Chapter 2
To conclude, Elonia ultimately failed to wake up from the dream.
Even after closing and opening her eyes for several days, it was the same.
Still, there was some reward for sleeping well, as Elonia grew rapidly and became able to utter the name of the wet nurse who cared for her most sincerely.
“Sa, ah. Ftoon.”
“Yes, that’s right. My name is Sarah Fortrun. Now, once more, Sa, rah!”
“Sa, ah!”
“Oh my, how can our princess be so clever!”
Sarah was beside herself with joy, but Elonia was experiencing severe disillusionment while practicing her pronunciation.
‘To think I have to practice pronunciation at this age.’
Already twenty years old, including her past life.
Elonia died just before becoming an adult in her previous life.
Not only did she pass away at such a young age, but she was also caught by the world and reborn, only to be practicing this kind of pronunciation.
Elonia, who had a mental age close to an adult, resented the baby’s short tongue and insufficient number of teeth that couldn’t even properly utter such simple words.
“How can our princess be so adorable.”
In contrast, Sarah held Elonia in her arms with a look of being unable to contain her love and showered her with kisses.
Elonia struggled briefly and then quietly let Sarah do as she pleased.
Love, which she was experiencing for the first time in both her past and present life, was awkward and sometimes made her body freeze like ice.
She didn’t want everyone to arbitrarily find her cute, but to be honest, she didn’t really dislike it.
The gradually tickling feeling in her chest and the spreading warmth wasn’t a terrible feeling.
However, she couldn’t quite understand a wet nurse, not even her birth mother, treating her like her own daughter to this extent.
‘She’s taking such meticulous care of someone else’s child.’
The queen of Heilan had passed away, but when she was alive, she greatly disliked Elonia, who was the daughter of a concubine.
Recalling that time, Elonia gazed at Sarah as if looking at a strange creature but soon became indifferent.
Whether she could understand it or not, Elonia was enjoying the most luxurious time since her birth thanks to Sarah’s attentive care.
A spacious, clean room decorated lavishly.
Luxurious meals.
High-class clothing.
Kind maids who were devoted to her.
The warm sunlight streaming in through the window.
She had once felt that all these elements were extravagant, but now she was gradually getting used to it and only felt peaceful.
However, there was just one thing that made her curious.
‘What is that bastard Artius doing, not even coming to see his daughter’s face.’
Since being born as the princess of an enemy country, Elonia had never seen the face of her mother, let alone her father, even once.
The war should have ended, so no matter how busy he was with the aftermath, it was strange.
‘I heard the empress originally had a weak constitution, so let’s say she’s recuperating, but what about that bastard Artius?’
As she was dying, she even left a will asking him to be a good father.
But from the very start, he was like this.
Don’t tell me he already forgot about my will?
As soon as she thought that, her fist clenched tightly in momentary anger, but a fact crossed her mind.
‘Dealing with the aftermath of a war is indeed harder than fighting it.’
Even as the war demon, dealing with the aftermath of the war was not her job, so she had completely forgotten about it.
‘Heilan conquered many countries over the past 10 years. Now that Heilan has been defeated by Ravanta, it’s understandable for him to be preoccupied with the aftermath. Then naturally, he wouldn’t be able to come see his daughter.’
If that was the case, she could willingly understand.
It was at that moment when she was nodding her head.
“His Majesty the Emperor has returned!”
…Is he a tiger cub or something?
Does he come right away just because someone says it like this?
Elonia was flustered but also excited.
Even that persistent and tenacious human felt welcome to see now that the war had ended.
The heavy door opened, and the emperor finally entered.
“I pay my respects to His Majesty the Emperor.”
Sarah held Elonia in her arms and greeted him elegantly, lifting the hem of her skirt.
The other maids also bowed their waists, following Sarah’s lead.
A strange tension filled the room, but Elonia didn’t notice as she was happy to see him after a long time.
‘He hasn’t changed.’
Jet-black hair and obsidian eyes that seemed to suck one in.
A cold impression like a black leopard.
Artius was still handsome and had a look that made it impossible to think of him as a child’s father.
In her past life, he was a human who only caused irritation whenever they faced each other, but now that he was the only familiar face here, she was happy to see him. At the same time, the thought that he was really her new father made her feel shy.
As soon as Artius entered the room, he fixed his gaze on Elonia.
And only after a long while did he utter a single sentence with a furrowed face.
“She seems fine.”
As his cold voice fell, Elonia’s eyes widened as if they would pop out.
Against her will, her heart began to thump loudly.
Strength entered her hands unconsciously, and she was already gripping Sarah’s collar as if it were a lifeline.
‘Was his expression originally like this…?’
She thought the atmosphere had somehow changed for the worse, but Elonia shook her head inwardly.
The Artius she knew was a very kind person.
There was no way a person could change in such a short time, not even half a year.
She must have been mistaken because it had been too long since she last saw him.
‘Besides, he promised me that he would be a good father.’
In a way, it was a presumptuous will.
Artius’s child was, in any case, a child completely unrelated to her, and she had merely projected herself onto that child and made that request.
It was fine if he thought it was crossing the line.
She had thought that because of that will, Artius would remember her whenever he looked at his daughter.
Thanks to that promise, the death she thought would be lonely wasn’t lonely.
She was able to fall asleep comfortably.
That was why she believed Artius would still be kind.
‘Because his nature is soft-hearted, to begin with.’
Elonia desperately tried to ignore the cold voice she heard and the cold eyes currently before her, contemplating what reaction she should have if Artius were to hug her.
‘Still, we were on terms where we growled at each other just by seeing each other’s faces up until half a year ago, so it might be a bit awkward.’
However, as if telling Elonia to wake up from her dream, Artius’s gaze looking at his daughter was still cold.
Artius only glared at Elonia for a long time, neither calling her name nor hugging her.
Only then did Elonia feel that something was terribly wrong.
“…I’ve confirmed it, so I’ll be leaving now.”
Whether Elonia was flustered or not, Artius spat out a single sentence with a greatly distorted face and coldly turned his back.
The maids’ reactions were divided into those who had expected it and those who thought he shouldn’t act that way even to his own daughter.
Among them, the one who found the current situation most incomprehensible was none other than Elonia.
‘Why?’
He definitely promised to be a good father to his daughter.
The imperial couple of Ravanta hadn’t had a child for 5 years and only managed to conceive one a year before the war ended.
At that time, Cheron had ridiculed Artius for having a child during the war, calling him a frivolous bastard, but in fact, she was envious.
Cheron knew neither the warmth of parents nor a harmonious family itself.
Her father treated Cheron as a tool, and her mother always looked at Cheron, whom she had given birth to unwillingly, with resentment.
In contrast, Artius was a kind person and had even tied the knot with his beloved.
So surely, he would embrace, cherish, love his child dearly, and create a happy family.
Cheron, who became unbearably envious of something that hadn’t even happened yet, wanted to at least experience it vicariously and left him such a will.
But this reaction to the daughter he finally gained at the end of the war?
‘Has he gone mad?’
As if thinking the same as Elonia, Sarah bravely spoke up.
“Your, Your Majesty. I dare to ask. Please forgive my rudeness.”
“What is it?”
“Are you not going to…hold the princess?”
“Why should I do that?”
“…!”
Artius’s expression turned murderous.
One timid maid, trembling like an aspen tree, even turned pale as if she would collapse at any moment.
The emotion cast over Artius’s face was clear anger.
And those eyes were directed at Elonia.
‘Why… Why are you looking at your daughter, at me, like that?’
You promised as you took my life.
You promised that you would be a good father to your child.
Sarah, having witnessed Elonia’s unusual state, spoke as if representing Elonia’s feelings.
“But, but Princess Elonia is Your Majesty’s firstborn child. The child the Empress sacrificed herself to give life to….”
What?
The child the Empress sacrificed herself for?
‘Could it be that Empress Philemia…?’
It can’t be.
Even before Sarah could finish her sentence, Artius let out a scornful laugh.
“Ha. Firstborn child. The firstborn child the Empress sacrificed herself for….”
Elonia knew that face.
An unwanted child.
The face her mother had shown her for 10 years when she was Cheron was now on Artius’s face.
“The day I consider the princess as my child and cherish her will never come.”
“But Your Majesty!”
“I only came to check if she was dead or alive, so don’t make a fuss. There will be no second chance for forgiveness.”
“…I will keep that in mind.”
Sarah bowed her waist and trembled as if resentful but also frightened.
All the maids in the room were the same.
Artius glared at Elonia fiercely one last time and then abruptly turned around and left the room.
Once Artius was out of sight, the maids either slumped down on the spot or let out sighs of relief.
In contrast, Elonia’s body trembled with a sense of betrayal.
‘Why on earth?’
She really couldn’t accept reality.
Up until just before her death, she had respected Artius, who overflowed with love for his family.
So she thought it wouldn’t be a waste to willingly offer her life to the one she respected.
But what just happened?
Was his promise to love his child just empty words that would become meaningless once the Empress died?
It hadn’t even been a full year since she left her will.
It was confusing.
Sarah must have thought Elonia was too hurt to even think of crying, or maybe she thought Elonia was scared, as she held her in a suffocating embrace and comforted her.
“It’s okay. It’s okay, Princess. That can’t be His Majesty’s true feelings.”
“Th-that’s right. Princess, don’t let it bother you. His Majesty is just tired from the long war right now….”
The other maids also hurried over to console the baby who couldn’t even properly understand human speech yet.
No matter what the maids said, Elonia couldn’t hear anything.
‘This can’t be…. This, this isn’t right.’
She had respected him until just before her death.
She had envied his child.
She had been moved by the paternal love and familial love he had shown.
She had been grateful to him for promising to fulfill her will.
‘But because the Empress died, you’re trampling on the promise like this?’
She had thought Artius was a good person and would be a good father.
So even though she had something she wanted to protect, she thought it was fine to die by his hand.
‘Like a fool.’
She couldn’t bear how pathetic she was for having misjudged someone so badly.
Then he shouldn’t have listened to the will in the first place.
He shouldn’t have promised that he understood!
‘…Alright.’
Elonia made up her mind.
‘This time, I’ll kill him for sure.’
It was too late to regret it now.
Then she would make that son of a bitch regret daring to break his promise to her.
* * *
Artius Antair Ravanta.
He, who had taken Cheron Heilan’s head and was exalted as the hero of the continent, completely changed after his victory over Heilan.
He, who was called a wise ruler, mercilessly killed anyone who went against his temper.
Artius’s atrocities didn’t stop there.
He meted out ruthless punishments to the vassal states that rebelled.
If he had only gone that far, his honor wouldn’t have been further tarnished, but he personally sought out and waged war on the allied nations that had assisted Heilan, becoming the continent’s new war demon himself.
His attitude toward his enemies was brutal.
In the places where he had started wars, only freshly burnt ashes remained instead of piles of corpses and the sound of weeping.
It was the birth of a war demon even worse than Cheron Heilan.
The commentators chattered that he, who everyone had expected would only leave behind praise in the history books as a wise ruler, would now go down as the worst tyrant in history.
All these events, starting from Cheron’s death and the Empress’s death up until Elonia’s reunion with Artius, happened in that short period of less than a year.
‘Sigh.’
Elonia let out a sigh.
From the maids’ chattering, Elonia finally understood why Artius had suddenly changed.
‘Artius actually didn’t want to have a child.’
🙁