CHAPTER 103……………………………
Archibald had been poisoned, but the execution proceeded as planned.
His corpse was hung in the square of the lower town beneath the Grand Duke’s castle.
Even though he was already dead, quite a few people still threw stones at him.
Because of the gravity of his crimes, he was to be left hanging for a week — but at this rate, there’d be nothing left of him in just a few days.
So, three days later, today, his body was brought back inside the castle.
The investigation into the poison he took was complete. Soon, he would be reduced to a handful of ashes.
I let out a sigh as I looked at his bruised, stone-battered face.
“Are you sad?”
Lloyd, who stood beside me as the lord of the land, asked suddenly.
His face was hidden behind his usual mask, so I couldn’t read his expression.
Because of that, I felt no need to gauge his reaction and simply kept my gaze fixed on the body.
“How could I be sad? He deserved to die.”
He had plotted a massacre and tried to kidnap my daughter.
Death was only just.
And yet…
“I just feel a bit unsettled, that’s all.”
Was it my feeling, or Minerva’s?
Watching someone you knew — a would-be mass murderer — die wasn’t exactly a pleasant experience.
Especially since this entire scheme had been orchestrated by Gabriel, it all felt even stranger.
After Archibald’s death, I found myself lost in thought.
The soft armchair supported my body, but my mind wouldn’t settle.
“So… I really have to face Gabriel.”
When I had been in the imperial palace — in possession of another body — I’d never actually confronted her in earnest.
I’d known I’d be confined within a year anyway, and Gabriel had seemed surprisingly mild back then.
The one I’d dealt with the most was Mars.
Having lived a life no less fierce than Minerva’s, arguing with that loud-mouthed fool hadn’t been all that difficult.
I’d even had the luxury of pitying him.
But Gabriel…
“To face someone who can throw away a servant of ten years without a second thought…”
The Emperor had summoned me, so I needed to return to the capital as soon as possible — yet thanks to Theodora’s consideration, I was still in the Grand Duke’s castle a week later.
The reason was Aslan.
Originally, I’d planned to help Lloyd solidify his own power through his business ventures, and then work on my reinstatement.
But Archibald’s explosive confession had moved up that timeline by several years.
“Taking little Aslan to the imperial palace now would be madness.”
Even the thought of bringing him there when he was older made me anxious.
The palace itself was dangerous, but there were other reasons I hesitated to take him.
For one, it was clear that Aslan could use magic — or something very close to it.
He didn’t seem to realize it himself, though.
In fact, his power felt somewhat different from ordinary magic.
It was more like a manifestation of an intense wish — not something he could just summon at will like a spell.
“Still… it’s incredible.”
Whenever Aslan used his power, a sort of collective hypnosis made the resulting anomalies seem natural.
Even I had overlooked some of the strange phenomena he caused, thinking them normal.
But after becoming consciously aware of his power, it seemed that memory manipulation no longer worked on me.
Suddenly, I was the only person in the world who truly knew about Aslan’s ability.
Why had I been freed from that bizarre hypnosis?
“Because I learned the truth about his power?”
I gazed out the window toward the garden of the annex, where Aslan was playing.
“The hibiscus bloomed—! Oh, Ayla, you moved!”
“Got you again! Be fair, Aslan!”
Aslan seemed to believe the Grand Duchy was safe now — he was happily playing outside with Ayla.
He was back to being his usual self: healthy, free of nightmares, sleeping soundly.
Would it really be right to drag a child who’d just begun to recover back to the palace?
“The Grand Duke himself can’t even go there right now.”
Though Lloyd and I weren’t yet married on paper, we soon would be. Naturally, he should come with me.
But he was buried in his Cats-Eye business and the restoration of the Millennial Forest.
Taking him to the palace was practically impossible.
And leaving him behind while taking the children would be too cruel to Ayla.
Not to mention, all the recent upheaval and relocations had to have been incredibly stressful for Aslan.
“I can’t keep defying the Emperor’s orders forever… but what should I do?”
In the end, there was only one choice left.
“No… but still!”
The very thought of it made my heart ache — and I’d feel terribly guilty toward the children.
I racked my brain for alternatives, but time kept slipping away without a better idea.
“So, it really comes down to that, doesn’t it…”
Resigned, I looked outside — but the children, who should’ve been playing there, were nowhere in sight.
Startled, I stood up.
Bang!
“Mommy!”
“Mom!”
“Oh, heavens!”
The little rascals I’d just been worrying about suddenly burst into my room.
They didn’t care that they’d startled me; they simply ran up and threw themselves into my arms, radiating warmth that instantly eased my anxiety.
I crouched down to hug them, and they giggled brightly.
“Did you have fun?”
“Uh-huh! We’re hungry.”
“We want a snack, Mommy.”
Their sparkling eyes made it impossible to say no.
It wasn’t snack time yet, but just for today, I’d make an exception.
I smiled helplessly and said,
“All right. Go wash your hands and faces. I’ll get something ready.”
“Okay!”
“Yay!”
The two ran off to the washroom and came back freshly scrubbed — well, mostly.
Aslan, of course, had wiped his wet hands all over his dusty clothes, leaving damp blotches everywhere.
While Ayla changed, Aslan had to wash his hands all over again.
Once cleaned up, the kids devoured the pancakes I’d made.
They looked so happy eating that it made my heart feel warm.
And when they grew sleepy and started nodding off with full bellies — it was the most peaceful sight imaginable.
One by one, I lifted them onto my bed and tucked them in, carefully pulling the blanket up to their chins.
Their soft, even breathing made me want to lie down beside them and nap too.
I smoothed their hair and smiled bitterly.
“I’m sorry, my loves.”
Given the way things were, danger would always find its way to them.
I could only feel sorry — for being the kind of mother who dragged them into such a life.
After kissing their foreheads gently, I went to find Lloyd.
Lloyd was startled when he heard that Minerva was coming to see him in person.
He immediately set aside his work and hurried to receive her.
When she arrived and saw the mountain of documents on his desk and the dark circles under his eyes, her expression softened.
“Grand Duke, I’m sorry to bother you when you’re busy.”
“It’s fine, Your Highness. Is there something you need?”
Recently, Minerva hadn’t been visiting Lloyd directly.
Apart from occasional family breakfasts at the annex — for appearances’ sake — they’d each been living separately.
So her sudden visit could hardly mean good news.
Sensing this might take a while, Lloyd started to move toward the sofa — but Minerva gestured for him to stay seated.
Then she asked,
“Are you busy tonight?”
“Tonight?”
Lloyd had been keeping a schedule that began and ended at dawn — he was always busy at night.
He hadn’t even managed to discuss the earrings they’d once talked about.
Still, because it was Minerva, he didn’t hesitate to answer.
“I’ll make time, no matter what.”
Minerva smiled in relief.
“Then… how about a drink tonight?”
Flap.
The moment she finished speaking, the papers on Lloyd’s desk fluttered into the air like falling petals.
