Father and Mother’s seats were occupied by Lucas and Elise. Though I seemed to know the reason, I didn’t want to know. I hoped that the thoughts flowing in one direction were wrong.
So Roxiana tightly gripped her skirt and waited for Lucas’s answer.
Lucas watched Roxiana with a slightly sympathetic look, then nodded. At that, the people in the audience chamber filed out. Now only one knight guarding Lucas, Elise, and Roxiana remained in the chamber.
Only then did Roxiana realize that Rasha was not visible.
“Rasha…?”
At the muttered question, Lucas laughed incredulously.
“Roxy.”
Her family called Roxiana Roty, but Lucas always called her ‘Roxy’. His voice using the nickname was affectionate, and Roxiana harbored hope for just a moment.
It won’t be a big problem. It’ll be nothing. Something’s a little, just a little wrong but it can be fixed.
“You’re always like that. You think too much and are too relaxed in too many areas.”
That wasn’t true. Roxiana had no composure now. Countless thoughts stormed in and out repeatedly, making her feel like she would lose consciousness in the whirlwind. Just standing here without fainting was overwhelming.
“I’ve always found that side of you so disgusting I can’t stand it.”
What does that mean?
Lucas had always shown affection, calling her ‘my pretty flower’. He was always the one to kiss, to take her hand. She couldn’t understand the cold words flowing from his mouth.
“But you were kind of cute when you were young…”
Lucas slowly walked down the steps in front of the chair, approaching Roxiana.
Roxiana stood still, taking in his approaching figure. Hoping to find playfulness or affection somewhere on his face. Hoping this was all a surprise event to tease her.
But the Lucas standing before Roxiana gazed at her with the coldest blue eyes and said:
“To think you’d grow up to be so repulsive.”
Roxiana looked into his eyes at the same height as hers. It wasn’t that he was particularly short, but that Roxiana was particularly tall.
−”You get taller every time I see you.”
−”You’ve grown a lot.”
For about two years, Lucas had said something about her height every time he saw Roxiana. The words she had disregarded as insignificant were now clearly engraved.
It was like cold water had been thrown on her, bringing her to her senses.
“Where is Father?”
The trembling subsided.
“Mother, where is all my family?”
“Yes, Roxy. You should have asked about that first, not about the wellbeing of your maid.”
Lucas nodded to the knight, and the knight approached with a box that had been placed next to the king’s chair.
Roxiana’s eyes were fixed on the box.
Roxiana didn’t want that box to come close. She wanted to turn her eyes away and run, but she couldn’t do anything as she watched the box stop before her eyes.
“Open it and show her. The princess should know what happened to her family.”
As soon as Lucas’s words fell, the knight opened the box.
The first thing visible when the box opened was.
“Ah…”
A groan escaped.
“Ahhhhh!”
A voice torn to shreds cut through the air. And with a snap, as if something had broken, her vision went dark.
+++
“…Princess. Princess, please wake up.”
It felt like her body was floating on water. Something kept shaking her shoulder, which was annoying.
She didn’t want to open her eyes. She wanted to be enveloped in darkness and think of nothing. She wanted to swim in the darkness, knowing nothing at all.
“Princess.”
But she couldn’t not know.
She clearly remembered the last thing she saw before losing consciousness. Even in the darkness, that scene floated before Roxiana’s eyes, not disappearing.
Father, and parts of Mother.
Her eyelids were too heavy. Was it because they were soaked with tears?
Tears kept flowing from her closed eyes. A blade that had cut into living flesh was stirring throughout her body.
“Rasha. You’re safe.”
Roxiana spoke with her eyes closed. Rasha sniffled.
“Pr-Princess… Princess, what should we do? Our poor Princess, what should we really do?”
“Do you know what happened to my brothers, to Ranian?”
Silence answered in place of words. Roxiana could understand what the quiet meant.
She didn’t want to believe it, but it was reality.
Lucas had killed Roxiana’s family. Now there was no family.
When she left the Great Temple, thinking that meeting her family upon returning to Kanta would be the last time felt like it had happened so long ago.
This wasn’t the last meeting.
That day she left for the Great Temple.
The day Father said, “Travel safely.”
The day Mother hugged her and said, “Roty, don’t get sick, okay?”
The day her brothers teasingly said, “Don’t cause trouble.”, “Roty, I heard you can’t swear in the Great Temple.”, “Don’t hit the priests.”
The day the youngest, Ranian, sniffled and said, “Sister, if anyone bullies you, send a letter. I’ll fly over and protect you.”
It was the last meeting and the last conversation.
What expression did I make to my family that day? Did I smile, or frown?
She couldn’t remember. Everything was hazy like a dream.
If I had known it was the last time, I would have looked more closely at my family’s faces, the faces of my precious ones. I would have engraved in my mind their voices, gazes, and smiles that I already miss.
“Ah… Augh… Ugh!”
She thought she heard the cry of a beast, but it was coming from herself.
Rasha watched anxiously as Roxiana bent over and wailed.
‘Our poor Princess. What should we do?’
She was more worried about Roxiana than her own situation. Roxiana had been unconscious for two full days, and during that time Rasha had heard various stories from Victian IV’s servant who had been imprisoned.
The servant who was dragged away last night did not return.
How should she tell her about Elise’s involvement in what happened to the Kingdom of Kanta?
Lady Elise Hailis, who was Roxiana’s best friend.
Even Rasha doubted her ears when she heard that story.
Although Elise occasionally seemed to show jealousy towards Roxiana, the two had been like sisters, together since birth.
Even when something bad happened to Elise’s family, if Roxiana hadn’t protected her, Elise would have ended up in the same situation as her family.
‘I should tell her… But what difference would it make if I did?’
It would only bring another pain to Roxiana, who was already crumbling from losing her family. It would be better to postpone telling this story until Roxiana had recovered a little.
Just as Rasha made that decision, the sound of the dungeon door opening was heard.
Despite the heavy clanking sound, Roxiana’s wailing did not stop. Roxiana did not realize that someone was walking down the dirty, dark corridor and stopping in front of the iron bars where she was confined.
“My lady!”
Only when Rasha shouted with wide eyes did a little sense return to her.
“Princess, Princess, you must pull yourself together! You can’t crumble! You absolutely must not lose… Aagh!”
It was only when Rasha was grabbed by men and dragged away, shouting sharply, that she fully came to her senses.
Her large blinking eyes caught sight of Rasha being dragged away with her mouth covered. Roxiana tried to spring up and reach out to Rasha, but two other men grabbed both her arms and forced her to kneel.
Only after Rasha was no longer visible did Roxiana’s eyes turn to Elise in front of her.
“Elise…”
Roxiana barely recalled that Elise had been sitting next to Lucas. Due to the shock of Lucas sitting in her father’s place, Elise’s presence had been faint. Due to the despair of losing her family, she had forgotten about Elise.
“What, what is all this about?”
“Our poor Princess.”
Elise’s eyes reddened.
“In a place like this… how difficult it must be for you.”
Elise’s voice was gentle as always. Elise took out a handkerchief and dabbed at the tears flowing down her own cheeks.
Watching her longtime friend sniffling, Roxiana harbored a tiny bit of hope.
Perhaps Elise had helped my family. She might have pretended to go along with Lucas’s plan while secretly spiriting away some of my family members.
Such hope.
“Elise, did Lucas… did he kill all of my family?”
“Yes, Princess. He killed them all. Without leaving a single one, he even killed all of your nieces and nephews.”
The small hope that had momentarily blossomed crumbled again, and an even greater despair than before swept over her.
Roxiana felt her vision going black. Unable to lose consciousness again, she desperately asked with tightly clenched fists.
“Wh-why…? Why so mercilessly?”
She understood that Lucas, no, the Kingdom of Gania had been eyeing the Kingdom of Kanta. She also understood that, by some unknown method, they had successfully taken over the Kingdom of Kanta.
But even so, there was no need to kill off the entire Franche family, with whom they had maintained good relations for so long.
They should have sent them into exile, or if not that, at least spared the children. That’s how it’s usually done.
“Because…”
Elise suddenly covered her face with both hands and burst into tears. Her appearance was so pitiful that Roxiana almost wanted to comfort her, forgetting her own situation.
“Because, Princess.”
Elise’s mouth was revealed between her hands covering her face. Roxiana saw Elise’s red lips spread into a grin.
“I told them to do so.”
Male lead says he’s pregnant — and it’s female lead’s child
Something seems a bit off about this world.
Wang Zhao thought as she watched a pregnant man walking towards her…
Intro
Female lead finds herself in a world where the men who possess the ability to bear children.
As she navigates this unfamiliar reality, she is caught off guard by the sudden appearance of her boyfriend, who reveals that he is pregnant.
Is this truly her boyfriend?
Why can’t she recall any details about their time together?
She begins to doubt whether the child her boyfriend is carrying is even hers.
Is there a hidden reason behind her amnesia, or could it be a side effect of her sudden arrival in this strange new world?
Just when it seems the protagonist’s life couldn’t become any more entangled, her ex-boyfriend makes an unexpected appearance, raising questions about the protagonist’s past.
__________
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