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21.5 Dane Lowell

The moment they were born, some were already able to crawl or even walk briskly. There were even some who took no time at all to learn how to speak.

And when it came to tests of intelligence, Dane Lowell was unbeaten.

But being a genius did not guarantee him happiness. Before he could learn the word ‘happiness’, he had first understood how he could never be happy.

Dane’s birth mother, the 7th Queen, had a nasty habit of moving about. But her habits didn’t seem so strange considering how she had descended from gipsies. However, his maternal grandfather had been the Chief of Rome and he hoped for the Wheel of Rome to settle down in the Empire.

“I don’t want to! I don’t want to, Father!”

Dane’s mother would rather die than to marry the emperor. She hated being tied down.

“Let’s just continue roaming around. Hm? We can continue living like our ancestors. Please.”

But the Chief of Rome had different plans. The life of a wanderer was not as wonderful as his immature daughter thought of it to be. They could only survive roaming about by showcasing their martial arts and selling their crafts. Sometimes, they were forced to sell their bodies regardless of their genders. Even if they were persecuted and ridiculed as a result, they had to quickly move again before they even got the chance to refute them. With vague memories of such a life, the Chief of Rome flatly refused her pleas. Eventually, his daughter was forced to marry the emperor.

In exchange, the Wheel of Rome became the emperor’s secret agents, the ‘emperor’s shadows’.

They were barely repulsed by what they were commanded to do since they had done them countless times before. Including the then chief, both the elders and youths of their people felt the same. And they had taken Dane’s mother’s sacrifice for granted.

The Empire was a warm country with four seasons. Each year, the Empire’s harvest was so abundant and bountiful, they had no shortage of grains for their people. Since they weren’t lacking anything, naturally, the people became complacent and thought they would forever be on the receiving end.

Compared to the lives they led before, they were now leading more extravagant and entertaining ones. But that was how the people of Rome were. They were gipsies who excelled in the arts and crafts.

Dane’s mother had gotten into her marriage with all sorts of rage fuming within her but had adapted to life in the palace faster than anyone else. Her wanderlust never disappeared. But his mother fell in love with the emperor upon first sight.

‘I love the emperor. I want him to only look at me!’

The Imperial Family of Kaltanias, especially those with the Power of the Lord, were born with powers to attract people. Unfortunately, Dane’s mother had become too influenced by this power. No, she might have subconsciously yearned for it; she might have been attracted to him due to his powers but her feelings were sincere.

‘What do I do? What do I do? The child I had given birth to is not a templar!’

She had wanted to be the apple of the emperor’s eyes. There were already 6 other consorts other than herself. In the midst of her anxiety, the child she had given birth to was not a templar.

The emperor only favoured templars. Dane’s mother who was already being neglected because she was not a templar, had gone mad the moment she found out that Dane was not a templar. `

“You! It’s all because you’re not a templar! You’re the reason why I’m not loved. Why aren’t you one! Why!”

That was when his mother started hitting Dane. Dane’s fragile limbs did not even cross the woman’s mind. But being so smart, Dane had unfortunately understood the conflict his mother was struggling with.

“Hmph, my child, my child, I’m so sorry. … This is not your fault. It’s not your fault…”

She would beat him like the devil but at night she would embrace him tightly before sobbing. She was by nature a woman filled with wanderlust. As she suffered from lovesickness and the deprivation of her desires, her madness and paranoia only worsened. Before one day, his mother finally lost it.

“Hm… hm.. (1). My lovely daughter, mummy will make your hair so pretty.”

“… I’m not your daughter, mother.”

Dane sighed quietly. His mother continued to tie up his neck-length hair as if she couldn’t hear him. She continued to fall apart again and again. Eventually, he would wait for her to tire herself out before sneaking out of his palace.

‘The devil behind that look should be calling for me soon.’

His mother’s bipolarity got worse by day. There were even days when her memories would deteriorate to the point when she no longer recognised Dane. Sometimes he was treated like her daughter. Even today, he had been dressed in one-piece dresses by his mother.

Still, he looked good since he was beautiful.

“Take care of your mother. You can do that, right? Tsk, no maid wants to work here.”

It had been a long time since a new maid entered the 7th Queen’s palace. This was mostly because his mother had been chased out of her family and had no family backing her.

‘That’s probably because the Wheel of Rome thinks sending people here would be a waste of resources.’

Languidly, Dane headed towards the garden.

“You are the sole successor to Rome. Rome must settle down in the Empire. Do you understand me?”

By the time he was eight, he knew so much more he could make educated guesses. That was how he got better at hiding his feelings. The problem was that he was already looked upon strangely for remarks he had inadvertently let out before.

‘How cumbersome.’

Dane liked the quiet. It might be because he had been losing sleep since young because of his mother’s cries at night. The garden became his only resting place. But someone was already there when he arrived.

‘What’s this? A child?’

The tiny back squirmed. Following that, a small shadow accompanied the child’s movements. In front of such a strange sight, Dane froze as he tightened his grip on his book.

The girl who had appeared out of nowhere, discovered Dane and started speaking to him first.

“Pinch me now, this rocks.”

No, what she was saying didn’t sound like words.

With her mouth covered, she fidgeted with the dirt.

“You’re so effing pretty.”

The girl jumped up before quickly shaking the dirt off her hands. That was all she could mumble in front of such a beautiful girl.

‘I can’t tell if she’s a girl or a boy but since she’s wearing a dress, she’s probably a girl.’

The girl cleared her throat.

“Hello, kid?”

Almost immediately, Dane’s face clouded over. A kid? Who was the child here? Dane was eight this year. He was only slightly smaller than his peers but he could not be considered short. On the other hand, this girl, no, he wasn’t even sure this child could be considered a girl. She looked to be four? Five? She looked like she wasn’t that good at walking yet since she wasn’t used to balancing herself.

“Are you five?”

“Excuse you. I’m six.”

Crossing her arms, she smiled coyly. Her movements seemed more natural than he initially thought. The way kids moved at that age looked so immature that Dane could not see them to be on the same level as him. This immaturity of his was only because he was still learning.

But the girl moved very naturally. Moreover, she seemed to be using words that didn’t suit her age.

“Who are you? What is your name?”

“That’s what I want to know.”

After pondering for a moment, she widened her eyes.

“Are you the owner of this place?”

“Alright. I’ll just agree with you on that.”

“Oh my god, I can’t believe it. I can’t believe such a pretty girl was so close to me!”

“What?”

“Could you call me your older sister?”

For a moment, Dane wondered if she had lost her mind just as his mother did.

‘No.’

Thanks to the medical knowledge he obtained because of his mother, the young genius quickly shook his head.

‘Her eyes are too clear.’

After finally thinking rationally again, Dane stared at the girl in front of him as if he could not comprehend her. At the same time, the curiosity of this talented child, this genius, was piqued.

“I am a male.”

“Ah, really?”

After holding her chin for a moment, she nodded.

“You must have moments when you want to wear dresses too. I understand. Your older sister is an open-minded person.”

“… I think there’s some big misunderstanding there, but I’ll let it pass.”

She then looked towards Dane full with wonder.

“You don’t act like your age. You hear that you’re an old soul a lot, don’t you? No. It feels a little different from that. What is it?”

“What’s that?”

Dane became curious upon hearing a word he had never heard before. Instead of replying, the girl shook her head.

“Ah. I have to go now. I had sneaked out. If I go back late, that girl–was it Hannah?–she’s going to cry.”

“Hold on, you! What’s your name?”

She spun back around. Dane was bewildered for a moment. She was about to turn back around again.

“You shouldn’t be asking for an older woman’s name without permission.”

She grinned. She smiled once more before assuring him that she was just joking.

“I am Ashley, no–”

The girl pressed her hand on her chest.

“Call me Ahn.”

***

His first meeting with the girl left quite an impression on him. Dane could not forget her from that moment on. So, he visited the garden every day. The girl would come by his palace from time to time.

“Hello. Thinking about it again, I realised I didn’t ask for your name.”

“Dane. Dane Lowell.”

“Dane? Suits you well. The most handsome man I knew had also been called Dane.”

Ahn seemed to have a hobby of squatting and staring at Dane’s face for a long time.

She had told him she was six but she looked much younger than she was. When she first looked at him with eyes so big they looked like they would fall off if he were to tap them, he felt burdened. But he had already gotten used to her gaze.

“You know. If you continue growing up like this, you might become my ideal type”

“Pfft!”

Dane spat out the water he had been drinking. Dane, who was rarely caught off guard, stared at her incredulously.

“Who on earth teaches you to speak like that?”

“That’s what I want to ask. [A Compilation of Matters Regarding Medical Science and Other Practicalities]. What 8 year old reads this?”

T/N:

(1): She’s humming here.