“The empire’s medical field is much more advanced than here, so there may be someone who can heal him.”
Rosena’s face hardened after hearing what the doctor said.
Certainly, as the doctor said, the empire was more advanced in the medical field and had a much larger number of doctors.
However, Rosena never thought of returning to the empire since settling here.
She vowed that if she had to die, she’d die here and be buried here.
Rosena looked at Illian, who was motionless.
He wasn’t a child born out of love.
It was a one-night mistake, and she hadn’t seen the father of the child since that day.
Nevertheless, Rosena never regretted having given birth to Illian.
The emotion of meeting Illian for the first time, and the joy and happiness that Illian had given her so far, had been priceless.
Illian is everything to Rosena.
Now she couldn’t live without Illian.
With a determined face, Rosena muttered without hesitation.
“…I’m going back to the empire.”
***
Preparations for her return to the empire went well.
Rosena was all set to leave just one day after declaring she’ll go to the empire.
“I wish you a safe return.”
Madam Elisa waved her handkerchief to see Rosena off.
Before boarding the ship, Rosena bowed her head deeply to express her gratitude.
If it had not been for her help, she would not have been able to return to the empire so soon.
On board the boat, Rosena looked down at Illian who was in her arms.
She felt terribly sorry for his white cheeks that were like a sheet of paper.
It was a month’s ride by boat, and she wondered if Illian could hold out until then.
Rosena held onto Illian even tighter and prayed.
‘Please don’t take Illian away from me.’
Soon after, the sound of departure rang out loudly.
As the ship moved forward across the current, the land of Astania gradually drifted away.
Maybe because of the golden sand reflected in the sun, it looked like a golden island.
Rosena, who was staring blankly at the beautiful kingdom, muttered.
“Can I come back?”
Rosena bit her lip as she watched the kingdom grow smaller.
Now it was starting to feel real, that they were going back to the empire.
Yesterday she didn’t even think an inch of it, as she thought she’d save Illian.
Rosena recalled the empire that was buried in her memory.
The count’s mansion where she was born and raised, her family who were always with her, and a spectacular social party….
Numerous memories passed by and at the end, Yerhan’s face came to mind.
“…….”
The moment she thought of him, her heart went numb.
The fever came as the pain poured in and Rosena took a deep breath.
By now Yerhan must have completely forgotten that day. It only happened overnight anyway.
And now that time has passed, maybe he was already married.
Since he was from the imperial family, he must have welcomed a lady from a good family….. and he must already have children.
There was bitterness on Rosena’s face.
She didn’t know why she felt so heavy when she was the one who ran away.
Little by little, Rosena stroked Illian’s head and closed her eyes.
***
About a month after leaving Astania, Rosena stepped safely on imperial land.
Illian still hasn’t woken up, but he hasn’t gotten any worse, either.
Rosena, who found a carriage from the harbor, headed to a nearby big city.
The best doctors would be gathered, and they would certainly know what Illian’s illness was.
The fast-moving carriage stopped at the gate to the big city.
There seemed to be a security check.
Rosena tucked her hat down. She didn’t put on much disguise when she entered the empire this time.
She didn’t have time for that, and she thought no one would remember her. Even more when she was in this disguise.
Soon after, the door opened with a gentle tap on the carriage.
“We’d like to do a check.”
The guards said, scanning lightly over Rosena, who was sitting down.
“Please take off your hat.”
Rosena, who hesitated, carefully took off her hat.
The red hair that’s been twisted rolled down her shoulders.
Red hair was not very common in the empire, so the guards widened their eyes.
“Lastly, let me check your ID.”
Rosena was unable to make a fake badge because she was rushing out of the kingdom.
She brought the Count Estarot family badge just in case, but if she held it out, she would be taken to the checkpoint immediately.
The count’s young lady, who has been missing for seven years, has appeared.
Rosena agonized and pulled out a small pouch and held it out to them.
“It’s small, but please accept it.”
The guards looked at each other’s faces and accepted the pouch.
When they opened the pouch, there was a lump of gold about the size of a finger.
The guards opened their mouths as if their jaws were falling out. Standing there, they coughed.
“Ehem. We’ve identified your identity, so please go in.”
Rosena lowered her head lightly and got back on the carriage.
She thought the empire was corrupt, but she didn’t expect a bribe would work.
Rosena looked out of the window with a bitter face.
This was a scene of the empire that she had so far only seen in her dreams.
Even after a lot of time, the landscape that hadn’t changed much welcomed Rosena.
Arriving in town, Rosena paid for the carriage and carried Illian on her back.
From now on, she was going to look for a doctor.
People glanced at a young woman who was carrying a child and wandering around.
Ignoring people’s gaze, she toured several local doctors.
Contrary to expectations, however, doctors shook their heads with perplexed faces.
At sunset, Rosena looked for another doctor with her last hope.
“I don’t know about this illness.”
Rosena dropped her head at the doctor’s answer.
She felt like she had been thrown into the depths of despair, losing even a ray of hope.
“Have you ever been to a doctor in the capital city?”
Rosena raised her head at the quiet voice of the doctor.
“Capital… city?”
“Yes, most prominent doctors are in the capital.”
“Ah.”
Rosena opened her lips slightly.
It certainly made sense. Much of the knowledge was bound to begin in the capital, and then flowed into the provinces.
It was clear that medical technology would have been developed further in the capital.
Rosena, who regained hope, clasped Illian’s cold hand.
If she could save Illian, she would happily walk there with a smile.
Rosena, who left the clinic, went to an inn.
She wanted to leave today, but it was very late and she was very tired.
Rosena laid Illian in bed and looked at him.
Illian hadn’t opened his eyes since a month ago.
Illian, who slept like death, only breathed out shallow breaths.
“I wish I could at least see the symptoms.”
Rosena, who was stroking Illian’s head, felt extremely hungry.
Then she remembered that she hadn’t eaten all day today.
Rosena, who was agonizing, lifted herself up. She thought it would be better to eat something to cheer up and move tomorrow.
When she came downstairs, the restaurant was crowded with customers who came to eat.
Rosena sat in a corner with her hat tucked in.
As she was waiting for food after ordering, the voices of those sitting next to her naturally came out.
“Did you hear that? The story of the third prince.”
“The third prince? The one who suffers from that madness?”
For the imperial people, the story of the imperial family was always a hot potato.
As they were loyal to the emperor, they were very interested in the story about them.
Especially since the status of the imperial family changed after the crown prince overthrew various monsters throughout the empire for several years.
The royal family was great and noble, they stole everyone’s respect.
But the imperial family was not perfect.
It was because of the third prince, called the imperial dirt.
She heard that the third prince, who joined the imperial family a few years ago, was trapped in the Imperial Castle due to madness and lived like a ghost.
When Rosena first heard rumors about the third prince, she wondered if he was Yerhan.
It was because he joined the royal family after he met Rosena.
But the rumors were so different from what Rosena knew.
Unlike the third prince, who was rumored to be ugly, Yerhan is the most beautiful man Rosena had ever seen.
Even if Yerhan is the third prince, it was a broken relationship anyway, and he would have forgotten her and moved on.
“I heard there was a man who saw the third prince in the middle of the capital.”
Rosena held her breath for no reason.
Every time she heard a story of the royal family, her shoulders shrank.
It wasn’t like only there were only one or two royal family members, but it was because she kept thinking of Yerhan.
“How did he know it was the third prince? There’s a lot of rumors and no one has seen his face properly.”
“There’s no way you can’t recognize that hair. And the knight around him called him Your Highness.”
“Well, that’s…”
The man who was listening to the story scratched his head. Then the person opposite him took a sip and murmured.
“Maybe he’s pretending to do something. No matter what the imperial’s disgrace does…..”
“Ssstt.”
The other person put his finger around his mouth.
The blabbering man realized that he was too loud and shut his mouth.
No matter how small the inn was, it was not good to gossip about the imperial family.
Even though the third prince is a disgrace to the imperial family, and even if he suffered from madness, he is ultimately part of the imperial family.
They looked around, wondering if anyone was listening.
But everyone seemed busy talking among themselves.
The two relieved and changed the subject of the conversation.
“By the way, I heard there’s a lot of knights in the capital these days, why is that?”
“I don’t know about that. Maybe they’re looking for a criminal of high treason.”
Rosena, who listened silently to the story, took their words into consideration.
With the knights wandering around, it didn’t seem good to stay in the capital for a long time.
She wanted to dress up as a man like she used to, but she thought it would be hard because she had Illian.
Either way, she won’t be very noticeable since they’ll look like a mother and a son.
Rosena suppressed her anxious mind for no reason.
She would be fine because she’d merely be staying for a while anyway.
Because everyone must have forgotten about her.
“The empire’s medical field is much more advanced than here, so there may be someone who can heal him.”
Rosena’s face hardened after hearing what the doctor said.
Certainly, as the doctor said, the empire was more advanced in the medical field and had a much larger number of doctors.
However, Rosena never thought of returning to the empire since settling here.
She vowed that if she had to die, she’d die here and be buried here.
Rosena looked at Illian, who was motionless.
He wasn’t a child born out of love.
It was a one-night mistake, and she hadn’t seen the father of the child since that day.
Nevertheless, Rosena never regretted having given birth to Illian.
The emotion of meeting Illian for the first time, and the joy and happiness that Illian had given her so far, had been priceless.
Illian is everything to Rosena.
Now she couldn’t live without Illian.
With a determined face, Rosena muttered without hesitation.
“…I’m going back to the empire.”
***
Preparations for her return to the empire went well.
Rosena was all set to leave just one day after declaring she’ll go to the empire.
“I wish you a safe return.”
Madam Elisa waved her handkerchief to see Rosena off.
Before boarding the ship, Rosena bowed her head deeply to express her gratitude.
If it had not been for her help, she would not have been able to return to the empire so soon.
On board the boat, Rosena looked down at Illian who was in her arms.
She felt terribly sorry for his white cheeks that were like a sheet of paper.
It was a month’s ride by boat, and she wondered if Illian could hold out until then.
Rosena held onto Illian even tighter and prayed.
‘Please don’t take Illian away from me.’
Soon after, the sound of departure rang out loudly.
As the ship moved forward across the current, the land of Astania gradually drifted away.
Maybe because of the golden sand reflected in the sun, it looked like a golden island.
Rosena, who was staring blankly at the beautiful kingdom, muttered.
“Can I come back?”
Rosena bit her lip as she watched the kingdom grow smaller.
Now it was starting to feel real, that they were going back to the empire.
Yesterday she didn’t even think an inch of it, as she thought she’d save Illian.
Rosena recalled the empire that was buried in her memory.
The count’s mansion where she was born and raised, her family who were always with her, and a spectacular social party….
Numerous memories passed by and at the end, Yerhan’s face came to mind.
“…….”
The moment she thought of him, her heart went numb.
The fever came as the pain poured in and Rosena took a deep breath.
By now Yerhan must have completely forgotten that day. It only happened overnight anyway.
And now that time has passed, maybe he was already married.
Since he was from the imperial family, he must have welcomed a lady from a good family….. and he must already have children.
There was bitterness on Rosena’s face.
She didn’t know why she felt so heavy when she was the one who ran away.
Little by little, Rosena stroked Illian’s head and closed her eyes.
***
About a month after leaving Astania, Rosena stepped safely on imperial land.
Illian still hasn’t woken up, but he hasn’t gotten any worse, either.
Rosena, who found a carriage from the harbor, headed to a nearby big city.
The best doctors would be gathered, and they would certainly know what Illian’s illness was.
The fast-moving carriage stopped at the gate to the big city.
There seemed to be a security check.
Rosena tucked her hat down. She didn’t put on much disguise when she entered the empire this time.
She didn’t have time for that, and she thought no one would remember her. Even more when she was in this disguise.
Soon after, the door opened with a gentle tap on the carriage.
“We’d like to do a check.”
The guards said, scanning lightly over Rosena, who was sitting down.
“Please take off your hat.”
Rosena, who hesitated, carefully took off her hat.
The red hair that’s been twisted rolled down her shoulders.
Red hair was not very common in the empire, so the guards widened their eyes.
“Lastly, let me check your ID.”
Rosena was unable to make a fake badge because she was rushing out of the kingdom.
She brought the Count Estarot family badge just in case, but if she held it out, she would be taken to the checkpoint immediately.
The count’s young lady, who has been missing for seven years, has appeared.
Rosena agonized and pulled out a small pouch and held it out to them.
“It’s small, but please accept it.”
The guards looked at each other’s faces and accepted the pouch.
When they opened the pouch, there was a lump of gold about the size of a finger.
The guards opened their mouths as if their jaws were falling out. Standing there, they coughed.
“Ehem. We’ve identified your identity, so please go in.”
Rosena lowered her head lightly and got back on the carriage.
She thought the empire was corrupt, but she didn’t expect a bribe would work.
Rosena looked out of the window with a bitter face.
This was a scene of the empire that she had so far only seen in her dreams.
Even after a lot of time, the landscape that hadn’t changed much welcomed Rosena.
Arriving in town, Rosena paid for the carriage and carried Illian on her back.
From now on, she was going to look for a doctor.
People glanced at a young woman who was carrying a child and wandering around.
Ignoring people’s gaze, she toured several local doctors.
Contrary to expectations, however, doctors shook their heads with perplexed faces.
At sunset, Rosena looked for another doctor with her last hope.
“I don’t know about this illness.”
Rosena dropped her head at the doctor’s answer.
She felt like she had been thrown into the depths of despair, losing even a ray of hope.
“Have you ever been to a doctor in the capital city?”
Rosena raised her head at the quiet voice of the doctor.
“Capital… city?”
“Yes, most prominent doctors are in the capital.”
“Ah.”
Rosena opened her lips slightly.
It certainly made sense. Much of the knowledge was bound to begin in the capital, and then flowed into the provinces.
It was clear that medical technology would have been developed further in the capital.
Rosena, who regained hope, clasped Illian’s cold hand.
If she could save Illian, she would happily walk there with a smile.
Rosena, who left the clinic, went to an inn.
She wanted to leave today, but it was very late and she was very tired.
Rosena laid Illian in bed and looked at him.
Illian hadn’t opened his eyes since a month ago.
Illian, who slept like death, only breathed out shallow breaths.
“I wish I could at least see the symptoms.”
Rosena, who was stroking Illian’s head, felt extremely hungry.
Then she remembered that she hadn’t eaten all day today.
Rosena, who was agonizing, lifted herself up. She thought it would be better to eat something to cheer up and move tomorrow.
When she came downstairs, the restaurant was crowded with customers who came to eat.
Rosena sat in a corner with her hat tucked in.
As she was waiting for food after ordering, the voices of those sitting next to her naturally came out.
“Did you hear that? The story of the third prince.”
“The third prince? The one who suffers from that madness?”
For the imperial people, the story of the imperial family was always a hot potato.
As they were loyal to the emperor, they were very interested in the story about them.
Especially since the status of the imperial family changed after the crown prince overthrew various monsters throughout the empire for several years.
The royal family was great and noble, they stole everyone’s respect.
But the imperial family was not perfect.
It was because of the third prince, called the imperial dirt.
She heard that the third prince, who joined the imperial family a few years ago, was trapped in the Imperial Castle due to madness and lived like a ghost.
When Rosena first heard rumors about the third prince, she wondered if he was Yerhan.
It was because he joined the royal family after he met Rosena.
But the rumors were so different from what Rosena knew.
Unlike the third prince, who was rumored to be ugly, Yerhan is the most beautiful man Rosena had ever seen.
Even if Yerhan is the third prince, it was a broken relationship anyway, and he would have forgotten her and moved on.
“I heard there was a man who saw the third prince in the middle of the capital.”
Rosena held her breath for no reason.
Every time she heard a story of the royal family, her shoulders shrank.
It wasn’t like only there were only one or two royal family members, but it was because she kept thinking of Yerhan.
“How did he know it was the third prince? There’s a lot of rumors and no one has seen his face properly.”
“There’s no way you can’t recognize that hair. And the knight around him called him Your Highness.”
“Well, that’s…”
The man who was listening to the story scratched his head. Then the person opposite him took a sip and murmured.
“Maybe he’s pretending to do something. No matter what the imperial’s disgrace does…..”
“Ssstt.”
The other person put his finger around his mouth.
The blabbering man realized that he was too loud and shut his mouth.
No matter how small the inn was, it was not good to gossip about the imperial family.
Even though the third prince is a disgrace to the imperial family, and even if he suffered from madness, he is ultimately part of the imperial family.
They looked around, wondering if anyone was listening.
But everyone seemed busy talking among themselves.
The two relieved and changed the subject of the conversation.
“By the way, I heard there’s a lot of knights in the capital these days, why is that?”
“I don’t know about that. Maybe they’re looking for a criminal of high treason.”
Rosena, who listened silently to the story, took their words into consideration.
With the knights wandering around, it didn’t seem good to stay in the capital for a long time.
She wanted to dress up as a man like she used to, but she thought it would be hard because she had Illian.
Either way, she won’t be very noticeable since they’ll look like a mother and a son.
Rosena suppressed her anxious mind for no reason.
She would be fine because she’d merely be staying for a while anyway.
Because everyone must have forgotten about her.
