Chapter 130

“You mean… it’s enough if I’m just by her side?”

 

Rahar asked with a dazed expression, taken aback by Hayden’s words.

 

“Yeah. Because Uncle has Baby’s power inside him, too.”

 

Hayden explained that by using his power of Absolution to revive the deceased Rahar, his power had naturally taken root within Rahar’s body.

 

“R-really…?”

 

As Rahar asked, looking completely oblivious, Hayden nodded and continued.

 

“Baby is part of God, so the life force flowing from Baby’s power is incredible.”

 

He explained that the infinite energy—which could even be called the aura of the Creator—was now flowing through Rahar, who had been brought back to life by the power of Absolution.

 

He added that just by being near Belona, Rahar could stabilize her fragile soul to some extent. At that, Rahar’s eyes instantly sparkled.

 

“Is that so…?”

 

“Yeah. So if you’re worried, Uncle, stay close to her.”

 

“I-it’s not exactly that I’m worried, it’s just…”

 

“Auntie Belona will feel more comfortable when she’s next to Uncle than at any other time, too.”

 

“Really?”

 

“Yeah. So if you’re worried, stay close.”

 

Having repeated the same thing twice, Hayden curled his lips into a smile and continued.

 

“Go be with her now. Auntie Roseanne and Uncle Tearen need to be together, too.”

 

At those words, Roseanne and Tearen’s eyes went wide in shock. Rahar let out a confused “Huh?” and looked back and forth between the two of them.

 

He then turned back to Hayden and asked.

 

“Why do Roseanne and Tearen need to be together?”

 

“That’s because…”

 

“H-Hayden! Aren’t you thirsty? Want something to drink? Should I have them bring something? Juice? Milk? Tea?”

 

A flustered Roseanne cut Hayden off and shot a quick glance at Rahar.

 

Hayden let out a short sigh at Roseanne and turned his head to speak to Rahar.

 

“Go, quickly. The sooner and the more you stay together, the faster Auntie Belona’s unstable soul will settle.”

 

“Ah, right! Then I should hurry.”

 

As Rahar scrambled to his feet and quickly disappeared from the drawing room, Hayden turned his head toward Tearen.

 

“Now Uncle Rahar won’t be a nuisance for a while. So, you have to make it public before he starts being annoying again.”

 

At Hayden’s meaningful remark, Tearen and Roseanne’s eyes widened simultaneously.

 

They were surprised by the difficult vocabulary coming from such a young child, but they were even more shocked by the fact that he knew their current situation so perfectly.

 

“M-make it public…”

 

Roseanne’s face turned red instantly, and her voice trailed off as she stole a glance at Tearen. Tearen, in turn, looked at Hayden and spoke.

 

“Would there be any side effects if we make it public right now? I want to prepare in advance so there isn’t a single obstacle in my relationship with Roseanne.”

 

Because Tearen asked with such a serious expression, Roseanne’s face flushed deep crimson once more.

 

She wondered how much Hayden could possibly know, but then again, since he was a fragment of a god and not a normal child, she thought perhaps he could even see into the future.

 

With that in mind, Roseanne looked at Hayden with a hint of expectation.

 

“That’s your problem, Uncle.”

 

However, the answer that came from Hayden’s mouth was completely different from what Roseanne had expected.

 

Hayden looked at Tearen with eyes that seemed like an adult’s and spoke as if scolding him.

 

“You have the habit of trying to reduce the risk no matter what, even before you experience it.”

 

At that, Tearen’s eyebrow arched slightly.

 

He did have a tendency to try and solve potential problems in advance.

 

But he didn’t think that was a bad thing… in fact, he considered it a virtue.

 

By preparing for everything, one could avoid the worst-case scenario in any situation.

 

Especially regarding his relationship with Roseanne, Tearen wanted there to be no friction whatsoever.

 

That was because Roseanne was fundamentally different from the women he had shared casual flings with in the past.

 

To Tearen, Roseanne was his first love—a sacred woman he felt he shouldn’t even dare to look at or touch.

 

When he found out his long-standing unrequited love wasn’t one-sided, he was filled with a joy that made him feel like he was flying, yet he felt pained with guilt for making Roseanne be the one to confess first.

 

Because of that, he wanted nothing to stand in their way, and that was why he was still hesitating to move forward, trying to calculate and prepare for every possible scenario.

 

Hayden pointed out Tearen’s frustrating trait in a single stroke.

 

“Auntie Roseanne doesn’t hate it. Adversity and hardship, as long as she’s with Uncle Tearen. Right?”

 

When Hayden finished and looked at Roseanne, she was dazed for a moment before nodding vigorously.

 

“O-of course! I can handle anything as long as I’m with Lord Tearen…!”

 

Roseanne cut herself off with an “Ah,” realizing she had been a bit too enthusiastic.

 

“Easier said than done. It will be painful if you truly find yourself in such a situation,” Tearen said with a bittersweet smile.

 

He mentioned that if her parents and brother all opposed their relationship at once, Roseanne would surely suffer, and that was what he was worried about.

 

“Of course, I do have a somewhat nasty personality that wants to ensure zero failure in everything…”

 

“Lord Tearen, you are not nasty at all!”

 

Roseanne shouted, cutting him off.

 

The moment her eyes met Tearen’s, her face turned bright red again.

 

“Yes. I’m glad if you think so, Roseanne.”

 

A tender smile settled on Tearen’s lips.

 

Wanting to hide her embarrassment, Roseanne picked up a cookie and offered it to Hayden.

 

Hayden looked at the cookie, shook his head, and said, “It’s not always good for things to just happen easily.”

 

As he went on to say that a certain amount of hardship strengthens the bond between a man and a woman—just like with his mom and dad—Roseanne asked him with a look of genuine curiosity.

 

“…Hayden, do you even know the meaning of words like ‘adversity’ or ‘strengthening bonds’?”

 

“Do I look like I don’t?”

 

“…”

 

“Baby is part of God, so Baby has all of God’s memories. I know exactly what kind of creatures humans are.”

 

Feeling that he was acting strangely mature and unlike the Hayden she knew, Roseanne’s expression turned subtle. Hayden simply shrugged his shoulders at her and looked back at Tearen.

 

“Don’t try to prepare for things that haven’t happened yet. Discuss and solve them together when they do happen. That’s the path for you and Auntie to stay happy.”

 

At those words, Tearen asked Hayden cautiously.

 

“Are you speaking from the perspective of a god…?”

 

Hayden stared at Tearen for a moment with black eyes that were the spitting image of Caldeon’s, then gave a single shake of his head and replied.

 

“I’m speaking as your nephew.”

 

 

***

 

 

Arriving at the Imperial Palace with Caldeon, Enria felt a sense of awe at the grandeur and nobility radiating from the entrance.

 

The Crown Prince, who was supposed to greet Caldeon first but was delayed by a sudden matter, sent word that he would arrive shortly. This allowed her to slowly take in the palace lobby.

 

The carvings on the walls and pillars looked as though master sculptors had poured their souls into them; they were incredibly intricate and detailed.

 

As she couldn’t take her eyes off the pillar carvings, Caldeon leaned down and whispered into her ear.

 

“If you like it, should I change the Grand Duchy’s castle to look like this?”

 

“What? No, no?”

 

“You were looking at it as if you were possessed. Exactly what do you like about it?”

 

Because Caldeon asked with an intensity that suggested he would tear down the walls if she said she liked them, Enria quickly shook her head and replied.

 

“It’s just an observation that ‘Oh, the palace looks like this.’ I have no desire to put these kinds of pillar carvings in the castle.”

 

“Oho, so you like the pillars?”

 

Caldeon’s gaze moved to the pillar Enria had been looking at, which featured a carved dragon.

 

“No. I mean, I like them, but I’m saying I don’t want to change the castle’s pillars to this!”

 

“Who was the pillar sculptor again?”

 

“Please listen to me, Lord Caldeon. I like the current interior of the castle the best.”

 

Enria spoke as she tugged on Caldeon’s arm, seeing that he wasn’t really listening to her.

 

“Have you been waiting long, Brother?”

 

Just then, the Crown Prince descended quickly from the circular staircase with his guards.

 

Caldeon and Enria naturally bowed their heads toward him.

 

Enria was confused by the title “Brother” coming from the Crown Prince, then blinked slowly as she noticed his appearance, which looked older than Caldeon’s.

 

“I heard you were very busy.”

 

Caldeon said that he would normally have discussed matters through a communication device, but since this was the most important thing to him, he had come in person.

 

The Crown Prince let out a pleasant, throaty laugh and motioned for them to head to the Emperor’s audience chamber.

 

“No matter how busy I am, how could I not have time to welcome you? I can guess roughly why you’ve come.”

 

As the Crown Prince spoke, he stole a glance at Enria, who instinctively bowed her head to him.

 

“I see why you’ve fallen for her. It’s a pleasure to meet you, future sister-in-law.”

 

When the Crown Prince joked and smiled at Enria, Caldeon urged him to stop throwing smiles at someone else’s woman and get to the audience chamber already.

 

Watching the two men, who were much closer than she had imagined, Enria recalled the original story.

 

Even in the original work, the Crown Prince and Caldeon had a very friendly relationship.

 

Of course, it was a relationship where the Crown Prince trusted Caldeon unconditionally, so there was a slight gap in their mutual feelings, but Caldeon also believed the Crown Prince was well-qualified to be the next Emperor.

 

‘In the end of the original story, the Crown Prince gave Roseanne a massive territory as a wedding gift when she married Caldeon.’

 

Enria’s heart raced as she realized those stories had now completely changed and she was about to become Caldeon’s wife.

 

And she couldn’t help but wonder if, like in the original story, the Crown Prince would give her a massive territory as a wedding gift.

 

She suddenly felt it was a silly thing to wonder about, but she couldn’t help her curiosity.