Chapter 40
Kai Is Macaron’s Son
After that, Kai kept glancing at me nervously the whole way back to the villa. Like a child who had been caught doing something he shouldn’t. The more I thought about it, the stranger it seemed.
If Kai really had divine power, why didn’t he do anything when Schufen was injured that time?
Back then, Kai had only been watching anxiously. I thought he was just flustered, hesitating like that……
Was Kai told never to reveal his healing powers?
The only one who could’ve told him such a thing was Macaron. But why?
Did he want to hide that his former wife was from the Holy Kingdom?
But if Kai was Macaron’s son, there wasn’t really any reason to hide it.
Would revealing it cause some kind of trouble for Kai?
Complicated thoughts swirled in my head, and I wanted to ask Macaron so many things. I considered bringing it up immediately, but it wasn’t urgent—and it was definitely not the kind of topic to raise at the dining table. I decided to wait until after the meal and see how the mood was.
There was still time left until the parade, the opening event of the masquerade festival. As the meal was drawing to an end, Momont once again surprised us with his efficiency as a butler.
How on earth did he manage to gather all that in just one night?
Dresses for the ball, tiaras, shoes, and even masks—all lined up, each one clearly the work of master artisans. Coral was overjoyed at the thought of wearing them to the masquerade, smiling nonstop throughout the meal. Kai, though still sneaking glances at me at first, soon forgot his worries and wore a bright, childlike grin.
Breakfast ended smoothly, and we sent the children back to their rooms. Macaron, wearing his usual gentle smile, offered me his arm.
“Shall we go?”
It was amusing that he would insist on escorting me just back to my room. But with the questions still circling in my head, I couldn’t just smile and brush them aside. With the children gone, this was the perfect moment to ask.
“Let’s talk for a moment.”
Macaron tilted his head slightly, then immediately sat down across from me.
“Did I perhaps make some mistake?”
I’d tried to keep my expression soft, but I must have looked tense, because he seemed concerned.
“No, that’s not it……”
Before I could finish, Aint approached.
“Your Highness.”
His brisk steps signaled something urgent.
“If it’s not pressing, tell me later. I was just about to speak with my wife.”
“Well……”
Aint trailed off, glancing at me. For someone who usually remained in the shadows to step forward like this, it had to be important.
“My lady, may I trouble you to wait a little?”
“Don’t mind me.”
Macaron stepped aside with Aint, their backs to me, and spoke in hushed, grave tones. Aint’s darkened expression alone was enough to tell me it wasn’t good news. And when Macaron’s smile faded into a stiff look, I knew it was something serious.
When he returned, he looked at me with an apologetic face.
“I won’t be able to attend the masquerade today.”
His expression was filled with regret.
“Then we’ll stay behind as well.”
“No. You should go on and enjoy the festival with the children. Sir Aint and the knights will guard you.”
Even though I said I didn’t mind, he kept insisting I should still go enjoy myself. But what was the point of staying without him? It would only worry me more. And splitting us up would only scatter our forces, which could lead to worse outcomes.
“There’ll be another chance.”
“Still, because of me……”
“There’s no point in staying if you won’t be there. I wouldn’t be able to enjoy it anyway.”
“If that’s your wish…… very well.”
As I rose from my seat, he stopped me.
“What was it you wanted to say earlier……?”
But with the territory problems already weighing on him, I didn’t want to burden him with yet another issue.
“It’s nothing important. We’ll talk about it later.”
Though he looked like he wanted to know now, he eventually nodded and rose. He would ride ahead to the estate, while we would follow by carriage.
The streets were crowded with festival-goers in masks, so our carriage took longer than expected. Coral’s eyes sparkled as she watched the parade, but when she met my gaze, she hid her longing with a neutral expression. She must have really wanted to join in, and I felt a little guilty. Kai, watching Coral, then glanced at me with a serious face. That reminded me again of Kai’s divine power.
I considered asking him directly, but if Macaron had ordered him to hide it, I’d only be putting him in a difficult position.
The carriage ride was long, and soon both children dozed off, leaning against each other. I watched them quietly until I too drifted into sleep.
When I awoke, the carriage had stopped before the Craide mansion. It had already been tidied, and since it was late evening, I laid Coral straight onto the bed. Perhaps because of her nap, she was unusually restless.
“Dad really is a good person.”
“…Why do you say that?”
“Because he only follows you around.”
“That makes him a good person?”
I tickled her belly, and she squirmed with giggles.
“Yes. And also—”
“Also…?”
“He makes good toast, so he’s a good person.”
Having said her piece, Coral quickly drifted off to sleep. Her innocence made me smile unconsciously. But I couldn’t just laugh it away. The deadline of our contract was approaching fast. Which meant the day of my decision was also drawing near.
The next morning, Macaron looked exhausted, having spent the night reinforcing the estate’s defensive barrier. I suggested skipping tea time, but he insisted we sit together.
“Is something wrong with the territory?”
“Nothing major, so you needn’t worry.”
He said so, but worry still lingered on his face. Since he clearly didn’t want me to notice, I pretended not to. Silence fell as we sipped our tea.
Should I bring it up now?
As though reading my thoughts, he spoke first.
“The thing you wanted to say yesterday……”
So he’d been thinking about the unfinished conversation too.
“It seems Kai has divine power… am I right?”
As expected, his eyes widened slightly in surprise.
“How did you know?”
“I saw it yesterday. But Kai seemed like he was trying to hide it.”
“……”
“Was that your doing, Your Highness?”
Macaron let out a long sigh before answering.
“I should have told you earlier, but… yes. If it were revealed that a prince of the Empire carried the power of another kingdom, it could spark unwanted rumors. That’s why I told him to conceal it.”
“You mean…”
“Yes. Kai’s mother was from the Holy Kingdom.”
The Romanti Empire was generally open, both legally and socially, to marriages with foreigners. So why had Macaron avoided mentioning Kai’s mother?
Was there some story about her?
Since he had brought her up himself, I gathered the courage to ask.
“How did you meet Kai’s mother?”
It was something I might have been content to leave unknown… but I knew it would only haunt me if I didn’t ask now. Better to hear the truth than torment myself with speculation. To my surprise, Macaron recounted it without hesitation.
“After I was bitten by a monster and lost consciousness, I woke in her home. At the time, I was as good as dead.”
His tone was calm, but his face was heavy with memories.
“Humans bitten by monsters usually share the same fate. And the one that bit me was a high-class monster.”
“Then… did Kai’s mother heal you?”
To have someone stay by your side in such pain—no wonder affection would grow. It sounded like the kind of sudden, fateful romance one might read in a novel. But Macaron’s answer defied my expectations.
“No. As far as I know, Kai’s mother did not have divine power.”
Not didn’t, but as far as I know, didn’t. Did that mean he hadn’t learned much about her before something happened? If she lacked divine power, then how did Kai have it?
“Then how does Kai have divine power?”
“I suspect his biological father was a noble of the Holy Kingdom.”
For a moment, my mind reeled.
“Then… are you saying Kai is not your son?”
Macaron set down his teacup after a long pause.
“…That’s right.”
The shock left my heart sinking. All my past worries seemed to dissolve in an instant, the puzzle pieces finally fitting into a clear picture. Except for one.
“Then what happened to Kai’s mother? Why did you bring only him back?”
Macaron furrowed his brow, recalling, then began a long story he had clearly kept buried.
“She was being pursued at the time. I don’t know why—perhaps a conflict among Holy Kingdom nobles. After I took refuge with her, it wasn’t long before she hid Kai and me, and then… she died there.”
The words stunned me speechless. Yet Macaron spoke with a detached calm, as though it had happened long ago.
“I believe she gave her life to protect Kai. Since then, no one has pursued us, so it seems they never knew of Kai’s existence.”
For the first time, Macaron’s expression twisted with pain. I’d seen countless rumors and misunderstandings surround him, but I prided myself on knowing him better than most. He was not the kind of man to abandon a child and walk away.
“But if she had no healing power, you should have died…”
“At the time, I was as good as dead. But I couldn’t stop thinking about Kai. So I secretly sent word to the Empire, seeking someone to take him in.”
A dying man, burdened with a child. Just hearing it felt suffocating. And yet, here he was, alive before me. How had he survived?
“It was Kai who saved me from that hell.”
“…!”
I froze in shock. I knew that divine power passed down through the royal and noble lines of Halatis, but… an infant healing wounds inflicted by a high-class monster? That was unheard of. No wonder the Empire had been thrown into uproar the day Macaron returned, alive, years later—everyone had believed him dead. And yet, as a newborn, Kai had healed him?
Macaron seemed to share my disbelief.
“From what I’ve found, even among priests with divine power, few can heal wounds caused by a high-class monster.”
“Then… who is Kai’s real father?”
“I searched for years, but never found him. At first, I wanted to know. But now… I’d rather not.”
His eyes gleamed sharply, like a mother cat protecting her kitten.
“Because Kai is my son now.”
Kai might not be his by blood, but he was his son nonetheless. I finally understood why Macaron had once said he didn’t know much about Kai’s mother. Though shocking, all the worries I’d carried melted away.
“I should have told you sooner… forgive me.”
“No… thank you. It must have been hard to share this with me.”
He nodded, then fixed me with a steady, gleaming gaze.
“May I ask you something now?”
