileen's cheek. Feeling guilty, she didn't protest and let him pinch her gently.
Thankfully, he released her cheek soon after. As Eileen gently rubbed her sore cheek, he murmured softly.
Unfortunately, I cannot resurrect the dead.
- What?
Not quite understanding, Eileen asked, but Cesare simply changed the subject and helped her to her feet.
It's time to go home.
It was time to go back. Time had passed too quickly. Even knowing she needed to leave so as not to bother Cesare, she hesitated to go. She wanted to stay a little longer with him.
Noticing his hesitation, Cesare offered him another option:
Or you can just stay and sleep here again tonight.
— I'm going home! You must be busy…
The answer, which had previously seemed difficult to give, came out suddenly. Cesare led her naturally to the front door. At first, she thought he would simply accompany her, but that was not what happened.
He opened the door of the waiting car, placed Eileen inside, and then took the driver's seat.
Are you coming with me?
Seeing Eileen's eyes widen in surprise, Cesare narrowed his own slightly and replied:
Are you planning to go alone?
He started the car and finished:
Since I'm your husband, it's only fair that I take you.
It had been a long time since he had visited that brick house.
Eileen secretly hoped that Cesare would mention some subtle change in the house, like the orange tree growing, for example.
But Cesare's eyes were indifferent. He seemed to treat the place excessively familiar, as if he had visited it countless times before. He paused briefly in front of the orange tree, but that was all.
Thank you for bringing me.
As Eileen thanked him at the door, Cesare looked down at her with his arms crossed. It was then that he noticed the height difference between them.
Just a thank you?
Well… then…
I think I deserve, at the very least, a dinner in return.
(Elisa: Or I'll have you for dinner in exchange )
Ah…
He leaned against the doorframe, bending toward her. His large hand reached out and lightly touched her short bangs. Eileen blinked, surprised.
— I helped you with your hair, remember?
She thought she didn't need to say anything, but by all indications, he had mentally kept that dinner date in mind. Feeling a little indebted, Eileen decided to invite him.
— Hmm… would you like to come in, then? I haven't prepared anything, it can be a little simple…
As she spoke, she opened the door. Cesare entered without refusing. Eileen watched him with strangely attentive eyes.
The brick house had a cozy and quaint atmosphere. Cesare's presence seemed out of place there.
Still, as if he owned the place, he looked around casually. His gaze lingered for a moment on her father's room.
Quickly, Eileen went over, knocked on the door, and turned the doorknob. The door opened easily, revealing the empty room.
— The baron is still wandering around, isn't he?
Yes. But it seems it no longer goes all the way to Fiore Street.
— You probably can't.
Cesare's sly smile and comment were spot on. He walked through the dining room and glanced casually at the kitchen.
— If you want the baron to stay at home, just say so. I'll find a way.
Oh, no! Everything's fine.
Eileen followed him into the kitchen. While she rummaged through the pantry, Cesare watched her in silence.
Luckily, he figured he could make simple sandwiches. All he had to do was assemble the ingredients; even if they weren't tasty, they might go unnoticed.
Of course, compared to what I wanted to offer him, it was very little…
Should I run out and buy something?
With a baguette in her hands, Eileen glanced furtively at Cesare. He raised an eyebrow and asked casually:
Are you going to make sandwiches?
— … How do you know?
Startled, she almost dropped the bread. Cesare took the baguette from her hand and placed it on the cutting board.
— It's written all over your face... that you're a sandwich.
"I'm not good in the kitchen. With the ingredients I have, I only feel confident making sandwiches ," she admitted.
Instinctively, she tried to adjust her glasses, but ended up touching her forehead. It was still too early to adapt to a life without glasses and bangs.
— And if you had the right ingredients, would you have confidence?
"No, " she answered honestly, fearing he was challenging her. Only later did she realize it was a joke, when he smiled.
'But it's hard to tell when he's joking…'
She always had difficulty distinguishing between seriousness and joking. Thinking that she should continue living sincerely, she rolled up her sleeves to her elbows and began to wash her hands. Cesare also took off his leather gloves and did the same. Then, he placed the baguette on the board and deftly picked up the large bread knife.
Can you pass that to me?
— The knife?
With a discreet smile, he precisely cut the baguette in half. Even though everything in the kitchen was small and low for him, he handled the knife with elegance.
Eileen's eyes widened at the perfect cut, as if it had been done with a ruler.
'It would be wonderful if Your Grace could help me divide the research materials into smaller portions.'
She felt a primal desire for his talent, but Cesare was too exceptional to handle a knife in the laboratory.
Disappointed at missing out on a great research grant right before her eyes, Eileen swallowed her disappointment and carefully stacked the ingredients on the sliced baguette to assemble the sandwich.
Salami, capocollo (a type of cured pork sausage), black olives, lettuce, red onion, tomato, various types of cheese… and the other half of the bread on top. It was more of an arrangement than a dish.
As Cesare cut the long sandwich into smaller pieces, Eileen suddenly realized:
'This was the wedding I wanted.'
Simple and peaceful moments, sharing everyday life. But upon deciding to become Grand Duchess, that dream could never be realized.
To be continued…