This Love Is Like Death - Chapter 131

Ian, who had been chattering away for a while, suddenly yawned. It made sense, since he'd been up early in the morning studying, playing hide-and-seek with Mrs. Howard, and chatting away in front of his mother's portrait. It was past his nap time.

“Let’s go, Ian.”

Ivan reached out. The young child ran towards him and clung to his arms. Ivan left the space, still holding his son in his arms, just as he had done the entire way here.

"Your Highness..."

At one point, Ian's body sagged. Ivan held Ian's head upright, then covered his lips with his index finger, silencing those trying to greet him.

And then, as usual, he crossed the threshold into his bedroom. Actually, since he was five and had a nanny, it was appropriate for him to sleep separately. But Ian continued to sleep in his bedroom. He used the excuse that the bed was spacious anyway, so it didn't matter.

“How long are you planning to keep him sleeping?”

“Just a little longer, Mrs. Howard. He's still young.”

Mrs. Howard sighed deeply in protest, but ultimately failed to stop Ivan's stubbornness. She knew that the only thing keeping Ivan alive now was his love for Ian.

“...”

Ivan laid his sleeping son on the bed, kissed his forehead as if saying good night, and then left the bedroom.

"Your Majesty."

Rodan approached, as if he'd been waiting. Ivan gestured toward the hallway a little further away, suggesting they move further from the bedroom to talk. He knew Ian was already sound asleep, but he seemed worried that Ian might wake up.

“What’s going on?”

As this wasn't a one-day or two-day affair, Rodan followed Ivan's every move. Only when Ivan reached the indicated location did he ask Rodan a question.

“They say an unfamiliar ship is approaching our waters.”

“A strange ship?”

Ivan's eyebrow tilted askance. There were several countries to which Escliffe had opened its doors, but none had ever been approached by ship.

“They say it doesn’t seem to have any intention of attacking, so it’s probably a ship from another country wandering around.”

Rodan offered a vague guess. It was bitter to report that he might have come from the land of Amelia's ancestors.

Even after concluding Amelia was dead, Ivan persisted in his quest to find the land where her ancestors might have lived. He continued to set sail, using the excuse of discovering a new continent as his goal.

“Why do you keep searching for that land? She is no longer there...”

So one time, Rodan asked a question outright.

“This is the land where half of the blood flowing through Ian’s body belongs.”

“...”

“We should maintain a good relationship, and then someday, if Ian wants, he can visit.”

Then, Ivan told Rodan the real reason, honestly, without hiding anything from him. From then on, Rodan couldn't object or question Ivan's decision.

“Just in case, station knights at the harbor, but if those on board do not show any intention of attack, let them enter the Escliffe, treat them, and then send them on their way.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Whether by chance or not, it was impolite to treat guests with contempt. Ivan concluded the conversation with that remark.

***

But the news he soon heard was unexpected. They were described as having black hair and dark eyes. And although communication was difficult due to the language barrier, they seemed to be looking for someone.

“Invite them to the palace and treat them as ambassadors from other countries.”

Ivan immediately gave the order. Regardless of how or why they had arrived on this land, Ivan had achieved what he had originally hoped for.

"All right."

Rodan, not unaware of this fact, nodded immediately upon receiving Ivan's order. When sending men to the port, he also made sure to remind them that the Emperor intended to treat them as official guests, and that they should be polite even if they didn't understand the language.

“No. Don’t hang those curtains.”

Thanks to this, Mrs. Warner, the head housekeeper, was very busy. She took out the event items that had been shoved in the storage room and arranged them in the hall.

“Is the meal preparation almost finished?”

“It’s all over!”

And after discussing with the royal chef, he urgently procured ingredients from various places in the market to ensure that the food preparation went smoothly.

The palace was in a state of complete chaos, so the well-being of the Crown Prince, who would normally have been considered cute and well-respected, was somewhat put on the back burner.

“Papa?”

It was the same with his father.

“Is there no one who can understand what they are saying?”

“Yes, Your Majesty. They say the language systems they use are completely different.”

Ivan, too, was at a loss as to how to deal with foreigners who could not speak his language and was preoccupied with researching other ways to communicate with them.

“Your Majesty seems preoccupied with preparing to welcome guests. Shall we come at another time, Your Highness?”

Mrs. Howard tried desperately to persuade Ian to turn around in front of Ivan's office. However, Ian, who had always been pampered by his father, seemed to have difficulty comprehending the situation in which he was suddenly relegated to the background.

“I’m bored!”

“Then, would you like to play hide-and-seek with me?”

"No!"

Ian, who had been reacting with a near-vicious rage, succumbed to his anger. He then ran into his father's bedroom and covered himself with the blanket. Mrs. Howard, who, despite being the Crown Prince's nanny, was forbidden from entering the Emperor's bedroom, turned around and told him to come find her if he changed his mind.

“...”

And so, the signs gradually faded. I had hoped she would comfort me, but even Mrs. Howard was gone! Ian, covered head to head with the blanket, sniffled with a look of extreme frustration on his face, and closed his eyes.

And then it rose again, only to find the sun had set. This meant no one had come looking for him, and Ian grew even sadder.

"Mama."

If my mother were here, she would have known I was crying and consoled me. Ian's jaw clenched as he held back his sorrow.

“I want to go to Mama.”

Ian mumbled as he climbed down from Ivan's bed. He opened the bedroom door and stepped outside. Amidst the chaos, not many paid attention to Ian. Thanks to this, he arrived at the imperial treasury unmolested.

“Your Highness, the Crown Prince, have you come alone?”

The knight guarding the front wasn't particularly surprised by Ian's frequent visits. However, he wrinkled his nose, looking somewhat embarrassed by Ivan's absence.

“I can only open the door if His Majesty the Emperor is present...”

Because the Emperor ordered that the door be opened only when he was accompanying him.

“Can’t I go in alone?”

“Oh, that’s...”

However, it was difficult to ignore the Crown Prince, whose face was distorted with frustration. The Emperor would have been utterly devastated if it were his own child, and he feared that Ian might point out his attitude and cause trouble. After all, the royal family is the royal family. Ultimately, the knight, at his own discretion, opened the door to the treasure vault.

"Mama!"

Ian, who had passed through the entrance, immediately ran to where Amelia's portrait was.

“Mama, I’m here.”

Ian stared sadly at the portrait, which stared straight ahead with an expressionless face. He rambled on about how he had been mistreated that day and how it had hurt him.

“Why isn’t Mama here? Why won’t you make eye contact?”

And Ian's resentment finally reached Amelia. Ian crumpled his face and shed tears as if he was saddened by his mother's absence.

“I hate you...”

Ian grabbed the edge of the picture frame with Amelia's portrait and shook it. The frame, hanging on a nail, tilted, then floated into the air and fell forward. It landed on top of Ian's head, who was shaking it in front of him.

With a dull thud, Ian lost his balance and fell. He thrashed and cried out in terror at the sight of something looming over his head.

“Ian!”

At that moment, Ivan came running, as if sensing his son's danger. Ian crawled out from under the picture frame and wept bitterly. Then, he fell into his father's arms and poured out his resentment incoherently.

“...”

But Ivan, as always, neither comforted Ian nor apologized. His gaze simply remained fixed on the portrait, now mangled by Ian's kick.

The corners of Ian's mouth curled downward upon discovering this. He then burst into tears again, as if sobbing loudly. The pain was painful, and his father's indifference was heartbreaking. The realization that he had ruined his mother's portrait, his only one, broke his heart even more.

“Yes, I was wrong. I didn’t do it on purpose...”

But more than anything, the scars on his father's face as he stared at the ruined portrait of his mother were so vivid that they brought tears to his eyes. It was a fleeting moment, but the emotion was so clear that even a child could not fail to recognize it.

“It’s okay.”

Ivan hugged Ian, who was crying loudly, closer to him. He then patted his small back.

It's okay. It's okay. In a sad voice, he couldn't tell if it was soothing the child or his own heart.

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