"Don't tell me that you have already forgotten about her Regan? She's your childhood friend as well as your fiancé when you were still young." The Empress was innocently smiling at us. However, her nephew was glaring at her.

"I don't remember..."

"Oh my."

"There is no need to worry, Your Majesty. I can introduce myself again with His Grace."

The woman stood up and walked elegantly towards us, the sound of her footstep was light as a feather and it doesn't make a sound at all. She's so graceful like a swan in a moonlight lake...

"I am Czarina Lorelaine Burks, Count Burks' daughter." She said as she smiled brightly at my husband.

It may seem like the Empress is kind to everyone, but little did we all know that she's only kind to those who were important and beneficial to her. Just like Czarina, her family supported her to be the Empress and more importantly, her family is a vassal of the Duchy, so it is not impossible that the Empress is more in favor of Czarina than me, whose family supported the Grand Duchy of Astaseul.

Regan just looked at her with a frown on his face. It made me feel better but I feel uncomfortable that I can't stop trembling.

"My wife is not feeling well Your Majesty, we shall take our leave."

"If you will go, leave the child with us."

What a fox...

"No."

Regan immediately lifted Calix and he carried him with one arm, while the other one is supporting my waist.

"Even if you're my Aunt, I'm not tolerating such insult to my wife."

The Empress just stared at us with her her emotionless face, with that, Regan stared to walk and so I did too.

As we walk, I heard him sigh.

"I'm sorry for what happened... I didn't know that my Aunt would suddenly..."

"It's okay, I'm not bothered at all."

He stopped walking which made me stop as well and look at him.

"Then why're you trembling when that woman is in front of us?"

"Isn't that obvious? Of course I was nervous!"

"Nervous? Of what? She's just a woman?"

"Yes? A woman that your Aunt wanted you to marry!"

Is he ignorant or what? Of course it's obvious that his Aunt doesn't want me! After all that happened and now Derrick is here she still dares to humiliate me by bringing that snake in the Imperial Palace?

My anger just worsened when I heard him giggling.

"What!?"

"No nothing."

I rolled my eyes at him and I started to walk on my own, pushing his hands away.

"I'm sorry." He apologizes but still he's smiling.

"Wipe that smile on your face." I said as I glare at him. He zipped his mouth shut and he quietly walk beside me.

We just got here and now we're heading back suddenly. Well it's better this way anyway, I don't want to be in the same place as the Empress and that woman.

Although, it's strange that she's already here...

In the novel, Czarina showed up a year after Cressida's death, by that time, Derrick is already 7 years old.

So she's 8 and a half years early...?

Also, the way she looks at Regan, it was the eyes of someone in love... I understand that they used to be fiance, but their engagement was broken off when Regan entered the Academy to be a knight and went to war.

I'm not sure of the exact details...

"Calix?" A woman's voice say.

"Sister!"

The woman was none other than the First Princess of the Empire, Princess Calixia, Calix's biological sister.

"For what reason have you come? Your Graces?"

"The Empress invited us for a tea, but my wife was not in a good shape, we took pur leave earlier than expected."

"Is that so? I hope that you feel better soon, Duchess."

"Thank you for your kindness Your Highness."

Princess Calixia was holding Calix's hand when she turn to Regan and me alternately.

"Uhm, if it's alright if I spend time with my brother?" She asked.

Although I am reluctant to say no, I also know that Princess Calixia is a good person that won't do anything to endanger her younger brother's life. But still...

"Of course." It was Regan who responded. The young Princess' eyes widened and a smile plastered on her face.

"Did you hear that? I can spend time with you!"

"Yeah!"

The two of them looked so happy that it can melt anyone's heart watching this scene.

"Then if I may request that you two should go somewhere no once can recognize Calix."

"Yes, I understand."

Regan gently tugged the hem of my dress' sleeves.

"Let's go, I will sent Percival and the knights to protect them."

Even though we changed Calix's eye color using magic, he still have his original appearance, only his eyes and hair was changed. If the Princess recognized him, there is no doubt that someone could recognize him as well.

We went back in the Duchy, he carefully supported me when going out of the carriage. When we arrived at the entrance, I saw Zehin waiting for us just beside the staircase.

"A letter arrived Your Graces."

Regan teared the wax seal and read the letter. His eyes widened and he looked at me. "It's about the sponsorship..." he said. That's right! he sent out a letter in the temple and in the Imperial Palace.

"What does it say?"

I can't wait to have the two of them.

"They rejected it."

What? Rejected? Why?

"It says here that we need to wait for a few years before sponsoring a child, they said that we just recently adopted a kid from an orphanage, but they can't allow us to sponsor a child from the slums which are not recognized by the Empire and Temple."

The children in the orphanage were the children who was sold, the caretakers won't accept a children without money since they also need necessities to take of the children. However children in the slums were different. They are known as abandoned or a mistake, that is why both the Empire and the Temple can't accept them...

"That is ridiculous! I can't accept their idiotic perspective! How dare they determine someone whether they should not be recognize?!"

Because of my outburst, I stumbled when I felt dizzy all of a sudden. Thanks to Regan, he supported me so I could still stand.

"You should take a rest."

I can't, everything is changing, the family that will take the two girls might be moving now! Unexpected things are happening, is it because of me? Is it because there are things that changed because of my sudden changes?

Regan went to our bedroom and he gently lay me down. The moment my back touched the soft mattress, my eyes became drowsy all of a sudden.

"Sleep now wife..." He muttered in my ears.

"I don't care if the Temple and the Empire agrees or not, if it's something you want, I need to fulfill it..."

My eyes closed but I could still hear him.

"Kidnapping would be better than sponsoring after all..."

Unedited

July 22, 2022

LizzannaWrites