Chapter 15 …
Prea remained silent about that day. She felt there must have been a reason, but she couldn’t bring herself to ask.
Milian, too, acted as if nothing had happened. Or at least, that’s what it seemed—but there was an invisible wall between them that she couldn’t quite penetrate.
A month passed like that, and under the pretense of a family outing, they went to a riverside nearby.
It was an ordinary day, just like any other.
“Milian! Look here! There’s a fish!”
“Don’t make a fuss over something so normal.”
Prea, her voice excited, pointed at the fish.
Milian, looking annoyed, threw a stone to chase the fish away.
Prea, getting splashed in the process, laughed and retaliated by splashing water back at him.
“Don’t.”
“Milian, come in too. It’s really refreshing.”
Prea, already in the water splashing about, called out.
Milian ignored her, but Prea tugged at him again. Reluctantly, he stepped into the water and quickly splashed her in return.
“Don’t go too far.”
Jin, watching the two children playing so wildly, reminded them. But her words were lost amid the sound of the water.
Assuming they had heard, Jin continued her conversation with Emily. They had come on this outing with another purpose besides just enjoying a day out.
“So, have you found anything?”
“As expected, the accident from that day seems connected to the rebels.”
At Emily’s mention of the “rebels,” Jin’s expression darkened.
It wasn’t just an ordinary accident—it was an act of terrorism orchestrated to check the Duke of Edmore.
Jin washed his face with a dry towel, troubled by the thought of his beloved wife dying in such a way.
Seeing this, Emily calmly continued.
“It’s not certain, but it seems there’s a spirit mage among the rebels. The association might also be involved.”
“They’re acting more systematically than I thought.”
“Yes, quite so. Somehow, unnoticed.”
Emily swirled the teacup before her. Her gaze was sharp and cold. She always reacted sensitively when the association was mentioned.
Jin asked Emily.
“Does His Majesty know?”
“I won’t give him needless worry over uncertain matters. The Duke pretends not to know as well.”
Emily smiled wryly.
The Rachel family was the emperor’s source of intelligence. They knew everything related to the empire. Emily’s competence made it possible.
She never reported unconfirmed information to the emperor. Until objective evidence appeared, she would sort the information herself and discard it if necessary.
There was so much false information circulating that if the Rachel family reported everything to the emperor, he would surely overwork himself to death.
Emily enjoyed her work. Her obsessive need to collect and organize information perfectly satisfied her.
Jin, knowing her perfectionist tendencies, shook his head helplessly.
“How long will it take to root it out completely?”
“Well… it might take some time. They aren’t taking the bait easily, so tracing it to the root will be difficult.”
“Then this play might go on for quite a while.”
“Why? Is this play boring?”
Emily asked, staring at Jin.
Boring? No, this wasn’t something to be measured in terms of amusement.
It was a play to conceal the truth from everyone. If he delved obsessively into his wife’s death, the culprit would hide even more carefully.
To deceive perfectly, even the children had to be kept in the dark. This marriage had to be one of thorough love.
Both he, who had decided to investigate while deceiving his children, and the emperor, who had given the order, were ultimately acting for their own benefit.
Jin felt a bit bitter about this absurd play set in motion by the emperor’s order.
“I just feel sorry for the children.”
“Don’t worry. When they grow up, they’ll understand. After all, it’s the emperor’s command. They can’t rebel anyway.”
Emily sipped her tea with a self-deprecating smile. She felt pangs of guilt whenever she saw Prea enjoying her new family life.
Once the incident was resolved, they would become strangers again.
A maid quietly refilled their teacups.
They were engrossed in private conversation when suddenly raindrops began to fall from the sky. The servants quickly opened umbrellas.
Emily and Jin went to the lodging to fetch Prea and Milian.
But the children, who should have been playing by the river, were nowhere to be seen.
The rain suddenly poured down. Having been swimming, the children looked around and realized Emily and Jin were gone.
Prea panicked, and Milian held her hand tightly so she wouldn’t be separated.
They needed to find shelter quickly. Both were wet, and staying in the rain could easily make them sick.
Fortunately, a deserted house appeared a short distance away.
“This place is creepy,” Prea shivered as she entered.
The place she thought was empty turned out to be a well house. Water occasionally dripped from the roof, making eerie sounds in the well. Combined with the rain, the noise was strangely unsettling.
The rain poured down as if a hole had been ripped in the sky.
Tired from playing in the water, Prea felt cold and hungry.
Milian took a magical stone from his pocket and handed it to Prea. As soon as she received it, a warm aura surrounded her.
“Wow, it’s warm.”
Prea murmured weakly.
Milian smiled faintly and laid a wet handkerchief on the corner spot, signaling her to sit.
Prea hesitated but sat beside him.
“Let’s go back once the rain stops.”
“Aren’t you cold, Milian?”
“I’m fine. You use it.”
Prea offered the stone to Milian, who responded indifferently. She noticed his body trembled slightly, so she leaned close and draped an arm around him.
“What are you doing?”
“If we stick together, we’ll both be warm.”
“Get off! I won’t die from this little cold.”
Milian brushed off her arm, and Prea pouted.
He always pushed away her kindness as if it were nothing, which frustrated her.
“Why do you keep saying you won’t die?”
“Because it’s true. This won’t kill me.”
“But being cold is still being cold!”
Prea insisted, pressing the stone into his hand. Milian frowned, and Prea turned her back to him, declaring:
“Then you use it alone! I’ll just shiver and catch a cold!”
“Don’t be unreasonable.”
Milian turned her back, offering the stone again. After a few refusals, Prea took his hand.
“Then we’ll just hold hands. Don’t be stubborn—share it with me.”
Milian looked at Prea’s shrunken hand from swimming, and as they held hands over the stone, warmth spread through both of them.
He realized he couldn’t stop her and leaned against the wall with her, eyes closed.
He wished the rain would stop soon, but the downpour only intensified.
Prea quietly leaned against the wall as well.
‘What a stubborn little brother, even in a strange place,’ she thought, muttering to herself.
After a while, Milian cautiously asked,
“You’re not going to ask about that day?”
“Would you tell me if I did?”
Prea gazed at him blankly. She had been surprised he would even ask; she expected him to ignore it like he had all month.
Milian pressed his lips together, then said calmly,
“I guess that rabbit spirit didn’t tell you.”
“It’s not the rabbit spirit, it’s Toto.”
“Right, whether it’s Toto or Dodo.”
Milian chuckled at Prea correcting him, and she smiled back. His rare smile was always pleasant to see, though she wished he would show it more often.
“I told you before that I can’t always control my strength.”
“You did.”
“That day was one of those times. Sometimes, even with the beast, my thirst isn’t quenched.”
“You could just drink water if you’re thirsty.”
Prea tilted her head. If she understood Milian’s condition, she wouldn’t have said that.
Milian explained bitterly.
“It’s different from thirst. I react to the blood of strong beings.”
“Oh…”
Prea remembered that Toto had said Edmore’s bloodline was reactive to blood. The stronger the aura, the less immunity he had.
“I’m even more vulnerable to blood than my father. Sometimes I can’t resist the urge to see blood.”
“So you hurt yourself intentionally?”
“Yes. Even knowing my own blood wouldn’t help, I can’t resist.”
Milian spoke self-deprecatingly. Prea felt a pang of pity for him.
He had said he feared his own power—it seemed tied to blood.
“Wait, but didn’t you say my blood smelled good that day?”
Prea asked, recalling the incident. He reacted to strong blood, yet she was far from that.
Milian stared at her for a moment before averting his gaze.
