A dry, raspy voice echoed through the prison. Jules said nothing. She didn’t even move her lips, as if she had no intention of answering. Else stared at the pale, stricken woman, then rolled her eyes. A tall man appeared in front of the prison bars, filled with pitch-black darkness and a chilling atmosphere. Although he wasn’t wearing a black cloak or a feathered hat, the man was still wearing a cloak that had no boundaries with darkness. In the dim light, noble and exquisite patterns stood out in silver-white. Else looked at him as if she were looking at a stranger, then at her relative.
Jules just held Else's hand tightly and said nothing.
“Countess Loper, please step aside.”
A dark voice called out to her. Jules trembled, then got up and left the prison. Else followed her back with anxious eyes like a lost child, then stared at the man. Jules bowed politely in front of Ian and disappeared down the stairs.
Her lips, filled with heat, twitched in confusion. The tall man who had been sitting stood up and strode toward her. Else found herself face to face with the man who had reached her nose. However, she was afraid to meet his eyes, so she kept her eyes on his chest. If she did, she felt like she couldn’t bear it. If she confirmed those eyes if she knew that he was Ian... She didn’t want to admit that the viridian-colored eyes belonged to the man in her memories.
“Don’t you know who I really am?”
It was a gentle question. He lifted Else’s chin, which was frozen in fear. Else looked at him awkwardly. Her dry eyes quickly began to wet in front of Milium’s dance and violence.
“You really don’t know who I am?”
Her lips, filled with heat, trembled. She tried to remove the hand that was holding her chin, but her fingers were caught. It was a wicked force. She said, “I.” Jules bowed politely. As the wife of a knight in the guard, there was only one person Jules should be so polite to. Else felt Ian’s face in the prison where even a ray of dim light was hard to come by.
The outline, which had become more mature and solid, was sharp as a slash. Every time she blinked, tears flowed without stopping. Tears that did not shed a single whimper were cold and sour. Else held onto his hand in a daze and then pulled away from his lips.
“Me, me...”
“Kiss me.”
A monotonous command cut off Else's words. The man who had been looking at her bloodless lips let go of his chin and muttered. As Else, unable to keep her heavy body in check, was about to collapse, a large hand came over and grabbed her again. It felt like the child in her stomach was rolling its feet.
'Baby... Is it meaningful for you to look for your father now?'
It was when Else, feeling her mind becoming clouded by her rapid breathing, trembled and dropped her gaze.
"This is the clock that keeps the hour hand of the burden... It is impossible to go against the burden."
She lifted her gaze that had been dropped. Else slowly opened her lips that had been closed and moaned wetly.
“Do you want to raise your child as a slave?”
Slave... Slave. Her eyelids fluttered. She held her stomach with her hands that were barely touching the floor. She gently caressed the child inside her stomach. It was a whisper that was too cruel for a child to hear. And it was coming from his father’s mouth... Wasn’t it his biological father whom he had miraculously reunited with after nearly a year? Else reminded the past few months.
With what kind of heart did she try to protect it? What did this lump of blood that remained mean to her? It was a cruel insult. The child in her womb was what she desperately wanted as she helplessly endured her husband's violence. If it had been Millium's child, she wouldn't have been so ardent. It would have been the same even if it had been another man's child. Because it was only this man. Because it was this man...
“...Kill me.”
“Even the lump in your stomach?”
He asked, pulling at the corners of his lips. Else swallowed her anger and trembled. She wanted to slap his cheek like she had done before. She wanted to curse and slap that handsome face.
The woman who was lovely whenever she saw him was lovely even when she lost her mind and fell down. She was a sad and captivating beauty. The night she pushed him away and pushed him away. The last time they met, in the moonlit hallway, Else lost consciousness in his arms. Their relationship will be reestablished.
He had longed for this. To have Else completely in his possession, to have her locked up in his bedroom. Her beautiful bird. Her lovely woman. The thought of her, who should have been his own and exclusive, now falling under the yoke of a swindler, made his blood boil.
Even the slender body was carrying his child. Sibyl looked down at her swollen belly with cold eyes. Else, who had been cleaned and washed and placed on a cleanly arranged bed, was pale and slender. She was pregnant, but that was the case. He recalled the results that Alexander had reported when he visited with his wife the last time.
Didn't she say that she couldn't eat because nothing suited her taste? Sybil looked at the thin woman with worried eyes. The woman sleeping on one side of his bed, wearing a silk nightgown that exposed her shoulders and chest, didn't look like she was pregnant. He raised his hand and stroked her belly, which was swollen like a gourd. It was his first time touching a child.
'My child...'
No, since they said two, they must be his children. Twins in this skinny, slender body... Else didn’t know that. She also heard it recently. He often had Alexander, a knight of the guard and Count of Loper, watch over the Roate family.
He tried to send a doctor using Jules, Alexander's wife, and he also tried to send the palace cook. He tried to send medicines and bedding that were only used in the palace, but Millium, the bastard whose intestines he had to rip out and feed to pigs, blocked it. But now he can do as he pleases. Sending her flowers once a day, and not sparing anything in feeding and clothing her...
“Else...”
He took his hand away from her belly and stroked her feverish forehead. She didn't have much time left to live. She said she found out she was pregnant after he left, so the seed must have entered her womb before then. When was it...? When did the baby start to enter her womb?
He narrowed his eyes and studied the woman’s beautiful face. The dazed face before she fell over came to mind. The face had turned pale without a single distortion. Else’s face had lost everything. Everything...
Jules just held Else's hand tightly and said nothing.
“Countess Loper, please step aside.”
A dark voice called out to her. Jules trembled, then got up and left the prison. Else followed her back with anxious eyes like a lost child, then stared at the man. Jules bowed politely in front of Ian and disappeared down the stairs.
Ian... No, it wasn’t Ian. Could it be that Else had mistaken him? But if it wasn’t him, if it wasn’t him...
“Who, who...”
“Who, who...”
Her lips, filled with heat, twitched in confusion. The tall man who had been sitting stood up and strode toward her. Else found herself face to face with the man who had reached her nose. However, she was afraid to meet his eyes, so she kept her eyes on his chest. If she did, she felt like she couldn’t bear it. If she confirmed those eyes if she knew that he was Ian... She didn’t want to admit that the viridian-colored eyes belonged to the man in her memories.
“Don’t you know who I really am?”
It was a gentle question. He lifted Else’s chin, which was frozen in fear. Else looked at him awkwardly. Her dry eyes quickly began to wet in front of Milium’s dance and violence.
“You really don’t know who I am?”
Her lips, filled with heat, trembled. She tried to remove the hand that was holding her chin, but her fingers were caught. It was a wicked force. She said, “I.” Jules bowed politely. As the wife of a knight in the guard, there was only one person Jules should be so polite to. Else felt Ian’s face in the prison where even a ray of dim light was hard to come by.
The outline, which had become more mature and solid, was sharp as a slash. Every time she blinked, tears flowed without stopping. Tears that did not shed a single whimper were cold and sour. Else held onto his hand in a daze and then pulled away from his lips.
“Me, me...”
“Kiss me.”
A monotonous command cut off Else's words. The man who had been looking at her bloodless lips let go of his chin and muttered. As Else, unable to keep her heavy body in check, was about to collapse, a large hand came over and grabbed her again. It felt like the child in her stomach was rolling its feet.
'Baby... Is it meaningful for you to look for your father now?'
It was when Else, feeling her mind becoming clouded by her rapid breathing, trembled and dropped her gaze.
"This is the clock that keeps the hour hand of the burden... It is impossible to go against the burden."
She lifted her gaze that had been dropped. Else slowly opened her lips that had been closed and moaned wetly.
“Do you want to raise your child as a slave?”
Slave... Slave. Her eyelids fluttered. She held her stomach with her hands that were barely touching the floor. She gently caressed the child inside her stomach. It was a whisper that was too cruel for a child to hear. And it was coming from his father’s mouth... Wasn’t it his biological father whom he had miraculously reunited with after nearly a year? Else reminded the past few months.
With what kind of heart did she try to protect it? What did this lump of blood that remained mean to her? It was a cruel insult. The child in her womb was what she desperately wanted as she helplessly endured her husband's violence. If it had been Millium's child, she wouldn't have been so ardent. It would have been the same even if it had been another man's child. Because it was only this man. Because it was this man...
“...Kill me.”
“Even the lump in your stomach?”
He asked, pulling at the corners of his lips. Else swallowed her anger and trembled. She wanted to slap his cheek like she had done before. She wanted to curse and slap that handsome face.
How did I protect him? Whose child was that thing in this stomach that I protected? How much did I protect you, you...
Else, who had a fever, was so tense that she almost fell over.
“Be obedient to the King.”
A cold rebuke was heard as Else was about to fall. Now there was no hand to help her up. She wanted to die. She really wanted to die. Anger mixed with fear slowly warmed her. Long, dry sobs flowed out.
“Wouldn’t it be nice to see how I treat your newborn?”
“This child, this child...”
“He is the son of a traitor.”
Her head thumped. She remembered what he had said before she lost consciousness. 'Traitor.' Yes, he said traitor. The castle that had been burning in flames appeared before her eyes. Else struggled to straighten up and look at him.
“Uh, what are you going to do...”
“Roate disappeared around midnight yesterday.”
“What are you talking about?”
“That name is already the name of a traitor. He tried to undermine the royal family and humiliate me.”
A chill ran through her. Her arms, which were supporting her, were no longer strong enough to support her, so he gently held her as she fell forward. Else was now in the King's arms like a child, listening to the full accusation.
“Your dead father is a sinner, and your husband is destined to be torn limb from limb for treason...”
The tears that had been held back flowed down her temples. The lips that were listing only unbelievable facts were terribly cruel. Those soft lips suddenly settled on her lips. After crushing and rubbing her chapped white lips, she found the curled tongue in her mouth and teased it. Instead of closing her eyes, Else looked into the blue-gray eyes that she desperately did not want to meet.
The blue, breezy eyes were pale and mesmerizing. They reigned above her head, not beneath her feet. From the moment he first saw her until now, Else had thought for a very long time that he had been wearing an identity that did not suit him as if it were a shell.
The feeling was right. The hunch was ominously accurate. The husband was a traitor, and the wife was a blasphemer. They would be beheaded together. But then the child... The child would meet death at the hand of his father or be reduced to slavery...
Else, who had been pushing against his chest to pull away the lips that were clinging to her as if they were going to devour her, flinched. The King pulled away and looked down at her.
“Your Majesty, the child...”
“It doesn’t matter whose seed it is. If you go against me, your child will have nothing to protect.”
“Oh my, oh my...”
“Would you cry so much if I wanted to possess you in my own way?”
Else was speechless. The King, who had been gently holding the hand that was clutching her chest, gently kissed the back of her hand. Then, he stroked her hair as if he was caressing something very dear to him.
“It won’t be difficult, Elsie. Just as we’ve been mingling for so long... now you can hold my hand.”
Else, who had a fever, was so tense that she almost fell over.
“Be obedient to the King.”
A cold rebuke was heard as Else was about to fall. Now there was no hand to help her up. She wanted to die. She really wanted to die. Anger mixed with fear slowly warmed her. Long, dry sobs flowed out.
“Wouldn’t it be nice to see how I treat your newborn?”
“This child, this child...”
“He is the son of a traitor.”
Her head thumped. She remembered what he had said before she lost consciousness. 'Traitor.' Yes, he said traitor. The castle that had been burning in flames appeared before her eyes. Else struggled to straighten up and look at him.
“Uh, what are you going to do...”
“Roate disappeared around midnight yesterday.”
“What are you talking about?”
“That name is already the name of a traitor. He tried to undermine the royal family and humiliate me.”
A chill ran through her. Her arms, which were supporting her, were no longer strong enough to support her, so he gently held her as she fell forward. Else was now in the King's arms like a child, listening to the full accusation.
“Your dead father is a sinner, and your husband is destined to be torn limb from limb for treason...”
The tears that had been held back flowed down her temples. The lips that were listing only unbelievable facts were terribly cruel. Those soft lips suddenly settled on her lips. After crushing and rubbing her chapped white lips, she found the curled tongue in her mouth and teased it. Instead of closing her eyes, Else looked into the blue-gray eyes that she desperately did not want to meet.
The blue, breezy eyes were pale and mesmerizing. They reigned above her head, not beneath her feet. From the moment he first saw her until now, Else had thought for a very long time that he had been wearing an identity that did not suit him as if it were a shell.
The feeling was right. The hunch was ominously accurate. The husband was a traitor, and the wife was a blasphemer. They would be beheaded together. But then the child... The child would meet death at the hand of his father or be reduced to slavery...
Else, who had been pushing against his chest to pull away the lips that were clinging to her as if they were going to devour her, flinched. The King pulled away and looked down at her.
“Your Majesty, the child...”
“It doesn’t matter whose seed it is. If you go against me, your child will have nothing to protect.”
“Oh my, oh my...”
“Would you cry so much if I wanted to possess you in my own way?”
Else was speechless. The King, who had been gently holding the hand that was clutching her chest, gently kissed the back of her hand. Then, he stroked her hair as if he was caressing something very dear to him.
“It won’t be difficult, Elsie. Just as we’ve been mingling for so long... now you can hold my hand.”
***
The woman who was lovely whenever she saw him was lovely even when she lost her mind and fell down. She was a sad and captivating beauty. The night she pushed him away and pushed him away. The last time they met, in the moonlit hallway, Else lost consciousness in his arms. Their relationship will be reestablished.
He had longed for this. To have Else completely in his possession, to have her locked up in his bedroom. Her beautiful bird. Her lovely woman. The thought of her, who should have been his own and exclusive, now falling under the yoke of a swindler, made his blood boil.
Even the slender body was carrying his child. Sibyl looked down at her swollen belly with cold eyes. Else, who had been cleaned and washed and placed on a cleanly arranged bed, was pale and slender. She was pregnant, but that was the case. He recalled the results that Alexander had reported when he visited with his wife the last time.
Didn't she say that she couldn't eat because nothing suited her taste? Sybil looked at the thin woman with worried eyes. The woman sleeping on one side of his bed, wearing a silk nightgown that exposed her shoulders and chest, didn't look like she was pregnant. He raised his hand and stroked her belly, which was swollen like a gourd. It was his first time touching a child.
'My child...'
No, since they said two, they must be his children. Twins in this skinny, slender body... Else didn’t know that. She also heard it recently. He often had Alexander, a knight of the guard and Count of Loper, watch over the Roate family.
He tried to send a doctor using Jules, Alexander's wife, and he also tried to send the palace cook. He tried to send medicines and bedding that were only used in the palace, but Millium, the bastard whose intestines he had to rip out and feed to pigs, blocked it. But now he can do as he pleases. Sending her flowers once a day, and not sparing anything in feeding and clothing her...
“Else...”
He took his hand away from her belly and stroked her feverish forehead. She didn't have much time left to live. She said she found out she was pregnant after he left, so the seed must have entered her womb before then. When was it...? When did the baby start to enter her womb?
He narrowed his eyes and studied the woman’s beautiful face. The dazed face before she fell over came to mind. The face had turned pale without a single distortion. Else’s face had lost everything. Everything...
Did he take everything from her? Did he take everything he held from this woman?
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