Still, it wasnât easy.
Apollonia trusted and cared for him but she secretly refused to stand by him.
She didnât see him often when she lived in the Emperorâs Palace and she only focused on two topics whenever they met.
The two subjects were Caelionâs studies and how to avoid assassination attempts.
It was a little different from Uriel whom she always talked freely about music and childhood.
Out of interest, he had provoked Uriel a few years ago that he would win Apolloniaâs heart but to this day, it appeared like they had a strong bond that he couldnât break.
He envied Uriel who could now go to and from the Royal Palace as much as he liked.
âIf you have been in love, you will realize that it isnât easy to do so,â Caelion murmured.
Evangeline tilted her head once again.
There was one more reason why he couldnât freely express his love to Apollonia.
Caelion had fallen in love with Apollonia much deeper than he first recognized.
âA love confession is important to strengthen each otherâs feelings especially if itâs mutual.â
Caelion was fond of Apollonia from the moment he first saw her.
When he overheard Apollonia and Urielâs conversation and realized her true face, she impressed him for not only escaping Petraâs suspicion for a long time but also for taking all kinds of measures to escape her wedding engagements.
On the cursed day of his parentsâ death, Apollonia rescued Caelion from a collapsing building she even got hurt herself.
The tragic memory still horrified Caelion until now that he remembered every single detail of what happened during that day.
He had seen Apolloniaâs countenance through the flames, her cracked voice, and the tears streaming down her face.
When she grabbed Caelionâs shoulder and proposed to him threateningly, he immediately agreed.
If he were to form a bond with someone for the rest of his life, he hoped that that person would be Apollonia.
It didnât take long for him to realize that he really loved her so much.
For the next five years, his admiration deepened like a bottomless well.
Caelion adored her countless times.
From drawing burn scars on her wrist to erase Apolloâs halo in order to avoid Petraâs hunch as well as becoming the wealthiest lady in the continent under the alias of Eileen Idena, Apolloniaâs every move never failed to surprise him.
Apollonia was deeply entrenched in Caelionâs mind and never left.
He feared her, respected her, admired her, and sympathized with her at the same time.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
But above all else, he loved Apollonia.
Her appearance became even more beautiful every time they meet and it took his breath away.
As his feelings grew and overwhelmed him, he couldnât bring himself to confess his love to Apollonia.
He neither want to think about their relationship becoming awkward nor did he like being rejected.
He only joked that he missed her as her fiancee.
âPerhaps, you canât confess because sheâs too precious to you.â Evangeline interrupted his recollection. âThat doesnât make sense.â
âYouâve never really liked people.â
Caelion told Evangeline.
She frowned.
He was like a leopard sitting on a fly.
âWhat are you talking about? Didnât you hear that I like you?â
Caelion smirked.
A few days after meeting him, Evangeline had been blindly fond of him not long after he had taken her prisoner.
âIf I was taken to the Empire like this, I might as well die so I realize I should confess immediately. At least, that person will know what I feel.â
Her ideas were too logical that they embarrassed him as if he should have no worries or concerns regarding her confession.
She merely expressed it because she thought about it.
âYou said you like me so whatâs with that attitude? Why are you playing âlove doctorâ all of a sudden?â
âI just asked because I was curious. Itâs also natural for me to care about your feelings. Even if you go and confess to the princess, Iâm still going to visit you.â She smiled proudly.
Caelion shook his head again.
This woman didnât understand him at all.
She was weird from head to toe.
Evangeline was dignified as if everything in the world belonged to her and she was reckless like a person who had no desire to live in front of the Emperor or the crown prince.
She collected and tamed monsters that were abominable and harmful to humans as if she was obsessed with them.
She was the opposite of Apollonia in many ways.
If Apollonia lived for the sake of a cause, pretending not to know what she knew and not showing any emotion including anger or sadness, then this woman was just living her life as she wanted to.
She was honest with her feelings and she easily befriend animals as easily as if they were people.
From the first day they met until now, she pretended to be friendly and spoke a lot of nonsense to him, encouraging Caelion to speak to her with the same familiarity.
However, her eyes were terribly focused and intense when she looked at him.
She watched him as if he was her prey and she didnât bother covering it up or hiding it.