Chapter 97: Do You Love Me?

“…Gloria?”

At the sharp cry, Edelweiss instinctively opened her eyes.

Her broken consciousness, which had been fading in and out like a fractured breath, slowly returned.

It felt as though blood, scraped up from deep within her lungs, had filled her mouth with bitterness as it crawled down her throat.

As her eyes slowly regained focus, the outline of a golden chandelier came into view.

The beige dress she wore was stained with darkened blood, the color altered by its drying.

I must not have been unconscious for long.

At the edge of her heavy gaze was him.

Damian—he must have moved her from the hallway into the bedroom.

“Waah—!”

Gloria was crying from her crib.

Damian stared blankly into space, as if he couldn’t hear her at all. His expression was hollow, as though everything inside had collapsed.

Edelweiss exhaled a shallow breath and turned toward the cradle. Gloria’s uneven sobs grew louder, yet Damian didn’t move.

“…When did you wake up?”

As she slowly pushed herself upright, the deep blue in Damian’s eyes darkened.

“…Damian, Gloria… the baby is crying.”

Edelweiss cleared her hoarse voice. Despite the loud wails, Damian acted like he truly didn’t hear them.

“…Right.”

Only then did he walk, slowly, toward the crib.

The moment Gloria was in his arms, her crying grew even louder—not because she hated him, but from a sorrowful frustration: Why did you only now come to hold me?

A teardrop from Gloria fell on the bony back of his hand. But Damian, with a lifeless touch, simply picked her up and carried her over.

Without even soothing her, he laid Gloria down next to Edelweiss.

“Shhh, it’s okay. Lara.”

Edelweiss gently patted Gloria’s belly with a soft voice.

As if she recognized her mother’s tone, Gloria blinked her watery blue eyes, her crying slowly subsiding.

When Edelweiss carefully wiped away her tears, Gloria beamed brightly, as if she had never cried at all.

A small dimple had formed at the corner of her smiling lips.

“Your Highness once said it, didn’t you? That you hoped our child would have dimples.”

“……”

“Gloria has them—just like me.”

Damian showed no reaction, as if he were hearing someone else’s wish instead of his own.

“…The imperial physician came. He said, at best… she only has half a year left.”

So that was why he had been so withdrawn. The time left was short.

Half a year… I at least wanted to see Gloria walk, to hear her speak.

Would she wake again if she fell asleep once more?

That fear made Edelweiss bite down anxiously on her lips.

“You know it already. You are Gloria’s father. If you just look into her eyes, you’ll see—I’ve never been unfaithful. Gloria carries your blood. She’s your one and only daughter. She’s a fragile child that you must protect.”

“……”

“And also…”

She had to make sure Damian developed paternal love for Gloria.

But how could she help him see how lovable their child was?

Saying textbook lines wasn’t enough. Even as she spoke, she felt something was missing.

“…Once I’m gone, Gloria will have only you.”

“Edelweiss.”

Her name had never sounded so heavy.

She knew this was his silent warning to stop, but she couldn’t.

This was something he didn’t want to hear—so it had to be said.

“Promise me… even if she does something wrong and you scold her, you’ll still give her a place to run to, a father she can cling to… who’ll hold her in his arms.”

Damian took a deep breath.

A faint tremble passed over his tightly shut lips.

His eyes were distorted.

“Then what about me… when you’re gone, how do I go on living…?”

Damian spoke like a lost child, as though he truly had no idea.

He looked like an old man who had forgotten how to move forward.

“You still have Gloria. When she starts to walk, hold her hand. If she falls, hold her. Teach her to read… that’s enough.”

Though he didn’t respond, it felt as if she could hear his answer: Someone else can do all of that instead of me.

Father adores Gloria too, so he’ll take care of her. Anna will help her feel comfortable, look after her…

But Edelweiss had always been lonely.

The things only a parent could give—no one else ever could.

That thirst had led her into self-pity, made her stagnant.

And she didn’t want Gloria to be like that.

“If I die… will you hate Gloria?”

A hot, heavy emotion scraped through her chest and rose to her throat.

“Do you love me?”

His pupils widened, then trembled faintly. Edelweiss was certain.

He had come to love her—and because of that, he might not be able to love Gloria completely.

“Have you come to love me?”

“……”

“Then don’t. Don’t love me, Damian. Don’t do that.”

His lips trembled as he shut them.

The silence that followed was long and unbearably heavy.

“What… does love even mean? Have I come to love you? I don’t know.”

Damian muttered bitterly, filled with self-mockery.

It pained her—how he didn’t recognize his feelings, having never truly received love.

“…If it’s because of me… that you’ve come to hate others. If it makes you unable to hold someone you shouldn’t hate…”

Edelweiss gazed at Gloria, now asleep, her breathing soft and quiet.

“…Are you asking me to hold her?”

“……Your Highness.”

“One hour a day? Or… morning and evening? Will that be enough?”

He let out his voice with a sneer tugging at his lips. The cracked tone filled the air.

The corners of his lips, which had briefly risen, soon crumbled helplessly.

“…Fine. Then hold her like that.”

Edelweiss couldn’t ask anything more from Damian in his current state.

Before she could think of what else to say, an officer knocked and reported that the port of Schwetz had been attacked.

Normally, he would’ve gotten up right away, but he didn’t answer for a long time and only left the bedroom with sluggish steps.

Edelweiss called Anna and asked her to bring a quill and stationery.

Holding her trembling hand steady, she began writing a letter, imagining the age when Gloria would be able to read.

To Damian, she wrote a letter of transfer, granting him ownership of the lands held under her title as Marchioness of Blossomweaver, along with a delegation of assets that Gloria would inherit in the future.

***

The next morning, an imperial summons was issued. The chamberlain came directly to the Marchioness of Blossomweaver’s estate with orders from the Emperor to bring Gloria.

The officer relayed that Damian was still at the port of Schwetz.

With no choice, Edelweiss brought Gloria into the palace and was immediately escorted to the audience chamber.

“In answer to your summons, I greet His Majesty, the radiant sun of Rejenoel.”

“Grand Duchess of Lorendel. Hand over the imperial heir to me.”

“……”

“At once.”

Edelweiss was glad Gloria was asleep. She wouldn’t be startled when held by a stranger.

She stepped forward to where the Emperor stood and gently offered Gloria. The Emperor took Gloria into his arms and unwrapped her swaddling blanket. His gaze dropped to Gloria’s toes.

“She resembles the Empress. Anastasia had the same marks here.”

The Emperor’s eyes swelled with delight upon seeing the two small marks on the top of Gloria’s foot.