Chapter 95

Translator: HH Editor: HH

How far did that girl’s magic reach? She even made the guards in front of the door say they were protecting her?

“Once there was an unpermitted intruder in the library so you changed all the guards.”

“You’re still going on with that nonsense.”

“How angry you were back then. That’s why the new guards are so tense.”

At Felix’s words, Claude crumpled his face. Now he slightly understood why the guards were being like that.

But he rejected his thoughts and shook his head.

No, it wasn’t. It didn’t make sense. Those baffling words wouldn’t be true.

Felix once again whispered to Claude.

“Since you’re here, you might as well go inside for a bit. You came here often even when Princess Athanasia wasn’t here.”

“Shut up. I have no memory of that.”

But Claude didn’t fall for his words and roughly turned away. The guards said goodbye to him in loud voices.

Not too long after, he stopped. A deep scent was tickling his nose, and he saw a rose garden that he had never seen before.

It was a disgusting extravagance just by looking at the entrance. Wasn’t this a fancy garden that an empress or a princess would enjoy?

“After discovering that Princess Athanasia likes roses, you ordered the construction of several rose gardens throughout the palace.”

Felix once again whispered to him from behind. Claude’s shoulder flinched at the wind from Felix’s mouth.

“Of those, the rose garden in the Emerald Palace where Princess Athanasia stays is the most beautiful. The two of you spent time together cozily…..”

This time Claude remained silent like he didn’t hear what Felix was saying. But Claude was still frowning when he was heading to the Garnet Palace.

“This isn’t all. You gave Princess Athanasia a few treasuries filled with jewels and gold. If you want to view them, I can take you there myself.”

“Felix……”

“I apologize, but even if you glare at me like you’re going to swallow me up, what happened isn’t going to disappear, Your Majesty.”

Ha. Claude was so speechless at what he said that he laughed.

If what Felix said was true, it was clear the past him was a fool. It wasn’t like he was the former emperor’s father who was willing to give his liver and kidneys for his citizens.

So what Felix said so far wasn’t the truth. He almost fell for them because they seemed true, but unless he went crazy, that never would’ve happened.

Claude entered his bedroom feeling more dull than when he left it.

“Listening to sickening chatter for a whole day makes me tired. I have to rest, so leave immediately.”

“Shouldn’t I stay by your side? If there’s something that makes you uncomfortable, I can be your hands and feet and get it for you, and if you’re curious about something I……”

“Leave, now.”

***

Claude ordered, almost grinding his teeth.

Felix moved to being forcefully kicked out. Until Claude stopped him after he saw something in his bedroom.

“Wait.”

He narrowed his eyes and walked over to the bed that was in the corner.

It was the first time he approached the bed after waking up while vomiting blood. He only slept in short increments, so he always used the sofa instead of the bed.

But the moment he turned his back to Felix, he saw something strange climbing the column of his bed. He went closer and unhesitatingly pulled the curtains aside.

And his face hardened at what he saw.

“What is that strange thing? Is it a paper with a spell?”

When he lifted the fabric, there were pieces of paper with suspicious designs on them.

There were figures that looked like monsters or humans drawn horribly, and they were enough to raise his suspicion.

And it was even more strange that it was on the wall of the bedroom that no one saw.

“My goodness, Your Majesty!”

Felix exclaimed and approached the wall like he was seeing it for the first time. Claude thought there was no doubt the girl had used magic and his face stiffened again.

But what Felix said was completely unexpected.

“You were cherishing these like this? Ah, I knew that you treasured Princess Athanasia, but I didn’t know…..”

Claude narrowed his eyes again because of Felix, who’s eyes were wet like he was deeply touched.

“These are the drawings Princess Athanasaia gifted you when she was younger.”

“So that means these wicked pictures of magic are indeed from that girl…..”

“Wicked magic? Ah, it does look like they’ve been casted with magic seeing that they’re in a perfectly good condition although they’re old.”

Claude looked at the drawings in front of him again.

He thought he finally found the proof that the girl had used magic to pretend to be his daughter….but looking at it again, the magic was none other than Claude’s. And it was magic to make the drawings last longer.

So did that mean these were simply drawings?

“But still…..”

Even considering that, the drawing was still suspicious.

“What are these monstrous figures? It’s obvious that girl gifted me strange drawings to curse me. Then unless I was crazy I wouldn’t stick these things on the wall……”

“To be honest, I was surprised too. You snorted like they were unsatisfactory when Princess Athanasaia gave them to you, but to think that you were cherishing them like this…..and you even cast magic on them in case they got dirty…..”

“What kind of…..”

“Ah. Don’t worry, Your Majesty. I, Felix, have a heavy mouth. So I won’t tell anyone that you stuck these drawings on the wall of your bedroom where no one sees. You don’t have to worry.”

Stunned, Claude just looked at Felix.

What? He cherished these drawings? And he even cast magic on it in case they got dirty?

“Haa. Thinking about the old days brings back good memories. It seems like you organized them in order, as expected of you. Ah, you might not remember, so I’ll explain it to you. The first one is what Princess Athanasia drew at 5 years old after spending time with you, and the next in the one she drew when she was 8, of the dream of you and her flying in the sky, and the next is at 9 years old, in her treasury…..”

Heavens.

It got worse as he listened to it.

Claude gripped his forehead at the migraine. He couldn’t believe what Felix was saying, and he didn’t want to believe it.

Even if it was true, it was clear there was someone else in his body during all that time. It didn’t make sense unless someone pretended to be him. It was so absurd that he couldn’t speak.

Claude thought that either he was crazy or Felix was crazy.

But it was strange. From all the evidence, it was more likely that Claude was the crazy one.

“Ah! Your Majesty, won’t you take a look at this drawing?”

“Are you saying there’s another drawing other than these?”

“As far as I know, there’s one more.”

“No, this is enough. You don’t need to explain. It’ll probably be another crazy drawing.”

“It’s not. It’s a portrait that the royal painter himself drew.”

Claude paused while putting the curtains back down.

His voice was different from before.

“Portrait? I drew a portrait?”

It seemed like the crazy acts weren’t over yet. Claude’s eyes shined coldly.

A portrait. He let the royal painter draw a portrait.

“To be precise, it is a portrait of you and the princess together.”

Claude didn’t have the mind to leave traces of him behind in this cold palace. Other successful emperors wished to stick their portraits up, but Claude didn’t/

He had never even shown his face in the royal family portraits that were done of the other royal members.

It was because his father and brother had never allowed him, and after he became the emperor, he didn’t want it either.

“It was the princess’s request. Although it’s still incomplete because it was recently started.”

But he said he drew a portrait. With his daughter.

“Where is it?”

“Shall I take you to see it?”

Hatred filled his eyes. Claude was filled with that sudden emotion and followed Felix.

“It’s here. It’ll smell like paint…..”

And when they arrived, Claude didn’t listen to him finish and flung the door open.

He moved the heavy curtains aside. The sunlight filled the room.

“They say the color fades after too much exposure, so you can’t leave it open for too long.”

Felix said something about the portraits but Claude didn’t hear him.

Like time was frozen, he looked at the drawing in front of him.

In the square room that he was as big as his arm span, there was a drawing in the middle.

Claude was sitting in the maroon chair that was in his office. And next to him, was the girl that he saw in his bedroom that day.

It was incomplete, so it wasn’t painted in some places.

But it didn’t matter. His attention was focused on the two people in the drawing.

Ha! And Claude laughed at what he saw.

What was that? Was he absorbed in the play that the girl had written?

If the reason why he had done those things was because of magic, it meant he had stupidly fallen for it.

But why. Just why was he making that face.

Why.

Why.

Just why.

Claude had never made that face in his entire life.

He had always had a strict face after his difficult life but….that stupid face that looked calm and peacful like melted snow.

He never imagined he could make that face.

But what was that? Who drew that pathetic face of him?

It was magic. Definitely magic. So unless he called that girl out to kill her this instant……

Claude lifted to hand to destroy that unpleasant portrait.

But for some reason, his hand had just flinched, and it was still next to him. He tried to lift his hand again, but strangely, it didn’t move.

“Then I’ll leave first.”

Felix observed Claude’s face before leaving and quietly left.

Even during that time, Claude was looking at the face of the girl in the picture.

But he didn’t understand. Why he felt so frustrated looking at that bright face.

‘Dad, I have a wish.’

Then, a small voice whispered past him.