00:00The kingdom was on edge for my sake, yet my husband, Lord Ronan, was nowhere to be seen.
00:08I was used to his coldness.
00:11But at this moment, having gambled my life and burned my manna to bear this child,
00:18a ridiculous shred of hope still flickered in my heart.
00:21Years ago, when I was in a desperate situation, the young Ronan saved my life.
00:30That kindness became my lifelong obsession, but he had no idea
00:35that I was the sole pure-blooded daughter of the High Elfin King.
00:42When I met with disaster in my youth, I was rescued by him, the Lord of a mere mid-tier
00:49Elfin Kingdom.
00:51To repay that debt, I concealed my supreme identity,
00:55even using a forbidden ritual to seal away the radiant wings of nature on my back
01:02that symbolized supreme divine authority.
01:05I willingly became an ordinary female elf with no background,
01:10marrying into his territory under a false name.
01:14For years, I remained gentle and submissive,
01:18using my own pure-blooded mana to nourish his family,
01:21all for a sliver of his affection.
01:28Yet, I could never warm a heart of stone.
01:32In Ronan's heart, there was only ever room for his first love,
01:37Vanessa.
01:41The agony intensified, as the mana and bloodlines within my body surged in a violent reverse flow.
01:49But I held on to my last strength.
01:51Yet, all that arrived was a cold, ruthless message from a guard.
01:57My lady, the Lord is busy with official matters and cannot come.
02:01Please deliver the child on your own, and do not delay the Lord's business.
02:05At that moment, a self-deprecating laugh escaped my lips.
02:09This life of mine and the child in my womb never mattered to him.
02:14After an entire day and night of deathly struggle,
02:17a soft, fragile wile finally shattered the silence of the infirmary.
02:22This was my daughter, a precious treasure,
02:26bought at the cost of all my mana.
02:30I named her Iris.
02:32At that exact moment, my personal guard rushed in to report.
02:36My lady!
02:38The Lord has finished his external affairs,
02:40and has returned to the main manor in his unicorn sacred carriage.
02:43Within my deadland heart, a tiny spark suddenly ignited.
02:47I instinctively assumed that no matter how cold or selfish he might be,
02:50at least he would at least want to look at his newborn flesh and blood,
02:54forcing my exhausted, severely depleted body up.
02:56I carefully held my daughter in her swaddling clothes,
02:59making my way toward the promenade of the main temple to see my husband.
03:02But just as I reached the promenade and looked through the lush courtyard of the sacred elven tree,
03:07I froze instantly.
03:09The blood in my veins turning to ice.
03:12My husband stood there, tall and elegant in his black robes,
03:16and right beside him stood a woman,
03:18the first love he had yearned for and never forgotten.
03:20It was Vanessa.
03:21What struck me like a bolt from the blue was that in front of them stood a little elfin boy,
03:26roughly three years old,
03:27with long pointed ears and a pair of eyes that flashed with a cunning disguised as inonence.
03:32Countless absurd possibilities flashed through my mind.
03:36My hands shook uncontrollably from shock and rage,
03:39but I forced myself to stand my ground.
03:41Enduring the tearing pain of the postpartum mana reverse flow,
03:45Vanessa looked up and spotted me,
03:47her mouth curving into a flitting, provocative smirk.
03:49She intentionally leaned closer into Ronin's embrace,
03:53her voice soft yet dripping with malice.
03:55Ronin, so she's the one who stole my man and my title while I was away?
04:00Tenderness instantly flooded Ronin's eyes as he wrapped his arm around her.
04:05He comforted her softly,
04:07even placing a lingering kiss upon her forehead,
04:11right in front of me.
04:12When he turned to me,
04:13his tone was piercingly cold and dismissive.
04:17Think nothing of it, Vanessa.
04:19You are my true love.
04:23I have never loved her.
04:24She is nothing more than a tool to manage the tribe.
04:29Ronin, look closely.
04:31This is the daughter I just risked my life to give you.
04:34Look at her, she was just born.
04:35Look how beautiful she is.
04:37Ronin cast a brief, indifferent glance downward.
04:40In his eyes, there was not a shred of paternal emotion,
04:42only naked disgust and annoyance.
04:45He swiftly averted his gaze,
04:46as though looking at his own flesh and blood for even a second longer
04:49would defile his relationship with Vanessa.
04:52Vanessa's gaze locked onto the infant in my arms,
04:55a flash of venom crossing her eyes.
04:57Promptly, she lifted her pitiful face,
05:00gazing up at Ronin with a trembling sob.
05:03Ronin, she has already born a child for the tribe.
05:06Then what about our Jasper?
05:08He followed me, wandering among foreign kingdoms,
05:10and suffered for three long years.
05:13He is your eldest son,
05:15the future heir of the Wind Kingdom.
05:17Looking at that three-year-old elf and child
05:19clinging to their side.
05:20I felt as if my soul had been struck by lightning.
05:23It turned out that my suspicion was actually the truth.
05:26What exactly is going on here?
05:30Ronin looked down at me,
05:31entirely devoid of guilt,
05:33and let out a righteous, cold snot.
05:36Good, you saw it.
05:37Saves me the trouble of explaining.
05:38When Vanessa left three years ago,
05:40she was already pregnant with my child!
05:41For these three years,
05:42she raised Jasper alone among foreign kingdoms,
05:44enduring endless grievance.
05:45Now that she has returned,
05:46I must make it them properly,
05:48restoring everything that belongs to them
05:49a thousand times over!
05:52I stared at the picture-perfect family of three before me,
05:56as a boundless despair
05:58swallowed me like a tidal wave.
06:01Just as I was on the verge of collapsing,
06:03Ronin's mother, Elodie,
06:04walked over hoarsely,
06:06flanked by attendants.
06:08Three-year-old Jasper was incredibly sweet-talked,
06:10twitching his delicate little elven ears.
06:12He immediately ran over on his short legs,
06:14and tightly hugged Elodie's leg.
06:18Grandma!
06:19I finally get to see you!
06:22Mother said you are the most benevolent
06:24and noble elder
06:26in the entire kingdom!
06:29Elodie,
06:30who was extremely superstitious about bloodlines and male esters,
06:34melted instantly.
06:35She gathered Jasper into her arms,
06:38treating him like her ultimate treasure.
06:40Seizing the moment,
06:42Vanetha leaned into Ronin's embrace,
06:44weeping with feigned grievance.
06:47It's all my fault!
06:49If I had been stronger,
06:51your perfect grandson
06:53wouldn't have spent three years
06:56starving in exile!
06:58Elodie's heart ached for them.
06:59She snapped her head around to look at me
07:01with my deathly pale face
07:04and my weakly wailing daughter,
07:06her eyes instantly turning into daggers
07:09of piercing disgust.
07:11You nearly died
07:12just to produce
07:14a magicless, useless girl?
07:18What a pathetic waste!
07:20Pack up that defective brat
07:22and drag yourselves
07:24to the Wythen Tower at the border
07:26right now!
07:27I won't let you bring your bad luck
07:28near my precious grandson!
07:42Ronin's face remained completely indifferent,
07:45his tone dripping with disdain.
07:47Mother is right.
07:50Jasper is the future
07:51and hope of Wind Kingdom.
07:54The daughter you gave birth to
07:56has a dull divine mark.
08:00She is utterly unworthy
08:01of living in the main manor.
08:06Going to the Tower
08:07is your only option.
08:10Vanessa threw a provocative glance my way,
08:12squeezing her throat
08:13to spit out the most poison words.
08:16Loser.
08:17Since you possess no noble bloodline,
08:20Staying here
08:21will only bring you
08:23self-inflicted humiliation.
08:25Looking at their hypocritical,
08:27I clenched my fingers,
08:29and the very last ember of gratitude
08:30within me
08:31was completely extinguished.
08:34The cold wind
08:36wowed through the withered tower,
08:37a place that never saw
08:39a single ray of moonlight.
08:41I held my frail little daughter close,
08:44huddling in the corner
08:45of the freezing stone wall.
08:47Having barely survived childbirth
08:49and with my mana
08:51completely burned out,
08:53my chest felt as if
08:54it were being torn apart.
08:57By ten thousand winds,
09:00just when I was completely
09:01helpless and desperate,
09:03the heavy wooden door
09:05of the tower
09:06was suddenly pushed open
09:07and Ronan walked in,
09:10silhouetted against the light.
09:12In that single instant,
09:14a ridiculous shred of hope
09:16actually flared up once more
09:19in my deadland heart.
09:21He was the child's father.
09:23Had he finally softened
09:25coming to bring some mana
09:26to ward off the cold?
09:29Or to take my daughter
09:30and me back?
09:31Forcing my mana
09:32depleased body up,
09:34my pale lips trembled.
09:36Did you come to see Iris?
09:38She caught a chill,
09:40and the divine mark
09:41on her forehead
09:42is growing weaker and weaker.
09:45Please, save her.
09:46But before I could
09:47even get close,
09:50Ronan took a disgusted
09:51step backward.
09:52Serafana.
09:53As if the child and I
09:55were some kind of thing.
09:55I only came here
09:56to warn you.
09:59Stay in your
10:00withered tower quietly.
10:01Sign this declaration,
10:02relinquishing your rights
10:03as the primary mistress,
10:03and don't try
10:05any clever tricks.
10:06I felt as though
10:07I had been struck
10:08by lightning,
10:09taking a shocked step back.
10:11I stared firmly
10:12at the man
10:13I had loved
10:14with my very life
10:15for three years.
10:18You came all the way
10:19to this desolate place,
10:20not to cast a single glance
10:22at your own daughter,
10:24but merely to force me
10:25to give up my position
10:27and to warn me.
10:29Ronan let out
10:30a cold laugh,
10:31his eyes filled
10:33with arrogance
10:33and a fierce
10:34protectiveness
10:35for Vanessa.
10:36Vanessa is kind-hearted.
10:39And she suffered terribly
10:42while wandering
10:43among foreign kingdoms
10:44with our child.
Comments