Chapter 55

Chapter 55

It was wonderful.

At least, Usman thought so. He opened his mouth, thinking that he didn’t know why he liked Isilis’s eyes that contained only him.

“Who do you think of when you look at me?”

He gazed into Isilis’s eyes, who had other thoughts, with an uncomfortable gaze. She wouldn’t have looked at him stunned. Who was she thinking of?

“Is it Berthas Hillenton?”

“What did you say?”

Her eyes went alive at those words. Watching the bright complexion slowly spread, Usman’s stomach twisted. Couldn’t those eyes and that heart be directed towards him?

“I asked if you thought of the child’s father.”

“Then, what would you do?”

“Whatever is good.”

‘I won’t say anything even if she uses me as a substitute now. After all, Berthas Hillenton seems far away from returning here. I’m the man standing by Isilis at this moment.’

Even if Berthas Hillenton returned later, he was confident that he would not give up his place. As he nodded, Usman opened his mouth. It was a frivolous attitude for an imperial prince. His light appearance was perfect to hide his sincerity.

“Right now, that guy will come to mind first, but it won’t happen later.”

“….”

He whispered again to Isilis, who was speechless.

“I am a greedy person, Isilis.”

“…Were there any people who were not greedy?”

“Not that kind of greed. If you are really tired, I will leave everything behind and take you away.”

“What did you say?”

“If it’s difficult, Isilis, let’s go to the Khalifa Empire with me.”

“Nonsense.”

Unlike before, there was no strength in her voice. With that alone, Usman was satisfied because it meant that she, who had not abandoned her stubbornness, was slowly breaking her heart. What made her change like this?

‘…Is it because she lost a child?’

His gaze darkened.

The child, what did that child mean to Isilis? He tried hard to think about it, but he still couldn’t figure it out. He had no children of his own, nor did he see her when she was with her child, so he couldn’t know anything.

Her heart for the child and her heart for the child’s father, Berthas. He couldn’t know.

As he picked up the teacup and took a sip of the tea, the scent of tea passing by was sweet though his heart was not.

‘I did a good job capturing that wizard in the middle.’

The first thing Usman’s lieutenant did upon hearing that a messenger had been delivered to Berthas Hillenton was to catch the messenger. There was some noise getting caught outside the palace and outside the Capital though he still managed to secure the messenger and snatch his correspondence.

Since he was a wizard, Usman could not do any harm in the Larchen Empire, so he sent the messenger to the Khalifa Empire. Of course, with restraints in both hands.

He read Isilis’s desperate desire to know the whereabouts of the child, but Usman burned the letter. He couldn’t let this kind of letter reach Berthas. When the letter arrived, he would surely leave everything behind and head for Larchen.

Hiding a cold smile under the teacup, he rolled his eyes again.

There was a woman he loved in front of him, the sun was warm, and the lush green garden made his heart different from before. It was a chance… a chance that would never come again so he decided to wait quietly.

Isilis continued to think as Usman drank tea in front of him.

‘To take me… are you saying that we should run away?’

If she went to the Khalifa Empire, she had nothing to lose from her position there. It was clear that about half of the wizards who followed her would be naturalized into the Khalifa Empire.

‘He’s thinking nonsense.’

Unlike Berthas, the fact that she had these thoughts in itself was proof that she had become very weak. Even though she appeared to be unconcerned on the outside, her mind was slowly sinking into darkness.

“Are you done talking?”

“There’s still more left, but you seem busy, so I’ll give it up.”

She gestured with a nod of her head at Usman’s light words. She said as she looked at his face, who graciously took her hand and greeted her.

“I don’t want you to come here anymore.”

“I’ll try.”

As Usman left the garden, the wizards waiting behind came with documents. These were the papers she had to deal with today.

“Your Majesty.”

“What is it?”

Allure stood in front of Isilis, who had been reading through the documents for a long time. As the chief wizard, he had been searching for the Princess all along.

“A person who said he knew the whereabouts of Her Highness appeared.”

“She disappeared on the spot, so how does someone know the Princess’ whereabouts? She is dressed in precious clothes, but the child does not bear the mark of an imperial family.”

“That…”

Isilis smiled faintly at Allure’s bewildered look.

“I understand your sense of urgency, but confirm first.”

“I understand. My convictions were very urgent.”

“I believe in you. Come visit me anytime.”

“I will definitely do that.”

“You can go.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

After recovering from being shaken by Allure’s words for a moment, Isilis calmly made a decision. If she didn’t hear from Berthas either, the child would be difficult to find. Now and then, she was waiting for a call from him, but she hadn’t heard from him.

“What is going on?”

The time had passed for the messenger to return, or maybe the wizard took her orders and headed for Hillenton but never met Berthas since he moved around the battlefield rather than staying in the Dukedom.

Still, since he returned after being called by the Emperor, he would arrive at the Dukedom someday. She even thought of sending it directly to the Palace in Hillenton, but she couldn’t.

It would be a big deal if the letter ended up in someone else’s hands, so she sent someone she could trust, but it was too late.

It was difficult for her to move on her own. Re-establishing the barriers of the empire took longer than expected. The barrier of the Imperial Palace was built right away, but the barrier of the empire was still stretching endlessly, consuming her magical power.

It took a year to get it right. It was shorter than the time she had built the barrier when she first ascended the throne, but a year was a long time for her now. Isilis raised her hand and called for an escort knight.

“Did you call, Your Majesty?”

“What about the Knights?”

“The Knights?”

“That’s right. Marquis Cyrka, no, not even the Marquis anymore. What happened to the knights led by Pillaire?”

“As Your Majesty commanded earlier, he is now imprisoned.”

“With the Knights?”

“It is.”

“Then, I should go.”

“Are you going… by yourself?”

“I guess so.”

She staggered as she stood up. Her delicate act, as if swayed by the finely blowing wind, made the escort knight unconsciously support her.

“Are you all right, Your Majesty?”

“I’m okay. Let me go.”

Shocked by Isilis’ words, the escort knight corrected his attitude.

“Forgive me…!”

“It’s fine. It’s because you supported me.”

She didn’t look good because her complexion was pale.

Effortlessly correcting her face, Isilis moved her steps. Even though it was difficult now, it was time to work on it. She had to erase all of Pillaire’s shadows.

Late night.

It was the night after she had waited for Berthas to contact her for many days, as the child had been missing for three months.

Isilis was frantically wandering through the garden. Seeing her like that, the ladies-in-waiting were at a loss but couldn’t do anything. Before, they would stop her from wandering though everyone backed away when they saw her magical powers.

Even the chief wizard, Allure, was absent, so no one could stop her.

The ladies-in-waiting looked at it with a sense of trepidation. Feeling sorry for the silent tears, some of the ladies-in-waiting turned around and wiped away their tears.

It was then.

“Now, what is this…”

Usman, walking in the garden in the soft moonlight, saw Isilis. As he got closer, he could see her trying to gather her magic towards him.

“Isilis, it’s me.”

At the whispered voice, Isilis lifted her cloudy eyes. Her tear-stained face shone in the moonlight.

“Berthas?”

‘His name still comes up even now.’

Usman was exasperated, but he suppressed it. He couldn’t give her a hard time now.

“Yes. It’s me.”

It sounded like he was going to sigh.

Isilis, whom he loved, where has she gone? Where did that bright, dignified and beautiful woman go? Was there only a woman who was so fragile and about to fall down here? Usman thought as he felt her body hugging him. Still, he couldn’t let her go.

…This moment when she was his woman.

“Berthas.”

As she sobbed while she hugged him, he could feel the ladies-in-waiting approaching around him. Usman raised his hand to stop the ladies-in-waiting who were trying to get closer.

“Yes, Isilis. Why did you cry?”

At his words, she raised her face and whispered.

“Our child is lost.”

“It’s okay.”

“She was a precious child, she was my child… She was my successor!”

At the last voice that grew almost like shouting, all the ladies-in-waiting flinched and turned back. Those who heard her mournful voice could not open their mouths, except for Usman Khalifa.

“You just have to give birth to a child again.”

As she was taken aback by the voice that fell a little coldly, he couldn’t hide his cold eyes. It was lucky that she was hugging him and didn’t catch his gaze. If so, he wouldn’t have been able to fool her by pretending to be Berthas.

Even while she was derelict, Isilis asked Usman back.

“…Again?”

“Yes. Again?”

“Another child?”

“It’s okay, though. It’s still your child.”

“Berthas.”

“It’s okay, Isilis.”

Not wanting to hear another man’s name come out of her mouth, he hugged Isilis tightly. Her body was so thin that he stopped moving for a moment.

After sobbing in his arms for a moment, she soon lost consciousness and was about to collapse though Usman picked her up gently. Only then did the ladies-in-waiting who were guarding the surroundings hurriedly approach.

“Since when has she been like this?”

“It’s been quite a while.”

One of the ladies-in-waiting stepped forward and spoke to him.

“It’s been quite a while, but why no one…”

“I couldn’t even tell Her Majesty.”

As the maid answered in a quiet voice, Usman shut his mouth.

‘Was it so painful? Was his fleeting petulance that he committed so painful for her?’

Usman opened his mouth and spoke to the ladies-in-waiting.

“She seems to be calming down for a while with me, so if this happens again, come and call me. No, I’ll be out here at this hour.”

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