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Chapter 7: The World is Colorful (1)
As Bell’s body, completely drained of energy, went limp, Ethan swiftly caught her. “Bell!” “Uuhum……” “Your Majesty! Your Majesty!” Outside the collapsed ruins, the area was in an uproar with voices desperately calling for the Emperor. As the spirit exhausted its power and vanished, the magic binding the guards had also been lifted. “First, we need to feed the star’s child something to eat.” Argares flicked his finger. The debris of the collapsed building rose into the air in an instant and piled up neatly in one corner. As the entrance opened, those who had been pacing anxiously above poured down into the basement in a rush, collapsing like a wave. Aspe was mixed among them as well. “Your Grace! Did you finally rebel against the imperial family and smash the basement? Oh dear, you fool!” “Aspe!” “It’s a misunderstanding, Your Majesty! I have nothing to do with it. It’s all His Grace’s arbitrary……!” “Food!” “Yes!” Accurately and remarkably understanding Ethan’s short and intense single word, Aspe spun his body right around. “You two match so well when you die. A match made in heaven.” The Emperor’s cheerful evaluation followed.
Flash. In the complete and absolute darkness, a pair of lights flickered. [What is this?] The disaster, which had been sleeping while swallowing even light, opened its eyes for the very first time. What this small change meant was clear. [Found it.][I found the star that couldn’t be killed.][The disaster is resonating.] Several human figures muttered in the darkness. The voices of the shadows, each muttering what they had to say, eventually merged into one. [Inform Him immediately.]
The commotion in the basement was concluded as a result of the dragon’s berserking, with Duke Ice playing a heroic role once again. It was a measure to hide Bell’s identity right away. And… “Oh my.” The gazes of Ethan, the Emperor, and the purified dragon Argares, who had all taken seats at the dining table, were locked onto a single place. Nodding off, nodding off. A head as large as her own torso kept trying to droop toward the floor over and over again. Unable to withstand her drowsiness, Bell bobbed her head off to sleep, snapped herself awake, and repeatedly concentrated on chewing the food inside her mouth. “Stop eating.” Unable to watch any longer, Ethan tried to snatch the fork from Bell’s hand. “Nooo.” Bell refused, her lips poking out in a pout. Just why was a mere two-year-old’s grip strength this strong? “You’re sleepy right now. Just sleep.” “Noooo.” “I’ll give you more after you wake up, okay?” “Nooooo.” Bell shook her head back and forth. “I’m going crazy.” Ethan tore at his own hair. Enjoying that spectacle, the Emperor maliciously added a word. “This is the joy of raising a child that I talked about, Duke.” “It feels more like rage than joy.” Gritting his teeth, Ethan growled while suppressing his fury. However, to the eyes of the Emperor, who had been born and raised alongside him like a brother, it was simply entertaining. “Speak honestly. Didn’t you plot this just to make my blood boil and kill me?” “Not at all.” “Tsk.” Watching Ethan’s behavior, the dragon clicked his tongue. “This is the first time I’ve seen a human who is so bad at looking after a child.” He gently picked up Bell, who was stubbornly clutching her fork. After resting her head against his shoulder and gently patting her back, the child fell soundly asleep in an instant. The dragon carefully pulled the fork out of the child’s grasp and placed it on the dining table. As if on cue, the dining room grew quiet. “What are you going to do now?” “……About what?” Ethan’s voice was so soft that it felt like it wasn’t his own. The small, cautious, and low voice betrayed the fact that he was caring for the child. “Those who live in the dark night will target the child’s life, won’t they?” “Are you saying I should even put her up for adoption if I want to save her life?” Ethan deliberately retorted sharply. Ethan retraced the appearance of the orphanage he had meticulously inspected while pretending to be indifferent. A tiny building where small, round children the size of mashed bread dough lived crammed tightly together. An orphanage smelling of human warmth would undoubtedly vanish without a trace at a single raid by those guys. “It’s better for me to protect her.” “How about protecting the child in the Imperial Palace?” “I hate it.” Anticipating that such a proposal would come up, Ethan answered immediately. “It stands out too much.” Due to the previous Emperor couple, the previous Duke of Ice, and countless other key figures having died. The generation had changed without preparation, and they were still in a situation handling the aftermath. So much so that they even resurrected the Senate, which had once been the bane of the empire. “The moment she catches the eye of the Senate, Bell will be reduced to their tool.” The Senate was a group of the old established generation who had seized power during a period when political strife was active and the empire’s authority was in full bloom. They were skilled and cruel. I guarantee it; they would be poison to Bell. They would gently coax a child who knew nothing, instill ideologies in her, and try to use her to suit their own tastes.
“Don’t talk cowardly. You are the sole successor of the ducal house. Compared to the weight of power that will be placed in your hands, this kind of thing is nothing.”
Ethan couldn’t bear that situation of all things. Because he had experienced it most agonizingly. “She is already my child.” Drawing a short line, he tried to rise from his seat. “Stay here for just one day.” “What? Why.” However, the dragon blocked Ethan as he tried to leave his seat. “Because I want to show the child something.” “What.” “It probably wouldn’t have been visible to your eyes.” Muttering as if to himself, the dragon flicked his finger in the air. Then, the surroundings grew dim. “What is this……!” Ethan reacted sharply, gripping his dining knife like a weapon. However, he couldn’t bring himself to point it at the dragon holding Bell. “Calm down. It’s just magic.” Uttering it indifferently, the dragon looked at the darkened surroundings. “And watch closely.” An interior settled with hazy grayish fog. Faces covered in black. Everything his gaze touched was achromatic. “This is the world this child sees.” “……What?” Ethan’s pupils were stained with confusion. He tried to check the expressions of the Emperor and Aspe, but he couldn’t. That was because black smoke was plastered all over both men’s faces. “The disaster hasn’t completely receded. Contaminated ether is blanketing everything. This child has to live in a world like this until she purifies all of this ether. ” He couldn’t see anyone’s expression. He knew the voice that spoke to him affectionately, but he didn’t know its smile or warm gaze. The world was entirely black. There was no sunlight. The dragon flicked his finger once more. The fog covering the interior lifted, and the five-colored, brilliant world returned. Ethan only blinked blankly like a person waking up from a dream. “But today, she awakened her power for the first time and purified the contamination. At least within the imperial palace grounds, there is no contamination.” The dragon told him to show the child the colors of this world and then take her away. “A person, the world—that is colorful and pretty—the child needs to know that too.” “……Aspe.” “Yes, Your Grace.” “Go back first.” It was meant to briefly explain the situation to Celia, his wife, who would be waiting for him. Understanding his words, Aspe bowed politely to the emperor and withdrew.
The pleasant morning sunlight tickled Bell’s eyelids. Tossing and turning on the fluffy bed, Bell opened her eyes wide. “……? “Crumpled and tangled any which way, her hair poked out from beneath the blanket. Blink, blink. Bell blankly stared at the scenery coming into view before her. (Sparkling.) Before her eyes, things were colorful and sparkling. She didn’t know how this had happened. Bell looked down at her own two hands, then stroked the soft blanket once with her palm. (This is pink.) She raised her head again. The teddy bear doll placed nearby came into view. (This is wood-colored.) The colors the spirit had taught her came to mind one by one. The sky is blue. The clouds are white. Yellow resembles Bell’s hair, and red is vivid enough to hurt her eyes. At that moment, with a quiet rustle, the door opened and Ethan revealed his figure. Behind him, the Emperor and the dragon were together as well. “Are you awake?” Bell stared intently at their clear faces. “Little one, you’re awake. Aren’t you hungry?” Matching the affectionate tone, the corners of the Emperor’s eyes and mouth curved evenly. (A good face.) A smiling face. Bell’s tiny mouth slowly opened. Her eyes, widened wide in astonishment, swept back and forth across every direction without a break. Clear. The whole world is clear and clean. She could see people’s faces. “Baby star.” Realizing what Bell’s gaze meant, the dragon scooped the child up into his arms. “It’s thanks to you purifying the darkness.”
