The Dead Villainess Had A Child With The Male Lead

Chapter 76 See You In Five Years

The head of the Imperial Second Order of Knights bowed before Sandra and Tate.

“Greetings, Empress and Prince.”

“Welcome, Sir Ryan. I have summoned you because I have special instructions for you.”

“At your command, Your Majesty.”

“I want you to search for the silver-haired healer at once and bring her to me.”

“You mean the healer who saved the child who was hit by a carriage in the square during the festival?”

“Yes. You know her, I see. I left her in the care of the Duke of Drea, but he hasn’t made any progress.”

Sandra’s brow furrowed at the mention of Killion. 

She hadn’t always liked him, but lately he had become even more irritating, Sandra thought. She had always disliked him, but lately he had become more irritating, she thought.

The Templar shook his head again and replied.

“As you wish, Your Majesty.”

“Proceed without limits on manpower or budget. I’ll pay for it, and I’ll make sure you’re compensated. The goal is to secure the silver-haired healer as soon as possible.”

“…”

“A day sooner, an hour sooner!”

“Your orders, Your Majesty.”

The Templar left, leaving Sandra and Tate alone in the parlour.

“What do you intend to do about finding the healer, mother?”

“Hasn’t Caspian been stigmatized by what happened that day?”

“It was a very unfortunate thing.”

“I know. So I think it would make a pretty good picture if Caspian himself praised the healer’s work and rewarded her handsomely.”

“Ah… you had such a profound meaning, that’s a good idea, mother.”

Sandra’s mood brightened at Tate’s agreement, and the wrinkles in her brow faded.

“Tate, don’t you think so, too?”

“Yes, mum. If there’s anything I can do to help, just ask.”

Tate’s somewhat tentative response made Sandra feel even better, and she even smiled.

“In that case, then. Would you mind keeping a close eye on where and what the Duke of Drea is spending his time these days, as his behaviour has been rather disturbing lately?”

Tate nodded readily at Sandra’s request.

“Of course, mother. I’ll double the surveillance force and see what I can find out.”

“You’re the only one of my children I can trust, Tate. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. I’m just glad to be of service to you.”

Tate’s eyes shone strangely as he smiled at Sandra.

***

Veronia was about to leave her bedroom, ready for work. There was a tap on the glass at the window. It was a messenger.

There was only one person who could send her a lightbulb: Onyx.

‘What’s going on?’

Veronia familiarly untied the letter from its strap around the leg and read the contents. The letter was indeed from Onyx, and it told her that Killion was the client of the magic toolmaker she had mentioned last time.

Her pupils fluttered precariously as she read, and her heart leapt into her throat.

‘Oh, my God! It was Killion who commissioned the jigsaw puzzle. Killion knew all along!’

The slender hand holding the letter trembled. She sank back in her chair and buried her face in her hands.

Killion had been right to pretend he hadn’t seen her for what she really was, and she felt like a fool for not realizing it, for being so completely fooled.

Her mind turned white as her worst fears were realized. She didn’t want to believe that it was actually real, even though it was terrible when she had only vaguely anticipated it.

‘What am I going to do now… what am I going to do?’

She tried to wrap her empty head around it, but it wasn’t easy. She felt dizzy and speed nauseous.

‘Calm down, Veronia, it’s not over yet. Let’s just calm down and think about what to do next.’

She shuddered, and then… She took a deep breath to calm herself. Worrying in the heat of the moment would never solve anything.

Her mind seemed to clear up a little.

‘Okay, let’s pack first. Get ready to run away. And…’

Then there was another blank page. Veronia stood up from her seat. She was going to start with the first thing that came to mind, and maybe something else would come to her as she moved.

‘Let’s start packing, and then we can think about it.’

She pushed herself up. Her body staggered in shock, but she managed to move slowly through clenched teeth and grabbed her bag.

Her weak hands fumbled over and over again, but she managed to fill the bag, and at the same time, her head was beginning to function again.

‘When I’m done packing, we’ll go to the kindergarten and pick up Jediel, and… Oh, right. We’ll also have to tell Grandma and Grandpa…,’ She said.

Ever since the day she asked Onyx to help her find a new home, she’d been meaning to tell Luisa and Hugo. But she didn’t know how to say it, so she put it off until today.

‘Maybe it would be better if I just travelled with Jedidiah today, and asked Onyx to take Grandma and Grandpa to see them again later.’

In any case, she had to get out of here as soon as possible. Out of Killion’s sight and hearing, out of his reach.

‘But is there such a place?’

The fear took over her head and body, that no matter how hard she tried, she would still end up in the palm of his hand. But it was time to shake her head vigorously again, to shake off the fear.

There was a knock on the door, louder than thunder.

‘Suck!’

Veronia swallowed hard and stared at the door without answering. Her heart pounded, her heartbeat quickened as if she sensed something ominous.

She heard no sound from outside the door, but the next moment it swung open. And there stood Killion.

“Nia?”

His voice was so soft as to send chills down her spine. Veronia was startled beyond belief by his sudden appearance, but she managed to keep her face calm. She couldn’t let him see that she was trembling with fear.

She kept her gaze fixed on Killion as he entered the room, her lips moving slowly.

“…What are you doing here this morning, Your Excellency?”

“I went to the lab, but they told me that today was not a work day, so I came to your place .”

“Do you have something to say?”

Veronia asked, careful not to let her voice tremble. But instead of answering her question, Killion picked up a letter lying haphazardly on the table, and the sight of it made Veronia scream inside.

She had to lunge in and stop him now. She had to take the letter away from him so he couldn’t see what it said. But her tense muscles refused to respond to her brain’s commands.

“Holy…”

A sigh escaped Killion’s lips as he scanned the letter. Her voice was low and dry, her straight black eyebrows twitched, and her blue eyes, as cold as a winter sea, stared back at her.

“I’m afraid I’ve… been found out, Princess Veronia.”

“Ugh, ugh…”

As her real name came out of Killion’s mouth, a strange sound that was neither a sigh nor a scream escaped Veronia’s mouth. Their gazes tangled dizzily in the air.

Killion stepped up to stand directly in front of her and dropped to one knee. It was the respectful way a vassal addressed his master.

Veronia’s eyes widened as he lowered to her eye level. But Killion’s expression was impassive. He took the slender, trembling hand and kissed the back of it.

“After five years. Your Highness, the Princess of Veronia.”

“Uh…”

Her pupils, looking down at Killion, and his, looking up at Veronia, both trembled pitifully.

Veronia barely managed to pull her hand away from his grasp, and spat out, ‘Let me go.’

“Let me… go.”

Killion bit down on the hand that had lost its hold on her and rose to his feet. He spoke again, this time in a clear voice.

“I wouldn’t have come here in the first place, Your Highness, if I had any intention of letting you go.”

He spoke in a polite tone, with no hint of the firm refusal he was about to give. The stark difference was uncanny, Veronia thought, and it made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up.

Veronia spoke the child’s name as if grasping at straws.

“Please, for Jediel’s sake, let me go.”

Killion’s pupils fluttered for a moment at the sound of the child’s name. But then he straightened his expression, narrowed his eyebrows, and spoke in a cold tone.

“It is for Jediel’s sake that I cannot let you go, Your Highness.”

“…”

“Jediel is… Your Highness and my child, is he not?”

“That, that…”

Veronia’s heart dropped to the floor with a thud. She had to say no. She had to say no.

There was no proof that Jediel was Killion’s child. It wasn’t a world where paternity tests were readily available, so he couldn’t have been speaking with one hundred percent certainty.

But her lips moved, but no voice came out.

Because Killion was looking at her with such conviction, the guilt that had been weighing her down was now clogging her throat with all its might.

“…”

“…”

Silence hung heavy in the air, their gazes chasing and pursuing each other.