"Can Grandmother distinguish between us?"
Jeremiah asked. Gabriel could not answer, but it had not been a question seeking an answer in the first place. The Emperor would not be able to distinguish between Jeremiah and Tenebrei.
"Sir Gabriel. Do you know why Azazel stabbed my stomach?"
Gabriel shook his head.
"Azazel tried to erase the mark on my stomach."
"A mark?"
"The Imperial family members bear a mark. It is shaped like a dragon coiled in a circle, called Ouroboros, meaning 'the one who swallows its tail.'"
As Jeremiah explained, Gabriel recalled the scar engraved above his own heart. Gabriel's scar also matched the description. The only difference was that his was a scar, not a mark. Speculation took solid form and approached with large strides.
"Is it something one is born with?"
"Of course not."
Jeremiah laughed as if she had heard a joke. Jelly, who had been standing by after receiving Evangeline's order to transport the two to the Imperial Palace, looked with distaste at the sight of Jeremiah, wearing Azazel's shell, laughing.
Jeremiah knew well that the object of Jelly's horror was not herself but 'Azazel,' so even when receiving the disgusted gaze, she was not wounded.
"After royal family members are born, they receive notarization from the priest most trusted by the Emperor."
Branding the newborn's body with heated iron and pouring holy water to heal it, the Ouroboros mark was no different from a certificate of bloodline. It was said that the tradition of branding began in the early days of the kingdom to distinguish bastards from legitimate heirs.
It was similar to a baptism ceremony held at the temple. Gabriel's body was one that holy water did not work on. That Gabriel could rise to the position of Knight Commander was thanks to Raphaela. At the time, Raphaela had taught Gabriel the tricks to pass the baptism ceremony.
But for a newborn child, such a thing would be impossible. So if after branding, they discovered that holy water did not work? Since holy water would not work, wouldn't a scar remain instead of a mark, just like Gabriel's?
Even knowing it was an absurd speculation, Gabriel could not stop the ensuing thoughts. Gabriel swallowed dry saliva at the sound of his heart starting to beat ominously. Unaware that Gabriel had developed suspicious conjectures and instinctive certainty about his own birth, Jeremiah continued speaking.
"Tenebrei and I are twins, but there is one difference."
Though it was known to the public that only a necklace distinguished the two, in truth, there was one more method of distinction known only to the royal family.
"My late mother gave birth to me first. Only after the mark was branded on my stomach did labor pains begin again."
At the moment of Jeremiah's birth, no one knew that twins would be born. Jeremiah was born receiving blessings and safely bore the mark on her body.
However, tens of minutes after Jeremiah was born, the Crown Princess experienced labor pains again. Before long, the second child, Tenebrei, was born. Even in ordinary households, there were many cases where twins were abandoned. Considering this, how great must the repercussions have been when twins were born in the Imperial family.
"His Majesty did not kill the late-born sibling, but..."
"He did not brand them, I see."
"Yes. That is right."
Jeremiah did not know why the Emperor had spared Tenebrei. Would it not be strange to run to Grandmother and ask, 'Why did you not kill my sibling?'
"When Azazel stabbed my stomach, he stabbed guessing where the tattoo remained."
At that moment, Jeremiah realized that Tenebrei had betrayed her. Azazel must have heard from Tenebrei where the mark on Jeremiah's stomach was located.
"He stabbed the stomach so that no one could distinguish who had died."
Jeremiah nodded as if in agreement. Whether phantom pain remained, it still felt as if a blade was piercing her stomach.
"Stealing my name... Did Tenebrei envy me?"
Jeremiah had a habit of asking questions even when she knew the answer.