I Never Wanted His Child - Chapter 146
‧₊˚ ☁️⋅♡𓂃 ࣪ ִֶָ☾.
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In fact, Mikhail hadn’t been without his own doubts. However, if the fighting dogs were left as they were, the same thing would likely happen again.
They might have been killed unjustly.
“Whether human or animal, everyone deserves a chance.”
“…What?”
“Even if they’ve made mistakes, even if they’ve done unforgivable things, they still deserve a chance.”
Those dogs didn’t choose to become fighting dogs. So, it was only right to give Emilia, who stood beside him, to know the actions of her parents and the chance to choose.
“Don’t you have something to say?”
“…Did Ellyn report anything to you?”
“No.”
Emilia let out a sigh of relief. Mikhail smirked and turned his head to ask her,
“If she does, would it change anything?”
“Should I report what I saw to the king?”
“I don’t understand what you’re asking. I said I haven’t heard anything.”
“…Then it’s fine.”
She couldn’t take her eyes off the fighting dogs.
“Has the training been going well? They won’t attack people anymore, right?”
“Are you curious?”
Mikhail took her hand and walked toward the knights who were training.
The dogs perked their ears and immediately turned their heads toward the two of them.
Mikhail didn’t look away as he stared back at the dogs. At the sudden appearance of people, they raised their tails high and took a defensive stance.
But soon after, the dogs sat down and waited obediently.
“Sir Byne.”
“Your Grace.”
The knights stood at attention. Just as Sir Byne was about to ask the knights to greet Mikhail, Mikhail raised his hand to stop him.
“Let’s skip the formalities.”
“Did you come to watch the training?”
Mikhail nodded.
“I’m curious about the dogs.”
“Ah, fortunately, they’re following orders well. Especially the ones you brought; they seem to be very obedient to people.”
The dogs perked their ears as they focused. Their long legs, toned by muscles, looked elegant as they moved.
There were wounds all over their bodies.
“They’ve calmed down. The ferocity has decreased a lot.”
She still seemed fearful, not approaching closely. Whether she had forgotten that her hand was being held or not, she just sat still, staring at the dogs.
“Don’t be afraid. They can tell when someone is weaker than them.”
At his words, Emilia relaxed her shoulders. However, she still watched the dogs, almost hiding behind him.
“Are you raising them to be hunting dogs?”
“Something like that. We’ll train them as knights and give them tasks when needed.”
He thought she might feel sorry for them. Even if they were out of the fighting ring, their lives weren’t much different.
“It’s a good thing. At least they’ll be rewarded and praised through training. They’ve learned that they don’t have to harm others to be happy. They’ll have different kinds of happiness too.”
“Don’t you feel sorry for them?”
“They’ve been raised as fighting dogs, so it’s hard for them to break their instincts. They’ve tasted blood, and they won’t forget it.”
It was unexpected. However, Mikhail didn’t add anything further to what he said to Emilia.
She stood there for a while, quietly observing the dogs.
“That’s enough for now. I’ll go back inside.”
“Why? You were acting like you wanted to touch them.”
“I don’t really want to. What’s the point of getting close to them? It’ll only cause harm to both sides.”
She was skeptical.
Mikhail nodded at Byne. They turned back to their original places.
Emilia was about to head back to the mansion when she suddenly realized that her hand was being held. She looked up at him.
“Ah…”
Her hand felt cold, possibly because she wasn’t feeling well. Even though Mikhail’s hand was warm, it didn’t seem to warm her up.
“…?”
He looked down at Emilia as she stared up at him.
“Your Grace?”
She glanced at her hand, then up at him again, her face contorting slightly.
“It hurts.”
Only then did Mikhail release her hand.
On their way back to the mansion after leaving the training ground, Emilia seemed lost in thought.
Mikhail slowed his pace to match hers. Her steps had become even smaller than usual.
When she suddenly stopped walking, she spoke.
“Your Grace, you’re always ready to abandon the King, aren’t you?”
“I’ve never even thought of abandoning him.”
“Because he’s not worth it?”
“He was a lost cause from the start.”
Mikhail tossed a small stone toward her, causing ripples in her questions.
❖ ❖ ❖
When Emilia returned to her room, she spent the rest of the day with a blank expression.
She drank her tea absentmindedly, ate her meal, and stared out the window.
“…He knows.”
“Madam?”
He knew she had read the forbidden books. He knew she was searching for information about Bayern.
Mikhail knew everything she did. He had just been watching quietly.
Why? Why did he keep watching?
“Whether it’s a person or an animal, everyone deserves a chance.”
Why was that coming back to her now? Emilia cupped her face with both hands, bowing her head.
The things she had believed weren’t true were slowly becoming closer to the truth.
She needed a definite answer.
The only ones who could provide that answer were the Duke or her father.
Emilia suddenly stood up from her seat. She was going to ask Boestine for help.
But her steps faltered and she stopped.
The noise from downstairs made her turn away from heading to the third floor.
