Chapter 1012 - Olivia (2/2)

“If I wanted to kill him, I could do it anywhere. I wouldn’t have to show up at your home at all.” Edith unraveled the cloth around the baby’s head and revealed his soft gray hair. “His Majesty needs him to appease the people. That’s all.”

Olivia was dumbfounded. She could not get what Edith meant. “Your ladyship, I still… don’t understand…”

“It’s not as complicated as you may think.” The Pearl of the Northern Region shrugged. “Have you ever heard about witches?”

…

After hearing the whole story, Olivia still spent a long time connecting the two together. She had never heard such an implausible plan! Roland Wimbledon was determined to marry a witch, so he decided to use Gerald’s son to quell the doubts of the public. She was not familiar with nobles’ way of doing things, but she instinctively felt something wrong in this arrangement.

She wondered, “As a king, does he really have to do this?”

She clenched her teeth and plucked up her courage before asking, “Your ladyship, forgive me for being bold. I can hardly believe this decision. Maybe His Majesty thinks that he needs the baby now, but what if he changes his mind in the future, Schelo will…”

“Schelo? Is it his name?” Edith raised her eyebrow. “It seems that you still don’t understand your current situation. It’s His Majesty’s command, you can’t disobey it. Now, you’ve only two choices. No.1, you can get a large sum of hush money for which you must leave the kingdom and never come back again. Or No.2, you can accompany him to Neverwinter, but you must hide your identity and claim to be a maid of a noble family.”

Tears were welling up in Olivia’s eyes. Granted her low status, she could never become a part of the royal family. “Who will take my place to take care of him?”

“Nobody,” replied Edith.

“What?” She promptly lifted her head in surprise. Her tears had yet to stop as they rolled down her cheeks.

“His Majesty isn’t that cruel. If you choose to stay with the baby, you just need to conceal the fact that you are his real mother. Apart from that, you don’t have to change anything. You can still look after him and watch him grow up. The noble family you served has already been eliminated by the church and Gerald’s widow entrusted the child to you. That will be your story.” Edith paused for a moment before adding, “In addition, the king has already spread this news to all regions of the kingdom. In two or three days, you’ll hear about it here in the Northern Region. If His Majesty really wanted you to die, why would he bother to tell this story to all his subjects?”

Does the Pearl of the Northern Region mean that… His Majesty did this just to assure me that we’ll be safe?

Olivia touched her chest and recalled the night she had been in despair and had come to Prince Roland asking for help. Back then, he had indeed helped her. She did not know whether he had some ulterior motive at the time, but she had to admit that if it had not been for Roland, she would have been beaten to death by the tavern owner a long time ago.

She took a deep breath and wiped the tears from her face. Her legs got numb after kneeling down for such a long time, but she still managed to control her body well enough to rise slowly from the ground. “Your ladyship, may I ask… Does this child have any chance to become a king?”

“No.” A meaningful look flickered in Edith’s eyes. “Before I set off, His Majesty exhorted me to tell you that you’d better not have any illusion of the throne. Otherwise, you’ll be very disappointed. Of course, this is just between us. Don’t breathe a word to anyone else.”

“No, your ladyship. I’ll never be disappointed, as long as my son can grow up safely. That’s my greatest wish,” said Olivia with difficulty. She got slower and slower, as if she had to exert all her strength to say each word. “But, bringing him to Neverwinter can’t solve all the problems. What if someday His Majesty changes his mind and decides to make his own child the legitimate heir to the throne. When that happens, my son will become a thorn in their flesh and won’t be able to survive!” She looked directly into Edith’s eyes and stressed each word with due strength. “I know I can’t change a thing, but if you can’t give me a reasonable explanation, please kill me right now!”

“Oh?” Edith squinted her eyes.

It was a bloodthirsty look.

In front of Edith, Olivia was as weak as a lamb.

But she still refused to back down. She stood tall before the Pearl of the Northern Region and said, “If you can’t, it means the things I’m worried about will happen sooner or later. I can’t set Gerald Wimbledon’s only son on such a path, your ladyship!”

Olivia did not want to take her child to Neverwinter while worrying that he would be executed a dozen years later. She did not like such long-term psychological tortures, nor did she want to make such a groundless decision by herself. Given her status, she did not expect Edith to give an answer. She believed that even if Edith did have an explanation, she would never tell it to a maid of humble origin. However, she still demanded an explanation from her since that was all she could do for now. She closed her eyes, waiting for a cold blade to cut her throat. I’m sorry, Gerald. I’m so sorry… my dear. I can’t change anything.

The baby suddenly woke up and cried. It was as if he felt the departure with his mother coming.

Olivia tried her best to stop herself from opening her eyes.

She was afraid that if she took a look at the baby again, she would hesitate.

After a long time, the blade still did not arrive.

Edith chuckled and said, “I can.”

Olivia stared at her in disbelief.

The Pearl of the Northern Region used lip language to tell Olivia the answer. It was completely beyond her imagination, but she somehow believed this incredible explanation at once, just like a drowning person who clutched the straw.

She felt that she was persuaded by herself instead of being persuaded by Edith.

The Pearl of the Northern Region turned away and walked toward the door, leaving the crying baby to Olivia. “We’ll set out three days later. Remember to pack for your trip.”

“Your ladyship…” Olivia murmured when Edith walked past her. “The tavern owner as well as one of His Highness Gerald’s guards probably know the truth about me and the child.”

“I’ll take care of it. You don’t have to worry,” replied Edith without looking back.

When the Pearl of the North left, Olivia held her baby in a warm embrace, as if she was afraid that he would disappear at any minute. The baby finally quieted down and buried his head in her chest.

Her heart was racing, she could not help asking herself if it was true.

She deciphered the explanation by reading Edith’s lips.

It was a simple but fascinating phrase.

“Eternal life.”

This was the king’s answer.