Chapter 111
Translator: Lunarise
Editor: Larkspur
The first act of revenge went too far.
From the time they met again, or rather, starting from even before then, his feelings for her hadn’t changed. Lustian stretched out his hands and pressed it softly against her lips.
“I prayed to God for your older brother Edward’s sake. I asked him to make sure his soul wasn’t hurting again as he went to God’s side… And….”
Tears streamed out of the rims of Viola’s eyes. As marble-like tears dripped down her cheeks, Lustian felt like his heart was ripping apart. The painful days ever since she left him flashed before his eyes.
He held her in his arms. Wendy was asleep next to her, and he held her as if he didn’t mind that she might wake.
“When this storm ends, we’ll be able to trust and forgive each other more.”
Viola nodded her head. Her arms were shaking slightly as they were wrapped around his back. He felt at ease knowing that she was shaking from joy rather than fear. If they could mend the wounds of their past, bit by bit, both of them could be happier.
As soon as Viola drew closer to him, he laid down beside her. Even if there was a small intruder around, it didn’t matter since the bed was wide enough for four to five people to lay in it. The two of them looked at each other for a while. Just then, she swept her hand across the scar on his face and looked at him with regret in her eyes.
“From tomorrow, the scars will be gone. There doesn’t seem to be a better makeup artist than Rosha.”
♛
The next day Viola woke up earlier than Lustian and was taken by surprise. Before she knew it, Wendy was burrowing in between her and Lustian. On top of that, she was in his arms.
Her heart was fluttering. Her chest welled and the tip of her nose was tingly. Looking at the two side by side, it was clear that Wendy resembled Lustian rather than her. She was a spitting image of his beautiful face.
The happy smile would not leave Viola’s lips. It felt like she took off the corset that had been pressing on her chest.
Hearing that he would pray for Edward, she knew that she could love him with all her heart. As her love for him developed more and more, she would wait for the day she would love him even more. And as he said, she intended to love him forever.
Wendy wiggled further into Lustian’s embrace. Does it have to do with the fact that they share blood? Even in his unconscious state, he was hugging Wendy as if to protect her.
Even so… I must conceal Wendy’s identity…
It was still too early. As he said, the entirety of the Slovenia Continent was wrapped up in a storm. Even if the war had ended and they had surrendered, another crowd could revolt at any time.
Now is not the time… It’ll be dangerous if Wendy is revealed to be the child of the emperor instead of a hostage.
If that happened, Wendy will become Lustian’s weakness. Her remorse for him would not end, but in order to protect them both, Wendy would have to be a hostage.
Just then, Wendy rubbed her eyes as she got up.
“Hnnn…. Nanny… Nanny…”
As soon as Wendy teared up, Lustian’s eyes opened without effort.
“What’s going on?”
“I think she was dreaming. Wendy, come here. What’s the matter?”
“I’m scared…. I miss my nanny. Ah!”
“It’s alright. Don’t be afraid, hmmm?”
It was clear she had a frightening dream since she was looking for the nanny. Since Viola’s nanny had brought Wendy up, the nanny was like a mother to the little girl.
She was at a loss as to what to do once she burst out crying. Neither of them had any experience bringing up a baby. Viola simply held Wendy in her arms and comforted her. Lustian was just as flustered.
The emperor then promptly went out of the bedroom and called for Kyle. His commanding voice towards his commander-in-chief could be heard all the way to the bedroom.
“Bring over Princess Wendy’s nanny from Koronis. Be sure to tell them to bring her over courteously at once!”
Viola was very surprised. Wendy must have heard the command because she stopped crying. Soon after, Lustian came back inside the bedroom. Wendy opened her arms towards him as she whined to get him to hold her. Looking at how he held Wendy in his arms and patted her on the back, it seemed that he was better with children than she was. Looking at the tight father-daughter bond they shared, Viola felt as though she would burst out crying, but she held it in.
♛
Lord knows how much they travelled without rest, seeing as how the coach was covered in dust. Viola sighed a sigh of relief when she saw the nanny come down from the coach. Wendy ran over and hugged her. After days of waiting for her to arrive, she hugged her like a baby.
“I missed you, Nanny.”
“My Princess….”
“To think I would see you again like this. It must’ve been hard, correct?”
“No, this is the forest I lived in, so….”
As if the nanny also viewed Viola as a child, she pulled her into a gentle hug. Viola was more grown-up now, but after a long time, she felt the care of a mother from her. She backed off for a bit and looked at the nanny.
“Oh, Nanny, I thought you wouldn’t wear dresses like this.”
“I also hate these dangly decorations. I also hate the crunching noise they make whenever I move. The width is also so overwhelming that I have to hold onto the dress every time I work.”
“You’re still beautiful.”
“No. You’re really lovely.”
It’s not like she ever did anything for the nanny in the first place, but Lustian took care of her instead of Viola.
He didn’t just prepare a coach, but he personally sent her a dress and said he brought her over courteously. Just like a guest that was officially invited to the imperial palace, she was given the treatment of a valued guest. The place that the nanny would stay in was the crown prince’s palace. Since the nanny arrived, Rosha decided to serve Viola as she used to. All the people she deemed family lived in the imperial palace. Although the place she lived in had changed, she was happy.