Chapter 30 You’re Not Alone
When Veronia opened her eyes, the sky outside her window was stained red with sunset. The ceiling and furniture were unfamiliar.
‘Where am I…?’
She turned her head and saw Luisa and Hugo sitting on the side of the bed.
“You’re awake!”
“Oh… Grandma, what happened to me…?”
“You collapsed as you were leaving the front door, so we took you to our room and called the doctor.”
“The doctor…?”
“Nia, don’t be alarmed, he examined you and said you’re pregnant.”
The words were so unexpected that for a moment she thought she had misheard.
So Veronia asked again.
“What? What did he say?”
“You’re pregnant! Nia, you’re pregnant.”
Veronia was stunned. She couldn’t put the words together.
‘Pregnant? When did I get pregnant? When did I get pregnant?’
She pondered for a moment, then remembered the night she’d spent with Killion.
‘Oh… then…!’
She was so embarrassed that her mind went blank and her mouth dropped open.
“What… is happening! This can’t be…”
Veronia muttered to herself like someone in a daze, this couldn’t be happening.
‘A child is growing in my belly, and it’s Killion’s? Oh my…!’
How could this be possible, a baby between her and Killion? Veronia shook her head in disbelief.
Luisa gently took Veronia’s hand in hers. Her wrinkled hand was warm.
“A new life has come to Nia, who is starting over in our home. I don’t know what Nia will think, but I think… It’s a good sign!”
“…”
“Don’t worry too much, me and Hugo will be there for you.”
The tears that had been forming in the corners of Luisa’s eyes were now defying gravity and rolling down her cheeks.
“I will never wonder, never ask, where and how Nia lived in the past. Or about her father. But for as long as I’m raising this child, I want us to be a real family.”
“…”
Luisa’s desperate sincerity was palpable.
“If it’s our granddaughter’s child, it will be our… great-grandson.”
“Yes, great-grandchildren! There’s a slope, slope!”
Luisa giggled at Hugo’s comment.
Luisa giggled at Hugo’s words.
But Veronia couldn’t help laughing. Her mind was racing.
“How nice…! It’s a child, and that’s a Killion child!
***
Late at night.
Back in her bedroom on the second floor, Veronia was restless and unable to fall asleep.
She reached down and stroked her flat stomach. She still felt nothing.
“There’s a baby growing inside me…”
It was a strange sensation.
She thought she was completely alone in the world, but she wasn’t anymore. She had a baby with her.
A warm sensation enveloped Veronia’s entire body, and her eyes glazed over with heat and moisture.
“Thank you, sweetheart, thank you so much…”
She had fled, abandoning her family and the name the new world had given her.
It was a decision made to escape death, but it was still scary and frightening, and the fear of being alone with no one by her side was suddenly overwhelming.
“But now I’m not alone, and it’s all thanks to my baby.”
She was angry and resentful that she had to hide under a different name and face for the rest of her life, but she knew she had to live with it.
“It’s all fake… but I’m a real mother to my baby.”
A real mother! It was a role she never expected.
She had never imagined herself as a mother.
Meeting someone, falling in love, getting married, and starting a family seemed like something that could only happen in the distant future.
But it wasn’t.
She already has a family. She had a baby.
She became a mother.
“Let’s make this work.”
Saying this out loud seemed to take away her anxiety and give me something like courage.
She felt strong. She had something to protect.
“What if that was just a dream?”
She remembered the dream she had last night. She remembered a dream she had last night.
She remembered the warmth of it, the way it felt.
And the soft voice ringing in my ears.
‘A life out of this world. It must be hard. I think you will need this gift. It is my little favour. I hope you find it useful, child.’
It certainly seemed to be a prenatal dream.
A relaxed smile spread across her face.
“My dear, you are a gift from heaven for my days alone!”
And there was one face that naturally came to mind. It was the face of the father, Killion.
‘Thank you, Killion.’
As she rested her hand on her stomach and thought of him, she felt somehow connected.
She was so far away, physically and emotionally, but somehow she felt connected to him.
‘I’m a wicked woman… known to be dead, and I’m pregnant with male lead…’
She was never meant to be with Killion. It was the way the story was written.
‘But as soon as I left the original story, it led to a new life like this. What is this…’
The incongruity of life.
It’s said that life is unpredictable, but she never thought it would be so sudden and contradictory.
Still, for once, life, the world, seemed to be on her side, and Veronia was moved to tears.
“Thank you, thank you, thank you!”
She whispered to the gods up there somewhere, and something hot welled up inside her.
A tear slid down her cheek and slowly soaked the pillowcase.
Suddenly.
They were tears, but they were warm, and they made her feel warm and fuzzy.
***
Veronia opened the newspaper.
The front page was devoted to the death and funeral of the Princess.
The cause of death was a fire accident, but no further details were given. It was understandable.
The news that the Princess had secretly run away and was found burned to death in a remote hut was sure to shock the people.
The naked truth would have been covered up by the imperial court.
It was a strange feeling to read about his death in the newspaper.
Still, as she finished reading, she heard a voice calling to her from downstairs.
“Nia, are you ready? Let’s go out!”
“Yes!”
Veronia folded up the newspaper and immediately pushed down her wide-brimmed hat and ran out of the room.
Veronia followed Luisa to the market.
Everywhere they went, people recognised and wondered about the new face.
A butcher with red curly hair turned to Luisa with a twinkle in her eye.
She was tall and strong for a woman, and her voice was booming.
“Who is the young lady next to you?”
“That’s my granddaughter.”
“Hello. I’m Nia.”
The owner looked Veronia up and down. The scar on her face was the first thing he noticed.
“Oh, come to think of it, I heard about that. Oh, look at me, I forgot about that!”
“A few days ago. “
“Your granddaughter is beautiful. Nice tattoos.”
“Thank you.”
The owner quickly changed the subject and turned back to Luisa.
“Then I suppose you haven’t been to the Princess memorial service yet?”
“Yes, not yet. Have you been?”
“Of course, I went yesterday after closing up shop.”
The whole town was buzzing with talk of the Princess’ funeral. This place was no exception.
“The queue was so long, I had to wait in the heat for five hours before I could pay my respects.”
“Five hours? Oh my, you must have had a hard time.”
“It’s nothing compared to what Her Highness the Princess deserves. Oh dear, here I go crying again…”
The woman quickly wiped away the tears that had welled up in her eyes and sniffed her nose. As if infected by her sadness, Luisa soon began sniffling too.
“She was so young and beautiful, how could she have met such a fate, Wen…”
“You’re right, it’s heartbreaking.”
Veronia listened in silence as they mourned her death.
She felt grateful and sorry for her.
“So when are you going to the memorial service?”
“As soon as she’s better, and the whole family can come with me, there’s still time.”
Veronia was stunned by Louisa’s answer.
She never thought she would be attending her own memorial service.
Everyone in the country wanted to attend the Princess memorial. Nobles and commoners alike.
Those who lived in more distant areas couldn’t realistically attend, but those who lived in the capital or near the capital could.
So almost everyone in the neighborhood seemed to be making plans to attend the empress’s memorial service.
‘They’ll surely think it strange if everyone else is going and I’m the only one who won’t.’
The owner continued to chatter away as he sliced the meat, while Veronia fretted.
“I don’t understand the idea of collecting a special tax for condolences, but it’s good that it will be used for relief in the southern provinces. It’s good to think that our Princess is doing good even in death… Ahhh, I’m crying again…”
The owner stopped talking and wiped her tears with a towel.
‘Thank you, and… sorry.’
Veronia thanked her inwardly as she mourned her death.
***
In the evening, Onyx came.
The neighbors knew him as the herbalist who stopped by from time to time.
Onyx actually bought the herbs that Luisa and Hugo had gathered and paid for them.
Watching him fulfill his role, she realized that he must be doing a lot of hard work.
After a quick hello to Luisa and Hugo, he headed straight to his bedroom on the second floor.
“How’s life? Do you think it’s worth living?”
“So far, so good. Luisa and Hugo seem like nice people, and it’s all thanks to you, Onyx. Thank you so much.”
Onyx had been a lifesaver for Veronia.
Even though his job was a thrill, and he paid an exorbitant fee for his services, that didn’t make him any less grateful.
“I’ll take it.”
Hoo-hoo, Onyx shrugged and laughed.
Veronia laughed along with him, his demeanor far from humble.
She would come back to haunt them later, when she awoke from the blackness, but not yet, so for now, she could just be grateful.
His grin suddenly faded, and he lowered his voice to a whisper.
“By the way, are you sure you’re okay living in a place like this after being pampered at the palace all your life?”
