258 Could Not Kill The Child
“Proceed with it,” King Tredor ordered but Gregor found it difficult to take even a single step ahead.
“What are you waiting for?” the King called out amidst his reluctance.
As if on cue, the knight with his sword pointed at Shanel moved, causing Shanel to let out a panicked cry. His sword touched the skin of her neck, causing a small nick that started to bleed.
Gregor took a sharp intake of air before woodenly walking towards the brass pot. Taking the baby out of that bundle of thick cloth, he felt as if his soul was leaving his body as he put that tiny precious body in the cold water.
As he reluctantly let go of his hands—
The next moment, that brass pot broke and the water flowed out of the cracks, spilling onto the floor, while the baby remained at the bottom of the pot, her body red from crying but still very much alive.
While everyone was still in shock with what happened, Gregor immediately picked up his daughter and hugged her towards his chest. He grabbed the cloth which he had dropped on the floor and hurriedly wrapped it around her body. He could not help but kiss her forehead, muttering prayers of gratitude to no one in particular, glad and relieved to see her safe.
The King wordlessly looked at the High Priest. “Your Holiness, this…”
“I have said before that this child is cursed and she should not be born but…now she is born…” The old man shook his head with a heavy expression.
“What shall we do then? Shall we try other means?”
The High Priest gave him an approving nod.
King Tredor looked at his most favoured court lady waiting on the sidelines. “Prepare the same medicine for her.”
The court lady left while Shanel, who was visibly relieved as well, wanted to go to her husband but the knight used his sword to block in front of her, warning her to not move.
“Sephina’s daughter…she’s still…she’s blessed…Her mother is protecting her…”
Hearing the baby continue crying, happy tears rolled down her face…but it was too soon to feel relieved.
Soon, the court lady arrived with a bowl of the same medicine that killed Sephina. She bowed to the King who then ordered her, “Hand it over to the Crown Prince.”
At this point, Gregor was simply kneeling on the floor, tightly clutching onto his newborn child, unable to move due to the insane situation he was in. Tears couldn’t stop making their way out his eyes as he felt his heart being ripped apart once more.
The court lady held the tray in front of the Crown Prince. “Your Highness, please feed this medicine to the princess.”
His gaze was blurry with tears, and it took him some time to understand what he must do next. In the middle of the wooden tray was a bowl filled with a dark liquid which had a wooden spoon in it.
If it was a silver spoon, it would have changed color, but how thoughtful of them to use wooden spoons. A silent chuckle left his lips as he got a spoonful of that medicine and brought it closer to his daughter’s mouth.
‘My daughter, if you really are a cursed child as they say, if you are not an ordinary person, then please don’t die. Your father is begging you, please don’t die.’
He didn’t know why he felt like that but there was a hope inside him that his child would not die. She was born though her mother was dead, and earlier, when he placed her inside the brass pot…
The moment her tiny body went under the water, he swore she continued to cry, not suffocating, as if…as if she could breathe even underwater.
He fed her the medicine. It was fatal and only a drop was enough to kill a newborn child.
Gregor put the spoon back in the tray and everyone waited that the child would die in just a few moments but…it didn’t happen.
The King shouted at the court lady who was next to Gregor. “What is this farce? Why is that cursed thing still alive? What happened?”
The court lady was too shocked and could only voice out her disbelief, “Y-Your Majesty, the child is still alive…? How…?”
“How else can it be if not your mistake? I told you to bring the same medicine!”
The court lady bowed to him immediately. “Trust me, Your Majesty, it’s the same one!”
“Prove it by drinking,” the King ordered.
The court lady looked at him in surprise but then she was trained to follow the King’s orders, whatever it would be. Without a tinge of hesitation, she drank the medicine, and the next moment, everyone saw her collapsing on the ground.
No one could deny her death after the last deep gasp she had taken.
The ensuing silence was so loud it was deafening. The King threw a look of revulsion at the child wrapped in cloth before turning once more towards the frowning High Priest. “What shall we do?”
“Alas! As the cursed child has been born, she won’t die without fulfilling what she is born for.”
“Your Holiness! The kingdom cannot be destroyed! If it’s impossible to kill her, then…?”
“That child possesses the darkness from hell, and her soul is bound to stain this land with darkness.”
“There must be a way. What do you suggest, Your Holiness?”
Everyone’s attention was on the High Priest, who took some time to ponder over the situation. “Since execution is impossible, the only other option is to try to suppress the evil fate she harbours. An unholy being like her should be placed in a place which is as unholy as her. Outside the capital, there is a cursed place, isn’t it?”
“Are you talking about the haunted mountain south of the capital, Your Holiness? That region where no life thrives?”
“Indeed. Leave this child on that mountain and let her fate be decided by the darkness there. Whether she lives or dies, let us simply live it to fate.”
“If that will save the kingdom, then I will do as you have suggested.”
“Father!”
“Your Majesty!”
Gregor and Shanel both cried out together. How could these two men think about leaving a baby on that mountain on her own?