The duel with the Grand Duke has long been forgotten, now Regan's mood has improved a lot for some reason.

"Adoption? Why?"

I've been thinking of adopting the Saintess. Asrid and Asthe, I need to get them before the Barony of Verena does, because, in the novel, the Barony just adopted a daughter, which means one of them must've died.

"That is impossible wife, no matter how powerful a noble house is, there is a law in the empire that you could only adopt one child, if you want to adopt another child, you need to go through a lot of tests in the temple before they approve of the adoption."

Usually, noble houses adopt children if they couldn't have an heir, or if they intend to use children for personal purposes. To avoid slavery and abuse, the Temple and the Empire decided that noble could only adopt one child because usually noble families were the ones who get involved in such cases as human trafficking.

"But sponsoring a child is different too."

Nobles who are greedy for power love to sponsor children from the orphanage, though they only sponsor those who have a bright future ahead of them, like children who have magical powers. Those magical powers are the children's mana flowing in their bodies. They could never use powers like flame, water, or divine power because only noble like Regan himself could do that unless they were illegitimate children of the noble houses that has the ability to use magical powers.

"Adoption and Sponsoring are different, if they're children we can take them under our wing to watch on them."

"Let's do it!" I excitedly said, that's right! how could I adopt my son Calix's future bride.

Regan smiled at me. "Alright, I'll take care of it first thing in the morning." he kissed my forehead before adjusting my position on the bed.

"Rest now wife, I have a surprise for you tomorrow."

"What is it?"

"Secret."

I didn't bother to ask any further and I just closed my eyes.

"How stupid can you be?! You still haven't had your first night with the Duke?! How can you conceive a child then?!" a man that looked in his late 40's angrily said. In the room, there can be heard a woman's weeping voice.

"Father! I don't love that man! I love Kai! I don't want to do it! Please, father!"

The man was livid that he immediately slapped the woman. She cried loudly as she endured the abuse. Her hair was all over her face when the man grabbed a fist of her hair before making her face him.

"You idiot! This is all for the Grand Duke! If we successfully killed that bastard Bizeviron mongrell, we could be the new master of the Dukedom!"

Inside my head, there's a voice shouting... 'No! this is not for Kai! this is not for the man that I love! this is for yourself father! you selfish man!'

"I don't want---"

Before the woman could finish her sentence, the man she called her father slapped across the face again, red hand prints were already visible on the woman's cheeks.

"You're just so much like your naïve older sister for being a fool in love, a useless fool!"

*GASP*

I immediately woke up the moment the man's hand almost touch my face.

"It's... A dream?" I muttered to myself. It was so real to be a dream...

"Wife?"

I looked beside me and watched Regan as he rubs his eyes.

"Is there something wrong?" He asked but I just shook my head in respond. I leaned on his chest and closed my eyes.

"I can't sleep." I admitted.

"Why? It's still mid night, I am sure that you are supposed to wake up in 9am."

I could only sigh, my whole system woke up because of that scary dream. It's me and a man I don't know of...

But...

"Regan, does my father have dark brown hair and green eyes?"

"Hmm? Yes, Marquis Buscher has dark brown hair and green eyes similar to yours."

Then it wasn't a dream but a memory from the previous Cressida...

"I'm scared..."

I didn't mean to say it out loud, and now Regan heard it. He immediately wrapped his hands around me before sniffing my neck.

"Don't be, I'm here."

His assurance was all that I needed, that night when I closed my eyes again, I immediately fell asleep and I had a dream where I'm holding a baby while Derrick and Calix is playing beside me...

"Surprise!!"

It is Mrs. Guila...

Wait...

What?

"Mrs. Guila?! What are you doing here?!"

The kind elderly woman just laughed at her heart's content as she walks towards me and then she hugged me.

I missed her!

"Well, your husband came to us in the Vatican. He invited us to your birthday party but Aria was sick then so we cannot travel."

"Oh it's okay, now that you're here, that is all that matters to me."

"We won't be going anywhere, from this day onwards, my family will work under the Duke."

Eh?

It seems like she noticed my confused face that's why she giggled at my expression.

"You see, my family doesn't have that stable income, for my husband doesn't have a permanent job back in the Vatican. And I am only just a housewife. The Duke has prepared everything for us and even offered us a high income if we work here and take care of you."

My heart thumped in excitement as I look at Mrs. Guila and her family. Mr. Arya is smiling at me while the children is being shy. Arwen smiled at me awkwardly while the twins are hiding behind him.

"It's nice to see you again, Aria and Alana."

"Likewise, Your Grace."

Oh dear, their response is uncomfortable.

"Madam, a letter has arrived from the Imperial Palace." a maid informed with a tray containing the letter.

The letter is from the Empress, she's inviting me for a tea, and she also wanted me to bring Calix. Unconsciously, I looked at Regan. I know that both of us have the same thoughts of declining the invitation.

Bringing Calix in the Imperial ground is already a huge risk, we don't know who will he meet aside from the Empress and the First Princess, Calixia. What if the Emperor sees him? It is already known in the whole Empire how the Emperor dislikes his blood related family.

"We should decline it" said Regan. I frowned a t him, he knows that we can't. No matter how understanding the Empress is, she absolutely despise it if we're hiding Calix from her. Even if the Empress is my husband's family, I cannot trust her yet for she can disclose the information about Calix...

"Alright then, let's have Calix a makeover..."

I just sat still on the chair as I wait for the end of Calix's makeover. Surprisingly, Regan is also there with the maids, behind the paper wall that serves as the fitting area of the room.

"Gah! Too much!" I heard him complain.

"Your Grace, we know much about this, please leave this to us." one of the maid said, kicking out Regan. He returned to my side with displeasure on his face.

"They're making my son a complete clown..." he murmured.

I just sighed at him. Minutes later, the maids squeal, and then Calix went out. Nothing changed much except for his eyes that turned pale gold just like Regan's.

"Mom... I can't..."

I giggled at his facial expression, he looks so pale and awkward with his looks. Also his hair changed into pitch black, it doesn't look like his original ash hair with white highlights.

"Alright, let's go now and meet with the Empress..."

My eyes shook when my eyes landed on the unfamiliar woman that sat across the Empress. My arms tightened around Regan's arms and he noticed it.

"Wife?" Despite hearing his voice that called my name, my whole body just trembled uncontrollably.

"Oh you guys are already here, hurry and have a seat, I have someone I must introduce!" The woman with dark navy blue hair turn her head to us, revealing her innocent pastel celeste eyes. 

There's no mistaking it...

She's...

July 19, 2022

LizzannaWrites