Chapter 10. The escape.

"Let them go, there's no point in taking a child's life. The cripple no longer poses a threat to the nation and humanity," Adam announced his decision.

The crowd collectively let out a sigh of relief, a brief show of strength by Catherine, who single-handedly sent two cardinals flying. As well as her confident words about tracking down every citizen of the province, the nobility, who always put their interests first, strained a little.

Of course, the revelation of the prophecy also strained them a lot. In a world where magic rules and gods appear among mortals, fate should not be taken lightly. But this is a question of the distant future, which should be discussed by all representatives of the human race. They crippled the child of darkness anyway, that's no small merit, right? Right? Why pull an angry tiger's whiskers any more? They don't want to be hit by a desperate hail of attacks from a Katerina-level enforcer who is fighting with his life at stake. Just the thought of such a situation made their backs prickle with fear.

Upon hearing Adam's reply, Katerina sighed. She must take care of her children's safety first. And only after that, she will have to think about the problems associated with the prophecy, which she first heard about. To be honest, this question bothered her a lot. Not because she wanted to give up on her son, but because she understood the gravity of the situation they were in.

Yesterday everything was fine, and today they officially became the enemies of the whole race, without doing anything wrong. In this crazy world, no one will condemn the church for attacking an innocent child. She could already imagine the headlines of tomorrow's newspapers.

"The Church of the Holy Light has prevented the appearance of the devil who is destined to destroy humanity."

"Princess Grace and Prince Grey. The story of a holy sister and her evil brother."

"The mother protecting the devil's spawn. Recent revelations."

It was only after imagining all this that Katerina realized that she and her children needed to run as fast and as far as possible. But where to? It doesn't matter! The main thing is to get out of the capital first. Keeping a vigilant eye on the crowd, she heard the sound of flapping wings. Lifting her head, she saw a white owl with a wingspan of 4 meters descending in her direction.

"Snowball, I'm counting on you again. Kassia, follow me," Katerina said in a serious voice, climbing onto the snow–white back of the bird. After taking care of the injured boy, she helped Cassia up, who was holding an unconscious Grace in her arms. Then she gave the command to take off.

"From now on, I'm giving up on Starlight's name, there's nothing else that connects us, Adam. Don't look for me, our next meeting will end only with your death," were the last words Adam heard from his third wife as he watched the white dot recede.

"Eva, did we do the right thing?" he asked in a melancholy voice.

"Yes, my king, the word of God is law. The prophecy cannot be given the opportunity to be fulfilled. We have not been able to permanently eliminate the threat, but we have done a great job of identifying and preventing it. The rest should be discussed with all the leaders of human civilization. Katerina, in her selfishness, simply refuses to see the big picture," Eva replied in a convinced and soothing tone.

"Yes, you're right. How are Allaric and Fulvius doing?"

"They are being taken care of, their lives are not in danger, but a full recovery will take time, even with the light magic that helps in their healing. My king, are we really going to let her just walk away? Should I send a tracking team?"

"It doesn't make sense, dear. Since she took off, we haven't had a chance to catch up with her. Her snowy owl is an unusual animal. God only knows how she managed to tame him." Adam said in a tone full of reluctance. He is the great governor of the province of Light, the senator of the Roman Empire could not restrain his own wife, what a shame?

"Send the news about the results of today's ceremony to the other leaders of humanity. We need to know their reaction." "Stop it!" he ordered in a gloomy voice.

Meanwhile, as they flew further and further away from the capital, the family of three was in a depressed mood. Gray stared numbly at his mother and sister. Although he hasn't realized his position yet. He realized that by his existence he had ruined their lives. He realized that they were leaving their home because of him. He realized that from now on he would only be a burden to his mother and sister.

"Mom, little sister, I'm sorry." He said hoarsely in his depressed mood, coughing up blood.

"Little brother, you can't not talk!" Grace, who had recently woken up, shouted at him, belated tears rolling down her face.

"She's right, Grey, don't you dare apologize. It's not your fault. If anyone is to blame, it's me. What kind of mother am I who couldn't protect my children? If you want to cheer us up, please rest and try to get better faster. We don't care what the world thinks of you. We are a family, and family always comes first. You can't leave us. No matter in sickness or in health, we will always take care of each other. Do you understand?" – Katerina uttered her monologue in a serious but affectionate loving tone, full of self-reproach.

Gray didn't say anything, but tears began to roll down his blue eyes, for the first time that day he gave free rein to his feelings. Which three-year-old child wanted to die? Nothing. Gray held on only out of fear. His fear increased even more when he heard about an unknown prophecy that he was a child of darkness. He was afraid that his mother would not accept him, but her warm and gentle words broke through the dam of stagnant feelings. Sobbing on his mother's chest, he heard:

"Mom, where are we going?" Grace asked, trying to change the subject. She felt the depressed mood of her mother and brother and instinctively wanted to distract them.

"To a place where they won't find us, honey, to a place where they won't find us. We will live as before, our little family with Cassia. Far from civilization and their conflicts. Does that sound good?"

"Umu, Mommy, I will train and protect you and my brother! I'm going to be very, very strong. Okay?" the little white–haired girl slapped her non-existent chest. The child's mood changes very quickly, especially Grace's mood. Her innocent smile, full of fighting spirit, lifted the mood of the mother and son couple.

Gray forced a smile through the tears on his pale face. He leaned back against his mother's chest, allowing her to continue her treatment. It hurt, it really hurt, but knowing that these two people cared so deeply about him, Gray relaxed a little, closing his eyes. This action allowed him to fall into a deep sleep. He really hoped that this whole situation would turn out to be just one of his nightmares, that when he woke up, he would once again be in the loving arms of his mother and sister.

To somehow calm her children, Katerina, who was sitting on the soft snow-white feathers of an owl, began to hum a lullaby in a gentle, thin, bell-like voice, pouring out all her feelings.:

I close my eyes to winter's embrace, Snow kisses lips, a frosty trace. Joy's tear turns to ice so still, While cheeks feel the cold's sharp thrill.

Winter's memory, a silent keeper, My own recall, growing deeper. I'll store each moment, big and small, From chance meetings to heart's fall.

Awkward encounters, dreams so pure, Heartaches and hopes that endure. I'll find a quiet forest nook, Where nature's beauty's mine to look.

Among the trees, a secret place, Where petals dance with gentle grace. I'll vanish for a time unknown, And thumb my nose at fate's stern tone.

In solitude, I'll contemplate, The twists and turns of life and fate. Embracing all that's come to pass, In winter's cold, reflective glass.

Listening to her mother's gentle and beautiful song, her pleasant thin voice that echoed in the heavens, Grace sank deeper into a beautiful dream. She was tired too. Her day was filled with emotions that her little body wasn't ready for.

She was a good girl, she obeyed her mother. She lived up to her expectations. She took care of her brother to the best of her ability and made a difficult decision. Her figure clung to her mother's waist, trying not to disturb her brother and seeking comfort in her voice. Feeling with all her little gut the heavenly melody that took away all her childhood worries, she murmured, plunging into the realm of dreams.:

"Little brother, you lost the bet, now get well faster."

When Katerina saw that the children had fallen asleep, she turned in a gentle but cold voice either to Cassia, who was sitting not far from her, or to herself.:

"Is this the husband I fell in love with, to whom I gave my heart? And that's what I get in return? Years of loneliness in the company of my children. Attempted murder of his own son. Adam, I expected everything, but not this. Rest assured, it won't end like this. I will have my revenge. Rest assured, I will take revenge."