LDAD 23

CH:23

After giving birth, Amelia didn’t let the child leave her arms for even a moment during the three months granted to her. She didn’t allow even Louis to hold the baby once. She was as sensitive as a beast that had just given birth to its young.

“Leave me alone.”

But in hindsight, Amelia had been sensitive even before giving birth. To be precise, it started after the night she came of age.

“You want to push another man into my bed again, without even knowing if I’m already pregnant?”

Amelia trembled as she resisted. She demanded at least two months to observe, saying that even if someone else were brought in after that, it wouldn’t be too late. Spending the night with a stranger whose face she didn’t even know—of course, she was upset.

“Very well. Three months. We’ll wait and see.”

Aaron seemed to agree and said they’d hold off for now. After all, once Amelia began screaming and resisting, it was difficult for them to settle things quietly.

Unexpectedly, however, Amelia conceived on her first try. Naturally, there was no longer any need to send another man into her bed.

“I’ll do it.”

“Pardon? How could the Priestess possibly…?”

“I’ll nurse him, I’ll bathe him—I’ll do everything. So nobody is to lay a finger on the child. Do you understand?”

Even though the situation had improved, Amelia became even more sensitive than before. Like a wounded stray cat abandoned in the streets, she couldn’t tolerate anyone approaching her.

“I said don’t touch him!”

Even if someone merely laid a hand on the child while she stepped away briefly, she would explode in panic.

At that point, it was clear she wasn’t simply being sensitive. Even Louis began to suspect something, so Aaron must have been keeping an eye on Amelia long before that. Sure enough, an order was issued for Louis to check the child’s condition.

“……”

Amelia had just finished nursing the baby and had stepped out. Probably for the bathroom, in a hurry. Louis, who hadn’t yet gotten a proper look at the baby’s face, cautiously approached the sleeping infant on the bed.

“She’s making such a fuss over nothing.”

But the baby, asleep, looked small and ordinary. Louis almost felt silly for doubting Amelia’s behavior. She figured that’s just how mothers were when they gave birth—high-strung and anxious.

“Afraid someone might steal their baby.”

Louis mumbled and then paused. Come to think of it, none of the former Amelias had ever held or raised their children. Giving birth to the child of a man they had never even seen—it was no surprise they felt no attachment. And by the time they came to their senses, the baby was already taken away. If Amelia knew that truth, it was possible she felt terrified.

“Mother and daughter alike, fated for misfortune.”

Clicking her tongue, Louis reached for the baby’s hat. It had shifted, and she intended to fix it back into place.

“……?”

But the hair peeking out from under the hat looked strange. There should have been at least a few strands of black hair by now, but it was as if there was no hair at all.

“What are you doing?”

Just as Louis was about to remove the hat entirely, a cold voice pierced her ears. She flinched and withdrew her hand from the child, stepping back.

“Oh, the hat seemed crooked. I was just fixing it.”

She smiled as if nothing was amiss. Amelia stepped over the threshold, keeping a close eye on Louis’s movements.

“But the baby’s hair doesn’t seem to have come in yet. I couldn’t see even a single strand.”

“Must be growing a bit late.”

Louis nonchalantly commented. Amelia calmly replied that the baby’s development seemed to be a little slow. But her eyes were trembling ever so slightly, despite her composed expression.

“Could the child be sick?”

Louis casually tossed out the question, sounding more like idle speculation than suspicion.

“Giving birth once is enough, isn’t it? It’d be terrible if the child were sick. Perhaps a doctor should take a look?”

She suggested a medical checkup, framed as concern for the baby’s health. If Amelia had nothing to hide, she had no reason to refuse.

“No, I don’t think that’s necessary. He’s sleeping so soundly, after all. And he eats well, too.”

“I see. Understood.”

But Amelia refused with an awkward smile. Louis didn’t press her further. She simply gave a polite bow and left Amelia’s chamber with a pleasant smile.

“Tell the High Priest that I will return now.”

There was no need for force. It would only provoke resistance. It was enough to simply tighten the leash.

“……”

Amelia blinked her tired eyes and gnawed at her fingernail. She hadn’t slept at all the previous night, plagued by anxiety.

She could still vividly remember yesterday—those eyes that calmly swept over her face, the gaze that lingered on the child before pulling away. Louis must have noticed something.

“What should I do?”

She knew she couldn’t postpone the farewell with the child forever. She knew she couldn’t hide the child’s gender forever. Just being allowed to keep the baby at her side this long was already a grace.

“What should I do, Ian?”

Her feet naturally led her to the cradle. Soft light began to spill over the baby’s delicate, tender skin.

“Ian.”

Amelia called the baby’s name with a voice full of sorrow. She had spent a long time choosing that name, yet had never spoken it in front of others. And likely never would.

“My baby…”

She had named him Ian—just one letter apart from Ivan. Maybe that’s why, or maybe it was because the child’s face bore fleeting shadows of his father’s. Either way, Amelia couldn’t help but recall the face she missed so much.

A knock echoed beyond the bedroom door, and tears welled up in her eyes. She instinctively sensed the end was near—that she would soon be separated from her child. She knew she wouldn’t be able to protect Ivan’s final trace with her own strength.

“You’re already awake?”

Despite not being given permission to enter, Louis opened the door and stepped inside. There was a faint chill beneath her smiling face. She, too, was Aaron’s cousin. That bloodline didn’t stray far.

“The High Priest has sent a letter. He says it’s time for the Priestess to return.”

“Oh, the baby…”

“Ordinarily, the child would be sent directly to the Count of Skipper’s villa, but since the Priestess is so attached…”

Her gaze moved to the cradle, and Amelia stepped in between as if to shield Ian from her.

“For now, let’s say he’s coming with you. You’ve still got time left where you’re allowed to be with him. We can always say you stumbled upon an abandoned child while traveling.”

Of course, Louis couldn’t care less about Amelia’s protective stance. She only pretended to be generous—offering Amelia a few more days with the baby.

“Your belongings can be brought later. For now, please get in the carriage. It’s already waiting outside.”

It was little more than mockery. The secret would be revealed soon enough—there was no use resisting.

“Let me help you dress.”

Louis retrieved Amelia’s clothes hanging on the wall and helped her out of her nightgown into proper attire. Normally, it would’ve been the maids tending to Amelia, but here, Louis served her instead.

Naturally so. The fewer who knew the secret, the better. Anyone who knew what happened here would be killed. There was no need to waste effort eliminating every servant.

“Shall I carry the baby?”

Her eyes turned to Ian, who had begun to whimper. Amelia rushed over to pick him up.

“I thought so. Bring him with you.”

Louis didn’t look back as she stepped out. Amelia’s gaze dropped to the baby in her arms.

“Good boy.”

As she gently rocked him, Ian quickly calmed down. It wasn’t so much the rocking that soothed him, but rather his mother’s warmth. Ian was just that good and gentle.

“I’m sorry.”

Amelia whispered. Her heart was full of sorrow and guilt.

If only she’d handed the baby over to a midwife and run away the moment he was born—would that have been better? If she could turn back time, she’d do it differently. If she could die right here and now to protect Ian, she would.

“Priestess!”

But of course, that wasn’t possible.

Louis’s voice called from outside. Amelia moved forward like a beast being dragged by a leash.

“We’re leaving!”

The door closed quietly behind Amelia. The sound of the carriage wheels rattling was the last noise to fill the space.