T/N: This chapter is dedicated to Treediz. Ribola seems like his kind of guy >.>
At first, it sounded like the wind. Tina shifted her body, touched the baby in her arms, and tried to go back to sleep. The reeds rustled again. Then they spat out men. One, two, ten men appeared.
The baby started crying.
Tina sat up, cradled the baby, and patted it. Instead of calming down, the baby cried even louder. Was it startled from sleep? Hungry and tired, her mind distracted by the baby’s cries, Tina didn’t notice the presence behind her. Just as she was about to nurse, a man behind her spoke.
“Finally found you.”
She turned her head and saw a familiar face. It was General Ribola. She had only seen him once, but she remembered him because he was standing next to the queen. Those who stood by the queen always glared at Tina. Among them, General Ribola had eyes like a predator. He looked the same now. Tina froze like a small animal.
“Stay still. Yes, just like that.”
At Ribola’s gesture, two men entered from the front and blocked her way. The others kept watch from the reed field. Three men were more than enough for a woman holding a baby, but more than that, Ribola had something else he feared. He glanced at the broken ceiling. There was still daylight. They had at least three hours of safety.
“How about we skip the hassle? Wouldn’t it be easier if you came along willingly?”
“What… what are you talking about…?”
“I’m saying I’ll take you to a safe place.”
The word “safe” made Tina’s exhausted mind whirl. Ribola was the queen’s confidant but also a servant of the king. Was he here to take her to the palace? Was she finally going to get some rest? But the dazed imagination that her mind conjured shattered the moment Ribola spoke again.
“Hand over the prince first.”
No.
Tina tightened her arms around the baby and slowly stood up. Instinct awakened her. Even if she was a small animal facing a predator, she was holding an even weaker being in her arms. The baby was someone only she could protect.
“I’ll carry him.”
“Don’t make it harder. Hand him over.”
“No.”
At Tina’s resolute attitude, Ribola sneered and looked around.
“It took quite an effort to find this place. But at least there’s a good side. You have nowhere to run, and no one will come even if you scream.”
“What are you going to do with the baby?”
Ribola hesitated for only a moment, but Tina understood everything. Her legs trembled, and tears poured out. She had no chance of defeating the three men, no chance of escaping. She was going to die here. Even if she fought desperately, she wouldn’t be able to protect the baby for more than ten minutes. The thought of what might happen to the baby after her death made her throat tighten. If only the baby could be safe, if she could believe that, she didn’t care what happened to her. She didn’t mind being torn to death.
Watching Tina tremble and cry, Ribola suddenly recalled the banquet where Tina had given birth and received a name for the child. Tina had won that day, and the queen had lost, but Tina hadn’t looked as if she was enjoying her victory. She had been so beautiful, dressed in splendor, holding the prince who would inherit the kingdom, receiving the king’s full attention. Yet, Tina had looked frightened. Ribola found it strange. Even someone of low birth would naturally become arrogant with such a meteoric rise, especially with strong allies. A commoner dancer wouldn’t have the discernment to remain humble in such a position.
Now he understood. It was instinct. Those who trained their bodies for a long time developed instincts, like priests who endured hardships, blacksmiths, stonemasons, musicians, clowns, and soldiers. Dancers were the same. It was a world unknown to the aristocrats or scholars who live in comfort. A sense that made a cup of wine suddenly taste bitter, even if it wasn’t poisoned, as if someone with venom in their heart poured it. Tina might have been too ignorant to name her feelings, but she had known. She had known a day like this would come.
And yet she couldn’t avoid it.
“Then follow us quietly. If you try to run…”
There was no need to add more conditions. They were going to kill her anyway. Ribola thought for a moment and then spoke.
“The baby will die a very cruel death.”
Seeing Tina’s expression, Ribola was sure she wouldn’t run.
The queen hadn’t ordered them to bring the two back alive. She only needed to confirm their deaths afterward.
Cutting off their heads and bringing them to the palace would be the surest way, but there was the risk of getting caught. If they were discovered, they would face death by dismemberment. That’s why the queen had said to hide the bodies in an appropriate place, and she would send someone trustworthy to confirm it. The location didn’t matter. Even the millhouse wouldn’t be a problem.
Ribola didn’t spare Tina and the baby out of pity. He had another fear. While she had been useful in finding Tina, he didn’t want to face her beyond that. He didn’t want to spill blood in the reed field. He planned to take them to a more distant place and kill them without staining himself.
Two soldiers walked ahead, Tina followed, and Ribola walked behind her. The other soldiers kept a slight distance, keeping watch as they moved. The reeds were tall, and their figures were hidden.
It was a cloudy day. It looked like it would rain by nightfall. Tina said nothing. One might expect her to beg for her life, but she didn’t. She only staggered along like a living corpse. Perhaps she was calm because she had already resigned herself. She even started nursing the baby as she walked. Ribola thought to himself that the baby might get hurt if she fell, then laughed at his own thoughts. How ridiculous. And yet, he couldn’t help but say it.
“You’re a lucky woman to have fallen into my hands.”
“What do you mean…?”
“If it were someone else, your fate would have been much worse.”
Tina looked back weakly, then nodded.
“I see.”
“Do you think I’m lying?”
“No. I believe you. Thank you.”
A short while later, Tina began to hum softly. The tune was as gentle as a lullaby.
“You’re singing in this situation?”
“It’s because of the situation.”
“What do you mean?”
“This is the last time. The last time my baby will hear its mother’s song.”
Ribola fell silent, and Tina’s soft song continued as the odd procession passed through the reed field. During that time, something shifted within Ribola. It was strange. The more he listened to Tina’s humming, the more a desire arose within him. At first, he tried to ignore it, but as they neared the end of the reed field, it became overwhelming, and by the time they reached the place where their horses were tied, his head was spinning.
He suddenly wanted to bury his face in that black hair he had been gazing at indifferently, to smell it. He wanted to touch the stained, pale nape of her neck, to wrap his arms around her slender waist. Until then, Tina’s beauty had merely been a feature to recognize her by. After all, there were no unattractive women in the king’s company. What difference did it make? It had nothing to do with him. But at this moment, the delicate woman who had once been the king’s was now under his power. Her lullaby seemed like a mournful tribute to herself, to her own imminent death. Its tenderness only made it more sorrowful, creating a strange allure. He couldn’t tell if what he wanted was to confirm his power, to revel in danger, or to seek comfort. Perhaps it was a mix of all three.
What will a mother do for her child’s remaining life?
I will cradle and nurse him.
I will kiss him and pat him gently.
I will sing to him.
For the rest of his life, always…
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