Whose Child Belongs to the Emperor - Chapter 6 - Part 1

Chapter 6 – Part 1

Leonard stayed up all night, staring at the closed door. The face that didn’t meet his gaze and the trembling voice were too vivid.

“About Josie, do you not know about him?”

“You didn’t hear anything from the maid? Or… do you not know anything about the maid’s background?”

The pristine voice echoed in his ears. Leonard’s gaze brushed over the spot where the baby’s crib used to be, lingering for a long time in the space beside it. The bed where he slept alone was excessively wide. It felt strange to have grown accustomed to being alone for two years, considering the brief time spent together, sharing stories, the small body that nestled against him when he pulled her close, and the lullabies heard intermittently when putting the child to sleep.

“Don’t let anything shake you.”

Leonard recalled the statue mocking his deceased grandfather. The image of the commoners praising the father who killed his parents and the tearful mother…

Was the decision not to live like his father a futile one from the beginning? Leonard thought of the eyes that seemed ready to burst into tears at any moment.

Where did it all go wrong?

What could I have done to prevent you from looking at me like that?

What could I have done to stop you from saying you were leaving again?

Leonard touched the vacant place where the owner used to be, reminiscing about past events. What if he hadn’t said those words to his grandfather? Or if he’d ordered an immediate pursuit for Tenere when she fled the capital

“If only you had been honest from the beginning. If you had said so, I might have been hurt but… I wouldn’t have been so disappointed in His Majesty.”

The voice that seemed on the verge of crying repeated several times, but Leonhardt shook his head.

“No.”

If he had spoken honestly, she probably wouldn’t have smiled like that. She wouldn’t have been so happy or excited.

The biggest mistake was not dealing with Marquis Salvatore sooner. He shouldn’t have been relieved just because Alaina Salvatore ran away and seemed to have quieted down. He shouldn’t have let his guard down just because he thought Salvatore might be his father. He should have taken care of Salvatore somehow when he was still incapacitated.

If he had done that, Tenere would have given birth to the imperial heir long ago. Then, whether Lord Evan was rebelling or not, she would have continued to protect the position of the empress as the mother of the imperial heir. The fact that she turned away seemed entirely the fault of the Salvatore.

Although Salvatore never spoke falsely about love, if he hadn’t harbored vain desires from the beginning, nothing would have been lost.

Until dawn, Leonard couldn’t sleep properly. What if she tries to escape again? What if Tenere insists that Josie is not the imperial heir?

He immediately summoned a servant to inquire about Tenere’s whereabouts.

“Is the Empress in her room?”

“Yes, Your Majesty. She is having breakfast with His Highness, the Crown Prince, in her room.”

Upon hearing that Tenere was in her room, his uneasy heart eased a bit. It was somewhat ironic and even cruel that he had spent the night contemplating while she was having breakfast so casually.

“…I see.”

“Um, Your Majesty. I apologize for overstepping, but… Her Majesty the Empress requested to move to another room, fearing that it might disturb Your Majesty’s sleep since His Highness the Crown Prince is still young.”

The servant hesitated before speaking, and Leonard looked at him.

“Did she say that?”

“Yes, Your Majesty”

At least she hadn’t said in front of the others that Josie wasn’t his son. That was a good thing for Leonard.

‘I’m not going to let her go even if she ……tries to run away.’

He was the Emperor, and Tenere was the Empress, so there were plenty of ways to take her by force if she refused. Perhaps he could hold Eric responsible for the escape and detain him, and she would bend at once.

But he didn’t want to do that, because he couldn’t stop thinking about the night before. He couldn’t get the image of her asking him if he was threatening her out of his mind.

“…Don’t disturb her after breakfast. That’s all.”

“Understood, Your Majesty.”

As the servant left, Leonard dipped his hand into the basin of water brought by the servant. His face, which had become grown dull overnight was reflected in the clear water. He wondered how she looked right now. When they meet, what should he say first? The answer to these questions was unclear, but it was clear that he had to meet her again somehow.

She’s a thoughtful person, surely she’ll understand if I explain things calmly.

‘But she won’t be the same’

He wonders if the bittersweetness of the fact is because I’ve grown accustomed to seeing her in the short time I’ve been with her.

The flushed cheeks, the gently curved eyes, and the excited voice remained clear.

* * *

When the servant responded to Leonard’s call, Tenere had just finished breakfast with Josie.

As soon as she finished her meal, she picked up Josie and went to find Eric.

Eric made a small face when he saw the look on Tenere’s face, but he didn’t complain and headed for the garden.

Unlike Tenere, who easily gets cold, Josie loves winter. Especially when he learned to walk, he would flail his limbs and trudge across the frozen ground. Eric was worried that he might slip and hurt himself, but his thick coat protected him from falling.

He’d get back up with a giggle as if falling was fun.

“Did you sleep well?”

Eric asked as he watched Josie pick up a dry twig.

“Yes.”

“That is lying to your brother, and look at you.”

Tenere laughed awkwardly at Eric’s sarcasm.

Even so, she was concerned about the redness around her eyes that stood out when she woke up in the morning. In case the servants noticed that she cried all night, she pretended to be seen holding Josie all night.

“Did you use the separate rooms?”

“….”

She hesitated for a moment at Eric’s question.

“Well, looks like you had a proper fight.”

Eric muttered quietly. Tenere turned her head, avoiding his gaze.

“How dare I fight with the Emperor?”

“Well, he’s the Emperor, and you’re the Empress. Even an imperial couple can fight with each other, right?”

“But I’m just an Empress”

Tenere leaned against the back of the bench. Her swollen eyelids felt heavier than usual.

“It was all lies.”

When Tenere spoke quietly, Eric turned to look at her. Josie was sitting a few steps away, playing with dry leaves and small stones.

Tenere didn’t take her eyes off him, perhaps worried he might swallow a stone.

“He lied about everything. The words about loving me and coming for that… Everything.”

Tenere calmly recounted the events of the night. How she’d gone to the garden to find Leonard, and what she’d heard there. Eric’s face grew stony as she continued.

“I didn’t think he would be that kind of person. I was foolish. If I’d thought about it, I would have known right away. I got carried away for no reason.”

“How could you not fall for that?”

Though he usually teased her, Eric sided with her at times like this. Tenere smiled a little and then spoke.

“…I lied to His Majesty.”

At her words, Eric looked at her as if asking what she meant. After hesitating for a moment, Tenere continued.

“I said Josie is not His Majesty’s child. I said I wouldn’t go to the capital. I don’t want to hand Josie over willingly to the person who deceived me to take him for the crown prince.”

“You, are you not going to go with the Emperor?”

“I have to go.”

Tenere laughed silently. She knew it was an unreasonable persistence. Leonard would never let go of Josie, who inherited the blood of the imperial family. Even though that person faked his love and made a false confession, it seemed that he would not easily let go of his child.

“His majesty know that I am angry. I don’t know how long he’ll tolerate it, but… Probably until he can’t take it anymore…”

Perhaps for a while, he would try to soothe her somehow. Maybe he would insist that he really loved her, or maybe he would even say he was sorry for lying to her all this time. However, if he continued to insist, it would not be easy for her to just let it go.

He might try to persuade her by using Josie’s future or the family’s exoneration, and if she still won’t yield, she might lose her child to the palace. If he turned out to be an unkind person, he might do whatever it took to eliminate her and brother.

Should she be thankful that she could be angry in this way, even for a moment? Or should she be miserable that she had to be at his mercy even to be angry?

Eric’s voice reached Tenere’s ears as she wryly smiled

“Do you want to run away again?”