Whose Child Belongs to the Emperor - Chapter 4- Part 8

Chapter 4- Part 8

The city guard in Avila had a lot of work.

In a place with many outsiders, they patrolled frequently to prevent various crimes. When fights broke out, they quickly ran to mediate.

They also guided travelers and took lost children to the orphanage.

Guard Justin placed the child in the crib.

The child was sleeping peacefully; tears dried on his pale cheeks.

“Where did you find him?”

“A woman near the intersection reported it. She cuddled him, then said she had urgent business and just left.”

“Could it be that she’s his child and she pretended he was lost? There have been cases like that lately.”

“No way.”

Justin sat down next to the crib, gently stroking the child’s belly.

Duncan, the manager of the orphanage, got up, noticing Justin’s gesture.

“Hey, actually, I drank too much yesterday, so my stomach has been hurting since this morning.”

“It smells like shit. Don’t open your mouth and go quickly.”

When Justin pretended to block his nose, Duncan rushed outside as if he had been waiting.

Justin, as always, sat down next to the crib and filled in some details on the paperwork on the table.

The time of discovering the child, the place, his clothes, his age range, and any peculiarities.

After filling in the blanks, a rustling sound was heard. Justin turned his head.

“…Mom.”

The child, who had awakened by now, looked around as if searching for his mother.

“Are you awake?”

Justin quickly approached with a biscuit in his hand.

However, the moment he saw the eyes where tears had gathered, he paused and stood there in slight confusion.

“You…?”

Justin unconsciously reached out his hand and held the child’s face.

“Mom. Mama.”

Tears, like droplets of dew, fell from the child’s eyes.

When the child was asleep, Justin hadn’t noticed, but now the awakened child looked strikingly similar to someone Justin knew.

From the reddish-black hair that shone in the light to the golden eyes, straight eyebrows, and gentle eyes—everything resembled the Emperor.

‘His Majesty the Emperor…’

Although the child lacked the prominent features of Emperor Leonard due to his young age, no one could doubt his resemblance to the Emperor.

“Mama.”

Surprised, Justin hesitated as the child cried out for his mother again.

“Well, well. You’re a good child. Yes?”

Holding the crying child and comforting him, Justin tried to dismiss futile thoughts from his mind.

The golden eyes were uncommon, but they didn’t have a unique color exclusive to the imperial family. Moreover, the current Emperor, Leonard, strongly resembled the deceased Empress.

‘Could it be the illegitimate child of the Duke…?’

Various fantasies crossed Justin’s mind.

However, his thoughts quickly dissipated when a woman entered through the door with a swift motion.

“Josie!”

The woman who rushed in quickly embraced the child.

Her neatly styled, dark hair, which seemed hastily combed, was slightly disheveled.

Yet, what caught Justin’s attention were her wet eyes and the red nose tip from the cold, beneath long eyelashes.

Justin, dumbfounded, watched as the woman wiped away tears and then belatedly handed her a handkerchief.

As their eyes met, he found himself involuntarily swallowing dry saliva.

“Ah… Thank you.”

“Um, please write down the names of the lady and the child. If you’re not a lady, please also include the name of the village and the village head….”

It wasn’t the first time Justin had taken over the role of guide instead of the shelter’s caretaker, and his words stumbled awkwardly.

Justin felt a bit embarrassed, but the woman nodded and took the pen.

Observing her confident writing, Justin couldn’t help but think, ‘A fallen noble? ‘

Despite her shabby attire, her calm speech and upright posture were no different from those of a well-educated noblewoman.

Justin confirmed the absence of a ring on her finger and smirked discreetly.

“Did your husband come with you?”

He inquired, perhaps wondering if she was a young widow. It was a moment when the woman was about to speak.

“Tenere!”

The closed door burst open, and a man with ash-grey hair rushed in towards the woman and the child.

Whether he had hurriedly come upon hearing about the shelter or not, he was covered in sweat.

“My husband has arrived. Thank you for your help. Well then, we’ll be going…”

The woman quickly picked up the child and grabbed the man’s sleeve.

At her words, the man glanced at Justin, furrowing his eyebrows. Then, as if confirming something, he decisively embraced the woman’s shoulders.

“Come on, my sweet lark.”

It had an exaggerated tone, as if performing in a play. In a gesture that conveyed ‘Don’t entertain unnecessary thoughts,’ Justin awkwardly smiled.

And the moment they left the shelter, Justin’s eyes fell on the documents the woman had written.

The name written on the document was ‘Tasha.’ However…

‘Just now, she clearly said Tenere….’

Even if he didn’t live in the capital, there was no way he wouldn’t know the name of the former empress.

And the child doesn’t resemble her husband at all but strongly resembles the emperor…

“What are you doing?”

Returning from his thoughts, Justin was called by Duncan, who had gone out for work. Startled, Justin quickly turned to him.

“Where is His Majesty the Emperor right now?”

“Huh? Well, he said he was going to tour the academy… Hey, where are you going?”

Justin hastily left the shelter. However, the people he was looking for had disappeared like an illusion.

When it came to socializing, being too perceptive was considered a disadvantage.

Sometimes it was better to act like you hadn’t seen anything, hadn’t heard anything, and pretended not to know anything.

However, Justin had never resented his lack of perceptiveness to this extent.

If that woman was the former empress and the child was truly the emperor’s, then…

‘I’m in trouble…’

What if his conjecture is correct?

No, wasn’t the former empress said to be a barren woman? Why is she carrying a child?

If the child resembled the emperor so much, why hasn’t she informed the palace?

His thoughts swirled around in his head.

It wasn’t until he came face-to-face with an imperial official that he realized it might all be a coincidence.

Seeing the well-mannered official, who presented a perplexed expression upon seeing the urgently arriving police officer, Justin forced a smile.

“What’s the matter?”

“May I see His Imperial Majesty? I have something to tell him…….”

“His Majesty is busy right now. If you tell me, I’ll convey the message.”

“Well, I’ve heard that the former Empress has gone into hiding and that His Majesty is looking for……, but…….”

“…Really?”

Just as he uttered those words, the official’s expression changed drastically.

“That was…… I met someone who might have been her…… Hua, and he had a child who resembled His Majesty the Emperor. There was a person she called her husband, but…….”

“No, the child looks nothing like the husband. He strongly resembles the former Empress.”

“A husband?”

The official, who had a very serious face, let out a small laugh at that.

“You must be mistaken. If she has a husband, it must be someone else.”

“But the child doesn’t look like the husband at all; he looks like His Majesty.”

Though Justin explained the events at the shelter, the official wasn’t paying proper attention.

He seemed to be searching for something in his mind, and his attitude somehow gave off the impression that he was trying to pull off a scheme to get a word in with the emperor.

“I will report to His Majesty first. By the way, where are you stationed, Sir Jennifer?”

“It’s Justin. I’m in charge of security in the eastern part of Avila.”

“Yes, Mr. Justin. I’ll be frank; don’t expect too much… Do you remember the name of the woman you wrote in the documents?”

Why bother asking when you don’t believe it anyway? Though his mind was boiling, there was no courage to confront the imperial official.

Justin mentioned the name and returned to his post.

The manager watched his retreating figure and subtly raised the corner of his mouth.

“Did you hear that just now?”

“I hope it’s not another false alarm.”

A man who seemed uninterested and was looking elsewhere murmured. The official nodded.

“Whatever it is, we need to find out quickly, before the emperor notices.”

***

Throughout the way back home, Josie clung tightly to his mother.

Losing his mother for even a short time was frightening and overwhelming.

Tenere, who had also lost a child, felt the same way, holding the child tightly without letting go.

“It could have been worse, Tenere.”

Looking into her red eyes, Eric opened his heavy mouth.

“I heard while looking for Josie that it seems the emperor has already arrived in the north.”