Episode 133

 

“I see. I didn’t know that.”

“I’m very sensitive to smells and presences, which is why I often detect monsters before anyone else does.”

Ah, so that’s why Lloydin is always the one monitoring the movements of monsters.

Now I understood why he frequently went out when it was time for the monsters to appear.

‘I’ll need to be careful in the future.’

Since the matter with the Crown Prince wasn’t resolved yet, there would likely be more times when I’d have to meet him without Lloydin knowing.

If Lloydin noticed again, I might have to reveal everything that happened with the Crown Prince.

When I meet the Crown Prince, I’ll need to make sure it’s outside and keep a reasonable distance to avoid his scent lingering on me.

“Shall we go to sleep now?”

“Yes, let’s do that.”

“But should we sleep apart tonight?”

I asked, trying to be considerate, but Lloydin pulled me closer.

“No, I don’t want that.”

Lloydin refused firmly, like a child refusing to give up their favorite candy.

“Oh, okay. Then let’s sleep like this.”

I was slightly surprised because Lloydin always agreed with whatever I said, but this time he was resolute.

While I was still a bit dazed, Lloydin called my name.

“My dear.”

“Yes?”

“Are you feeling well?”

“What? Oh, my illness?”

I stuttered, not expecting him to suddenly ask about my health.

“Yes. I’ve been feeling much better lately.”

I quickly regained my composure and added.

“That’s a relief.”

“It’s thanks to you always being by my side, my dear.”

“No, just knowing that I can help you is enough for me.”

“Still, thank you…”

I buried my face in his chest as I spoke.

His warm presence felt even more comforting than usual.

‘When should I tell him?’

I had kept many things from him over time.

I knew I had to tell him everything eventually.

Considering how worried Lloydin was about me, I thought I should soon tell him that I was no longer ill.

After all, my illness was no longer a significant issue between us.

‘I’ll tell him as soon as the matter with the Crown Prince is resolved.’

With that decision made, I fell into a pleasant dream in Lloydin’s warm embrace.

* * *

A few days later, I visited the Anaïs estate to meet my parents.

“Father, Mother, I’m here.”

“Ayla!”

My parents greeted me warmly.

I spent a joyful time with them.

My brothers were out, so they couldn’t join us, but just being with my parents was enough.

After lunch, I had tea time with my mother, and my father naturally called me to his study.

I told my mother I’d be back soon and headed to my father’s study.

“Father.”

“Have a seat.”

My father sat on the sofa first, and I took a seat as well.

“So, you have something to tell me?”

“Yes, Father.”

To avoid a repeat of last time, I had sent a letter to my father in advance, saying that I had something important to discuss.

“What is it?”

I took a deep breath to calm my nerves before speaking.

“What is it that’s troubling you?”

My father’s face grew serious as he urged me to speak.

I looked at him, steadied myself, and began.

“Father, I found out.”

“Found out what?”

“The reason why our family and the Blighton family are being accused of treason.”

“What? Is that true?”

“Yes, Father.”

“What is it? Tell me right away.”

Despite my father’s urgency, I paused for a moment, taking a deep breath to stay calm.

“It’s because of the incident when Ian’s powers went out of control, and we used divine power to help.”

“You mean when Noah helped during Lloydin’s power surge?”

“Yes, that’s right. It seems we’re being accused of treason because of that.”

But something was strange.

I expected my father to be shocked, but he seemed unusually calm, as if he had anticipated this.

After I finished speaking, my father fell silent, seemingly deep in thought.

I waited quietly, observing him closely.

“Hmm, I see.”

After a while, my father spoke in his usual calm voice.

“Did you know?”

Surprisingly, it was I who was shocked by his reaction.

I asked my father in bewilderment.

“I had been thinking about it. Wondering why our family was being accused of treason. What significant event could tie us to the Blighton family.”

I listened intently to my father’s words.

“Then the incident you mentioned suddenly came to mind. I thought there was no way it could have leaked since only our family and the Blighton family knew about it. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that could be the only cause.”

“Father, you must have known what consequences that incident could bring. Why didn’t you stop me?”

I wasn’t blaming or resenting my father.

How could I ever blame or resent my family?

Moreover, I would have made the same choice if I could go back to that time.

It wasn’t because I wanted to live but because I couldn’t ignore the desperate look in Lloydin’s eyes.

At that moment, I was his only hope to save his brother.

And I wanted to help him in any way I could.

“Because my daughter is the most precious to me.”

“Father…”

I struggled to hold back tears at my father’s words of love.

“And even if I didn’t know, I couldn’t just stand by when Lloydin was in danger of losing his life.”

Ah, right.

Father had a debt to the Blighton family, so he made the best choice he could at that time.

He found a way to save both me and Ian.

So none of us made a wrong choice back then.

We all made the right choice and believed it was the best.

We just held onto a false hope that we could keep it a secret forever.

“I met with the Crown Prince recently.”

“The Crown Prince?”

“Yes. He had no reason to seek me out, but he did so unexpectedly while I was returning from meeting Princess Daina.”

I began to explain to my father how I came to know about all of this.

“The Crown Prince knew about our situation.”

“His Highness knew?”

“Yes. And because of that, he made me a proposal.”

It was more like a threat disguised as a proposal, but since the Crown Prince called it a proposal, I used the same term with my father.

“A proposal? What kind of proposal?”

“He said that he alone knew about this matter and hadn’t informed the Emperor or the temple yet. Then he…”

I had debated endlessly whether to tell my father about this.

But he was the only one who knew about my current situation and the predicament we faced.

And my father was my greatest ally.

Excluding him from this matter would make resolving it nearly impossible.

Most importantly, I didn’t want to choose the worst possible solution that kept haunting my mind.

‘Father would surely…’

I believed my father would come up with a better solution.

So I decided to tell him everything.

“He told me to divorce Lloydin and come to him.”

“Does he mean to marry you?”

“Yes. That’s right. But Father, I don’t want to. I know it’s selfish, but I don’t want to leave Lloydin.”

Just thinking about being separated from Lloydin brought tears to my eyes.

I liked him so much, no, I loved him dearly.

“Ayla…”

Father gently patted my shoulder with a troubled expression.

“Heavens…”

He let out a deep sigh, clearly frustrated by the difficult situation.

I struggled to speak, but finally forced the words out.

“But Father, if that’s truly the only way…”

I hesitated, the words refusing to come out.

But I bit my lip, steadied my heart, and spoke again.

“…then I will do it. Separating from Lloydin would break my heart, but I can’t bear the thought of our family and Lloydin suffering.”

“Ayla…”

I couldn’t bear to meet my father’s devastated and bitter gaze any longer and lowered my head.