While Evelyn was still enduring the utmost embarrassment, Adrian fled back to the room at lightning speed. He carried something in his hand, a golden cage that Fabian gave him a while ago.
Ugly, who Adrian showed, immediately spread his wings in the cage.
“I’ll take him out.”
Evelyn tried to come forward, but unexpectedly, Monica waved her hand first. She was curious about Adrian’s sudden actions.
“I told him that I would wait, so I have to keep my promise.” Monica spoke as usual in an icy voice, and afterwards turned to Adrian, “Where, let me see.”
Evelyn was anxious, but no excuse, she could find to stop them. So, she just prayed that Adrian wouldn’t make another mistake.
As for Adrian, that child was totally unaware of Evelyn’s anxiety. He was very captivated by the Empress’ dignified appearance that he kept looking at Monica with a beaming face.
“This is ugly! Ugly…good to see you, Empress-Mother!”
It was only then that Monica knew that the name of the bird was Ugly.
“Ugly is Adrian’s friend! Brave and big! But you have to give him. Because he’s Adrian’s comrade.”
Evelyn could see that Monica sighed a little, and just stared with an expressionless face towards Adrian.
A child could instinctively feel the feelings of the person treating him, and Adrian seemed to sense that Monica greatly favoured him. So, instead of being afraid, Adrian was even bolder.
“I don’t understand what you’re talking about. Say it slowly.”
Monica also didn’t know how to deal with children, so she responded with the same calmness as she did with adults.
However, Adrian was very pleased with his grandmother’s attitude, who didn’t treat him as a child.
“This is Ugly.”
“I know that. It’s the Imperial’s black hawk.”
“He’s Adrian’s friend! He will be bigger, be braver!”
“That’s also…… I get it.”
Monica nodded. Then Adrian looked more proud as if he earned more confidence.
“Uhm…I want you to give him, he’s my comrade. Because Adrian is a Prince, so you have to give him.”
This part of his speech was the most difficult to understand. However, Monica, who had a smart brain and good sense, seemed to grasp the context of Adrian’s words.
“Does he mean, he want to make that bird as the Prince’s comrade…..?” Monica asked Evelyn in a whisper as she wasn’t sure about it. And Evelyn quietly nodded her head.
“What do you want me to do? I give him…?”
“Ti-tle! That’s how he can be a noble.”
“Ah…… You want me to give him a title.”
Evelyn took a deep breath as the mystery finally solved.
“Yes! Ugly, Adrian’s comrade!”
“But the Imperial family never gave a title to a bird.”
Monica dropped the grenade just as Evelyn began to calm down. She saw Adrian’s stunned, frozen face as she looked up.
“I can’t help it. A title can only be given to a person. It’s the Imperial’s law.”
“Title…cannot?
“I can’t give it to your Ugly bird.”
“Uh…Title.. Ugly because a bird? Comrade……cannot?”
“Yes, it’s a bird.”
The Empress Dowager spoke firmly in a relaxed manner. She didn’t have a bad thought, but the only problem was that Adrian was a child.
“Uh…Uh…Then… … Ugly……can’t give….”
“A bird is a bird.”
In Monica’s words, nothing was wrong. But, surely, Adrian’s face immediately filled with tears because of sadness.
“Ugly … is a bird, but…….”
Adrian began to weep. Evelyn actually had tried to teach him the about ‘title’ slowly, but who would expect that the Empress Dowager would tell him so bluntly.
Adrian saw the bird and Monica with his trembling eyes alternately, and soon he couldn’t stand it anymore and burst into tears.
“No! Ugly…… Adrian……Huuuu, comrade….. give it to him…….”
Evelyn was actually ashamed, but it seemed like Monica’s condition was much tougher. She unknowingly half rose from her chair with a hardened face.
Evelyn was surprised to see her, but she couldn’t move quickly.
“Uh..uh……..Ugly…… title? Uh..uh…….”
Monica was having one of the most humiliating moments in her life now; she saw a child weeping before her for the first time. And the reason was because of her.
“Title….Ugly….hu…uh..”
Monica had to straighten her back and stand in front of Adrian, as he still seemed unable to understand what she said.
“Oh, I mean, that’s the law in the Imperial Palace where you live. But not in the separate Palace where I live. “
Now Evelyn couldn’t figure out how this situation was going.
“Uhm….Really………?”
“I’m Empress-Mother. I don’t lie to people.”
“Lie…..is bad…… Adrian also doesn’t lie, I don’t!”
“Yes, that’s a good trait.” Monica spoke softly, but Adrian’s eyes were still tearful, looking at her.
“Because I don’t lie, I’ll give a special title to your bird.”
“…Really? Really? Are you sure?”
Monica was in agony for a while, but she couldn’t take back the words she already said. “Yes.”
“Then the title for Ugly ……?”
“In the Southern Palace……the title for a bird….” Monica thought hard, finding the right title-rank for that bird.
“The… The messenger! He will be a messenger bird.”
“Oooooh….”
Adrian honestly didn’t know what the messenger bird was. But he thought the title was very cool and looked at Monica with a bright face.
“Oh……cool……is it a good title?”
“Of course. It’s a very glorious title in my Palace.”
Well, if the title’s owner was human, that would be an awesome job. That’s why we could say Ugly was very lucky to get a title-rank like that.
“Oh… then Adrian like it too! I like……I like it!” Adrian was so happy that he almost dropped his cage while trying to clap his hands. “Ugly! Now you’re a messenger bird!” He saw the bird and stamped his little feet.
“Mersetser! ( messenger ) Let’s get stronger now, together with me!”
Adrian’s face was filled with expressions which adults couldn’t make even if they exchanged it for any treasure in the world.
His little hands that swayed excitedly, her round shining eyes, and above all, and his exuberant laughter overflowed.
Then immediately, his eyes switched again to Monica. Adrian put the cage on the floor carefully and approached her to say something.
“Grandmother, thank you! Ugly told me with his eyes that he was thankful for his title!”
“……Well, never mind.”
But Adrian still fiddled with Monica’s hand as if he still had something to say.
“What is it?”
“Uhm….Thank you…….”
Monica was a little shocking when Adrian moved towards her shyly for a couple of steps. But she just watched him and let him do whatever he wanted.
Adrian then stood right in front of her and naturally opened his arms wide.
“Adrian will give you a hug.”
Monica froze.
“Why?”
“Don’t you hug each other if you like them?”
It was normal for a child-like Adrian to hug someone when he was happy.
However, it wasn’t same with Monica who was living as an Empress. Even though the child opened his arms wide, she still didn’t get up from her seat, until Evelyn got up and walked over to her.
“Your Highness, if you don’t mind… let him hug you.”
Monica hesitated for a moment. But Adrian kept waiting with his opened arms.
Looking closely, Adrian really looked like little Fabian with a black coloured hair and chestnut-like hair cut.
Monica carefully reached out her hand and hugged his body that was smaller and smoother than she imagined.
“No, hug me tighter!”
Adrian unexpectedly plunged his body into Monica’s embrace, who looked surprised until her eyes bulged. But soon, she slowly wrapped his small body tighter.
Instinctively, Monica removed her long nail trimmings so that Adrian didn’t get hurt.
“Grandmother… thank you for giving Ugly a title!”
Adrian body’s temperature that wriggled in her arms was warmer than she thought.
“Adrian won’t forget you. I won’t! Never!”
That was the longest expression of gratitude that Adrian had ever said.
Monica unwittingly patted Adrian’s back head several times. Then she squatted for a while, holding him, and didn’t move.
Adrian was really in a good mood and stayed still in Monica’s arms, “Grandmother, I like you. I’ll give you a hug.”
“Is that so…?”
It was a silent question that longed for years. Yet, she knew, that Adrian wouldn’t see the remorse within her heart.
“Really, I really like you. Ugly like you, too.”
Adrian’s pure and innocent answer touched Monica’s heart. There was a faint smile on her expressionless face as she patted his little back.
“Thank you.”
It was a string of words that she had never heard from Fabian, her own son. Monica never wanted it as well. She thought she was until this moment.
“I also won’t forget you.”
It was a mystery that they who were always at the crossroads in past lives now felt the same way because of a child.
“Thank you.” Her second words were directed at Evelyn.
Evelyn also replied with a smile. Now that she knew that Monica had the same feeling as her, she could no longer think of her as a stranger.
“He’s a clumsy child, and I’m… grateful.”
Monica looked up, and soon she released Adrian. But he clung to her, and still hovered around her feet.
“Next time again… May I come to see him again?”
“Of course.” Evelyn smiled warmly. “….. if you don’t see him often from now, he’ll whimper.”
As Evelyn said, Adrian was already expressing his affection for Monica with his whole body.
“After this troublesome thing is over……..you can come to my Southern Palace as well.”
Monica conveyed her wish with a cold face. But Evelyn thought, she was similar to Fabian when he tried to express his feelings.
“Your Highness, you should often visits the Imperial Palace, too. Because children grow up very quickly.”
“Yes……you right.”
Fabian, the child she gave birth to, grew up at an early age. It was an unavoidable thing since all the Imperial children were like that.
“I will raise him by myself. Even though I’m still lacking in teaching him like now.”
There’s a feeling of wonder appeared in Monica’s face.
“His Majesty has also given permission.”
“Well if he said so, who could melt his stubbornness?”
As a former Empress, Monica still found it hard to understand. But if her grandson grew up like this, it seemed she had a reason to visit the Imperial Palace again.
Monica wanted to know what kind of smile Adrian would show when he grew up and could speak properly.
And she thought that maybe she could catch a glimpse of Fabian’s childhood that she had never seen, whenever she saw Adrian.
“Does Adrian resemble His Majesty when he was a child?” Evelyn asked kindly as if she had read Monica’s mind.
Monica then took a moment to catch Adrian’s figure; then she slowly nodded her head.
“They look alike.”
Only
In Monica’s memory, little Fabian was a child who followed all the rules that were difficult even for adults with his stiff face. But his dark hair and shining eyes were very similar to Adrian.
“I’m glad for that somehow.”
It had been a while since Monica hadn’t spoken to someone sincerely like this.
“As for me, I’m glad you see it that way.” Evelyn also replied to her, sincerely.
They stared at each other for a moment. Perhaps their relationship wouldn’t get any closer than this.
But it was enough.
They were looking in the same direction, as they loved the same man and the same child.
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