Pherenike - Chapter 58

It wasn’t so. Naturally, she felt buoyed by the surging heartbeat.

He smirked slightly.

“It doesn’t matter if not. If my sword won’t work against you, then I’ll use you as a sword to stab yourself.”

“……”

“If you attach significance to your child, then eventually, it’s because of that child that you’ll die. Significance becomes a weakness. And even after you’re gone, the child will die because of you.”

“……”

“You’ll be guilty for being the mother of the child, and the child will be guilty for being your child.”

Pherenike gazed at Actor’s face, at the deep and cold waters swirling beneath that facade.

“It would have been convenient for all of us if I could have killed you before you gave birth, but unfortunately, you weren’t born that way.”

“……”

“And if you don’t attach any significance to the child with Hera’s blessing…”

A sarcastic remark about the goddess who protects the family. His tone carried a warmth, devoid of mockery. He smiled, his eyes devoid of any laughter.

“If that’s the case, the child can simply be eliminated. After all, ‘that’ was also intended to be killed. And for you, it’s just a matter of breaking you down enough to make you wish for death. All it takes is time. Always. For everyone.”

“……”

“Anyone can do this to you. I can take you away from yourself, Pherenike.”

“……”

“The moment you’re stripped of your individuality, you’re robbed of your entire life. Merely not dying under the goddess’ protection.”

“Is that what you fear?”

Pherenike asked quietly. Actor didn’t reply. His eyes, turned away from the light, rippled like dark water.

“……Your son is a son of Pelagon. He can’t be killed unless by the son of Pelagon.”

The ‘I’ he imagined sounded much like Deucalion. Another son of Pelagon capable of killing his son.

If not the child’s father, and if not the brother of that father, there would be no one else who could kill the child.

Brother must kill brother for the throne to be complete. Thus, the blood of the wolf continued in a narrow line. There weren’t many descendants of Pelagon left in the world.

Most of them, even if they were distant from the royal family, lived their lives faintly aware of their heritage as the son of Pelagon and their diluted blood.

They were just a bit more exceptional than others. Their natural physiques enriched their lives but didn’t make them heroes.

So, the one waiting with a blade for her and her child in Actor’s words, was none other than Deucalion.

Of course, Deucalion would never do that. The thought of him tying her up, imprisoning her, waiting for the child conceived with another man to be born, using that child as a weapon to ultimately kill her, was unimaginable.

“Do you think Deucalion would one day kill this child?”

Since marrying Actor, Pherenike had hardly ever uttered Deucalion’s name in his presence. She pronounced the cherished name without any warmth.

At that name, a light flickered in Actor’s eyes.

“If he considers the child my child, he’d want to kill it; if he sees it as yours, he might grit his teeth but let it live.”

That light was desolate.

“He won’t kill the child.”

Actor said, even if the child had no relation to Pherenike, Deucalion wouldn’t end up killing it.

He would end up preserving the seed of misfortune.

“That’s just the kind of person he is.”

Because he liked what was righteous, what wasn’t underhanded. Because, at one time, he even considered his half-brother, positioned at the opposite pole from birth, as a brother.

“He’s different from me.”

For the first time, he spoke. Deucalion’s soul was too noble for someone born as the unloved son of Epicydes.

“Look at me, who took you away from him.”

But when their father, the king, decreed the death of one of his sons in the council, the ‘princely’ foundation that made up Deucalion collapsed. The king desired his death; he had known that well since he was very young.

However, the dishonorable death declared by the king in front of the public trampled on his life as a prince. A father who had wanted his son dead all his life; a life he had served for his father and king.

And Pherenike broke him once more.

At least, that’s what Actor believed, and it wasn’t far from the truth.

Deucalion told her it would be better to die, and Pherenike told him to live despite that. She imposed life on him. Just for her own sake.

“Yes, maybe, He still can’t harm anything of yours. It’s just that for his sake, someone else will be holding the knife.”

That was a valid thought too. There were many who would wield the knife on behalf of Deucalion.

To them, he was the beloved master, and she was the woman deserving death.

And the child in her womb would be beneficial to him only in death.

“Even if it’s not Deucalion, even if nobody could kill the small child in your stomach… anyone can give that little son of Pelagon a pain worse than death.”

“……”

“Just like how Father used another’s hand to do the same to Deucalion, his mother did the same to me… We suffer long pains because we don’t die easily. Pains that would have ended if we could just die, we feel for a long time because we don’t die.”

“….I know.”