Whose Child Belongs to the Emperor - Chapter 10 - Part 2

Leonard sat in his office after finishing his meal alone.
 
He had stayed at his desk until after his aides had left for the day, but he still had quite a bit of work to do.
 
Normally, he would have held onto his work for the next day.
 
‘If I want to spend time together tomorrow,…’
 
Since they couldn’t even have a meal together today, tomorrow they are going to spend the day together.
 
First, they’ll visit her brother, who’s still not well, then explore the vast palace and stables, have a meal together, and spend time together.
 
‘The tailors will come the day after tomorrow.’
 
When fitting her new dress, it might be good to take a moment to choose together.
 
It would be nice to pick out matching clothes.
 
Thinking of the surprised expression on her face, he couldn’t help but smile. As if I were playing some sort of unseemly flirtation game.
 
“Your Majesty.”
 
The voice of a servant stopped him in his tracks.
 
Cautiously, he entered, meeting the Emperor’s gaze and tugging at his hair.
 
“Your Majesty, the Marquis Salvatore’s daughter, Lady Alaina, is seeking an audience.”
 
At the words, Leonard’s smile turned to a grim line.
 
He had expected to see her soon, now that he had captured her father, but he hadn’t expected her to come without asking permission first.
 
“At this hour?”
 
“Yes, Your Majesty. Should I ask her to leave since it’s late?”
Whispering, it seemed like she had secretly came. Leonard pondered for a moment.
 
‘Well, I have to meet her anyway.’
 
Since he had captured her father without consulting her and declared him a traitor, she would be quite angry.
 
It might be better to console her if possible, and if not, he would have to make another decision.
 
“Let her in quietly.”
 
At Leonard’s command, the servant quietly bowed and left the study. After a while, a knocking sound was heard again.
 
As expected, it was Alaina who opened the door, and she didn’t look happy.
 
Leonard gestured toward a chair.
 
“Have a seat.”
 
Alaina didn’t even bother to say hello; she just plopped down on the couch.
 
“We don’t need tea. I won’t stay long.”
 
“I’m glad to hear it.”
 
With a nod, Leonard motioned for the servant to leave, and the door closed. Once the door was closed, Alaina spoke as if she had been waiting.
 
“Do you know what people are saying to me now?”
 
“I don’t know.”
 
“I left the capital because I had a child with the emperor.”
 
At those words, his calm face suddenly crumpled. Alaina looked at his expression and raised the corner of her mouth as if laughing.
 
“There are some really great novelists. It is said that the noble lady, who had her half-brother’s child, learned of the secret of his birth on the day the Emperor passed away, and she ran away and lived to give birth to the child. Now the Information Guild is going crazy to find a child that doesn’t exist.”
 
“What…….”
 
“There’s also a story that the former emperor belatedly found out that His Majesty the Emperor was not of imperial blood and placed his hand on the noble lady who would become the next empress, saying that even a grandchild should have imperial blood.”
 
“…….”
 
“Shall we go on?”
 
It was not uncommon for petty gossip to be inflated, but this kind of low-brow talk turned his stomach.
 
Leonard sighed and ruffled his hair.
 
“I’ll find the source of the rumor.”
 
“What on earth did you do that for? You knew he was going to make up a bunch of crap! Even if the carriage didn’t work, you can just kill him another way, so what’s the point of framing him for it…….”
 
“Framed?”
 
Leonard asked her, his voice rising in frustration. The question made Alaina pause.
 
“… … Was it really true?”
 
From the way she asked, he could tell she thought he framed him for something he didn’t do to get rid of her father.
 
Does not knowing what the Marquis did mean that you haven’t completely gained his trust?
 
“Twice. First, he tried to harm the Empress and the Crown Prince together, and the second time, he attempted to harm the Crown Prince while I was away with the Empress. Lord Evan suffered significant injuries during the process.”
 
At that, Alaina’s eyes narrowed, and she pressed her forehead against her hand. She took a deep breath, as if trying to control her anger.
 
“……Yes, I get it.”
 
“Understand what?”
 
“You didn’t make up a non-existent crime, and you accused him of treason. If we don’t restrain him, he might continue plotting against Tenere or the Empress and the Crown Prince.”
 
Though she seemed to comprehend, Alaina’s expression still held a hint of displeasure.
 
Leonard was puzzled that she seemed to understand when he had expected her to be more agitated.
 
Alaina glanced at him.
 
“Would you mind calling for a cup of tea? I think we need to talk some more.”
 
“Sure.”
 
Leonard rose to his feet.
 
He was just about to put the teapot on when Alaina interrupted.
 
“Why don’t you just have a servant do it? Your Majesty’s tea is really bad.”
 
“The Empress never said anything like that.”
 
“I’m the one who said it.”
 
At her blunt reply, Leonard poured water into a cup and set it in front of her.
 
On the plate were a few candies and chocolates that the aides had left behind.
 
Alaina let out a laugh.
 
“So now you’ve decided not to be polite to me?”
 
“I don’t think it’s necessary, given that your father professed us to be brother and sister.”
 
“I thought you were sick of being called brother and sister.”
 
“I still don’t like it.”
 
After confirming that there was no particular hostility towards each other, the atmosphere between the two became considerably softer.
 
Alaina peeled off the candy and popped it into her mouth.
 
“Is it because of the empress? ”
 
Leonard was the first to speak. It was a question about her sudden change in demeanor.
 
Alaina rolled the candy around in her mouth, pondered it, and nodded.
 
“Half of it”
 
“The other half?”
 
“To be honest, I have nothing to lose compared to Your Majesty.”
 
It was a change from the disgust he’d shown when he’d spoken of the lowly rumors surrounding him.
 
When she realized he was puzzled, Alaina smirked.
 
“Isn’t Your Majesty in more trouble than I am right now?”
 
“…….”
 
“Whether the rumors are true or not, I am the legitimate daughter of Duke Salvatore, but Your Majesty has suffered a blow to the legitimacy of the imperial family.”
 
It was a ploy to take control of the conversation.
 
After all, he was a person who didn’t even blink at all the rumors that spread when he returned to the capital, so it was natural.
 
“Still, these are words that can be punished as insults to the imperial family, so he will be punished over here.”
 
“I’ll be grateful, then. By the way, is it true? that you have Laura Hale as the Crown Prince’s nanny?”
 
Alaina frowned as if something didn’t sit right with her. Leonard nodded casually.
 
“Your Majesty, you may not know, but she met Her Majesty the Empress at my birthday party a few years ago… … .”
 
“I heard it from the Empress, and the Empress decided to have her as a nanny.”
 
“No, you don’t look for character when hiring a nanny?”
 
“That’s not the point of this conversation, is it?”
 
At Leonard’s point, Alaina shut up, but she couldn’t hide her displeasure.
 
“… … I don’t think my father completely trusts me.”
 
It took a while for Alaina to open her mouth.
 
“After His Majesty went on tour, my uncle came, and it was quiet for a while. Since my father always acted like a good person in front of my uncle, I didn’t realize he was doing it behind my back.”
 
“…….”
 
“Not surprising, when you think about it. He’s so manipulative, you’d think he’d trust me. He’d say he’d convince the emperor, but then you keep postponing engagements and marriages, and he’d stir the pot in the palace. He thought he was unnoticed, but…… must have known and pretended not to.”
 
From the way she was talking, it didn’t sound like she held any grudges.
 
After a long pause, Alaina suddenly looked up.
 
“Since you’ve already sent him to prison, why not just kill him cleanly? No need for a trial. How about poisoning?”
 
“That won’t work now. If I kill him now, people will undoubtedly claim that I did it to silence him and protect myself.”
 
“I see. Well, the Marquis’s reputation has fallen apart either way. Marquis Salvatore is either a cunning scammer who plotted against the Empress or a person who seduced a lonely Empress. Either way, it’s uncomfortable. Right now, it feels like there’s no good option.”
 
No, the grudge was firmly in place.
 
Leonard racked his brain for a reward that might appease the princess. A mining claim in Brittany would do.
 
“I admit I should have warned you. In any case, since the Marquis has suffered as well as you in this matter, I will grant you a section of Brandia as your duchy when you inherit the marquisate.”
 
“That wasteland? I’d rather have the mining rights to Brittany.”

“Is that so? Then do as you please.”
 
Alaina’s face fell at the bluntness of his answer.
 
Leonard shrugged, as if he didn’t know what to do. But he was still smiling, and it was enough to make Alaina squirm.
 
“Anyway, is there a way? My father will likely try to involve the noble faction.”
 
“We’ll have to make his words false. Find the letter he was exchanging with my mother.”
 
“I don’t know where it is either.”
 
“They’re probably hidden somewhere in the mansion. Search thoroughly. And if necessary, it’s fine to place a crudely forged fake letter there.”
 
Leonard suggested manipulating evidence that would discredit the Marquis during the trial. Even if the evidence was tampered with, it wouldn’t be easily detected.
 
Nothing undermines credibility like falsified evidence, so if the evidence was properly destroyed, the Marquis’s claims could be made false.
 
“…… Me?”
 
Alaina smirked at him, wondering if she’d picked up a bit of the merchant’s temperament from Mesili.
 
Leonard poured her a half-empty cup and filled it with water, knowing that if he kept giving, she’d ask for something later.
 
“Drink this.”
 
“…….”
 
“Or should I give you some tea?”
 
“Really…….”
 
Alaina shot him a look and stood up. She hadn’t even touched the full glass of water.
 
“My coachman is waiting for me, so I’ll excuse myself. By the way, I’d like to see the Empress sooner rather than later. I’m afraid I’ll draw too much attention to myself.”
 
“Fine. Just be careful not to say anything unnecessary to the Empress. I’ve already ensured that the servants are discreet.”
 
Leonard nodded coolly. But when he added, Alaina narrowed her eyes.
 
“These stories have already spread throughout the Empire. Even the children on the streets know what Marquis Salvatore rambled about. But you’re saying only the Empress is oblivious?”
 
“I don’t want to worry about the person who just returned to the palace today. I can tell her after the situation is resolved.”
 
Leonard said it nonchalantly. Alaina looked disgruntled, but she nodded without gagging.
 
Before her was the Emperor of the Empire, and whether she liked it or not, she had to acknowledge his authority.
 
If her father had truly intended to harm the Crown Prince and the Empress, he would be executed for treason. There was no need for her to openly show hostility to the Emperor if she was to inherit the marquisate.
 
‘Because he is a generous person as long as he sticks to the appropriate line.’
 
Whether or not it was true that they were related by blood, the two had been engaged for years.
 
They may not have been lovers, but they had become close friends, and Alaina prided herself on getting to know him somewhat well.
 
She would do what she could to ensure that the marquisate would be as strong as ever after the execution of her father.
 
Whether it be out of consideration for a former fiancée, mercy for a loyal vassal, or love for someone who might be… a blood sister.
 
“Very well, then. I will give you a word when I have proof.”
 
With that, Alaina slipped into her robes once more and left his office.
 
A waiting servant led her stealthily down a secret passage.