Navia gazed at her body with wide eyes.
It hurts so much. Like I'm going to die... it hurts so much...
The Duke had been in such pain all this time.
"It's fortunate."
That I can suffer in his stead.
Thanks to Black Moon, it was truly a blessing.
Thud!
"Ah..."
Lark embraced Navia.
Before closing her eyes, the child looked at him and smiled faintly and dimly.
As if to reassure him, a comforting smile, despite her body being split with cracks.
Woong-.
The silver ring on Lark's left ring finger revealed itself clearly. It was a symbol of his contract with Camilla and the magician.
His widened eyes fell upon the ring.
"You may not regret killing your family, but it torments you."
"Me, tormented?"
"Yeah. It looks like that. So now, use me as an excuse for not being able to kill your family. Blame it on me."
It's not normal to kill someone just because they annoy you, Lark.
You don't have to be like me.
Camilla pondered how he could become ordinary and said that.
Lark laughed dismissively and replied.
"What happens if I kill my family? Should I stake my life on it?"
"You're really extreme. You think I'd say that?"
"No..."
Lark's hands trembled.
Memories continued to erode his mind, making the truth crystal clear.
"Um, let's do this. If you kill your family, you cry bitterly. How about that? Scary enough?"
Then, a single tear rolled down his cheek.
What nonsense? This can't be a tear.
It's impossible.
Lark brushed his cheek in denial. His palm was wet.
"…Are you joking? I can't do such pitiful things."
"Alright. Then let's settle for a single tear."
No, it's not that
"…"
A weary voice leaked out, like a dying breath.
"Normally, when a family member dies, you cry, Lark."
Lark couldn't believe the situation.
When a family member dies, tears are supposed to flow.
But why are tears coming out? Why...?
"Why-!”
He wanted to deny it. No, he had to deny it. Otherwise, there was no other way to reverse this situation.
This child, this pitiful and lovely child, couldn't be his own daughter.
These tears had to be just from shock.
It had to be that way.
"Navia..."
The cruel cracks that had torn her pale skin began to fade.
Her eyelids were tightly closed.
There was no faint smile.
"Open your eyes."
Her chest wasn't rising and falling.
It was silent.
Terribly so.
"Hey kid, open your eyes. Hey?"
She can't be dead when she's still this warm. This was a dream. A hallucination.
I'm going crazy. That's why I should've taken less anesthesia. No, is it not the anesthesia? My mind must be broken.
"I'll play house with you, the way you like, so let's play."
Thump. Thud.
Tear marks spread on her neatly dressed white dress, perhaps worn in anticipation of today's dinner.
"Let's play, Navia."
So open your eyes.
That's how I can play with you.
Lark, trembling, held Navia's cheek and whispered desperately.
"Wake up. Please, just..."
I could do anything if she just woke up. I could give her everything she wanted, sacrificing all I had.
Navia was truly my daughter.
The only person who could bear my daughter was that woman.
That meant, my daughter had died 8 times.
Now, it was nine.
"No!"
Lark completely broke down.
"Say it's a lie, say it's not true."
Tears soaked his cheeks, blurring his vision.
Lark screamed, embracing Navia's body.
"Say it's a lie!"
She resembled me because she was my daughter.
Her silver hair resembled that woman, her red eyes resembled mine.
That's why the child was so beautiful and lovely.
Her personality had a mischievous streak but didn't resemble her mother. Her intelligence seemed to come from me.
She almost completely resembled her mother in appearance.
Yes. Resembling Camilla would make her more beautiful.
Even now, with such extraordinary beauty, she would be remarkable as she aged.
It wouldn't be me, but my daughter who would turn the capital upside down.
But the warmth in his arms was fading. Lark hurriedly embraced Navia tighter.
"Please! Please... please..."
We've just become a family.
We've only just become a family.
And it's all lost because of me.
Lark, on his knees, clung to Navia, howling like a beast. For the first time in his life, he was weeping so bitterly, in utter despair.
To say sorry, to ask for forgiveness, was a sin far too great for such gestures.
If she hadn't come to his domain, then maybe she wouldn't have died like this.
He prayed to his cursed deity.
"Please, save her."
I can do anything.
I don't even wish for eternal life.
Just please, save this child.
"Please, I'll do anything, just save her!"
But his merciless god was not one to grant such wishes.
Crash!
At Lark's desperate cry, Eseled's retainers entered the bedroom with surprised expressions.
"My lord! What's the matter!"
Their gazes landed on their lord, who sat crouched on the floor with his cloak spread out, and Navia, limp in his arms wearing a white dress.
"Miss!"
The atmosphere was unusually tense. Even on the day Camilla left, Lark had not fallen apart like this.
"What, what happened...?"
They were too afraid to ask any further, fearing a terrible answer.
An instinctual intuition that a dreadful response would come dominated their entire bodies. They became immersed in the pain and frustration that filled the bedroom.
Margaret covered her mouth in shock.
"Could it be..."
Minerva was already crying profusely, her face buried in her hands.
Charlotte sat down on the floor, as if her soul had left her.
Everyone had been excitedly preparing a banquet to announce the birth of a new family member today.
Suleiman slowly knelt on the floor.
Lark was inconsolably crying and begging, overwhelmed by the fact that he had killed a child.
Why? Why has this suddenly happened?
Just yesterday, he was soaked in such sweet happiness, so why now?
That's when it happened.
Flash-!
A bright light burst forth from Navia's body, intense enough to completely whiten everything around.
Blinded by the dazzling light, everyone tightly closed their eyes, then slowly lifted their eyelids.
The room returned to its original dark colors. Only a faint light was flowing from Navia's body.
Everyone looked at Lark, thinking he had cast some sort of magic.
But Lark, too, looked down at Navia with an expression of incomprehension.
"Navia."
He called the child's name with a voice drowned in tears.
Thump. Thump.
Slowly, the pulse returned. She exhaled small, quiet breaths.
That wasn’t all. The cheek, still faintly bruised from Theorban's hit, regained its pale glow.
The hand that bore scars was now white and clean.
All the wounds and scars on Navia's body were disappearing.
Lark realized that Navia had come back to life.
"Minerva!"
He sharply called out the name of the attending physician. Minerva hurried over, almost tripping, and examined Navia's condition.
"Her pulse is weak, but there are no other abnormalities. The young lady is just asleep."
Lark deeply sighed in relief and gently kissed the child's forehead.
He laid Navia down on his own bed. The white light surrounding her still had not faded.
Minerva, with the eyes of a doctor, continued to monitor Navia's condition with a sharp expression.
"Her condition is rapidly improving."
This white light must be the reason for Navia's recovery.
Lark, without taking his eyes off Navia for even a moment, commanded,
"Today's events must not leak outside."
Though there were no other people present besides them, Lark still felt the need to enforce this.
Magic could create fire, water, and wind, performing unreal feats, but there were certain areas it could never touch.
And that was healing.
Medical treatment is a domain exclusive to doctors. Only they could heal people through surgery or prescribing medication.
Originally, there were no wizards in the world who could harness the power of magic for healing.
If this power becomes known, Navia will surpass just swallowing Eseled; she could become a card that changes the game entirely.
Perhaps, the existence of this child alone could be enough to spark a world war.
Those gathered here were well aware of this fact, so they all knelt on one knee and responded with a solemn voice.
"We will obey your command."
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