Chapter 11:
Beloved
CLAUDIA WAS A PUREHEARTED MAN. A righteous, beautiful human being. Few people deemed him to be of unworthy character to carry Duralia on his shoulders as king. But the few who whispered tempting words in Yulan’s ear knew Claudia’s purity might be a liability; that was why they sought to make a pawn of Yulan, not Claudia.
If the government officials said his firstborn infant couldn’t take the throne, and commanded him to keep producing children until one had golden eyes, he’d surely explode in fiery rage. He’d do so as a loving husband and as somebody with compassion for his half brother Yulan, who’d been cast aside because of his golden eyes.
Claudia was unstained. That was painfully obvious if you spent any time with him. He’d been born innocent and raised in innocence. He would be a purehearted king, the king Duralia needed, and the kind his subjects wanted. Even the government elders, despite foreseeing difficulties due to Claudia’s purity, still didn’t want him to lose it. It was, after all, the kingdom that had raised him that way. So, logically, it followed that they’d accept Claudia’s son as he was. Yet if they were that flexible, Yulan would never have been cast aside.
“…So, that’s the gist,” Yulan said. “I’ll let you decide what to do about it.”
Milania heaved a sigh. “I guess the worst-case scenario I imagined came true.”
“It was actually the best-case scenario I imagined.”
“See, that’s what scares me about you, Yulan.”
“Well, the carefree nature that makes you call this a worst-case scenario gives me the creeps.”
Now that the party had ended in success, and their busy days were behind them for now, Milania sank into the sofa. But the news Yulan had brought him under the pretense of casual conversation weighed heavier upon Milania than any of the hardships he’d endured that day.
Claudia’s baby was a boy…but with purple eyes. Those were the two facts that had troubled Milania’s and Claudia’s minds for the past few months. Naturally, both believed that the newborn was worthy of love, whatever it looked like. Its sex or eye color didn’t matter. And in Claudia’s heart, he’d worshipped the beautiful violet eyes just like Rosette’s from the moment the prince was born.
But once reality melted his elation, he was confronted with the old delusion. Golden eyes. By now, those fanatical about the trait were likely in the minority, but the tie between golden eyes and the throne was still strong.
Naturally, neither Claudia nor Milania believed for a moment that a person without golden eyes couldn’t be king. But they knew all too well that deeming the prince’s eyes to be of no consequence would bring about tragedy.
“I don’t want to be king,” Yulan said. “Nor do I want to have a son and surrender him to the crown prince. If somebody has to do the dirty deed, let it be him.”
“Nobody’s going to force you to father a child or give him up. That would basically be human trafficking.”
“I know. I’ve experienced it firsthand.”
“…So you have.”
Once something like that had already been done, doing it again was significantly more viable. And Yulan himself had undergone such dealings. To outward appearances, he’d been brought up a healthy young man—in a way, he’d accidentally become a success story that supported a foolish approach tantamount to human sacrifice. Yet the fools who espoused that couldn’t even imagine the scars hidden beneath his glittering golden eyes.
“For now, I’ll let you handle this,” Yulan said. “Including what to tell Claudia. He’s free to respond however he wants, but if any harm comes to me and mine, I won’t go easy on him.”
“I know… Right now, if anything, he’s surprised that he received a deferment. A child of yours would be Violette’s child too, right? I wouldn’t be surprised if you destroyed such a proposal without debate.”
“…That could happen.”
When Milania hurled the innocent question at him, Yulan hadn’t avoided answering by complaining. All he could do was look away, which was just as baffling to him.
He was annoyed to find himself still being stepped on after all these years. Still, anger didn’t well up inside him—even though Yulan’s child would mean Violette’s child, and if it had golden eyes, they’d be forced to give it up.
Well, he took that indifference for granted at first, since he had no interest in children. Yet if it was Violette’s baby, carrying her genes, he couldn’t possibly assign it the same value as anyone else. A life that Violette nurtured; a life that Violette birthed by sharing hers. His own child, loved by Violette.
“Aha… Now I get it,” Yulan muttered.
“Hm?”
“Nothing. I just finished a long, huge job. I’m going back to my normal schedule.”
“Ah, yes, of course…I understand. You know, you could just take some time off.”
“I’m not taking any time off until this problem with the elders is resolved. There’s no telling what they might try to pull.”
“Understood. I’ll get you results as quickly as I can.”
“If you take too long, I’ll just wind up helping.”
“Seriously, please stop. That isn’t funny.”