“Valerie is said to have fallen asleep.”
“Um.”
At the same time, we both started talking to each other. Karl allowed me the chance to speak first.
Should I ask or not, should I bring it up or not. After a long internal struggle, I finally thought, ‘If not now, when else could I ask?’ and posed the question.
“What kind of relationship did we have?”
It seemed to be an unexpected question, as Karl’s pupils dilated. He seemed like someone who usually didn’t show emotions on his face easily, but this crack in his poker face was truly surprising, indicating that my question had caught him off guard.
“Oh. I said I lost my memory.”
With a expression of ‘why would you ask that,’ Karl soon nodded as if he understood.
“Do you really not remember? That whole day we spent together…?”
“Yes. I think you asked me about that day before as well. What day is it? Perhaps…”
The day Valerie was created? How could I ask that! My lips moved as if to say something but then stopped.
Even without looking, I could guess his face had turned bright red. My ears burned.
“Perhaps that day was… the day Valerie was created.”
Who would have thought those words would come out of Karl’s mouth! This time, my eyes widened as if they were going to pop out. Thump, thump, thump. My heart raced. My face couldn’t get any hotter than it was now.
***
In the dark room where not a single ray of light entered, laughter echoed. It was a laughter that did not fit in with the gloomy atmosphere.
“I thought we couldn’t use magic to bring a child here anymore, what in the world is going on?” Marina, the owner of the laughter, exclaimed. She had been enjoying herself with Isaac, who brought her all the news from the capital, for days.
She had been about to complain to Isaac for not bringing any good news recently. The joy of finally seeing the awaited Isaac was mixed with anger at why he had kept her waiting for so long.
Then Marina heard about the marriage announcement of Duke Albrecht, which had spread throughout the capital.
The news of Count Louisette and Duke Albrecht getting married did not interest her in the slightest. She had been about to get angry for not even showing her face for months just to bring such news.
However, Isaac’s following words had such an impact that they instantly dispelled Marina’s discomfort.
“Between Count Louisette and Duke Albrecht, there is a child. Because of this, the Duchess of Tooper is trying to hasten their marriage.”
The Duchess of Tooper. They were talking about Pulcheria.
To Karl, who treated his nephew like a son after losing his own child, Pulcheria was nothing less than a child. Hence, he detested Franz, who posed a hindrance to Karl’s future.
Subsequently, naturally, he distanced himself from Franz’s mother, Marina, who also eyed Pulcheria with suspicion. Marina interfered in everything I did, always throwing obstacles in my way.
“No matter how much I think about it, isn’t heaven helping me?”
The laughter, tearing apart as if scraping metal, was chilling to anyone who heard it.
Garcia, who was listening to Marina and Isaac’s conversation, breathed a deep sigh.
“That damn Imperial law made the poor child suffer.”
For years, cases of child abduction had been happening frequently. Initially, it was sad children who went missing without families or homes.
Even if one of them disappeared, there was nothing strange about the children, so no one paid any attention. But one day, people started to feel that something was going wrong, as gradually the orphanages run by churches and monasteries were becoming empty.
However, even if they felt something strange, people couldn’t do anything about it. There weren’t many adults raising their voices for the wandering children who had no parents or relatives.
As time passed, suddenly even children with parents began to be kidnapped. As the number of parents crying out for their lost children increased, households raising young children locked their doors tightly, never allowing the children outside.
As the situation became more severe, the royal court held numerous discussions to come up with a solution. The royal army was deployed to uncover the culprits behind the kidnappings, and laws were enacted to ensure that all children in the empire received basic protection.
Moreover, any child found wandering alone on the streets was to be immediately taken to a police station for identification confirmation. If a child was found with someone and their relationship was uncertain, a mandatory kinship verification test was ordered.
Every child in the empire was given a place of origin, parents, and affiliation, making it easy to know if any child went missing.
It was all because of Marina.
“What are you talking about? Why is a child who was perfectly fine just yesterday dying?”
“There is no cure for this fever. Many children in the capital are falling ill and dying. Unfortunately… Please pray to God, madam.”
Marina recalled the moment when Frantz almost died. No doctor wanted to see Frantz, who had suddenly collapsed due to a fever. They claimed it was an incurable disease.
Watching her son deteriorate, Marina, half-crazed, did everything in her power.
She begged the Emperor to allow the court physician to treat Frantz, but it was futile. No herbal remedies seemed to work on him.
Marina was losing her mind. Furthermore, being diagnosed as infertile after giving birth to her first child due to a weak uterus, Frantz was her first and last child she could have.
“Is there anything I can do to save my son?”
“Of course! I can sacrifice my life willingly! Take anything, just save my son. I will give you any amount of money.”
For Marina’s sake, Isaac found a shaman who was skilled in healing magic.
She lit a fire and slit the cow’s throat, burning off all the hair, and with its blood she revived Franz. Marina thought to herself, “I’ve barely brought him back from the brink of death.
I will bring this son of mine back from the brink of death to the throne, and I will do whatever it takes.
Marina’s black magic grew more vicious and relentless over time. The more brutal the spells, the more the shaman demanded sacrifices.
.
he said.
The effect was tremendous. It was much more effective to offer the blood of a child than the blood of ten animals.
She got rid of those who slandered her, erased those who stood in her son’s way. Everything was going her way. She lost count of the number of enemies she had slain in this way.
Over time, through countless trials and the statistics that came with them, Marina had discovered her own laws. The younger the girl, and the more precious her bloodline, the greater the spell she could use.
she said.
However, her unrelenting evil deeds with the witch doctor at her side were forced to stop when an imperial law was enacted and she could no longer save children.
At the time when Marina was getting deeply involved in the undercover work to seat Franz on the throne, she became anxious. In order for Franz to take the position of the crown prince, Bavaria, who was the crown prince at that time, had to be eliminated, making sacrifices more necessary than ever.
With nothing else to do, she found a solution in the most unlikely of places: a birthday banquet for Audrey, the little princess born to Duke Tooper and Pulcheria.
In the end, Marina succeeded in destroying Bavaria, and someone lost a beloved daughter that day.
Now, a young baby girl with imperial blood has appeared before her, and now, more than ever, she needs to clear Franz’s path. Marina was under the illusion that for once, for sure, God was helping her.
“The child must be with the Count now.”
“But it’s impossible to get the child out. Count Louisette is practically fortified these days. What’s more, Archduke Albrecht has even placed imperial knights at the count’s house to guard…….”
