Chapter 55: 56

Jackal quickly put her hand down and took something out of the drawer next to him.

It was a rugged Indian-style necklace with a natural blue crystal gemstone on the leather strap.

He made it for Asha.

“Even though it’s a bit shabby, this necklace will protect you.”

“What do you mean shabby?…… It’s so pretty.”

Asha stroked the sparkling blue crystal

The light reflected off the jewel and her eyes sparkled. 

Asha liked the gem even more because it resembled Jackal’s eyes.

It was a color that calmed her just looking at it. 

Jackal put the necklace on Asha’s neck.

He carefully brushed back her hair and spread out his large hands.

His hands tickled her and Asha couldn’t look directly at him while standing right in front of his eyes. 

Even the smallest touch was filled with his warmth.

Jackal smiled slightly at Asha, who couldn’t bear to look at him and only looked down.

“When this is all over, then I’ll propose to you properly.”

He finished his sentence and gently kissed Asha on the forehead.

Asha touched the necklace and her eyes grew bigger.

She could feel her heart beating madly under the jewel.

Asha made a deep commitment to the jewel. 

     I will never make the wrong choice, even for him.

This time, I will definitely find a way for everyone to be happy and at peace.

* * * * * 

Karaf, who had been drinking and worrying all day, was forced to lie in bed late at night.

But he had another nightmare.

     ‘You cursed child……! You are just like your father after all!’

Little Karaf did not dare to approach his mother and stayed at the door.

His mother was a woman with beautiful blonde hair, symbolizing a golden butterfly like Asha.

But ever since she entered the palace, her face turned pale, her body parched like a winter tree, and her bright hair turned ugly and disheveled like an old witch’s.

     ‘Mother…….’

Karaf reached out with trembling eyes, then flinched at her words.

     ‘Don’t call me mother! Don’t look at me with your horrible eyes…!

She let out a high-pitched cry, hysterically pulling at her hair with her skinny fingers.

The maids rushed into the room and grabbed her limbs.

     ‘Let me go! Just let me die.……!’

     ‘Kyaaak!’

The maids who received slaps on the cheek and kicks in the stomach rolled on the floor screaming.

Amid all sorts of shouting and shouting, the young Karaf quietly turned around and left the room.

Dark shadows settled under his eyes as he walked down the hall.

He had never been loved by his mother since he was born.

He had been raised by his nanny since he was a baby and was only allowed to see his mother’s face once a week.

Karaf was looking forward to that day, but it was just a formal meeting at a table, drinking tea, and exchanging a few greetings without eye contact.

Even then, she would just skip a week due to work or appointments.

Due to this family environment, from a young age, he had a dark personality, but he would try to pretend to be bright and say anything to get his mother’s attention.

However, she only responded coldly with short answers, and as if confirming whether he was alive or not, when the time was over, she stood up and left him behind to return to the empress’s palace.

Karaf didn’t know why his mother hated him so much.

Even so, in his young heart, he clung even more to his mother and yearned for her love.

He wanted to be loved somehow, to hear a kind word, so he did praiseworthy things, but the more he clung to his mother, the more his mother grew distant from him as if she was sick and tired of him. 

On a day when her stress was at its peak, she would kick or punch the young prince, the only one in the royal family.

Karaf silently accepted his mother’s blows.

Even if his face swelled and his nose bled, he wanted to be in the same space as his mother, even for a very short time.

He wouldn’t blink even if he got hurt, but if it relieved her stress even a little, it wouldn’t be bad if she looked at it once.

It was a twisted affection for his mother.

Finally, the situation ended only when the Emperor appeared and stopped her.

Karaf looked helplessly at his father, who was violent towards his mother, who dared to lay her hands on the prince who would become the next emperor.

Violence gave birth to other violence, and that violence became his.

He really didn’t know at the time. 

That he was an existence that should not have been born.

The black rose is a symbol of a bad omen and a flower that brings misfortune to the empire. 

And that was the reason why his mother hated him…

His father, the former emperor, was a very libertine man.

He didn’t go a single night without a woman, so his mother somehow tried to have a ‘son‘, a means of cementing her place in the Imperial Palace.

However, the moment Karaf first came into the world and let out a loud cry, she cried in despair at the sight of his black hair.

Her child, her last hope, was not the one who brought her glory or who gave her freedom.

He was just a lump of baggage that only left a stigma on the empire. 

She yelled, looking at Karaf with her face full of hate.

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     ‘You ruined my life! If only you hadn’t been born…… I……!’

She yelled, shaking her head hysterically.

     ‘This is terrible. You’re a terrible bud……. You will end up walking the same path as your father. There will be no butterflies in this world that will love you……!’

As soon as her last words overlapped with the assassin’s voice, Karaf took a deep breath and woke up from a nightmare.

“Huh……. Ugh…….”

He took a deep breath and grabbed her fragile head with one hand.

Those words stuck deep into his heart like a thorn and would never leave him.

He, who was not loved by his parents and did not learn to love, could not love anyone.

“Vanessa… … What happened to Vanessa? Did you find her?”

Karaf, like a man without a soul, touched the sheets next to him, where she had once been lying.

However, the place was cold without any warmth. 

Karaf’s fist clenched the sheet.

     ……She left me.

No, the bloody wild dogs took her from me.

I have to get her back. I’ll definitely get her back.

Karaf, like a drunk, grabbed an entire bottle from the table and gulped it down.

There were already countless empty bottles lying on the ground, but he couldn’t control himself.

His hands were shaking and a stream of alcohol flowed down his Adam’s apple.

Finally, he tossed the bottle onto the table and wiped his mouth once with the back of his hand.

His red eyes burned with anger in the dark.

“…… Duran.”

Duran, standing guard outside the door at his loud call, strode straight into the room.

“Did you call, Your Majesty?”

Karaf said, his eyes shining sharply.

“Prepare for the operation.”

Realizing that he had made up his mind, Durán respectfully bowed his head in response.

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Karaf pulled the ring he had made for her from his breast pocket.

It was the only ring in the world that was made by the best ring craftsmen from the Empire.

He clenched the ring in his hand.

     I will never lose her again.

Even if she hates him, he won’t let her leave his side, even if it means breaking her wings.

That would be his only way to protect her, he firmly believed.

* * * * *

Asha fell asleep after talking to Jackal all night but suddenly woke up in bed.

Soon, warm sunlight streamed in through the window.

     Did I fall asleep in the same bed with Jackal without realizing it…?

Asha jumped in surprise, but the man who was supposed to be lying on the bed was nowhere to be seen.

Besides, they shared the same blanket. 

Apparently, he took her to bed while she was sleeping when she was supposed to take care of him and left somewhere else early in the morning.

Asha’s face turned red at his kind gesture even though he was sick.

As she stepped out with a thin shawl loosely draped over her shoulders, she saw Lycaons returning from their early hunt.

Since they had left all their food behind when they fled, they would go hunting every day to stock up on food.

“……Sister Asha! We caught a huge wild boar today!”

Nagy, who found Asha, waved his hand and shouted innocently, and the nearby Lycaons cheered fervently with wolf howls at the same time.

It was their ritual to celebrate the hunt. 

Asha’s eyes widened as she saw a large wild boar being dragged along.

Gabe smiled and said.

“Tonight we will celebrate with a wild boar. Look forward to it, sister.”

Asha imitated the howl of the wolf, her palms going to her mouth with her wide eyes.

They all burst out laughing.

While the Lycaons take care of the prey, Asha decides to milk the goats for Jackal’s breakfast.

She went up to the goats in the barn, milked them with both hands, squeezed them tight, heated them on the fire, and went outside.

However, she saw a blue-gray horse restlessly pacing in front of the door, waiting for her.

After going out for a while, when he came back, Jackal was a little worried because he didn’t see her.

“…… Jackal!”

Asha was happy and ran towards him.

“Where have you been? I haven’t seen you since morning.”

Asha’s question reminded Jackal of what happened yesterday.

Last night while nursing him she fell asleep, he picked Asha up and put her in his bed. 

He tried to put a blanket over her so that she could sleep comfortably, but Asha suddenly pulled him and he ended up laying down with her.

He was taken aback for a moment and froze, then Asha spoke in her sleep and moved closer to him, pressing her flesh against him.

Her careless action made Jackal’s heart beat so fast it was about to burst.

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