I Am Trying to Divorce My Villain Husband, But We Had a Child - chapter 63

Chapter 63

Upon arriving at the temple, Elisa had Anne and the knights wait outside while she entered the temple with only Leon.

“I would like to see His Holiness.”

Recognizing Elisa, the temple priest guided her to a reception room deeper inside the temple.

“I will enter now.”

After a short wait, Aiden entered the reception room after knocking. As always, he greeted Elisa with a gentle expression.

“It seems you’ve recovered. The children were very worried after hearing the news last time.”

“I’m fine now. I feel bad for making them worry for no reason.”

Just as Aiden was about to ask why she had come, he noticed Leon hiding behind Elisa.

“Could it be that the reason you wanted to see me today is because of this child?”

“Yes, I was hoping His Holiness could take him in.”

“The gods will be pleased. I can help with the boy’s admission.”

“No, His Holiness must personally take him in.”

At Elisa’s words, Aiden looked at her and the boy, puzzled.

Elisa picked up the child, who was clinging to her back, and placed him in front of her.

“Leon, could you show what you did earlier in the carriage?”

“Mom said I’m not supposed to show anyone.”

“That’s right, you’re not supposed to show others. But this man is here to help you, so it’s okay to show him.”

“Hmm…”

Despite Elisa’s encouragement, the boy just fidgeted nervously, glancing at Aiden, unwilling to obey.

It seemed Elisa had thoroughly instructed the child to ensure his safety, even after she was gone.

In the end, Elisa pulled out her secret weapon.

“If you show him, I’ll buy you lots of bread.”

At those words, Leon immediately extended his tiny hands, as if he had never hesitated. The moment Aiden’s curious gaze fell on the boy’s palm, a small flame ignited from it.

As soon as he saw it, Aiden’s eyes began to tremble violently.

‘That power…?’

Though still weak, the power was unmistakably the one passed down through the imperial kairot family.

“You can stop now, Leon.”

Hearing Elisa’s words, Leon quickly pulled back his hand and looked up at her.

“When will you buy me the bread?”

“I’ll buy it for you later. Do you want to wait outside for a bit?”

“Are you having a secret conversation?”

“Huh? Well, yes.”

“Then why don’t you tell me?”

Leon pouted, his tiny lips sticking out in a sulky expression. He seemed upset that Elisa was having a secret conversation without him.

Elisa, caught off guard by this unexpected hurdle, quickly calmed him down.

“I’ll tell you a really important secret later. How about that?”

“Okay. I understand.”

“Good boy, Leon. Now go play outside for a little while.”

Persuaded by Elisa, Leon left the room without further protest.

As soon as the door closed, Aiden spoke firmly.

“I cannot take that child in.”

“……”

“I don’t know what you’re thinking, but that child is of royal blood. If you hide him recklessly, it could endanger not only you but me as well.”

“I know. That’s why I brought him to the temple.”

Aiden had many people who depended on him, people he had to protect. Elisa had long observed that Aiden maintained a defensive stance in everything he did, and she understood that persuading him would not be easy. Yet, bringing Leon to him was the only way to protect the boy.

Elisa continued, as if she had anticipated his reaction.

“The temple takes in all children who have lost their parents. There’s no problem with a child staying here, even if his origins are unknown.”

“……”

“If the child is discovered, His Holiness can simply say he was entrusted to the temple, without knowing who the child really is.”

“That’s too reckless. I can’t agree to this.”

Aiden, his expression stiff, firmly rejected Elisa’s plan. He couldn’t risk giving the emperor an opportunity to further destabilize Rubellin’s position, which was already under threat.

Elisa didn’t argue immediately but sipped her tea calmly before asking, “Do you really think I would take all the blame for this?”

A calm smile appeared on her lips as she asked the question.

“Who do you think would be more guilty: someone who tries to kill the royal bloodline, or someone who hides and protects that bloodline?”

She implied that someone else was trying to eliminate the child. Aiden looked at Elisa with a puzzled expression.

“The royal family is searching for an heir of the imperial bloodline, but there is someone who desperately wants that child to never be found.”

“The crown princess?”

“Yes. She sent people to find and kill the child before the emperor could. If an illegitimate heir appears and claims the position, her status would be in great danger.”

Knowing Leon’s tragic childhood from the original story, Elisa had already deduced the actions of Rose, the crown princess.

“I’ll deploy knights to gather evidence of this in the next few days.”

Upon hearing this, Aiden realized that Elisa had not recklessly brought the child to the temple without a plan.

“So once I have the evidence, you can be assured.”

“I’m sorry, but I want nothing to do with the affairs of the royal family.”

Despite Elisa’s reasoning, Aiden resolutely rejected her proposal. His unexpectedly cold attitude startled her.

His voice was icy, a tone Elisa had never heard from him before. Noticing her shock, Aiden softened his tone slightly as he added, “For personal reasons.”

It was then that Elisa realized why Aiden was rejecting her request. Twenty years ago, he had lost his wife because of the emperor. The royal family was his enemy.

But she couldn’t back down. Only Aiden could prevent the tragic disaster that Leon would eventually cause.

Desperately, she pleaded, “That child’s power is dangerous. If he is sent to the palace as he is now, the entire palace might be engulfed in flames.”

Aiden’s lips curled slightly at her words. This was the revenge he had long dreamed of—vengeance that he had never been able to carry out because of the people Julia had entrusted him to protect.

“If that happens, then it must be the will of the gods.”

“Even if that child turns the village next to the temple into a sea of flames, would you still say it’s the will of the gods?”

Aiden’s cold eyes wavered at those words.

Elisa seized the moment and continued, “I can’t fully understand how painful and lonely it must be for you, Your Holiness, to have lost someone dear. I lost my parents when I was young, but I have no memories of them.”

“……”

“I know it’s presumptuous of me, but there’s something I must ask.”

Elisa looked at Aiden, whose expression remained firm, and asked with unwavering eyes, “Isn’t your sorrow unrelated to that child?”

The boy had inherited royal blood, but he was innocent. He didn’t even know who his father was and had been abandoned on the streets. Aiden’s composure wavered briefly, as if caught off guard by the question, but he quickly regained it.

In a calm voice, Elisa continued, “Right now, he’s just a small flame. He could either grow into a fire that consumes life or one that brings warmth to others.”

“……”

“You have the power to guide that flame in any direction.”

Aiden simply stared at Elisa, offering no response. Taking his silence as a rejection, Elisa stood up and bowed her head slightly as a gesture of apology.

“I’m sorry for coming here suddenly with such an unreasonable request. And for speaking out of turn.”

“……”

“I will take Leon back now.”

“…Leave him here.”

Elisa blinked, momentarily doubting her ears. How could the man who had coldly refused her request moments ago suddenly change his mind?

Aiden, as if confirming his decision, met her bewildered gaze and added, “But you’ll need to bring evidence of the crown princess’s actions by the end of this week.”

Finally understanding his intentions, a smile spread across Elisa’s face. She nodded vigorously, her expression bright with relief.

“Of course.”

*

After sharing the secret she had promised Leon and giving him some advice, Elisa had a knight buy various kinds of bread for him. She then returned to the duke’s residence.

Aiden decided to let Leon stay in his quarters for the time being, wanting to observe how well the boy could control his powers.

“Leon?”

But when Aiden returned to his room after his bath, the boy was nowhere to be seen. The only trace of him was an empty cup of warm milk with honey that had been left by a junior priest.

Looking around the room, Aiden finally spotted Leon huddled in front of the unlit fireplace.

‘What is he doing?’

The boy was so focused that he hadn’t heard Aiden’s voice. His small hands were moving restlessly.

Aiden, watching with a puzzled expression, soon saw flames sparking from Leon’s hands.

The boy was playing with fire.

Aiden’s expression hardened as he took in the sight.