Chapter 9
“First, let me promise you this. You don’t need to be afraid. No one here will be able to harm you. I swear on the Algenfrina name.”
Mom kept examining Kallius’s complexion. With a very worried expression.
“So can you answer honestly?”
But Kallius neither nodded nor said anything. He just hugged the puppy and stared at Mom’s face blankly.
“Do you happen to know the name Eve?”
Even at Mom’s earnest question, Kallius remained silent. Mom bent down to examine Kallius’s face closely and muttered quickly.
“Eve is very tall. Her hair is smooth like ebony. And she has marks under both eyes, but actually the one under her left eye isn’t a mole but…”
“A scar.”
Mom’s lips trembled. After hearing Kallius’s answer, Mom squeezed her eyes shut and opened them, then barely managed to ask.
“Are you… are you the son of Eve and Lambert?”
At the question about being Eve and Lambert’s son, Kallius visibly wavered. But Mom’s oath not to cause harm seemed useless to Kallius.
“Kalif.”
I called Kallius in as calm a voice as possible.
“It’s safe here. No one will be able to harm you.”
Dark red eyes stared straight at me. His dry, rough lips curved up savagely.
“How can I believe your words? What are you to me?”
Well, what are you going to do if you don’t believe me? This is our front yard!
We only met once yesterday. Kallius, who was fleeing from someone, was right to be wary of everyone. Since he never knows when he might get stabbed in the back.
Did someone say he’s one year younger than me? Then he’d be thirteen. While I may not be a child mentally, this kid really doesn’t seem like a young child.
“Eve and I first met at a debutante ball. After I met Hale and married him, and Eve also met that damn… ahem, your father and married him, we remained the closest of friends.”
Oh my goodness. What is this? Our mother was friends with Kallius’s mother?
I was shocked seeing Mom’s expression become wistful as if recalling memories.
“Until I heard the ridiculous tragic news that Grand Duke Chervan had gone mad with dark magic, killed his wife and son, and died from magic rampage.”
Even as Mom spoke about that fact with her own mouth, she clearly didn’t believe it was true at all. I was dumbfounded that Chervan Kallius’s past would be revealed like this.
“Of course I didn’t believe it, nor did my husband. His Majesty, who was Crown Prince at the time, didn’t believe it either. It couldn’t be true. Someone’s conspiracy, we said.”
Glancing at Kallius, he was keeping his gaze fixed on Mom. His eyes seemed to be gauging the truth.
“Where you’ve been until now, who you’ve been with, who’s chasing you now… I have many questions, but I’ll hold back for now. However, I cannot leave you to keep fleeing alone.”
Kallius remained silent as before. Mom, growing anxious, touched her hair and asked Kallius.
“Wasn’t there anyone who told you about the Algenfrina ducal family or the name Rachel? If not Algenfrina, then Astrone?”
Astrone was Mom’s maiden name. Kallius, who had been staring at Mom, slowly shook his head.
“No one.”
Kallius lowered his gaze and opened his mouth.
“They said not to trust anyone. Anyone. But…”
I could see strength entering Kallius’s fists. Ripples appeared in the child’s previously motionless expression.
“If I meet the constellation mage, she can be trusted.”
The constellation mage!
Mom’s eyes widened as she stared at Kallius. Then she brought her palms together in front of her chest, turned them toward the sky, and operated magic power with trembling hands.
“Huh? Mom?”
Unlike usual, the flow of magic power was excessively massive. Like someone who had completely forgotten she was supposed to be recuperating, Mom’s magic power covered the sky and instantly dyed it pitch black.
I couldn’t help but gasp at the procession of countless stars that instantly adorned the night sky. Seeing the massive Milky Way crossing the center, I was left speechless.
What is this…
It was as if I was in the middle of the universe. Wasn’t the Milky Way something you could only see in photos? Incredible.
“Wow…!”
This wasn’t the first time I’d seen Mom’s magic. When studying constellations, Mom would show me her magic directly, but the night sky she created then was only small enough to cover one room.
This was the first time she’d created such a large night sky.
“Let me reintroduce myself. I am constellation mage Algenfrina Rachel.”
When Kallius shot up from his seat, the puppy that had been sitting quietly in his arms rolled and tumbled down. I quickly picked up the puppy and looked at Kallius.
He was looking up at the night sky with a greatly surprised face.
Now he finally looked somewhat like a child. With Kallius standing under the sparkling countless stars with hair as black as the night sky, it suited him quite well.
Mom slowly reached out her hand toward Kallius. Kallius, who had been staring blankly up at the night sky, looked at the hand extended to him, then turned his head toward me.
Huh? Why is he looking at me?
Kallius, who had been about to say something to me, slowly took Mom’s hand. The night sky instantly cleared and Mom shot up from her seat.
“Charlette!!”
“Yes, my lady.”
At Mom’s call, Charlette popped out from somewhere.
“We’ll need to have lunch in the dining room. And Sier, please contact your father to come to the villa immediately.”
“Understood. I’ll go ahead.”
Following Mom’s rapid-fire orders, Sier hurriedly left.
“Head Butler!”
“Yes, my lady.”
Where on earth had everyone been to pop out like this the moment they’re called?
“Just in case, have Shadi released to search widely around the villa. Even the smallest traces would be good.”
“Yes, my lady.”
“Also ensure the maids and servants keep their mouths shut.”
Mom gave orders to Charlette and the head butler as if time was of the essence.
Meanwhile, I was dazed. I was flustered seeing this side of Mom after so long.
Thinking of Mrs. Choi from my past life, it wasn’t strange, but Mom as a duchess rarely took the lead, perhaps because of her weak health.
She never raised her voice, never walked quickly or ran, so I thought she was a calm version of Mrs. Choi…!
“This isn’t the time for this.”
Mom placed both hands on mine and Kallius’s shoulders and began pushing us forward.
“Whoa!! Mom?!”
“Wh-what…!”
“Now, now, stay calm, children.”
The puppy came running after us. The strength in Mom’s arms was quite strong, so we had no choice but to follow where she led.
Didn’t our mom come here to recuperate? Wasn’t she supposed to be weak? I definitely thought she was the calm version of Mrs. Choi, but this is just the energetic Mrs. Choi!
“So you were alive. Then at that time… it was all lies. That damn former emperor. I shouldn’t have taken those bastards’ words at face value. If only I had come to my senses faster then…”
My mind went blank at Mom’s muttering.
What? The former emperor? Damn bastard?
From what I could infer from Mom’s words alone, it seemed Lambert, Kallius’s father, had been caught up in someone’s conspiracy. And it was related to the already dead former emperor.
Was this why the original Kallius was hostile toward the imperial family? If his mad rampage was based on revenge, it made sense.
“M-my lady?”
The maids were startled by Mom rushing into the villa, but Mom paid no attention and quickly climbed the stairs with me and Kallius on either side.
Even Kallius, who had been resisting at first, seemed to have lost strength and was hanging limp.
“Bring a healer! And bring some of Sier’s clothes that are too small for him to wear.”
Mom reached the third floor in an instant. Then she roughly opened any door and went in, seating me and Kallius on the bed.
“Phew!”
I put both hands on my waist and looked at Mom with an absurd expression as she pretended to wipe sweat that wasn’t even there.
“Hm? Ari? Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Uh, Mom. Were you always this strong?”
“Oh my? I’ve dragged around Reyn and Sier when they were bigger than you.”
“Weren’t you sick, Mom?”
“Hm?”
Instead, Mom looked at me as if asking what I was talking about.
No, what on earth is going on here?
“Ah, is it because you always said you were going to recuperate and moved from villa to villa?”
“I… I took medicine the healer prescribed and stuff. Said I wasn’t feeling well and declined party invitations.”
Mom stared at me with wide eyes.
If you weren’t sick, then what was all that about? Was I the only one who thought Mom was ill?!
“Oh my, our daughter. You thought Mom was sick somewhere? The medicine the healer brings is for energy supplementation. It’s health tonics.”
Mom looked at me as if I was cute and pinched my cheek.
She really wasn’t sick? But…
“Dad said Mom was sick.”
