The Dead Villainess Had A Child With The Male Lead

Chapter 41 Glory Wound

During dinner, Jediel didn’t say much.

He’s usually a chatterbox at mealtimes, but today he was strangely quiet. But he was in good spirits and smiling the whole time.

When Jediel finished his bowl, he looked at Luisa and said.

“Grandma, I want more of that beef stew, please give me more.”

“What’s up with our short-mouthed little Jediel today?”

Surprised, Luisa happily refilled the child’s bowl. She wasn’t the only one surprised, Hugo and Veronia were as well.

They were used to seeing Jediel leave food behind, but they had never seen him ask for more.

As she watched him work his spoon eagerly, Veronia asked.

“Did anything good happen to you today?”

“I got a glory wound!”

“A glory wound?”

Veronia asked, and Hugo told her the story he had heard from his teacher.

“He said he fell and twisted his knee while playing ball.”

“That must have hurt… Was it okay?”

“It hurt, but I was fine. I cried a little bit… but that stopped soon.”

“But why is it a glory wound? Isn’t it just a cut?”

“It’s…”

The child flinched at his mother’s sharp question and paused for a moment.

It was nice that the scar allowed him to play ball with Mr Killion alone, which is why he called it a scar of honour, but he couldn’t tell his mum the whole truth.

She said, “You shouldn’t follow him because you don’t know him very well.”… But if he told her that it was just the two of us playing ball, she’d get really worried.

For that reason, clever Jedidiah wanted to say something, but he held his tongue. When his mum’s question left him stammering and unable to answer, Hugo spoke up.

“It’s a glory scar,” he said, “because it’s from playing hard, so it’s a glory scar. Yes!”

“Yeah, that’s it!”

Jedidiah nodded vigorously, hoping this was it. But inside, he begged his mum for forgiveness.

‘I’m sorry, Mum. But… I liked playing with Mr Killion, and I want to play with him again.’

***

“Your Excellency, please tell me now.”

“Tell me what?”

Windler asked, casting a sharp glance at Killion as they rode out of the palace in a carriage together late in the day.

“Who is that child, Jediel, you mean? The one you ordered me to design a business that could be modeled on the Annex Kindergarten?”

“…That’s right.”

Killion let out a shallow sigh and answered briefly.

He had expected to reveal it at some point, but he hadn’t expected it to come so soon.

He was a little embarrassed, but he couldn’t help it. Windler was one of his closest advisors.

He had seen him up close for so long that secrets and lies didn’t work with him.

Windler clamped his mouth shut and squinted his eyes at Killion. It was a sign that he needed to explain.

“Jediel and I ran into each other at the market the other day. And the moment I saw him, I felt my breath catch in my throat.”

“Choked up?” … Do you mean because he looks like your Excellency?”

Killion’s eyes widened for a moment at Windler’s question. It had never occurred to him that he and Jediel looked alike.

It hadn’t occurred to him when he heard the same thing from the kindergarten director earlier in the day, and it still stunned him.

Killion shook his head shortly and answered.

“No. It’s just that Jediel looks so much like Aaron’s brother when he was younger. The hair color, the eye color, the whole vibe.”

“Ah… so you did.”

Windler nodded. He hadn’t seen the long-dead Aaron Drea in the flesh, so he didn’t know if Killion’s story was true or not.

‘Jediel, if the boy looks like you, then he must also look like Aaron.’

But it didn’t make sense to him to care about a commoner child he didn’t know, simply because he looked like his brother.

To start a project to nationalize nurseries simply because the child had been trampled by snow? It made no sense at all.

‘Even though His Excellency says that he misses Aaron very much…, how could he be so interested in a child who only looks like him!’

Since logic could not comprehend it, emotion had to do, and Windler had none.

His siblings were all well-fed and well-lived by this time, and he had no idea that they missed him or felt any longing for him.

Windler spoke up, his voice grave.

“I don’t know how you feel, Your Excellency. I think you need to be careful. The crown prince’s surveillance has been getting out of hand lately.”

“…”

Killion’s eyes, which had been soft until he mentioned Jediel, turned fierce at the mention of the crown prince.

“Reports have come in that he’s been fussing about the nationalization of the nursery schools he’s recently started, and the money being spent on the palace.”

“Really?”

You don’t make things up. The space between Killion’s brows narrowed, forming a deep crease.

Killion didn’t care much for politics.

But he did know that if someone attacked you first, you had to be ready to fight back.

And that if you strike first, you have to make them regret it so much that it makes everything else easier.

“How is the Empress doing?”

“That is to say. Since the Emperor has been on retreat, the Empress and the Crown Prince have been meeting quite frequently.”

“Hmph…”

Killion stroked his chin slowly, pondering.

***

Despite it being late at night, Killion’s office in the Duke’s residence was still brightly lit.

A masked man from the Intelligence Guild stood before Killion for this month’s report.

“This is Paola, who traveled to the province of Vodnia two years ago.”

The man pulled a fist-sized imaging stone from his bag and placed it on the desk.

Killion stared at the woman’s reflection. She was young and beautiful, with rich blonde hair, but not the face he was looking for.

Killion shook his head shortly.

“Next.”

“Yes.”

The man pulled out the next video stone.

“This is Arette, who came to the province of Xumen two and a half years ago.”

This time it was the same. Her appearance, voice, mood, posture, and behavior were all so far from Veronia’s.

“Next.”

“Yes.”

And so, one after the other, the five or six images were placed on the desk, and once again, they all failed.

Veronia was nowhere to be found. A sigh escaped his lips.

“I’ll see you next month, then.”

“Take care.”

The masked man disappeared, and Killion, alone, reached for the whiskey, but the bottle was empty.

“Oh, no…”

It was late, so instead of calling for a servant, Killion headed to the kitchen himself. He didn’t know if the liquor was in the kitchen or not, or if it was, where it was, but he went anyway.

The kitchen was strangely bright for this time of night. He looked inside and saw a man wandering around the kitchen looking for something.

“Mother?”

“Oh? Ah… it’s Killion, did you need something too?”

“Why did you come by yourself instead of sending a maid, you couldn’t find it.”

“Isn’t that the same for you?”

“….”

They looked at each other and smirked. Together, they searched the shelves and decided to settle for a glass of milk.

“Milk is better than booze.”

“It would be better if it was warm.”

“It can’t be done.”

The kitchen was a very strange place for the nobles. Just getting down here in the first place was an adventure in itself.

“Are you still having trouble falling asleep?”

“Yes. A little.”

“What about your medication?”

“Did you know? Anyone would have told me… I’m trying to cut back on the medication… but it’s not easy.”

The mother had been depressed since losing her father to an illness four years earlier. She had recently told her maid that she was suffering from insomnia.

“You’d better keep taking your medication until you feel better.”

“Yes, I will.”

The godmother nodded and took a sip of cold milk. She paused for a moment, then let out a shallow sigh and opened her mouth.

“You should think about marriage, too.”

“Mother, that’s…”

“You’re not planning to grow old and die alone and have no heir, are you?”

“…”

“It’s been more than five years since the Empress has been like that. Don’t you think it’s time for you to move on from him? You should get married, have children, and start a family. How much longer should this old mother wait?”

“There is still much to be done.”

“You’re a rich man! Phew!”

The godmother snorted, as if that excuse would never work.

The position had been a long shot from the start.

Her son was already a nobleman of the highest order, and there was no need for him to rise to the position of chancellor and live a life of hardship and hard work.

Nevertheless, the naive son accepted the position, saying that he could not ignore the call of the country and the people.

Foolish, the godmother thought.

“No matter how much you say you’re devoted to the country and the people, you should still be able to take care of yourself!”

“…”

“But what if your liver and gallbladder are robbed, and you’re left with nothing? Shouldn’t you have someone or two who will be there for you when you’re left with nothing?”

Despite his godmother pleas, Killion remained silent, his mouth tightly shut. After a moment, Killion’s heavy mouth opened.

“I’m sorry, Mother. I have not the slightest intention of marrying just yet, so good night.”

With those words, he strode out of the kitchen.

The godmother watched her son’s retreating form and sighed heavily.

‘I think he was more cuddly and cute when he was younger, but now he has none of that! There’s no point in raising him!’

Her heart sank at the wistful thought, and then quickly rose again. She gulped down the last of the milk in her glass.