I Will End My 10-Year Unrequited Love - Chapter 3
Elia began to hear the murmur of the crowd around her. Slowly, she turned her head toward the source of their attention.
At that moment, the red curtains were drawn back, and light flooded the room. Through the rays, someone stepped forward.
“My goodness.”
“He’s even more incredible than the rumors.”
As the boy fully emerged into the light, people instinctively gasped. They pressed their hands to their lips to contain their awe. Behind handkerchiefs, the ladies’ eyes shone with rapture.
The rumors were true. No, what they had heard couldn’t possibly contain the reality of it. The prince proved it just by appearing.
What stepped onto the red carpet was a beautiful, dazzling young man, so stunning he could have inspired envy in the gods. The prince, who inherited the majestic presence of the Edelward family and the legendary beauty of Empress Loran, was enough to captivate everyone at a glance.
“Wow…”
Elia stood frozen in place. She gripped her mother’s hem tighter without realizing it. How could he be like this? Elia’s small world trembled as her heart pounded in her chest.
Platinum-blonde hair that was almost blindingly beautiful, eyes shimmering in an enigmatic blue, a black uniform that fit him so perfectly it almost seemed sacred, and the golden crest that fluttered atop it all.
The crowd’s cheers faded away in her ears. In that moment, Elia felt as if only she and the boy existed in that space. All the light and praise of the world seemed to pour down on him.
“……”
As if already accustomed to such attention, the boy nonchalantly turned his head. His piercing blue eyes, as deep as the sky, came to a still point.
The moment his gaze met a red-haired girl’s, it was brief. The eyes that looked up at him seemed so mesmerizing that Cyrone gave a fleeting smile.
That was when it happened. The arrow from Cupid, who had been flying through the air, struck Elia’s heart directly.
“My goodness. He looked at me.”
Thump, thump. The world was filled with the sound of her heart pounding. Like spring sunlight falling on a pure white snowfield, the boy’s dazzling smile filled her vision.
“Cyrone……”
The boy eventually turned his gaze away, but Elia stubbornly followed it with her eyes. As if in a trance, she whispered his name as her cheeks flushed brightly.
Thus began the long, tormenting love.
* * *
Before long, Elia turned eighteen. Time had passed, and not everything that sparkled could last. Elia’s love, too, had changed. What once shone with pure brilliance had now been stained with regret and longing, sometimes turning into disappointment or resentment.
She had grown. She had begun to understand, even if vaguely, the weight of the love she had to bear.
As soon as Cyrone completed his coming-of-age ceremony, he became engaged to Camille Ayeron, the daughter of a Marquis family. Rumors quickly followed Camille, who was now paired with the Empire’s most beautiful and revered man.
This was no surprise, as Camille was a member of a prestigious family but had never made an appearance in society.
“Didn’t the Marquis Ayeron family only have sons? I didn’t know they had a daughter.”
“Right? I thought all the Ayeron children were trained in swordsmanship…”
“Well, you probably heard wrong. If they had a daughter, she wouldn’t be handling a sword.”
“But it’s strange. Even if they had a daughter, the Marquis wouldn’t have arranged a marriage with the imperial family, would he?”
“I heard the late Emperor had even proposed, but the Marquis turned it down, saying he’d live his life as the Imperial sword.”
People whispered in surprise. It was no wonder such rumors spread, for the Marquis didn’t divide his children by gender when it came to training.
Camille had grown up to be the most skilled with a sword, with a strong and determined personality. Always tying her hair tightly and dressing in men’s clothing, it was no surprise such misunderstandings arose.
“But she’s supposed to be the next empress, isn’t she? Isn’t she a bit lacking in grace?”
“Who cares about that? The prince himself proposed to her first.”
Their engagement was met with cheers and congratulations, but also envy and jealousy. The cries of those noble young ladies who couldn’t become his bride filled the summer air.
However, contrary to the loud excitement surrounding their engagement, the ceremony itself was simple and quiet. They didn’t even use a banquet hall; it was held in the garden with only the imperial family and key nobles in attendance.
“My goodness, isn’t that Elia Reiffers? What is she doing here?”
“Duke Reiffers made the prince go and suffer on the battlefield. It’s truly shameless.”
Before the ceremony began in earnest, people chatting in pairs whispered when they saw Elia arrive.
“That’s a total lack of pride. Even if she does this, the prince won’t even look at her.”
“Isn’t she cruel? No wonder she’s been chasing after the prince for nearly 10 years.”
“What’s the point? In the end, the prince’s match is Camille.”
As Elia walked past those who openly mocked her, her expression remained as calm as ever.
She seemed entirely used to such criticism by now. The emotions they displayed were cowardly envy and jealousy. After all, they, too, had likely dreamed of Cyrone at least once.
