Chapter 18

Bryce was listening to the reports from the doctor and the Head Maid.  

Bryce had just seen Ray calm down.  

A terrible incident almost occurred.  

He couldn’t lose the child again after only recently getting him back.  

Bryce’s face was very dark as he listened to the doctor’s calm explanation.  

“The Young Master was saved thanks to the nanny. She is an excellent pharmacist. She always carries antidotes and allergy medication with her.”  

“But something seemed strange.”  

While the doctor praised Astrid’s preparedness, Vanessa, the Head Maid, spoke with a serious face.  

Her fingertips were still trembling slightly, perhaps because she was too shocked.  

Her face was so pale.  

Bryce’s heavy gaze turned to Vanessa.  

“What seemed strange?”  

“Even when Young Master Ray was choking and gasping, the nanny never helped him. I tried to help, but she blocked me.”  

“Really?”  

“In the end, the Young Master had to take the medication from his necklace himself. His face turned pale, and his hands trembled, but she never helped him. Sob.”  

Vanessa, who had been on the verge of tears, finally broke down crying.  

Hot tears streamed down her wrinkled eyes.  

Even thinking about it again made her furious.  

How could she just stand there when the child was dying?  

How could she be so heartless?  

She was a terrible woman.  

“What if something really bad had happened while she just watched? Sob… My heart was pounding so hard, I thought it would burst. Sob.”  

She had known the woman was strange, but today’s behavior was chilling.  

She prided herself on having met many people in her life, but she had never met someone like this.  

Recalling Astrid’s insistence that Ray would manage, chills ran down her spine.  

Her gleaming eyes resembled those of a mad person.  

“I understand. Make sure everyone keeps quiet about today’s events. You know what to do.”  

“Yes, understood.”  

“Now leave.”  

Left alone, Bryce sighed deeply and rubbed his face with his hands.  

“Haa…”  

A heavy sigh escaped him.  

A cold wind still lingered in his chest.  

Though he hadn’t known he had a son, he didn’t want to lose him again.  

He couldn’t. Never.  

Having just seen Ray, Bryce felt the urge to see him once more before bed.  

* * *  

The next day.  

As usual, the meeting regarding the railroad construction lasted longer than expected.  

There were many challenges, such as selecting the railroad route and securing construction costs.  

When the sluggish meeting finally ended, the Empress summoned Bryce.  

“It’s been a long time since we’ve had a private conversation.”  

“I’m sorry for not visiting more often, Your Majesty.”  

“How is your son doing? It must be difficult for him to adjust to a new environment.”  

“Thanks to your concern, he is adapting quickly. Even though he is only seven, he is smart and mature.”  

“Enough of your bragging about your son. If you continue, you’ll be called a doting parent. Hoho.”  

“Yes, I’ll keep that in mind, Your Majesty.”  

Steam rose from the teacups placed before them.  

The Empress took a sip of the warm tea and spoke again.  

“May I ask you directly?”  

“Yes, of course, Your Majesty. Please speak freely.”  

“I know the timing isn’t ideal. But as a mother, I must ask. What do you think about marrying Princess Stephania?”  

“……”  

“You must be aware that Stephania has held you in her heart for a long time. The child is very anxious.”  

Bryce felt troubled.  

He had somewhat anticipated this topic when the Empress summoned him.  

So he had prepared his response.  

But facing the question, it wasn’t as easy to speak as he had thought.  

His mouth felt dry, so he took a sip of tea to moisten his throat.  

His composed lips slowly parted.  

“I apologize, Your Majesty. Princess Stephania and I met without knowing each other’s true names and continued our relationship that way.”  

Bryce spoke calmly, and the Empress focused on his words with hopeful eyes.  

“I cherish the Princess as a friend. But I have never considered marriage.”  

“Friendship, that’s good! Friendship alone is enough to bind a couple.”  

The Empress’s face brightened momentarily.  

Isn’t a couple supposed to be each other’s closest friends?  

Despite Bryce’s indirect refusal, the Empress found hope in his words, leaving Bryce feeling troubled.  

But since he had started, he needed to convey his intentions clearly to the end.  

“But Your Majesty, my current circumstances do not allow me to consider marriage with the Princess. I want to focus on building the bond with my son that I couldn’t before. And…”  

Bryce paused, his eyes turning cold.  

The Empress noticed the change in his gaze and her thin eyebrows twitched.  

“And?”  

“And I fear that bringing a child who does not inherit the Rimetten Imperial Family’s blood into the palace would subject him to harsh trials.”  

“Hmm…”  

A deep shadow fell over the Empress’s face.  

There was nothing wrong with Bryce’s words.  

The Empress gave up questioning or persuading further and took another sip of her tea.  

After moistening her throat, the Empress added one last comment.  

“Duke Conver, don’t forget that this empire needs you. I’m only afraid of how long this peace will last.”  

“……”  

“Stephania needs someone to help her. If there’s no love, then with friendship, and if friendship isn’t enough, then with loyalty to the empire, consider the position of consort.”  

The Empress’s eyes shone with sincerity.  

In contrast, Bryce’s blue eyes remained cold.  

“Your Majesty, I have one thing to ask.”  

“What is it?”  

“When you obtained information that I might have a living son, why didn’t you inform me first? It would have been good if you had told me.”  

A sharp gaze seeking truth was directed at the Empress.  

Facing that gaze, the Empress flinched momentarily.  

Tension enveloped her body.  

“Well, that was… I intended to confirm the facts first before telling you. Isn’t that natural? All obtained information must go through verification procedures.”  

“Of course, that’s true.”  

Bryce nodded, showing a faint smile.  

A smile as cold as the ice on a frozen river in midwinter.  

Seeing his smile, the Empress felt a chill.  

And she hoped.  

May everything I see and feel now be just my imagination.  

* * *  

In the carriage returning to the ducal house, Bryce was deep in thought.  

He recalled the Empress’s words worrying about the empire.  

She had said she was afraid of how long this peace would last.  

She had asked him to consider the position of consort with loyalty to the empire.  

“The empire…” 

Bryce muttered, furrowing his brows and clenching his teeth.  

He thought of his father, the symbol of patriotism, or rather patriotism itself.  

He remembered his father’s miserable end.  

His father’s words and deeds, solely for the empire’s peace, became a terrible dagger that stabbed his heart due to evil forces.  

Not just his heart.  

His honor, his achievements, and eventually his family were all torn apart.  

“I will not live for the empire like my father did.”  

Bryce quietly murmured to himself.  

His voice was filled with determination.  

“I will dedicate all my strength to rebuilding and protecting our family. I will make it happen. Definitely.”  

Though he began speaking to his father, he ended by speaking to himself.  

As if reminding himself never to forget.  

At that moment, only one face emerged.  

His son Ray’s face.  

* * *  

“Young Master Ray is in the garden. With Miss Astrid.”  

Bryce returned home early again today.  

He hurried home especially today, concerned about Ray’s well-being after yesterday’s incident.  

Guided by Vanessa, the Head Maid, Bryce headed straight to the garden.  

Ray and Astrid were folding paper at a table next to the fountain.  

Astrid seemed to be following Ray’s folding instructions.  

“Fold here and opposite here. No, not too much, just a little.”  

“Like this?”  

“Yes, good.”  

Bryce and Vanessa paused their steps, watching the two spending a cozy time together.  

Seeing his son and the nanny in a peaceful moment, Bryce recalled what Vanessa had told him yesterday.  

The story of Ray, who collapsed from an acute allergic reaction, having to find and take the medication himself without Astrid’s help.  

Of course, he understood Astrid’s intention.  

‘She wanted to give him practical training. But to be so harsh?’  

Could he have done the same?  

No, it would have been impossible.  

Bryce shook his head.  

Seeing a child deteriorating minute by minute and prioritizing training first, such a woman.  

‘She looks so ordinary folding paper with the child now…’  

Bryce found it difficult to understand his son’s nanny.