I Abandoned the Male Lead Who Cheated with the Villainess - Chapter 165
‧₊˚ ☁️⋅♡𓂃 ࣪ ִֶָ☾.
read more chapters on luna kofi
It was a tiny, wrinkled red baby. It was as Aiden had honestly described. The Emperor and Empress burst into bright laughter at his words.
“What did I just say!”
Aiden hurriedly clamped his hand over his mouth, but their laughter only grew louder. His face turned bright red. Arnold gently patted the baby’s black hair and spoke tenderly.
“Yes, it’s ugly. But this child will grow to be more loved than anyone in the world. Especially from you.”
Aiden slowly nodded at his father’s kind words.
In truth, Aiden had already known this, even without Arnold saying it. When he saw the tiny, ugly, wrinkled baby cradled in the Empress’s arms, he instinctively realized.
He would love this brother for the rest of his life. This one, precious brother. He would never let go, no matter what hardships or trials came their way.
“Hello, little brother. I’m your big brother.”
They would be bound by fate, siblings forever.
Today was the day Herix Glacian Questiago was born.
⚜ ⚜ ⚜
But, as always, the happiness that seemed as though it would last forever eventually came to an end.
That end was cruel, for even the happiest and most beautiful relationships could face destruction, or slowly dissolve in despair. The notion of a beautiful farewell, a happy ending, was something that only existed in fairy tales.
A storm of blood began to rage through the royal palace.
The Empress, who always smiled warmly and gave cookies to Aiden died miserably.
Her throat was torn, her limbs dismembered, and she lost both eyes. Those who had raised their voices in grief at her death followed suit, one after another. No one questioned the Empress’s death.
Yet, the bloody storm did not cease.
The walls, once adorned with portraits and statues of the imperial family, were now splattered with red blood. The corridors of the palace, where Aiden’s joyful laughter used to echo, were now filled only with screams.
The garden, where the Empress and Queen once shared quiet conversations while trailing their long gowns, was now strewn with bodies.
However, this massive purge was never recorded in history. All the historians who could have documented it had their hands severed, leaving no way to do so.
But, people still had their mouths. The tragedy spread through whispers, becoming a tale passed on by word of mouth, though the identity of the culprit remained unchanged.
In truth, it couldn’t be any different. This catastrophe occurred because Herix Glacien Questiago had opened his eyes.
He became the focus of everyone’s expectations. How cute would the child be when he opened his eyes, even though he had been so adorable while still asleep?
Arnold, Aiden, and everyone in the imperial palace eagerly awaited the moment Herix would open his eyes. But when the baby smiled brightly, fulfilling those expectations, the woman who had once been a Count’s daughter and later became Empress met her tragic end.
Her death came because of the purple eyes.
The Emperor’s Mark, the one thing Arnold could never possess, the one thing that remained as a stain on his record.
Purple eyes.
That was the moment Arnold’s inferiority complex toward Herix began.
Despite this, time continued to flow, and Arnold, who had purged the Empress, became eerily quiet afterward. Perhaps it was because the Queen had willingly gone to the temple, offering her life in honor of the fallen Empress. People praised the Queen’s sacrifice, but Arnold knew better.
‘How dare she flee to the temple.’
A sanctuary offers protection, but a prison binds.
The temple dedicated to the God Novnie was the only place where imperial authority didn’t reach, a sanctuary beyond the Emperor’s power. The Queen had chosen to abandon her own son, Aiden, in fear of losing her life like the Empress, and had fled to the temple alone.
The reason the Queen chose this place was not merely due to fear.
“You’ve come.”
“The ruler of the Sortenic Empire called for me. How could I refuse, even though I am a servant of God?”
“Enough with that talk… What about the Queen?”
“Ah, Her Majesty is an ardent believer. Perhaps she seeks to suppress her fear of Your Majesty and put her trust in God Novnie.”
“Hah, women are truly incomprehensible. I have ascended to this position by the will of God, and everything I do is by the will of God.”
“Who would deny that? God Novnie has chosen Your Majesty as the ruler of men.”
The one who spoke these words while bowing, was none other than the pope of the Temple of Novnie. The pope, who worshiped Arnold as if he was God himself, affirmed every word Arnold said.
But this moment was brief. Arnold, unable to bear it any longer, rose from his throne and knelt at the pope’s feet desperately.
“What must I do? Please, grant me another prophecy. You, who made me Emperor, must surely know how to resolve this situation!”
Arnold was originally born from a lower rank and never meant to be Emperor. He had come to power through bloody means. And this, without a doubt, was made possible through the help of others.
Temple of Novnie. The pope extended the hand of salvation to him.
It was the temple that had made him Emperor.
The Queen learned this truth during the days of continued purges.
Arnold was nothing more than a puppet of the temple.
