"Y-Your Majesty!"
Aria noticed a female servant running in her direction. She recognized her as Izekiel's maid in the cold palace. The maid was panting when she reached her.
"What are you doing here? You can't get out of the cold palace, right?" she asked, puzzled by the maid's presence. How had she managed to slip past the guards unnoticed?
"Y-Your Majesty!" she cried, still catching her breath. "His Highness is ill! Every night, I can hear him screaming in pain. He keeps calling your name, Your Majesty! He needs you..."
Aria's eyes widened, and without hesitation, she rushed to see Izekiel.
"Your Majesty, you can't go there!" Cedrik called out to her, hastily following her.
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.
Inside Izekiel's room, a harrowing scream echoed, with his belongings strewn across the floor, broken glass scattered everywhere. "A-Aria!!!" he screamed in agony, clutching his head. "A-Aria... I need you! I'm scared!" he cried, his voice trembling as he sat on the floor.
"Your Majesty, you can't enter!" the guards' voices clamored from outside.
"Kiel!" Suddenly, the door swung open, and Aria rushed inside.
"A-Aria???" he stammered, disbelief in his tear-filled eyes.
"Kiel!" She reached him, cupping his face and looking at him with deep concern. "What happened?"
Slowly, he realized that it wasn't Aria but Kaye. "K-Kaye..."
"Yes, it's me," she confirmed, her heart aching for him. "So please, don't cry."
Izekiel clung to her tightly. "Kaye, please! I don't want to stay here. Every time I close my eyes, I hear voices, and they all want me dead. I even saw Gilmesh!" Fear gripped him.
Kaye's heart filled with pity for him. Izekiel was still her husband since they hadn't finalized their divorce. But he remained confined here, according to the law and Mikhail's orders.
"I badly want to take you away from here, but the emperor..." she trailed off, her head lowered.
Izekiel averted his gaze. "I know. He still hates me for what I've done."
"I'm sorry," she whispered, her voice heavy with regret.
"Will you stay for a while?" he asked, a glimmer of hope in his eyes.
She nodded and extended her hand to help him to his feet.
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"What did you say?" Mikhail looked at his knight after hearing the report.
"Her Majesty went to the cold palace to see the dethroned emperor," the knight repeated.
Mikhail snapped, breaking the pen he was holding and hurling it in the knight's direction. The pen stabbed the wall, leaving the knight visibly shaken.
"Tss. That bastard still won't give up," Mikhail muttered as he stood up. "I'm going to the cold palace."
The knights quickly fell into step behind him.
As he made his way, Mikhail encountered Aria. She bowed when she saw him. "Greetings, Your Majesty."
"Where have you been?" he asked, his tone stern.
Aria averted her gaze in another direction. "I have a feeling you already know where I've been."
His expression turned serious once more, and he grabbed her hand. "I told you before, no one can visit that bastard!"
"He's in pain, and I can't ignore him," she explained.
"That's why you're disobeying me?" he asked.
Aria glanced at the knights who were watching them.
"Tsk." Mikhail signaled for the knights to leave.
"You're hurting my hand, Your Majesty," she complained.
He released her hand and crossed his arms. "Why are you so stubborn?"
"He's still your brother. Why can't you forgive him?" she inquired.
"Father died because of him. Have you forgotten what that bastard did in the past?" he retorted.
"We all know he's not Gilmesh's accomplice. Gilmesh is the one who killed uncle. Izekiel was under the influence of drugs at the time and was being manipulated. If you would only listen to our explanation, you would understand," she urged. "Please don't be too hard on your brother and on yourself. I know you care for him too."
"Ha! I will never care for him. Whatever you say, I will never forgive that guy, even until my death," he declared, turning around and starting to walk away.
Aria sighed, knowing that Mikhail's heart was as unyielding as stone when it came to Izekiel.
"Let's head inside; it's getting darker now," Mikhail said, and Aria followed him.
Days had passed, and Aria was prohibited from visiting Izekiel. She felt a deep sense of sympathy for him but knew she couldn't disobey the imperial rules. As she walked down the hallway, she noticed the conspicuous absence of servants.
"Ced..." she called out.
"Yes, Your Majesty?" Cedrik responded with a nonchalant smile, appearing unruffled.
"Where are the servants?" she inquired.
"I have no idea, Your Majesty," Cedrik replied with a hint of avoidance in his demeanor.
She turned her gaze toward William, who averted his eyes, making it clear that he, too, was evading her question.
Continuing their walk, they eventually reached the garden. Aria's eyes widened as she spotted Mikhail standing on her favorite oak tree, holding a bouquet of flowers.
"Mikhail..." she whispered.
He smiled upon seeing her approaching.
"Where are the servants and the guards?" she asked as she walked toward him.
Mikhail kissed her hand. "They are all occupied." He presented the bouquet of flowers to her.
"Occupied with what?" she inquired, perplexed.
Instead of answering, Mikhail maintained his smile and knelt in front of her, taking her hand in his.
"Kaye, do you remember when I first discovered your true identity?" he asked.
"Y-Yes... You pointed your sword at me, threatening to kill me," she recalled with a scowl.
He chuckled. "You're right. Initially, I intended to amuse myself by using you. But as we spent more time together, I began to feel differently. I must admit that I became obsessed with you," he confessed. "Every time I saw your husbands touching and holding you, I wanted to break their hands. I believed you would never accept me because of what I had done to you. So, when you confessed your feelings to me, I was overjoyed. I love you deeply, Kaye." He took out a small box from his pocket. "I promised that if I ever married, it would be you, right?" With that, he opened the box, revealing a ring.
Tears welled up in Aria's eyes as she gazed at him.
"Kaye, you're the only woman I want as my wife. Will you marry me?" he asked.
"Yes!" she cried.
He smiled and gently slid the ring onto her finger. Aria was overwhelmed with happiness, tears streaming down her face as she admired the ring.
"I love you so much, Kaye. Let's build a happy family together," he declared.
"I will always love you, Mikhail, and I'm more than willing to spend the rest of my life with you," she replied.
They shared a heartfelt kiss, and at that moment, the servants and guards finally appeared, showering them with confetti and cheers. Aria's consorts watched with smiles on their faces.
"Finally, he found the courage," Xerxes commented.
"He's been bothering us for the past few days," Claudius added.
"Hmph," Rasheen scoffed.
Gawain chuckled as he observed the scene, while Maximilian simply smiled.
Cedrik and William exchanged glances and shared smiles. Ryu, who had been perched in a tree, also watched with a contented smile. They were all genuinely happy for Kaye and Mikhail.
.
.
....
Mikhail and Aria finally tied the knot, and two months later, Aria became pregnant with Mikhail's child. Months had passed, and now she was in the throes of giving birth.
"How's my wife?" Mikhail anxiously inquired while waiting outside Aria's room, his ears filled with her cries of pain during childbirth.
"Your Majesty, please try to remain calm. She will be alright," reassured the Head Butler.
Aria's consorts wore equally concerned expressions, as did William, Cedrik, Ryu, and Hachi.
Mikhail couldn't quell his worries; he paced back and forth, tormenting himself with thoughts of what might befall Aria during childbirth. "What if something happens to her because of me? I promise I won't let her go through this again," he agonized.
The room fell silent, and then they all heard the beautiful cry of a baby.
"Her Majesty has given birth to a healthy baby boy!" the doctor announced.
Mikhail swiftly opened the door to catch a glimpse of his wife and child.
"Mikhail..." Aria beamed, cradling their newborn.
Mikhail couldn't contain his joy as he laid eyes on his son. "Our child..."
She smiled and nodded.
"Would you like to hold him, Your Majesty?" the doctor inquired.
"May I?" Mikhail asked eagerly.
The doctor nodded, and Aria passed the baby to him. He was overwhelmed with happiness as he held their child. "I'm a father now..."
Mikhail tenderly kissed the baby's forehead. "Thank you," he expressed his gratitude to Aria.
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....
Many years had passed...
"Mom!!!"
Aria turned her attention to her children, who were running excitedly toward her. One year after giving birth to Mikhail's child, she became pregnant with her other consort's children. Since Mikhail didn't want to witness her suffering during childbirth again, Xerxes cast a spell that allowed her to become pregnant with and give birth to all of their children at once. As a result, she gave birth to quintuplets, with the help of Xerxes and Valentine to ensure her safety.
"Mom, what are you doing?" her daughter Charlotte asked. Charlotte was her child with Gawain, inheriting her eyes and Gawain's hair color. She was intelligent but somewhat shy.
Aria smiled and displayed her drawing. "I drew my babies."
"Wow, it's us!" Arash exclaimed, pointing to the drawing. Arash was her son with Rasheen, with her hair color and his father's eyes. He was known for his mischievous and stubborn nature.
"I looked handsome here, hehe," Arash added with a grin.
"Haha, handsome, you say, huh?" Beatrice teased him with a smirk. Beatrice, her daughter with Xerxes, had inherited both of their eye colors - red and gold - along with silver hair like her father's. She displayed a curious and inquisitive nature from an early age and was already practicing and using magic.
"What? Do you plan to pick a fight with me again?" Arash retorted.
Beatrice stuck her tongue out at him, further agitating her brother.
"You two, that's enough," Matias intervened. Matias, the crown prince and her son with Mikhail, greatly resembled his father with his raven hair and blood-colored eyes. He projected a strong aura, bravery, and a cold gaze for those who annoyed him. Despite his quiet demeanor, he cared deeply for his siblings and acted as the older brother.
Arash and Beatrice ceased their bickering upon hearing Matias's voice, displaying a profound respect for him and looking up to him. The younger siblings pledged to be of assistance to their older brother in the future.
"Matias, don't be too strict with your brother and sister," Aria advised, patting Matias's head.
"I was just trying to discipline them, Mother," Matias explained.
She smiled and affectionately pinched his cheeks.
"But Mom, why did you draw seven children? We are only six," Hendrik inquired while observing her drawing. Hendrik, her son with Claudius, had purple eyes like his father and an ombre hair color, transitioning from black to blond at the ends. He was composed like his father and had a close bond with Matias.
"That represents your older sibling," she clarified.
"We have an older sibling besides our big brother Matias?" Florian asked. Florian, her son with Maximilian, inherited both his father's hair and eye colors but possessed his mother's talent for the arts.
"Yes, but your older sibling is no longer with us. They are in heaven now," she explained with a hint of sadness in her eyes as she recounted the story of their older sibling.
Matias stared at his mother, recalling the rumors he had heard about the Empress being pregnant by the dethroned emperor. He could see the sadness in her eyes as she spoke of their older sibling.
"Oh, right, it's time for lunch. Let's head back inside and change your clothes. You're all sweating from playing," Aria suggested.
Her children happily followed her. Matias, however, stopped and gazed up at the sky.
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....
Aria carefully stashed her drawings in her vault and took a moment to look at herself in the mirror. She smiled, realizing that she was now leading a happy life in this world. "Mom, Dad, don't worry about me. I'm doing just fine here. I have a family that I hold dear."
As she prepared to step toward the door, an unexpected wave of dizziness washed over her. Alarmed, she gazed at her hands, and her eyes widened as they appeared to blur and lose focus.
"W-What's happening?" she stammered, her eyes darting to the mirror again, which she saw her body started to blur.
Fearing something strange was occurring, she closed her eyes and tried to calm herself. When she opened her eyes, everything had returned to normal. "W-What just happened?" Aria muttered, bewildered by the inexplicable momentary distortion.