Chapter 70 What’s Between
The door flew open without a knock, and Sandra burst in, huffing and puffing. Though he’d expected her, Caspian tensed.
“I told you to behave yourself!”
Caspian’s shoulders tensed at the high-pitched shout upon entering. But he soon regained his composure.
“I gave the guilty what he deserved, what’s wrong with that? I don’t see why you’re all making such a big deal out of nothing.”
Watching Caspian shrug his shoulders and talk as if it were no big deal, Sandra felt her temper flare.
“It doesn’t matter! He was a pickpocket who would have been fine in jail. I thought the scouts were on their way to pick him up?”
“…”
“Then why make an issue of it by killing him, and in front of so many people!”
Sandra shouted, frustrated. But Caspian didn’t let her momentum get the better of him, straightening his back and speaking with authority.
“It wasn’t just a pickpocket; it was a pickpocket who stole Princess Espin’s handbag.”
“What, is that true?”
Suddenly, Sandra’s face lit up. It wasn’t just any pickpocket, but a pickpocket who had stolen from royalty. Caspian, seeing hope in her change of expression, spoke up.
“Yes. And he also caused a carriage accident that nearly killed a child who was crushed under the carriage.”
“And the child died?”
Sandra’s expression and voice were full of anticipation. If a young life had died in an accident caused by a pickpocket, killing the pickpocket seems so reasonable.
“He almost died, but a healer came along and saved him.”
Sandra was momentarily disappointed to hear that the child didn’t die, but she didn’t let it show.
“A healer?”
“Yes. She was a young woman, and even though she wasn’t a priestess, she used her divine powers to heal the child.”
“Really?”
A faint smile tugged at the corners of Sandra’s mouth. Her mind was spinning, searching for a breakthrough.
“Is that so?”
It would make a nice picture, Sandra thought, with the healer in the foreground.
***
Dag-dag, dag-dag-.
The carriage carrying Killion, Princess Espin, and Jediel was on its way to Jediel’s house.
Jediel was sitting between two dolls almost as big as he was, and he was so adorable and cuddly that Princess Espin couldn’t take her eyes off him.
Jediel, on the other hand, was very worried about his injured mother. So, in an attempt to cheer him up, Princess Espin spoke in a cheerful voice.
“Jediel, you look so young, yet you remember your home address so well. You’re a cute little boy, but you’re also very smart.”
“Of course I know my home address by heart.”
Jediel said, as if it was no big deal. He looked so cute that Princess Espin wanted to say something more, but she held back. It wasn’t going to be easy to cheer him up anytime soon.
This time it was Killion who spoke up, intent on making the child feel better.
“Jediel, did you have fun today? I’m sure I’ll improve my darts skills and beat Mr Onyx next time.”
Jediel responded with a weak, faint smile.
“I’m rooting for you, mister. But Mr Onyx is tough, so you won’t want to practice casually.”
“…I will.”
Killion almost laughed out loud at the child’s earnestness, but he held it back. It didn’t seem polite to laugh when she was giving him such serious advice.
Still, Killion and Princess Espin were relieved that the child seemed to be feeling a little better. Espin, looking back and forth between Killion and Jediel, cocked her head and blurted out.
“By the way, you two look a bit alike, haven’t you heard that before?”
At Princess Espin’s words, Jediel’s eyes suddenly lit up and he spoke excitedly.
“The director of my kindergarten told me the other day that I look like you.”
Hehe, the child’s mood lifted. Princess Espin asked, curious to see the sullen child beaming.
“Does it make you feel so good to hear that you look like Mr Killion?”
“Of course! He’s so handsome, and I want to be as tall and handsome as him when I grow up.”
“Oh, Jediel, you’re already handsome.”
“Really?”
Hee-hee, the excited child bounced on his hips and laughed. Killion stared at him wordlessly, thinking.
‘I guess Jediel and I do look alike.’
He’d never thought of it that way, but it was strange to hear himself say it. It made him feel weird.
“Do you like broccoli?”
“No.”
“Oh! Me neither! We look alike!”
The child bounced on his short legs, which did not touch the floor, and expressed his joy with his whole body.
“And what about onions? Do you like them?”
“Yes, I like them.”
“Oh, we don’t look like that.”
He looked disappointed for a moment, but he was soon back to asking questions.
“What about eggplant? What about lamb?”
Jediel’s questions kept coming. Kilion answered dutifully, relieved that the child wasn’t crying.
“And when is your birthday?”
“November.”
“We have different birthdays. Mine is in April.”
The child’s disappointment at being more different than the same was evident on his face.
‘If he was born in April four years ago…’
Killion thought back to the night he spent with Veronia five years ago. His chest tightened as he remembered that night in June, a night he would never forget.
‘Given that a woman’s pregnancy cycle is approximately 10 months…’
It seemed quite likely that he could be Jediel’s father. He tried not to think about who the father of this child was, but it was hard to stop the thoughts from creeping in.
After many questions and answers, the carriage came to a stop. They had finally arrived home.
‘So this is the house Veronia has been living in all these years, and it’s only a stone’s throw away…,’ he thought.
Killion’s heart swelled in his chest as he stood in front of the small two-storey house.
Luisa and Hugo opened the door at the carriage’s arrival, and they looked very surprised to see Jediel with the strangers.
“Grandma! Grandpa!”
Jedíel ran straight to them.
“Jediel, come here.”
“But where is your mother going?”
Hugo asked, and Killion explained the situation. “Veronia hurt her ear and went to the doctor with Onyx, so we brought Jediel here.”
Luisa couldn’t help but be surprised when she saw the look on Killion’s face.
‘Oh my God, I can’t believe it!’
Luisa was the one who had been closest to Jediel since he was a newborn, and she knew as soon as she saw Killion’s face that this was his biological father.
But she knew better than to pry into their story, which she didn’t know exactly what it was, so she decided to keep her mouth shut, but she figured she’d at least be able to offer tea.
“Well, that’s what happened. Thank you for looking after our Jediel.”
“Why don’t you come in and have a cup of tea?”
Killion was going to say, “That’s all right, I’ll go back now.” He didn’t want Veronia to find him in the house when she returned, for she would be very upset.
But Princess Espin was quicker to respond than Killion.
“Thank you for the invitation.”
Killion raised his eyebrows as Princess Espin led the way into the house. He had no choice but to follow them.
***
“Careful. Slowly.”
Veronia was about to climb into the carriage when Onyx, beside her, offered her a hand. Veronia’s eyes widened for a moment at the unusual gesture, but she soon realized it was special treatment for a patient and took his hand.
“Thank you.”
As they climbed into the carriage, it began to move.
Veronia’s face was once again covered in burn scars and tattoos, with the new piercings Onyx had brought with him. As he studied her face, he spoke.
“I heard something about this today at the store.”
“What story?”
“An acquaintance of the owner there told me that five years ago, he was commissioned to make a jug, a jug that would allow him to see his original form, not the magically altered one.”
Veronia’s heart sank. What if it was Killion, and that’s why he’d seen her in her true form since they’d first met? The thought was so horrifying it gave her goosebumps.
“So I went there, but they said they could never tell me anything about their clients. I’ve never met anyone who refused to do so, even when I offered to pay them.”
“…”
“Give it a few days. I’ll find out who the client is, no matter what I have to do.”
“It’s …”
Veronia replied briefly, her voice flat. She felt her blood run cold.
‘No way… no way…!’
The horrible possibilities raced through her mind. She tried to shake off the bad thoughts, but it was easier said than done.
She gritted her teeth and kept repeating to herself.
‘No, it can’t be, it can’t be, no, it can’t be…’
It’s like she’s brainwashing herself.
***
Killion deliberately hurried to the return carriage to avoid running into Veronia when she returned home. Princess Espin wished she could see Veronia one more time, but she had no time to listen to her pleas.
Dag-dag, dag-dag-
Princess Espin, who had been watching him the entire ride, finally spoke up.
“Lord Killion, may I ask you a question?”
“Yes.”
“What is the relationship between you and Ms Nia?”
“…”
The unexpected question made Killion hesitate, unable to find the right words to answer. Princess Espin spoke up instead.
“It’s not like they’re normal, it’s just that… vibe.”
“… I like her a lot.”
A low, bassy voice rang out. Even though the confession wasn’t directed at her, Princess Espin’s heart fluttered for a moment at the sincerity in Killion’s words and expression.
“So it was… I knew it.”
“…”
Princess Espin murmured, nodding her head slowly.
