Chapter 24

Diana doubted her own eyes. Was she seeing things because she was so tired lately? She rubbed her eyes and shook her head, but nothing changed. There was still a baby in the crib, and that baby looked astonishingly like Evan.

“What… what is this?”

“Uuuu.”

With trembling hands, Diana reached out to the baby. The moment she felt the soft touch of a tiny cheek, she jumped back in shock, withdrawing her hand.

“This can’t be real. Why… why is there a baby like this… Ah!”

As Diana stumbled backward, her foot caught on a toy. She fell, and toys scattered noisily around her.

“Diana!”

Hearing the commotion, Sarah and Ben came into the room. Seeing Diana sprawled on the floor, they rushed over in concern.

“Did you hit something? Are you alright?”

“…I’m really not alright.”

Her body was fine, but her mind was not. As Sarah and Ben helped her up, Diana was half out of her wits. Dian, who had followed them in, quickly closed the door after seeing the situation. Silence filled the room for a moment.

“So… so what is that baby?”

Diana, still in disbelief, pointed at the baby. Sarah and Ben exchanged glances before answering.

“We noticed you hadn’t come back to the dining room, so we thought you might have gone upstairs… We were going to tell you anyway.”

“Tell me what? What is it? Wait, did you send me that letter because of this baby?”

“That’s right. As you can see, this isn’t an ordinary child.”

Ordinary didn’t even begin to describe it. Anyone could see the child looked just like Evan.

“So, Diana. This child is Cecile’s.”

“This child?”

“Yes. When Cecile came to our house during the Prince’s Rebellion, she realized she was pregnant. Cecile was always frail, you know. So, when she gave birth… she didn’t make it. After that, we quietly raised the child. As you know, Cecile’s presence here was a secret, so we had to hide the child even more.”

Sarah’s story left Diana even more shocked.

“So, the late Emperor’s son and the current Emperor’s younger brother… He’s Imperial Family!”

A hidden imperial child. The current Emperor’s younger brother. Diana felt dizzy at the thought that such a thing was in her own room. Her brother had become the anti-Emperor faction leader, her parents were secretly raising a royal child—her family could be executed for this.

“How could you just raise him here? This isn’t something you can just ignore!”

“The palace was in chaos when the child was born, remember? Cecile was worried, so she asked us to keep him hidden. We thought about raising him as our own, but his looks…”

“…He resembles the Imperial Family too much.”

It was a face that could only be Evan’s as a child. Impossible to hide. The baby began to babble, and Sarah picked him up from the crib and soothed him. Diana watched in a daze.

“Do the staff know? About his identity?”

“Only a few of the staff who care for him know. Most think he’s sick and stays in his room.”

“How long have you been raising him? He must be about ready to walk, isn’t he?”

“That’s right. He’s starting to talk and will walk soon, but we can’t keep him in the room forever. That’s why we wanted your advice.”

Why did these trials keep happening to her? Diana felt like crying. But her mind raced, desperate to survive. There was some logic to hiding the child. If word got out about a new prince, the palace would be thrown into chaos. Even if they were half-siblings, Diana couldn’t be sure Evan would leave the child alone after surviving the Prince’s Rebellion.

“…I understand now. Is that everything? There isn’t a hidden princess somewhere too, right?”

“Don’t worry. Other than Ed, there are no more secrets.”

“Ed?”

“His name. Cecile chose it.”

Even as Sarah held him, Ed stared at Diana and reached out his hand.

“Uuu.”

“Oh my, Ed seems to like you. He doesn’t usually reach out to people first.”

“…….”

“Would you like to hold him?”

Sarah handed Ed to Diana. Ed quieted down in Diana’s arms. Holding the little lord she’d met in her own home, Diana let out a long sigh.

*   *   *

“Good morning, My Lady! Why does your face look like that?”

The staff walking down the hall were startled by Diana’s expression.

“Did you not sleep well last night?”

“Ah, I just… talked a lot with my parents yesterday, so I’m tired.”

Of course, her exhaustion was due to something far more overwhelming. An imperial child—a hidden prince. Even waking up the next morning, Diana tried to deny it, but seeing Ed sleeping peacefully in the crib beside her, she decided to accept it.

“Hey, did you sleep well?”

Dian, coming down the hall, met Diana. Diana muttered darkly in response.

“How could I sleep well? In this ridiculous situation?”

“Well, that’s understandable. I was shocked too when I came home and found a baby here out of nowhere.”

“At first, I thought you’d brought the baby because you’d gotten into trouble again. Actually, I would’ve understood that more…”

“What nonsense. No matter what trouble I cause, I’ve never caused that kind!”

“Great, good for you! You don’t cause that kind of trouble, just the kind that makes your sister suffer in the capital?”

The siblings started bickering early in the hallway. The staff passed by, looking unfazed as if they were used to it. Realizing this, Diana leaned closer to Dian and whispered.

“Anyway, you know, right? If anyone finds out, our whole family could end up at the execution block.”

“…….”

“So please, just behave this time. I can’t handle worrying about you too. Maybe use this chance to learn about childcare while you help with the baby.”

“I’m already dying because of Dad. He keeps pushing me to get married. Are you alright? Didn’t he mention marriage to you?”

“There wasn’t even time for that. I was too busy with the baby.”

Not only Dian’s marriage, but Diana’s marriage was a concern for Sarah and Ben. Diana found it burdensome, but at least talking about marriage felt easier than dealing with the baby right now.

Now she had to worry about the anti-Emperor faction leader and the baby. As Diana trudged down the stairs, she noticed staff gathering at the front entrance.

What’s going on?

There was a commotion early in the morning. Diana tilted her head curiously.

“What is it? Do you know anything, brother?”

“No. I have no idea what’s happening.”

Just then, the staff saw Diana coming down the stairs. Some of them rushed toward her.

“My Lady! Did you know?”

“Huh? Know what?”

“There’s a guest from the capital here to see you.”

A guest from the capital? Diana, completely caught off guard, hurried to the front entrance. Among the staff, Sarah and Ben were also present.

“So, you came all the way from the capital to see our daughter?”

Sarah’s eyes sparkled as she looked at the man before her. Ben, though not pleased, eyed the man up and down. Finally, Diana pushed through the staff and faced her guest.

“You… you… What are you doing here?”

“Senior Aide!”

Neil, trapped among the crowd, shouted with delight when he saw Diana. Diana was utterly dumbfounded.