Chapter 46.2

Perhaps it was because they shared the same father that Oswald couldn't show disgust toward her. There was a certain sympathy between them.

Sara, who was nearly ten years older, often took care of him with more diligence than the other elders. She was the gentlest person he had encountered since childhood.

For the first time, thanks to Sara, Oswald caught a glimpse of what family care and affection felt like.

When Oswald first arrived at Wujin Hanging Palace, Emperor Noel merely told him that he was his father, without revealing anything about his mother or what kind of person she was. Oswald suspected that even the emperor himself might not remember.

It was Sara who secretly conducted inquiries within the palace, eventually discovering some information.

"I heard her name was Bai Hill. She was a tall beauty! Her eyes were transparent and exquisite, just like yours," Sara whispered mysteriously.

She extracted a roll of parchment and handed it to Oswald. "I sneaked around in St. Antis and found a folk painter to create this portrait for you. Of course, it's based on descriptions, so it may not be entirely accurate."

That was the first time Oswald heard about his mother and saw an image that could potentially resemble her.

The woman in the painting wore a gentle smile, and her eyes and eyebrows bore a striking resemblance to Oswald's own. It sparked a sense of familiarity within him as if he still held fragments of memories of his mother.

After that, he would occasionally dream of Sarah handing him the parchment a few times, but he still couldn't form a clear image of the beautiful Bai Hill.

So, when he saw a tall beauty in his dream, a mix of cold and heat, he almost didn't recognize who it was.

The woman in the dream matched Sarah's description perfectly. Her eyes were almost transparent and extremely clear. Her hair was long and thick, a light platinum blonde that differed greatly from Oswald's. Her smile wasn't as gentle as in the picture scroll; it had a fresh and bright quality as if she could pull off a prank at any moment.

"He's so small, it's fun to pinch his little fingers." Oswald saw her lean down to look at him and playfully rubbed his face. "Why is he so silly that he doesn't even know how to cry? I want to make him cry."

Oswald: "..."

He tried to open his mouth to speak but found that it was as if his mouth had been sewn shut, and no sound could escape.

Everything in the dream seemed shrouded in a layer of fog, and everyone's faces and voices were unclear. He vaguely heard an angry voice of a middle-aged woman saying, "Bai, stop pinching him all the time. He's fragile, be careful."

The voice grew closer. As the voice faded, Oswald saw a gentle and kind middle-aged woman appear above him. She was much shorter than Bai but shared a resemblance in her smile.

"Dad, don't you want to come and see him? He's smiling," Bai You called out with a smile.

"Can he smile?" A deep voice came from a distance and then a figure, much taller than an average person, appeared in front of Oswald.

The middle-aged man's shoulders were broad enough to envelop both his daughter and wife in his embrace. As soon as he approached, he frowned and said, "Why wasn't he covered with a blanket? He'll catch a cold."

Oswald stared at them blankly and was suddenly covered with a warm blanket, although it seemed a bit small, only warming half of his arm.

Feeling a chill, he couldn't help but reach out and grab the blanket, pulling it tightly into his arms, trying to warm himself...

"Hey, wake up! Ouch, my ribs!"

Oswald was jolted awake by the struggle in his arms and faintly heard a few complaints near his ears. The voice was very familiar, unlike anyone he had seen in his dream. It was...

Kevin Fassbender!

The emperor's eyes snapped open, and he was startled by Kevin's face so close to his own that his breath caught in his throat.

"...Finally awake?" Kevin sighed, a mix of amusement and exasperation in his voice. "I know you're cold, but do you have to squeeze me so tightly? My ribs are about to break. Don't you know how strong your hands are, my dear... Your Majesty?"

Oswald's arms clung tightly to Kevin's body, almost crushing his bones. It was unbearable.

The young emperor, unsure if he was still lost in the dream or if reality had caught up with him, remained in his original position for a moment before finally loosening his grip slightly.

Kevin let out a long breath, grateful to be able to breathe again. But as soon as he sighed, Oswald tightened his arms once more, his cold nose and cheeks pressing against Kevin's shoulder and rubbing against his warm neck.

Kevin: "..."

This sent shivers down his spine, and goosebumps sprouted on his neck like mushrooms after rain, spreading up to the top of his head.

"Do you... want to warm your face?" Kevin asked stiffly.

Oswald nestled against his neck and let out a low "hmm," making Kevin even more stiff. He released his grip, sat back slightly, straightened his clothes, and then asked as if he had just remembered something, "Why were you speaking in the animal language in your sleep just now? What were you dreaming about?"

Oswald furrowed his brow, thinking for a moment, and then hesitantly said, "I'm not sure if it was just a figment of my imagination or if it happened... I dreamt of my mother and her parents, and I was probably too young to even speak."

Oswald hesitated for a moment, then spoke up. "In my dream, my grandfather was...a giant beast-man."

Kevin's eyes widened in surprise. "A giant beastman?!" he echoed.

If Oswald's grandfather was a giant beastman, then that meant that Oswald himself had some of the giant best-man's blood in him. And if that was the case, then it would explain why Oswald had been experiencing those strange physical reactions lately.

Kevin remembered what Ben had told him about Betan Day. During this week, all giant orcs were forcibly transformed back into their beast forms. What about mixed races? Did they also experience this transformation?

Kevin was about to ask Oswald if he had ever experienced anything like this before when he noticed that Oswald was staring at his left hand.

"What is it?" Kevin asked.

Oswald held up his hand and pointed to his ring finger. "There's...a handful of white hairs here," he said in a puzzled voice.

Kevin glanced at Oswald's hand, but he didn't bother to look closely. "Who knows," he said dismissively. "Maybe they're moldy."

Oswald stared at Kevin in disbelief. "Mold?" he asked. "On my hand?"

"I don't know," Kevin said with a shrug. "Maybe."

Oswald shook his head in disgust. "I'm going to go wash my hands," he said. 'And then I'm going to find a way to fork Kevin, that bastard out of here.'