I Will Raise this Baby as Another Man’s Child - Chapter 34
Who could be coming this way?
At that moment, the door flung open. Lutz, who appeared suddenly, said briefly,
“Get out.”
“Why so suddenly?”
“You, I mean.”
Lutz raised his chin at Dea, telling her to get out quickly.
Dea, with a bewildered expression, glanced at Hinael but was pushed out by Lutz’s stern gaze and quickly jumped out of the carriage.
Lutz closed the door himself and sat down in the place where Dea had been sitting.
“Could you please explain… why you’re doing this?”
“A prince who dearly cherishes his newly wedded princess consort. That’s my role, isn’t it?”
Indicating his intention to be faithful to the role-play, Lutz immediately added a follow-up as if cautioning her not to misunderstand.
“Shouldn’t I make a fuss for the princess consort who’s unfamiliar with Trycas, and even going on a honeymoon? We need to act perfectly at least until we have an audience with His Majesty the Emperor.”
As she looked at Lutz reciting every detail, two emotions stirred. Half of her wanted to confirm his sincerity, and the other half wished he would at least speak warmly to avoid hurting her.
Hinael opened her mouth, harboring an emotion she couldn’t define.
“What about after the audience?”
“It’ll be annoying, so we should end the act.”
She thought that maybe his feelings had changed since he passionately explored her body…
His words about contemplating whether he could embrace anyone when excited came back as truth.
Hinael swallowed her sorrow and forced a smile.
“I understand. I’ll be mindful in front of His Majesty the Emperor.”
Lutz nodded and took out a thin cloth from his chest. While staring at Hinael’s face with disapproval, he handed it over indifferently.
“Cover your face with this veil.”
Is there a custom that forbids showing one’s face when appearing before the Emperor?
Before leaving Sarr, her mother had hurriedly sought out a court lady from Trycas to teach her various things. Even though it was just a short time, enough for a tea time, she listened attentively to the best of her ability.
Was it naive to think it would be helpful? It felt like things were going wrong from the start.
Hinael received the veil and asked carefully.
“Is this the law of the Trycas imperial family? Women can’t show their faces to the Emperor, and men have to observe different etiquette?”
“No.”
He suddenly burst into laughter. Realizing she had asked a ridiculous question, she just fiddled with the veil, and Lutz raised his index finger.
“Your face is a mess. Your lips are split, there’s a knife mark on your neck. Well, there are also marks I made elsewhere.”
Instantly, Hinael’s face turned bright red. The heat spread to her neck and earlobes, almost to the point of burning.
“You might be questioned about what happened, so wear it well. And this.”
As she couldn’t raise her head due to embarrassment, a large hand suddenly appeared in front of her nose. As the fist opened, a necklace revealed itself in all its splendor.
“I thought the knife mark should definitely be covered, so I told Evan to get this. It’s a design that clings to the neck, so it should be able to hide the scar.”
He held the end of the necklace and let it dangle. Around the elaborately embroidered white string, jewels were decorated one by one.
It looked like the jewels would hang down near the collarbone when worn around the neck.
“It’s… so beautiful.”
“I heard most women are like that, but I didn’t know you’d really be enticed by jewels. Ah, I guess it makes sense since you probably haven’t had many before.”
She suddenly became a person with many material desires, but the necklace really did look beautiful.
For a moment, the image of Marsily showing off with her white jade necklace overlapped with this scene. Startled, Hinael quickly composed her excited expression.
“Are you giving this to me? Or should I return it later?”
“Do you want to show that you lived as half a princess? If so, I’ll decline. I don’t want to look shabby too.”
“That wasn’t my intention, but if I offended you, I’m sorry. And… thank you.”
Lutz placed the necklace in Hinael’s hand and cautioned in a cold tone.
“I have a lot to worry about besides you, so stay as quiet as possible.”
It was the same as her father’s words telling her to keep a low profile in case she made mistakes.
Is it really right to do nothing like this?
Should I just focus on my own safety, without any thoughts of revenge, since I won’t have any more contact with Chetter?
Her thoughts multiplied.
‘How did I come this far… I shouldn’t let my heart weaken already.’
That doesn’t mean I’ll go around poking into everything, but I intended to be prepared to counterattack Chetter whenever the opportunity arises.
Hinael answered readily.
“Yes, Your Highness.”
I heard that we would have an audience with the Emperor and Empress as soon as we arrived at the palace. Hinael put on the necklace and wore the veil on her head in advance.
The carriage passed through the main gate without stopping.
Since it would be considered treason to go to the imperial palace with the Second Prince’s armed personal troops, they had to get off the carriage midway.
Hinael stepped onto the stairs of the palace where the Emperor resided, alone with Lutz.
“Phew…”
“There’s nothing to be nervous about. His Majesty just wants to inspect the spoils of war personally, so he won’t pay much attention to you.”
Even if the Emperor doesn’t, other imperial family members might be interested.
Hinael, who was brought from the Sarr Kingdom as a hostage and now a princess consort, was perfect as an object of curiosity.
The princess of Sarr, branded with the stigma of a defeated nation.
Since the Second Prince’s position wasn’t solid, it was easy to look down on her by association, and from her appearance to her ingrained manners, she was exotic enough to pique interest.
‘I’m glad I’m wearing a veil.’
Just being able to hide her face felt like having one more shield.
Hinael glanced sideways at Lutz’s impassive profile. He looked majestic, but there was a cynical light somewhere.
Considering his hardships that she didn’t know about, she took her first step into life in the Trycas palace.
***
They say Trycas people have large builds and are tall, and women were no exception.
The sight of Empress Fisia Viant approaching the throne caught the eye. The blend of dignity and oppressive aura was astonishing.
Hinael swallowed hard, hidden behind her veil.
Emperor Neandor and Empress Fisia took their seats. Lutz placed his hand on Hinael’s back and introduced his wife.
“I have returned after finalizing the peace treaty. This is my wife, Hinael Viant.”
“I pay my respects to Your Majesty the Emperor and Your Majesty the Empress.”
Hinael barely calmed her trembling voice and bent her knees slightly in a curtsy.
In an instant, a tense atmosphere filled the air. It seemed they were quietly observing the princess of Sarr.
As expected, a question soon flew in.
Fisia frowned slightly and leaned her upper body forward.
“Why are you wearing a veil?”
There was no trace of anger in her clear voice. But it didn’t seem like it would stop at mere curiosity either.
Hinael couldn’t answer hastily and rolled her eyes to glance at Lutz. The corner of his eye twitched slightly.
Unable to stall for time with silence, just as she was about to move her lips, Lutz answered.
“I had her wear the veil as she felt embarrassed to show her face to Your Majesties.”
“I heard the princess’s beauty was outstanding, was I misinformed?”
“You were correctly informed.”
“Then why did the prince act in a manner that goes against etiquette?”
The interrogation continued. Lutz wasn’t intimidated by Fisia’s demeanor at all, but Hinael felt like dying caught in the middle.
If anything, it was fortunate that the Emperor took a step back and observed, right?
“Princess, remove your veil.”
She didn’t know what to do. If she didn’t remove the veil, Lutz and the Empress would be at odds, which was more than a little nerve-wracking.
The wound on her neck was covered, so it should be fine to show her face…
Hinael grabbed the edge of the veil, hoping Lutz wouldn’t sharpen his words any further.
At that moment, Lutz swiftly turned and wrapped his arm around Hinael’s shoulders. He had been so bleak when they were alone, but now he asked kindly in a voice dripping with consideration.
“Are you alright?”
Honestly, it wasn’t alright either way. She just chose the option that would make this time pass more quickly.
Hinael nodded slightly. Then Lutz let out a quiet sigh and lifted the veil.
After that, he lifted her chin.
“As you can see, I couldn’t control my strength and bit her.”
After uttering these embarrassing words, Lutz didn’t stop there and even caressed her split lip with his thumb.
Neandor raised one eyebrow and then put on an artificial smile.
“Haha! It seems you’ve properly tasted a woman.”
“I was clumsy and caused an injury, so I’m embarrassed by your teasing.”
“The princess may wear her veil again.”
As soon as permission was given, Lutz lowered the veil for her.
Hinael bit the soft flesh inside her lip. Her face was burning and her skin was tingling, making it impossible to stay still.
The faint smile that appeared on Fisia’s face looked exactly like contempt towards a courtesan, making her shudder. Although she had seen countless contemptuous expressions in Sarr already, it would take more time to become numb to them.
Neandor, finding something interesting, scrutinized his son closely, trying to find the slightest sign of emotion.
“Lutz.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Tekisasu
I must wait again 🙁 Thank you for translating!