Considering the governments and treatment of the previous Travastan Kings, the favor the King showed to Else must have been very special. But he had crushed Else's family with his own hands and had left her with nowhere to return, putting her in danger.
In this difficult court, not having a family to rely on, that is, not having a family to back you up, was like being adrift on the sea without a single raft.
“Hello, Jules.”
Else smiled brightly at Jules, who was being led into the bedroom by the maid. The smile spreading across her pale face was as warm as the spring sun. For some reason, Jules couldn't help but feel hot under her eyes.
As she was biting her lips and turning her head, Else asked with a worried voice, her smile fading away.
“What’s going on?”
“...No. Well, I’m just glad to meet you.”
She rubbed her stuffy nose and pressed the area under her eyes. She shouldn't cry. Because Else is smiling. She shouldn't show tears in front of this poor girl.
“Nice to meet you, too.”
Else put down the baby she was holding and stood up, walking towards Jules. Jules tried to take a step back, but he couldn’t avoid the white hand reaching out, so she stayed where she was. A small white hand touched Jules’ cheek. The soft touch was eerie.
Jules took a step back and burst into tears. She lowered her head and covered his face. She knew that her shaking shoulders were not a good sight. But still, still...
“Why, why...”
Was she never happy? Always pale and weak... Jumes had never seen her smile. If she pulled her lips, she would be prettier than anyone else, but Else was always pale. With a face that looked like it would crumble at any moment, she was tied up in the castle of Lugdun. People easily scolded Else and talked badly about her. No one understood Else. Jules also left Lugdun without having time to understand her.
'How many people's backs have you seen?'
Tears flowed without stopping. When she first met Else, Jules could not help but envy her. It was the first time she had seen such a small and beautiful girl. Like a small pink flower on a green stem and leaves. Else was like a small flower in a dusty room. Although she was from a humble family, Jules had a shining beauty and had never been intimidated by any girl in the royal capital. When she first met Else, she was so overwhelmed by her beauty that she could not sleep at night.
She tried to dress up in the dress she had brought from Siena and went in front of the girl, but she looked so inadequate in front of the doll-like Elsie. The two-layer pearl necklace and rose corsage, and the delicate frilled hem of the dress fluttered, but they seemed like nothing in front of Else, who was wearing a mustard-colored dress with frills on the sleeves.
For a while, she was angry with jealousy. So she raised a thorn and showed cynicism to Else, who approached her. She felt better only when she was superior in even the smallest thing. It was a foolish and ugly past. At that time, Jules even envied Else’s sickness.
Because she was always excited and envious of her pale face, she got irritated.
"Huh?"
Else asked back in a mumbling voice, muffled by tears. Jules stared at the childlike woman. However, the time when she envied everything about Else was short-lived. Else was truly a pitiful girl with nothing... At some point, Jules began to feel pity for her.
The parents who seemed to listen to everything, the servants who were embarrassed in front of Else, and the doctor who even prepared a place for Else to stay in the castle. Everything she thought she had in abundance was actually...
“Are you happy?”
“Jules.”
“I’m so happy I had a baby. It’s a girl.”
Jules said, crying. Else stared at her for a moment as if surprised, then looked down at her flat stomach. Then she raised her head and parted her lips.
"Congratulations."
Jules shook her head.
“Are you happy that you had a baby too?”
Perhaps because she thought the question was unintelligible, Else could not easily nod. Jules distorted her wet face. Else was so pitiful. It was even harder to hold back tears when she remembered Else from her childhood, who had always been frozen and cautious.
Else's father didn't love her. She heard that she was a child born with great difficulty... So she thought her father would forgive her for stomping her feet and swearing in a way that was not appropriate for her age... That wasn't it. The reason Else behaved so poorly at that age was that if she didn't do that, no one would listen to her.
Because no one paid attention to her, sometimes Else felt like she was locked in a prison without bars. If Else didn't scream or do something violent, no one seemed to think she was a person in the castle.
Her father deliberately neglected and ignored Else. Jules always thought that Else looked lonely. Lonely and isolated... desolate. He knew that Else loved the King, the King who pretended to be a slave. No. It wasn’t that she loved him, but that she was unilaterally attached to him. Thinking back to Else at that time, it wasn’t strange that she longed for affection so much. However, the King...
“I’m happy.”
Else, who had been staring at Jules, smiled faintly. It was a cold smile. Jules turned her head and looked at the babies who were squirming. They were the ones Else called happiness with her own mouth. That was all that was left...
Jules walked slowly to the bed. He had heard that, despite being the children of the King, they did not have separate rooms. Even though the illegitimate children and the illegitimate daughters were each given the titles of Prince and Princess, there were no proper baby items in the bedroom. Jules looked at Else again.
The bedroom was only a crib. And the bedroom was a space for young men only. It might be natural, but there were two newborns. There was no furniture prepared for Else in the bedroom. Not even a dressing table or a wardrobe. It was the complete opposite of her husband, who had brought in a dressing table, a tea table, and a cherry-colored wardrobe that reflected Jules's taste to make a master bedroom a few months before their marriage.
The same goes for things for babies. Before the baby was even born, her husband had diligently prepared things like a cradle, a crib, and a swaddle. Even if she had given birth suddenly, this wasn't it.
"Thank god."
If you can be happy even in a place like this, is that the joy of being a mother? Jules looked at Else with sad eyes. Else was smiling, so she felt like crying even more. Suddenly, the baby wrapped in a blanket opened its eyes and made a sound for milk.
“Ugh...”
Else smiled brightly at that weak cry. It was a face she had never seen before. She had never seen her smile like that before... This was Else’s real smile. Else was truly happy. Yes. That would be good. Jules thought so.
“Are you hungry, my son?”
Else hesitated and puffed out her chest. Jules looked at Else with a curious expression. Her face was like a girl's. Maybe it was because Jules remembered Else as a girl. In Jules's memory, Else was a small and beautiful girl, like a fruit growing in the blue waves. That kind of girl became a mother. And the King's children...
“Isn’t this it?”
Else, who was awkwardly holding her son, tossed and turned. Not knowing what to do with the child, Else, who had been holding the child in her arms repeatedly, turned to Jules, sweating profusely. Jules willingly sat down in front of Else and held the child properly.
The child who had been whining and frowning quickly found the pacifier and bit it. Else patted the child with her still eyes and smiled at Jules. Then she turned her gaze to her daughter, who was not crying. Her gaze was shady. Her eyes, filled with worry and deep sorrow, were exactly like those of a mother. Jules followed Else and stared at the child.
Unlike her son, who had sturdy limbs, her daughter, the Princess, was very small. It was as if she had been sharing nutrients in the womb to the point where she could have been so different. Even considering that her daughter was born rather small, the Princess was small and weak.
It's so amazing that she came out alive...
“Jules.”
"Yes?"
“I have something to ask you.”
Else turned to look at her daughter. She smiled, her face brighter than the spring sun, but the corners of her eyes were lightly reddened at the sound of her son's cry for milk.
“Don't girls normally latch on to milk?”
"Why?"
“Hermi...”
Else bit her lips, unable to continue her words. Jules held the Princess, who was only breathing heavily despite her mother’s tears. Else, who had been holding back tears, finally burst into tears. At that moment, low footsteps were heard outside the door. Soon, the door opened, and a familiar face appeared.
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"Why?"
“Hermi...”
Else bit her lips, unable to continue her words. Jules held the Princess, who was only breathing heavily despite her mother’s tears. Else, who had been holding back tears, finally burst into tears. At that moment, low footsteps were heard outside the door. Soon, the door opened, and a familiar face appeared.
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