Choosing the Baby’s Father From the Following – Chapter 23

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟑
Lurik asked, as if he truly couldn’t understand.

“How dare you say such a thing? Everything I do……”

He stopped in his heavy steps and suddenly lowered himself.

I looked up dazedly at him kneeling on one knee.

“It’s all for you.”

He spat out the words, grinding them between his teeth.

“If you’re sick, what’s the point of all this……”

Up close, I saw that one of his eyes was completely black.

I barely managed to move my dry tongue and whispered.

“Please take me to my room, Brother. Please, you take me.”

Lurik groaned as if suppressing his anger, but soon he moaned and rose.

Then, he suddenly reached out and pulled back the blanket.

Strong arms slipped under my neck and knees.

“All of you, leave.”

Lurik ordered, lifting me as lightly as if I were a pillow.

His eyes flickered endlessly.

I just hoped everyone would quickly get away from us.

‘If he loses control, I hope no one is around.’

And at the same time, I realized.

Even if he lost control, Lurik would never hurt me.

His gaze, full of tenderness amidst the anger, clearly said so.

🔹🔹🔹🔹🔹🔹

“I’m cold, Brother.”

I feigned a chill, and he held me even closer.

Lurik hurriedly walked to the women’s quarters.

“This way, Your Highness.”

Phoebe hurriedly followed, guiding him to the room, but she couldn’t bring herself to enter and stood outside the door.

Lurik laid me on the bed, covered me with the blanket, and only then did he speak.

“Are you still cold?”

I nodded, and a large hand hesitantly touched my forehead.

Suddenly, our eyes met.

Hoping that the black energy engulfing Lurik’s eyes would disappear quickly, I placed my hand on his.

“I like your warm hands, Brother.”

He looked down at me with a flustered face, and finally spoke in a voice relieved of tension.

“Don’t try to get away with acting cute. You should have told me you weren’t feeling well. Collapsing outside after pushing yourself……”

I pleaded pathetically.

“I’m sorry, Brother…… but I didn’t want to be a burden since we came all the way to the monastery.”

“……Since when has it been like this? From Heim?”

That day, Lurik saw me slipping away during the dinner.

I nodded vaguely, and he sighed.

“I was careless. I just thought you were uncomfortable with the formal dinner.”

“No, Brother. More than that…… did you wait long at the waterfall?”

I asked, trying to gauge how badly he had treated Helena and whether there was any chance of recovery.

Unexpectedly, Lurik shook his head immediately.

“I saw a maid alone at the waterfall and knew right away that something was wrong. You wouldn’t be late after calling me out.”

So, was it a flawed plan from the beginning?

As I lamented inwardly, Lurik asked.

“That maid, is she particularly dear to you?”

He brought up Helena first.

I seized the opportunity and answered.

“Yes, Brother. She’s younger than me, and I find her diligence and piety quite admirable. I’d want to bring her to the Imperial Palace if she wasn’t pursuing a monastic life.”

Lurik frowned.

“Why would you want a country maid? Isn’t she trying to cunningly deceive you with your innocence?”

For a moment, I was so surprised I almost jumped up, but I tried not to overreact and timidly refuted.

“No, Brother. She brought me pretty flowers and told me many stories about the monastery. And how beautiful her emerald eyes are.”

Lurik seemed dumbfounded.

“Who would even notice the eye color of a maid?”

You! You will!

‘You’ll soon be head over heels for her!’

She’s your first love!

The future Empress of the Empire!

I was dying to shout it out, but instead, I added in a melancholic tone.

“It wasn’t Helena’s fault, but Phoebe ended up hitting her.”

Should I try to gain more sympathy?

I bit my tongue hard and forced tears to well up in my eyes. Lurik flinched and looked away.

“She didn’t even try to defend herself, even though she was wronged. Were you very angry with Helena, Brother? For leaving me behind?”

Lurik’s face crumpled once more.

“Why is that even important?”

Because she can’t dislike you!

While I was screaming internally, thankfully, Lurik answered.

“Where would I have the time to be angry with a foolish maid? If you were missing, I should be looking for you.”

I breathed a sigh of relief and stroked the back of Lurik’s hand, which was still on my forehead.

“She’s someone I cherish, Brother. She’s not foolish at all.”

“……Ha.”

Lurik seemed to have a lot to say, but he didn’t seem to want to continue being angry with his sick sister.

“Just get some rest. Don’t waste your energy on unnecessary worries.”

“……Are you leaving?”

I was just trying to calculate the probability of him running into Helena, but the corners of Lurik’s lips twitched strangely.

He had put strength on his toes as if he was about to get up, but then he seemed to give up and remained seated.

“I’ll stay until you fall asleep.”

Maybe Helena will come back to apologize to me……

I decided it was better to have Lurik stay in my room and nodded.

“Thank you, Brother.”

🔹🔹🔹🔹🔹🔹

‘Hmm……’

I had held Lurik back with other intentions, but I must have fallen asleep at some point.

‘Maybe I really am not feeling well……’

But when I woke up, a large hand was still gently stroking my hair.

Just as I was about to open my eyes, a small voice reached my ears.

“……I wish I could have taken care of you like this when we were younger.”

It was Lurik.

‘Is he leaning against the wall?’

His voice felt a little further away than before.

I immediately stopped trying to open my eyes and only perked up my ears.

“When I left for my first expedition, you cried and clung to me, begging me not to go.”

Louise never appeared in the novel, so this must have been a memory Lurik had never shared with anyone.

I listened quietly, and his old memories gently mingled with the air in the room.

“I found out much later. That you were sick then. You had such a high fever…… the nanny said she thought you were going to die. Did you get sick because you resented me for leaving when you were so young……?”

The mention of a nanny meant this was a very old memory.

“When I returned, excited after my first victory, you didn’t even look at me.”

Yet, Lurik’s voice was sad.

As if he had returned to the distant past.

“I was young then too…… foolishly, I felt hurt. I didn’t know we were drifting apart like that……”

He continued.

“If it weren’t for your letter, I wouldn’t have had the courage to approach you first…… I would still be regretting it. Pathetically.”

I don’t know what Louise wrote in the letter she sent him, or how she usually thought of Lurik.

It hasn’t been revealed in the diary yet, and it’s uncertain whether it will be in the future.

‘But I can’t just ignore Lurik’s festering wound……’

It may have missed the time to heal properly, but wounds that haven’t scabbed over continue to hurt.

So, I murmured softly.

“Me too, Brother. I wish I hadn’t needlessly resented you.”

I spoke with my eyes closed, and Lurik flinched.

He probably thought I was asleep.

“I know now that you were building your strength to protect me. I’m sorry for always complaining like a child.”

I opened my eyes and carefully looked up at him.

Lurik met my gaze and smiled bitterly.

“Don’t be ridiculous. I’m glad…… that the day has come when you ask me to hold you again.”

I gently pulled his hand and examined his face properly.

His red eyes had returned to their original color.

Relieved, I held Lurik’s hand tightly and carefully spoke.

“Brother, when you were so angry with me earlier……”

“Hmm?”

Lurik’s rosy cheeks were looking directly at me, so I mustered up my courage and asked.

“At that time, the color of your eyes seemed a little different. Did I see wrong?”

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