Amelia's carriage finally stopped in front of the temple. It had been three full days since it had been running.
“Thank you for your hard work.”
Louis's face also couldn't hide her fatigue until the groom knocked to ask if it was okay to open the door.
“Open the door.”
As soon as Louis gave her the order, the carriage door opened. Beyond the open door, Aaron, who had been waiting, extended his hand instead of the coachman. Louis calmly got out of the carriage first, escorted by his cousin.
“Your Ladyship, what baby is this?”
Aaron's face showed surprise as he looked at Amelia, who was still in the carriage, holding Ian. It was an incredibly shameless attitude. There was no way he wouldn't know the identity of this child.
"No way..."
“A newborn baby was abandoned on the street. You can’t pretend not to know.”
Louis answered as if asking a new question. Before Amelia could open her mouth, the whole story was made and became true.
“You couldn’t ignore that poor child again.”
Then, a look of admiration and emotion appeared on Aaron's face. It was such a thorough performance that Amelia felt like she was being played.
“There are many people here who can be this child’s friends, so you have brought her here.”
Aaron reached out as if he was going to take the child away. Amelia instinctively shrank back to keep Ian out of Aaron's reach.
“...I want to take better care of it.”
A gloomy aura passed through the smiling man’s eyes. Amelia unconsciously stuck out her tongue and moistened her lips as she made an excuse.
“It looks like you’ve become very attached to each other on your way here.”
Then Aaron nodded as if he understood.
“You must be tired, so please go in. I will escort you personally.”
She wanted to say that she didn't need it. But she couldn't dare to refuse Aaron's escort in front of everyone. It was the result of brainwashing, and it was also a habit that was ingrained in her.
“Now that the Priestess has returned safely, everyone should return to their seats and do what they need to do.”
Aaron turned around first, sending those who had come to greet Amelia back to their seats. He then began walking between those who were separated like a parted sea. Amelia also began walking behind him like an ox being led to the slaughterhouse.
At that moment, Amelia had only one wish. She just wanted the road back to her home to last forever. But that was impossible.
“Is the child that pretty?”
Just as they entered the living room next to the bedroom, Aaron, who was watching Amelia, who still couldn't let go of her child, asked a question.
“Well, they say that when you see something young, you instinctively become captivated.”
Amelia was tense, not knowing when Aaron would come forward and take the child away. Even when he was talking nonsense calmly, Amelia couldn't let go of her tension.
“I want to rest. Please leave now.”
While Aaron and Louis were there, she couldn't even go to the bathroom. Amelia held the child closer to her, half-turning away from Aaron. She was pretending to be calm, but the tips of her fingers that were supporting Ian's body were shaking a little.
“Yes, that’s right.”
Was he going to leave quietly? A faint color came over Amelia's face, as if she had found a glimmer of hope.
“If only my questions could be answered.”
Aaron laughed at that small hope and crushed it in one breath. Amelia swallowed, feeling her throat tighten.
“You said you hadn’t allowed anyone to touch the child.”
“Because I don’t like it.”
Amelia answered, raising her chin proudly.
“Louis, too. I didn’t want you touching my child. What’s wrong with that? We’re not even close enough to laugh when we see each other.”
And while exposing their uncomfortable relationship, he insisted on the legitimacy of his previous attitude. While Louis reflexively frowned, Aaron simply nodded as if she could do that.
“That could be true. I hadn’t considered it.”
Aaron said that it was not that he did not consider Amelia's discomfort, but that he did not do it. The words 'could not' and 'did not do it' were only one letter apart. However, the way they viewed Amelia was clearly revealed there.
They are beings who will monitor and use her. It is an obvious relationship that talking back is only possible because they allow it.
“I have one more question.”
The attitude was that it wouldn't matter much.
“I heard that you didn’t even allow Louis to see the child properly.”
“Louis has seen me holding a child countless times.”
Amelia responded immediately. It was true, Louis not only couldn't touch Ian, but she also saw him and heard him cry.
“The midwife would have told you everything about the baby’s characteristics and gender anyway.”
It was a last-ditch effort. All the while fighting against Aaron, Amelia wished that she could just get through this moment. If she could, she would find a way to get this child out.
“I don’t know what you’re curious about.”
Amelia was now a mother of a child. Like her own mother, who had been anxious to send her over this wall someday, she had no intention of waiting for someone to help her, just like before, catching clouds in the sky.
“Oh, that midwife.”
Aaron sighed as if he had remembered something he had forgotten.
“Well, since she’s already dead, I wonder what she can say.”
Amelia hesitated. She was the one who had a kind face and said she would help Amelia give birth and even hide the baby's gender. But she's already dead before the secret has even been revealed?
“...You killed the midwife?”
“You are the only one in the world with black hair and black eyes, Amelia Escliffe.”
Even if the midwife doesn't know that Amelia is a Priestess right now, she might find out at some point, so isn't it impossible to leave such a risk factor? Aaron asked back. Amelia couldn't continue speaking and just moved her lips. It was because she had a gut feeling that the countless names that had disappeared from her side, faces that she couldn't even remember properly, had disappeared like that.
“Well, since you said something before you died, I naturally believed that the girl you gave birth to was one with black hair and black eyes.”
“...”
“Louis said that what he saw was blond hair.”
But Aaron didn't care about the shock Amelia received. In fact, it was nothing new. He was always the one who manipulated and trampled Amelia like that. As if Amelia's sadness was his joy.
“Show me the child’s head.”
Aaron gave an order, disguised as a request. Louis stood beside his cousin, watching the whole scene. Her face showed no trace of regret or guilt.
“If there’s nothing on your mind, there’s no need to hide it.”
Amelia took a step back without realizing it. At the same time, the fake smile that had been faking calmness on Aaron's face was also removed.
“Shh, no...!”
Instinctively, she wanted to run away. Amelia unconsciously turned her body and grabbed the doorknob. However, Aaron came and grabbed Amelia faster than she could open the door.
"No!"
Amelia screamed in frustration. However, Aaron ignored her and took the child from Amelia’s arms. The arms that were emptied in an instant felt empty and cold.
“...Blonde.”
The first thing Aaron did was to take off the hood that had been covering the boy's head. The hood, which had been worn to keep him warm, fell limply to the floor, exposing Ian's hair.
He had bright blonde hair, just like his father.
"Oh my god..."
Louis was also speechless. In fact, Amelia's behavior was so suspicious that she told Aaron, but she hoped that the color of her hair that she had seen in passing was a mistake. However, what Louis saw was not an illusion or a lie.
“Is that that fucking kid?”
Aaron asked, chewing. He wasn't sure. He didn't even know exactly what the man Amelia had met looked like. All he could vaguely remember was the bright blond hair beneath the hood on his head.
But his intuition was right, as Amelia began to tremble.
“When did you ever have fun without my eyes?”
Aaron shook the small body he was holding with one hand as if he was going to throw the child away. Louis, startled, came over and picked the child up from Aaron's arms.
“Louis, please check the baby’s gender too.”
"Yes?"
“I asked you to take off the baby clothes and check the baby’s gender. Ahe even hid the hair color, so I wonder if she would have hidden the gender.”
Louis placed the child's body on the table, watching Aaron's expression, and began to unwrap the cloth covering the body. Soon, the child's naked body was revealed. Of course, Ian had the features of a boy.
“Take the child, Louis.”
“Yes? Where to...?”
Louis asked stammering questions as she gathered up the child's clothes.
“He’s going to die anyway, so what’s the point of taking him somewhere?”
Amelia's face turned pale. Aaron watched her face and twisted the corners of his mouth.
“Yes, I was wrong!”
“...”
“Can’t you just let the child live? It’s okay if I don’t raise him.”
Amelia suddenly got down on her knees. And she begged and pleaded. All the spirit she had had in confronting Aaron seemed to have disappeared as if swept away by the waves.
“I told you to get rid of that useless thing, Louis.”
Aaron gritted his teeth and gave the order. Louis, who had been watching Aaron's expression, was about to walk away while holding Ian in her arms.
“This is a sacred place where no one without permission can enter!”
The hallway leading to Amelia's bedroom was noisy. Someone had barged in without warning, and the guards seemed unable to subdue him.
“Louis.”
Aaron, who had been seething with anger until just before, calmed down in an instant. When Aaron glanced at Amelia’s bedroom, Louis hid inside, holding the child in her arms. Meanwhile, Aaron silently pulled Amelia’s arm and lifted her up from her seat.
“No matter how much you say, Your Majesty the Emperor...!”
“Get out of the way.”
At the same time, the door burst open, and the intruder appeared.
His name was Ivan Wade Escliffe. He was a handsome man with honey-blond hair as bright as the sun and green eyes that sparkled like jewels.
“Thank you for your hard work.”
Louis's face also couldn't hide her fatigue until the groom knocked to ask if it was okay to open the door.
“Open the door.”
As soon as Louis gave her the order, the carriage door opened. Beyond the open door, Aaron, who had been waiting, extended his hand instead of the coachman. Louis calmly got out of the carriage first, escorted by his cousin.
“Your Ladyship, what baby is this?”
Aaron's face showed surprise as he looked at Amelia, who was still in the carriage, holding Ian. It was an incredibly shameless attitude. There was no way he wouldn't know the identity of this child.
"No way..."
“A newborn baby was abandoned on the street. You can’t pretend not to know.”
Louis answered as if asking a new question. Before Amelia could open her mouth, the whole story was made and became true.
“You couldn’t ignore that poor child again.”
Then, a look of admiration and emotion appeared on Aaron's face. It was such a thorough performance that Amelia felt like she was being played.
“There are many people here who can be this child’s friends, so you have brought her here.”
Aaron reached out as if he was going to take the child away. Amelia instinctively shrank back to keep Ian out of Aaron's reach.
“...I want to take better care of it.”
A gloomy aura passed through the smiling man’s eyes. Amelia unconsciously stuck out her tongue and moistened her lips as she made an excuse.
“It looks like you’ve become very attached to each other on your way here.”
Then Aaron nodded as if he understood.
“You must be tired, so please go in. I will escort you personally.”
She wanted to say that she didn't need it. But she couldn't dare to refuse Aaron's escort in front of everyone. It was the result of brainwashing, and it was also a habit that was ingrained in her.
“Now that the Priestess has returned safely, everyone should return to their seats and do what they need to do.”
Aaron turned around first, sending those who had come to greet Amelia back to their seats. He then began walking between those who were separated like a parted sea. Amelia also began walking behind him like an ox being led to the slaughterhouse.
At that moment, Amelia had only one wish. She just wanted the road back to her home to last forever. But that was impossible.
“Is the child that pretty?”
Just as they entered the living room next to the bedroom, Aaron, who was watching Amelia, who still couldn't let go of her child, asked a question.
“Well, they say that when you see something young, you instinctively become captivated.”
Amelia was tense, not knowing when Aaron would come forward and take the child away. Even when he was talking nonsense calmly, Amelia couldn't let go of her tension.
“I want to rest. Please leave now.”
While Aaron and Louis were there, she couldn't even go to the bathroom. Amelia held the child closer to her, half-turning away from Aaron. She was pretending to be calm, but the tips of her fingers that were supporting Ian's body were shaking a little.
“Yes, that’s right.”
Was he going to leave quietly? A faint color came over Amelia's face, as if she had found a glimmer of hope.
“If only my questions could be answered.”
Aaron laughed at that small hope and crushed it in one breath. Amelia swallowed, feeling her throat tighten.
“You said you hadn’t allowed anyone to touch the child.”
“Because I don’t like it.”
Amelia answered, raising her chin proudly.
“Louis, too. I didn’t want you touching my child. What’s wrong with that? We’re not even close enough to laugh when we see each other.”
And while exposing their uncomfortable relationship, he insisted on the legitimacy of his previous attitude. While Louis reflexively frowned, Aaron simply nodded as if she could do that.
“That could be true. I hadn’t considered it.”
Aaron said that it was not that he did not consider Amelia's discomfort, but that he did not do it. The words 'could not' and 'did not do it' were only one letter apart. However, the way they viewed Amelia was clearly revealed there.
They are beings who will monitor and use her. It is an obvious relationship that talking back is only possible because they allow it.
“I have one more question.”
The attitude was that it wouldn't matter much.
“I heard that you didn’t even allow Louis to see the child properly.”
“Louis has seen me holding a child countless times.”
Amelia responded immediately. It was true, Louis not only couldn't touch Ian, but she also saw him and heard him cry.
“The midwife would have told you everything about the baby’s characteristics and gender anyway.”
It was a last-ditch effort. All the while fighting against Aaron, Amelia wished that she could just get through this moment. If she could, she would find a way to get this child out.
“I don’t know what you’re curious about.”
Amelia was now a mother of a child. Like her own mother, who had been anxious to send her over this wall someday, she had no intention of waiting for someone to help her, just like before, catching clouds in the sky.
“Oh, that midwife.”
Aaron sighed as if he had remembered something he had forgotten.
“Well, since she’s already dead, I wonder what she can say.”
Amelia hesitated. She was the one who had a kind face and said she would help Amelia give birth and even hide the baby's gender. But she's already dead before the secret has even been revealed?
“...You killed the midwife?”
“You are the only one in the world with black hair and black eyes, Amelia Escliffe.”
Even if the midwife doesn't know that Amelia is a Priestess right now, she might find out at some point, so isn't it impossible to leave such a risk factor? Aaron asked back. Amelia couldn't continue speaking and just moved her lips. It was because she had a gut feeling that the countless names that had disappeared from her side, faces that she couldn't even remember properly, had disappeared like that.
“Well, since you said something before you died, I naturally believed that the girl you gave birth to was one with black hair and black eyes.”
“...”
“Louis said that what he saw was blond hair.”
But Aaron didn't care about the shock Amelia received. In fact, it was nothing new. He was always the one who manipulated and trampled Amelia like that. As if Amelia's sadness was his joy.
“Show me the child’s head.”
Aaron gave an order, disguised as a request. Louis stood beside his cousin, watching the whole scene. Her face showed no trace of regret or guilt.
“If there’s nothing on your mind, there’s no need to hide it.”
Amelia took a step back without realizing it. At the same time, the fake smile that had been faking calmness on Aaron's face was also removed.
“Shh, no...!”
Instinctively, she wanted to run away. Amelia unconsciously turned her body and grabbed the doorknob. However, Aaron came and grabbed Amelia faster than she could open the door.
"No!"
Amelia screamed in frustration. However, Aaron ignored her and took the child from Amelia’s arms. The arms that were emptied in an instant felt empty and cold.
“...Blonde.”
The first thing Aaron did was to take off the hood that had been covering the boy's head. The hood, which had been worn to keep him warm, fell limply to the floor, exposing Ian's hair.
He had bright blonde hair, just like his father.
"Oh my god..."
Louis was also speechless. In fact, Amelia's behavior was so suspicious that she told Aaron, but she hoped that the color of her hair that she had seen in passing was a mistake. However, what Louis saw was not an illusion or a lie.
“Is that that fucking kid?”
Aaron asked, chewing. He wasn't sure. He didn't even know exactly what the man Amelia had met looked like. All he could vaguely remember was the bright blond hair beneath the hood on his head.
But his intuition was right, as Amelia began to tremble.
“When did you ever have fun without my eyes?”
Aaron shook the small body he was holding with one hand as if he was going to throw the child away. Louis, startled, came over and picked the child up from Aaron's arms.
“Louis, please check the baby’s gender too.”
"Yes?"
“I asked you to take off the baby clothes and check the baby’s gender. Ahe even hid the hair color, so I wonder if she would have hidden the gender.”
Louis placed the child's body on the table, watching Aaron's expression, and began to unwrap the cloth covering the body. Soon, the child's naked body was revealed. Of course, Ian had the features of a boy.
“Take the child, Louis.”
“Yes? Where to...?”
Louis asked stammering questions as she gathered up the child's clothes.
“He’s going to die anyway, so what’s the point of taking him somewhere?”
Amelia's face turned pale. Aaron watched her face and twisted the corners of his mouth.
“Yes, I was wrong!”
“...”
“Can’t you just let the child live? It’s okay if I don’t raise him.”
Amelia suddenly got down on her knees. And she begged and pleaded. All the spirit she had had in confronting Aaron seemed to have disappeared as if swept away by the waves.
“I told you to get rid of that useless thing, Louis.”
Aaron gritted his teeth and gave the order. Louis, who had been watching Aaron's expression, was about to walk away while holding Ian in her arms.
“This is a sacred place where no one without permission can enter!”
The hallway leading to Amelia's bedroom was noisy. Someone had barged in without warning, and the guards seemed unable to subdue him.
“Louis.”
Aaron, who had been seething with anger until just before, calmed down in an instant. When Aaron glanced at Amelia’s bedroom, Louis hid inside, holding the child in her arms. Meanwhile, Aaron silently pulled Amelia’s arm and lifted her up from her seat.
“No matter how much you say, Your Majesty the Emperor...!”
“Get out of the way.”
At the same time, the door burst open, and the intruder appeared.
His name was Ivan Wade Escliffe. He was a handsome man with honey-blond hair as bright as the sun and green eyes that sparkled like jewels.
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