That Lady’s Stalker - Chapter 32
997th Year of the Empire May 11th
Once again, the sky was clear. It was always like this when I saw her, and perhaps that’s why I had let my guard down.
Before I knew it, she was close by. I had clearly seen her enter the room from the balcony… I hurried behind a tree to hide.
Had she come out for a walk? Unable to suppress my curiosity, I peeked out from behind the tree and our eyes met. My hair stood on end in shock.
“Commander! Can you…?”
She spoke to me! And even tried to come closer! Could this be a dream? I had to wake up quickly. This couldn’t be real. If this wasn’t a dream, it was impossible.
My head spun, and I didn’t even remember how I had made my way to the palace. I replayed the moment over and over in my head, where Olivia had tried to approach me.
I hit my face with my fist, hard enough that it made a sound. It hurt a little, but it was real.
I hit my face again. It definitely hurt. This wasn’t a dream.
She had come to me! Not by coincidence, not by accident, but of her own will!
I felt power surge through my body. Something impossible had happened. Overcome with emotion, I ran to the training grounds and swung my sword fiercely.
Still, her face clung to my eyelids, not letting go. It was driving me mad.
No, I was definitely losing my mind.
997th Year of the Empire May 15th
Olivia had started acting strangely. She kept trying to come closer to me. My brief happiness turned to discomfort. I knew my place. I was a filthy creature.
The voice of my father, one I should never hear, echoed in my head.
“I told you repeatedly not to get close to that bastard! Didn’t I warn you that his filth will rub off on you?!”
It was something he had said to my brother. He had warned me that the invisible filth clung to me and that I should never be near others.
Yet, when it came to punishing me, my father had always gotten closer than anyone else—closer than even my mother.
It hurt. I hated myself for being so filthy. I didn’t want to avoid Olivia. But it was torture.
997th Year of the Empire May 17th
“Ah, the young lady is in the… room.”
The butler, standing at attention like a soldier, spoke haltingly, his hands pressed stiffly against his thighs. I couldn’t help but let out a soft laugh. He was someone who couldn’t lie. He didn’t have the talent for deception.
It was the same with Olivia. Her attempt at hiding was clumsy. What use was it to hide her body when her pretty face was so obvious? But even that was endearing, and I found myself watching her for a while.
997th Year of the Empire May 24th
Though I had no choice but to avoid her, sometimes I couldn’t help but smile. The fact that she was chasing after me, wanting to be near me, was somehow charming.
“Ah!”
But that smile didn’t last long. Olivia fell. It was my fault.
“Olivia!”
Her name, which I had swallowed countless times, slipped out uncontrollably. Her soft, uncalloused palm and white knee were stained a deep red.
In that moment, nothing else mattered. Not my filth, not the fact that I was cursed. All I could see was her wound.
What should I do? It’s my fault. I’ve hurt this delicate woman.
Guilt and self-loathing overwhelmed me. Rather than seeing her hurt, it would have been better if I had just died. I felt the tightness in my throat, and I immediately checked her body, making sure she wasn’t more hurt than she appeared to be.
But something small stopped me. I quickly looked up. Our eyes met.
“I got you.”
She was smiling sweetly.
Ah, Olivia.
I couldn’t say anything.
997th Year of the Empire May 25th
I headed to the conflict zone after receiving reports of an escalating situation. My mind kept wandering back to the image of her face, the way she smiled so joyfully when she caught me. I couldn’t bring myself to walk away.
So, I wrote a letter. I missed her. I poured my heart out, writing everything I felt.
It was a letter I could never send. She would be burdened by it. But I couldn’t control my emotions—this was the only way I knew how to cope.
997th Year of the Empire, May 28th
I had to attend daily meetings because of the provocations from the Kingdom of Dune. We needed to prepare an appropriate response. Yet, strangely, every evening when I returned from the meetings, the letters I had written were gone.
Has someone taken them? Why would anyone steal something so personal? I pondered this and finally asked my elderly aide.
“Have you seen the letters that were here?”
He answered nonchalantly.
“Oh, all of those letters have been sent.”
“Sent? Where to?”
Please, please let it not be what I’m thinking.
“I sent them to Duke Flonari’s residence. The envelopes were addressed there, so I sent them. Was that not correct?”
“……”
He was so efficient at assisting me, to the point that he handled everything, even personal matters, without me asking.
“Just go.”
As soon as he left, I collapsed into my chair. I tilted my head back and stared blankly at the dull, drab canopy above.
Did Olivia read all those letters? I wanted to rip my hair out in frustration.
I shouldn’t have left them on the desk. I clicked my tongue in irritation. Yet, strangely, amidst all this turmoil, one emotion suddenly rose within me.
Anticipation. Or perhaps hope.
