Chapter 7
The World Is Full of Colors (1)
Ethan swiftly caught Bel’s limp, exhausted body as her strength gave out.
“Bel!”
“Uung…”
“Your Majesty! Your Majestyyy!”
The area outside the collapsed rubble was noisy with voices desperately calling for the Emperor. As the spirit’s power faded and it disappeared, the magic that bound the guards had been lifted as well.
“First, we must feed the Star Child.”
Argares snapped his fingers.
The rubble of the collapsed building instantly floated into the air and stacked neatly in a corner. As the entrance opened, the anxious people waiting above poured into the basement like a broken dam.
Among them was Aspe.
“Your Lordship! Did you finally rebel against the Imperial Family and smash the basement?! Oh, you troublesome man!”
“Aspe!”
“It’s a misunderstanding, Your Majesty! I have nothing to do with this. This was entirely His Lordship’s sole action…!”
“Food!”
“Yes!”
Miraculously understanding Ethan’s short, forceful single word, Aspe immediately spun around.
“You two really make a great team. A match made in heaven.”
The Emperor’s playful remark followed behind him.
Flash.
In a realm of complete, absolute darkness, a pair of lights flickered.
[What is this?]
The calamity that had been asleep, absorbing even light itself, opened its eyes for the first time.
What this small change signified was crystal clear.
[Found it.]
[Found the star we failed to kill.]
[The calamity is resonating.]
In the darkness, several figures rustled and murmured. The shadowy voices, each whispering their own thoughts, eventually merged into a single unison:
[Inform Him immediately.]
The commotion in the basement was wrapped up with the explanation that the dragon had gone on a rampage and Duke Ibek had distinguished himself once again. It was a measure to hide Bel’s true identity for the time being.
And…
“Look at that.”
The gazes of Ethan, the Emperor, and the purified dragon Argaresāall seated at the dining tableāwere fixed on a single spot.
Nod, nod.
A head as large as her tiny body kept slumping toward the floor. Unable to resist her sleepiness, Bel continuously nodded off, only to snap back awake and diligently chew the food in her mouth over and over again.
“Stop eating.”
Unable to watch any longer, Ethan tried to snatch the fork from Bel’s hand.
“Eung.”
Bel pouted her lips and refused. How on earth could a mere two-year-old have such a strong grip?
“You’re sleepy right now. Just go to sleep.”
“Eee-eung.”
“I told you I’ll give you more when you wake up.”
“Eee-eee-eung.”
Bel shook her head side to side.
“I’m going out of my mind.”
Ethan clawed at his own hair. Enjoying the sight, the Emperor chimed in with a cheeky remark.
“This is precisely the joy of raising a child that I mentioned, Duke.”
“It feels more like rage than joy, though.”
Grit-toothed, Ethan growled as he suppressed his anger. However, to the Emperor, who had grown up with him like a brother, it was simply entertaining.
“Be honest with me. Did you plot this together just to drive me to frustration?”
“Not at all.”
“Tsk.”
Watching Ethan’s behavior, the dragon clicked his tongue.
“This is my first time seeing a human who is so hopeless at caring for a child.”
He gently picked up Bel, who was stubbornly holding onto her fork. Placing her head against his shoulder, he quietly patted her back, and the child fell fast asleep in an instant. The dragon carefully slid the fork out of the child’s small hand and placed it on the dining table.
As if prearranged, the dining room fell silent.
“What are you going to do now?”
“…About what?”
Ethan’s voice was so soft it hardly sounded like his own. In that small, cautious, and low voice, his care for the child was evident.
“Those Who Dwell in the Dark Night will target the child’s life.”
“Are you telling me to give her up for adoption if I want her life saved?”
Ethan snapped back sharply on purpose. He recalled the appearance of the orphanage, which he had observed meticulously while pretending to be indifferent. A small building where round, tiny childrenālike squished bread doughālived packed closely together. That orphanage, filled with human warmth, would surely vanish without a trace from a single attack by those bastards.
“It is better that I protect her.”
“How about protecting the child at the Imperial Palace?”
“I refuse.”
Ethan answered immediately, having expected such a proposal.
“It stands out too much.”
Due to , the late Emperor and Empress, the former Duke Ibek, and numerous other key figures had died. The era had shifted while they were unprepared, and they were still in the process of resolving the lingering chaos. Things were so dire that they had even revived the Senate, which had once been a scourge upon the empire.
“The moment she catches the Senate’s eye, Bel will be reduced to their tool.”
The Senate was a group of old, established elites who had seized power during a period when political strife was rampant and imperial authority flourished. They were adept and ruthless. Without a doubt, they would prove toxic to Bel. They would gently coax an innocent child who knew nothing, brainwashing her with their ideology to use her as they pleased.
“Do not speak so weakly. You are the sole heir to the ducal house. Compared to the weight of power that will be placed in your hands, something like this is nothing.”
Ethan couldn’t stand that situation above all elseābecause he had experienced it most painfully himself.
“She is already my child.”
Setting a firm boundary, he prepared to rise from his seat.
“Stay here for just one day.”
“What? Why?”
However, the dragon blocked Ethan as he tried to leave.
“I want to show something to the child.”
“Show what?”
“It seems it wasn’t visible to your eyes.”
Muttering as if to himself, the dragon snapped his fingers in the air. As he did, the surroundings darkened.
“What is this…!”
Ethan reacted sharply, gripping his steak knife like a weapon. However, he couldn’t bring himself to point it at the dragon, who was holding Bel in his arms.
“Calm down. It is merely magic.”
Speaking nonchalantly, the dragon looked around the darkened space.
“And look closely.”
An indoor space covered in a hazy, ash-gray mist. Black-covered faces. Every place his eyes reached was completely achromatic.
“This is the world this child sees.”
“…What?”
Ethan’s eyes filled with confusion. He tried to check the expressions on the Emperor’s and Aspe’s faces, but he couldn’t. Black smoke was thickly plastered over both of their faces.
“The calamity has not completely retreated. Polluted ether covers everything. Until this child purifies all of this ether, she must live in a world like this.”
She couldn’t see anyone’s expressions. Although she recognized the voice speaking kindly to her, she didn’t know the smile or the warm gaze behind it. The entire world was pitch black, with no sunlight.
The dragon snapped his fingers once more.
The mist covering the room dispersed, and a brilliant, colorful world returned. Ethan blinked blankly, like a man waking from a dream.
“However, today she awakened her power for the first time and purified the pollution. At the very least, there is no pollution within the Imperial Palace grounds.”
The dragon told him to show the child the colors of this world before taking her away.
“The child ought to know that people and the world are colorful and beautiful like this.”
“…Aspe.”
“Yes, Your Lordship.”
“You head back first.”
It meant he should briefly explain the situation to his wife, Setia, who was waiting for him. Understanding his intention, Aspe bowed politely to the Emperor and took his leave.
Pleasant morning sunlight tickled Bel’s eyelids. Tossed and turned in the fluffy bed, Bel’s eyes snapped open.
“…?”
Her hair, messy and thoroughly squished, poked out from beneath the blanket.
Blink, blink.
Bel stared blankly at the scenery before her eyes.
āSparkly.ā
Her view was colorful and sparkling. She didn’t understand how this had happened.
Bel looked down at her two hands, then rubbed her palm across the soft blanket.
āThis is pink.ā
She raised her head again. She saw the teddy bear placed beside her.
āThis is wood color.ā
The colors the spirit had taught her came to mind one by one. The sky was blue. Clouds were white. Yellow resembled Bel’s own hair, and red was vivid enough to make her eyes ache.
Just then, accompanied by quiet footsteps, the door opened and Ethan appeared. Behind him were the Emperor and the dragon as well.
“Are you awake?”
Bel stared intently at their clear, distinct faces.
“Little one, you’re awake. Are you hungry?”
Matching his gentle tone, the corners of the Emperor’s eyes and mouth curved smoothly.
āA good face.ā
A smiling face.
Bel’s small mouth gradually popped open. Her wide eyes, opened in astonishment, swept everywhere without pause.
Clear. The whole world was clear and clean. She could see people’s faces.
“Baby Star.”
Noticing what Bel’s gaze signified, the dragon lifted the child high into his arms.
“It is all thanks to you purifying the darkness.”
