The Search for the Duchess’s Husband Chapter 122

The empress entrusted all of Killian’s upbringing and education to her servants.

 

She was always at the side of her first son, Arsèn, and Killian grew up rarely seeing his mother’s face.

 

Nevertheless, Killian always missed the Empress.

 

It was the instinct of a child born and birthed in her womb.

 

But it was a one-sided crush.

 

The Empress’s face twisted whenever she made eye contact with Killian. She swatted his tiny hand away as if the slightest touch would cause her great harm.

 

Then one day, Killian caught a terrible cold.

 

He’d never been sick before, so the pain was painful and scary for the first time.

 

Tears leaked from his big, three-year-old eyes.

 

The nanny’s face fell as she heard Killian’s frail voice.

 

“Your Majesty, please wait a moment, I’ll bring the Empress in.”

 

But the Empress did not come. Nor did the nanny.

 

After a week of sickness, Killian regained his senses and asked about the nanny’s whereabouts.

 

“Where has Anne gone?”

 

The maid replied with an awkward smile.

 

“She wasn’t feeling well, so she left the castle to recover.”

 

A few days later, Killian realized that was a lie.

 

As he lay in bed with his eyes closed, he heard the maids whispering, thinking he was asleep.

 

“Anne will never return to the palace, will she?”

 

“Yes, she has offended the empress, even if her Majesty is looking for her, and I have been trying to find out where she is and bring her back.”

 

“I don’t understand the empress. Even if her love for the weak Arsen is unusual, Kilian is also her son, and I don’t understand how she can be so harsh…”

 

“Don’t you know?”

 

The maid glanced at Killian, who seemed to be deeply asleep, and said in a low voice.

 

“His Majesty the emperor forced the union and the empress gave birth to Prince Killian.”

 

The first emperor was born too weak to cry properly.

 

The best doctors in the empire clung to him and managed to keep him alive, but his condition did not improve.

 

Arsèn was sick more and more, and was always asleep, drugged with strong medicine.

 

Eventually, the emperor made a decision.

 

He must have another son as soon as possible.

 

The empress’s doctor didn’t matter to him.

 

The emperor forcibly removed the empress, who refused to leave Arsèn’s side for a moment, and they were united.

 

The Empress gave birth to her second child just over a year after her first.

 

“The Empress Dowager gave birth when her body had not recovered properly, and her life was in danger, so how could she be attached to her child?”

 

The maid’s voice was filled with anger as she honored the empress.

 

“If you want to hate her, you can.”

 

These were not the words of a mere maid in the palace.

 

But she could say it because the Empress openly hated Killian.

 

And it was unlikely that the three-year-old prince would understand.

 

After the maids left the room, Killian opened his eyes.

 

Despite his young age, Killian was far more intelligent than normal. He couldn’t understand all of the maids’ words, but he knew one thing for sure.

 

“She hates me so much that she wants to kill me.”

 

His heart ached like it was going to break.

 

Worse than the cold that had plagued him for days.

 

Tears leaked from Killian’s golden eyes.

 

“Anne said, a prince should never cry in public.”

 

Killian buried his face in his pillow and sobbed, afraid the sound might escape.

 

After that day, Killian never asked to see his mommy again. He didn’t run to see her.

 

He merely watched the Empress, trying not to offend her.

 

As if that were the only way a child could keep from hating her mother even more.

 

It wasn’t until a year later that Killian’s second desire arose.

 

Until then, Killian had never seen Arsen.

 

Arsen was weak and had been confined to his room in the Empress’s palace since he was born.

 

The Empress strictly controlled access to the chamber, and only the Empress, her physician, and a few maids were allowed to enter.

 

Every time he passed the tall building that housed Arsen’s chambers, Killian wondered.

 

“What does he look like?”

 

The name Arsen was taboo in the palace.

 

The servants never uttered the name, so Killian knew very little about him.

 

“He must have black hair and golden eyes like me, right? He’ll be as tall as me, and he’ll jump as high as me.”

 

I want to see him.

 

The only person in the world who had a father and mother like him.

 

But if Killian ever utters the name Arsen, the Emperor and Empress will be as angry as thunder. Knowing this, Killian could not tell anyone his true feelings.

 

Then one day… Killian saw a bird sitting in front of the window of Arsen’s room, high up in the sky.

 

At that moment, its big golden eyes shone.

 

“If you become a bird, you can go to see your brother.”

 

At that time, Killian had no use for magic.

 

The magical teachers who came to teach him said bitterly that no matter how much they taught him, the prince could not manifest magic, that he was no better than a commoner.

 

But Killian could sense the mystical power within him.

 

He squeezed her tiny hand.

 

“Let’s turn into birds.”

 

He’d learned enough about the theory of manipulating magic.

 

Killian closed his eyes and concentrated.

 

“Find the energy in your body, your magic, and draw it out and manifest it. It’s no different than making your voice or moving your muscles. Once you learn how, you can use it like a second pair of hands.”

 

He remembered his magic teacher repeating those words until scabs formed in his ears.

 

If it didn’t work when he helped, it wasn’t going to suddenly work.

 

But Killian didn’t give up and repeated the same action dozens and dozens of times, until his little face flushed and his breathing became ragged.

 

‘One more time…’

 

Desperately scraping together his strength, Killian finally found the magic within his tiny body and drew it out. It had worked a few times before.

 

The problem was now.

 

Manifest the magic into the form I want.

 

‘Please, please, please…! I want to see him!’

 

A moment later, a blindingly bright light emanated from Killian’s body, transforming his tiny form into an even tinier bird.

 

It was a fluffy baby bird, black with golden eyes.

 

<“Wow, it worked!”>

 

“Chirp!”

 

The bird chirped in place of human speech.

 

But there was a new problem.

 

No matter how hard he flapped his short wings, he couldn’t get airborne.

 

Its clumsy powers were still imperfect, and it had trouble moving as naturally as a real bird.

 

It was a good thing he slept alone, without servants. He could turn into a bird every night and practice his wings.

 

Killian had no talent for magic, but he was a natural at using his body. It wasn’t long before he was able to fly, albeit clumsily.

 

The long-awaited day arrived.

 

He chose a dark, cloudy day for his D-Day so that there would be as few witnesses as possible.

 

Killian, who had gotten better at using his powers, quickly transformed into a baby bird.

 

Standing on his short legs by the window, he swallowed hard.

 

Down below, it was black.

 

He’d practiced in his room and succeeded many times, but today was the first time he’d really flown.

 

<“If I fail, my body will be like a broken pudding.”>

 

He was terrified, but not enough to give up on something he’d wanted for so long.

 

The baby bird took a deep breath and spread its short wings as it ran toward the open window.

 

Its tiny body popped out the window.

 

<“I can do it…!”>

 

The baby bird flapped its wings.

 

Then its tiny body floated away.

 

It wasn’t strong enough yet, so it flailed wildly in the wind.

 

But the baby bird didn’t give up, and it flew, and flew, and flew, and flew, until it reached its goal.

 

On the window of Arsen’s room.

 

But as soon as it fit through the tiny peephole, the bird reverted to its original form. It had used up all its energy.