TCS - Chapter 15
To my surprise, when I opened my eyes again, a whole day had passed. I definitely felt like I had only slept for a little while, so you can imagine how flustered I was to see that it was already lunchtime the next day.
Then Ena rushed over to me, crying.
"Miss!"
Wailing loudly that she was relieved I was safe, it made my ears ache. Hearing the commotion, everyone in the house rushed into my room.
"Lovely!"
"Daughter!"
Everyone's eyes were brimming with tears, their reactions almost identical to seeing me resurrected from death.
'Did I fall ill after I fainted?'
My body, after sleeping deeply and waking up, felt refreshed with the fatigue gone, so I couldn't understand. I asked just in case, but they only said I had slept soundly.
"But why is everyone making such a fuss?"
When I asked why they were so agitated when I had only slept and wasn't hurt anywhere, their attitudes became strange.
They pressed their lips together and exchanged glances, which was very suspicious.
I was about to narrow my eyes and demand they tell me everything without trying to hide it.
"Of course everyone is worried because you went through something like that yesterday! Assassins in broad daylight!"
It was my second brother's shout. The other family members also started nodding vigorously as if agreeing with him.
Only then did it make sense, and I had nothing to say. Even though being attacked by assassins wasn't my fault, it was still something to be worried about.
...But I feel like I've forgotten something? Just then, a sparklingly beautiful face flashed in my mind.
"Ah!"
"Huh? Uh? Why, why?"
"That child! Ray? Where is he? Is he okay?"
The fact that I wasn't the only one attacked had just occurred to me. I jumped up from my seat and asked, but everyone had awkward expressions and were just exchanging glances again.
What is it? What are you trying to hide? Don't tell me...
"Is he badly hurt? Surely not?"
He didn't seem injured at the time, but you never knew. He might have been hiding his injuries.
That was the only thing my family would hide from me, so I quickly got out of bed.
"Baby!"
"Lovely! Stay in bed!"
"Where is he? Huh? How badly is he hurt?"
I asked out of worry, but the only response was awkward silence. Seeing everyone close their mouths, I thought something serious must have happened.
"Where is he!"
"Th-that... um... he went home."
"Liar!"
"It's true. That guy... um! We contacted his family and they came to get him last night."
Once again, my family nodded vigorously. Feeling relieved that it wasn't a lie, my excitement subsided.
As I sat back down on the bed, everyone let out a sigh of relief, looking as if a weight had been lifted. I felt a strange sense of disappointment.
'...He could have at least said goodbye before leaving.'
I thought to myself, realizing it was a childish complaint. If someone had gone through such a terrible ordeal, it would be natural to want to return to the embrace of their family.
I would have done the same, so I felt ashamed of my silent complaint.
"...Did he say which family he was from?"
He barely even told me his name... Well, considering how he acted distant after just brushing fingertips in my previous life, it made sense.
Just as I was about to feel a little disappointed about that, I saw my family exchanging meaningful glances again.
'What's wrong with these people?'
Were they excluding me? Both Ray and the family were making me feel left out, and I was about to glare when
“Um, no… he didn’t say, but he’s from a family we know. So we contacted them immediately.”
“A family you know?”
“Um… his, uh… superior?”
My second brother answered hesitantly. His superior being a knight… Could he be the son of the knight commander?
Without much thought, I just accepted it as it was. Then the family hurriedly tried to lay me back down on the bed.
“Why? What’s going on? I’m not sleepy.”
“Still, don’t go anywhere today. Rest well in your room. You had a hard time yesterday.”
Honestly, I wanted to get up, but since everyone was united in their insistence, I had no choice.
Lying back down, the family tucked the blanket up to my neck, patted me gently, and left.
I thought I’d lie down just a bit and then get up, but strangely, even though my mind was clear, sleep came over me again as I lay there.
‘I want to get up…’
That was the last thing I thought before drifting off once more.
***
The family’s faces stiffened the moment the door closed after they left Seiana lying in bed with smiles.
They all seemed to have much to say, but since it wasn’t the place to talk in front of her door, they moved together to the sitting room, farthest from Seiana’s room.
“This morning, we thoroughly searched the place where those men were yesterday and found this token.”
The eldest brother pulled out a bronze token from his pocket, one familiar to anyone with access to the imperial palace.
“…An imperial palace pass.”
“The swords they carried yesterday were also supplies from the palace’s knight corps. I suspect they are the prince’s personal guards.”
“Although it’s disloyal to say so as his subjects, it’s a relief that the attack wasn’t aimed at Seiana.”
That meant Seiana was safe as long as she wasn't further involved with the Fourth Prince.
However, as Sinclair said this, he wondered if that would truly be possible. It was the same for the second son, Heillo.
"Is that possible? Looking at him yesterday, it seemed like he was completely infatuated with our Lovely..."
As if he would have taken the fainted Seiana to the Imperial Palace if they hadn't stopped him. Everyone sighed in agreement with his words.
"We hope they would stay as far away as possible, but..."
That was their wish, but they wondered if it was truly possible. This was an empire where the imperial authority was strong. He held the status of a prince and even possessed the fraudulent power of an ability...
If he harbored ill intentions, Seiana's future would simply wither away, regardless of her will.
Judging by the fact that he returned alone obediently, it didn't seem like he had such a temperament, but you never knew what people were capable of.
They couldn't guarantee that today's whim would continue until tomorrow.
Since Seiana was involved in this matter, the family had no choice but to think carefully.
'What should we do?'
Assuming the worst were to happen, could they stop him? The Count bit his lip.
The awakeners were like ghost stories. Everyone knew they existed, but no one had seen one in person. Despite being a family that had held a central position for a long time, the Count of Estarotte's family had never encountered an ability user either.
One reason was their small numbers, but also because they were confined deep within the Imperial Palace and did not emerge unless they were performing imperial duties.
The Count had actually thought, until he met the Fourth Prince yesterday, that the Emperor had hidden them away because he cherished them deeply. But now, seeing him, his thoughts had changed.
'His Majesty is likely hiding them deep within the palace not because he cherishes them, but to protect others from them.'
Despite the Prince resembling the Empress and having a beautiful appearance, the Count felt an intense repulsion the moment he saw him.
He shouldn't have been there. No, not just there, he shouldn't have existed in this world at all.
Fear arose alongside the surging disgust. Even though he was a child, it felt like standing in front of a healthy murderer.
'I didn't think my will was that weak...'
He could only tremble. Perhaps the saving grace was that he didn't lose control and make a spectacle of himself like Viscount Saxen?
However, even that wasn't much comfort. He hadn't been able to stop the child from sticking close to his sleeping daughter.
His mind clearly screamed that he had to separate that monster from his daughter, but his body was frozen by fear and couldn't move a single step.
Not until the people from the Imperial Palace came to retrieve him, that is.
"Our Lovely treated that mon... no, that person, as if nothing were wrong?"
"...That's what I saw."
Sinclair replied cautiously to the questioning Count.
It was agonizing for Sinclair to even look at his appearance, let alone meet his eyes. He could only manage to keep him at the edge of his vision by turning his gaze to the side.
"She made eye contact and smiled, even speaking to him gently."
"Good heavens..."
"No, I knew our Lovely was like an angel incarnate, but she doesn't need to be that kind, does she?"
The second brother muttered like a doting parent, slapping his forehead with his palm and sighing. It was because she was so kind and beautiful that such a dreadful thing had latched onto her.
Everyone fell into a despairing silence.
"...What do we do now?"
"...Shall we go back home for now?"
The Countess suggested returning home, as they were no longer in the mood to continue their journey due to the attack, and also out of fear that the Fourth Prince might seek out Seiana again if they stayed here.
Her reason was that they could stay confined to their territory under the pretext of the attack until Raymund forgot about Seiana.
The other family members nodded at her words, but the Count was skeptical.
'Will the Fourth Prince truly not come looking for Lovely if we go to the territory?'
Recalling the way his eyes had gleamed when he looked at Seiana, the first thought that came to mind was that there was no way that would happen.
Comments Box