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Chapter 53

He didn’t even look at it and responded moderately .

It was just a bird—who cared if it was duck or swan .

Instead of looking towards the lake, Rashid fixed his eyes on her face, as she continued to squeeze her eyes shut .

“Urgh… . . ”

She looked grief-stricken somewhat when she clutched her chest like she was in pain somewhere, but that wasn’t his problem . In fact, he thought this much of a reaction was better than when she had been doing her best to not even make eye contact with him .

If you asked why that was better, well… .

‘Because then I will find clues . ’

No other reason could possibly exist .

Rashid fiddled with his sword idly . He examined his surroundings, as if it wasn’t a person he was trying to cut down, but his own heart .

“… . ”

But no matter how much he looked around carefully, all he could see was the lake and the identical-looking birds .

Big and small—that was all that could be differentiated between the birds . Which was why the woman’s reaction was that much more incomprehensible .

Or, wait . What if .

“Your, Your Majesty!”

“……”

Along with her shrill call, Rashid burst out from behind the tree as if he had some kind of inkling about something .

With the resolution that he would definitely find out if that woman had a different reason she was so preoccupied for, he took long strides towards the lakeside .

“Your Majesty! Where are you going! Please stay here! You said you’d stay here, didn’t you?”

“… . Haa . ”

Despite the way Catherine held onto his arm, belatedly surprised, Rashid’s eyes found the baby swan anyway .

A bird, and at most a baby bird . That was all .

Other than the red ribbon she must’ve tied around its neck, he couldn’t find anything else special about it .

Looking at the bird he couldn’t even find worth sneering at, Rashid stopped in his path .

“… . . ”

But even still .

For some reason, it felt like that baby swan was also looking at him .

Because of the loud sound, all the birds floating on the lake inevitably turned their heads towards him, but that ungainly baby swan’s reaction was different .

Its alert eyes, like it was really staring at a person, seemed to rapidly shake before it sank right into the water .

“……”

What the; that wasn’t a doll .

The baby swan sank gurgling down so fruitlessly that it wasn’t even funny . He couldn’t help but make a bitter smile as he watched it go down .

He’d thought maybe it was somehow special, since that witch was supposedly keeping it .

Rashid couldn’t understand why she was so attached to a bird that, as young as it might be, couldn’t even swim properly that it ended up sinking .

As he’d expected .

He extended his hand out intending to tell her to look at that wretched sight clearly, and turned to look at Catherine by his side .

“If the Duchess has eyes to see, then she will know…”

“KYAAAAAAAAA!”

All of a sudden, her scream echoed out into the entire lake .

Move! After harshly throwing his offered hand away, Catherine ran for the lake .

“MY BAAABYYYYY!”

***

Oh my goodness, what do I do!

The moment I saw Haniel sinking right in front of my eyes, my entire world had snapped . I hoisted the ends of my dress that wrapped around me cumbersomely up to my knees .

“Move, everyone move!”

[Madam! Be careful!]

“My baby, where did my baby go!”

Even before I entered the water, my breath was short .

Selene, who waddle-ran up to me, tried to stand in my way perhaps to stop me, but I easily jumped over her . There was no way anyone who tried to stop me would be able to .

“Haah! My baby!”

She just sank into the water with a splash, you know! She didn’t even come back up!

The water that surrounded my knees coldly wrapped around my legs .

Where did you go!

I wouldn’t stop walking until I could see my child with my own eyes .

“Haa, haa!”

As a black swan, I hadn’t been able to feel the chill of the lake in wintertime, but it now penetrated my whole body . But if I had the ease of mind to feel this small amount of pain, I wouldn’t be a mother .

“That b*stard!”