“I will take the child with me as promised.”
“Thank you for the grace of the sun.”
After completing the two signatures, Ivan took her share of the pledge and gave his confirmation. Amelia bowed deeply to him, expressing her sincere gratitude.
“...Does the child have a name?”
Ivan, who had been staring blankly at Amelia, asked a question.
“Will you call him by that name?”
There was a brief silence in the reception room. Amelia admitted that it was her own desire for the Emperor to call Ian by his name. It was her intention to protect him, but it was not a wish that someone who was ultimately unable to protect the child and was about to leave him in the hands of others would wish for.
“Yes.”
Just as she was about to tell the child his name, and also to say that he could call him by his new name from now on, the Emperor unexpectedly said yes.
“Tell me what you called him.”
As affectionately as the man who was Amelia's lover.
Amelia unconsciously tightened her grip on the hand that was resting on her thigh. While she repeatedly told herself that the Emperor was not the person she loved, the hem of her dress was wrapped around her fist and crumpled into a pitiful state.
“...Ian.”
But that's not all. She had no time to make excuses and just tell the truth.
“His mother called him Ian.”
“...”
“Actually, it wasn’t an abandoned child, but a child who was about to be abandoned that was saved. I said it was named after the child’s father.”
But Amelia was afraid that she would be asked later how she knew the child's father's name. She quickly added an excuse, as if she were telling a story she had heard from someone else.
“Why did the mother abandon her child?”
Amelia's eyes widened at Ivan's words. In fact, the reason why the child was abandoned was a topic that the Emperor would not be interested in at all.
“I heard that the child’s father died in an unexpected accident.”
“...”
“She found out late that she was pregnant, and the man her family had originally opposed was the father of the child, so they tried to kill the baby as soon as she gave birth.”
That's why she was so calm about being taken away by a stranger. Amelia answered with her eyes half-closed. She was too absorbed in the story to say it was just something she had heard, and her face was too sad.
"...Yes."
Ivan, who had been watching the scene, answered a beat later. There was no way to know whether he felt something there or not, but she could tell that he felt at least some pity for something.
“As you said, I hope that the child we bring home today will prove the alliance between the temple and the imperial family.”
Amelia bowed her head silently and thanked him.
“If that’s the case, I’ll show my favor first, so I promise. The child’s name will still be Ian, and he will grow up to be my child’s friend.”
Fortunately, Amelia smiled and nodded after hearing the Emperor's promise. She didn't know whether he would keep his promise or not, but at least it would be better than this place. And if the promise was kept, he would surely grow up to be a happy child. That alone was enough.
“If you want to see the child often, you can come and see him. It will be helpful to both the temple and the royal family.”
But Ivan did her an unexpected favor. Amelia's lips parted slightly in surprise. He was a man who had neither a son nor an heir. There was no way he could understand that she was really sending her child away.
“I will be ready to welcome you at any time.”
"...Thank you."
Amelia barely managed to answer in a choked voice. She kept her eyes on the teacup on the table, afraid that tears might fall.
Ivan didn't respond. He simply took one of the written pledges, put it in his bosom, and stood up.
Could it really be Ivan?
Suddenly, something welled up in her chest. Shr was sure he wasn't Ivan, but anticipation crept into her head at the sight of the Emperor.
“Ivan.”
Amelia cautiously raised her head and called her man's name. Even then, Aaron said Ivan was dead, but he was alive. So maybe he had managed to escape the fire and still lived.
“...”
But there was no answer. There was only an indifferent look down.
As expected, that wasn't the case. Amelia, who had thought it wouldn't be the case but had been holding on to a sliver of hope, lowered her sad eyes.
"Sorry."
At that moment, Ivan's soft voice broke the silence between the two.
“Because I have to protect the child first.”
Amelia's eyes opened wide. Amelia raised her head and fixed her gaze on Ivan. Ivan was still expressionless. However, his eyes were not the indifferent ones he had been looking at others with before.
"...Later."
It's Ivan. That Ivan.
“Rodan!”
Just as the certainty was momentary, the time their eyes met was also brief. Before Amelia could come to her senses and get up from her seat, Ivan opened the bedroom door roughly. Then, he strode out and called Rodan’s name.
“Take care of the child. Return to the palace.”
"Yes."
The baby was heard whining, as if it were being held in the arms of the servant Ivan had brought. At the same time, Ivan's footsteps were heard moving away.
The confusion lasted only a moment. Even though she couldn’t see anything right away, she felt relieved. Amelia closed her eyes and buried her face in her palms.
Ivan was alive. And Ian's life was saved by his father. Thinking that way, everything was satisfactory.
“Amelia Escliffe.”
It was okay. Even if Aaron, furious to the core, opened the door and came in, calling her name in a worldly, gentle voice. Even if he wanted to throw her into the fire pit right away.
Rodan's gaze turned to the baby in his arms. Seeing the little one sleeping soundly, seemingly unconcerned about being separated from his mother, he felt at a loss for what else to say.
“You really did have a child.”
“Yeah. It looks like he was on the verge of death.”
Ivan replied indifferently. His eyes were fixed on his own child, but there was no trace of affection in his eyes. He seemed unable to feel even the emotion of finding a newborn cute.
“He was on the verge of death?”
“Although the priestess has a human body, she has continued the legend of immortality for 200 years.”
Rodan blinked at Ivan's words.
“She gave birth to a daughter who had black hair and black eyes like her, and then she gave birth to another daughter.”
“...”
“Look at the hair color.”
Ivan pointed to the child's head with his index finger. Rodan's gaze naturally moved from Ivan's gloved hand to the child's head.
“At a glance, it’s the same color as my hair. But the eyes are black. Regardless of his gender, he’s useless based on his appearance alone.”
It's useless. Ivan said without hesitation what Rodan had been unable to say.
“What are your plans for taking him now?”
“It is a symbol of the friendly relationship between the temple and the royal family, so it should be raised properly and nicely.”
Sitting with his legs crossed, he was clearly a statuesque figure, but he looked more like someone evaluating a purchase than a father.
“If he dies one day, he will do it beautifully enough to break his mother’s heart.”
Ivan's assessment of his son was roughly superior. It had been more than a day or two since he had been with Ivan. Rodan could easily read Ivan's intentions from his gaze.
“I will take care of things like arranging the accommodation and staff.”
Ivan, who had a picturesque appearance but no personality, could easily have been like that. That wasn't surprising. It was just that that wasn't the answer Rodan wanted.
"Yes."
Ivan gave his permission coolly, as if he had never intended to care about the child from the beginning. And now, as if he had nothing more to say about the child, he turned his gaze out the window.
He didn't want to be born, and he didn't choose his parents, but the child's fate was strange. He couldn't help but feel sorry for Rodan.
“What should I call you, baby?”
Maybe that was why he wanted to give the child a proper name. He asked the question while tapping the child's nose with his gloved hand. Ivan, who had been staring out the window, briefly turned his gaze to the child.
“Ian.”
Ivan answered softly.
“It’s similar to Your Majesty’s name.”
“I see.”
Although he spoke nonchalantly as if he had not noticed, the story Amelia had been spouting out incoherently was still lingering in Ivan's head.
“Actually, it wasn’t an abandoned child, but a child who was about to be abandoned that was saved. I said it was named after the child’s father.”
Ivan looked at the newborn child and thought of himself, trying to imagine the heart of the woman who had given him a name with only one syllable changed.
Were you happy? Sad? Lonely? Resentful?
He laid out his various emotions as if he were arranging items on a shelf, but he couldn't pick out any of them. It was something he couldn't understand because he had never experienced it before.
“...”
There is only one thing Ivan is sure of.
Amelia Escliffe's heart is drawing nearer to the day when she will destroy the ground she stands on.
“Thank you for the grace of the sun.”
After completing the two signatures, Ivan took her share of the pledge and gave his confirmation. Amelia bowed deeply to him, expressing her sincere gratitude.
“...Does the child have a name?”
Ivan, who had been staring blankly at Amelia, asked a question.
“Will you call him by that name?”
There was a brief silence in the reception room. Amelia admitted that it was her own desire for the Emperor to call Ian by his name. It was her intention to protect him, but it was not a wish that someone who was ultimately unable to protect the child and was about to leave him in the hands of others would wish for.
“Yes.”
Just as she was about to tell the child his name, and also to say that he could call him by his new name from now on, the Emperor unexpectedly said yes.
“Tell me what you called him.”
As affectionately as the man who was Amelia's lover.
Amelia unconsciously tightened her grip on the hand that was resting on her thigh. While she repeatedly told herself that the Emperor was not the person she loved, the hem of her dress was wrapped around her fist and crumpled into a pitiful state.
“...Ian.”
But that's not all. She had no time to make excuses and just tell the truth.
“His mother called him Ian.”
“...”
“Actually, it wasn’t an abandoned child, but a child who was about to be abandoned that was saved. I said it was named after the child’s father.”
But Amelia was afraid that she would be asked later how she knew the child's father's name. She quickly added an excuse, as if she were telling a story she had heard from someone else.
“Why did the mother abandon her child?”
Amelia's eyes widened at Ivan's words. In fact, the reason why the child was abandoned was a topic that the Emperor would not be interested in at all.
“I heard that the child’s father died in an unexpected accident.”
“...”
“She found out late that she was pregnant, and the man her family had originally opposed was the father of the child, so they tried to kill the baby as soon as she gave birth.”
That's why she was so calm about being taken away by a stranger. Amelia answered with her eyes half-closed. She was too absorbed in the story to say it was just something she had heard, and her face was too sad.
"...Yes."
Ivan, who had been watching the scene, answered a beat later. There was no way to know whether he felt something there or not, but she could tell that he felt at least some pity for something.
“As you said, I hope that the child we bring home today will prove the alliance between the temple and the imperial family.”
Amelia bowed her head silently and thanked him.
“If that’s the case, I’ll show my favor first, so I promise. The child’s name will still be Ian, and he will grow up to be my child’s friend.”
Fortunately, Amelia smiled and nodded after hearing the Emperor's promise. She didn't know whether he would keep his promise or not, but at least it would be better than this place. And if the promise was kept, he would surely grow up to be a happy child. That alone was enough.
“If you want to see the child often, you can come and see him. It will be helpful to both the temple and the royal family.”
But Ivan did her an unexpected favor. Amelia's lips parted slightly in surprise. He was a man who had neither a son nor an heir. There was no way he could understand that she was really sending her child away.
“I will be ready to welcome you at any time.”
"...Thank you."
Amelia barely managed to answer in a choked voice. She kept her eyes on the teacup on the table, afraid that tears might fall.
Ivan didn't respond. He simply took one of the written pledges, put it in his bosom, and stood up.
Could it really be Ivan?
Suddenly, something welled up in her chest. Shr was sure he wasn't Ivan, but anticipation crept into her head at the sight of the Emperor.
“Ivan.”
Amelia cautiously raised her head and called her man's name. Even then, Aaron said Ivan was dead, but he was alive. So maybe he had managed to escape the fire and still lived.
“...”
But there was no answer. There was only an indifferent look down.
As expected, that wasn't the case. Amelia, who had thought it wouldn't be the case but had been holding on to a sliver of hope, lowered her sad eyes.
"Sorry."
At that moment, Ivan's soft voice broke the silence between the two.
“Because I have to protect the child first.”
Amelia's eyes opened wide. Amelia raised her head and fixed her gaze on Ivan. Ivan was still expressionless. However, his eyes were not the indifferent ones he had been looking at others with before.
"...Later."
It's Ivan. That Ivan.
“Rodan!”
Just as the certainty was momentary, the time their eyes met was also brief. Before Amelia could come to her senses and get up from her seat, Ivan opened the bedroom door roughly. Then, he strode out and called Rodan’s name.
“Take care of the child. Return to the palace.”
"Yes."
The baby was heard whining, as if it were being held in the arms of the servant Ivan had brought. At the same time, Ivan's footsteps were heard moving away.
The confusion lasted only a moment. Even though she couldn’t see anything right away, she felt relieved. Amelia closed her eyes and buried her face in her palms.
Ivan was alive. And Ian's life was saved by his father. Thinking that way, everything was satisfactory.
“Amelia Escliffe.”
It was okay. Even if Aaron, furious to the core, opened the door and came in, calling her name in a worldly, gentle voice. Even if he wanted to throw her into the fire pit right away.
***
Rodan's gaze turned to the baby in his arms. Seeing the little one sleeping soundly, seemingly unconcerned about being separated from his mother, he felt at a loss for what else to say.
“You really did have a child.”
“Yeah. It looks like he was on the verge of death.”
Ivan replied indifferently. His eyes were fixed on his own child, but there was no trace of affection in his eyes. He seemed unable to feel even the emotion of finding a newborn cute.
“He was on the verge of death?”
“Although the priestess has a human body, she has continued the legend of immortality for 200 years.”
Rodan blinked at Ivan's words.
“She gave birth to a daughter who had black hair and black eyes like her, and then she gave birth to another daughter.”
“...”
“Look at the hair color.”
Ivan pointed to the child's head with his index finger. Rodan's gaze naturally moved from Ivan's gloved hand to the child's head.
“At a glance, it’s the same color as my hair. But the eyes are black. Regardless of his gender, he’s useless based on his appearance alone.”
It's useless. Ivan said without hesitation what Rodan had been unable to say.
“What are your plans for taking him now?”
“It is a symbol of the friendly relationship between the temple and the royal family, so it should be raised properly and nicely.”
Sitting with his legs crossed, he was clearly a statuesque figure, but he looked more like someone evaluating a purchase than a father.
“If he dies one day, he will do it beautifully enough to break his mother’s heart.”
Ivan's assessment of his son was roughly superior. It had been more than a day or two since he had been with Ivan. Rodan could easily read Ivan's intentions from his gaze.
“I will take care of things like arranging the accommodation and staff.”
Ivan, who had a picturesque appearance but no personality, could easily have been like that. That wasn't surprising. It was just that that wasn't the answer Rodan wanted.
"Yes."
Ivan gave his permission coolly, as if he had never intended to care about the child from the beginning. And now, as if he had nothing more to say about the child, he turned his gaze out the window.
He didn't want to be born, and he didn't choose his parents, but the child's fate was strange. He couldn't help but feel sorry for Rodan.
“What should I call you, baby?”
Maybe that was why he wanted to give the child a proper name. He asked the question while tapping the child's nose with his gloved hand. Ivan, who had been staring out the window, briefly turned his gaze to the child.
“Ian.”
Ivan answered softly.
“It’s similar to Your Majesty’s name.”
“I see.”
Although he spoke nonchalantly as if he had not noticed, the story Amelia had been spouting out incoherently was still lingering in Ivan's head.
“Actually, it wasn’t an abandoned child, but a child who was about to be abandoned that was saved. I said it was named after the child’s father.”
Ivan looked at the newborn child and thought of himself, trying to imagine the heart of the woman who had given him a name with only one syllable changed.
Were you happy? Sad? Lonely? Resentful?
He laid out his various emotions as if he were arranging items on a shelf, but he couldn't pick out any of them. It was something he couldn't understand because he had never experienced it before.
“...”
There is only one thing Ivan is sure of.
Amelia Escliffe's heart is drawing nearer to the day when she will destroy the ground she stands on.
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