Chapter 14. The happiest moment of my life
****
"Is there anything else, Princess?"
Matilda looked at me questioningly as I said nothing.
"No. However, for some reason, I'm afraid to let you go today, Matilda."
It's a shame that today would be the last time I saw her. Just thinking about it made the corners of my eyes heat up a little.
"Is it because of the wedding? I'm sure you'll be happy to get married.”
"I want you to be happy, too."
"Yes. I'm sure it will be just as the Princess wishes."
"Thank you. And I want to be alone tonight, so don't let anyone come into my room until tomorrow morning."
"I understand."
I nodded and dismissed Matilda. Good Matilda. She hadn't even taken the jewelry I'd given her. So I secretly sent the jewelry back to Matilda's home. She wouldn't realize it until after I left.
"Ha."
I breathed deeply, trying to chase away the tears that welled up in my eyes at the thought of parting with Matilda.
I had no time for sentimentality.
Soon, as darkness descended, I slipped quietly out of my room.
I put on the brown wig I'd prepared ahead of time and changed into a maid's outfit, so no one would recognize me.
With my fake identity card, I blended in with the throng of maids exiting the crown prince's palace.
The maids did not suspect me at first sight.
No wonder. I didn't recognize any of them.
They weren't really maids, but women my brother bought from outside the palace.
A couple times a month, my brother would sneak a woman from the entertainment district into the palace dressed as a maid.
My brother used to secretly engage in indecent acts with the women he bought here and there, acts that he could not do with his noble mistresses.
I didn't want to criticize my brother for his occasional debauchery with women.
I knew how difficult it was for him to live under the strictures of his position as crown prince and the many eyes on him.
I respected my brother's nightlife.
Thus he helped me in this way.
However, as I understand it, he would later have problems.
Shortly after Eddie's birth, several children claiming to be his illegitimate children appeared at the same time.
My father hated Eddie even more after what happened.
After all, an illegitimate man was my father's child.
The title of illegitimate child was something he hated.
"...."
Putting these useless thoughts to rest, I hurried to the inn I had secured near the Imperial Palace.
There, I had hidden a small package to take to the Remzi Empire.
When I left the inn, my appearance had changed again.
I was now a commoner, dressed in a plain dress and long robe.
I still wore my wig, but it was tucked deep into my hood, just in case.
My disguise didn't take me to the docks.
The ship to the Remzi Empire would leave tonight, at midnight, and I had a little time before midnight.
There was something I had to do before I left.
***
I was being held by the wrist by an older man with graying hair.
The burly man was a commoner doctor, renowned for his prenatal readings, especially of maternal veins.
The man could read from my wrist vein alone.
Only one in a hundred times did the man fail to read it, and the imperial court would occasionally call on him because of his skill.
I had paid a fortune to have an appointment with this man tonight.
Finally, the man's hand rested on my wrist, and his eyes narrowed.
I tensed and waited for the man's lips to part.
Henderson, my father, Helena, Gran..............., all of them were not on my mind right now.
All I could think about was my darling child, Eddie.
Ten minutes passed. The doctor’s pouty lips, which had been silent, opened.
"Congratulations. You have a child."
I believed I had him, of course, but I double-checked with the doctor.
"Are you sure? I'm actually having a baby?"
The doctor confirmed.
"Yes, congratulations again."
"Ha............thank you."
Eddie............my Eddie.
Are you really back by my side? This mommy is so happy to have you back.
I gingerly rubbed my hand over my belly, which wasn’t protruded in the slightest.
It shouldn't be possible, but I felt him in the womb.
I thanked the doctor again and again and left the clinic.
As I stepped onto the sidewalk, a tear that could have been there forever rolled down my cheek.
I didn't wipe it away, just stood there.
The crescent moon, making its debut in the night sky, looked beautiful.
This was the happiest moment of my life, knowing that Eddie had come back to me.
***
At the medical center where Riley had left, the lone man in that deserted room raised his hand. The next moment he was roughly peeling his face mask off.
That's when something amazing happened.
The wrinkled face that seemed to bear the hardships of life was ripped away, revealing a young, beautiful face underneath.
The gray-haired wig he was wearing was also removed, and the man was instantly transformed into a handsome man with a decadent appearance.
He was wearing a mask-like fake facial leather and a wig to hide his identity. His red lips curled as he looked toward the door Riley had left through.
"Riley, congratulations on having the same child."
The old man who had diagnosed Riley was the shaman she had hoped to find.
*****
As I neared the docks, the salty smell of the sea began to rise.
I hadn't really realized it until I had left the palace, but now that I was out in the sea air, it hit me.
"I'm really leaving this place.”
I stood on the dock and took one last look at the capital. Maybe this would be a view I’d never see again.
Soon after, I began searching for my ship.
The ships sailing to the Remzi Empire were quite large, so it wasn't hard to find them.
I briskly walked towards it. I had about half an hour before the ship was due to depart. I soon joined a long line of people in front of the ship's entrance, where they checked passengers' identities. I had already gotten new identities for other countries through the Guild.
Creating a new identity was only a matter of money. My turn came quickly. The two men guarding the ship's entrance caught my gaze. I didn't hunch my shoulders at their sharp stares.
“Show me your ID and boarding pass.”
I pulled out my ID and boarding pass, which I kept tucked away in my robe. The two sailor-looking men scrutinized the two items in my hand.
"You've been checked, please enter."
The sailor nodded at me, as if he didn't see anything suspicious. It was a smooth process. I had taken about two steps when I heard a commotion behind me.
"You've lost your ...... ID. We're sorry to hear about your situation, but we can't let you on board. Please turn around. "
I turned around and saw a young man carrying a large suitcase. The man seemed to be the second person to identify after me: he was wearing a loose-fitting shirt with large sleeves and comfortable-looking pants.
Despite his light clothing, the man's face was quite recognizable. He had blue hair that resembled the sea, white skin, a flat nose with no corners, and dark eyes. I naturally thought of Gran's dark eyes.
“Ah, I’m embarrassed. I’m sure it was there a little while ago…………….”
A confused look appeared on the face of the man who seemed to have lost his ID card.
"The person behind you is waiting. Step aside."
The sailor didn't seem to be inclined to look at the man.
I tried to stop watching. I felt bad for the man, but it was none of my business.
Just as I was about to look away, I made eye contact with the man.
Almost simultaneously, a welcoming smile appeared on the man's face. As if he saw someone he knew.
"Hey, honey. Help me."
......?
My brow furrowed at the creepy words.
Of course, my hood was pulled down, so my crumpled face wasn't visible.
I looked around to see if he was talking to someone else, but I didn't see any other women besides me.
Worst of all, the man's gaze was locked on me.
"I know you're turning away from me because of our fight yesterday, but...... We're still in love, you and I. We dreamed of getting rich in the Remzi Empire together."
I realized that I was speechless, which was how I felt right now.
He kept saying things to keep me from looking away.
"I'm sorry about yesterday, and it was my fault for sneaking carrots into your beef stew, even though I know you don't like them."
"...."
"I think carrots are really good for you. I wanted my honey to eat it, so I made it ......."
I could hear the people around me giggling at his ridiculous story.
The sailors guarding the doorway turned to me.
“Are you that man’s wife, or rather, his partner?”
****
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