Chapter 128

Chapter 128

Translator: Lunarise

Editor: Larkspur

In the morning, the three of them had a lovely meal. Since they couldn’t disclose Wendy’s identity yet, she tried to keep her composure as much as possible. However, it was different when it was just the three of them around.

Lustian closed his eyes thinly. Wendy looked at him with a loving expression. Instead of just cutting thin slices of the meat for her, he pasted butter and cheese on the bread himself and gave it to Wendy. It was a small dining table, but she was well-fed.

After they finished the meal and headed to the emperor’s office room, they were greeted by an unfriendly face early in the morning. It was Ivan. His gaze went towards Lustian’s hand. He was being treated by the healing stone, but since he had to wait a day until he was completely healed, he had to wrap his palm up in bandages and wear a glove.

“You should’ve cut it carefully. Because of such a deep cut, it can’t even be healed by the healing stone, can it?”

Kyle said he saw him yesterday…. Lustian was immediately wary of Ivan.

Ivan handed the handkerchief to Lustian. It was the handkerchief that Kyle took with him, but the color was different from the first time.

“…!”

“You must not have known. The blood of the imperial family changes color.”

“I had not the slightest clue.” Lustian scrunched up his face.

“I know this very well. As you can see, I have government-appointed members of the imperial family all around me. Of course, children born into the government eventually die of illness.”

“…Was it eight years ago?”

“Yes, since then, the curse has spread across the Imperial House.”

“So what do you intend to do? Given that you came looking for me yourself, it seems that you also know something.”

“You were remiss to think that Father only told you.” Ivan grinned.

Lustian bit his lower lip, unable to comprehend his father’s actions.

“What you want is likely the golden crown, but it’s not a seat you can have just because you want it.”

“I know this even without you telling me. I know that it’s a duty I was permitted to take on. I already gave up on it a long time ago.”

“That’s unexpected.”

“It’s because I know that Father didn’t abandon Mother because he wanted to.”

“So you knew about it after all, didn’t you? That you were born as a result of the medicine that determined God’s Companion….”

“It is really such a shame that she was appointed as God’s Companion and given away as a sacrifice just because she was pregnant with me.” Ivan clenched his fists as if he didn’t want to think about it.

Even if he seemed like a carefree libertine on the outside, he had his own deep scars to an extent. There were many times he wandered off on the wrong path because he didn’t know who his own birth mother was. He could never forget his always cheerful face even facing the cold shoulder and disrespect from the empress.

He was bitterly resentful towards the empress who traded seats between the crown prince and what he thought to be a lump of dirt. She would pick apart every single thing young Ivan did and smack him.

“Big Brother, I don’t think she’s my mother….”

“She is your mother.”

“But I’m so afraid of her… She slapped me on the cheek today.”

Since Lustian felt bad for him, he would take care of him every time their mother abused him. He would hold and comfort Ivan.

Maybe he wouldn’t aim his sword at my chin even until the end. If he went so far as to collect evidence of her blood mixed with the emperor…. Or perhaps not? Maybe this is a gesture to protect Viola…. We loved the same person, but I wanted to believe that he’s helping me now not out of romantic love towards her, but instead out of brotherly love.

“I will also help. It would be awful if she became God’s Companion and ended up like Mother.”