IRAWOMLC Chapter 63

9Chapter 63

Velotin knelt on the floor, pressing his head against it. Desperation to survive drove him to flatten himself to the ground, trembling violently. His sweat-soaked clothes clung to his body, and beads of perspiration formed on his forehead, dripping onto the carpet, leaving faint marks one by one.

“Damn it! If only I hadn’t run out of money.”

Upon overhearing the news of the queen’s disappearance, Velotin immediately recalled her pregnancy. Though he had returned to Brivent due to financial ruin, surviving each day had become an ordeal. Then came the rumor that someone was tracking the queen’s whereabouts.

Learning that even the king was searching for him, he decided it was better to turn himself in.
“Maybe I can feign ignorance and return to the palace,” he thought.

He didn’t want to die. Clinging to the chief lady-in-waiting, he pleaded.
“I have urgent news for His Majesty! It cannot wait!”
“…His Majesty is busy right now. You’ll have to request an audience later.”
“I must tell him now! The queen… she’s with child…”
“…Did you just say she’s with child?”

The chief lady-in-waiting informed Raymond, and that’s how Velotin found himself face-to-face with Arden now.

However, now that he was here, he found himself speechless. His fear-filled eyes darted around aimlessly, while his chewed-up lips, torn from anxiety, were bloodied and scabbed over.

“You are the queen’s physician, are you not? You look dreadful. I heard you were abroad, yet there were rumors you had been seen in Brivent. So, it was true,” Arden said, running his hand lightly over his lips while scrutinizing Velotin.

That attitude—was it guilt? Did the physician assist the queen in her escape?

Arden’s gaze became more piercing as it clung to Velotin, who kept his head down, his eyes darting nervously. Words spilled from his lips, still unorganized in his mind.

Velotin decided to shift all the blame onto the queen. Though he had known more than he let on, he had remained silent to save himself. But he had never imagined the queen would flee the palace.

“I didn’t know, no— I mean, I didn’t realize that was the queen’s intention… As her physician, I simply honored her request for confidentiality. I never meant to deceive Your Majesty intentionally. How could I possibly go against the queen’s wishes?”

Velotin begged, knowing he had little backbone to maintain a stubborn denial. The king, as he knew him, wouldn’t hesitate to execute him on the spot. To survive, he had to appease him and confess everything he knew.

“Your Majesty, I swear I had no intention of deception! I only did as the queen instructed!”

“Velotin.”

Arden’s voice was low and chilling. He motioned for Velotin to come closer. Crawling across the floor, Velotin inched forward hesitantly.

“Closer.”

The weight in Arden’s voice made it feel like the air itself was suffocating. Reluctantly, Velotin moved his unwilling hands and feet closer, trembling with his head hung low as he reached Arden.

“What exactly did the queen instruct you to do? Come to think of it, something seemed off that day. Even your sudden trip abroad was suspicious.”

Arden recalled a previous conversation with Velotin, his foolish expression still vivid in his mind.

“I already had several questions for you, but your trembling like a guilty man confirms my suspicions.”

“T-that is because…”

“You’d better start talking. If you want to live.”

Velotin felt trapped, like a man standing on a narrow ledge, surrounded by cliffs. One wrong step would mean certain death. But at this point, any choice seemed futile.

“The queen… she is with child! I wanted to report it immediately, but she swore me to secrecy…”

“The queen is pregnant?”

“Y-yes. I… I believed she would tell you herself. I trusted her…”

“Too late.”

Arden spoke with a faint, unsettling smile, his blue eyes glinting coldly. He adjusted his posture, leaning back lazily in his chair and tilting his head.

“The queen can’t bear children,” Arden said, his tone sharper, his smile broadening ominously.

Velotin stammered.
“But when I examined her… she was clearly pregnant!”

“And now, why are you only telling me this?”

“I believed the queen would inform Your Majesty herself. I only trusted that she…”

“Too late.”

The smile remained on Arden’s lips as his piercing gaze bore into Velotin.

Arden couldn’t suppress his laughter any longer, letting it burst forth. The absurdity of the claim was too much to believe.

“The queen ran away carrying a child?”

Velotin remained silent, but the oppressive killing intent above him made him bite his lips nervously. He was despondent.
“Damn it, so it really isn’t the king’s child.”

It explained her midnight escape. Velotin resented the queen for it—if she was going to flee, shouldn’t she have taken him along? To leave someone who knew her secret behind like this was reckless.

Grinding his teeth in frustration, he regretted not confessing the truth back then, even if it had meant his death. As things stood, he was guilty of turning a blind eye to the queen’s treachery.

“It’s not a lie, Your Majesty. It’s true… The queen is definitely with child…”

The room fell eerily silent, and Velotin felt as if he were utterly alone in the vast audience chamber. Arden’s piercing blue eyes bore into him relentlessly, making it impossible to escape their grasp.

“Curious, isn’t it? I can’t father a child, yet the queen is with child,” Arden remarked, rising from his seat and drawing his sword.

The chilling scrape of the blade against the floor sent shivers down Velotin’s spine. He stumbled back awkwardly, trembling, unable to catch his breath under Arden’s icy gaze.

The sharp blade touched his neck, and he squeezed his eyes shut.
“You’ll take responsibility for those words, won’t you?”
“O-of course, Your Majesty. I wouldn’t dare lie to you.”
“Funny. You had no problem lying before.”

Arden chuckled dryly and turned to the chief lady-in-waiting.
“Bring me the queen’s maids.”
“…Understood.”
“All of them. From her chambermaids to every single attendant.”

Serena bowed and quickly exited the audience chamber.

Leticia gazed quietly at the sky. Stars glittered in the dark expanse, illuminating the night. She wished she could lose herself among those shining stars pouring their light down.

Were those starlights warm? They shone so beautifully that they couldn’t possibly be cold.

She stood there, mesmerized by the night sky, her thoughts drifting. The stars’ flickering light seemed like a declaration of their existence. She wondered if Arden was searching for her by now.

He would have summoned her father first, then interrogated everyone around her one by one. If that failed, would he give up?

Somehow, she doubted he would let her go so easily.
“He must have learned about the child,” she thought.

She worried he might harm innocent people to uncover whose child it was. However, the presence of the Emperor would keep him restrained for a while, granting her some time.

This small reprieve gave her a sense of relief. If only Cardinal Kavita would return soon, she could truly feel at ease.

Leticia placed a hand on her belly and leaned back into the chair.

“Your Majesty, may I come in?”

The knock was followed by a priest’s voice. She replied, “Come in.” Moving from the terrace back to her room, she sat down in her chair.

The priest entered cautiously, but behind him loomed a large figure. The moment she recognized who it was, her expression faltered.

“Don’t frown. It’s not like I’m here because I wanted to be.”

“…No one asked you to come,” Leticia retorted coolly.

Sparks flew between them, the tension palpable. The priest sighed, elbowing Eren in the side as a warning.

“Your Highness, this attitude will help no one. Surely you haven’t forgotten His Grace’s orders?”
“I know, I know,” Eren replied, running a hand irritably through his hair before trudging forward. He extended his hand toward Leticia.

She stared at his outstretched hand, frowning.

“If you’re expecting me to take it, I won’t.”
“It’s His Grace’s command; I don’t have much choice either.”

Without waiting, Eren grabbed Leticia’s hand. Startled, she wrinkled her brow and tried to pull her hand away. But before she could, a surge of divine power flowed into her, making her eyes widen in surprise.

“You’re dying, aren’t you? If you want to live, you’ll have to do things you dislike. Guess living so prim and proper hasn’t prepared you for that, huh?”
“Don’t mock me. At least I care for others, unlike someone who knows nothing of grace,” she retorted.

Eren scoffed. “What good is being cared for if it doesn’t keep you alive? You’re withering away because you’re not happy. Your body’s rejecting life itself.”
“Who says I’m being cared for? I doubt it’s me. If I were, I wouldn’t feel this weak,” Leticia replied, her voice steady yet tinged with sadness.

Eren’s expression twisted in discomfort as he let go of her hand.

“They called you the flower of Brivant. Fitting, really—you’ve got thorns to match.”
“A flower, huh? I suppose that’s true,” she replied, her voice distant.

Eren flinched slightly at her words. Leticia gave a bitter smile.

“I’m withering, drying up. All that’s left is to fade away.”

The priest shot a sharp glare at Eren, silently admonishing him. Stricken silent, Eren avoided Leticia’s gaze, unsure of how to respond. Leticia, however, wasn’t particularly hurt. She found herself agreeing with his words.