LIGHTNOVELSTORY Chapter 51
“In any case, this is such joyous news, Liv. Let’s have a family dinner today then. What food did you enjoy, Liv?”
“Um, the salmon dish was quite nice.”
“Very well, I shall have salmon prepared.”
After the excited Hamelsvoort couple left Liv, the one who visited her next was Hildegard.
“Sister.”
“What is it, Hildegard?”
“I take it things went well with the Duke? Oh, I inadvertently pried since the Duke’s feelings were so obvious. The two of you have fallen for each other, haven’t you?”
When Liv only offered Hildegard a faint smile in response to her enthusiastic words, Hildegard’s pupils seemed to sense something amiss. Bringing her fingernails to her lips in an anxious gesture before catching herself, she asked in a trembling voice:
“Why, why are you smiling like that? Aren’t you happy, Sister?”
“Yes, he did propose to me. However…”
A chilly glint flickered in Liv’s eyes.
“That doesn’t mean the Duke loves me.”
“But no, he proposed to you.”
“It was merely out of pity for me. I’m simply taking advantage of that pity. In a way, it was a selfish choice on my part.”
“That cannot be!”
Hildegard raised her voice, a rare occurrence.
“The Duke I witnessed… seemed to anyone a man deeply in love with you! I don’t know what occurred during his divine punishment, but the Duke truly seemed to have fallen for you…”
“No, that’s not the case.”
At Liv’s words, Hildegard furrowed her brow in vexation. She parted her lips several times, as if carefully choosing her phrasing, before catching sight of the Lartman carriage through the window and pointing.
“Ah, the Duke has arrived!”
“It seems so.”
“See, he has come all this way just to visit you again.”
Seemingly viewing it as a chance to convince Liv, Hildegard flung the door open and pushed Liv’s back, ushering her out.
“It seems there has been some misunderstanding, so please go clear it up, Sister!”
Pushed by Hildegard’s hands, Liv descended the stairs and soon found herself before Emmett. In his grasp was a bouquet following the Holy Hilysid Empire’s traditions.
“Liv, these are today’s flowers, but there is no pressure to immediately accept my proposal. I can wait as long as needed.”
“Thank you for saying that.”
Liv offered Emmett a bright smile, prompting him to regard her with an indecipherable gaze.
“Hildegard insisted I speak with the Duke.”
“I see.”
“Yes, about the proposal.”
“…”
“She firmly believes you love me. She is unaware of the complex matters between us.”
At that, Emmett seemed to squeeze his eyes shut in anguish before speaking:
“Though I can’t dare utter ‘those words’ to you, I vow to make you happy from now on. This is an oath before you, and a pledge to myself.”
“Mm.”
Seeming to sense Liv’s disbelief, Emmett added by way of explanation:
“Liv, it seems there has been some misunderstanding, but the truth is…”
“I know.”
“Pardon?”
Liv’s tone was bright, yet her words cut sharply:
“You lacked any memory of the time we spent together.”
Though isolated experiences left Liv lacking in common sense, she wasn’t oblivious or foolish.
While unaware initially upon reuniting with Emmett in high society, the act of slitting her own throat for his sake made Liv realize:
‘Ah, so this is the moment. My actions have led Emmett to come find me again.’
“Don’t worry. Even if Emmett doesn’t love me, I won’t be hurt. After all, no one truly likes me…”
“That is not true, I…!”
Unable to continue, Emmett pursed his lips tightly before regarding Liv.
“Liv, even if not from me, you will surely receive love from many others going forward. This I can say truthfully.”
“I’m not so sure…”
“And though matters became tangled, causing you pain, from now on I will not allow anything to trouble you further. I wish to devote myself to you.”
At those words, Liv simply blinked placidly at Emmett. Such earnest words from him might have convinced a less worldly Liv that she too could be loved.
But Liv had spent over two years in the outside world by now, ample time since being deemed a fake Saintess. She was well aware of how humans perceived her.
“Perhaps now Emmett finally understands my secret of Abgrund…”
“Yes, so there will be no more causing you pain…!”
“But you don’t love me, do you?”
Uncharacteristically blunt, Liv’s words caused Emmett’s expression to contort. Grasping Liv’s hands in his large ones, he asked:
“Have you no intention of reclaiming your original position?”
“My original position?”
“Yes, the Emperor’s seat rightfully should have been yours.”
Hatred burned in Emmett’s eyes as he spoke – all loyalty to the Emperor now vanished, only animosity and resentment surfacing whenever the Emperor’s name left his lips.
“The Emperor usurped your rightful place. I will aid you in reclaiming it.”
Liv, heed his words.
You are worthy of reclaiming your place.
Even the gods, who normally urged Liv towards the highest position, echoed Emmett’s stance. But Liv shook her head.
“No.”
“Why…”
“In Abgrund, didn’t you say I have the right to act as I will, without heeding the gods’ words?”
Those words seemed to strike Emmett like a hammer’s blow.
“So I will act as I choose. I am grateful simply to have escaped the lowest place and met you, Emmett. I desire nothing more.”
Stunned by her unexpected response, Emmett fell silent. With an ethereal tone devoid of any worldly desire, Liv continued:
“Do you recall what I said as I slit my own throat?”
“Which words…”
“That I would love you across all timelines.”
-I will love you in any timeline, Your Grace.
“…Yes, I remember.”
“I truly meant that.”
A serene smile graced Liv’s lips as she reminisced.
“To me, for whom that narrow ashen space was my entire world, your appearance became a new world unto itself. Though I didn’t fully understand then… meeting you again made me realize. That I love you. So there was never a moment I didn’t love you. Truly, across every timeline, I have loved you.”
From the first time she saw him until this very moment, Liv had loved Emmett. And she would continue loving him unchangingly in the future.
Feeling her feelings had been adequately explained, Liv smiled at him.
“So while knowing you don’t love me, I accepted your proposal. It was a selfish choice. Simply being by your side is enough for me, so you don’t need to explain your heart.”
“Liv…”
After gripping Liv’s hands for a long while, Emmett finally hung his head and left.
Watching Emmett’s retreating figure, Liv felt his heart was utterly inscrutable.
Why did he try elevating her to a high position when she was content without it? Why did he seek to bestow human love upon her when she was fine being despised?
It seemed he harbored guilt towards her, but he had no reason for such feelings. Emmett had done nothing wrong to Liv, who didn’t resent him at all.
So his guilt was meaningless. Liv only felt pity that Emmett constantly tried granting her everything.
* * *
As he left the Hamelsvoort estate, Emmett resolved:
‘But I truly do love you, Liv.’
He loved Liv wholeheartedly, and would continue loving her. Even unable to voice his love, he would express it through actions – bringing Liv flowers daily, visiting the Hamelsvoort manor, reading books together… Continuing their current routine.
Liv had said she loved him across all timelines, but there was something she didn’t know:
“If we consider the order, I loved you first, Liv.”
Emmett had fallen in love watching Liv in Abgrund. He couldn’t bear how pitiful yet lovable she was.
So ultimately, Liv’s words about loving him across all timelines were mistaken. For in the time unknown to her, Emmett already loved Liv.
Emmett recalled Liv saying she should be grateful simply to have escaped the lowest place.
Though she claimed to desire nothing more… Liv had already set forth on the journey to reclaim her rightful position by agreeing to cooperate with Hayden to overthrow the Emperor.
Eventually, Liv would reclaim her original position. Until then, Emmett would serve as a footstool for her, cherishing and bestowing upon her all precious things. For that was the only way he could express his love for Liv and atone.