Whose Child Belongs to the Emperor - Chapter 10 - Part 5
Chspter 10 – Part 5
Laura didn’t listen to Tenere’s words.
As soon as Tenere was gone, she called her assigned maids to help her groom.
When she was done, Laura headed straight for the library.
Although she came to see the genealogies of high-ranking nobles to make connections, today she stopped in front of the bookshelf filled with childcare books.
〈From Cradle to First step〉, 〈Lady Minerva’s Encyclopaedia of Childcare〉, 〈Handling Sensitive Children〉, 〈Mothers Need Care Too〉, 〈21 Ways to Raise a Child Without Getting Angry〉, 〈101 Guidelines for a Sensible Nanny 〉.
As she flipped through them, she smiled wickedly.
‘I am the imperial nanny.’
Laura cleared her throat with a huff. With a slightly arrogant expression, she picked out a few books and flipped through them.
Some of the books were written in simple language that even a young child could read, while others had all sorts of jargon.
Laura chose the latter.
‘This is what an imperial nanny should read.’
Once Tenere was married and crowned empress, she knew she would be the center of attention.
So she needed to prepare herself as a suitable nanny for the Crown Prince before then.
If you’re a nanny at the imperial palace, you probably need to be familiar with at least 20 parenting books.
But.
‘… … what. What does this mean?’
Laura, who was trying to be an intelligent and perfect nanny who had mastered all kinds of parenting books, ended up panicking before she even turned a few pages.
Cognitive development, behaviorism, object permanence and assimilation, psychosocial theory…….
She’d helped nannies take care of children before, but it was just a physical experience.
The book was filled with theories she’d never heard of, names of academics, and even Arctic languages that she couldn’t make out.
‘Who reads this?’
Laura quickly flipped to the back. Seeing that the reference list was more than two pages long, she closed the book and stood up.
‘…..Life is about practical things.’
What’s the use of theory when you can just raise a child?
‘I should be reading another fairy tale to the prince when I have time for all this useless studying.’
Laura stalked away, back to where the book was plugged in.
But a voice stopped her in her tracks.
“So that’s why they say a lady should be meek. How terrible is that? To think of someone else’s child as your own and raise them for a lifetime.”
“No, what do you mean by that? How many times have I seen men throw their illegitimate children born outside the home to their wives to raise…… It would be better to only select women who lead the role. Then you won’t have to worry about whose blood it is.”
“Anyway, isn’t this a bit serious, that His Majesty might not be imperial blood?”
The gossipers were a group of young nobles carrying books.
Laura quickly hid behind the bookshelf.
‘What did he just say?’
The emperor is not of imperial blood? Because Leonard had restricted the entry of servants, Laura, who was accompanied by the prince and Tenere, had never heard of the rumors spreading throughout the capital.
She gasped, hiding her bewilderment at the sudden news.
“Whether it’s true or not, Marquis Salvatore is mad, for either he dares to lie with the Emperor’s blood, or he’s trying to get his children married.”
“Only the noble faction is excited now. After all, since His Majesty resembles the Empress Dowager, there would be no way to prove the bloodline.”
The words that followed were even worse.
Who was crazy? Who was trying to marry the Emperor?
Laura braced herself against the bookshelves. The young nobles were whispering among themselves, but it wasn’t hard to hear them in the quiet library.
“… … That’s why the Empress is quiet even though she gave birth to a prince.”
“I feel sorry for her and for the prince.”
“It’s a shame, but even if what the Marquis said is true, he was born and raised to be the heir to the imperial throne, so what will happen to him?”
“We don’t know that either. Right now, the noble factions are scrambling to find the imperial family.”
The low whisper in her voice startled the nobles.
“No, what are they going to do with it? What if it’s treason…….”
“Shh, someone’s coming.”
When she’d heard enough, Laura moved slowly away.
They were too busy chatting amongst themselves to notice her approach.
“Even if that’s not the case… having someone with a definite mix of royal blood in the succession line could pressure His Majesty……..”
“What nonsense are you talking about?”
Laura sharply interrupted, causing the conversing individuals to startle and turn their heads.
Holding the book tightly, Laura approached them confidently.
“How dare you exchange impure words about the Emperor in the imperial library? Aren’t you ashamed as nobles enjoying the grace of the palace?”
The young nobles’ faces turned white as they shook their heads.
Laura looked them over, her chin held high.
“Identify yourselves and your families.”
“Well, that’s…….”
“Do I really need to announce in public what you’ve been up to?”
“Who are you to say that?”
A young man asked. It may have been a sign that she wanted to suppress a lady of low status, but it was also a question that Laura had been waiting for.
“I’m Laura Hale, nanny to His Highness the Prince, personally chosen by Her Majesty the Empress.”
The implications of being the prince’s nanny were enormous.
The young nobles gasped when they saw the book she was clutching.
Laura felt somehow proud, but she coughed loudly to keep from showing it.
The short man spoke up.
“I’m Henry Winchester, Viscount Winchester.”
Starting with him, the people who were whispering together began to recite their names and family names one by one.
Laura thought over their names one by one.
“We were merely…… talking about the rumors that were flying around. We didn’t say it with impure intentions…….”
“If you’ve heard a rumor, you should end it with what you’ve heard. What’s the point of spreading it out loud?”
Laura reprimanded the high-ranking nobles, but no one could refute her words.
“We were imprudent.”
“Please let us off the hook just this once.”
Watching the nobles rack their brains over her, Laura felt quite exhilarated.
She fiddled with her chin in thought, then spoke.
“…Since it seems you didn’t have malicious intentions, I will let it slide this time. But be careful not to cause unnecessary misunderstandings in the future.”
“Th-thank you.”
“We will be more cautious from now on.”
Accepting their apologies, Laura still maintained her proud demeanor as she turned and walked away.
She barely managed to keep the corner of her mouth from curling up.
‘Ah… the taste of power…’
Laura turned away, smiling with pride. She was just about to return to the palace when she realized she was still clutching the book.
She remembered how the eyes of the nobles had lingered on it for a moment.
‘Even though I’m just a royal nanny, I should at least…’
Laura swallowed dryly as she looked at the book in her arms.
* * *
The royal temple was lined with statues depicting the best or most pathetic aspects of all the emperors, empresses, and heads of state.
Tenere stopped in front of a statue of Beatrice.
Beatrice sat at a desk, holding a quill pen.
Around her were carvings of children dancing and jumping.
She stood in contrast to Emperor Heinrich, who led his troops with his sword raised.
“This is the Empress Dowager. Josie, she’s your grandmother.”
Tenere picked Joshua up and held him close to the statue of Beatrice.
The child’s eyes widened in wonder, and he reached for it.
“She would have been so happy to see you…….”
She was a person who took care of her and who only knew how to smile.
She was the one who treated her so kindly without raising her voice, even though she was unprepared to be an empress.
She knew she would never see her again, but she couldn’t help but feel a sense of regret.
If someone hadn’t interrupted her night with the emperor, they would have been able to give birth to her grandson a long time ago.
Then maybe her beautiful grandson wouldn’t have been trampled in the snow, and maybe there wouldn’t have been a carriage accident…….
“Mommy. Mommy.”
Joshua, who had been fiddling with the statue of Beatrice for a while, turned his head.
A small, clumsy hand touched her cheek. It was almost comforting, and Tenere gave a small smile.
“You must have loved such a pretty and kind child.”
Tenere placed a new flower in the vase, just as Beatrice had done, and then wiped the urn with a dry rag.
She wondered if it was the fact that she hadn’t been in the temple for so long or the fact that she was staying in the Rose Palace.
Tenere stood there for a long time, holding the child close.
She thought she now knew why Beatrice came to the temple every day.