CHAPTER 46….
My whole body felt as heavy as if it were soaked with water.
The moment I opened my eyes, the surroundings blurred and twisted.
“…Ria.”
A human voice came from afar. As I slowly opened my eyes, someone pulled on Asilia’s hair.
“Ah!”
Before I realized it, I let out a cry from the pain, and the woman sitting behind gently stroked my head.
“Sorry, Ria. Did it hurt?”
A kind voice gently caressed Asilia’s hair. She even lifted her body slightly to pat her head as if truly apologizing.
“Mother?”
Asilia blinked. The youthful voice made the woman in front of her look shocked.
“Dear, dear! Dear!! Ria, Asilia, called me ‘Mother’!”
“What!? What book did you read before going to bed yesterday? ‘Mother’? C-Could it be…”
The man who came running without even knocking threw the door open.
Golden eyes just like Asilia’s. Although the hair color was different, the resemblance was uncanny.
Asilia blinked and asked,
“Fa-Fa…ther…?”
“Aaagh, no!!”
The two people called ‘Mother’ and ‘Father’ fell into despair.
Because their cute little daughter had creepily called them ‘Father, Mother.’
“Daughter, hmm? Don’t use stiff words like Father or Mother. Try saying ‘Daddy.’ Daddy.”
“Y-Yeah. Those hard words can wait until later, okay?”
Hearing their desperate voices, Asilia, who was blankly staring up at them, suddenly burst out laughing.
It was a laugh without a single worry or concern.
“If Ria calls me not Daddy or Mommy later, but ‘Your Grace the Duke’…”
“Madam, it’s better to keep sad words to yourself. What if she hears that and starts saying it too, huh?”
Asilia Klomeus.
The small Duchy of Klomeus, next to Levilla, was a country with four distinct seasons and rich resources.
Because of this, it was often attacked by foreign forces, but thanks to the current strong Duke, Valen, said to be blessed by the gods, the duchy remained unshaken and firm.
But that firmness didn’t last long.
Since Asilia turned four, ominous news started coming.
“Levilla has raided our supplies again.”
“Again? Ugh…”
“Your Grace, the Levilla Empire’s movements are unusual. Recently, they’ve been raiding supplies entering Klomeus and even blocking the routes. We fear they might start a war of invasion.”
The ministers shivered at the bad news.
Though Klomeus was called an iron fortress, it was a different story when facing a strong nation like Levilla.
No matter how strong, if outnumbered, they would eventually fall.
“We must send an envoy to Levilla. They must want something, which is why they’re acting this way. Let’s try to negotiate as much as possible.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
Hiding behind the curtain, Asilia looked up at Valen with bright eyes. Seeing his daughter late, Valen stood and picked her up.
“Why the expression? Nothing will happen. Everything will be fine. Trust your father, okay?”
When Valen smiled showing his teeth, Asilia smiled back.
She believed everything would be resolved.
“Yes!”
A sunshine-like smile spread.
But what came next was news of a failed negotiation.
“They say the Levilla side… beheaded the baron sent as envoy.”
“…What?”
“‘We have no intention to be bound under the name of peace. If you want to save the lives of the remaining people, send Asilia Klomeus, the first daughter of the Duke of Klomeus blessed by the Life God…’”
“How outrageous!”
Valen slammed the desk.
Though the sound wasn’t loud, the desk completely split.
Those before him trembled in fear. But they did not fail to understand Valen’s anger.
Asilia was the precious jewel of Klomeus.
She was the daughter finally born after many failures and repeated miscarriages.
She resembled Valen and showed interest in the sword since childhood, and like her mother Rowena, she had outstanding looks and a captivating charm.
Valen would never hand over such a precious daughter to Levilla.
Valen held his head in his hands.
Refusing to send Asilia would mean the duchy would be threatened.
But if they protected Klomeus, they didn’t know what treatment awaited Asilia there.
“No way. There are terrible rumors inside Levilla. How can you send a child there!”
“Of course. But what kind of terrible rumors?”
“They say both Levilla and Moria are gathering those blessed by the Life God. Maybe that’s why they asked for Asilia.”
Valen frowned.
It was not unusual for people to be born blessed by gods.
Especially those blessed by the Life God—if searched worldwide—would easily number over a thousand.
“Levilla probably has the most blessed by the Life God.”
“Yes, but still, they’re searching.”
“After killing gods and building a rich powerful nation, what else are they scheming…?”
Valen clenched his fist.
He thought Levilla did many outrageous things.
Being busy protecting themselves and dealing only with great powers, they thought such a small border country wouldn’t be targeted.
But that was his mistake.
“Your Grace, how about sending another child instead of Asilia?”
“Another child…?”
“There must be others blessed by the Life God in Klomeus. Some without ties…”
“Madam! No matter how precious my child is, how can you suggest offering another family’s child!”
After that day, fighting never stopped in the household.
Asilia slept alone with the covers pulled over her head, and the once-happy relationship between Valen and Rowena gradually strained.
“Don’t worry, my daughter. You will never be sent to Levilla.”
Rowena said every night while holding Asilia.
But the longer it lasted, the more Asilia’s heart hurt.
She always smiled happily, but just the fact that Levilla wanted her made everyone angry and sad.
Even the people trembled in fear, saying, “Won’t this lead to war with Levilla?”
“I’m going.”
At dinner with everyone gathered, Asilia finally spoke the words she had held back for so long.
“You’re going? W-Where?”
“To the Levilla Empire. I’ll go.”
The child who couldn’t even pronounce words properly spoke clearly.
Her golden eyes were full of firm resolve.
With this expression, even her parents couldn’t stop her.
“No.”
“I’m going.”
“No.”
Valen clenched his fists.
Unable to raise his voice at Asilia, he left the room, firmly declaring it was impossible.
“Asilia.”
When Asilia began to sniffle, Rowena held her close.
As she buried herself in Rowena’s arms and cried, Rowena took her to a corner of the palace.
It was a forbidden area, but Rowena didn’t care.
“My beloved daughter. Do you know about the Death God?”
Crying in Rowena’s arms, Asilia wiped her tears at the mention of her favorite mythology.
“Death God?”
“Yes, the close friend of the god who blessed you—the Life God. The Death God.”
Asilia shook her head.
Rowena slowly approached the end of the corridor and opened the firmly closed door.
Inside the room where everyone’s footsteps stopped, a giant sickle hung on the wall, large enough to be the size of ten adults combined.
The sickle alone radiated majesty and grandeur.
Seeing Asilia scared, Rowena patted her back and said,
“That sickle belonged to the Death God. When the Sadaha Empire collapsed, the sickle disappeared, but later appeared again when the Duchy of Klomeus emerged.”
Asilia blinked repeatedly, probably unable to understand the difficult words.
Rowena stroked the child’s head and approached the sickle.
“It might hurt a little… Shall we pray to our god?”
“Pray?”
“Yes, pray. Ask to protect us even if danger comes.”
Saying that, Rowena brought Asilia’s hand to the sharp edge of the sickle.
As the delicate flesh was cut and blood dripped onto the sickle, Asilia whimpered.
But Rowena gathered her bleeding hands and prayed.
Please, protect this child.
