When That Door Opens - Chapter 22
Click.
The door opened, and he turned to leave.
“Jerome.”
One last time.
“Will you kiss me?”
At her request, Jerome slowly lowered his head. Their lips tangled and breaths mingled familiarly. His large hands warmly cupped her face. Yvonne swallowed, savoring his warmth she would never feel again.
The tears she had swallowed so many times seemed about to burst out. Not yet. Not yet. Yvonne desperately held back her sobs.
I will probably never forget this beautiful man for the rest of my life. The way he had suddenly burst into the shop on that rainy day. The smile he wore when he introduced himself as Jerome and handed her a bandage. He would forever remain unchanged in her memory.
Their intertwined lips finally parted. He whispered softly.
“Just wait a little longer, Yvonne.”
To Jerome, who was asking for something she couldn’t give, Yvonne responded by pulling his hood down to hide his face deeply. So that no one would know he had been here.
“Goodbye, Jerome.”
Jerome hesitated for a moment as if he had more to say, then turned and disappeared into the night. Yvonne stood there as if nailed to the spot until he was no longer in sight, then closed the door with her own hands. Her body finally collapsed powerlessly as she clutched the doorknob with both hands.
* * *
It was just as the young Countess Alpen had said. The entire capital was abuzz as if a festival were underway. Among the people using the princess’s wedding as an excuse to eat and drink merrily for a day, Yvonne stood idly at one side of the square street. She was waiting to catch a glimpse of the street parade for Princess Amelia and Duke Lance, which was about to begin.
Before leaving, she wanted to see him one last time. Just once more, standing proudly beside the Princess
Then, sporadic loud shouts began to be heard from various places in the square.
“Extra! Extra!”
“Read all about it! Extra!”
The young men working for the newspaper were shouting at the top of their lungs, scattering papers everywhere. Yvonne picked up a newspaper that had fallen at her feet.
“Imperial Crown Prince… Dethroned?”
The extra edition contained an article that was hard to believe. It stated that during Princess Amelia’s wedding, attended by all imperial family members and high-ranking nobles of the empire, it was revealed that the Crown Prince was not of imperial blood. He was immediately dethroned and taken into custody. At the same time, it was declared that Princess Amelia, being the only direct descendant of the Emperor, became the sole heir to the throne.
“That person…”
Yvonne recalled the image of Princess Amelia, who had seemed both noble and strong, and nodded. If it were someone like her. However, Yvonne’s gaze stayed fixed on a particular corner of the newspaper article.
「Meanwhile, Duke Lance stayed by Princess Amelia’s side throughout the unexpected scandal.」
Of course, he would. Just from briefly seeing them at the Count’s residence, it was clear how much Jerome respected and carefully treated Princess Amelia.
“Now he will become the Imperial Consort.”
Jerome, who had already been of high status, had now truly become someone she could not even dare to look up to. Yvonne smiled bitterly.
“I just wanted to see him one last time, even from afar.”
It seemed that even that wish was too presumptuous. Unable to discard the extra edition bearing his name, Yvonne carefully folded the paper and tucked it into her bosom, then began walking home. In a short while, the carriage that would take her away from the capital would arrive.
From the square to her clothing shop, it was not a short distance. As she hurried along, Yvonne suddenly tilted her head. It felt as if someone were watching her.
“What is this…?”
As time passed, Yvonne became certain that it was not her imagination. The persistent and chilling gaze seemed to be getting closer and closer.
For the first time in her life, Yvonne felt something strange and stopped to look around, but there was no one familiar in sight. However, there was something that caught her attention like a foreign object.
In the crowded street, two men were walking straight towards her.
There was no room for misunderstanding. The eyes visible under their pulled-down hoods were fixed precisely on Yvonne.
A chill ran down her spine. Yvonne quickly turned around and started walking fast without any particular direction.
