Chapter 53
I looked up at him blankly. He brought over a chair, sat opposite me, and began unbuttoning his cuffs. I flinched slightly at the sight of the bloodstains on the back of his hand.
“I heard from Derek. You were curious about Gracion’s proposal methods. Derek was quite worried.”
“Worried that I might propose to you?”
“Exactly.”
He didn’t seem to think hiding the truth was necessary anymore. A hollow laugh escaped me.
“Why are you so shameless after deceiving me?”
“What a big lie that was. You’ve deceived me much more.”
Lakian smiled prettily.
“Besides, you look good with short hair. I enjoyed seeing different sides of you.”
“It sounds like you’re saying it’s nice to see before dying.”
“Did it?”
He burst into laughter. Rising from his seat, he headed to the bathroom. Listening to the sound of running water, I took a deep breath. My chest felt like it was going to explode. I needed to stay calm. I didn’t have many chances to persuade him.
A moment later, he returned with his sleeves rolled up to his forearms. Unlike before, his hands were clean. It was indeed someone else’s blood. Despite everything, I hated myself for feeling relieved.
“Whose blood was that?”
“Don’t you think it’s unfair?”
“What do you mean?”
“You always get to ask me questions. I never get proper answers from you. I had to find all the answers myself.”
“Did you resent that? Is that why you deceived me?”
“It’s hard to give proper answers without compensation.”
“It sounds like you’re asking for my body as payment.”
“If you offered, I’d be delighted. You know that. I’m crazy about your body.”
“Do you think this body is enough?”
I scoffed.
“I’ll tell you something more interesting. Like what I gave to Roman to save you. That should be worth the price of the truth, don’t you think?”
I looked directly into his blue eyes and said,
“A child.”
“…What?”
“The child that was inside me, ours.”
Lakian froze. He stared at me, utterly incredulous.
“You were carrying my child?”
“Does that matter?”
“What…?”
“Does that even matter to you?”
“Adela!”
He shouted, uncharacteristically losing his temper.
“I’m not in the mood to play games! Don’t dodge the question. Were you pregnant with my child? What happened to it? Did Roman harm our child? Is that what happened?”
I hesitated for a moment, trying to find the emotion I wanted in his face.
As my silence dragged on, he looked half-crazed.
From that, I could cling to a shred of hope.
“No, he didn’t harm our child. There was no child.”
“What do you mean?”
“Roman lied to me. He had the doctor falsely tell me I was pregnant.”
“Oh.”
He stared at me, as if trying to gauge the truth.
After a moment, he sighed and ran a hand over his face, speaking in a tired voice.
“I see. Should I feel relieved?”
“Weren’t you disappointed?”
“What do you mean?”
“I often dreamt about us being a normal couple, living a normal life. I’d bear your children, and you’d love them. Didn’t you?”
“It’s a nice dream. One that has nothing to do with me.”
“Why not?”
“Adela.”
“Maybe it’s already started.”
He frowned slightly.
“A few nights ago, when we spent the night together here. Neither of us used any protection.”
“You said you have trouble conceiving. Besides, conception doesn’t happen that easily.”
“You don’t understand anything about people.”
“What exactly are you trying to say?”
His sharp retort cut through the air. I grabbed his hand and placed it on my stomach. He flinched but didn’t pull away. Instead, he frowned and looked at me intently.
“I could be carrying your child. Sure, as you said, it’s not easy to conceive, so it’s likely nothing has happened yet. But why give up so soon? We have plenty of time.”
“Adela.”
“I don’t know exactly what you’re planning, but I do know one thing. You don’t intend to live with me, right? But I can’t accept your decision. Can’t you think about it just once more? Imagine how happy our future together could be, just once.”
He said nothing in response to my pleas, just stared at my belly. I waited anxiously for him to speak.
After a moment, he spoke in a slightly hoarse voice.
“A child, huh. Not a bad idea. Actually, I quite like it.”
“Right?”
“With a child, your kind heart would never allow you to follow me to death.”
“…What?”
“Actually, your hair. I used it to lure Roman. I displayed your hair in the square and told him to come to the temple alone in ten days if he wants to save Astel. Roman has no choice but to come. All the people of Schultz will pressure him to save you.”
He chuckled.
“I’m going to kill Roman, and then you’ll have to kill me, the mastermind behind it all. That way, you’ll be completely free from the damn chains of being the false Astel.”
Even as I heard his words, I couldn’t believe what he was saying.
“You want me to kill you?”
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