My child 6

 Chapter 6. Have I returned to the past?

    ***

    Meanwhile, in the depths of the imperial palace, secret talks were taking place.

    The throne room was draped in colorful insignia, and a middle-aged man with long golden hair sat in the center of it.

    His arms were draped over the armrests of his golden chair, and he stared at the woman standing outside the veil.

    She was a sensual woman with luscious red hair.

    A dry sound escaped the man's lips.

    "After you revealed your relationship with Henderson, what was my daughter’s reaction?"

    "She was angry, I've never seen such a high-minded person so angry, and she even threw black tea in my face."

    A thin smile tugged at the corners of the woman's mouth as she answered.

    It was a smile that belied the fact that she had been persecuted.

    "Lady Riley must have been convinced that me and Duke Henderson were in love."

    A faint smile tugged at the corners of the man behind the curtain.

    "Ah. I suppose she had no choice but to believe it. I've kept the two apart for a year so she’d be suspicious of Henderson.”

    "Well done. You've done your part."

    "Yes, Your Majesty."

    It was Helena and the Emperor who spoke, and they had long been plotting a secret endeavor.

    Their ultimate goals were somewhat divergent.

    "So, Helena, what do you want......."

    The Emperor trailed off. He was hoping Helena would finish his sentence.

    Helena said what she wanted, as if it were a ready answer, as if it were something she should have pursued.

    "All I want is Duke Henderson."

    Their ultimate goals were somewhat similar. Helena wanted Henderson, and the Emperor wanted Riley to divorce the illegitimate Henderson.

    It didn't matter if Riley was hurt in the process or if Eddie was wronged.

    "A bastard son. I can't accept him as royalty, no way, and even considering the oracle, it would be better for my daughter to divorce Henderson.”

    The corners of the emperor's mouth twisted stubbornly.

    "See to it that it is finalized, and the Duke will be yours."

    "I can't wait for him to be mine."

    Helena had been fond of Henderson for a long time.

    Ever since he'd fallen for Riley, ever since he'd been ostracized from the Duchy.

    But Riley was the woman Henderson chose in the end.

    Helena hated Riley to the point of insanity, and she loathed their child, Eddie.

    Nevertheless, she kept her feelings tightly hidden and hovered around them, especially around Eddie, looking for the chance to kill him.

    To Henderson, she pretended to be his best friend and listened to his anguish at being persecuted by the Emperor.

    Helena even learned of Henderson's dealings with the Emperor.

    It was a deal Henderson had made with the Emperor in which he deliberately shunned his beloved Riley, a fact he would never tell her.

    Helena made her way to the Emperor, determined to help him.

    She also whispered a promise to Henderson whenever he was struggling, to dream only of a happy future.

    When she thought about it, she couldn't help but smile.

    "Between promises of a future."

    "Something you can't tell the Duchess."

    She thought of Riley, who would have been shocked by the unimportant words.

    Helena had already discovered that Riley had been spying on her and Henderson the night before.

    She was exaggerating on purpose because she knew Riley overheard her conversation with Henderson.

    "She didn't even question my confession that I was having an affair with Henderson.”

    Riley seemed to have bought into the exaggeration.

    "How pitiful and foolish.”

    The Emperor spoke the words that ended the conversation.

    "I suppose that depends on what she’ll do with it."

    "Yes, Your Majesty."

    "You may leave now."

    Helena bowed deeply, ending her private audience with the Emperor.

    Meanwhile, the Emperor, left alone, sat there for a while.

    He recalled what he had said to Henderson the other day.

    "One year. If, after a year of distance, Riley still loves the Duke...... then I'll make sure I’ll never bother you again. You can take that as a sign that I approve of you."

    Unfortunately for Henderson, his promise was a lie.

    The Emperor wanted Riley and Henderson's relationship to be thoroughly broken.

    His proposal to distance him from Riley for a year was the cornerstone of his wish.

    He planned to use Helena, who wanted Henderson, to break off their relationship once and for all.

    And the plan was nearing its end.

    ***

    I was having a long dream.

    In my dreams, events from my long-forgotten past came flooding back, like a panorama. A young me. A mountain of red fire filling a large room.

    I was a small child, trapped in a room full of flames, crying bitterly.

    I screamed at the top of my lungs for help, but no one found me.

    I was paralyzed with fear and despair.

    'I'm scared, I'm so scared. Anyone, please save me.’

    My throat was tingling from inhaling too much smoke.

    BANG!

    The door flew open with a loud, earth-shattering bang.

    It was a boy my age who walked through the door.

    He rushed toward me as if he wasn't afraid of the violent flames.

    He stepped in front of me and wrapped his arms around me.

    His fingers on my back were warmer than the flames, and he smelled cool against me.

    It was a nice scent, I thought, a counterpoint to the acrid smoke.

    I nuzzled the nape of his neck.

    "Don't worry. I'll save you."

    The boy's voice broke into pieces, echoing in my ears.

    "...!"

    When I woke up, the flames were gone, and the boy who had embraced me was gone.

    I opened my eyes, still gasping for air.

    The dream had a nostalgic quality to it.

    I had had the same dream off and on before.

    But every time I woke up, the sights I saw in the dream were blurred.

    Someone must have saved me, but I couldn't remember who it was.

    That forgotten memory was probably related to a fire in the Remzi Empire when I was ten years old.

    After being rescued from that fire, I was unconscious for nearly a month.

    When I woke up, I couldn't remember the day of the fire, or anything else that happened in the Remzi Empire.

    The trauma of being caught in the flames was too much.

    Forgotten memories would often appear in my dreams, hoping to remind me of something.

    "Don't worry. I'll save you."

    Should I remember the boy who told me that?

    Of course, I had pestered my parents to tell me more about the incident.

    But they just shook their heads.

    "It might be more painful to remember. Honey, it's better to forget the bad memories."

    I was persuaded by my parents to put the incident out of my mind.

    Maybe they were right, it was better to forget.

    Anyway, it wasn't the childhood accident or the recurring dream that mattered now.

    I raised my lying torso and ran a hand through my hair a couple of times.

    As I cleared my mind of dream-related thoughts, I recalled a series of events that had occurred before I fell asleep. Eddie's death.

    The disappointment I felt in Henderson for sleeping with Helena.

    Her dealings with the man.

    "I...... made it back safely to the past?"

    I looked around ruefully.

    ***

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