Aureline fell silent for a moment after hearing Shakky's words. He ran a hand over his face before looking back at her, sadness filling his eyes.
"Alright... I'll tell you. When you were born, there was a strange mark on your forehead. It was a mysterious circular symbol, formed by several intricate rings, with countless sharp patterns radiating from its center. The moment I saw it, I knew... you were one of those people born into our family once every three or four hundred years—the ones destined to die because of that curse."
Shakky looked slightly confused as she listened carefully.
"What curse?"
"Yes... the curse." Aureline took a breath. "I had heard about it before, but I never imagined it would appear in my own daughter. I was terrified. I didn't know how I could tell your mother. She was happier than she'd ever been at that time... and she didn't want to be separated from you."
Aureline took a long breath. Shakky tightened her grip slightly around her father's hand.
"When your mother noticed the sadness on my face, she asked me what was wrong. I had to force myself to stay strong and tell her everything."
Aureline's voice trembled slightly.
"I still remember it. At the happiest moment of her life... she became completely devastated."
As Shakky listened, she lowered her gaze.
"Day by day, your condition kept getting worse. She couldn't bear watching you suffer, so she transferred her Saint Power into you. And that... became her greatest mistake."
Shakky remained silent, listening to every word. She only wanted to know what had happened back then.
"The people at the temple said that giving one's Saint Power to another person for personal reasons was the same as accepting God's curse. And we saw it happen. Your mother's condition continued to deteriorate day by day."
Aureline's voice grew heavier.
"She kept telling me, 'After I'm gone, take good care of her.' And then one day... she left us without telling anyone."
Aureline stopped. Tears had gathered in his eyes.
Shakky remained leaning against his hand, quietly listening. Then, in a soft voice, she asked,
"And... what happened after that, Father?"
King Aureline wiped the tears from his eyes.
"She didn't know that even her Saint Power wouldn't be enough to save you after she was gone. We tried everything to cure you. Mages, healers... everyone we could find. But nothing improved your condition. That's why we even joined hands with the government. But even they couldn't find a way to save you."
Aureline fell silent.
Shakky spoke softly.
"I'm sorry, Father... I shouldn't have asked you to tell me something you hated talking about."
King Aureline placed a hand on Shakky's head and smiled faintly.
"You were going to learn about this sooner or later. I didn't want you to hate me, so I kept trying to get closer to you. But you always pushed me away… and I started thinking that perhaps I had failed in my duty as your father."
Shakky looked up at him.
"No, no, Father. It was my fault. I was the one who never understood you. I thought that staying away from you would lessen your burden."
Aureline smiled gently and placed his hand on her head again.
"A daughter can never be a burden to her father."
Shakky lowered her head. She climbed down from the bed, her expression filled with despair.
"No… I am a burden, Father. Because of this curse, you're always worried about me. That's why I kept my distance. I didn't want to make you suffer even more…"
Her voice trembled.
"I just… I just wanted you to hate me. I wanted you to abandon me, so that after I died, you wouldn't remember me and cry like you did for Mother…"
Aureline rose from his seat and knelt in front of her. He gently placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Do you really think your father could ever hate you?"
Tears immediately welled up in Shakky's eyes.
Without saying anything, she quickly hugged Aureline. She wanted to cry, but no sound came from her throat. The tears she had hidden from everyone for so long finally began to fall.
Seeing her cry, Aureline gently patted her back. He lifted her into his arms and wiped the tears from her face.
"You really are just like your mother… The same eyes, the same face. If only she could see you now. If she were here, she would never have wanted to be separated from you."
A faint smile appeared on Shakky's face.
"Father… You've never told me any stories about Mother. Could you tell me some?"
Aureline looked happy at the request and carried Shakky back to the bed.
"Of course. I never got the chance to tell you anything about your mother because you were always keeping your distance from me. But today, I finally have that chance. So, what kind of story do you want to hear?"
Shakky smiled.
"When you first met Mother… How did you meet her? And how did she come to accept you?"
The moment she asked, Aureline suddenly started laughing.
Shakky stared at him in confusion.
"Father? What happened?"
Aureline tried to suppress his laughter.
"Sorry. I just remembered that moment. It was honestly quite funny."
"Funny?" Shakky tilted her head. "I thought it would be something romantic."
Aureline cleared his throat.
"Ahem… No, it wasn't anything like that. She didn't even know I was a prince. And when she finally found out, she immediately knelt down and started apologizing to me."
Shakky's eyes widened.
"What?! Mother was apologizing to you? I want to hear this! Hurry up and tell me!"
"Alright, alright. I'll tell you. Listen carefully."
Aureline began telling her the story.
Shakky listened with wide, curious eyes. As the story continued, she burst into laughter, unable to believe that her parents' first meeting had actually happened that way.
"So it's true?! She thought you were just some ordinary guy and even tied you up with ropes?! Ahahaha!"
Aureline smiled as he watched his daughter laugh.
He gently brushed his hand across Shakky's face.
"You laugh just like your mother…"
Aureline stood up.
"Alright. It's very late now. You should sleep. You have to leave for the North tomorrow morning."
He gently ran his hand over Shakky's head.
Shakky caught his hand and softly said,
"I love you, Dad."
Aureline's eyes filled with tears of happiness.
He rested his forehead gently against hers and whispered,
"I love you too… more than you know."
Shakky smiled.
Aureline tucked her into bed and pulled the blanket over her.
"Now go to sleep. Good night."
"Good night, Father."
Aureline smiled and turned toward the door. Before leaving, he looked back at Shakky one last time.
Then he stepped outside and quietly closed the door behind him.
Aureline stood there for a moment, silently happy.
Then a voice came from the side.
"So… you finally told her everything."
Aureline turned to his left.
Ameria was leaning against the wall.
Unlike how she usually spoke in front of the king, there was no formality in her voice. She spoke to him like someone who had known him for a very long time.
Aureline lowered his gaze.
"What else could I do? I never found the right moment. And sooner or later, she had to learn the truth. Whether it happened today or tomorrow, she would eventually have to face it."
Ameria smiled.
"You did the right thing by telling her the truth. And you also did the right thing by keeping the government's involvement from her."
Aureline glanced at her.
"Looks like that habit of yours hasn't changed either… Listening to other people's conversations without them knowing."
Ameria puffed out her cheeks in annoyance.
Aureline immediately tried to calm her down.
"Alright, forgive me. Besides, it's better that she doesn't know about the government yet. If she finds out what they did… she might end up hating herself too."
Ameria nodded.
"You're right. Sometimes, keeping certain things hidden is better. Especially when someone isn't ready to face the truth."
Aureline smiled and began walking away. As he passed Ameria, he placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Come on. I'm going to sleep. It's already very late. Let her sleep too. She'll probably have a good night's sleep tonight."
With that, Aureline walked away.
Ameria looked toward Shakky's room and quietly murmured,
"Yes… tonight, she really will sleep peacefully."
She then turned around and left.
Inside the room, Shakky lay on her bed with a smile.
"No matter what I do… he'll never hate me."
With that thought, Shakky pulled the blanket over her face, still smiling, and slowly fell asleep.
Midnight came.
Shakky was fast asleep when she suddenly began having difficulty breathing.
Her eyes were still closed. She instinctively raised her hand toward her neck, but instead of feeling her nightdress, her fingers touched something rough.
Surprised by the strange sensation, she slowly opened her eyes.
And there she saw Aerstrone sitting on her chest, his hands tightly around her neck.