[IYFILWATIP] Chapter 15

Emma honestly wanted to delay dealing with this matter. She hoped to persuade Kirona over time. It would be even better if she could break up with that Francis boy in the meantime. But Kirona shook her head. 

“No. It has to be as soon as possible. The later it is, the less time I’ll be able to spend with the child.” 

“...Did Francis say that to you?” 

Emma finally couldn’t hold back and asked. Kirona frowned. 

“Don’t speak ill of him. It’s true that he helped me make the decision, but this is my decision.” 

Emma realised she had overstepped and closed her mouth. Kirona calmly explained, making it clear that it wasn’t a decision made on impulse. 

“I used to think there was nothing meaningful I could do. I believed that once I died, everything would lose its light. But a child is different.” 

“...” 

“A child can live on in a time where I no longer exist.” 

Kirona loved Francis. But she couldn’t tell him the truth. Kirona’s condition was an imperial secret that only her closest confidants, including Emma, knew. That fact pained Kirona. 

She wondered how Francis would live if she suddenly died one day. Would he wither away, missing her? Would the people who were jealous of him in the palace seize the chance to throw him out? Without her, he would be all alone. 

But what if there was a child? What if she made Francis the biological father of that child? 

Francis could continue to live in the palace even after Kirona’s death. He would live comfortably, without ever worrying about making a living. Although Francis had low status and no wealth or title, no one in the empire would dare mistreat the biological father of a child publicly acknowledged by the royal family. 

Above all, Kirona liked the idea of having a child. A child she would carry in her womb and bring into the world. 

It would be tangible proof that she had once existed in this world. 

--- 

Sixteen years old, again. 

Her youngest siblings were born. A girl and a boy. Twins. 

“Congratulations, Your Majesty.” 

Kirona knelt before the emperor outside the birthing chamber and paid her respects. The emperor turned away from her without a word. Both the emperor and Kirona understood the significance of the birth. 

The emperor had finally found a way to abandon Kirona. 

In the Empire of Mihadus, the royal family were also the vassals. To govern the empire divided into five regions, at least five members of the royal family were needed. 

And Kirona already had three younger siblings: Hasda, Asil, and Pine. With the two newly born, the number was now exactly five. Kirona’s place was completely filled. 

“...Your Highness, are you alright? You don’t look well today.” 

“I’m fine. I’m just a little tired.” 

“It’s not just tiredness; you don’t seem to be in a good mood.” 

“Why? How could I be in a bad mood? I’ve just gained two more siblings. Now I have five blood-related siblings. The more family, the better. We can support each other.” 

Francis wrapped an arm around Kirona’s shoulder and pulled her toward him. Kirona let herself be pulled, resting her head on his lap. The garden where roses bloomed was their frequent rendezvous spot. 

Picking up a petal that had fallen on Kirona’s forehead, Francis said, 

“...They can also be threats to each other. They’re competitors, after all. But you don’t need to worry. They’re just newborns. One of the two newly born twins will be pushed out of the succession. Besides, the emperor’s most beloved child is you, Your Highness.” 

“Francis!” 

Kirona was startled and covered his mouth. Francis lowered his voice. 

“Was that too presumptuous of me?” 

“In the palace, even the walls have ears.” 

“If it can make you smile, I’m willing to take that risk. Besides, I wasn’t wrong, was I?” 

Kirona smiled bitterly. Everything Francis said was wrong. It wasn’t the newborns who were pushed out of the succession; it was Kirona. The emperor didn’t cherish Kirona; he merely handled her with care, like a fragile glass ornament. 

“You...” 

“Yes, Your Highness?” 

“You don’t care who I am, do you?” 

Francis nodded without hesitation. Kirona sat up and hugged him. He stiffened for a moment, as if surprised, but he didn’t reject her embrace. 

Kirona recalled the meaning of the Dwayne flowers that Francis had given her. 

Love that transcends time. 

Time and space are the two pillars of the world. No being can move them. Love is no different. 

Even the strongest knight in the world cannot protect a lover who is far away, and no matter how great a wizard may be, they cannot turn back time to prevent their lover’s death. 

Yet that morning, on Kirona’s bedside, lay a flower that defied that solid truth. It was a humble and delicate flower, seemingly unfit to bear such a grand meaning. 

But Kirona clutched the bouquet to her chest. She buried her face in its faint fragrance and cried for a long time.