I Only Want Your Child - Chapter 25

If I used my ability in a place like this, the children could be seriously hurt as well.

Just as I forced myself to calm down, the orphanage director was the first to break the awkward silence.

“You came at just the right time. Jared, couldn’t you at least send word before coming?”

“Come now, Director. Since when have I ever contacted you before showing up?”

Jared. So the man’s name was Jared.

To think I would hear so easily the name I had been unable to uncover no matter what methods I used.

As I stood there dazed by how absurd and almost laughable the situation was, the director introduced me to the man.

“Say hello. This is Madam Baldomer, who has come from Baldomer.”

The bright smile immediately disappeared from the man’s face.

His eyes widened in surprise, and his entire expression froze.

His reaction made me tense all over again.

Could he already be in contact with the person who intended to kill me?

The time when he appeared to kill me had always been roughly the same. Around the year Denion would have turned three.

In my first life, Denion had been the target, but in the lives after my regression when Denion was never born, I had always been the target.

It shouldn’t be that time yet.

Jared stared at me as I stood rigid with tension, then suddenly stepped closer.

I reflexively took a defensive stance and backed away.

“So you’re the lady of Baldomer, the house that has continued supporting our orphanage!”

At the man’s delighted voice, I went blank for a moment.

“Thanks to you, this orphanage has been able to stay open all this time! Thank you so much!”

At the sight of him bowing ninety degrees at the waist, I could only stare at him dumbfounded. Apparently misunderstanding my reaction, the man straightened and gave me an awkward smile while watching my expression.

“To think Madam Baldomer herself would personally come all the way to such a humble place. I’m deeply honored.”

I fell into thought for a moment as I watched the man grin good-naturedly.

Was that reaction truly sincere? Or was it an act meant to make me lower my guard?

If it was an act, he looked impossibly guileless, as though he didn’t possess even a trace of negative emotion.

Did he truly consider Baldomer his benefactor?

Then why would someone like him target Denion, the heir of Baldomer?

“Madam…?”

When I merely stared at him without saying anything, Jared looked puzzled.

Only then did I come to my senses and awkwardly respond.

“It’s nice to meet you, Jared…”

As I hesitated over what title I should add after his name, Jared smiled and replied.

“Calling me ‘sir’ is fine, too. I may not look it, but I’m a soldier.”

A soldier.

“…Where are you stationed?”

Depending on where he served, I might be able to narrow down who was behind the attempt on my child and me.

Jared looked briefly flustered by my abrupt question, then scratched the back of his head with an awkward smile.

“I wanted to join a unit directly under Baldomer, but I’m not skilled enough yet. For now, I’m serving in a unit under one of Baldomer’s vassal houses.”

A unit belonging to one of Baldomer’s vassal houses…

“I hope you’ll understand that I can’t disclose the exact unit because it’s classified. I’m only telling you this much because you’re the madam. Haha.”

A classified unit. Was that why even an information broker had found it difficult to uncover anything about him?

But why would a soldier belonging to a vassal house loyal to Baldomer target Denion and me?

Could one of the vassal houses have betrayed Baldomer?

No, that couldn’t be.

If that were true, there was no way the great Kallion wouldn’t know about the betrayal of one of his vassals.

Thinking back, he had acted almost as though he wanted to cover up Denion’s death. At first, I thought it was because he didn’t know Denion had been murdered.

But the more I looked back on it, the more it seemed as though he had been trying to hide something about Denion’s death.

Could it really be.

Could it really be that, by some chance.

Kallion had ordered one of his vassal houses to kill Denion…?

Suddenly, a chill swept through me, and it felt as though all the blood drained from my body.

I remembered the indifferent words he had tossed out when I became pregnant with Denion.

‘There is one more Heister now.’

Because Denion had inherited the fading ability of Heister? What if that was why he had killed Denion, and why, after my regressions, he continued targeting me because I possessed Heister’s ability?

My fingertips began trembling before I realized it.

No, it was still too early to jump to conclusions.

Stay calm. Stay calm, Juliana.

No matter how deep his resentment toward Heister ran, there was no way he could have done something like that even to Denion, his own flesh and blood.

No, that couldn’t be true.

If it was, I felt as though I would collapse and lose even my will to meet Denion again. Because simple emotions like resentment and hatred wouldn’t be enough to define what I would feel toward Kallion if that were true.

“Madam? Are you feeling unwell?”

Perhaps my complexion looked pale, because Jared asked worriedly, and I swallowed dryly.

Right. It’s still impossible to believe everything this man said at face value.

I needed to watch him a little longer.

After calmly settling my emotions, I forced a smile onto my bloodless lips.