"Is it wrong to cherish her when her husband fails to appreciate the treasure he holds within his grasp?"
⋆ Claude De Alger Obelia x Navier Ellie Trovi
➳ 𝐈𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐚 𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐩 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐄𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞...
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"Do you, by any chance, harbor feelings for me?"
Her inquiry caught Claude off guard, rendering him momentarily silent, words escaping him.
Within the recesses of his mind, he mulled over the question, grappling with the emergence of unfamiliar emotions.
'Do I harbor feelings for her?'
The query echoed within him, leaving him in a contemplative silence.
His initial astonishment metamorphosed into a somber demeanor as he composed himself to respond.
"What will you do if I said yes?"
Her verdant eyes widened, an expression of surprise gracing her countenance, both figures standing in stasis, their silhouettes swaying in the gentle breeze.
"Perhaps I do have feelings for you, Lady Navier," he declared, his brows furrowed with sincerity. Her eyes expanded further, grappling with the weight of his revelation.
'However,' he continued in his head, lowering his head with a measured expression. Despite his outward calmness, an undercurrent of solemnity reverberated within him. 'I doubt she feels the same way.'
...
An interlude of silence ensued, Navier hesitating in the wake of his confession. Yet, in the emperor's heart, a flicker of hope ignited, envisioning the possibility that she might grant him the opportunity to foster love.
"I'm terribly sorry, Your Majesty."
Navier's eyes, conflicted and tinged with sorrow, reflected a sense of compassion as she spoke. He met her gaze upon hearing those words.
"I fear," she confessed, her hands clenched, fingers gripping her chest, "that I may not harbor the same feelings for you in return."
A visage of sorrow and disappointment etched itself onto his countenance.
"Ah..." he uttered, his gaze drifting downward, a poignant reflection mirroring in their eyes, particularly in his, upon receiving her rejection. "I understand."
Her eyes met his with a tinge of pity, and she managed to conjure a smile, though tinged with solemnity.
"I appreciate your concern for me, Your Majesty. I do, really," she expressed softly, her gaze gently lowering.
"It's just that the prospect of us being together might not be facile," she continued, her words carrying a weight of complexity.
"No, of course, I understand," he reiterated, yet the prevailing sense of emptiness and sadness within him deepened.
"..."
His stoic facade, a mask concealing the depth of his emotions, couldn't fully hide the hint of desolation in his eyes.
