Choosing the Baby’s Father From the Following – Chapter 120

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟏𝟐𝟎

On the one hand, Chilla was saddened by the realization that even if the baby died, the Grand Duke wouldn’t look at her any differently.

Gideon spoke, as if to trample on Chilla’s sorrow.

“You can’t win against Louise no matter what you do now. But are you going to watch them be happy like this? Even after she’s made you into such a mess?”

Chilla sobbed and argued.

“Knowing that, you sent me all the way to Babenberg? Now I can’t do anything! Cal will remember me in this pathetic state forever! If he cherishes his child that much, he’ll protect it like a fortress! Have you forgotten that he’s the best Sword Master on this continent?”

Gideon chuckled.

“Even when I spread rumors among the capital’s nobles that an heir was born in Babenberg, no one believed it. The Imperial Palace must be thoroughly silencing the news.”

Chilla sniffled and asked,

“So?”

“Louise will have to show herself at the Imperial Palace at least once before going to Babenberg. That’s the duty of an Imperial Princess. To act as if nothing’s wrong and receive congratulations from the nobles, she can’t bring the baby with her. Especially if the baby inherited the Imperial Family’s eyes.”

Chilla finally stopped crying and caught her breath.

“Babenberg was busy preparing for the wedding. It was definitely not an atmosphere for a baby to stay in. Edessa…… perhaps the baby is still there.”

Gideon looked down at his niece with satisfaction.

He thought she was an idiot beyond compare, but fueled by resentment, it seemed her brain was finally working.

Chilla’s golden eyes gleamed ominously.

“Will she try to pick up the baby from Edessa after visiting the Imperial Palace? How about I go to Edessa beforehand and pretend to be pitiful? After all, I am her older sister……”

Puhaha, Chilla couldn’t finish her sentence because Gideon burst into laughter.

Gideon quickly downgraded his briefly favorable assessment of Chilla back to its original state.

“You, her older sister? Have you already forgotten why I lost my title?”

Chilla bit her lip.

Louise and the staff at the detached palace had always been kind to her, so she didn’t want to accept the current harsh reality that even they would mistreat her.

Gideon had to think for his stupid and immature niece.

“Now that I think about it, she does have an older sister left……”

He was referring to Jenais, who was married off as soon as the new Emperor ascended the throne.

Thanks to quickly switching sides to the Emperor’s faction, she was able to quietly disappear from the tumultuous Imperial Palace and become the beloved daughter-in-law of the Pereira Marquisate.

In the darkness, the golden eyes of the Damiani family shone, facing each other.

“The Pereira Marquisate……”

Gideon calculated how much money Chilla had left.

It was a very tight budget to do anything big, but if he missed this opportunity, there wouldn’t be another.

‘With luck, I might be able to borrow a little from a loan shark.’

He didn’t even need to think about repaying the money.

He felt the last pill hidden in his pocket.

It was the suicide poison left over from the plot to kidnap the Third Princess.

‘What reason do I have to live this ragged life?’

He would repay what he received and leave cleanly.

Whether his remaining sister’s daughter lived or died, the weary man had no interest in such matters.

🔹🔹🔹🔹🔹🔹

Callisto Veil Babenberg pondered until the next morning.

He thought about informing the Imperial Palace that the confined Second Princess had left the monastery and sought him out, but he hesitated, worried it would displease the Emperor again.

Considering the Emperor’s current disapproval of him, it would be fatal to appear as if he had any connection to Chilla.

However, he didn’t want to tell Louise about this either.

‘How could I tell her that her half-sister, who had persecuted her so much, shamelessly came to the Grand Duke’s castle to beg for mercy?’

Moreover, Callisto didn’t want to appear to have any connection to another woman in front of Louise, not even a speck.

He had never given the Second Princess any reason to come all the way to the Grand Duke’s castle.

He thought it would have been better to ignore the Imperial law and cut her down than to be associated with her.

Furthermore, Louise was busy preparing to return to the Imperial Palace.

She was already quite sensitive about having to leave her newborn daughter behind, even for a short while, and was considerably distressed that even Tower Master Ren had cut off contact after the news of the national wedding.

Of course, Callisto had anticipated that news of the national wedding would reach the Magic Tower.

He had intended to tell the story of the Second Princess and ‘Illusia’ if the enraged Tower Master came rushing to confront him, but no matter how long he waited, it didn’t happen.

Callisto contacted the Magic Tower belatedly, but the Tower Master never answered his calls.

Seeing as Louise couldn’t contact him either, it seemed she hadn’t even asked anyone to confirm if it was true.

The Tower Master had gone into hiding as if he had sunk beneath the water.

Ren Dapht was always like that.

He could appear anytime, anywhere, but when he didn’t want to be found, no one could find him.

The Magic Tower wasn’t a place accessible to outsiders, and Ren Dapht was a damned wizard who could always disappear into the ground whenever he wanted to hide.

A formidable wizard who could do so dozens, hundreds of times.

‘For the past year, he faithfully cared for Louise only because of her pregnancy.’

Even that wasn’t quite fitting for Ren, so it was only possible thanks to the foolish delusion that he was the baby’s father.

Anyway, Louise was deeply blaming herself for missing the chance to politely reject the Tower Master’s feelings and express her gratitude for his past actions.

Callisto didn’t want to give her another reason to worry.

The Second Princess, stripped of her title and power, couldn’t do anything anyway.

The confidence and optimism that had been her strengths as an Imperial Princess had become poison, consuming her as soon as she became an outcast.

‘She’ll probably run around cluelessly, being chased away and ridiculed.’

In truth, the Second Princess’s actions had been quite a shock to Callisto as well.

To dare come to him, begging for pity and suggesting she could enter his bedchamber.

In Callisto’s eyes, she was now nothing more than a lunatic.

‘But there’s no need to inform Louise about the Second Princess’s madness.’

If kind-hearted Louise wanted to offer her clumsy help, that would be a major headache.

Callisto concluded as such and ignored the Second Princess’s flimsy intrusion.

🔹🔹🔹🔹🔹🔹

On the day of returning to the Imperial Palace, I held Prillice and bid her a tearful farewell.

“See you soon, baby. You go home first and wait, okay?”

Phoebe said, her voice choked with tears,

“Don’t worry, Your Highness. I will protect Prillice-nim with my life.”

My stay at the Imperial Palace was scheduled for only a week.

Lurik was displeased with that, but I couldn’t imagine being away from my baby for any longer.

The veteran nanny would take care of Prillice even better than I could, but I still didn’t like it.

So I decided to stay at the Imperial Palace for just a week and then go to Babenberg with Callisto.

Of course, there was no longer any reason for Prillice to stay in Edessa, so Leander Eugis, the Knight Commander of the Babenberg Knights, planned to open a gate and bring her immediately.

So today was also Prillice’s last day in Edessa.

“Please take good care of her.”

I made sure to ask Phoebe, the nanny, and the knights who had just arrived from Babenberg to look after the baby.

It was the moment when the Imperial Guards, who would accompany me to the Imperial Palace, finally activated the temporary gate.

“Lou.”

A familiar voice called from behind, and Ernst soon came before me and knelt on one knee.

The morning sunlight broke over his familiar brilliant blonde hair.

“Wouldn’t it be proper etiquette for the person who escorted you here to escort you back, Your Highness?”

I looked down at him, speechless with emotion as he kissed the back of my hand.

His dazzlingly white cheeks were gaunt.

If it was because of me, what words could I possibly use to apologize?

But Ernst pulled his rose-colored lips into a confident smile I knew well.

“I thought you were leaving, but if you’re not, you can stay here with me?”

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