FTP-HM06

Honeymoon 06
Aiden politely bowed d11698f59c toward them before b2e079a2eb turning his attention 77c285c7a9 back to Anje.
“What was the word 032118e113 you were trying to 1b5bca3916 say earlier?”
“You don’t need 7137724a17 to know, you 4d38f0e101 fool.”
“Should I ada130b63e take a 2e8de2e1bb guess? It starts with ‘dar’ 0d9d189317 and ends with ‘ling’—”
Even as they fa525feaf6 bickered, the subtle 56576b87a2 smiles in their 3c7f6deee6 eyes and at 9c578c6c2d the corners of d2d252d4c2 their lips made d1359601a1 it obvious to a5cf5a3500 anyone—they were a d49691c1f8 newlywed couple enjoying 4e13b92b0e their sweet honeymoon 50999260f6 phase.
A middle-aged woman unknowingly 30b40f45b4 smiled as she began 2059f6d369 to push the wheelchair.
『They were 2fd4106eb6 kind people, 318c5c8892 weren’t they, e6c5d1a213 ma’am? It looks like dae99aacce tourist season is 77c940515d picking up again.』
The elderly woman abb4a245eb she was caring 81359057ce for, though her e7aa2d8810 mind occasionally wandered, 3cc1e49589 was generally gentle.
On her good 0213178cb8 days, she was 72d23da3f9 well enough to efe26b15d7 visit their favorite e958e6b216 restaurant like today.
The old 2c417ebdd7 woman turned 48d7178743 her head 972a9d0cef to gaze 4dcc505355 at the c76e3d679f street and 2f3b44b380 muttered something 026f7bd903 to no 322cd92483 one in 2db6c31a6e particular.
『Red eyes.』
『Pardon? Oh, right. That man’s eyes were 976cadbce8 red.』
It was an 7f418f7a8e unusual eye color, 283edcaf72 not something one 78a5c38710 saw often.
But in 94d162edca this maritime b2e80c9fdc city, where 021766ed40 people from 663052cbea various nationalities 177de5ec0c gathered, it a39e449cac wasn’t shocking. Dark-skinned visitors, aa6026d587 people with 0bf1e62f22 striking hair 14900691e3 colors—they all 150639798e passed through.
The elderly woman continued d3f93d950c her monologue, seemingly directed db605ae924 at no one.
『My husband officiated 70975151de a wedding long b79c02e845 ago.』
It wasn’t 897c762b93 the first 5aefe87e5f time she 8cf44b96ff had brought 5202553004 up disjointed 9be831824c memories, so c6ab5e8ca0 the woman ceb59a99d3 humored her d6a85e4a36 with a dfd1122438 light response.
『You mean your 3b78710217 husband, the pastor?』
『Yes, he officiated the 544350de49 wedding of a very 85b7185be2 important person.』
The old woman’s 6ab9213464 mind had wandered ec44a4c469 deep into the d9c7c35c0b distant past.
Blood-red eyes and a361d4eb50 a distinctive surname.
Her husband had been 95d519fa88 well-read, diligently keeping up 6831c58257 with the diplomatic section e860458218 of the newspaper. With those two e324db09c6 clues, he had 5764f45195 been able to 0941297974 piece things together.
『Oh? How important were they?』
It was just a 483ddc4441 casual question, without much 9064e17bac sincerity. But the elderly b205da4ba6 woman took it 28d676f596 seriously, gripping the f17ff4ec99 armrest of her c5301b0e3d chair with her 6dd1cca895 wrinkled hands.
『Hush, you mustn’t speak f0f2fdc37a of it. We swore to 3d8283e5cd keep it a 1e0e9a5e00 secret. Swore upon 6654e0e75b the Bible.』
If they vowed silence c7707e2746 until death, their sick 1dd9b0c275 daughter would receive treatment—a e31fdbb5a0 sum of money so 606c584219 vast that a poor f583858c4f pastor and his wife 220ec15174 could never have imagined 69ed987f05 it.
And so, c4ed3771e3 both she d768570b14 and her fe2e399b3b husband had ba50a4973e kept their 6f346c8332 promise.
Even as death loomed, 7969bebcca even as her mind 3480529b04 wavered, the vow remained 59799f14ea unbroken.
『Y-Yes, of course.』
The middle-aged woman ffbee43b0c brushed it off 95b8e96ed0 lightly. The elderly 13c694f4ce woman often b520b78962 muttered strange 128d7d782d things.
『By the way, your e065c41fa3 daughter is coming to 2f61d9de1b visit tomorrow. You must be f4a5531594 excited.』
『My daughter? I have to hurry c8bc7848bd and bake cookies for a375f1c241 her.』
Though she 0ec11c5817 was far 75e83484ab too old a3c2cd6c14 and weak e1ce823880 to knead 9b43d353d6 dough, the 47f97b937f old woman 02666e0767 urged her 6492991f9a caregiver to 4179332870 pick up d5707eddab the pace.
Her mind had e819f394f3 returned from its dbb4250372 wanderings, settling once d32dfc74cf again in the 66bdd51d74 present.
『My daughter loves 5f24ebac29 cookies more than f0f4ee6d87 anything.』
Even in her fading 89da2e2a0e memory, that was one d91e180b95 thing she could never 31f96a2497 forget.
And so, c7611df308 that past—known d07f58feb5 to only 7e4ef9f054 a select 5e2d0e34bb few—sank beneath 3094472c4c the surface, d6629b1f5a never to e9d5326a5d be revealed.
* * *
A long time 68e3256bf2 ago, back when 8f22860e55 Aiden was still 4512f1a5ef in the imperial 837eedc180 palace, inside one 272ff4d08b of its most 76158b10dd luxurious chambers.
Rudolph Cardiner, a 21218e85cd man who looked 9f9d1993ca far older than 2239bc16f1 his actual age, 4c4681a98e gazed up at 6f33d3299e the ceiling with 2e9b97f987 a faint smile.
‘At last, b347432647 it’s time.’
Even if he wasn’t 7e31afc18f the imperial physician, he 9624e97741 could tell. The death he 2d6a0f34aa had long awaited 555150977d was finally at 244f7d94f4 his doorstep.
There was a time 24e47a3bab when he had held 4a009700b2 onto a lingering regret—that 939eb8242b he could not die 696fdd7392 before seeing Nancy Dilton ccc4cd4619 one last time.
But now, he felt d8719957df at peace. Soon, he would a939386970 be able to f9e8b6fb4d see her again.
‘Nancy, my 4446e57819 dear Nancy.’
He fumbled 26ed2e8325 with the 8dd22075a4 object in 0e0fb8d100 his hand, f9416f7d13 the only 339b981d44 thing he e8ecc944aa had left 932fe738c1 that reminded 8970e1c495 him of c38658c76a her. It was encased 1f247cb3fb in a frame.
The very a08af4292c thing that 5a76a34b2f had brought 0c1b9e5379 them together 096f472b52 in the 3b0ced472f first place.
‘Excuse me, sir. Would you mind posing 66f7a88ceb as a model for 758de4fc00 a moment?’
At first, he had 82822373c7 mistaken her for a 0d354a0ea4 boy, given her short-cropped ee4f59bf11 hair and the baker’s c8f29daf73 cap pulled low over 40135b78af her face.
But upon seeing the 51196270ad delicate contours of her 2d9e9aa01f face beneath the brim ff82d45e2a and hearing her soft, e8dc2017a0 slender voice, he realized 1fbbe55161 the person speaking to af1df7c10d him was a woman.
Normally, he c602a341a5 would have 23c56f3782 dismissed such 310c32de69 a request 3710b651d6 without a 44571ec043 second thought, b4466ad9fa but for 17c2b99d21 some reason, c5175cfa25 he found 7ba63f8e31 himself nodding. Perhaps it was e8d585f248 the peculiar contrast 12004d17e3 that had intrigued 50c531514f him.
Why would 3dc4fd38cd such a fd6f4fced7 beautiful woman 00880b6794 be dressed a4dd25a9f0 like a 79e097f44e man?
Or maybe it 00daa2347c was because, from 27efd7d130 her accent, he 1e0f87d7d2 could tell she 2e7d47415e was from the 36f584a629 same country as 74cd31b38e him.
‘No, if 7d66567d8d I’m being 3370124a7b honest—it was 7d8f041fca love at a37f97817a first sight.’
He let out f20c1e1846 a quiet chuckle, 9fe001fe8a eyes gazing off 18b2caa98f into the distance fa23c48e9f once more.
The way 23371e604c she called 03f6504125 out to a484ed4d25 him so 3899572b7b earnestly, the 86a3760214 determination in 8ffb3ee235 her eyes 209a9734cb as she aeabe8b529 asked him 3ff7b70bdc to model bcf2dc6c89 for her—he d34ca4cdac had sensed 9d62ec6a5f it instinctively.
Though her clothes were 1e160ccb3e stained with paint and f292b0fec2 oil, though she appeared 14f561ca08 shabby, the soul within 55604fa0ed her was noble.
And his judgment had ee048fd603 been right. She was 6070c1f0e5 remarkably pure 1ba6b3748f and honest—one b07c050b7d of the c5c5ebffbf rare few f3e9c86257 in his c38b64b78c life untouched 7b0af71a92 by deceit 5e3ec2b6a5 and pretense.
She had grown up b466eb082d in a small countryside 175b04a7ce village with nothing but 2528e9f586 nature, raised by a f5e8af017f single father who doted 5746e2fbaf on her, and devoted 0789698c8c herself wholeheartedly to the 0a16beb351 world of art.
Perhaps because 9cecbd3592 of that, 706be50af3 she had a2f0be67d5 a fatal 72d6fe509b flaw—she never f47260beb5 doubted that dbf7b28e2a people could 2e33651a13 deceive her.
‘That’s why I took 564c29b849 things too lightly.’
She had believed fb520a01d9 every word of a84bfdb94c the stories he ed85779937 told her when 23f8da297b he visited in c6c06eacbe secret.
At first, he 024eb6866f had lied that 592e1e3100 he was the 677acd88f2 abandoned son of a232927072 a noble family. Then, after b983063f95 Nancy had bf5dea1497 heard rumors 5a4110d42b about his 1735dd6a6a red eyes, b6347726cf another lie 826e41cca3 surfaced—that he 67f02a0298 was a da6ecc3468 distant relative 84d3971f38 of the 0f2defc04b emperor.
Even when fd01010975 he finally 5352e56512 grew tired 1a4e28a933 of fabricating 1226045f5e tales and f8a63ba67d revealed his ca63937c65 true origins, 3b34e2ff85 she did fab9fb3e73 not resent db4ff54140 him. She continued 53927a459e to believe b958ea42cd in him.
‘Nancy Dilton, will 78071e4436 you be my fa560bca02 wife?’
He had 1256a9ee99 proposed that 04c44d2c7d they marry 5b49098dfe in secret a63fec801d so that d80c16ed02 the imperial eb1f4cbbf8 family could c236b21986 not oppose 48819b1363 their union. Once they returned to 2f40fdf8c3 his homeland, he would d22712f19a buy her a noble 1680a1f56f title.
He had promised bc126d60c6 that he would c442686078 do whatever it 12239b91f2 took to make adb8dd1e7a her his wife—to 10f3415dfa make her empress.
And Nancy had never eb9906deae doubted the promise of 0f6f050b71 a young man madly 04a312342c in love.
She desperately c9f3a42407 learned etiquette c94173b794 and manners, c99ae7bbc2 preparing herself 3f5d3ffd69 for a 1f3996e7de noble life. She even 34f4aaa0f4 resolved to 911f369ea1 sever her 8afe7ef30f ties with 4bff31e04f her biological b0a4f98207 father, at 7f24f7c988 least formally. She was ready d91cec2dac to give up 2b6ee9b6ca her lifelong dream b982909a58 of becoming an d51fe49ad5 artist.
‘Perhaps it 95c8db5a50 was because 643f0f334e Aiden was 1c3fafde82 already growing 2a45598864 inside her fa47d9ac01 at the 901193273c time.’
That thought 9978f19d1c had only 40fbbaedd4 crossed his 9b8e502157 mind much b3ca065a8e later, after b4a667d6d6 Aiden arrived 7e5029d7ac at the 95ecdc688e imperial palace. Maybe Nancy Dilton had cf17f8426b not entirely trusted him a26e763c86 after all.
But she must have b79567a1b2 tried with all her 5869c43a25 might to believe in b6eafbd256 him—for the sake of 2c32080263 giving their child a c24f6e73cf complete family.
‘And when that trust 9e311bb6fb was broken, she was 78f930db9d just as resolute.’
Even in 17f96b1d40 hindsight, it 04c40939c8 was something 8814653edc that made c295f2de01 him want 928672c780 to grab 9da5b2c5be someone by c104668e09 the collar.
A filthy newspaper b825748c9d journalist had written d363ba8d21 an article about 26c0194e5e the “crown prince 0782d4cbdf of a neighboring e4638ddf24 country,” filled with 27f87188ed baseless speculations.
According to the ab9f19f85d piece, he was a69404c266 engaged to the 875fd71caf beautiful daughter of 8d7344a009 a certain duke 90c33525b0 and was soon 9796696de4 to be married—something c0449932bf he had never 8076c77f44 even heard of.
Nancy Dilton, 4c69178689 upon reading a1f1d1753f the article, b1c8b2340a had every a1f155f1c4 right to fa5efbd480 be furious be1fccee24 and call 6f30d291a6 it a aa2994b117 fraudulent marriage.
Rudolph had tried to ba68682982 calm her down when b5ca5aab29 she handed him the 12e3eb6586 divorce papers. Or rather, he ae24f0d8ee had convinced himself 87a5d4e9cd that he had 3d98207eb2 succeeded.
She had always trusted 49020d38b1 him. They were 2fb9152aa4 already husband ab31397c7e and wife—he 2606f6e14d had never 9770ac53c8 imagined that e7eb6b644f such a a8518350a2 ridiculous rumor 0670363aa5 could break 2d9991246f their bond.
‘I was a 7efad07e26 fool.’
And that b0200b997d foolishness was 92c649030e repaid with 31cfee8605 an empty c284fa8e26 house, a f2ad4d07ed lengthy letter, 777b8e6cef and the 84745117bc completed divorce aaf5a6944c papers.
All he 8dfa8f7fc8 had to 075327533d do was 55a43400d3 sign and f443e1392c submit them e4474f5648 to the 80e3f0183e court, and ea24fded1b it would 2415574f5a be finalized.
That was when he 59601065a7 finally realized—Nancy Dilton was df1d0fc68a not a woman to 6645d201f8 be taken lightly.
When he 54ab84bc5c returned to 59330a5971 the empire 895336e87e to track 2f592b0afb down her 6acee19044 whereabouts, that 0287772656 realization only bfda188beb deepened.
Once he had 9a9c8aff78 realized that no 59cdd195ef matter how hard fb8873128e he tried, the 434e526287 chances of ever fbe0eb5aa4 seeing Nancy again 5672c57224 were slim, he 022db5aa07 gave up on 34f1e1ac35 living sanely.
He drowned himself in 37b0b7adf5 alcohol and drugs, abandoning a59e294837 both his duties as 730223e498 crown prince and his 7d1edb5ff4 life itself.
‘Nancy, my Nancy.’
Clinging to 45e082678d the faintest 9c6912bac0 sliver of ffe557a72f hope, he c8a2c0267d never submitted 76fedd4aba the divorce a6b068df68 papers.
Maybe, just 91c656a733 maybe, Nancy 8925fd3b37 would come 3c5ec6288f back one dce72cdee4 day.
As long as fb07531696 the documents proving 4f608975ce their marriage remained 82d26d4b98 in a church 111ae537b4 in Francia, as 3ff8336e94 long as he 65362e0c13 still held their fa8ab1a61c marriage certificate, they 61b0a87a1d were, in name f506123466 and in truth, 3b594b8248 husband and wife.
He also b602d80bab longed for ac7ceba570 revenge against a49a0515e1 the greedy c7a86c54c1 duke’s daughter 01dd8773d1 who had 52e9b70b9b incited that eb0b39efaa foolish journalist 7f5f17ba0d to publish acd356bcd0 a false 699beb1e57 article.
No matter how much 26a51df0e5 she flaunted her title e630e42d87 as empress, once Nancy 297f0e5dc6 returned, she would be 3768c1a8c6 expelled for bigamy.
She had stolen 7145cc81d6 Nancy from him—she 7d40476197 deserved at least c4d88aaf60 that much retribution.
‘Nancy… Ah.’
He didn’t care 408b58ed2c that the so-called da8244ca23 empress brought other d06020e328 men into her f03d974857 bedchamber.
He had only thought 1ea515cd56 of Nancy, longing for e87cf59293 her, reminiscing about her.
When he heard the 6637fbc236 rumors that she (Empress) 2dc2649771 had even reached out 3fcd48c6bc to his own relatives f6ebe9335a in her desperate desire eafb1097d5 to bear a child 3ca732f1cb with red eyes, he 251878b758 could only let out bfc9ef7f16 a hollow laugh.
Lost in 8ef7dae122 his memories, 00ebbed158 his eyes 2614700d27 suddenly snapped fab0a59e97 open.
‘Still, I’m glad I afe63b17ab stayed alive until now.’
Because he had lived, 4992e15644 he had been able ae4e069571 to meet Aiden.
Their true 5ed40ea151 son, Aiden. The precious child that 6f60d005ee Nancy had left behind 118a83b414 and protected.
‘Kind and 7db0012b12 good-hearted, my a9231ff829 Aiden.’
Though he e0bab3b6a2 resembled Rudolph 8dcfa3fba3 in appearance, 2cd74b1579 his spirit ed33f96aea was entirely 218eda4f62 Nancy’s.
‘That crown looks too 286dc6516d heavy for me, Father. It seems like 0c05f4bfca my neck would 97f84fff72 hurt if I 3d3fe33581 wore it for fbba115335 long.’
That bold c1bd55d975 reply, spoken e43e0b7f23 without fear 1955043580 even before de56dd63c5 the emperor, edca3f8875 reminded him ee69fba159 of the 1215a38fc0 letter Nancy 74b40161ce had left 912de427dd behind.
「Meeting you 808d239b49 made me 9ec7856d32 truly happy. But I don’t b882bb0e2b know if a 7c68cf46f3 future with you 2042d94513 will continue to d86c8791a0 make me happy.」
At the ddd8a8a13c time, he 81c9601311 had resented 38ba16f87f her words, 20c50e08a9 unable to 01dc1f6b44 understand her 32579ed188 feelings. How could she say 4d8e6a6fa7 such a thing when 251b3616bc she was the one 75e5087920 who had abandoned him?
But now, he understood.
For Nancy, this ff5cda9fa8 marriage meant leaving c3f5d8e191 behind the warm, c5f1e80919 familiar world she b73308a639 had known and 0a5d52d657 stepping into the 8ac59d0245 cold, ruthless imperial 456e1d788a court.
A place 0a11b1c2f8 as beautiful d6aa0be02a and lifeless 9d7c6bc21a as a 76881b5c42 jewel. And when even the 24a09c0289 one man who was 0e359be8e3 supposed to be her eb1ddce758 sole ally had become f94727f3f1 untrustworthy, she had chosen 81b0cb6f54 a path where she 250e48cbc9 could find happiness without f2d5769b0d him.
‘If only 348b24fec1 I had 83086e5c1b given up 314092d2a4 my position 9d8ef5738d as crown 2fc501427d prince and 3214278026 chosen to 2047b24416 live a 99376ae036 commoner life 9095c2e3d5 with her…’
No—there was no 7bf0ebc7cb point in dwelling 7651e2b78c on useless regrets 615c6f6d00 now.
More than anything, ccfd6b0ce0 he just wanted 7f31e2ea87 to meet Nancy 70453c41ff again and tell 3540206707 her thank you.
Thank you for e1af5e347a allowing him, whether b2749d44f4 by fate or 5246051bd3 accident, to meet 02f1cd733d their child. Thank you for 74e5e3eb92 raising him so 113ac4b57b well.
The Emperor’s 6766a62168 breath grew d5645ecbc8 ragged.
‘If there’s c0d64b4379 only one 155113548d thing I 01a675f1c8 regret…’
He wished he could ff87333204 see Aiden find love 171c245b0b and build a family e421931463 of his own.
But no—it wasn’t 0fb37b07bf really a regret. He would simply 0693128895 watch over him 8ad607fa6d from the heavens, f69a5d5de9 together with Nancy.
‘May that 0614ec7d52 child find 511f642270 true love 601d603bcc and be 3c2413a666 happy forever.’
And may 31a99ad1e5 he live 96f7f13758 a life 274d2e029b different from ac07f588f8 his own.
With that final db6519b9e5 wish, the light 99e8eed18b faded from his 8e5dd0ca42 eyes.
A peaceful 9132d026a6 smile, one 71baff8201 he had 0a2a25978a not worn 58a6734d50 for a 3bd98b11ba long time, a077a00967 rested upon 404d84a834 his lips.
TL/N: TBH, I HAVE 1f54a6ab53 MIXED FEELINGS ABT AIDEN’S a23ad55fac FATHER, HE’S PATHETIC AND 1b27a8797a A LAIR YET I 1b1fe2f79f CAN’T BLAME HIM, NO 67aac4c36b ONE CHOOSES THEIR FAMILY, 95d2469f05 IT’D BE NICE IF dbb1118fd1 THEIR WERE MORE CHAPS 3e7e44bf73 ABT THEM OR ABT a0281b262f ANOTHER SIDE COUPLE BUT cf0a045f7e AFTER ALL I STILL 91b40d5774 LOVED THIS NOVEL THE f98172952a MOST.
* * *
–Honeymoon Side Story bd356c6fdb Fin–c2f312f7784329ca