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Chapter 1
Prologue
“I’m truly relieved that you’re incapable of bearing my child.”
Evelyn doubted her own ears.
The words were far too rude and absurd to have come from her husband’s mouth.
Besides, this was hardly an appropriate moment for such a conversation.
Their marital bedroom was shrouded in deep darkness, like a curtain drawn over the night.
Their bodies were still burning with heat. Her husband was passionately indulging in her body.
“I’ve heard that carrying a child in your womb and bringing it into the world is far more grueling than anyone imagines.”
As his lips trailed along the delicate lines of her body, he lifted his head to gauge her reaction before pressing his body over hers.
“So you can’t imagine how relieved I am. You won’t have to suffer needlessly because of some noisy, troublesome thing that demands constant care.”
Evelyn’s heart sank.
At her husband’s words, it felt as though every drop of blood had drained from her body.
‘A… thing to bring into the world…?’
She consciously suppressed the instinctive urge to wrap her arms around her abdomen.
Her heart ached endlessly for the fragile life that had only just begun to grow within her.
‘But I can’t let him see what’s in my heart.’
Her husband was exceptionally perceptive.
‘If someone like him discovers that I’m pregnant, any chance of protecting this child will disappear.’
Resolving herself, instead of covering her stomach, she reached up and gently ran her fingers through her husband’s hair.
“You needn’t worry. Such a thing could never happen, even if the heavens split apart, Kallian. Only a woman who has received God’s revelation can conceive your child.”
The Orpheus family was the house that had played the greatest role in unifying the continent under the Kardian Empire.
Among its descendants, the offspring of those born bearing the Guardian’s Mark were said to be chosen by the gods themselves.
Therefore, unless one resorted to forbidden sorcery, she—who had received no divine oracle—could never conceive Kallian’s child.
No… she must not.
“Your expression doesn’t look very good.”
His low voice pulled Evelyn from her thoughts.
His large, rough hand cupped her flushed cheek.
The warmth and tenderness of his caress were enough to melt the fear that had frozen her heart.
“I wasn’t trying to upset you.”
With a handsome smile, he kissed the sweat-dampened places on her face before meeting her eyes.
“But I’ve heard that childbirth can leave a woman gravely ill… or even cost her life.”
His gentle voice softened the knot in her heart.
Even as her breath tightened, his arrogant tenderness made her want to lean on him.
It almost made her cry.
“I’m not angry,” she replied softly. “It’s just…”
Having closed her eyes to hide their redness, she opened them again as she felt his warm breath brush the back of her neck.
“I’m a little disappointed.”
Her fingertips slowly traced the flawless body of her husband, as perfect as a sculpture displayed in a holy temple.
“No matter how difficult it may be, every woman dreams of having the child of the husband she loves.”
The husband she loved.
The moment she uttered those noble and sacred words, her stomach twisted, leaving a bitter taste in her mouth, as though she had swallowed seawater.
It couldn’t be helped.
From the very beginning, theirs had never been a marriage born of love.
At least, not in this lifetime.
Evelyn had needed the immense power that could uncover the truth behind her miserable past, while Kallian had needed the healing power she possessed to ease the curse tormenting his family.
Falling so deeply in love with him had never been part of her plan.
‘Or perhaps… not loving him had been impossible from the very beginning.’
With a quiet sigh, she wrapped her arms around Kallian’s neck and gently pulled him closer.
As though answering her invitation, his lips brushed tenderly across hers.
Her lips, worn dry after their long lovemaking, became moist once more, like flower petals kissed by rain.
“Ah…”
Her lips parted with a faint sigh, and his tongue slipped inside.
It delved deep into her mouth, lingering as though determined to leave its mark, exploring every sensitive corner with relentless devotion.
“Mm…”
Her breathing grew heavier. The wet, intimate sounds of his tongue caressing hers echoed softly in her ears.
Unable to withstand the overwhelming emotions surging through her, Evelyn tightened her arms around his neck.
In response, he firmly embraced her waist.
Their bodies pressed tightly together without the slightest gap, and the lips that had been claiming hers gradually moved lower.
From her earlobe to the nape of her neck.
From the graceful line of her throat to her collarbone.
Past the curves of her chest and the hollow of her navel…
And lower still.
“Hah…”
Her lower abdomen tightened. Gripping the bedsheets to endure his lingering caresses, Evelyn released the breath she had been holding to her limit.
“Evelyn.”
He whispered her name.
His expression suggested there was something he wanted to say, yet he pressed his lips together without speaking.
That hesitation filled her with unease.
‘Something’s wrong…’
Was it because it had been so long since she’d last seen him?
Or because his face seemed unusually dark today?
Propping herself up on one elbow, Evelyn reached out with her free hand and gently stroked Kallian’s hollow cheek.
The smoothness of his skin and the strong line of his jaw felt warm beneath her palm.
Suppressing the anxiety welling inside her, she spoke calmly.
“Kal… there’s something you need to tell me, isn’t there?”
He nodded, his face hardening as though he could no longer keep it hidden.
As he finally revealed what was in his heart while meeting her gaze, he almost looked relieved.
“A divine oracle has been delivered.”
Then he spoke the name.
“Deborah. The Saint of the Empire.”
“Ah…”
A quiet sigh escaped Evelyn.
The moment she squeezed her eyes shut, a wave of dizziness swept over her.
She remembered a moment from the past—a moment after she had returned from the very brink of death.
…Once again, she thought:
Falling this deeply in love with him had never been part of her plan.
At least, not in this lifetime.
