Evelyn still felt her hands shaking. Her startled heart hardly calmed down.
Nora tried to calm Evelyn by serving her tea and wiping her face with a hot wet towel. Lily had to hold Adrian in front of her because Evelyn was so nervous.
“How did this happen? I’m glad you’re all right.”
“Yes, Princess. Please calm down now.”
Evelyn didn’t answer and bit her lower lip. It wasn’t one or two things that were bothering her.
“That Wyverns……they were aiming for Adrian.”
“But the demons don’t have an intelligence.”
“Yes. I was surprised, they were so close.”
A mother’s eyes, seeing her child in danger, could have fallen into wrong judgment.
“But the prince is very brave. He didn’t cry.”
Only then did Evelyn smile a little, nodding her head.
“He’s amazing. Even adults were shocked and screaming….”
Perhaps Adrian was so frightened that he was frozen. Yet Evelyn was so proud to see it.
“More than that, why did The Emperor come here?” Lily asked the question carefully.
“I do not know either.”
“Actually, from what I heard from the maid earlier, the King said he was staying in the royal palace.”
Lily’s words had blurred Evelyn’s expression.
“Give Adrian to me. I’ll stay here for a moment.”
“Yes, we’ll guard the door.”
Nora took Lily and disappeared. Holding Adrian tightly in her arms, Evelyn stared at his dark hair and sparkling black eyes. No matter what shape or color it was, he was pretty and lovely,….but… he also resembled him.
“Did he suspicious…?”
There was no evidence. It was only a moment when Fabian saw Adrian. Despite her rudeness, Evelyn quickly covered the basket with a blanket. But as time went by, she was concerned that her behavior might have been more suspicious.
“Did you see him, Adrian?”
But the child was unable to answer. Adrian rubbed Evelyn’s worried cheek with his tiny hand. With the warmth of Adrian’s body and his baby’s scent, Evelyn was able to calm her heart little by little.
“Amma, Abu!”
“If you see him, forget it. He’s nobody.”
Evelyn had taken hold of her pounding heart. She’s didn’t mean to let herself be nervous. Fabian was a cold-hearted man. Seeing Evelyn anxious might have made him more suspicious.
“It’s all right.”
Evelyn was trying not to think about the meaning of Fabian’s strange voice.
“You are my child.”
Evelyn hugged Adrian tightly. There was nothing in this world to be afraid of if she had to protect this little creature. Evelyn, she could sacrifice herself even if she had to throw herself at the Wyverns.
So, she didn’t have to be afraid of Fabian. She was trying to think like that.
★★★
Felice’s Palace was so busy.
They were busy serving the emperor at their best. Thanks to them, Fabian was able to relax in his soon-to-be-prepared quarters. Of course, his head was still spinning fast.
“So, in the end, we didn’t get any evidence.”
“I’m sorry, Your Majesty.” Serus lowered his head.
“Once the Demons lose their breath, their body decays quickly so it’s hard to figure it out.”
“I thought they were alive when the Imperial Army arrived.”
“Yes, I ordered them to stop, but the Paladin stabbed the spear. As a result, the Wyvern was completely out of breath.”
Fabian frowned his eyebrows. The suspicious behavior of the Vatican, which was likely to be caught, was annoying. He felt disgusted when he thought of the Pope’s face, who disappeared earlier with a peculiar sarcastic smile from that place.
“That cunning old man….” Fabian murmured in an angry voice.
“First of all, the Imperial Army has decided to collect the corpse and send it. Something may come out when the Empire investigates it.”
“I hope it doesn’t rot like before.”
The demons had decayed extremely quickly. Perhaps as Fabian predicted, they could not take an intact sample.
“I ‘m sorry, but was the accident of today really intentional? The Felice family was almost injured. They were the Vatican’s main source of income, so no way …”
Fabian laughed scoffingly.
“Can the Kingdom of Felice find evidence that I can not find?”
“It’s impossible…..”
“It is also good business for the old man to make more donations with fear as a bait.”
Indeed. Serus nodded at his master’s wiseness.
“To hear the detailed testimony, call the Duke of Akshire.”
“Akshire?”
“Yes. He took part in the role of protecting the royal family today, and I heard that he wrapped the princess when the Wyvern struck, so you will know the details from him.”
Fabian’s lips corner were finely moved by the word “Princess.” It was a humble title like a bright smile or a trail of tears. Looking back, Fabian didn’t remember if he saw Evelyn laughing or crying properly.
“The … the little prince.”
Fabian had unwittingly whispered softly.
“He’s called Prince Adrian.”
“Yes. When was the prince born?”
Serus had a puzzled look on his face to the unexpected question.
“I’ll see.”
As Fabian nodded, Serus bowed and stepped back.
“Adrian?”
Fabian didn’t see the baby properly in the basket, but his black hair was obvious. It was like Fabian himself, and it was a characteristic of the royal family as well.
“No way.”
There was no reason to doubt. But he was distracted by something. It was Evelyn’s behavior. Fabian had never seen Evelyn behave in front of him with such disrespect except for the night she requested a divorce.
Above all, Evelyn’s fingertips shook lightly and covered a basket in panic.
Only
“But….How come?”
Nobody could have known that it was such a slight provocation, but Fabian could obviously see it. It was possible for him who had always looked at Evelyn with calm eyes.
“Why do you look like that?”
Fabian’s question had remained. Evelyn had a tearful face and her trembling fingers floating all the way above his head.
Rarely, Fabian felt dizzy.
He couldn’t figure out why, but something kept bothering him. He couldn’t tell whether it was Evelyn’s crying face or her hands trying to hide something.
Or maybe it was her bright smile, that he looked up from the cliff.
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