However, there were only a few mourners. Since the Grand Duchess had not yet regained consciousness, few people paid attention to the small pool of blood that was too small for a human being.
He took another sip of wine in his mixed emotions.
After the commotion, his brother, who was locked in his bed, opened the door and went outside to check on the dead child only after the Grand Duchess's bleeding stopped.
Lucas, who heard the news belatedly and rushed to check the situation, shuddered as he remembered the face of Barcas he had encountered at that moment.
The man, who had been staring for a long time at the small pool of blood wrapped in swaddling clothes with empty eyes that seemed to have evaporated all his emotions, turned around after the maid burst into tears with a frightened face, giving formal instructions to bury him well.
His demeanor was terrifyingly calm, but Lucas felt a strange eeriness.
This is because he found a gloomy shadow that could only be seen in the beheaded corpse of his brother, who had passed by.
The lifeless man, as if he had poured out all the blood from his body, went back into the bed and closed the door tightly. And for the past three days, he has been silently by his wife's side in critical condition.
Many things needed to be approved by the Grand Duke, but no one dared to knock on the door.
It wasn't enough to leave his first child in vain, and no one could give official documents to a man who was on the verge of losing his wife.
However, at this point in time, when the threat of war was approaching every moment, it was impossible to just wait idly.
'What if he doesn't come out of the room by tomorrow... I should force myself to break through.'
Lucas, who had taken on a difficult role, let out a heavy sigh and drank the strong drink again.
At that time, a loud voice was heard from under the castle wall.
"What are you doing in such a place?"
Lucas turned his head and frowned as he spotted Raina leading the brown stallion through the gates.
Raina, who had sneaked out of the castle without a bodyguard and was on her way back, stopped in front of the stairs leading to the wall patrol and looked up at him pitifully.
"I guess there's nothing to do but make a big fuss there?"
"What about you?"
Lucas, who was drunk with wine, retorted sourly.
"Where are you dragging your horse in this weather?"
"I didn't want to be in the castle, so I came out on purpose. I was tired of watching the servants of the whole dying as if something big had happened."
Lucas stiffened his body at his sister's harsh tone.
He knew that Raina harbored hostility towards the Grand Duchess. However, he did not expect her to show such a cruel attitude towards such a tragic event.
Lucas said sarcastically.
"The Grand Duchess is now lying in the sickbed and has not regained consciousness. Isn't it possible to show a little sympathy?"
"When did she ever show sympathy to my father or me? But why should I do that?"
Perhaps offended by his accusatory tone, Raina's large reddish-brown eyes were pale with water.
Raina opened her eyes as if to hide it and shot sharply.
"Don't tremble in hypocrisy, Lucas. Aren't you the one who is calling for the most joy in your heart because things are like this?"
Lucas looked puzzled.
"What the hell do you mean by that?"
"Don't pretend you don't know, you are currently the only heir to the Grand Duke family. Maybe you will remain the successor for a long time to come."
A pouty smile appeared on the corner of his aiater's mouth.
"With her size, she would have given birth to a healthy child. Unless my brother welcomes a new bride, one day you or your children will inherit the Sheerkan family?"
He looked down at his sister as if he were a stranger.
Although she had a corner of being unruly, she still did not have such a cruel personality.
Was his father's death so shocking?
Lucas stared at his sister's face with his narrow eyes.
Perhaps as she lost her father and Lucas began to undergo full-fledged training, he thought that Raina might have felt isolated. The feeling of being pushed out of everyone's attention made her harbor malice.
He was momentarily conflicted.
Hw wanted to accept his sister's foolishness, but he was afraid that she would go further astray.
Now, they were not immature children who could be forgiven no matter what they said.
"I don't want to be a Grand Duke, and I can't do so."
He added coldly, hoping that his sister would come to her senses.
"I'm really disappointed, Raina. I don't like that woman either... Still, I feel sorry for her. Isn't that human nature? I really didn't know that you were such a human being without blood or tears."
"I'm disappointed, Lucas. I didn't know you were such a stupid person."
Raina hit back with a fierce face.
"Do you think I'm the only one thinking this now? The vassals are also muttering behind the scenes. If she doesn't produce an heir in the end, we have no choice but to get a new hostess or put our hopes on you."
Lucas was speechless and kept his mouth shut.
Raina, who was staring at him mockingly, pulled the reins and turned around.
"Come to think of it. Darren is looking for you in the training camp."
Then, as if suddenly remembering, she shouted over her shoulder.
"The Council of the League of Nobles will be held soon, and at that time, I want you to replace my brother and keep your position as the representative of the Sheerkan family."
"..."
"Come on, it doesn't hurt to stamp your face with the members of the League of Nobles in advance."
Raina threw harsh words and walked leisurely towards the stable.
Lucas looked at the back of his sister with a bewildered face, and felt the rain that had gradually subsided thicken again, and pulled on his hood.
As he looked through the battlements, he saw a cemetery in the rain. The maids who were expressing their condolences had left before he knew it.
He stared down at the pale bunch of lilies placed by the small grave, and then turned away with a bitter sigh. It was bitter in his mouth as if he had swallowed ashes.
***
A sharp pain penetrated my hazy consciousness.
I barely opened my eyelids, which clung to me like glue and did not fall off.
I vaguely captured the scenery in the room, immersed in a bluish light in the dim vision, as if submerged in water.
For a moment, I thought I had a long and painful dream. Then, when I felt my stomach sink under the palm of my hand that I had inadvertently lowered. I realized that I was in a nightmare called reality.
"Thalia."
As I was caressing my throbbing belly, someone gently wrapped his hand around my head with a big hand.
It wasn't until a long time later that I realized that someone was holding me behind my back.
I turned my head unconsciously, and slowly blinked my eyelids when I saw the man I had been longing for and longing for for half of my life.
I could see the beautiful eyes that always made my heart ache just by looking at them.
But I could not feel any emotion. It was as if I was dead alive.
Maybe I really became a corpse.
"Thalia."
As if denying my thoughts, a clear voice echoed from my bedside.
It was a strange, strange voice.
It was like a child who had learned to speak for the first time, repeating the same words recklessly.
"...Do you recognize me?"
When there was no response, the man tilted his head and looked into my eyes. Over the past few months, his gray hair, which had grown longer, had tickled the corners of his eyes.
I stared at the sharp face with a faint shadow in the distance, and then lowered my eyelids slightly.
"It's... cold."
The man who picked up the voice that flowed out like the wind and wrapped my body tightly with a thick blanket.
But I couldn't feel the warmth at all. I felt like I was buried in a cold pile of dirt.
I wondered why I knew how I felt. Then, suddenly, I remembered that I had been buried in a pile of stones and dirt.
I had a strange thought that maybe I had been there from then until now.
Isn't that right? It could not have happened in reality that I married Barcas, became his wife, had a child, and lost the child in vain.
I was just trapped in a pile of dirt, rotting and immersed in a vain dream.
I could feel a tear running down my cheeks. However, my heart was strangely calm.
It seemed that the mind and body were completely separated. Reality and dreams, past and present, were mixed together, and I could no longer think clearly about anything.
Feeling dizziness gradually creating, I closed her eyes tightly.
I thought that if I fell asleep this time, I might wake up in the cold pile of dirt next time.
Maybe that's better.
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