'Oh, that's right. Will that witch really let me go?'
The gentle girl before his eyes completely shattered and brought to her knees the great regent and his power that had shaken the kingdom in his hands.
'I, I can't deal with a Princess. I'll just be trampled to death like an ant, like the chief maid, like the minister...'
In the face of mounting fear, Marieu lost all hope.
Didn't she watch everything from the side? How the Princess lured her enemies into traps and destroyed them.
Learned helplessness broke Marieu's will.
She collapsed, fell to her knees, bowed her head, and begged.
"Oh, please forgive me, Your Highness. I did not sell any information. I followed Your Highness's orders. Please believe me..."
"..."
"If you just spare my life, I'll live as if I'm dead. I won't show up again, but If you still can't forgive me, please spare this child."
Marieu's face was covered in tears.
Even she had never imagined that she would feel this desperate for the child in her stomach.
When she first found out she was pregnant, Marieu was more anxious than happy, so she thought she had no motherly instincts.
But as each day passed, her feelings for the child continued to grow.
The child was the fruit of her love, Samon, and her only blood relative. In this barren world where even her mother had left, the baby was the only being who shared her flesh and blood.
Marieu could not possibly give up her child.
"..."
Anyone would sympathize with her pitiful appearance, prioritizing the safety of her child. But Medea was cold.
A pair of cold green eyes, one that was impossible to read, swept over Marieu.
After a while, the Princess bowed down. She turned her head closer to Marieu.
The shadows fell beneath her feet. The faint scent of flowers brushed her nose.
Marieu crouched down and trembled like an aspen tree.
"Simon too? You're having a child?"
A gentle hand grabbed Marieu's chin and lifted her head.
"If Samon welcomes you, and if he approves of this child, then I will do the same.
"... Yes?"
"I will admit it. I will personally bring your child to the palace and raise him. The child will receive royal education and be treated as such."
"Excuse me. Is that true?"
Marieu doubted her ears at the Princess's incredible proposal.
Medea was the King's only sister. Her legitimacy could not be denied by anyone.
If such a Princess acknowledges the child, the child's life will be truly smooth sailing.
'Maybe he can get his name on the line of succession.'
The son of a mere commoner. Marieu, will become the most powerful person in this kingdom. He may even be granted the title of Duke. like his father, Samon.
In a split second, a pleasant imagination spread out and spread like a ray of desire.
But Marieu soon came to her senses and looked at Medea suspiciously.
'There's no way a Princess would do something nice for me without a reason.'
"What if it's the opposite?"
"Well."
Medea smiled faintly.
"Let's talk about that again later..."
Why didn't I realize then that I was so captivated by that smile that a hunter's noose was also around my neck?
Marieu, who was packing her bags, shook her head.
She stuffed the pouch of jewelry that she had hidden deep in a drawer into her bag.
"I knew it. The Princess knew it this time too."
Medea knew that Samon would reject her child.
What on earth are you trying to do by using me? No, maybe I thought about the worst. It might not be me, but my child that the Princess was trying to use.
“Ah, no..."
Marieu's heart was pounding like crazy. Nowhere was safe.
"They're all trying to take my baby away!"
Marieu, who had been mumbling, suddenly started screaming in a fit of convulsiveness.
"We have to run. Baby, they won't leave you and me alone."
The sight of her biting her lips with one hand and stroking her stomach with the other, mumbling to herself, was hysterical.
I had to get away from both Medea and Samon.
Late that night, the creaking hinges rang out again.
There was no hesitation in her steps as she left the old, narrow room.
Marieu sneaked out of the palace carrying her luggage.
'I just have to get to the castle gate, then hide myself in a carriage going out of the castle...'
The street was pitch black.
Somehow her heart started to tighten.
It felt like someone was going to come and grab her by the scruff of the neck. Marieu walked quickly, looking around as if she was being chased by something.
"Where are you going in such a hurry?"
And her imagination became reality.
"Huh? Miss Marieu. This body is buried."
The moment the giants blocking her sight appeared as if it were a lie. Marieu barely managed to put strength into her legs that were about to collapse.
"Catch her!"
Then she turned around and ran with all her might towards the palace.
'They know my name.'
They were even waiting outside the palace for Marieu to come out.
'Wow, the Princess knows I'm trying to run away...'
"Ahhh! Let go!"
The moment she thought about it, her hair was grabbed. A thick, strong hand grabbed the back of her neck in an instant and threw her onto the street...
"Ahh!"
Marieu suddenly sat up without even having time to examine her roughly scraped skin.
"I'll give you everything I have, okay? Just let me go. Close your eyes. Please."
Marieu gathered up the scattered treasures on the floor and handed them over, but the assailants lifted her up without even looking at her.
She struggled to escape the strong grip, but it was not enough. Marieu, who was becoming anxious, tried to persuade the stranger.
"The royal blood of the Duke Claudio family is in my stomach. If you release me, the Duke will thank you. So-
After seeing Samon's terrifying appearance in prison, Marieu unconsciously brought up the Duke's name when she was cornered.
If you keep thinking about it in your head. It becomes a reflex as if your body remembers it.
"Ugh."
The villain's laughter was heard. A snickering mockery leaked out from between the corners of his crooked lips.
"What are you talking about? He was the one who sent me to kill you."
The stranger raised the corners of his mouth.
"Like this. If you get angry, you'll end up pregnant with the little Duke's child."
"No, that can't be."
'It wasn't a Princess?'
Marieu denied it. No matter what, they've been together for so long. It wouldn't be anyone else, but Samon, he couldn't be this cruel.
"But he's sparing your life because of old friendship. If it were normal, both you and your mother would have died."
The stranger snorted.
"But you dared hit him on the back of the head and run away? Hey, if you do that now, we'll all die."
He spat in front of Marieu...
"One way or another, that child will not be born into this world, so don't be so sad. What are you doing? Hurry up and pour it out!"
At the stranger's words, his colleagues grabbed Mariu's arms.
Then he forcibly tilted her head back and clenched her jaw. The pressure forced the medicine into her mouth, which was then forced open.
"No! No! Aaak-!"
Soon, her vision went dark and she felt a sharp pain in the back of her neck.
***
"Hey, come to your senses. Okay?"
When Marieu opened her eyes again, the world was bright.
The painful sunlight streaming in through the window stung her eyes.
Marieu blinked. It took a moment for the shabby ceiling to come into view.
"Miss, are you okay? Are you awake?"
Several pairs of eyes stood at the edge of the bed, looking down at Marieu. They were older women.
Marieu moved her hand gropingly. The rough sheet was caught in her palm.
"Oh my, be careful. Your body is not yet in good shape, so if you use too much force, it won't work."
A middle-aged woman with a warm appearance helped Marieu up and said.
"Okay, take this medicine first. The doctor said... so you should take care of your body first."
Marieu absentmindedly grabbed the teacup she was handing her, not noticing the gap left in the middle of her sentence.
"How did you end up here? I told you that if you wander around alone without fear, you'll get into trouble. What kind of world is this?"
"Yeah, oh my. Look at all this cold sweat!"
"I thought you were dead? I was so shocked when I found out someone had dumped your body here. You're covered in blood."
The sound of people talking passed by her ears.
She didn't even hear the story that she was abandoned on a pile of straw in a remote street.
Then,
Clang-!
The teacup rolled out of her hand. Her mind suddenly snapped and her last memory came back to her.
On the way out of the palace in a hurry, the strange man blocking her way poured a black drug into her mouth.
And to the deep darkness that covered her...
"My baby-!"
Marieu screamed hysterically.
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