Walking down the brightly lit hallways, Kiernan slipped his hand inside his pocket and pressed the shutdown button on his phone for about five seconds.
The phone buzzed one more time before it shut down.
He didn't want to get interrupted during the meeting.
'What will her reaction be, I wonder?' Kiernan thought. 'She seems like a caring woman, so why would she abandon me like that?'
He was full of questions, but he knew that he was really close to the questions.
After a short while, he arrived at the open hallway that didn't have walls but windowed doors that allowed him to see inside two different courtyards.
He looked over to the right, and there he saw her, sitting by the fountain. She was dipping her hand inside the fountain, letting the cool water run through her fingers.
Kiernan slowly opened the door, but it let out a faint creak sound, alerting her to his presence.
Bella said and looked to the sky, where she was able to see the crimson moon.
"This courtyard used to be a training courtyard for children to train in—the ground was sandy, and the walls were lined with weapons.
"When they stopped using this one, I made this into my own courtyard. Now, the ground is beautiful grass with rock pathways—the flowers and plants are all planted by me, and so are these trees."
The fully grown trees stretched upward toward the sky, shading the courtyard with their lush green leaves. The flowers bloomed in a riot of colors, and the plants flourished in the rich soil she had carefully tended.
The whole courtyard was like a miniature paradise.
"It's nice." Kiernan said. "So, you like gardening?"
"It is my only passion these days." Bella said. "These days are quite boring for women like me. I used to be quite the adventurer back in the day, but now I find solace in my courtyard."
Kiernan nodded, opened his mouth, but closed it again. He wasn't sure how he should start talking about the reason why they were in this courtyard.
"You wanted to talk to me, right?" Bella looked over. "I think I have a reason for what you want to talk about."
"You do?" Kiernan asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Is it about the regeneration medicine?" Bella asked. "You don't have to feel bad about me using it on you. It is expensive, sure, but my family has more than enough of it."
"No, it's not about that." Kiernan said, gathered his courage, and continued with. "My father used to visit this island about eighteen years ago."
"Oh?" Bella didn't know where this was going, but she nodded.
"During the early days of the borders being open. Those were exciting times, and quite scary as well.
"There were a lot of tourists during those times, as everyone wanted to check out the famous island of Nightingale."
After hearing Bella reminisce about those days, Kiernan nodded and said.
"Yes, my father had a brief visit here. He also wanted to check out the famous island. Then, one night, he came back from touring the city, and as he was having a drink at the bar, he was approached by a woman.
"That woman then took him to her inn room, where they did a deed, and the result of that night was a baby."
"Wait!" Bella screamed, her eyes shaking, and sweat trickling down her face.
"Based on your reaction, I already know my answer." Kiernan sighed and looked at her beautiful face. "You're my mother, right?"
Bella looked away and covered her mouth in shock. Her shoulders were shaking as tears silently ran down her cheeks.
She then moved her hand out of her mouth, and she barely managed to mutter through her choking words.
"Y-you shouldn't have come here."
"I am not here to ask for you to be my mother. I know we're basically strangers. I don't care why you abandoned me or whether you cared about me in the first place."
Kiernan took off his suit jacket as he was getting warm. He put it on his shoulder and slipped his hands inside his pockets.
He looked at Bella, who didn't dare to look him in the eye. She kept looking away, keeping her mouth tight, and trying to wipe off the tears.
'She has nothing to say? Oh, well.'
Kiernan shook his head, turned around, and walked away.
But then, someone appeared in his way, so he couldn't leave the courtyard. He had to raise his gaze high so he could see the person's eyes.
"I happened to hear something interesting." Karl-Michael said with a cold look in his eyes. "Bella, can you explain what I just heard?"
Bella's eyes shook as she turned to look at her father.
"Father… Why are you here?"
"I must be getting old." Karl-Michael picked his ear.
Bella stood up from the fountain, used the side of her hand to wipe off the tears, and took a deep breath before saying.
"This kid was mistaken. I am not her mother. He must've mistaken me for someone else."
"?" Kiernan looked over with a raised eyebrow.
"That's what I thought." Karl-Michael laughed. "Because when you gave birth to that abomination, I told you to kill it, right? You didn't disobey me, right?"
"I…" Bella clenched her hands and nodded. "Yes, I took care of him, just like you told me to."
"Not him. It. Because that thing was an abomination, not a human." Karl-Michael said with a smile. "Abomination born out of sin, not love."
"You're right." Bella lowered her head.
"Well then." Karl-Michael turned to look at Kiernan. "It is time for you to leave, isn't it? Take the first boat out of this island and never come back. If you come back, I'll make sure that you rot in jail for the rest of your life."
"…" Kiernan silently walked past him and left the courtyard.
"It is time for you to go back to your room, Bella." Karl-Michael said coldly. "You're grounded."
"Grounded?" Bella bit her lip. "Are you serious? What am I, twelve?"
"I don't trust what you will do once I leave." Karl-Michael said. "You might do something foolish like run after that kid."
"Why would I?" Bella asked, and looked away. "I am not her mother, so why would I care?"
"You've always been terrible liar." Karl-Michael said with a scoff.