Chapter 1083: Chapter 1023: A Cruel Choice
"Does your sister still have feelings for Kiya?" Sienna Johnson asked.
"Probably not. Even if she does, when Paige Desmond got divorced, it caused such a scandal that shamed the royal family. If she goes back, the Queen already doesn’t like her and would only torment my sister more."
Adrian Desmond lit a cigarette, stood under the porch smoking, his gaze fixed on the lotuses on Mirror Lake, feeling a mess in his heart.
He only had this one sister; he hoped she could find happiness.
Back when Paige Desmond insisted on marrying Kiya, if he had been more forceful, maybe Paige and Kiya wouldn’t have married, perhaps Paige marrying an ordinary man would have been happier.
"Mother-in-law and daughter-in-law relationships have always been difficult to manage. In Orienta, many couples separate not because the love is gone, but simply because there’s a mother-in-law in between."
"I haven’t interacted with the Queen of Abyanabad, so I don’t know what kind of person she is. If she’s really like you said, doesn’t like Paige and makes things difficult for her, then I advise against reconciliation."
"Because even if they reconcile, the problem hasn’t been resolved, and conflicts will still erupt." Sienna Johnson objectively analyzed.
Sienna Johnson suddenly felt fortunate that back then, due to Adrian Desmond’s insistence, the two of them ended up together. Both families had simple backgrounds; Adrian Desmond only had one sister, and her family consisted of a mother and orphaned children.
She didn’t have to face the headache of mother-in-law and daughter-in-law issues, sister-in-law disputes, or difficult and willful sisters-in-law.
"So what about Dylan? I still think it’s better for a child to be with their biological parents." Adrian Desmond also felt conflicted in his heart.
"You need to ask Dylan. Who does he want to live with, dad or mom..."
"Don’t you think that’s cruel to the child?" Making a child choose between parents, Adrian Desmond felt a twinge of sadness at the thought.
"It’s just choosing one parent to live with; Paige is still Dylan’s mother, and that will never change."
The more Adrian Desmond listened, the more troubled he felt. Sienna Johnson’s tone was calm to the point of being ruthless, "If we got divorced, would you bear to leave the kids with me?"
"Of course not. But if the children insist, I would respect their choice."
Although it would be painful, she’d force herself to endure it. When it came to enduring pain, Sienna Johnson was stronger than anyone.
"I would never let my kids face such a cruel choice." That’s why he was going to cling to Sienna Johnson for dear life, so she couldn’t shake him off.
Sienna Johnson suddenly spoke with a lighter tone, "I also hope one day, our kids will never have to face such cruel choices."
At this moment, they understood each other, and courage arose in their hearts. No matter what difficulties lay ahead, they would face them together.
...
The royal family of Abyanabad practices ******ism.
The Islamic burial customs have these three characteristics: quick burial, simple burial, and earth burial. So, even though the Sultan lived an extremely extravagant and indulgent life, his funeral was so simple it couldn’t compare to even that of an Orienta tycoon.
Wrapped in a single white cloth, without even a coffin.
His father’s death did not cause Kiya overwhelming grief.
His father was absorbed in various pleasures and womanizing, and didn’t care about him, his only son, so their father-son relationship was distant.
Kiya holding Dylan’s hand at the Sultan’s funeral caused quite a stir.
The divorce between Kiya and Paige Desmond was highly publicized, with even rumors that the little prince wasn’t of royal blood. Although Kiya vigorously denied and repeatedly clarified Dylan’s identity, many still doubted Dylan’s legitimacy.
They believed Dylan’s bloodline was illegitimate.
"Daddy, are they all looking at me?" Dressed in white mourning clothes, Dylan’s eyes scanned over each person, noticing that their gazes towards him were unfriendly.
"Because you are my little prince, the future Sultan."
The Dowager Queen saw Dylan attending, her normally stern face now full of displeasure.
"Why did you bring him here?" the Dowager Queen reproached on the spot.
Kiya only said one sentence, "He is my son!"
The lady-in-waiting whispered a few words in the Dowager Queen’s ear, and she didn’t continue to make things difficult for Kiya. The Dowager Queen glanced around and didn’t see that woman, Paige Desmond, feeling somewhat relieved.
If Kiya dared to bring that woman too, she would definitely give her a hard time, that audacious and lawless woman.
Kiya picked up a handful of dirt, placed it in his son’s hands, and said, "Dylan, send Grandpa off on his last journey."
"Okay." Dylan scattered the burial earth from his hand over the Sultan’s body, his small face full of sadness.
He was actually unfamiliar with this grandfather; when Dylan met him, he was always surrounded by a bunch of women, embracing left and right. Otherwise, he was solemnly sitting on the throne at various banquets.
As Dylan watched him being buried in the earth, little by little disappearing, he shed a few tears, which Kiya gently wiped away with a handkerchief.
"Dylan, you don’t need to cry for him."
The Sultan’s death was far from dignified; he died in the bed of a woman, from an overdose of potency-enhancing drugs. Officially, however, it was claimed he died of a sudden illness.
...
The funeral ended,
Kiya would, in a week, ascend from **** to become the Sultan of Abyanabad—a young, ambitious, self-disciplined, restrained, and frugal king.
Kiya had just returned to his chamber, not having changed his clothes, when he heard the Dowager Queen had arrived.
"Oni, take Dylan away."
"Yes."
Oni approached Dylan, bowed, and said, "Dylan, shall we go see the Princess Consort’s chamber?"
After Paige Desmond left, her chamber remained as it was when she left, with personnel attending to its cleanliness and organization daily, and Kiya had been residing in Paige Desmond’s chamber.
"Daddy?"
"Go ahead, I’ll come to your mom’s chamber to find you later." Kiya smiled at his son.
"Daddy, I want to go back to Uncle’s house."
"You’ll be staying in the Imperial Palace for the time being. Once the coronation ceremony is over, I’ll take you back."
"But I don’t want to be the crown prince."
The Dowager Queen walked in, her sharp eyes like a knife cutting through Dylan’s small face.
"Do you think your status suits being the crown prince?" the Dowager Queen coldly declared.
Dylan lowered his head, not speaking.
The Dowager Queen reprimanded, "It’s true; the kind of woman she is raises the kind of son. You’ve only been with her a few days and now you don’t even greet people."
Dylan wasn’t unable to greet people—he just didn’t know what to call her.
Everyone said he wasn’t his dad’s son.
If not his dad’s son, what should he call his dad’s mom?
"Oni, take the little prince away," Kiya commanded.
"Yes." Oni took Dylan’s hand and began to lead him away.
Kiya also dismissed everyone else, and in the opulently decorated room, only the mother and son were left.
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