Fabian took a moment’s breath and laid his gaze on Evelyn. His complicated mind had died like a lie. He was confident that Evelyn would listen without misinterpreting what he said.
“I have something to say about Adrian.”
Evelyn was a little anxious listening to his voice. There were a lot of things Evelyn really didn’t know about what was going on. She had to know, but she was scared to know at the same time.
“I’ll be honest as I could.”
Evelyn soon cleared up her mind and nodded, “Yes, I will trust you.”
At least it wasn’t likely that the current Fabian would hurt Adrian. Fabian, mostly, was a man who refused to speak with promises. Since all the words were spoken by him, who was born as the Emperor’s successor and rose to the throne – had a big influence.
“First of all, I guess I have to tell you how I got here.” Fabian quickly cleared his head, “What made me doubt the birth of Adrian … it was because of an unexpected finding.”
Evelyn frowned slightly. From the beginning, she already thought there was something strange. After seeing Adrian several times, Fabian had no doubts, but suddenly he felt suspicious and took the midwife.
“That part has confused my mind, too. Who told you that?”
Fabian shook his head, “No one, but….”
Besides, Evelyn’s secret couldn’t be leaked out so easily. But why did this happen, then?
“As you know, I don’t have a good relationship with the Vatican. But aside from that, I think something unknown is going on in the Vatican. ” Fabian’s distrust of the Vatican was not based solely on his bad feelings for the Pope. It was his judgment and his wisdom as Emperor that led him to investigate them.
“Is it about a demon?”
“That’s the part of it. There’s no progress in the investigation, so I don’t know how far their conspiracy is.”
After Fabian ascended to the throne, he became hostile to the Vatican and suspected them. It had been quite a while since he began investigating the Vatican in secret.
“The investigation has restarted recently. That’s why I swear in the name of the Emperor, I can confirm that they are certainly guilty.”
However, it was the first time for Evelyn to hear such a story. Because when she was an Empress, she never been told about anything outside the Palace.
“I see, but now I’m talking about Adrian, why is the Vatican…….”
“Don’t you have something to tell?”
Evelyn stopped talking when Fabian cut her sentence before she finished it. She didn’t want to lie. But her doubt was too scary to speak of.
“I won’t hide anything from you. I think the Vatican has a secret way to control the demon. And it has something to do with the person wearing the Paladin’s mask right now.”
“You mean, …..Sir David?”
“Yeah. Whenever something mysterious happened, there was his shadow. But too bad, I couldn’t catch his tail.” Fabian felt very displeased and kicked his tongue, “I know how absurd my words are.”
A man from the Vatican could control a demon. If Fabian hadn’t investigated it himself, he would have laughed at the nonsense story.
“……No, it’s not absurd…..”
“You seem to know something, as expected.”
Evelyn nodded her head carefully. “At the time, when the Wyvern stormed the Grand Festival… …It felt kind of weird. It felt like the demon was flying straight to Adrian. Looking back, the Pope’s words and actions were awkward. But because everyone said I was so shocked…….”
Fabian agreed. Her reaction was normal.
“It was only after the Paladin’s arrival that the Wyverns made a strange movement.”
“Definitely … … He’s a suspicious guy.”
Evelyn recalled the purple-eyed man she had met in the garden of the Felice Kingdom. Strangely, her memories of that day were as hazy as if they were foggy. But the odd feeling she felt in him wasn’t gone.
“Not long ago, when the Pope left for the kingdom of Felice without any announcement, I sent a delegation of knights to the Vatican. And I found a note in Saint Iretta. That’s the only thing I could get.” Fabian spoke openly, even though it was confidential information. He seemed to keep his promise, to be honest.
“There were a few hastily scribbled words on the note. Maybe Someone who was instructed by the Paladin wrote it.”
It was a small clue.
“The Paladin’s request, the prince’s hair, the death of the birth mother…… That’s what I’ve inferred from the list of words on the note. “
As a matter of fact, Adrian was the only one in this Empire who matched the memo. However, there was still something Evelyn couldn’t understand.
“Why did the Paladin want to investigate Adrian?”
“I think he tried to confirm Adrian’s birth. Saint Iretta probably had a relic that could reveal bloodlines with his hair.”
Fabian’s speculation was only half right. It wasn’t a relic, but David’s unique ability to know human life through the hair.
“One thing in a million, if my absurd doubts are correct, it is the Paladin who has the power to control demons …… It means the cave’s accident was an incident.”
Evelyn widened her eyes, “So, the demons that attacked the carriage…… The Paladin did it?”
“I think so. No, I’m sure.” Fabian was sure because his intuition said so. Indeed, there was no proof at this time, but his instincts already believed it.
“I didn’t want to say this.”
“No, please tell me everything.”
“…It happened when I gave Adrian the antidote. Before he lost consciousness, he knew that I had defeated the demons and saved him.” He couldn’t forget Adrian, who was crying at that time, reached out to him with his soft and weak hand.
“Adrian told me over and over again and again. That the demon rushed in tenaciously and said, ‘Kill Adrian’…..”
“……What?” Evelyn’s face became hardened. Adrian wasn’t old enough to make up those words. And she never taught him such radical words.
“He didn’t just say it out of fear. The demon repeated the words over and over, and that child heard it clearly ‘kill Adrian.’”
Suddenly, Evelyn’s eyes turned red. She didn’t want to imagine that scene. Her heart beat fast like a bolt. She still shuddered every time she looked at Adrian’s wounds. Evelyn felt suffocated at the thought of what happened at that time.
“That’s why I tried not to tell you,” Fabian said with a bitter feeling. He wanted to reach out and soothe Evelyn right now, but he still had a story to tell, “Don’t worry. Adrian doesn’t remember that time.”
Evelyn quickly wiped her eyes before her tears flowed. She knew it well that now wasn’t the time to cry.
“There’s another reason. Devil Eye is a demon that has low intelligence. Instinctively, they will only attack the prey in front of them. But at that time, they tirelessly chased Adrian, who was on the carriage. Also, attacking children by biting them with their teeth… It’s different from the Devil Eye’s behavior.” Fabian said calmly, but Evelyn could sense anger in his voice.
Fabian clenched his fist, “Someone must be ordered them. I have no choice but to think so.” He couldn’t bear his rage every time he thought about it.
“I don’t know his motives yet. I don’t know exactly what he means or what his goal is.” There was despair in his black eyes.
“However, there are certain things.”
Evelyn soon understood his meaning. “Yes.” Her blue eyes were gathered in the same light as Fabian.
“He’s after Adrian.”
Now, without hesitation, Evelyn marked him as an enemy. He was trying to hurt her son, so she didn’t have to hold back.
“And according to Your Majesty’s guess, he’s… a Paladin.” Evelyn’s eyes were filled with anger too as she couldn’t believe the man who was a ‘stranger’ could do such a terrible thing.
“That’s what I think.”
Fabian’s intuition was always right. Evelyn should have trusted his words because she had witnessed the accuracy of Fabian’s guesses several times.
“He’s a weird guy…..Once, I had a close conversation with him. But I don’t remember it clearly. My memories are blurred. Somehow… …Like being possessed by something.”
“Maybe he used some spell. Is there anything you remember?”
“… … demon…. Yes.” Evelyn looked straight at Fabian. “He told me an unknown story. Initially, all the demons in this continent hunt the Imperial family. …… Has he targeted Adrian since then? ” Evelyn’s tone became furious as she recalled David, who told that legendary stories with a calm face.
“The demons…. hunt the Imperial family? Fabian was confused in a somewhat different way.
“Yes. It’s a story that I’ve never heard before, so I searched the ancient books after that. Whether it’s a legend or just fiction … … but there’s a story similar to that. But there’s no warning at all.”
Fabian frowned his eyebrows slightly, “Where’s the book now?”
“It’s in the Felice Kingdom.”
That was a matter to be investigated separately later. For now, Fabian was more worried about seeing Evelyn’s face, which was already too pale.
“It’s strange.” The more she tried to remember something about David, the cloudier her memory became. “I can’t explain it, but……It feels so odd.”
“Don’t push yourself too hard.”
“No…there was something else……But my memories are really blurred. I can’t remember it.”
“It’s his spell. He’s also a magus. He’s an evil creature.”
Evelyn’s face was distorted by his words, “But why is he after Adrian?
Fabian didn’t even know why either. But it wasn’t necessary anymore. “That’s not surprising.”
Evelyn looked at Fabian with puzzled eyes. But his black eyes were more firm and more apparent than ever.
“He is an enemy. Before he’s your enemy, he’s already my enemy. Now I don’t care who he is, whether he’s a demon or not.”
Initially, Fabian’s intention was to reveal the Paladin’s identity and expose the Vatican’s rottenness.
“Now, I won’t stop until I kill him. From method to justification … I won’t be picky.”
But now it was no longer a political battle. That man had crossed a line he wasn’t supposed to cross. He tried to hurt two of the most important people in Fabian’s life. By the time that happened, the string of common sense within Fabian was broken.
“Evelyn.” His voice was fearful but believable at the same time. “Now that everything is blurry, there’s only one thing that is clear.”
Fabian’s presence was never felt so greatly like this.
“I’ll destroy those who are aiming for Adrian. I’ll make him impossible to do that again. I will never, I’ll never forgive him.”
Evelyn wanted to engrave such a figure in her eyes. She had always thought, the moment she left the Imperial family, he was a man she couldn’t depend on again.
“Now that I know who that child is, I love him as much as you do……”
Fabian didn’t dare to claim Evelyn’s motherly-love. Sadly, he was such a foolish man who always kept his word. Since he said he would be honest, he was only telling the truth about such a trivial matter.
“But Evelyn, I still love you.”
Sometimes, Evelyn’s mind was pierced by his too-straightforward-honesty.
“So I won’t make you sad. No matter what happens…….” Fabian looked fondly at Evelyn.
“I will protect you and your child.”
Evelyn didn’t know what expression she should make right now. Just her blue eyes that stared at Fabian……”Is that…… Your Majesty’s promise?”
“Yes.”
Evelyn knew it better than anyone that Fabian always risked his life to keep his promise.
“Thank you. I’ll take that promise.”
It was Evelyn who left his side coldly and heartless. She also knew that she didn’t deserve the promise that risked his life now.
“For Adrian’s sake.”
That was all. For the sake of her child, Evelyn could be a coward and endure her shame.
Fabian looked at Evelyn and didn’t say any single word. He let her go with a glance.
Evelyn later realized that it was more hurt to regret than to hate.
Fabian took a moment’s breath and laid his gaze on Evelyn. His complicated mind had died like a lie. He was confident that Evelyn would listen without misinterpreting what he said.
“I have something to say about Adrian.”
Evelyn was a little anxious listening to his voice. There were a lot of things Evelyn really didn’t know about what was going on. She had to know, but she was scared to know at the same time.
“I’ll be honest as I could.”
Evelyn soon cleared up her mind and nodded, “Yes, I will trust you.”
At least it wasn’t likely that the current Fabian would hurt Adrian. Fabian, mostly, was a man who refused to speak with promises. Since all the words were spoken by him, who was born as the Emperor’s successor and rose to the throne – had a big influence.
“First of all, I guess I have to tell you how I got here.” Fabian quickly cleared his head, “What made me doubt the birth of Adrian … it was because of an unexpected finding.”
Evelyn frowned slightly. From the beginning, she already thought there was something strange. After seeing Adrian several times, Fabian had no doubts, but suddenly he felt suspicious and took the midwife.
“That part has confused my mind, too. Who told you that?”
Fabian shook his head, “No one, but….”
Besides, Evelyn’s secret couldn’t be leaked out so easily. But why did this happen, then?
“As you know, I don’t have a good relationship with the Vatican. But aside from that, I think something unknown is going on in the Vatican. ” Fabian’s distrust of the Vatican was not based solely on his bad feelings for the Pope. It was his judgment and his wisdom as Emperor that led him to investigate them.
“Is it about a demon?”
“That’s the part of it. There’s no progress in the investigation, so I don’t know how far their conspiracy is.”
After Fabian ascended to the throne, he became hostile to the Vatican and suspected them. It had been quite a while since he began investigating the Vatican in secret.
“The investigation has restarted recently. That’s why I swear in the name of the Emperor, I can confirm that they are certainly guilty.”
However, it was the first time for Evelyn to hear such a story. Because when she was an Empress, she never been told about anything outside the Palace.
“I see, but now I’m talking about Adrian, why is the Vatican…….”
“Don’t you have something to tell?”
Evelyn stopped talking when Fabian cut her sentence before she finished it. She didn’t want to lie. But her doubt was too scary to speak of.
“I won’t hide anything from you. I think the Vatican has a secret way to control the demon. And it has something to do with the person wearing the Paladin’s mask right now.”
“You mean, …..Sir David?”
“Yeah. Whenever something mysterious happened, there was his shadow. But too bad, I couldn’t catch his tail.” Fabian felt very displeased and kicked his tongue, “I know how absurd my words are.”
A man from the Vatican could control a demon. If Fabian hadn’t investigated it himself, he would have laughed at the nonsense story.
“……No, it’s not absurd…..”
“You seem to know something, as expected.”
Evelyn nodded her head carefully. “At the time, when the Wyvern stormed the Grand Festival… …It felt kind of weird. It felt like the demon was flying straight to Adrian. Looking back, the Pope’s words and actions were awkward. But because everyone said I was so shocked…….”
Fabian agreed. Her reaction was normal.
“It was only after the Paladin’s arrival that the Wyverns made a strange movement.”
“Definitely … … He’s a suspicious guy.”
Evelyn recalled the purple-eyed man she had met in the garden of the Felice Kingdom. Strangely, her memories of that day were as hazy as if they were foggy. But the odd feeling she felt in him wasn’t gone.
“Not long ago, when the Pope left for the kingdom of Felice without any announcement, I sent a delegation of knights to the Vatican. And I found a note in Saint Iretta. That’s the only thing I could get.” Fabian spoke openly, even though it was confidential information. He seemed to keep his promise, to be honest.
“There were a few hastily scribbled words on the note. Maybe Someone who was instructed by the Paladin wrote it.”
It was a small clue.
“The Paladin’s request, the prince’s hair, the death of the birth mother…… That’s what I’ve inferred from the list of words on the note. “
As a matter of fact, Adrian was the only one in this Empire who matched the memo. However, there was still something Evelyn couldn’t understand.
“Why did the Paladin want to investigate Adrian?”
“I think he tried to confirm Adrian’s birth. Saint Iretta probably had a relic that could reveal bloodlines with his hair.”
Fabian’s speculation was only half right. It wasn’t a relic, but David’s unique ability to know human life through the hair.
“One thing in a million, if my absurd doubts are correct, it is the Paladin who has the power to control demons …… It means the cave’s accident was an incident.”
Evelyn widened her eyes, “So, the demons that attacked the carriage…… The Paladin did it?”
“I think so. No, I’m sure.” Fabian was sure because his intuition said so. Indeed, there was no proof at this time, but his instincts already believed it.
“I didn’t want to say this.”
“No, please tell me everything.”
“…It happened when I gave Adrian the antidote. Before he lost consciousness, he knew that I had defeated the demons and saved him.” He couldn’t forget Adrian, who was crying at that time, reached out to him with his soft and weak hand.
“Adrian told me over and over again and again. That the demon rushed in tenaciously and said, ‘Kill Adrian’…..”
“……What?” Evelyn’s face became hardened. Adrian wasn’t old enough to make up those words. And she never taught him such radical words.
“He didn’t just say it out of fear. The demon repeated the words over and over, and that child heard it clearly ‘kill Adrian.’”
Suddenly, Evelyn’s eyes turned red. She didn’t want to imagine that scene. Her heart beat fast like a bolt. She still shuddered every time she looked at Adrian’s wounds. Evelyn felt suffocated at the thought of what happened at that time.
“That’s why I tried not to tell you,” Fabian said with a bitter feeling. He wanted to reach out and soothe Evelyn right now, but he still had a story to tell, “Don’t worry. Adrian doesn’t remember that time.”
Evelyn quickly wiped her eyes before her tears flowed. She knew it well that now wasn’t the time to cry.
“There’s another reason. Devil Eye is a demon that has low intelligence. Instinctively, they will only attack the prey in front of them. But at that time, they tirelessly chased Adrian, who was on the carriage. Also, attacking children by biting them with their teeth… It’s different from the Devil Eye’s behavior.” Fabian said calmly, but Evelyn could sense anger in his voice.
Fabian clenched his fist, “Someone must be ordered them. I have no choice but to think so.” He couldn’t bear his rage every time he thought about it.
“I don’t know his motives yet. I don’t know exactly what he means or what his goal is.” There was despair in his black eyes.
“However, there are certain things.”
Evelyn soon understood his meaning. “Yes.” Her blue eyes were gathered in the same light as Fabian.
“He’s after Adrian.”
Now, without hesitation, Evelyn marked him as an enemy. He was trying to hurt her son, so she didn’t have to hold back.
“And according to Your Majesty’s guess, he’s… a Paladin.” Evelyn’s eyes were filled with anger too as she couldn’t believe the man who was a ‘stranger’ could do such a terrible thing.
“That’s what I think.”
Fabian’s intuition was always right. Evelyn should have trusted his words because she had witnessed the accuracy of Fabian’s guesses several times.
“He’s a weird guy…..Once, I had a close conversation with him. But I don’t remember it clearly. My memories are blurred. Somehow… …Like being possessed by something.”
“Maybe he used some spell. Is there anything you remember?”
“… … demon…. Yes.” Evelyn looked straight at Fabian. “He told me an unknown story. Initially, all the demons in this continent hunt the Imperial family. …… Has he targeted Adrian since then? ” Evelyn’s tone became furious as she recalled David, who told that legendary stories with a calm face.
“The demons…. hunt the Imperial family? Fabian was confused in a somewhat different way.
“Yes. It’s a story that I’ve never heard before, so I searched the ancient books after that. Whether it’s a legend or just fiction … … but there’s a story similar to that. But there’s no warning at all.”
Fabian frowned his eyebrows slightly, “Where’s the book now?”
“It’s in the Felice Kingdom.”
That was a matter to be investigated separately later. For now, Fabian was more worried about seeing Evelyn’s face, which was already too pale.
“It’s strange.” The more she tried to remember something about David, the cloudier her memory became. “I can’t explain it, but……It feels so odd.”
“Don’t push yourself too hard.”
“No…there was something else……But my memories are really blurred. I can’t remember it.”
“It’s his spell. He’s also a magus. He’s an evil creature.”
Evelyn’s face was distorted by his words, “But why is he after Adrian?
Fabian didn’t even know why either. But it wasn’t necessary anymore. “That’s not surprising.”
Evelyn looked at Fabian with puzzled eyes. But his black eyes were more firm and more apparent than ever.
“He is an enemy. Before he’s your enemy, he’s already my enemy. Now I don’t care who he is, whether he’s a demon or not.”
Initially, Fabian’s intention was to reveal the Paladin’s identity and expose the Vatican’s rottenness.
“Now, I won’t stop until I kill him. From method to justification … I won’t be picky.”
But now it was no longer a political battle. That man had crossed a line he wasn’t supposed to cross. He tried to hurt two of the most important people in Fabian’s life. By the time that happened, the string of common sense within Fabian was broken.
“Evelyn.” His voice was fearful but believable at the same time. “Now that everything is blurry, there’s only one thing that is clear.”
Fabian’s presence was never felt so greatly like this.
“I’ll destroy those who are aiming for Adrian. I’ll make him impossible to do that again. I will never, I’ll never forgive him.”
Evelyn wanted to engrave such a figure in her eyes. She had always thought, the moment she left the Imperial family, he was a man she couldn’t depend on again.
“Now that I know who that child is, I love him as much as you do……”
Fabian didn’t dare to claim Evelyn’s motherly-love. Sadly, he was such a foolish man who always kept his word. Since he said he would be honest, he was only telling the truth about such a trivial matter.
“But Evelyn, I still love you.”
Sometimes, Evelyn’s mind was pierced by his too-straightforward-honesty.
“So I won’t make you sad. No matter what happens…….” Fabian looked fondly at Evelyn.
“I will protect you and your child.”
Evelyn didn’t know what expression she should make right now. Just her blue eyes that stared at Fabian……”Is that…… Your Majesty’s promise?”
“Yes.”
Only
Evelyn knew it better than anyone that Fabian always risked his life to keep his promise.
“Thank you. I’ll take that promise.”
It was Evelyn who left his side coldly and heartless. She also knew that she didn’t deserve the promise that risked his life now.
“For Adrian’s sake.”
That was all. For the sake of her child, Evelyn could be a coward and endure her shame.
Fabian looked at Evelyn and didn’t say any single word. He let her go with a glance.
Evelyn later realized that it was more hurt to regret than to hate.
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