Faraway footsteps and voices pulled Komer back from his reverie and memories to reality, he offhandedly turned and glanced over.
It was a group of young men and women emerging from the Royal Villa, likely some young nobles from the capital Jazair of the Kingdom of Nicosia, perhaps even a couple from the royal family.
Komer felt some disdain for those who flaunted their ancestral heritage with uncontrolled arrogance, although he too had once been part of that crowd. However, his illegitimate status gradually made him realize the difference between himself and true heirs. Just as he was facing this difference, an unexpected entanglement of feelings made him finally fall into an abyss.
The unbearable memories reopened the wounds in Komer's heart, forcing him to take deep breaths to calm his emotions. Fortunately, over three years of self-exile had greatly improved his emotional control, and the breeze carrying the scent of the sea gradually soothed his agitated mind.
"Is that Komer?" Came a gentle, refined, and slightly enchanting voice not far behind him.
Like a hammer striking his heart, Komer shuddered all over, his body instinctively turned with a swift motion, eyes fixated, steadfastly staring at the woman less than ten meters away.
The sea breeze lifted the snowy white hem of her dress, and beneath the azure sunhat, golden locks danced in the wind; those flawless blue eyes, the sweet dimples on her exquisite face still struck the deepest chords in people's hearts; her swan-like graceful neck and the coy biting of her lower lip once drove him mad with passion, and now, that very scene unfolded before him once more.
The metallic taste in his mouth finally snapped Komer out of his daze. Although he had imagined countless times in his heart what it would be like to see her again, this casual, unexpected encounter today still made him lose control of his emotions. After all, she was the first woman who truly captivated him. They say first love is unforgettable, and unrequited love even more so – a combination potent enough to drive any sane person mad. Would he go mad?
After three years of hardships, he believed everything had distanced itself from him, but today's encounter showed him he had only been deceiving himself; nothing was as he had imagined.
"Princess Tracy, I am pleased to see you," Komer forced out in a hoarse and weak voice, barely able to convey sincerity, as he struggled to maintain composure. The events of years past flitted through his mind until Tracy's proud and charming gaze fell upon the handsome young man beside her. Only then did Komer feel like he took a heavy blow to his heart, the indescribable bitterness spreading through his body. After the bitterness subsided, his confused thoughts gradually cleared.
"This is His Highness Prince Hoffman, and this is Lady Princess Renta." The girl in the white dress gracefully slipped off the white silk gloves on her hands, her lips parting slightly as she made the introductions: "These two are Viscount Kleyan and Viscount Sorata."
Hoffman, the fourth son of His Majesty the King of the Kingdom of Nicosia, the third in line to the throne; Renta, the seventh daughter of His Majesty the King of the Kingdom of Nicosia, the tenth in line to the throne; Viscount Kleyan, the only son of the Duke of Windsor of the neighboring Netherland Region; Viscount Sorata, the eldest legitimate son of Marquis Nicolas, the Finance Minister of the Kingdom of Nicosia.
"These two are Prince Thomas and Princess Dolomites from the Rosenborg Kingdom," said the girl in the white dress, whose clear smile seemed to spread among all the men. Everyone nodded politely and smiled back at her introduction, while the two princesses acted with reserve, merely nodding slightly.
"This is Baron Komer, my friend. His father is the Chief Finance Officer to my father." Finally, the girl in the white dress introduced Komer to everyone.
"I am most honored to meet all of you," Komer had by then fully regained his composure. If he had been alone, he felt he might have struggled to control his emotions, perhaps even losing his composure, but in front of others, Komer had grown accustomed to forcing himself to remain calm by various means.
A polite handshake, a kiss on the hand, the two ladies were even unwilling to remove their gloves, merely lifting their hands indifferently for the gesture.
"Komer, I hear you underwent your coming of age ceremony today. Has my father truly bestowed upon you the land of the Caucasus?" The girl in the white dress had an innocent look in her eyes as if she did not know what kind of place the Caucasus was, but Komer was acutely aware of how beneath her seemingly naive and cheerful exterior, her cold heart had crushed his spirit to pieces three years earlier.
"Oh, yes, Princess Tracy, the Duke has exceptionally granted me the title of Baron and has indeed enfeoffed the Caucasus to me as a testament to the Reese Family's years of loyalty to the Philip Family. My father, after accepting the land grant from the Duke, asked that it be directly transferred to me," replied Komer, his face betraying a mix of excitement and gratitude as he earnestly spoke to the girl in the white dress.
His companions clearly showed signs of impatience; they did not understand why the girl in the white dress would take an interest in such an unremarkable, lower-class noble, such common sight in Jazair or Cyprus. Impoverished nobles, stripped of their livelihoods, were even more numerous and pitiful than the beggars on the streets, with their children often reduced to prostitution, begging, thievery, or banditry.
Noticing her companions' impatience, the girl in the white dress smiled politely and asked them to go ahead, assuring them she would catch up soon. After hesitating, they agreed to wait for her a short distance ahead, as they truly had no interest in standing with such an insignificant figure, feeling it would tarnish their noble bloodlines and status.
As the girl watched her companions leave, her indifferent gaze stealthily returned to the silent Komer. "The Caucasus is quite a famous place, Baron Komer. You must cherish my father's gift and not disappoint his expectations of you."
Raising his head calmly, Komer caught a fleeting glimpse of iciness in the girl's clear, innocent eyes. He was already numb to such an "expression of goodwill," and responded with an unaffected calm as if he had not grasped the intent of her words, "Thank you for the grace of the Duke and the Princess. I shall hold it close to my heart, never to forget."
A slight disdain was carefully concealed within her radiant smile. Her cheeks, pink through the whiteness, perfectly encapsulated the girl's saintly charm as she feigned indifference, "It seems that Prince Hoffman may propose to my father today, as is Prince Thomas with the same objective, making it hard for my father to decide. I don't wish for past events to influence my marriage, so I also want you and your friends to be mindful."
So that was it, Komer thought to himself with a cold laugh. A display coupled with a threat, no wonder she would summon him at such an inappropriate time and setting.
"I apologize, Princess Tracy, but I do not understand what you mean. I, Komer, am too insignificant to have any effect on your momentous marriage. Are you not overestimating me?" Komer replied indifferently, devoid of any emotional tone.
"I hope so, Baron Komer." The girl in the white dress had by now entirely reverted to her innocent façade, and waving to her friends who kept looking back, she walked away with light steps, "Good luck to you!"
"Good luck to you as well, Princess Tracy," Komer said, watching her slender figure blend into the group. An unspeakable sense of oppression surged within him; was this the disparity, the difference? Komer had thought the trials of the past three years had steeled him to face anything, but now realized that what was lost, though irrevocable, was indelibly seared into his soul, and he might never be able to regard those bygone things with indifference.