When she thought of this, she lost all her energy. Why does she struggle so hard? The future won’t change no matter what she does. She was tied to him. For a time, Alicia stared forward absent-mindedly ‘till a sudden flick of wings buzzed in her ear.Chirp, chirp!A shrill cry of the bird rang out. The bird, who earlier fought with the snake, circled around her. It sought Alicia’s help after seeing her familiar figure.Rihanann turned around and looked at the bird’s nest. Only two baby birds were left, the rest swallowed by the snake.Chirp, chirp!The bird chirped again, hurriedly and anxiously. Understanding its intent, Alicia picked up a wooden stick lying on the ground and ran straight to the tree. She threw the stick at the snake whose venomous fangs crept closer to the baby birds.Wack!The snake, hit right on the head, fell off the tree. It was unconscious for a moment before it crawled quickly into the grass. It disappeared and peace was found once again. The bird circled arou
“Let me guess,” the crown prince rubbed his chin, “You want me to free Dimitri from prison? Or maybe you’re pleading that I not send you to Ehrlich? Did I hit the mark?”“If I ask you of that, Your Highness, would you accept my request?”“Impossible,” he snorted. “If this is your sole reason for coming here, go back home. I accepted your visitation request as I thought you’d have anything special to say, but how utterly disappointed I am.”“Ehrlich’s king asked for Princess Helen. You know that.”“You’re Helen’s friend but you are her servant, first and foremost. As her servant, you’re to make sure you keep her away from harm at all times. This is how it works.” Then he smiled, raising the corner of his lips upwards. “But of course, it’s not like there’s no way out.”His gaze swept through Alicia’s chest and waistline. She looked pleasing to the eye.Alicia saw through his lewdness and greedy thoughts. He looked at her like a delicious prey. She wanted nothing but to run and escape, b
The Crown Prince did not believe Alicia and failed to delve into her thoughts, into her pain and suffering. He failed to look at her, really look at her. He failed to see that a house lived inside her. She had secrets locked inside her house; her house was big and beautiful but… inside that house is full of secret rooms and hiding places once filled with innocent laughter and joy that turned to one of despair.Chuckling at what he thought was mere bragging, the Crown Prince said, “You can go now. I have nothing more to say.”Alicia bowed. “I’ll be on my way, Your Highness.” She turned around and walked towards the door, but suddenly stopped as she placed her hand on the door. “The Crown Prince’s downfall…”The Crown Prince raised his head. “Hmm?”“I tell you this now in advance for the chance that I may not return. I want to say my farewell to you, Your Highness, as a member of Coulson’s royal blood. May you live a long and prosperous life.”The Crown Prince laughed. “Yes, in fact, I
News of the envoy’s arrival from the palace roused the soldiers and sailors nearby. The port was bustling. The soldier on board Ehrlich’s ship delivered the letter to a messenger as he waited. His mission was to deliver the letter with the king’s seal and return to the lady with a proper answer.“Your Majesty!”The king’s loyal servant, Basil, with a grin planted on his face, entered the cabin holding a letter in his hand.A black-haired man sitting on the desk raised his head. His Coulson blood was apparent. His hair and eyes had the distinctive traits common amongst Ehrlich while his height and facial shape differed from Ehrlich’s men. He raised his hand and swept his hair back – his skin was slightly tanned while those dark purple eyes gave off a sense of intensity.“The letter has finally arrived!” Basil placed the letter stamped with a royal seal on the desk. Then he said excitedly, “Now that the letter is here, are we heading back to Ehrlich? I’m sure the letter contains an agre
“Your Majesty, is it the young lady from before?”“Yes.”Ivan’s mind spun erratically, his breathing growing heavy. Basil noticed the slight change in his aura.“I never thought of this… I… I did not expect that we would meet like this…” His body shivered, albeit momentarily. Ivan straightened his clothes and wiped the sweat from his palms in his bottoms before proceeding to sweep his hair back.Basil stared in wondrous curiosity. “Your Majesty, what’s your connection to Count Kenboe? I know you’ve met the Count in the royal place a few times. Oh, come to think of it, the Countess was of royal blood from Coulson…”Then, at that moment, Basil realized something and quickly shut his mouth.‘Oh my god! Was His Majesty’s first love the Countess’s daughter? Not Princess Helen? So he expects them to offer the Countess’s daughter and not the princess?!’Basil’s legs wobbled at the sudden revelation.Ivan glanced over his shoulder and looked at him without denial of affirmation. He threw his
Basil looked stupefied. His plan backfired… threatened with murder… goosebumps shook his core.‘Oh my god!’Basil felt an intense sense of betrayal. How he was able to raise that spoiled, rotten, and stubborn kid all those years, he did not know. Basil stood up for him against the feared Queen, almost falling to the hands of death keeping his secret locked. And now he was threatening him? Ungrateful! Basil clicked his tongue. He should have never raised this useless black-haired beast.“Mr. Basil, Coulson’s envoy is arriving.”Basil looked at the deep blue sea. A small boat was approaching. He saw a woman with long silvery hair and a pearl-like skin.‘What is the relationship between you two?’He tilted his head and pondered over his lingering question and curiosity. He had always followed Ivan since he was a child. However, no matter how many times he thought about it, there had been no contact between them other than their short prior meeting as a child in the palace.Then, he sudde
Ivan…Rihanna’s eyes convulsed, shoulders rattling briefly. The tall black-haired man looked at her, his countenance blank and devoid of emotion. He was handsome, a perfect golden ratio structure from the depths of his eyes to his masculine appearance and exotic charm… the same as before…. always the object of admiration by the court ladies.They were intimidated by the mysterious rumors of the king’s toned body… left wondering how good he was in bed as a lover. They sought answers from the queen but she was without answers.The nights she spent with Ivan left her in a state of great suspense. A look of macabre often plastered his face as if he hated… despised touching her. And oftentimes, they’d spend the night without fulfilling their obligations.After Patricia’s appearance in the court, she’d gone around with the court ladies discussing the secrets they longed to know. The answer? The king was ecstatic and fervent in bed. The rumors could not live up to his name. Since then, the c
“Yes, both my uncle and cousin are good people.” Flashback. The Marquis and Dimitri truly were the lights of her world. It was not until she came to Coulson that she realized how deranged and abusive her past life was. Patricia never allowed Alicia to hold onto anything better than her. If she did, god forbid, she’d cause a scene or formulate a plan in secret to steal that which should belong to her. And if she can’t have what Alicia has, then… At one time, when Alicia was a child, a point when most of the young ladies would meet to form acquaintances, Patricia was unable to go due to her illegitimate status. She’d weep and cling to her father upon learning Alicia could go and she could not because of her status. “Father, if I can’t go, don’t let Alicia go,” Patricia would say. And so the Count immediately banned Alicia from outside activities. She spent most of her time confined inside the walls of the mansion until she married into the royal palace. The only people she had soc
Epilogue (1) – DimitriTranslator – YueYears later.“…and Elheim truly loved his human woman. But he was a God, pure and divine, so he could not remain too much longer on earth. If he stayed in the human world for too long, he’d lose all his divine powers…”The man who was reading the book out loud paused for a while and looked at a particular direction in his audience. There, there was a little girl with the same hair color as him. He saw her yawning while little eyes narrowed with displeasure, as though wondering why he’d stopped. The man resumed reading the book.“In the end, Eiheim had no choice but to leave the woman he loved and to go back on earth. However, he wept for the love he had to leave behind on the human world and those tears turned into rain. At the same time, a baby was growing inside his woman’s womb, a baby created from their union. This baby was born strong and healthy, and she had an incredible power. She had the power to turn himself into a bird. In the human w
Translator – YueT/N: This is the end, so extra-long chapter for today?Ivan irrupted into the room, sword in hand and a murderous look in his eye… to see Alicia licking her fingers. In front of her there was a huge plate filled with food. There was an abundance of seafood. Next to her was a worker who looked at Ivan with widened eyes.“Ivan?”Alicia quickly took her finger out of her mouth and looked at him. She asked again, nervous.“What’s wrong? Did something happen?”The inn worker looked alternated glances between Ivan and the sword in his hand, his legs shaking.“Oh… it’s just… it looked like your wife was pregnant, so I was only asking if there was anything she disliked so I could bring something else…”Since Alicia had taken her robe and coat off, she was wearing a light dress that showed her bulging belly clearly. It seemed that the inn boy had noticed it and was only asking whether she liked the food.Ivan felt ridiculous for getting angry over something like this.No, more
Translator – Yue“Salerno Inn”Alicia read the old sign that was hanging atop a building. It was an inn, so it definitely offered food and shelter to travelers.“It would take us around two hours to reach your mother’s mansion. It might be faster if we rode my horse together, but you can’t while pregnant… if you don’t want to spend the night in a place like this, then I’ll find another way…”Ivan murmured while trying to assess Alicia’s reaction. He knew that the inn was old and gloomy. He’d spent some nights here before himself but he knew that it was different for Alicia, who’d only lived in mansions and palaces. She might even find this place repulsive.He did not want the news of them here to spread too much, which was why he’d chosen this place as he could keep their identities hidden. But… perhaps he should have thought of Alicia more. Maybe it would be best to go to someone else’s house and reveal their identity so they could spend the night somewhere more comfortable.As he ke
Translator – YueAfter listening to Mrs. Cessly’s words, Ivan immediately hopped on a horse and sprang to port. This time there was no Basil by his side, it was just him. While he galloped top speed, the events from these past six years came to his mind.When he arrived, the ship had already sailed. He was too late, again.He felt an empty space in his heart. He got down his exhausted horse and slowly walked to the edge of the beach. He had a desperate expression on his face.He stood there looking at the horizon when he felt something hot. There were hot tears trailing down his face. All the tears he’d held back all this time suddenly broke free.Despair and desolation surged from inside him. He sobbed and cried.Six years ago, when he’d missed her just like this, he’d managed to hold back his tears since there was still hope of seeing her again in the future. Instead of desolation, he turned his back to this very sea with the hopes of seeing her again soon.However, this time it was
Translator – YueThe Port of Salerno remained unchanged. Tall, imposing walls surrounded the beach. There were numerous houses with scarlet-colored rooftops everywhere. A seemingly endless turquois-colored. Everything was as calm and beautiful as before.There was only one ship resting on the shores. A white, modern, elegant ship.When the Queen’s carriage arrived to port, the usually hectic port city suddenly turned tranquil. The carriage’s door opened and the Queen descended from her vehicle surrounded by her guards. She was wearing a thick coat, hat and gloves all made of silver fox fur, as though she was planning on going somewhere far colder than Ehrlich. A little while later, the ship’s captain approached her.He took out his cap and bowed to the Queen of Ehrlich.“Greetings to the most honorable woman in Ehrlich, Your Majesty the Queen. May Elheim’s light always shine upon you.”A smile came up to Alicia’s lips.“Greetings, captain. I’ll be under your care.”The captain pointed
Translator – YueT/N: The chapter we’ve been waiting for?Mrs. Cessly wailed and started savagely criticizing Ivan.“This is all Your Majesty’s fault. It’s because you allowed the Queen leave for Coulson. Why did you do that?”“All I did was give her a choice.”“A choice?”“I told her to choose. To stay here, or to leave with the baby.”“Why on earth did you tell her that?!”“There’s a reason behind my marriage to Alicia. I lied to her and forced her to come here.”“Ah, I remember the Queen told me something like that. That Your Majesty did not wish to marry her, but Princess Helen. Is it related to that?”Ivan nodded.“Yes. I had no choice. If I had proposed to Alicia, she would have run away from as fast as she could.”Mrs. Cessly looked at Ivan intently with a complex look in her eyes. Seeing that Mrs. Cessly’s head was spinning top speed to find out what could possibly make Alicia want to run away from Ivan, he added in a slow voice.“She definitely didn’t owe me money nor anythin
“Alright. Go ahead, do it. Call me if you need any help as well.”“I will.”When their conversation came to an end, Ivan slowly rose from his seat. Alicia got up as well. Just when he was about to turn around, Alicia spoke.“I wish for you to stop feeling guilty of all that’s happened to me.”Ivan’s eyes focused intently on Alicia. For some reason, she found it hard to look him back in the eye, so she averted her gaze.“I don’t dislike you anymore, Ivan. I’m grateful to you for letting me live my life again and leave this place with my baby.”“Grateful…uh.”While he bitterly mumbled to himself, Alicia nodded her head.“After all, you did put in a lot of effort in saving my life. I’ll make sure I do everything in my power to live a happy life from now on. I’m not completely alone anymore, after all.”Alicia placed a hand on her belly.“Once this baby is born, I’ll only let him see and listen to the most wonderful things. I know I can’t stop the darkness of this world to reach him, but
Translator – YueAlicia’s jaw slowly opened.“When you say, ‘a chance to end this marriage’…”“You never wanted to marry me in the first place. You were forced into it because the Crown Prince threatened to kill your cousin if you didn’t.”“But why are you giving me this? This marriage will automatically end in a year, anyways.”Their contractual marriage had a time period clearly stipulated. Alicia couldn’t understand why he was giving her a choice right now.“If you want to end this marriage, then you don’t need to wait for the time to be up to do so. I’ll make sure you leave this country safely first thing tomorrow if you so wish it.”“Then… what will happen to the baby I’m carrying…?”Alicia’s voice faded. Her eyes darted to the contract clauses. There, she herself agreed on leaving all rights concerning the child to Ivan if she were to get pregnant. With the opportunity he was giving her, she’d be able to flee and hide somewhere far, far away, and he’d never be able to claim his
Translator – YuePatricia’s execution took place the following morning.In spite of being very early, many people gathered around the execution place. People gathered there to insult her for killing her own father, her benefactor and even trying to assassinate her own sister and Queen. She was seen as a true villain, an evil rarely seen before.Patricia listeTed to their insults and taunts until her very last moment.Even though Alicia had said that she’d no longer show any consideration towards Patricia, she did make sure that the most skilled executioner was selected to carry out her punishment. She’d heard of previous rare cases in which the neck was not cleanly cut off in one single strike, forcing the executioner to hack at the neck, which caused lots of pain and anguish before dying.After Patricia’s death, Alicia passed her days in a state of continuous astonishment. She rarely went outside and spent most of her time in her room. However, she did make sure of eating and resting