Chapter 29
“…Why do you keep talking to me.”
“Because you’re handsome? You look pretty.
And you’re my younger brother.”
“…But we have different mothers.
Our hair color is different too.”
“Our father is the same.
So we’re family.”
A scene from the past she wanted to erase flashed in her mind.
“…That’s not true.”
Regardless of his appearance, lincia hated Tereo.
“Really? That’s a relief.”
“…”
“The child’s father is obviously the Grand Duke, isn’t he?
I can’t imagine my virtuous sister carrying a child that isn’t her husband’s.”
Julius asked quietly.
His violet eyes bore into lincia.
She couldn’t tell what he was thinking, and her mouth felt dry.
“…What if it’s not his child?”
“If it’s another man’s child, it wouldn’t have been my sister’s wish.
So first I’d have to kill the man who claimed to be the father.”
Julius answered without hesitation.
“But it doesn’t really matter.
Whoever’s child it is, as long as it’s born.”
Even though he said it didn’t matter, wasn’t he hoping it would be Harvich’s child?
It was an obsession bordering on madness.
No matter whose child it was, he intended to make it Harvich’s.
“…Why?”
“Because I don’t intend to marry, and I don’t intend to produce an heir.
I don’t like anyone, and breeding like an animal for the sake of succession isn’t my taste.”
lincia’s eyes widened slightly.
She thought she understood what he was about to say.
“If my sister gives birth to a child, I’ll make them my heir.”
But even if she had guessed, hearing it directly shocked her just as much.
“Why?”
“What do you mean, why?
Your child is royal too.
Why should I insist on having my own?
I don’t see the need.”
“…You mean to take my child away from me?”
“Why do you take my words that way?
You can come to the palace with the child.”
“How could I ever go to the palace.”
“You just need to divorce the Grand Duke.
I don’t intend to steal the child from you.”
lincia felt like the world was going dark before her eyes.
When would she ever be free of Julius’ grasp?
When, if ever?
“What if I don’t want to divorce…”
“Sister, you don’t want to divorce?”
“…”
“That can’t be.
The Grand Duke doesn’t treat you well.”
lincia’s lips trembled.
If she said the wrong thing, she feared she’d be divorced against her will.
“No.”
Despite all her desperate thinking, only a single word came out.
“Well, fine, let’s say no.
Since you’re kind, it wouldn’t be easy for you to abandon the people living in such poverty.”
Julius shrugged as though he had no interest in her answer.
“But if you really want to help the North, it’s better to bring your child to the palace.
Think about it.
If the child really is the Grand Duke’s, then making them my heir is the best thing for the North.
The next emperor would surely be more favorable to the North than I am.”
Though Julius spoke at length about how it would be good for everyone, none of it resonated with lincia.
“I’ll visit the North more often from now on.”
“…Why?”
“Because I think I’ve neglected you too much.
That’s why petty people dare to run wild.”
As he said that, he tilted his head slightly.
For a moment, a murderous expression flickered across his face.
Terrified, lincia reached out toward him.
“When will you come next time?”
When her hand brushed the back of his, Julius curled his lips into a smile.
“Well… The North is too far for a casual trip.
Everyone acts like it’s a disaster if the emperor leaves even briefly.”
Maybe because he’s only half.
Julius gave a bitter smile and stood up.
“See you next time, sister.”
***
The imperial delegation returned to the palace.
The banquet inside the castle had ended, but the streets still bustled with festivities.
Harvich told lincia she could go out and enjoy the festival, but she refused.
She already felt the uneasy signs of catching a cold.
Sure enough, lincia fell ill.
“…Your Highness! Your Highness!”
Through her blurry vision, she heard Anna’s urgent voice calling her, but she had no strength to answer.
Even in her fever, lincia worried more about the child than her own body.
As she muttered deliriously, someone cooled her body with a damp cloth.
“Ah… The child.
The child…”
It wasn’t until the following evening that lincia regained consciousness.
When she had glimpsed Harvich through her hazy eyes, she thought it was a dream.
But Harvich truly was in her chamber.
She saw him seated at the desk, reviewing papers.
lincia moved her cracked lips.
“…Harvich.”
Hearing her faint voice, Harvich turned his head.
He set the papers aside and walked to her.
“Are you all right?”
“…Ah.”
Her voice would not come.
lincia reached for her throat.
She was unbearably thirsty.
When she glanced toward the pitcher, he poured water from it and handed it to her.
But her weak hand couldn’t even hold the cup properly, and she spilled it onto the blanket.
“Wait.”
He poured water again and brought it to her lips, but she spilled more than she drank.
After a moment of thought, Harvich took water into his mouth and pressed his lips to hers.
She was startled at first, but her thirst was overwhelming, so she accepted the water from his mouth.
Though it was surely just a way to help a patient drink, lincia felt strange each time their lips touched.
Harvich repeated the act several times until her thirst was quenched.
When he finally stopped, he apologized in a flat tone.
“…Forgive me.
It’s because I left you out on the terrace too long.”
That couldn’t be it.
If her body were so fragile that she caught a cold from a little snow on the terrace, she would have died long ago in Cassius Territory’s bitter winters.
The truth was, she had fallen ill because the tension in her body had finally collapsed all at once.
Julius’ sudden appearance had left her stiff with fear throughout the banquet.
When it was over, her body could no longer endure.
She wanted to tell him it wasn’t his fault, but she still couldn’t speak, so she only shook her head.
“I’ll call for a physician.”
lincia grabbed Harvich’s collar as he tried to turn away.
She didn’t want to be alone yet.
And she feared facing the physician.
…What if she had lost the child?
