KLRE C10

Chapter 10

“Ah…”

A soft, regretful sigh slipped from Kina’s lips.

“I will prepare some tea for you.”

As the maid returned with the tea, Versha entered the drawing room at just that moment.

As if nothing had happened, Raon’s expression reverted to its usual state. His face became blank and indifferent—devoid of even a trace of warmth.

“What were you doing? Ah, the jewel! Isn’t it beautiful?”

Versha lifted a radiant red diamond and held it against her neck. Unlike her smiling face, however, her hands trembled ever so slightly—enough for everyone present to notice.

“It suits you well.”

Raon’s voice, on the other hand, remained calm.

That was precisely why Kina could not take her eyes off him. In that moment, she realized how deeply he was suppressing his emotions—and how tenderly he was truly looking at Versha.

“I’ll… be going now.”

Kina rose abruptly from her seat.

“Kina.”

Both Raon and Versha looked startled, but this was not a place where she belonged. She fled as if escaping, wanting to put as much distance as possible between herself and the two of them.

Yet contrary to her intentions, she could not even make it out of the empty corridor before stopping in her tracks.

The two of them were merely pretending to be composed, comforting themselves. Even now, their feelings for each other had not changed in the slightest.

In that moment, Kina realized with painful clarity that she was nothing more than a bystander for them.

The faint hope she had harbored deep within her heart—ever since their seemingly unbreakable bond had faltered—now turned into embarrassment.

Left alone due to Kina’s sudden departure, Versha and Raon were at a loss. Though they had spent considerable time alone together before, they now keenly felt that their relationship had changed.

“Until the wedding, our Imperial Knights will assist you. I stopped by briefly to inform you of that.”

Raon quickly stood up as well. Now that Kina—who had served as a buffer—was gone, he was well aware of how much gossip their meeting could stir.

“Raon.”

Versha’s voice stopped him as he was about to leave.

Why did his retreating figure—almost as if he were running away—hurt her so much? She felt as though she might cry. She tried to smile in front of him, but it wasn’t easy.

“You’ll… keep helping me, right?”

If he turned around now, he would surely notice her tears.

But Raon did not turn back.

“…Whenever you call for me, I will come at once.”

With only those words, he left.

Only after the door closed did Versha collapse where she stood and begin to cry. And through the closed door, Raon could hear her quiet sobs.

But he could no longer wipe away her tears.

Kina and Raon met again on a street lined with shops.

Kina was examining bolts of fabric. They were gifts she intended to send to the orphanages that had taken in the children. If she sent enough fabric, it would be enough to make clothes not only for the new arrivals but also for the children already there.

As she carefully touched and selected the fabric, a heavy sound reached her ears—the stopping of a carriage. Soon, a commotion arose outside. It was not the noise of just one or two people.

“I’ve come to collect the goods for the Imperial Palace.”

Still focused on her task despite the noise, Kina lifted her head.

Then, as someone entered the shop and came to stand beside her, their eyes met.

It was Raon.

As memories of their last encounter surfaced, both of them were visibly flustered.

“We’ve prepared everything inside. Would you please follow me for a moment?”

At the shop owner’s request, the uniformed knights who had come with Raon disappeared into the back.

Only Raon and Kina remained in the shop, and an awkward silence settled between them.

It was rare for him to visit a shop personally—except for special occasions, such as selecting furnishings for a residence he intended as a gift for Versha.

Kina absentmindedly fiddled with the fabric she had been about to purchase and stole a glance at Raon.

He was looking at the cloth.

It was exceptionally soft, flowing through his fingers. From the expression on his face as he touched it so carefully, Kina immediately understood.

He was thinking of Versha.

The same faint smile she had seen in the Crown Princess’s palace rested on his lips.

Once again, Kina realized that this, too, was one of those “special” situations meant for Versha.

Despite loving her so deeply, Raon stood here, outside, instead of in her palace. There was no real need for the Commander of the Imperial Knights to come to such a place.

To Kina, he looked as though he were running away.

Like someone who was reminded of Versha by even the smallest object, yet could not adapt to the changed circumstances and wandered aimlessly.

At least, that was how it seemed to her.

“Your Grace.”

Unable to take her eyes off him any longer, Kina called out to Raon. It was an impulsive call, made without much thought.

Then she spread the fabric and draped it over his shoulders.

“It’s warm, isn’t it?”

When buying fabric, draping it like this made it easy to tell whether it suited someone, and one could feel the texture directly. It was a method she often used.

“They say the material used to make this fabric requires a great deal of time. Only after such time does it become of the highest quality.”

Raon watched as Kina lightly toyed with the edge of the cloth resting on his shoulder.

“There are things, aren’t there, that inevitably require time. Things that are made that way—and eventually find the owner meant for them.”

His gaze naturally shifted to her.

Kina spoke calmly, yet clearly, her eyes fixed not on him but on the fabric over his shoulder.

“Even small objects are shaped by the passage of time, and in the end, they find the owner who suits them.”

Only after finishing did she slowly lift her gaze to meet his.

“In any case, everything flows with time. Your time, mine—and even this fabric.”

She wasn’t entirely sure why she was saying these things to him. All she could infer were fragments of his emotions.

“So sometimes, just let things flow as they will.”

Even if his heart was wandering, unable to find direction amid sudden change, she wanted to tell him that wherever it might lead, allowing it to flow was not wrong.

“And when you drape it like this, it’s easy to tell whether it suits you.”

Like a noblewoman casually wearing a shawl, she straightened the fabric over his shoulders and lightly patted it, as though brushing away dust.

“It suits you well, Your Grace.”

His pain would not vanish immediately. But if he endured this moment, then—as Chris had said—the time for the two of them to love each other would eventually come.

Despite the emotions she had felt just days ago, she now found herself hoping he would be happy.

A light, unburdened smile appeared on Kina’s face—so different from before.

Raon did not respond for quite some time. Just as she began to worry she had overstepped—

“We’re ready.”

Fortunately, the shop owner returned, breaking the tension.

“It seems everything is prepared. I’ll take my leave as well, then.”

Standing face to face with Raon, Kina offered a natural farewell before slipping away, almost as if fleeing.

Without even purchasing the fabric she had intended to buy.

Raon silently watched her departing figure.

Then, he took hold of the fabric resting on his shoulder and grasped it in his hand.