I’ll Quit as The Empress

Fabian was confused and didn’t know what to do, staring at Evelyn, who had been crying for a long time.

But it seemed, compared to before, he had changed a little. Fabian, who was worried, got up from his seat, sat down beside Evelyn. Then he rested her head on his shoulders. She didn’t know, but it took a lot of courage for Fabian to do so.

“Evelyn.” He called her name softly. Surprisingly, Evelyn didn’t refuse Fabian’s touch. She just leaned on his shoulder and shed silent tears. “How am I supposed to leave you like this?”

She looked pitiful and sad like flower petals that were about to fall. She wanted to do something, but she couldn’t, Fabian’s heart ached every time he thought of her.

“I …… become helpless only in front of you”, said Fabian. “There’s nothing to fear in this world, but Evelyn, every time I see you crying, I … I don’t know what to do.”

It was always like that. Fabian, the Emperor, always looked shabby and frail in front of Evelyn, as if he had nothing. He wanted to give the world and everything inside it to her, but it broke his heart when she couldn’t stop crying.

“But, I don’t want to feel regrets anymore.” Fabian deeply regretted his past self doing nothing. So now he wanted to have a different future.

“Evelyn, please stop crying.” Evelyn’s blue eyes looked at Fabian closely as he reached his hand and wiped her cheek. “I won’t make a decision alone. When you stop crying and calm down……, let’s find another way together.”

Her eyes blinked. Evelyn had never thought that such an answer would come from Fabian.

“Yes, stop crying like that.” Fabian’s gaze felt familiar. His eyes were identical to Adrian’s when he looked at her. When he saw Evelyn, Fabian’s heart ached as if he saw his son, who cried sadly. Evelyn couldn’t believe Fabian had such feelings, but now she wasn’t sure.

“Why? Did I say something weird?” Fabian was conscious of her gaze and asked Evelyn carefully.

“Just…Your Majesty is strange,” said Evelyn frankly. It seemed that she spoke those words without knowing it.

“What’s strange about it? I don’t know because I’ve never soothed anyone.” Fabian looked embarrassed, so he tried to make some excuse.

“No.” Evelyn eventually felt that her tears had stopped. “It’s nothing.”

After pouring tears, she was attacked by drowsiness. The scent of Fabian’s body was so calming and faintly felt close by.

This feeling, it felt like time was turning back. But Evelyn didn’t hate it. It’s the strangest thing, but I couldn’t say. Instead, Evelyn lifted her head, which she leaned unknowingly from Fabian’s shoulder.

“Now.”

In an awkward atmosphere, Fabian hesitated, not knowing what to do, took a cup of tea, and handed it to Evelyn. Evelyn took the cup from his hands, drank a few sips, and breathed deeply. When Fabian believed Evelyn was already calm, he gave his handkerchief to her.

“It’s not my decision to take Adrian with me.”

Evelyn listened to Fabian as she wiped her tear marks.

“The doctor who is treating Adrian now said that I should.”

“Sir Philip?”

Fabian nodded his head slowly. Evelyn also knew that Philip was Fabian’s long-time doctor. No doctor in this continent was more famous and great than him. In her heart, Evelyn felt grateful to Fabian for bringing Philip.

“I think it would be easier if you hear it yourself. Would you like to meet Philip?”

“Yes.”

Fabian soon called Philip, who had been waiting for his call. In front of Evelyn, Philip explained that Adrian was currently addicted and couldn’t be separated from Fabian while doing blood treatment. Evelyn didn’t cry anymore even though she was very scared when she heard the word addiction.

“Sir Philip. Are you sure there’s no other way?”

“As far as I know, yes.”

It was the last option, and Evelyn sighed for a moment.

“So, is Adrian still…..?”

“Yes. He’s still being treated with blood medicine. Thanks to the blood treatment, his condition is currently stable. But I can’t guarantee what will happen to that child if I stop this treatment. “

It wasn’t like Evelyn doubt him. But Adrian had too many wounds on his body, and the doctor was forced to put his son to sleep using sedatives. So she should have guessed that Adrian’s condition wasn’t normal.

“Can’t we continue the treatment here?”

“It’s possible If only one day,” Philip said calmly.

“Why only one day?”

“That’s…… because I’m doing blood treatment with His Majesty’s blood. And the blood used in this treatment must be immediately drawn and used when it’s still fresh ……”

Evelyn looked at Fabian in amazement, but he looked fine. It meant that Fabian was still giving his blood to Adrian until now, and only Evelyn didn’t know about that.

“That’s all I can tell you. Do you have any more questions?”

Evelyn shook her head, then Philip left the room with courtesy.

“That was the reason,” Fabian said to Evelyn.

“It may take one to two years for the child to heal. Philip concluded, as long as I am an Emperor, the only way is to take the child with me.”

“……, I understand.”

Evelyn nodded slowly. Now she understood why he had no other choice. Fabian couldn’t step down from the throne until his death, and Adrian wasn’t able to live without Fabian’s blood.

“You may show him to other doctors in the Felice Kingdom if you want. But, I’ve already treated him with blood medicine in the cave.”

“No. There’s no other doctor who can beat Sir Philip … … I know that.”

“Now, the decision is yours.” Fabian felt he was too mean when he said that to her. With her child’s life at stake, he knew that Evelyn only had one choice. “I’m sorry for this,” he said again.

“Sir Philip said he would be able to heal him completely in about three years.”

“Yes, that long should be enough.”

“Your Majesty.” Evelyn looked up and glared at Fabian. There were countless words filled her eyes. What she was trying to say from now on was a very selfish statement. But she couldn’t shut her mouth. “I……”

“In the worst case, are you trying to say that you want me to allow you to ask for the second divorce in advance?”

Fabian’s voice sounded so serene. In his terms, there was no emotion felt. And Evelyn just nodded her head, unable to speak.

“If there’s a reason, I’ll allow it,” said Fabian. Hearing that, Evelyn looked at him with questioning eyes. “If you promise me that you won’t force me to give you an answer now.”

“I don’t know what you mean…….?”

“It means to give me a chance,” he said.

It was unbelievable. Was Fabian this kind of man? He wanted to be given a chance by a woman who asked for another divorce?

“Don’t you know what I mean by asking Your Majesty now?”

“I know.” A calm voice. A cold face. But his eyes were swollen. “Still, it’s fine.” But Fabian didn’t hesitate. “I don’t want to regret it anymore.”

A reason like that was enough for him.

“Evelyn.”

Fabian rose from his seat and stood before her. Evelyn then lifted her head and looked up at Fabian.

“Will you marry me again?” Fabian knelt on one knee before Evelyn had time to stop him.

“Your Majesty…!”

This was the second time Fabian begged her for an answer. Back then, and even now, when he proposed to Evelyn.

“If there’s no more reason for you to be by my side, then I’ll allow you to divorce me again.”

Fabian’s black eye looked straight at Evelyn without shaking. In front of him, there was a woman, who always refused him coldly, abandoned him, and secretly gave birth to his child.

“You can abandon me again.” Fabian took Evelyn’s empty-hopeless hand. “Give me one more chance… … I want you to give me a chance to turn your mind back.”

His hand stopped in the air, waiting for Evelyn. “As long as you’re by my side, I won’t wish anything from you anymore.”

Fabian finally figured out what he wanted to say all this time. It wasn’t about finding reasons why she left him or blaming her or missing her. There was only one thing he wanted to say the most.

Once again…..Fabian wanted to ask her to come back to his side once again.

“Evelyn Felice.”

Fabian chanted the sacred spell again.

“Please marry me.”

It was the only spell that brought brilliant miracles to his life. Now, all that was left was Evelyn’s answer.

As silence broke between the two of them, Fabian’s hand, frozen in the air, trembled lonely. He waited and kept waiting for a time that felt like an eternity.

“Your Majesty, this is foolish.”

“It’s alright.”

Fabian smiled faintly. Evelyn just stood there in silence, without holding or shaking his hand. She wasn’t sure if she had done the right thing or if she dared to repeat the cruel things. Then at one point, there was a sparkle shone in her eyes. Evelyn saw something shiny in Fabian’s hand. It was a wedding ring wrapped around his finger. It glistened faintly as if it was waiting for her.

“Really……this is so stupid.”

That wedding ring was a witness to their oath to each other. It was a spell that bound the two together forever. Without realizing it, Evelyn reached out her hand towards Fabian’s ring. It was an unconscious act. But Fabian didn’t miss that moment and immediately held Evelyn’s hand tightly.

“It’s alright.”

Evelyn could feel his warm body temperature.

“We become unhappy when we’re together.”

Evelyn had already seen the future. So, she didn’t want to act rashly and make a premature decision. She didn’t know how long Fabian’s change would last. Most people didn’t change, so expecting that only hurt her.

“Maybe.” Still, Fabian didn’t give up. “I… … It’s fine for me. Rather than letting you go like this, we still have time. That’s enough.” He squeezed her hand again, not letting her go. “And maybe, we can avoid the misery. I’ll try to do that.”

There was no previous-arrogant Fabian. There was no longer a cold man who rarely showed his feelings. What was in front of her now was a man who had yearned for a chance from Evelyn.

“We have a lovely child.”

For this fact, even Evelyn couldn’t deny it.

“So I’ll hold you as much as I can. I believe that’s happiness.”

Evelyn still didn’t answer back. But Fabian already knew that Evelyn would accept him for the child. It was all thanks to Adrian’s presence that Fabian now had another chance.

“Now, answer me, Evelyn.” Fabian looked at her eyes deeply.

How much time had passed? At last, Evelyn nodded her chin a little. And, at that moment, a wide smile spread over Fabian’s lips.

“……, thank you,” Fabian muttered softly. His voice rang so dimly, seemed like it couldn’t be heard, and then disappeared into the silence.

After that, he put his lips on Evelyn’s hand.

‘I swear on the sacred altar.’

Even if the times were irreversible, the same vows had been made in the past.

‘From this moment on, the two will become one.’

The wedding vow that they swore at each other, a wedding ring they shared with a prayer to bind them both forever, and the warmth of their hands touching each other.

‘We will live forever as each other’s.’

Only

Both were thinking of the same moment.

‘The bond between the two now will never be broken, even if you two are now apart.’

The promises that they had failed to keep a useless oath.

‘When the darkness falls, we will always return to each other…..’

But the vow was still not over.

‘….. Even if the end of the world comes. Forever.’

So, the second proposal was dyed to their heart.