Chapter 33

In an instant, my expression collapsed.

What did I just hear?

Katarina had Theodore’s child?

“So, after four days….”

“….”

“Yves Llewellyn?”

When I stood there blankly without answering, Theodore called me again.

“Yves Llewellyn, are you listening to me?”

His voice brought me back to my senses.

Theodore was looking at me with a slight frown on his forehead.

So, Katarina, the woman who would become Theodore’s fiancée in four days, was carrying his child…

I looked at the face of my child’s father who said his fiancée had a child with him, and then ran out.

I could hear Theodore’s voice calling behind me, but I couldn’t be there any longer.

As I ran aimlessly, I saw a large tree in front of me. The tree, where we promised to meet at two o’clock in the afternoon when we were child.

Standing in front of it, I groaned and groaned at the rushing nausea.

The cold night air brushed my skin, and my mind was gradually organized.

Katarina was pregnant with Theodore’s child.

And the two would be engaged in four days.

‘Then my child…?’

I carefully wrapped my stomach.

‘You will become the illegitimate child of the Emperor.’

All of a sudden, my bones became numb. If the existence of my child was discovered…

Katarina was definitely going to kill my child. It’s dangerous not only for me, but also for my child.

Katarina, who had long dreamed of becoming an Empress, could not spare the Emperor’s illegitimate child, who would threaten her child’s throne.

‘No. I must protect my child.’

I wanted to let Theodore know that I was Yvonne and that I had his child in my stomach, but the news of Katarina’s pregnancy broke my resolve.

As a result, I had a new determination that was firmer than ever.

I decided to leave him.

***

Meanwhile, Theodore was worried about Yves Llewellyn’s pale complexion.

‘The escort is unnecessarily weak.’

He clicked his tongue as he looked towards the door where Yves ran out.

Then, belatedly, he remembered that before he went to see Katarina, Yves’s condition was very bad.

“Has she not seen the doctor?”

Theodore’s expression wrinkled.

The last time he saw her this morning, she looked very ill. And he could guess how she got so sick.

‘It must be because of Katarina Ferdinand.’

It was especially cold and snowed a lot yesterday.

In order to get her in touch with Katarina, he sent Yves Llewellyn to Ferdinand to apologize to Katarina.

Keeping the opponent standing outside was an euphemism for the noble ladies to be angry.

Katarina wouldn’t have let Yves in right away, and let her wait hours outside in the cold.

He sent Yves away knowing that the bad-tempered woman Katarina would do that.

For Yves Llewellyn he didn’t have to offend his partner, Katarina.

Because Yves was nothing to him.

The quick-witted Theodore knew that Yves Llewellyn had a crush on him. However, it was the woman who became his escort while hiding the fact that she was a woman. He didn’t ask her to like him…

It hurts, it hurts so much. So painful… .

Therefore, he should forget the woman’s painful face, sad voice, and hot body temperature that kept coming to his mind.

Actually, he forgot for a moment.

The news Katarina brought was more important to him than the image of Yves grabbing his collar and crying in pain.

Because Yvonne’s trail which had cut off more than 10 years was found in the same place where the murder magic was.

He couldn’t think of anything because he thought maybe Ferdinand might have hurt Yvonne.

I’ll inform him that I am pregnant with Your Majesty’s child. Then Benjamin will have no choice but to let us enter the courtyard.

Only for that reason?

It’s Ferdinand’s tradition. Empress Margaret also visited the place after having Prince Ernst.

It wasn’t a very good suggestion, but to follow Yvonne’s trail, Theodore accepted Katarina’s suggestion, and began to show fake affection. He was going to cover Ferdinand’s eyes with the absurd lie of pregnancy to get access to the courtyard.

He had to check what dangerous black magic was done there. No priest was needed. Because the divine power he had was much better than that of any other priests.

‘If I go there, I might find something out.’

What happened to Yvonne….

Yes, the only thing that mattered to him was Yvonne.

It was right to put an end to his thoughts on the nasty woman named Yves Llewellyn.

He shouldn’t waste time and think about how to find the traces of Yvonne. Besides, Yves….

Anyway, be careful. She’s related to black magic, and Benjamin’s hidden lover.

Yves Llewellyn had traces of black magic.

She was a suspicious woman, perhaps she had a deep connection with those who harmed Yvonne. She was a woman to be wary of and to stay away from.

“But why do I keep thinking of her?”

Theodore muttered in displeasure.

He couldn’t figure out why he was so concerned about her.

Was it because of those pretty eyes that looked at him?

Or was it because of the hot, soft hand she touched him?

Was it because of the strange air of that moment when she called him with a voice that seemed to crumble at any moment?

In any case, there was no reason for Theodore to be responsible for that desperate plea.

Moreover, this ambivalent feeling towards a woman who may have been related to Yvonne’s disappearance… …wasn’t that a betrayal to Yvonne?

So, what he should feel for Yves Llewellyn was not this weak sense of guilt, but a reasonable awareness and rejection.

“Yes. I don’t even need to feel guilty either.”

Theodore mumbled aloud, as if convincing himself.

***

After calmly organizing my thoughts, I laid out what I should do in the future.

‘For now, I must avoid Theodore.’

I couldn’t fathom his reaction when he found out that he had an illegitimate child, but I knew it was never going to be smooth.

I didn’t have to worry too much about Katarina, since I scared her a while ago, but Theodore was different.

Although not known to the public yet, Theodore possessed a strong divine power. And at the same time, he was Albrecht’s most powerful Emperor.

Will I be able to avoid him entirely on my own?

‘No, that’s impossible.’

I shook my head.

I was in a situation where I couldn’t use my power recklessly,

and my head could be cut off at any time even with a single word from him.

I needed someone to help me. There were two people that immediately came to mind.

Hey… If it’s really hard, do you want to leave with me? (Ernst)

If there’s anything that bothers you, I’ll help. You can use me. (Benjamin)

Benjamin and Ernst. My two sweet friends.

However, Ernst was weaker than Theodore. If I followed him out of the imperial palace, and if Theodor found out that I was pregnant… … It was difficult to predict after that.

But if it’s Ferdinand’s headmaster Benjamin, maybe he could help me. After the choices were made, I immediately crossed the walls of the Imperial Palace and went to see Benjamin.

“Help me, Benjamin.”

It was late at night, but he smiled at me, who had suddenly visited him.

“Tell me, anything.”

“Help me leave the palace.”

I grabbed his collar and said at once.

“The Imperial Palace?”

“Yes, and…”

Simply leaving the Imperial Palace was not reassuring.

I needed a little device so that Theodore and Katarina wouldn’t even think of finding me again.

“Fake death.”

“Okay.”

Benjamin readily answered without asking why.

Thanks to him, I was able to smile for the first time after hearing the news that Katarina was pregnant.

We talked some more and made a detailed plan.

The day I leave will be just before Katarina’s engagement.

Before we knew it, the time of dawn was approaching.

The desire not to go back to the Imperial Palace soared abruptly, but I couldn’t. I had to return to the Imperial Palace to disguise my perfect death.

As usual, my steps headed towards Theodore’s office.

“Where have you been, Sir Yves?”

“Yeah, just walking around. His Majesty?”

“In the office.”

“The office? It hasn’t even dawned yet, he’s awake already?”

“I think he has stayed up all night. Did you hear? The news of Miss Katarina’s pregnancy. He must have been too excited to sleep.”

Leaving behind my fellow knights, I went inside Theodore’s office.

Theodore, who looked no different from what I had seen before running out of the palace, glanced at me and asked.

“Did you see the doctor?”

“….?”

When I didn’t answer his sudden question, he coughed and added.

“I don’t think you’re feeling well yet.”

“Ah…”

Come to think of it, I almost collapsed in front of him during the daytime. I was distracted all day and just now remembered what I had forgotten.

Even though I was sick, even though I was holding him in pain, the back view of him going to Katarina…

“Where did you go without even going to the doctor?”

He asked me, frowning.

“Just….”

I blurted out and avoided the correct answer.

Because I couldn’t tell him that I went to see Benjamin to work on a plan to run away.

“Yves Llewellyn.”

At that moment, Theodore suddenly took a step closer to me and grabbed my wrist.

“…”

As I paused for a moment, he buried the tip of his nose in my wrist and sniffed it.

“… it smells like Ferdinand.”

Theodore’s grip on my wrist was so strong that it hurt.

“Did you meet Benjamin Ferdinand?”

He was quick to sense.

“Yes.”

When I answered, Theodore asked fiercely in a voice that seemed to contain his anger.

“At this time, you came to meet that man without telling me?”

I couldn’t figure out why he was angry.

Theodore, who lost his memory, got angry every time he saw me. I was so sad about it, and I didn’t understand it.

“Why are you angry?”

“…”

Then he gritted his teeth and glared at me.

It was similar to the contemptuous eyes, but there was also something different.

“Just do one thing. Either you like me or Benjamin Ferdinand.”

“What?”

“Don’t roll around dirty.”

I stared at Theodore’s face as he poured out harsh words.

The face of the man who could no longer be the father of my child was still very handsome in the midst of this.

“Your Majesty.”

I didn’t know why he suddenly got mad when he heard Benjamin’s name, but it was time to be clear.

“I do not like Your Majesty.”

“You have no chastity… What?”

He kept saying harsh words, then stopped belatedly.

“I don’t like you, Your Majesty.”