Soon after, Aster's body was returned to Wyatt. Despite the gunfight, it appeared to be in good shape, save for the initial blow.
Damon just stared at his brother's body with a blank expression. No matter how much he hated him, Aster was still his brother, so seeing his brother's body, who had just gone to the negotiation table and returned dead, was mind-boggling.
“Ah, Aster... my son.”
And the Emperor, upon seeing the body of his first son, fell to the floor in shock.
"Your Majesty!"
Isabella, the Crown Princess, called Aster once and fainted.
The Empress was the one who cleared up the mess. After briefly mourning her stepson, she scolded Damon and ordered the fallen Isabella to be carried to the palace. She then had her servants support the Emperor so that he could watch the coffin containing Aster’s body nearby.
“They say there is no order to going...”
There was no deep sadness on the face of the Empress looking down at Aster. However, her grief over her stepson who had died at a young age lingered for some time. It was understandable, for Aster was only twenty-six years old.
“Your Majesty, please go back and rest for a while before coming back.”
The Empress tried to comfort the Emperor. The Emperor kept his mouth shut and shook his head like a child.
“Do you want to be alone?”
The Emperor did not answer. However, his quietly wet eyes spoke of his true feelings. The Empress sighed softly and stepped aside.
“If Grand Duke Burnett comes in, don’t tell him and just open the door for him.”
Of course, he did not forget to leave such a request. It seemed as if he knew that even if Damon, whom he had given birth to, could not be a comfort to the Emperor, Eden would be.
The head chamberlain, a loyal servant of the imperial family, opened the door to the hall where the Crown Prince's body and the Emperor were staying without any confirmation as soon as Eden and Cecilia entered.
“...or whatever.”
It was around that time that the Emperor, who had been immersed in grief over the loss of his eldest son, came to his senses. He called out to Eden like a child immersed in sorrow.
"Father."
That was also the reason why Eden could call the Emperor so informally.
“Eden, my son...”
For what the Emperor lost was his son, and what Eden lost was his brother. Cecilia watched their grief from a distance.
In fact, she still couldn't believe it. She thought Aster had already avoided death, but why? Cecilia couldn't understand why Aster had died, and her mind was spinning.
“Your brother, Aster...”
The Emperor approached Eden, hugged him, and cried quietly. Even so, he had not completely lost his majesty as an Emperor. He could not cry sadly, so he buried his face in Eden’s shoulder and sobbed.
"Your Majesty!"
It was then that the chamberlain knocked urgently on the door. There must have been a reason for someone who knew that the Emperor was in mourning to be so anxious. Cecilia, with her mind barely working, quietly opened the door and stepped out.
“What’s going on that makes such a fuss?”
At Cecilia's question, the chamberlain's face was half-crushed and he began to sob. It was another shadow of despair.
“Her Highness the Crown Princess...”
Cecilia slowly raised her gaze, which had been almost on the floor.
“What did Her Highness the Crown Princess say?”
“...”
“I’m not asking what’s going on!”
As Cecilia shouted, the chamberlain squeezed his eyes shut.
“Ha, you had a hemorrhage and they say it won’t stop.”
She heard her heart stop. Isabella was pregnant as before.
“What about the palace?”
“I headed straight to the Crown Prince’s Palace, but...”
He said the bleeding wouldn't stop. The baby hadn't grown enough to even fill her stomach. At best, he was a baby that had only grown as big as a fingernail in his mother's womb.
“The bleeding won’t stop...”
If that mother continued to spit out blood, there was no way that a child the size of a fingernail could survive. Cecilia staggered around in shock, barely holding herself up by leaning against the door behind her.
“Take any medicine, do anything!”
Cecilia shouted in frustration. Unable to bear the sight of the old chamberlain sobbing, Cecilia pushed him away and started walking. She was heading towards the Crown Princess Palace, which she knew better than anyone else.
No one stopped Cecilia. To be exact, the palace itself was in chaos and sorrow, and no one had the energy to stop Cecilia.
"Your Highness the Crown Princess?”
As evidence, when the rude visitor Cecilia suddenly arrived at the Crown Princess's palace, everyone there was trembling with grief.
“I asked if the Crown Princess was safe!”
Cecilia suddenly became angry. Then the sobbing head maid fell to her knees, shaking.
“They say she lost too much blood.”
"So?"
“The baby is already...”
The head maid buried her face in the floor and burst into heartbreaking sobs. At least if Isabella were to overcome her hardships and give birth to a child, that child might wear the Crown Prince's crown. Cecilia's expectations were crushed.
“Is Her Highness the Crown Princess safe?”
But they don't know yet. Unless Isabella dies, they can hope for a miracle.
“I asked if she was okay.”
But no one answered Cecilia's question. Everyone was just crying, like the chief maid, with her forehead pressed against the marble floor.
“...Get out of the way.”
Even though she knew that was the answer, Cecilia clenched her teeth and gave the order. Isabella couldn't die like this. Just like Aster, who suddenly returned as a cold corpse, there was no way Isabella and the child would leave. Just with that one expectation.
“Your Highness the Grand Duchess!”
“Get out of the way!”
When Cecilia grabbed her and pushed away the people who were hanging on with all her might, and entered Isabella's bedroom, the pungent smell of blood hit her nose.
The palace doctor was sweating profusely and didn't know what to do, while Isabella was groaning without even coming to her senses.
“The bleeding is this severe...”
This time, even the palace guards who arrived in time could not save her. They only talked about how serious Isabella's situation was.
“...”
If so, the outcome was clear. Isabella would lose the child she never knew she had, and then, unable to control herself after losing the child, she would commit suicide. If by any chance she did not commit suicide, she would die from excessive bleeding that would soak the quilt.
If that happens, Aster will die, his successor will die, and Isabella will die.
'The Crown Prince's death occurred in the year 278 of the Imperial Calendar.'
Cecilia remembered something she had forgotten.
"Ha."
And as soon as she remembered that fact, a hollow laugh escaped Cecilia. It couldn't be helped.
Because neither Aster, Isabella nor their child guessed that they would not live beyond their appointed life span.
“Ah, uh...”
Isabella gasped for breath. The palace doctor and his attendants clung to her, trying to help her breathe. But Isabella just suffered. As if all she wanted to do was follow her husband to death.
“Your Highness the Crown Princess, please come to your senses!”
During the rapidly unfolding situation, Cecilia was unable to take any action and could only watch the scene.
"Your Highness!"
Instead of doing anything, she hopes someone will come and save Isabella. She hopes the child will be alive and well.
At that moment, Isabella barely opened her eyes. Cecilia hurried to her side and grabbed Isabella's blood-soaked hand.
“Your Highness the Crown Princess. You will be okay. Everything will be okay.”
And she whispered. It would be okay. Her husband's death was something she could forget as time passed. If she had that child, no, even if she didn't have that child.
“You need to come to your senses. Even Your Highness shouldn’t act like this.”
Even during the confusion, Cecilia whispered soft words to Isabella several times so that she could find the will to live. Isabella stared at Cecilia with her big eyes wide open.
"...Thank you."
A smiling face that couldn't cry. The moment Cecilia saw that her heart sank. Isabella's eyes, filled with Cecilia's earnest face, slowly, very slowly closed.
No matter how much false hope was given to Isabella that the child she never knew existed was alive, it was as if she already knew the truth. As if it was a predetermined fate.
“...”
And Isabella never opened her eyes again.
“Please kill me, Your Highness, the Grand Duchess.”
And all that came back was the voice of the palace doctor, who was sobbing with his head on the floor. Cecilia closed her eyes with a face that could neither cry nor laugh. A single tear ran down her closed eye.
In the end, they died. At the appointed time. The Crown Prince and the Crown Princess. When they were relaxed and relieved that all threats had been eliminated. As if mocking their carelessness.
Cecilia sobbed with her eyes tightly shut. Her breath caught in her throat as she thought that perhaps this life was something she could not change with her own strength. It felt like someone was strangling her.
“Your Highness the Grand Duchess!”
My body collapsed and my consciousness also collapsed.
Damon just stared at his brother's body with a blank expression. No matter how much he hated him, Aster was still his brother, so seeing his brother's body, who had just gone to the negotiation table and returned dead, was mind-boggling.
“Ah, Aster... my son.”
And the Emperor, upon seeing the body of his first son, fell to the floor in shock.
"Your Majesty!"
Isabella, the Crown Princess, called Aster once and fainted.
The Empress was the one who cleared up the mess. After briefly mourning her stepson, she scolded Damon and ordered the fallen Isabella to be carried to the palace. She then had her servants support the Emperor so that he could watch the coffin containing Aster’s body nearby.
“They say there is no order to going...”
There was no deep sadness on the face of the Empress looking down at Aster. However, her grief over her stepson who had died at a young age lingered for some time. It was understandable, for Aster was only twenty-six years old.
“Your Majesty, please go back and rest for a while before coming back.”
The Empress tried to comfort the Emperor. The Emperor kept his mouth shut and shook his head like a child.
“Do you want to be alone?”
The Emperor did not answer. However, his quietly wet eyes spoke of his true feelings. The Empress sighed softly and stepped aside.
“If Grand Duke Burnett comes in, don’t tell him and just open the door for him.”
Of course, he did not forget to leave such a request. It seemed as if he knew that even if Damon, whom he had given birth to, could not be a comfort to the Emperor, Eden would be.
The head chamberlain, a loyal servant of the imperial family, opened the door to the hall where the Crown Prince's body and the Emperor were staying without any confirmation as soon as Eden and Cecilia entered.
“...or whatever.”
It was around that time that the Emperor, who had been immersed in grief over the loss of his eldest son, came to his senses. He called out to Eden like a child immersed in sorrow.
"Father."
That was also the reason why Eden could call the Emperor so informally.
“Eden, my son...”
For what the Emperor lost was his son, and what Eden lost was his brother. Cecilia watched their grief from a distance.
In fact, she still couldn't believe it. She thought Aster had already avoided death, but why? Cecilia couldn't understand why Aster had died, and her mind was spinning.
“Your brother, Aster...”
The Emperor approached Eden, hugged him, and cried quietly. Even so, he had not completely lost his majesty as an Emperor. He could not cry sadly, so he buried his face in Eden’s shoulder and sobbed.
"Your Majesty!"
It was then that the chamberlain knocked urgently on the door. There must have been a reason for someone who knew that the Emperor was in mourning to be so anxious. Cecilia, with her mind barely working, quietly opened the door and stepped out.
“What’s going on that makes such a fuss?”
At Cecilia's question, the chamberlain's face was half-crushed and he began to sob. It was another shadow of despair.
“Her Highness the Crown Princess...”
Cecilia slowly raised her gaze, which had been almost on the floor.
“What did Her Highness the Crown Princess say?”
“...”
“I’m not asking what’s going on!”
As Cecilia shouted, the chamberlain squeezed his eyes shut.
“Ha, you had a hemorrhage and they say it won’t stop.”
She heard her heart stop. Isabella was pregnant as before.
“What about the palace?”
“I headed straight to the Crown Prince’s Palace, but...”
He said the bleeding wouldn't stop. The baby hadn't grown enough to even fill her stomach. At best, he was a baby that had only grown as big as a fingernail in his mother's womb.
“The bleeding won’t stop...”
If that mother continued to spit out blood, there was no way that a child the size of a fingernail could survive. Cecilia staggered around in shock, barely holding herself up by leaning against the door behind her.
“Take any medicine, do anything!”
Cecilia shouted in frustration. Unable to bear the sight of the old chamberlain sobbing, Cecilia pushed him away and started walking. She was heading towards the Crown Princess Palace, which she knew better than anyone else.
No one stopped Cecilia. To be exact, the palace itself was in chaos and sorrow, and no one had the energy to stop Cecilia.
"Your Highness the Crown Princess?”
As evidence, when the rude visitor Cecilia suddenly arrived at the Crown Princess's palace, everyone there was trembling with grief.
“I asked if the Crown Princess was safe!”
Cecilia suddenly became angry. Then the sobbing head maid fell to her knees, shaking.
“They say she lost too much blood.”
"So?"
“The baby is already...”
The head maid buried her face in the floor and burst into heartbreaking sobs. At least if Isabella were to overcome her hardships and give birth to a child, that child might wear the Crown Prince's crown. Cecilia's expectations were crushed.
“Is Her Highness the Crown Princess safe?”
But they don't know yet. Unless Isabella dies, they can hope for a miracle.
“I asked if she was okay.”
But no one answered Cecilia's question. Everyone was just crying, like the chief maid, with her forehead pressed against the marble floor.
“...Get out of the way.”
Even though she knew that was the answer, Cecilia clenched her teeth and gave the order. Isabella couldn't die like this. Just like Aster, who suddenly returned as a cold corpse, there was no way Isabella and the child would leave. Just with that one expectation.
“Your Highness the Grand Duchess!”
“Get out of the way!”
When Cecilia grabbed her and pushed away the people who were hanging on with all her might, and entered Isabella's bedroom, the pungent smell of blood hit her nose.
The palace doctor was sweating profusely and didn't know what to do, while Isabella was groaning without even coming to her senses.
“The bleeding is this severe...”
This time, even the palace guards who arrived in time could not save her. They only talked about how serious Isabella's situation was.
“...”
If so, the outcome was clear. Isabella would lose the child she never knew she had, and then, unable to control herself after losing the child, she would commit suicide. If by any chance she did not commit suicide, she would die from excessive bleeding that would soak the quilt.
If that happens, Aster will die, his successor will die, and Isabella will die.
'The Crown Prince's death occurred in the year 278 of the Imperial Calendar.'
Cecilia remembered something she had forgotten.
"Ha."
And as soon as she remembered that fact, a hollow laugh escaped Cecilia. It couldn't be helped.
Because neither Aster, Isabella nor their child guessed that they would not live beyond their appointed life span.
“Ah, uh...”
Isabella gasped for breath. The palace doctor and his attendants clung to her, trying to help her breathe. But Isabella just suffered. As if all she wanted to do was follow her husband to death.
“Your Highness the Crown Princess, please come to your senses!”
During the rapidly unfolding situation, Cecilia was unable to take any action and could only watch the scene.
"Your Highness!"
Instead of doing anything, she hopes someone will come and save Isabella. She hopes the child will be alive and well.
At that moment, Isabella barely opened her eyes. Cecilia hurried to her side and grabbed Isabella's blood-soaked hand.
“Your Highness the Crown Princess. You will be okay. Everything will be okay.”
And she whispered. It would be okay. Her husband's death was something she could forget as time passed. If she had that child, no, even if she didn't have that child.
“You need to come to your senses. Even Your Highness shouldn’t act like this.”
Even during the confusion, Cecilia whispered soft words to Isabella several times so that she could find the will to live. Isabella stared at Cecilia with her big eyes wide open.
"...Thank you."
A smiling face that couldn't cry. The moment Cecilia saw that her heart sank. Isabella's eyes, filled with Cecilia's earnest face, slowly, very slowly closed.
No matter how much false hope was given to Isabella that the child she never knew existed was alive, it was as if she already knew the truth. As if it was a predetermined fate.
“...”
And Isabella never opened her eyes again.
“Please kill me, Your Highness, the Grand Duchess.”
And all that came back was the voice of the palace doctor, who was sobbing with his head on the floor. Cecilia closed her eyes with a face that could neither cry nor laugh. A single tear ran down her closed eye.
In the end, they died. At the appointed time. The Crown Prince and the Crown Princess. When they were relaxed and relieved that all threats had been eliminated. As if mocking their carelessness.
Cecilia sobbed with her eyes tightly shut. Her breath caught in her throat as she thought that perhaps this life was something she could not change with her own strength. It felt like someone was strangling her.
“Your Highness the Grand Duchess!”
My body collapsed and my consciousness also collapsed.
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