She couldn’t believe her ears.
“What kind of nonsense is this? Can’t you see the situation?”
“I heard you have family in Ethelwood. Maybe you sent them away to avoid the fallout if things went south.”
“You bastard!”
Jenine’s face turned red with rage as he lunged at him. Grabbing the man kneeling in front of his lover by the collar, Jenine glared at him.
“How did you find out?”
“Isn’t that basic? You always keep a leash on an untrained dog.”
Richard, who had calmly offered his collar, replied in an indifferent voice. The tables had turned.
“You despicable human being…”
“If you listen to me, I won’t harm your family.”
“…”
“But I understand you need to vent your anger. If you let both of us go, you’ll surely come after me and cause more trouble. Am I wrong?”
It felt like his mind was being read. Richard, now in control, issued a command to the speechless Jenine.
“So shoot me now. Let her go.”
His voice was so calm it was hard to believe he was discussing his own life.
“This is the last mercy I can offer.”
“Richard…! No!”
Even under the weight pinning her down, Charlotte struggled. Tears mixed with the pouring rain, adding a salty taste to her lips. She wanted to see him, but his hand firmly blocked her view.
“No, please! Please…!”
Her pleas fell on deaf ears.
Bang.
The hand covering her eyes fell away. She locked eyes with him as he collapsed to the ground.
Charlotte.
The moment stretched into an eternity.
I love you.
She could understand without words. No flowery language was needed.
“Aaaah!”
The gunshot seemed to signal chaos. In an instant, imperial soldiers and rebels clashed, turning the area into a battlefield.
But Charlotte heard none of it. Her world crumbled beneath her feet.
And then darkness fell.
***
She must have dozed off again. If not for the warmth covering her hand, she might have collapsed onto the bed.
“Charlotte.”
“Olivia.”
“Are you alright? You need to rest.”
“I’m fine.”
Olivia, her face full of concern, pulled a chair over and sat beside her. Her gaze shifted to Charlotte’s belly.
“You’ll really collapse if you don’t take care of yourself. You’re not alone anymore.”
“…”
Instead of replying, Charlotte placed a hand on her belly. She was three months along. Her bump was starting to show.
She had found out about the pregnancy after returning to the mansion with him, wounded. The memory still sent chills down her spine. It was a miracle he had avoided a fatal injury.
It was thanks to Kana’s desperate leap that saved them all when the triggers were pulled.
“Kana…!”
“Don’t get the wrong idea. I only did it because I had unfinished business with Richard Winkle.”
“…”
“This is the price for supporting the orphanage.”
“Kana…”
“When his gunshot wounds heal, leave this place. We’ll never see each other again.”
Kana, Kaon, and Jenine vanished amidst the chaos, and true to her word, they never saw them again. The remaining rebels were subdued by the imperial soldiers led by Brad. Later, Charlotte learned that Richard had anticipated such a situation and had made arrangements in advance.
The doctor said it was a stroke of luck for both of them. The bullet narrowly missed his vital organs, and despite being pinned under the horse, she didn’t miscarry in the early stages of her pregnancy.
“It’s okay. This baby will be fine.”
For some reason, she felt certain. She believed the baby would inherit his father’s resilience and be born healthy. As Olivia quietly looked down at Charlotte’s belly, she suddenly asked, “Do you think it’s a boy or a girl?”
“A boy, I think.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“Just a feeling.”
Charlotte smiled faintly and turned her gaze toward the bed. The man lay there, sleeping like the dead.
“Spring is almost here.”
“Yes.”
“He’ll wake up soon.”
“I think so.”
Nodding at Olivia’s words, Charlotte gently stroked his cold forehead and nose. It reminded her of their first meeting.
He had been sitting on a plush couch, leaning back with his eyes closed, so pale and beautiful that she had mistaken him for a finely crafted bisque doll.
“Are those eyes just for show?”
Of course, that illusion shattered the moment the doll opened its eyes.
“When is the due date again?”
Charlotte, who had been smiling at the memory, was pulled back by Olivia’s question. After doing some mental calculations, Charlotte answered, “In the fall.”
“Babies born in the fall are said to be blessed by the goddess of harvest, destined to achieve valuable results throughout their lives.”
Olivia smiled softly and glanced at the baby bib Charlotte was embroidering.
“I hope the baby is born in cool, pleasant weather.”
“Yes, that would be nice.”
A sweet, cool breeze blew in from the window. Soon, the garden would be in full bloom.
***
She had spent the whole morning by his side and had come downstairs to read by the fireplace as part of her prenatal care. While she was engrossed in her book, a maid knocked and entered, holding a letter.
“Mrs. Winkle, you have a letter.”
Ever since her pregnancy became known, the staff, under Brad’s orders, had begun addressing her as Mrs. Winkle.
“Oh, thank you.”
A letter. Could it be a reply from Zhenya? She had sent a letter to her, omitting the more serious details, to avoid worrying her. The letter mentioned that she had unexpectedly reunited with him and cleared up misunderstandings, leading to their reconciliation.
Charlotte eagerly picked up the letter from the silver tray, her curiosity piqued.
“The sender’s name isn’t on it.”
“Yes, I found that a bit odd as well…”
“Alright. You can go now, thank you.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
After sending the maid away, Charlotte took a deep breath and opened the envelope. As she read, her eyes widened in astonishment.
To Charlotte Hegel, or rather, Mrs. Charlotte Winkle,
If you are reading this, it means this letter has safely reached you. I sincerely hope that is the case.
I cannot describe how shocked and relieved I was to hear about you and Richard.
You must be surprised to receive this letter out of the blue.
Perhaps you have heard of me from afar, or maybe not. Knowing Richard, he likely kept everything thoroughly secret, as he cannot tolerate even the slightest flaw.
Where should I begin?
Ah, let’s start from the most recent incident you remember.
The day you left the island with him, a fire broke out at Seoren Hall. It consumed many things and turned them to ashes in an instant.
I suffered severe burns, but fortunately, my wife Chloe and our sons were unharmed. Sadly, not everyone made it out. I still mourn and pray for those we lost.
Despite knowing this might shock you, I felt you had the right to know about the dark past of our family.
You might have guessed by now, but Janice Brown, the housekeeper, was my former lover and first love.
At one point, I planned to elope with her, to marry and start a family. It was a desperate and intense love that made everything else seem unnecessary.
But Janice ran away.
She returned after some time, neither too long nor too short, with a swollen belly.
At first, I had no intention of accepting her. I was already married and had moved on. I expected my father to throw her out.
But when he learned the child was mine, his attitude changed.
Despite offering a large sum for her to leave after giving birth, Janice stood firm. She refused to leave a second time. My father gave her a position as a housekeeper.
I loved the child, but I also hated him.
I hated him as much as I hated his mother. He reminded me of the first love I had painfully severed, only to be ensnared by it again.
As the child grew, he began to resemble me more and more. He called me brother, unaware that I wanted to kill him. He liked and followed me.
Then one day, he suddenly decided to enlist. He left, knowing everything.
I thought it was for the best. I hoped he would settle on that island and never return, so I wouldn’t have to deal with my uncomfortable feelings anymore.
I was a terrible father until I heard he had gone missing.
That child, Richard, went to die. He discovered the ugly truth about his birth.
One stormy night, when I was about to jump out of the window, unable to bear the guilt and longing, Richard returned.
But he was no longer the same child.
Charlotte, I heard about the massacre that occurred at the mansion.
I know you fled on the day of your mother’s funeral and were captured by him years later.
You must have witnessed something horrific that day. A blood-soaked room. A man feasting in front of it.
As you might have guessed, he is human, yet not entirely human. Something changed when he returned from that island.
I don’t fully understand what it is, but after extensive research into our ancestors’ history, I reached one conclusion.
A genetic disorder that has been passed down from our ancestors manifested in him under certain circumstances.
In the Kensington family, a mutant is born every few generations, or even more rarely.
They are born with extraordinary beauty, exceptional intelligence, and superior physical strength. They can be killed by a knife or a bullet, but they do not fall ill. They age, but after twenty-six, their aging process slows down to a third of that of others. If he doesn’t die prematurely like our ancestors, when you are eighty and in your old age, he will appear to be in his early forties.
And they drink blood.
If they do not drink blood, they suffer from severe thirst, go mad, commit horrendous acts of violence, or take their own lives in torment.
From what I have gathered, he has not drunk blood recently. Not since that horrific night.
He is likely trying to suppress it, but I am worried about when the side effects will surface.
🍉🍉🍉
