Chapter 52 - Helsarose

Duke Ravenhook’s expression froze. It always gave Achillios pleasure to see him like this. 

“Oh no, it seems like you didn’t know,” Achillios was enjoying himself. He knew that Duke Ravenhook didn’t know.

“It wasn’t an easy decision at all. She’s an adopted daughter so I didn’t think she would be qualified…”

“Apparently His Majesty liked her that much.”

“…”

While the two of them talked, the carriage entered the palace. Everyone turned in the same direction at the sound of the trumpet. The door of the carriage opened and Emperor Miltiades of Rahel emerged. 

“May light and glory shine on Rahel,” The nobles knelt down and bowed before him. Miltiades’s cape fluttered in the wind, and everyone was still. They believed he would step on the red carpet and walk towards the palace, but he looked back into the carriage. 

“Come down.”

“Okay!” 

Upon hearing the voice of a child, the nobles looked at one another in shock. ‘Who would sit in the same carriage as His Majesty?’ This was unheard of in the strict climate of the palace. The nobles were even more surprised when they saw an adorable child step out of the carriage.

“Oof!” The child had barely landed on the floor with the help of the knights when she immediately went to Miltiades, “Hold me!” 

The nobles’ eyes widened in amazement. ‘Another poor soul will perish today!’ They wanted to hold the child but they pitied her. They knew Miltiades would be infuriated at her. 

As they silently prayed for the child, a surprising thing happened. Miltiades, whom they thought would ignore or lash out at the child, picked her up wordlessly instead.

“…!” Was the world coming to an ending? The nobles rubbed their eyes and pinched their cheeks in disbelief. 

But it wasn’t a dream.

* * *

As soon as I got out of the carriage, all I saw was a huge flight of stairs. It looked just like a mountain to me, and there was no way I was climbing all those steps. I seriously thought that I would die if I tried. So I decided to ask my dad for help. 

“Hold me!” I opened my arms. Miltiades bent down to pick me up. It was exciting to be able to command the emperor to do something so trivial.

“How could this…” I heard people gasping and muttering amongst themselves. They were all shocked to see Miltiades holding me. I was proud of myself for choosing a powerful dad.

As if feeling their gaze, Miltiades looked at me. I looked back at him and he asked, “What?”

There was no way he could have missed the sense of shock and the muttering, but he looked at me like he couldn’t hear anything. I gave him a slight smile and he laughed. 

Ugh, he was breathtaking. I almost died from a heart attack. I clutched my chest and my breath stopped when Miltiades panicked, “Are you okay?”

“No, it’s hard to breathe…”

“Doctor!” At Miltiades’s command, Callian called for a doctor. Everyone was agitated by the sudden turn of events.

In the midst of this, Miltiades kept his eyes fixed on me. He was unlike himself—so unsure of everything. I thought he was adorable.

“Where does it hurt?”

“Um…” 

Miltiades looked like he was going to destroy everything around him. The atmosphere around him was heavy, and it was getting hard to breathe. 

“Haven’t you recovered yet?” 

“This is different. You need to give it back.”

“Give it back? What’re you talking about?”

“My heart!” 

Callian and the doctor, who were walking towards me, stopped in their tracks with their eyes wide in shock.  

I started to cry, “Daddy, you stole my heart. You have to take responsibility for it.” 

“…”

“How do you expect me to live without a heart?” 

I sniffled slightly. The doctor looked from me to Miltiades a few times. 

“Callian.”

“Yes, Your Majesty,” Not knowing how to react, Callian stayed silent.

Miltiades laid down an order, “Find a heart.” The emperor’s words shocked everyone, but Callian knelt down and said with a serious expression on his face, “I’ll find one at once.”