# 4
“Arya, I asked you not to bring up this topic again.”
Arya clung tightly to Revan despite his categorical refusal.
"Revan… I need you. I want you to be the father of my child."
“What about your boyfriend?”
Revan looked on in surprise at Arya's plea.
“…I have no one but you now.”
“Arya, I'm sorry, but...”
Helen wanted to come between them immediately.
Her ears were ringing, and it was difficult for her to maintain her composure.
From what she could gather of information about the lover and such, it seemed that Revan was not the father of the child Arya was carrying in her womb.
‘Does this comfort me? No, no, it's not...'
Most importantly, Arya had planted the seed of doubt about Chevilin's lineage.
“I cannot accept this proposal.”
“Are you saying that you would sacrifice your whole life for a woman who cheated on you and her child?”
“……”
“Please, Revan, wake up.”
It was natural for her to have doubts, as the child's hair was a different color.
It wasn't hard to understand, he had loved and raised the child all this time.
That's why, when he first brought up the topic, she thought they could solve it through dialogue...
"You said it yourself. It seems that she is not your daughter. The princess has deceived you. She has committed adultery."
But… Revan thought about it carefully, organized his thoughts, and tried to finish it on his own.
Just like he always did when he apologized.
This time too, Helen was not involved in the process.
“Do you still love the princess?”
“……”
Revan didn't say a word.
His silence was confirmation.
Helen felt weak in her legs, so she fell to the ground.
“…Aria, you said you’re in pain, so let’s go to the doctor first.”
Revan changed the course of the conversation with a worried face and consoled Arya.
“You…really fine.”
Arya reluctantly followed him, her face showing clear displeasure.
“Watch yourself, Arya.”
The carriage they were traveling in gradually moved away.
Helen stared absently at the carriage, feeling her eyes blurry and tears pooling in her eyes.
Helen staggered back to her room and lay down on the edge of the bed.
As she stared at the ceiling and its ornate chandelier, she thought to herself: “Has this place always been this lonely and empty?”
She struggled to get up, looking around the room that seemed particularly empty today.
Knock, knock.
When she heard footsteps, Helan adjusted her scattered shawl.
“Ma’am, may I come in?”
“Come in.”
The butler carefully placed a cup of hot tea on the side table.
“Ma’am, it’s chamomile tea, and it’s good for sleep.”
“…Thank you. I’ll drink it.”
She took a sip of tea, warming her shivering body.
“I'll go now, ma'am.”
“…What’s up with Countess Reisen?”
Helen stopped the butler who was about to leave.
“Countess Reisen... is pregnant.”
“……”
"She said something was wrong with the baby, so we had no choice. My apologies, ma'am."
It was a relief that the butler was being honest this time.
The butler lied because Revan ordered him to.
“How long have they been in a relationship?”
Although the worst has been avoided, it is too early to feel comfortable.
“I, I don't know...”
“Do you think I am naive, servant?”
“No, ma’am. How could it be that...”
The servant hurriedly waved his hands dismissively.
“How long have you been fooling me?”
“This...”
The servant hesitated, and his lips trembled.
"Enough. Tell me immediately when Revan returns, and leave."
“Yes, ma'am...”
With a severe headache, Helan dismissed the servant feeling upset.
‘What should I say when Revan returns? Shall I tell him what I saw earlier?'
She pressed her forehead, lost in thought.
“Is it morning already?”
Dawn broke before you knew it.
Although she still felt tired, she remembered the pile of documents waiting for her.
As she was about to head to the office, a maid entered.
“Ma’am, breakfast is ready.”
“I have no appetite.”
She wasn't particularly hungry, her headache making her lose her appetite.
“The young woman woke up an hour ago and is waiting for you.”
“…Shivlin is already awake?”
“Yes, ma'am.”
Helen looked at the clock.
It was just after seven o'clock, which was unusually early.
Usually, the baby is still asleep.
“Shall I tell the young lady that you are too busy to join her for breakfast?”
Despite her mixed feelings, she couldn't afford to stay away while her baby was waiting for her.
“No, tell her I'll be there soon.”
The maid bowed politely and left the room.
Helen looked at her reflection in the mirror.
Her eyes were red, and her skin was pale.
‘I will be exposed crying like this.’
She had no other choice, so she quickly adjusted her appearance and headed to the dining room.
Shevlin was sitting in her chair, moving her legs.
."Mom! Good morning!"
Shivalin raised her hand and saluted as soon as she saw Helen.
“Did you sleep well baby? You look in a good mood.”
"Hmm. I dreamed of you, mom. We made wreaths and played together. That's why I'm in a good mood."
“That must have been fun.”
Helen smiled and sat across from Shivalin.
“Mom, did you cry?”
Shivalin's smile quickly disappeared, and her eyebrows furrowed.
“I will be obedient, so don’t cry.”
Helen was even more moved to see Sheveline so anxious and disturbed.
“No, I didn’t cry. Why is your mother crying?”
She held back her tears and shook her head.
“But… your eyes look so sad. If you cry, I will be sad too.”
Helen gently patted Shevelin on the head.
“No, I'm so happy to be with my baby.”
"truly?"
“Sure. My mom is very happy.”
She wasn't lying.
There was no way she wouldn't be happy to be with her beloved child.
A daughter who always gave her love.
A harmonious relationship with her husband, a family like any other.
Their happiness has been marred by some misery, but they will soon return to normal.
It wasn't difficult.
It wasn't something that could fall apart so easily.
' decent. Once the misunderstanding is cleared, we will go back to how we were.'
Helen tried to calm her troubled heart.
"Haha. I'm happy too when I'm with you, mom!"
'By the way, how can this sleepy little girl have breakfast with me today?'
Helen pinched Shevelin's cheek gently.
'I suddenly woke up and felt a rumble in my stomach.'
“Really?”
Helen responded kindly to Shivalin's words.
"My mom."
"Yes?"
“Why doesn't my father come? He didn't come yesterday, and he's not here today either?”
Helen frowned when asked about her husband's absence.
“He came at night but had to leave again. There was an emergency.”
“He said he would play with me...”
“He will be back soon.”
Helen quickly came up with an excuse to console the frustrated Sheveline.
“Lin, look. We’re going to have corn soup for breakfast today.”
"Oh, my God!"
Shivalin's face lit up at the sight of her favorite food.
“Careful, it's hot.”
“Hmm.”
As Helen watched Sheveline happily blow on her soup and eat it, she thought:
'When Revan comes... he'll need to spend some time with Shivalin first... what should I do?'
With the current situation full of misunderstandings, Revan might unintentionally hurt Shivalin.
While she was worrying about what to do, she noticed Shevelin hiding carrots in her soup.
“Shivlin.”
“Hmm?”
She called out to her daughter in a low voice. She pretended not to hear and whistled.
“What did my mom say about me being a picky eater?”
"It's bad... but that's not an audit. The carrots were asleep, so, um, I covered them because they were cold."
Shivalin's voice faded as she tried to explain.
The way she described covering the carrots to sleep was so cute that Helen couldn't help but laugh.
“So, should we let her sleep?”
Seeing her daughter's sad look made her lose all desire to scold her.
"Hmm! She was really tired!"
Shivalin laughed, covering her mouth.
“She even snored?”
"Really? I snored?"
As she spoke kindly to Shivalin, Helen felt more comfortable.
"my lady."
“What's wrong?”
The butler approached.
“Message arrived.”
The letter the butler had given her bore the seal of the Emek Kingdom.
“…Emek Kingdom?”
The Kingdom of Emek was the residence of Revan's mother, the Marchioness of Ratta.
“Has something happened to the Marchioness?”
Helen was worried, so she quickly opened the letter.
[To Helen,
My mother agreed to take care of Arya for a while, so I came to Emek.
It seems that Arya will seek asylum here and live in Emek... Count Reisen refuses to sign Arya's asylum papers, so I keep trying to convince him.
If he doesn't agree in the end, I intend to become her guardian.
Therefore, it may take some time.
I'm sorry, Helen.
Let's talk about what we couldn't discuss when I get back.
You don't have to respond.
– Revan]