The King's young daughter died suddenly. The cause was unclear. Before the funeral, quarantine officers entered the palace to analyze the cause of the Princess's sudden death. In addition, the palace doctor and Count Grancel's daughter were arrested on the afternoon of the Princess's sudden death. The doctor was accused of failing to check on the Princess's health, and Count Grancel's daughter was accused of murdering the Princess.
“Your Majesty, Your Majesty. There is a misunderstanding. I have never harmed the Princess!”
The woman who was captured by the knights screamed, not wanting to leave the Queen's bedroom. Sibyl looked at her expressionlessly. It would be the same face when he ordered her to cut off her neck with an axe. He stared at his young daughter in the swaddling clothes. Long eyelashes like the woman he loved. Milky skin... Soft hair. He raised both arms and hugged the swaddling clothes. It was light, light again.
The moment his child’s nose touched his chest, he felt a chill. His knees buckled. Just for this moment... Just for this moment, the fact that he was alive was burdensome... The bedroom, where he could hear nothing, was suffocatingly scary. He knelt for a while, unable to catch his breath, and gently caressed his daughter. His daughter, who had no pulse, looked like a pretty doll. The child was sleeping quietly, without a flutter of eyelids or quivering lips.
Yeah, it felt like she was really asleep.
“Hermi.”
He called his daughter softly. It was the first time he had called her name. Even though he held her like this, he didn't really have much to do to comfort her. This was because she was always at the heart of the woman he couldn't get. Therefore, he didn't have a single bit of love to share. Since she was born, he always...
“I give you...”
As if cutting off the spleen with an axe. The pain in his lungs was unfamiliar. This feeling... This was the first time he had felt this way. It was a different feeling from when Else had turned away from him. He took his dead daughter out of the swaddling clothes and stroked her repeatedly as if he was going to tear her apart, and then kissed her forehead.
'Open your eyes. Look at your father. You can't go on like this!'
“Please, please...”
His knees, which touched the floor, were numb. He held his daughter, who was lighter than a blade of grass, and gasped in pain. He bit his lip as the floor shook.
“Hermi! Hermi!”
She was dressed in a dazed manner. The tears in her green eyes were glaring. The woman running towards him with her eyes rolled back seemed to see nothing but the child’s corpse.
“Baby, it’s mommy. Mommy’s here...”
Else, who had taken her daughter from Sibyl, sank to the ground and trembled like crazy, stroking the child's face. Then, when she felt nothing, she kissed her forehead. Then, as if she still couldn't believe it, she opened her small lips and blew air into her.
“Hermi, no. Open your eyes. Open your eyes, open your eyes. Please... Don’t leave Mommy. You can’t leave Mommy. Baby... Heh, heh. No. No...”
The wet, trembling voice was terrible. Else, put the child on the floor and put her ear to her chest. She heard nothing. She picked up the child again and breathed into her repeatedly. The tears that flowed down fell into the child’s closed eyes. He reached out to the woman who was repeating the prayer. Else fiercely slapped his hand away, and her lips trembled.
The woman who had turned pale glared at him with hatred. An indescribable emotion began to surge into his lungs that were about to burst. Sibyl stared blankly at Else and then reached out to receive the body of his daughter that Else was holding.
“Come here.”
“Who are you!”
“I am your daughter’s father.”
“This is my baby! Not yours! I protected her! I raised her! I put her to sleep, I breastfed her... Ugh, sob. And you killed her. You killed our Hermi! You, you! You conspired with that dirty bitch to kill my baby! Ah, ahhhh!”
Else, who was holding the child while curled up like a cornered animal, began to cry out loud. Her insides felt like they were going to burst from crying. Her fever began to boil over at Else’s crying. Her eyes kept spinning and stopping. Sibyl gestured to Else’s maids, who were holding back their sobs. At his gesture, the wife of the Marquis of Levante cautiously approached and tried to take Hermi away from Else’s arms.
“Your Highness. The Princess’s soul has already left this small body.”
“No way! No way! My daughter would never leave me. My daughter is still in here. I will call her back. I will call her back!”
“Your Highness, please... The Princess’s soul became a butterfly to go to heaven. So...”
“What do you know! There’s no way my Hermi would leave me. My Hermi is alive. She’s alive! I’m going to bring her back. She’s my baby, so I can save her.”
"Your Highness..."
“Hermi, our little, sweet baby... Let’s go back to Mommy’s house. Mommy will hold you warmly.”
Else, who was crying like a baby, started to turn over the hem of her skirt. Jeanne hugged her shoulders and burst into tears. The palace ladies' eyes were focused on her. However, Else paid no attention and turned over her skirt to put her dead daughter back into her womb. She looked like a crazy woman. Her hair was disheveled, her face was wet... Else, who had lost her daughter, had completely lost her mind. He grabbed the wrist of the woman who was trying to take off her negligee and put the child between her legs. If the maid's persuasion was not heeded, he had no choice but to use the strength of a knight to control her.
He looked up and stared at Count Loper. His eyes were wet and red. But he would not disobey the King's orders. He and two of his knights took Jeanne away from Else. Else fought hard not to let the child be taken away. With the hand that was not holding the child, she punched the knights in the arm and scratched their cheeks.
“Ahhhh! You dirty little pigs! Get your hands off my baby! I’ll kill you, you little dogs. I’ll kill you!”
Sybil hugged the screaming woman's body tightly and then pulled away from the child. Meanwhile, the knights tore Hermi out of the bedroom. Else started to thrash around like crazy when she realized that the child had left her.
“Hermieeee!”
Else, who had thrown her head back and turned over on her stomach, resisted by twisting her long legs and arms. Sybil hugged her torso tightly and tried to stroke her head. However, Else only cried like an animal and threw her fists.
“This dog! This dog! You killed our Hermi."
Else, who had been throwing punches, knocked him down and bit his neck. The sharp fangs that went in without mercy. Else rushed at him to tear off half of the skin attached to his neck like ripping off the flesh of an animal, and bit his neck with both hands until it bled.
"Your Majesty!"
A servant who had come into the Queen's bedroom to clean up the room ran towards her with a pale face. However, Sibyl stopped him with a gesture and hugged Else's head. Then he gently stroked her head. Else, who had been biting like a demon, lost consciousness at that touch.
“We still have a son.”
Else did not listen. She could not tell if her eyes were open or closed. She did not take care of Abelard. Sybil arrested Henrietta and the royal doctor, as well as the maids of Countess Grancel. He returned to Else's side at dawn after arresting all the servants related to the Princess. The doctor would be released after a formal investigation, but Henrietta and her maids would not survive. Even though Henrietta was the niece of the previous Queen and his fiancée, she could not survive the Princess's sudden death.
“Else.”
She didn't look back. Else seemed dead. She was as silent as death. Still, Sybil thought they still had a chance. They had two children. Now there was only one left, but there was one more chance to make Else look back. He wiped her pale face and stroked Else's round shoulder.
'Abelard. As for that kid...'
Else swallowed dry saliva. Was this what it felt like to have a baby cut off? When she saw Hermi with her eyes closed. When she saw her daughter, who wasn’t crying. No, when she heard they say she wasn’t breathing. Else's eyes went blank. She couldn’t remember anything, and she couldn’t say anything. Why did the child die? What happened to the child? Else was sure the nanny was taking care of her.
He took his hand off the woman's shoulder. Else looked like a dead person. Her soul had dispersed from this white, beautiful body and left him with her daughter. The thought of it made his throat tighten with fear.
He felt like he was being hung alive on the wall with his neck tied with rope. He thought about it carefully. Why were they so twisted? Which knot had to be untied to make their relationship unravel? The most important thing to him these days was to subdue Else. If Else listened to him... If Else became his beloved young lady again. His daughter would also find her place. Until then, until then...
“Your Majesty, Your Majesty. There is a misunderstanding. I have never harmed the Princess!”
The woman who was captured by the knights screamed, not wanting to leave the Queen's bedroom. Sibyl looked at her expressionlessly. It would be the same face when he ordered her to cut off her neck with an axe. He stared at his young daughter in the swaddling clothes. Long eyelashes like the woman he loved. Milky skin... Soft hair. He raised both arms and hugged the swaddling clothes. It was light, light again.
The moment his child’s nose touched his chest, he felt a chill. His knees buckled. Just for this moment... Just for this moment, the fact that he was alive was burdensome... The bedroom, where he could hear nothing, was suffocatingly scary. He knelt for a while, unable to catch his breath, and gently caressed his daughter. His daughter, who had no pulse, looked like a pretty doll. The child was sleeping quietly, without a flutter of eyelids or quivering lips.
Yeah, it felt like she was really asleep.
“Hermi.”
He called his daughter softly. It was the first time he had called her name. Even though he held her like this, he didn't really have much to do to comfort her. This was because she was always at the heart of the woman he couldn't get. Therefore, he didn't have a single bit of love to share. Since she was born, he always...
“I give you...”
As if cutting off the spleen with an axe. The pain in his lungs was unfamiliar. This feeling... This was the first time he had felt this way. It was a different feeling from when Else had turned away from him. He took his dead daughter out of the swaddling clothes and stroked her repeatedly as if he was going to tear her apart, and then kissed her forehead.
'Open your eyes. Look at your father. You can't go on like this!'
“Please, please...”
His knees, which touched the floor, were numb. He held his daughter, who was lighter than a blade of grass, and gasped in pain. He bit his lip as the floor shook.
“Hermi! Hermi!”
She was dressed in a dazed manner. The tears in her green eyes were glaring. The woman running towards him with her eyes rolled back seemed to see nothing but the child’s corpse.
“Baby, it’s mommy. Mommy’s here...”
Else, who had taken her daughter from Sibyl, sank to the ground and trembled like crazy, stroking the child's face. Then, when she felt nothing, she kissed her forehead. Then, as if she still couldn't believe it, she opened her small lips and blew air into her.
“Hermi, no. Open your eyes. Open your eyes, open your eyes. Please... Don’t leave Mommy. You can’t leave Mommy. Baby... Heh, heh. No. No...”
The wet, trembling voice was terrible. Else, put the child on the floor and put her ear to her chest. She heard nothing. She picked up the child again and breathed into her repeatedly. The tears that flowed down fell into the child’s closed eyes. He reached out to the woman who was repeating the prayer. Else fiercely slapped his hand away, and her lips trembled.
The woman who had turned pale glared at him with hatred. An indescribable emotion began to surge into his lungs that were about to burst. Sibyl stared blankly at Else and then reached out to receive the body of his daughter that Else was holding.
“Come here.”
“Who are you!”
“I am your daughter’s father.”
“This is my baby! Not yours! I protected her! I raised her! I put her to sleep, I breastfed her... Ugh, sob. And you killed her. You killed our Hermi! You, you! You conspired with that dirty bitch to kill my baby! Ah, ahhhh!”
Else, who was holding the child while curled up like a cornered animal, began to cry out loud. Her insides felt like they were going to burst from crying. Her fever began to boil over at Else’s crying. Her eyes kept spinning and stopping. Sibyl gestured to Else’s maids, who were holding back their sobs. At his gesture, the wife of the Marquis of Levante cautiously approached and tried to take Hermi away from Else’s arms.
“Your Highness. The Princess’s soul has already left this small body.”
“No way! No way! My daughter would never leave me. My daughter is still in here. I will call her back. I will call her back!”
“Your Highness, please... The Princess’s soul became a butterfly to go to heaven. So...”
“What do you know! There’s no way my Hermi would leave me. My Hermi is alive. She’s alive! I’m going to bring her back. She’s my baby, so I can save her.”
"Your Highness..."
“Hermi, our little, sweet baby... Let’s go back to Mommy’s house. Mommy will hold you warmly.”
Else, who was crying like a baby, started to turn over the hem of her skirt. Jeanne hugged her shoulders and burst into tears. The palace ladies' eyes were focused on her. However, Else paid no attention and turned over her skirt to put her dead daughter back into her womb. She looked like a crazy woman. Her hair was disheveled, her face was wet... Else, who had lost her daughter, had completely lost her mind. He grabbed the wrist of the woman who was trying to take off her negligee and put the child between her legs. If the maid's persuasion was not heeded, he had no choice but to use the strength of a knight to control her.
He looked up and stared at Count Loper. His eyes were wet and red. But he would not disobey the King's orders. He and two of his knights took Jeanne away from Else. Else fought hard not to let the child be taken away. With the hand that was not holding the child, she punched the knights in the arm and scratched their cheeks.
“Ahhhh! You dirty little pigs! Get your hands off my baby! I’ll kill you, you little dogs. I’ll kill you!”
Sybil hugged the screaming woman's body tightly and then pulled away from the child. Meanwhile, the knights tore Hermi out of the bedroom. Else started to thrash around like crazy when she realized that the child had left her.
“Hermieeee!”
Else, who had thrown her head back and turned over on her stomach, resisted by twisting her long legs and arms. Sybil hugged her torso tightly and tried to stroke her head. However, Else only cried like an animal and threw her fists.
“This dog! This dog! You killed our Hermi."
Else, who had been throwing punches, knocked him down and bit his neck. The sharp fangs that went in without mercy. Else rushed at him to tear off half of the skin attached to his neck like ripping off the flesh of an animal, and bit his neck with both hands until it bled.
"Your Majesty!"
A servant who had come into the Queen's bedroom to clean up the room ran towards her with a pale face. However, Sibyl stopped him with a gesture and hugged Else's head. Then he gently stroked her head. Else, who had been biting like a demon, lost consciousness at that touch.
***
“We still have a son.”
Else did not listen. She could not tell if her eyes were open or closed. She did not take care of Abelard. Sybil arrested Henrietta and the royal doctor, as well as the maids of Countess Grancel. He returned to Else's side at dawn after arresting all the servants related to the Princess. The doctor would be released after a formal investigation, but Henrietta and her maids would not survive. Even though Henrietta was the niece of the previous Queen and his fiancée, she could not survive the Princess's sudden death.
“Else.”
She didn't look back. Else seemed dead. She was as silent as death. Still, Sybil thought they still had a chance. They had two children. Now there was only one left, but there was one more chance to make Else look back. He wiped her pale face and stroked Else's round shoulder.
'Abelard. As for that kid...'
Else swallowed dry saliva. Was this what it felt like to have a baby cut off? When she saw Hermi with her eyes closed. When she saw her daughter, who wasn’t crying. No, when she heard they say she wasn’t breathing. Else's eyes went blank. She couldn’t remember anything, and she couldn’t say anything. Why did the child die? What happened to the child? Else was sure the nanny was taking care of her.
He took his hand off the woman's shoulder. Else looked like a dead person. Her soul had dispersed from this white, beautiful body and left him with her daughter. The thought of it made his throat tighten with fear.
He felt like he was being hung alive on the wall with his neck tied with rope. He thought about it carefully. Why were they so twisted? Which knot had to be untied to make their relationship unravel? The most important thing to him these days was to subdue Else. If Else listened to him... If Else became his beloved young lady again. His daughter would also find her place. Until then, until then...
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