< — The Beginning and the End — > (5)

“You already have a successor. Did Sir. Philip say that he was dissatisfied because Damian is unqualified to succeed the family? But even that doesn’t match up. I cannot have a son. There’s no way Sir. Philip doesn’t know that.”

Hugo could not conceal his bafflement. Lucia realized that she had thrown out a sharp question. He usually gave her the honest answer to whatever she asked. But this time, no matter how long she waited, he did not open his mouth.

She did not want to ask him questions that made it difficult for him. If it was something he couldn’t tell her, she didn’t intend to interrogate further.

Lucia might have retreated if this was before she was with a child. However, the strong feelings she got from the baby’s movement had not yet subsided. She felt wonder towards the life growing up within her and blossoming maternal love began to grow in her heart.

She couldn’t let issues related to her baby just pass by. Even though she felt that the core of the secret he wanted to hide was related to this issue, she had no choice but to be stubborn.

“You promised me, Hugh. You said you would think again about telling me your secret if I implored you.”

Her steady amber eyes were lit with stubbornness as she looked straight at him. Hugo let out a troubled sigh.

“If you just can’t tell me even after thinking about it again, I will follow your will. I just want to know if the reason you can’t tell me is because you’re worried about revealing your secret.”

“…it’s not something good to hear. For you. And for the child too.”

“I am fine. Our baby will be fine too. You boasted that there was no way your child was weak, didn’t you?”

Hugo gave a brief chuckle, mixed with a sigh.

“I can’t win against you.”

Hugo revealed all of the secrets that he knew to her. He told her everything, his family’s secret, the truth regarding the incestuous marriages, even Philip’s lies.

The only thing he excluded was the fact that his identity was the abandoned ‘Hue’. That fact was still a dragon’s reverse scale that he didn’t dare to touch.

“So Sir. Philip cannot escape from his nonsensical delusion.”

Lucia simply stated how she felt. Unlike what he was concerned about, she accepted his surprising story calmly.

“Hugh. Damian is my son. And he will be an older brother to our newborn child. I want to raise my two children as close brother and sister. I do not want to pass the Taran family’s secret to the children.”

“I am of the same thought.”

“Does this thing still worry you? Is that why you couldn’t tell me?”

“I didn’t tell you because…it was so disgusting.”

Seeing her husband go quiet again, Lucia sighed.

“…did you think I might look at you differently…?”

“…”

His lack of response was like an answer. Lucia wonder what she should do with this timid black lion.(1) She felt like crying because she felt sorry and he seemed so loveable. She raised herself up, wrapped her arms tightly around his neck and buried her face in his check.

Lucia wished love could be seen with the naked eyes. She wanted to open her heart and show him how much she loved him. How could she explain to him that even if he was hiding a dreadful secret, her love for him would not change?

“Actually, Hugh, I have a secret I have not been able to tell you too. Would you like to hear my story?”

Lucia opened the doors to the secret that she had been trying to bury her entire life. She began the story from the morning she woke up when she was 12 years old.

“…And like that, that terrible marriage life finally came to an end.”

Lucia stopped talking for a moment and glanced at him to check his expression.

“Why did you stop? Continue.”

“…you look very scary.”

His expression was dripping with murderous intent. His red eyes were so brightly sharp that for the first time, Lucia felt he was a little scary.

“Do you…think it’s too ridiculous so you’re unhappy?”

“It’s not that!”

Hugo breathed raggedly and swept up his hair in a rough manner.

Count Matin. He shouldn’t have killed that bastard so easily. It was beyond vexing. He gnashed his teeth, filled with indignation. To hear that she had lived as the wife of such trash and went through all sorts of hardship was so gut-wrenching.

Furthermore, when he thought about the King’s shameless mug, he was suddenly very irritated. The King was the chief instigator. Kwiz sold off his sister.

No. The biggest problem was the innocent woman before him.

“My wife, why are you like this, really? Why can’t you be filled with spite?”

“…Huh?”

“You had to go through all that. But. You only ask me to take measures so that that bastard can’t marry the princess?”

If he had known this, he would have given the bastard all the pain possible in the world and killed him in the most miserable way! The fact that the bastard was already dead infuriated him.

“…Hugh. Thank you for listening to me seriously. This isn’t something that happened in reality so…”

“If you remember it then it is no different from experiencing it. It is not just a simple dream to you, is it? It is an experience you lived through.”

“…Yes. Yes but…”

“If I knew then that bastard—!”

“He is already dead. What can one do to the dead?”

She thought that Count Matin had died in an accident and the fact the he couldn’t truthfully tell her that he had taken action and gotten rid of him, frustrated him even more.

“If you’re getting so worked up, I’ll stop the story here.”

Hugo breathed in a few times to calm himself down. He had to hear more. Although her story was unrealistic, he did not think it was absurd.

It strangely made things make sense. Whether it was her composure which was unsuitable for her age, or her shrewd ability to cope which was unlike a princess who had been locked up in the palace since childhood. Sometimes he had questions regarding her but just buried them, however, all those questions were being answers.

In addition, Hugo knew quite a lot about magical tools, thanks to his family’s secret room. Like his wife said, the pendant was very likely a magical tool, and such a bizarre ability was very possible for a magical tool.

The reason why most currently widely known magical tools were seen as nothing more than a toy, was because the humans in the present age did not have the ability to recognize magical tools with more functions than a toy.

“Continue, I will just listen.”

Lucia swallowed her laughter as she gazed at her husband who looked like he would explode if someone touched him. She was thankful for him for listening to her seriously and not assuming she was speaking nonsense. Rather, she was more concerned because he seemed too seriously immersed in her story.

Translator’s Corner:

1. If I recall correctly, black lion is the symbol of the Taran family. Please correct me if I’m wrong.

T/N: One last time, the hangul for:

[Hugo] is [휴고]

[Hugh] is [휴]

[Hue] is [히우]

The [Hugh] Lucia calls, is like a short form of Hugo. [Hue] is Hugo’s birth name. [Hugo] is his brother’s birth name. His brother died, he took his brother’s place as well as his brother’s name. Fin.

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