Martha slightly lifted her dress and gave him a court greeting. When she raised her gaze slightly, she saw the empress consort also lifting her dress and greeting him.

‘Your legs hurt. Your knees are cold. When was the last time you whimpered and whined to me, yet here you are doing this.’

The emperor asked irritably. He didn’t seem to like his wife’s appearance or what she was doing at all. Martha stared at the man who was raising his wife while holding the princess in one arm.

The empress consort had a stiff face, no different from any other concubine. Her gaze turned to the daughter in her father’s arms.

Martha knew it wasn’t proper, but she couldn’t take her eyes off them. The princess was a baby who couldn’t even walk properly. Literally a baby…. She was small and white enough to be considered the youngest in the family, but they said she had an even younger brother. That fact was shocking and also made her jealous.

Although the emperor’s favor and the frequency of childbirth could be viewed differently…. Seeing such a young child clinging to her imperial father made her feel strange.

‘Wasn’t it just two weeks ago that you were lying in bed all day, not long after recovering?’

‘Two weeks is more than enough time to recover. I’m fine, so don’t worry.’

Despite the emperor’s cold retort, the empress consort wasn’t intimidated. After straightening her knees, she stroked the cheek of her daughter in the emperor’s arms and whispered softly to him.

‘Please help the ladies up now.’

The emperor slowly raised his head at her words. He didn’t seem to like what his wife said, as he scanned the concubines with a stiff gaze and ordered, ‘Rise.’

The concubines who had been kneeling with tired faces straightened their posture. Martha straightened her posture and stood up to look at the imperial couple. Suddenly, the princess in the emperor’s arms babbled and grabbed his collar, shaking it.

‘Papa- Paaa—’

Although she didn’t want to directly look at his daughter in front of the emperor, her eyes kept turning involuntarily. How precious must she be for the emperor to be so protective…. No. In fact, she had been looking at the emperor only as a man, so she was curious about what the ‘child’ that existed for him looked like. For Martha, he had long been a man.

He was like a young war god reincarnated on earth. But he was the father of a young infant. It was strange that such a perfect man without any trace of shabbiness was a child’s father. That he was holding a young daughter while being so flawlessly beautiful. Her heart ached strangely.

‘You said you had no reason to walk, so why did you come to the rear palace with Mona?’

The empress consort spoke up. The emperor, who had been soothing his young daughter, stared at her. The empress consort was familiarly calling the princess by name. As far as she knew, even if it was her own child, she couldn’t mention an imperial grandchild’s name unless she was an empress.

This was because the protocols of the imperial palace were extremely strict. There were often cases where the emperor’s primary wife wasn’t an empress. In fact, although it was an uncomfortable situation, there had been instances in imperial history where women who weren’t empresses had reigned as the emperor’s primary wives. It was in cases like now, where Adams who were emperors were ‘bound,’ that is, ‘imprinted’ on Eves whose status was insufficient in situations where the primary wife’s status was inadequate.

Although it was a distant past, the first emperor was also such a case.

Because the woman, who was from a foreign tribe, was Eve, she couldn’t be placed in the position of empress, but she was his only lifelong companion. The couple, who were said to growl and have verbal battles whenever they met, must have had good bedroom compatibility as they had several children, but at that time, the first emperor might have embraced her out of a sense of duty to make the imperial family prosper.

Martha looked at the imperial couple, recalling the first emperor and the woman who was his wife. Although they looked quite affectionate in front of their young daughter, rumors said they were quite often a growling couple. Especially that the empress consort couldn’t stand her husband….

Yet it was strange that they still regularly shared a bed. For the emperor, it might be out of a sense of duty, but for the empress consort….

‘If not pretense, what else could it be? To refuse such a man. Disgusting woman…. Hogging all of the emperor’s affection.’

Martha glared savagely at the woman while inwardly cursing harshly. Suddenly, her eyes met the emperor’s. A needle-like flash dwelled in his purple eyes as he held his young daughter. It was a chilling sight enough to make her knees weak.

She hurriedly turned her gaze to the princess in his arms. The princess, small and young like a flower, was chirping like a chick in her father’s arms.

* * *

It was deep evening.

Jeanne, who had returned from the Empress Dowager’s palace, took care of her six children as on any other evening. Kiril, the eldest son who had finished his history lesson, Joshua and Maxim who had returned from horseback riding practice, and Giuseppe who was upset after having a soldier toy taken by Mona.

After seating her young sons at the round table, Jeanne took Mona, who was entering the kitchen in the governess’s arms, and placed her in the empty seat before opening her lips.

“Now, everyone close your eyes. Put your hands together….”

She looked down at the round heads with her hands folded on her chest. The young children, who would be a handful even with just one, closed their mouths. Jeanne smiled slightly and carefully scanned her cute children.

With their small hands pressed to their chests and eyes tightly closed, they looked like mischievous fairies from a fairy tale. She closed her eyes lightly and recited a prayer.

“We thank the goddess and His Majesty the Emperor for giving us our daily bread today.”

She opened her eyes again. The table began to bustle again. She brought out beef stew and spinach dishes that she had prepared in advance. Dishes made with thinly grilled bread, savory ham, eggs, and cheese. Salad made with fresh chicory and carrots. And juice too.

After bringing out enough food, Jeanne served portions suitable for the children on white plates and then took care of Enoch, who was the youngest. After returning from the Empress Dowager’s palace, she had tried to breastfeed him once, but for some reason, the child spat out the milk after sucking and only whimpered.

She wanted to fill his stomach before the meal for his older siblings, so she tried repeatedly, but he absolutely wouldn’t suck, so she handed him back to the governess.

“Rosie, take care of the children with Anna.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

She wanted to stay by their side and take care of the children until the meal was over if possible, but seeing her youngest son who seemed upset and turned red, she couldn’t just sit still. Yet she couldn’t sit in a corner of the kitchen to breastfeed him, so in the end, she had no choice but to carry the child who was about to whimper out of the kitchen.

If she had been an ordinary woman, she could have done so. But even though it was in front of her closest maids, she was a woman in a position where she had to care about appearances.

“Shh— Enoch. Your brothers and sister are eating.”

She, who had readjusted the child who started to whimper, walked down the corridor and returned to the bedroom. She lowered her fastened collar and took out her br*ast. The child, who had been whimpering even in his mother’s arms, stopped crying and latched onto the br*ast.

She patted the back of the child who was urgently sucking milk and kissed his round forehead. Enoch, the youngest among the siblings, was a cute baby with jet-black hair like his father. The child born this year couldn’t walk yet and could only babble.

Jeanne thought about how long it took for Kiril, her eldest son, to take his first steps. Kiril was a child whose growth was particularly fast. But it wasn’t special since the characteristic of an Adam was rapid growth….

Since the emperor also confirmed how different he was from ordinary people during his childhood, Kiril’s rapid growth was normal. They say it’s only five years that they grow at the same rate as others. All her sons, including Kiril, were growing abnormally fast.

So it was natural to feel regret and pity for each passing day.

‘Isn’t he cute?’

Suddenly, an evening came to mind. While she was putting young Giuseppe to sleep, the emperor, who had returned after finishing state affairs, asked while kissing her nape. The familiar intention was evident in the act of slightly licking her skin and scratching her collarbone with his teeth. Yet he asked, ‘Isn’t he cute?’ while looking at the child.

Jeanne glared at him instead of pushing him away. The emperor grinned. It was a sly smile. She frowned and then stroked the chubby belly of the child who was stirring. Reluctantly, the emperor sent his gaze to his sleeping son and whispered.

‘He looks like you.’

Long, elegant fingers brushed up the child’s disheveled golden hair. His long eyelashes trembled slightly, and his small nose twitched. Jeanne smiled faintly and kissed his chubby cheek. The child, who had been breastfed not long ago, had a sweet milk scent. His white, lovable skin, like cheese simmered slowly over fire, was plump.

‘The Empress Dowager says he looks like my father.’