“Your Highness, is there anything else you would like to order?”
Matilda looked at me questioningly as I remained silent.
“No. It’s just that, for some reason, I feel sad to let Matilda go like this today.”
I feel regretful because it seems today will be our last meeting.
Just thinking about it made my eyes a bit warm.
“Is it because of the wedding? I’m sure you’ll be happy even after getting married, Your Highness.”
“I want that too. And I hope Matilda will be happy as well.”
“Yes. It will be as you wish, Your Highness.”
“Thank you. And I want to be alone tonight, so please don’t let anyone into my room until tomorrow morning.”
“Understood.”
I nodded and sent Matilda away.
Good Matilda. She hadn’t even taken the jewelry I gave her.
So, I secretly sent that jewelry to Matilda’s family home.
She would only realize it after I left this place.
“Ha.”
I took a deep breath to dispel the rising urge to cry over my farewell with Matilda.
I didn’t have the luxury of being immersed in my emotions.
As darkness soon enveloped me, I quietly left my room.
Wearing the brown wig I had prepared in advance and changing into a maid’s outfit, no one recognized me.
Using a fake identity badge, I blended in naturally with the group of maids leaving the Crown Prince’s palace and was able to exit the imperial palace.
The maids didn’t suspect me, having never seen me before.
It was only natural. They were all strangers to each other.
Their true identities were not maids but women that my brother had secretly brought in from outside.
‘My brother would disguise women from the brothel as maids and sneak them into the palace a couple of times a month.’
He would secretly engage in lewd acts with these women, something he could never do with noble ladies.
I didn’t want to blame my brother for his debauchery with multiple women.
I understood how difficult his life was, being bound by the strict status of a Crown Prince and the scrutiny of others.
I respected his night escapades.
After all, they had helped me in some ways.
However, regardless of my understanding, problems would eventually arise for him.
Not long after Eddie was born, there was an incident where several children claiming to be his illegitimate offspring appeared simultaneously.
After that incident, my father grew to loathe Eddie even more.
It was because he was the child of a bastard.
My father found the title of “illegitimate child” utterly horrifying.
“……”
Putting aside these unnecessary thoughts, I hurried toward the inn I had reserved near the palace.
I had hidden a few simple belongings there to take to the Ramsey Empire.
When I finally exited the inn, my appearance had changed once again.
I had now become an ordinary person in a simple dress and robe.
I still wore the wig, but I had pulled the hood down low to prepare for any unforeseen circumstances.
The place I was heading to was not the dock.
There was still some time left before the ship to the Ramsey Empire departed at midnight.
There was something I absolutely had to do before leaving.
☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓 ☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓
I was holding out my wrist to an elderly man with thinning white hair.
The disheveled man was a physician known in the marketplace, particularly famous for his expertise in examining expectant mothers.
It was said that he could read a pregnancy just by feeling the wrist.
There was only about a one in a hundred chance that the man would fail to detect it, and due to his remarkable skill, he was occasionally summoned to the palace.
I had even paid extra to ensure that I would meet with this man tonight.
Finally, his hand rested on my wrist, and soon after, he closed his eyes tightly.
I waited anxiously for the man to speak.
For now, I pushed thoughts of Henderson, my father, Helena, and Gran aside… all that filled my mind was my beloved child, Eddie.
About ten minutes passed. The physician’s wrinkled lips, which had been silent, finally parted.
“Congratulations. You are pregnant.”
I believed I had conceived Eddie, yet I still sought confirmation from the physician.
“Really? I’m really having a baby?”
The physician affirmed it.
“Yes, indeed. Congratulations again.”
“Ha… thank you.”
Eddie… my Eddie.
Have you really come back to me? Mommy is so happy you’re back.
I gently rubbed my barely noticeable belly with my hand.
It was impossible, but I felt a strange illusion that I could sense movement.
I thanked the physician repeatedly and left the clinic.
As soon as I stepped onto the main road, tears that I didn’t even know had been building up began to stream down my cheeks.
I stood there, not wiping them away.
The crescent moon hanging serenely in the night sky looked simply beautiful.
Now that I had confirmed that Eddie had come back to me, this was the happiest moment of my life.
☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓 ☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓
In the quiet space of the clinic after Riley had left, a man raised his hand.
He then unhesitatingly removed his own face.
That was when something astonishing happened.
As if shedding the burdens of life, his wrinkled face peeled away, revealing a young and beautiful visage beneath.
Finally, he threw off the white wig he had been wearing, transforming into a handsome man with a decadent appearance in an instant.
He had been hiding his true identity behind a mask-like fake skin and wig.
The man gazed at the door through which Riley had exited, his red lips twitching.
“Riley. Congratulations on having the same child.”
The elderly physician who had examined Riley was the sorcerer she had been searching for.
☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓 ☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓
As I got closer to the dock, the salty smell of the sea began to fill the air.
I hadn’t fully grasped it until I left the palace, but now, with the sea breeze against my face, it finally hit me.
“I’m really leaving this place.”
I stood at the dock, taking one last look at the capital. It might be a view I would never see again.
Soon, I began searching for the boat I would take.
The ship bound for the Ramsey Empire was quite large, so I found it without much difficulty.
I hurried towards it, with about 30 minutes left until departure.
Before long, I joined the long line at the entrance where the passengers’ identities were being checked.
I had already arranged for a new identification card through the guild for use in a foreign country.
Creating a new identity was possible as long as you had the money.
My turn came quickly. The gaze of the two men guarding the ship’s entrance fell on me.
Despite their sharp looks, I didn’t shrink back.
“Please show your identification and boarding pass.”
I took out the identification card and boarding pass that I had carefully tucked away in my robe.
The two men, who seemed to be crew members, examined the items in my hand closely.
“Verification is complete. You may enter.”
The crew member gestured for me to go in, seemingly having found nothing suspicious.
The process was smooth.
Just as I took a couple steps forward, a commotion sounded behind me.
“…You’ve lost your identification? I’m sorry for your situation, but you cannot board the ship. Please go back.”
I turned around to see a young man with a large duffel bag.
He seemed to be the next person whose identity was being checked after me.
He was wearing a loose-fitting shirt and comfortable-looking pants.
Despite his casual attire, the man had a rather handsome face.
His blue hair resembled the sea, with fair skin, a straight nose without any sharp angles, and dark eyes.
I naturally recalled Gran’s dark eyes.
“Oh, this is awkward. I definitely had it just a moment ago…”
The man who seemed to have lost his identification wore a look of distress on his face.
“Someone is waiting behind you. Please step aside.”
It seemed the crew member had no intention of being lenient with the man.
I tried to stop watching. While I felt sympathy for his situation, it had nothing to do with me.
Just as I was about to look away, our eyes locked.
Almost simultaneously, a delighted smile appeared on the man’s face, as if he had encountered someone he knew.
“Darling, please help me.”
…Darling?
I frowned at the chilling word.
Of course, the hood I was wearing kept my crumpled face hidden.
I glanced around, wondering if he might have been speaking to someone else, but there were no other women in sight.
Above all, the man’s gaze was fixed solely on me.
“I know you’re ignoring me because of our fight yesterday… But we still love each other, right? We dreamed together of becoming rich in the Ramsey Empire.”
I felt like I was at a loss for words, which perfectly described my current feelings.
The man continued to speak, preventing me from looking away.
“I’m sorry about yesterday. I know you dislike carrots; it was my fault for secretly putting them in the beef stew.”
“……”
“I really believe carrots are good for you. I just wanted you to eat them.”
Laughter from the surrounding people echoed at the man’s ridiculous story.
The crew members guarding the entrance turned their attention to me.
“Are you that man’s darling, or rather, his partner?”
