The Baby Isn’t Yours

Unconsciously, Kalia stuck out her tongue and licked her dry lips.

The golden eyes that looked at her shuddered.

His gaze fell on her lower lip, which was wet with saliva and glistening.

‘Ah, it’s a very dirty feeling.’

Kalia clenched her toes in embarrassment.

Simon was still holding her hand.

It was strange to feel a hand that couldn’t be removed, although she could shak it off very easily.

What saved her from such a difficult situation…

-Teelong, teelong, teelong.-

It was a clear bird sound, befitting the place.

Simon’s and Kalia’s gazes simultaneously turned to the empty space in front of the terrace.

At that moment, a magic gate opened in the air with a dazzling light.

* * *

“…You came quickly.
You said you’d be back.”

Added to this a bunch of such noisy people.

“I’m late because those kids dared to follow me.”

Kalia looked at the three fairies standing behind him as if she was a little tired.

They were all fairies with a high and unique aura.
Their ears were slightly pointed, and all three fairies were so neutral that it was impossible to tell if they were male or female.

Seeing that the energy emanating from them was unusual, they seemed to be high-ranking fairies.

However, the three fairies looked at Kalia with strange expressions.

Especially the one who seemed to be mesmerized with a very strange expression, had black and white hair.

They may have been very expressive in the beginning, but at that moment they couldn’t take their eyes off Kalia, their mouths were wide open.

“Oh no, really… isn’t that weird?”

She couldn’t understand the words he muttered under his breath.

What’s wrong?

Kalia, without realizing it, looked at one of them and met the eyes of the fairy, who looked at her with dignified and calm eyes.

No, ‘more calm’ eyes seemed to fit more.

He looked at her with the most bitter eyes.

His eyes were so sharp that it could be taken as hostility if misunderstood.

‘Why are you doing this?’

Kalia looked straight at him, hugging Sasha.

Then the face of the dark-haired fairy with gray eyes trembled.
He licked his lips as if he wanted to say something.
But Simon stopped the moment.

“It’s not that I don’t believe in the king, but… I’d like you to introduce those behind you because they have very, very, very cheeky eyes.” Simon stepped forward as if blocking Kalia and Sasha.

Kalexia, who raised the tip of an eyebrow at Simon, silently smiled.

He was arrogant but sweet.
It seemed absurd and quite logical.
He brought three children, who were as if hypnotized, without saying anything.

“They are elders and guardians of the forest.
And they are my children.”

Fairy King’s children.

From a human point of view, the four fairies were of royal lineage.
Why the hell did this noble fairy family show up every day?

Without thinking about the reason, Kalia nodded.
And she remembered the fairy, which she also wanted to see, but which wasn’t here.

“But Gaia…”

When Kalia called Gaia’s name, all three fairies shuddered.

“Gaia is sleeping now.
That day, the day you gave birth to this child, she gave you and the child too much her energy,” Kalexia said with a bitter smile.

‘She is sleeping… because she gave me a lot of energy that day, she fell into a dream.’

Kalia was slightly surprised and quickly asked:

“Is she really in bad condition? You definitely helped me that day.
Then shouldn’t Gaia be fine?”

“This child is not a whole soul, so even if she overdoes it a little, the collected pieces will fall apart.
The fact that she is sleeping now is barely hinted at by the bracelet you are wearing.”

Kalia removed the bracelet that tinkled from her wrist.

The eyes of the king’s three children narrowed, and groans were heard.

‘Bracelet of the ancient spirit of Amuntia.’

They knew Kalexia had been trying to find it for years.
But how could this precious thing lie casually in this girl’s hand? Even saying that Gaia’s soul was there, the siblings couldn’t help but frown next to each other.

“If she recovers, Gaia will probably become a spirit belonging to the bracelet for a while.
But there are good things about it too.
You can freely go anywhere with this bracelet.”

Initially, it was just a piece of the soul, so Gaia had almost no substance.

It’s not so bad to be a bracelet spirit like this.

At least until the bracelet breaks, she will be released from the restriction…

“Gaia will return when the time is right.
But more than that… Shouldn’t the child get a gift?”

With a wave of his hand, the magical gates opened as before.

From the entrance of light came a great chariage.

It had a lot of strange things in it.

The baby’s room, neither small nor large, was filled with carts and fairies.

It’s good that Hemmie and the nanny were quickly taken away, but if they were here, there would be nowhere to sit.

Kalia stared dumbfounded at the cart that filled the entire center of the room.
Its enormous size was unbelievable, but the foreign energy felt inside was also unusual.

“What is all this?”

“Didn’t I just say? Gift.”

“No, I mean… Are these all gifts? What gifts?”

“For you and the baby.”

Kalia’s eyes blinked in confusion.

She looked at the Fairy King, hugging Sasha tightly.

“I don’t know why this child and I should receive this gifts.”

“Really? Do you really not know?”

Kalia looked at the king with trembling eyes, not answering.

He silently smiled and approached Kalia.

The rough hand of the king touched the cheek of the baby, who looked at the mother and the king, as if he knew nothing.

The little lips that seemed to pout in response were adorable.

“Are you saying you really don’t know how your child could take my blood?”

Blood magic.

A spell that only worked for those of the same blood worked for the child as well.

“You really don’t understand why Gaia, whose memory is imperfect, tried so hard to protect you?”

Kalia took a deep breath.

The king was asking exactly what she didn’t want to think about.

Her heart was warm inside, but oddly enough, her body was trembling as if it were cold.
As her fingertips grew colder, Kalia had no choice but to tighten her grip on the blanket she was wrapped around.

“When I first saw you, I was very surprised, child.”

Kalexia’s eyes looked tenderly at Kalia’s face.

“The stubbornly closed mouth, the pretty cheeks under the eyes that appear when you smile, and the figure behind, looking and moving forward, are very similar to my youngest lost daughter.”

At first glance, deep sadness merged with tenderness, mixed in his voice.

“No, we are not at all alike, not at all,” Kalia shook her head stubbornly, thinking of Gaia.

Their hair and eye color were similar, but Gaia and Kalia’s appearance differed from each other, judging by this alone.
Kalia had a sharp impression with fuller lips and a sharper nose, while Gaia had a round, smooth, puppy-like appearance.

However, the king smiled vaguely, turned around and looked at his children.

“What do you think?”

Not that they were similar, not that they were not similar.
One looked at the ground, one looked at Kalia with a gloomy look, and one looked away, clenching his fist.

There were no words, but in their reaction, Kalia felt devastated.

“You can deny it.
It’s possible.
As you said, you may not be the same.
Maybe it’s just me that thinks so.”

His heart was beating uneasily.

A great echo resounded in his heart.

He smiled softly and met Kalia’s gaze.
No doubt it was a look of firm conviction.

“I am a pathetic father who doesn’t know how his child died.
But if I lose sight of the little girl in front of me now, I think I’ll be a terrible father who won’t be able to lift his head, so…” he paused for a moment and sighed.
“…That’s why I can’t leave you alone, child.”

The King’s warm whispering voice echoed through Kalia’s body.

“You are Gaia’s trace.”

“Trace?”

“The only trace my girl left.”

The King, who had rubbed Kalia’s frown on her forehead with his thumb, spoke again.

“The only legacy she left behind.
No, treasure.”

“…Treasure.”

“A treasure that my girl wanted to keep even in death.”

Kalia bit hard her trembling lower lip.

The chill rising up her spine quickly reached her lips.
Kalia tried to stop him by biting them with little effort, but it wasn’t easy.

The Fairy King’s warm hand touched Kalia’s eyes.

The rough hand caressed the corners of her red eyes, giving her strength.

“There is only one regret.”

Kalia looked at Sasha, whom she held in her arms.

If Kalia herself died like this, for Sasha, she would have regrets that she wouldn’t be able to die even after death.

‘And the fact that I am such a person for Gaia…’

Gaia said that even she didn’t know why she clung so desperately to Kalia.

However, she only prayed that it would be so.

Even if she had no memory, the soul recognized Kalia.

It could be life that gave her a body whose soul split to give birth to her.
Fairy families that show great obsession and affection for their blood relatives can be even more sensitive.

“I’m sorry I’m saying this only now… You’ve grown up bravely and well.”

Sunlight hit her eyes.
Kalia closed her eyes tightly.

“My girl’s daughter, my granddaughter.”

Waves rushing in her heart washed over her.

When she closed her red eyes, hot tears flowed down.