Leaves fell on Davidâs head, who was still closing his eyes quietly.
â⦠⦠Haâ¦.â He slowly opened his eyes. The tension that had been covering him suddenly stopped. He could feel the wind rushing back and forth.
âWhy isnât he dead? Why is his life energy still there?â
He had even ordered the demons to attack Adrian. Individually, Devil Eye was a weak demon, but they were hard to deal with when they struck in groups. There was never a case where a two-year-old child survived from them.
âI donât understand.â David didnât think that Fabian and his knights would destroy the demons. However, no matter how strong they were, there was no way they could escape unscathed from the countless crowd of Devil Eye. In other words, when they attacked Adrian, the child must have suffered a minor injury.
âIf they attacked the little prince first, and only then did he kill the demons â¦why was the little prince still alive?â
There was displeasure in Davidâs voice. It was a rare change for him, who had been living without feeling for a long time. And it all began when Fabian dyed this continent with blood.
âWhat a nuisance. He must have done something againâ¦â¦Heâs really an annoying guy.â He must step in because of the actions of one Emperor who created great upheaval. David, the guardian of time, was forced to interfere in time travel and human life.
âEven though I turned back the time, heâs destined to bring misfortune upon himself.â
David narrowed his eyes. He didnât like the fact that there would be a disaster on this continent because of just one person. He tried to prevent the tragedy at all costs. Still, he was agitated that the result was the same, even though he had sacrificed everything.
âThe disaster wonât happen if the beings that shouldnât exist in this world disappear, and the two humans who will cause the disaster are separated.â
Davidâs logic was very simple. If two people who had broken up were reunited because of that child, then that child must disappear.
That child was an existence that should never exist, so even if he died, it wouldnât destroy the balance of this world. That meant that disaster on this continent could be avoided by making a small sacrifice.
âHuh, the Emperorâs bloodline is still foolish.â David muttered low and woke up. He climbed the stairs and headed to the Popeâs office. The white-haired Pope, who was reading an old book in the sunlight, looked glad to see David.
âOh, Paladin.â
He, too, was once an intelligent priest and a dignified pope.
âYour Holiness, I have something to tell you.â
But all humans had a lifespan. It was the same for the Pope, who was the representative of Godâs will. David used him, and in return, he would prolong the Popeâs life a bit.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
âSure⦠⦠Whatever you say is right.â The Pope nodded, staring at David with his empty eyes, âAll⦠⦠Right.â
âIâm glad youâre not stupid.â David said calmly. If Fabian didnât want to let the child go, David would have to break their relationship by force, even though it would have caused a lot of misfortune.
Therefore, it was his role as a guardian of time to keep the balance of the continent.
For a moment, Evelyn felt as if she had seen her death. When she realized it was dark around her, Evelyn took a deep breath. She opened her eyes slowly, and she caught a strange sight.
âAâ¦.Drianâ¦â She appeared to lose her mind. Her last memory was she sighed with relief when she heard Adrianâs cry. Evelyn closed her eyes and opened them again, but the hell-like cave was nowhere to be seen.
âPrincess, are you awake?â
âNora⦠⦠? Adrian, how about Adrian? The carriage. ⦠.â Evelyn forced herself to woke up. Her body was really hurt, like being beaten all over, but she didnât care about the pain.
âPrincess, heâs fine. Weâre safe.â Nora wiped away her tears and said something to the maid beside her. It was not long before Evelyn saw Adrian sleeping in the maidâs arms.
Evelyn embraced Adrian carefully in tears so as not to wake him up, âOh, God.â It was only when she found Adrian breathing in her arms that her body was relaxed.
âWhat the hell has happened. Like⦠⦠It was like a nightmare.â Evelyn looked carefully at the sleeping Adrian. Her eyes became red again after seeing traces of open wounds everywhere. Fortunately, all of the injuries were treated and wrapped with clean bandages. And she felt lucky that she couldnât see the demonâs teeth marks.
âItâs all right. The Prince wonât wake up anytime soon as heâs asleep because of the antidote. The medic has also prescribed a medicine to restore his stamina.â
Evelyn nodded slowly. Still, her gaze could not be taken away from Adrian.
âIâm sorry,â¦.. I fainted and I couldnât do my job.â Nora bit her lips hard. She also had a scar on her forehead. Evelyn was too late to notice Noraâs wound. Being too focused on Adrian, she didnât care about Nora or even Fabianâs safety.
âWhat happened?â
âAll I remember is that after the Princess went to talk to His Majestyâ¦â¦. I fell asleep with the Prince, and when I woke up, the carriage was running like crazy .â Nora shivered, recalling her horrific memories.
âOutside the windows,â¦.those demonsâ¦â¦ I hugged the Prince who was crying so hard. The carriage went to a dark place, but at that moment, one of it wheels fell and the carriage flipped over ⦠⦠Sorry, thatâs when I hit my head and passed out. â
Evelyn shook her head, âNo. Nora, you did your best.â Nora was a maid who raised Evelyn since she was young. Even though she didnât see it herself, Evelyn was sure that Nora had done her best.
âNo, I couldnât do anything. When I open my eyes⦠⦠It was after His Majesty hugged the Prince. In that cave⦠⦠there were a lot of dead bodies all over the ground, and it seemed like His Majesty had killed them all. His Majesty also looked very tired.â
Evelyn also remembered that time. It was a desperate view. âYes, I couldnât go in because the pile of stones had collapsed.â
âHis Majesty came to the carriage to save the Prince himself before the cave collapsed. The heaven helped us, because the stones fell right after that. If I were aloneâ¦..I wouldnât be able to save the Prince.â Nora wiped away her tears, remembering her terrific experience.
âThanks to Godâs help, His Majestyâs medicine was effective for the Prince, right? The medic said it would have been dangerous if the bleeding and poison werenât stopped quickly.â
Evelyn blinked. Noraâs words made her realized something important, âYour Majesty? â¦â¦No, where is he?â
The place where she was right now wasnât the Imperial palace. The view outside the window showed a mysterious forest, and it didnât seem like a place that Evelyn knew.
âI donât know, Except that His Majesty has brought you here. His Majesty was with you earlier, but he disappeared somewhere. Instead, he left Sir Serus. He told me to tell him when the Princess woke up. â
âYes.â Evelyn stroked Adrianâs hair, who fell asleep in her arms, listening to his breath. Her heart ached when she saw the bruises on his cheeks. But when he saw his little lips muttering in his sleep, the pain melted into relief.
âIs Adrian still sleeping?â
âThe medic said he will wake up by night.â
âSo Nora, please take care of him until then.â
Nora seemed hesitant at Evelynâs request, âIâmâ¦.Iâm a sinner who has failed to fulfill my duty. When I return to the kingdom, I will plead my guilt.â
âNora, in that situation, anyone would do that. If it were meâ¦â¦ it would be the same.â
âBut I should have protected the Prince on your behalfâ¦â¦â
âThatâs why you should protect him nowâ¦..â Evelyn looked at Adrian, who was asleep in front of her eyes. It was a miracle that Adrian could stay alive in that terrible place. Evelyn could only think that it was everyoneâs heart that protected him.
Then, Evelyn handed Adrian to Nora, âItâs all right, so please hugged him again.â Nora hesitated for a while, but then she hugged the child with moist eyes.
âWhen I was young, Noraâs arms were very comfortable. So you were in trouble because I begged you to give me a hug when I was four years old.â
âPrincess⦠.â
âNow that I think about it, I think I did it because I felt love. Noraâs arms smelled as warm as my motherâs.â Evelyn smiled affectionately, âSo, Iâm sure Adrian feels the same. So Nora, you must hug him from now, you understand?â
âPrincess, youâre too much. Iâm already old nowâ¦â¦â Nora opened her eyes and embraced Adrian tightly more than anything else in the world.
Evelyn cleaned herself first and ordered a visible maid to call Serus.
Soon after waiting, Serus came and gave an example.
âSir Serus.â
Although it wasnât right for Evelyn, a country princess, to meet someone in such a simple outfit, but looked at the situation now, it didnât matter anymore. Besides, Serus was Emperorâs close aide, so he could meet the Empress more openly.
âWhat order did His Majesty give to you?â Evelyn could see Fabianâs intention to leave Serus on purpose.
âItâs about telling the princess about the post-war situation.â
âAnd⦠⦠?â
âHis Majesty ordered me to tell you something if youâre curious about it.â
Evelyn nodded, âThen, I will listen to you first.â
There was rare fatigue in Serusâ face, and he started to speak, âFirst of all, two full days have passed since the cave incident.â
âItâs been that long?â
âOh, that â¦â¦ Itâs because the medic was worried that you might be too shocked, so he prescribed a high dose of stabilizer. I donât know if you remember, but Princess, you lost your mind in the cave and woke up briefly on the way to this place. â
âIâ¦. Did that?â Her memory was hazy. Evelyn had a headache, maybe because of a big shock or medicine. No, more precisely, there was no place that didnât hurt all over my body.
âYes. You talked a few words with Your Majesty. Donât you remember that?â
âNot yet.â
âI donât know about that eitherâ¦â¦ This is the fortress that belongs to His Majesty. This is a hidden place closest to the scene, unknown to anyone else. So we summoned the Black Hawk Knights and traveled in secret. â
âWhich means, nobody knows about this incident?â
âYes. Only those involved know. The site has also been cleared at Your Majestyâs will.â
Fabian seemed to kept his promise. Her last worries that lingered in the corner of her heart had disappeared now.
âBut, His Majesty wonât just leave this case.â
âYou mean that it wasnât an accident, but an incident?â Evelyn asked sharply.
âYes, His Majesty thought so.â said Serus, and he continued again. âHe went out for a while to investigate. I donât know when he will be back.â
âHis Majesty? by himself?â
âYes, since he has decided to keep it a secret.â
Actually, there were a lot of things Evelyn wanted to ask Fabian. But she didnât even know if she would see him again. Even at this moment, he couldnât even guess what Fabian was thinking. And How far would he take Evelynâs circumstances into account.
âYour Majesty, is he all right?â Evelyn, who had been silent for a while, opened her mouth. But Serus was confused for a moment by her unexpected question, âYes.â
âIs he hurt?â
Only
âOnly slight injury. Heâs a bit exhausted, but heâs fine.â
âSo, heâs hurt, too â¦â
Serus then realized that he had made a slip of the tongue, but it was too late. The Emperor also wouldnât have expected such a question anyway, so it wasnât Serusâ fault.
But after that, he once again focused on his duty, âI have something to tell you.â
Evelyn sighed, âWhat the Emperor ordered youâ¦â¦.is it about the antidote?â
âThatâs right.â
Fabian saved Adrianâs life, as Evelyn wished. Then now, it was time for her to listen to Fabianâs wishes.
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