Whose Child Belongs to the Emperor - Chapter 6 - Part 2

Chapter 6 – Part 2

Tenere was surprised and turned to her brother. Eric shrugged his shoulders while looking at the round eyes.

“We did it once. Can’t we do it twice?”

“It’s absurd. Both Joshua and you…”

“How do you want to handle it?”

Tenere was silent for a moment. How did she want to handle it? Such a question seemed utterly futile. The answer was already decided, and it would be wrong the moment she deviated from it.

“I want the people I love to be happy.”

Josie, who had been playing with soil for a long time, stood up. His hands, covered in thick gloves, were stained with broken leaves and soil, but he didn’t mind. Perhaps because he was a child or because he was born and raised in a small village.

“Being in the palace as the prince is much better for Josie than hiding as the child of a fugitive. It will be safer.”

It was the story of a simple and peaceful life guaranteed by those who could guarantee peace. If Tenere were to run away, she would have to spend the rest of her life avoiding the emperor and the man she had spent four years with. It was better to live in the palace.

Fortunately, Leonard was about to reinstate her as empress, and he seemed to discover who it was who had tried to block her accession. Everyone could live peacefully as long as she did not provoke him.

“Before His Majesty’s patience runs out, it’s wise to bow down and stop resisting stubbornly.”

It was a great mercy that he didn’t punish the Empress for running away. Rather than using hierarchy or threats, trying to take her to the palace with the sweet talk was already a considerable act of generosity. Tenere tried to think that way. It was vain greed that had caused her to run away with Josie in the first place.

Blinded by fear and jealousy, she had left his side, but this was inevitable. So she had to put aside her feelings of regret and betrayal as soon as possible and give him what he wanted.

“……Are you sure you’re okay?”

“What could be wrong? Even if it’s not okay, there’s nothing I can do.”

“…….”

“It should be fine.”

The wind was cold, but thanks to the warm clothes, it wasn’t that cold. Tenere leaned against the back of the bench and looked at Josie’s figure absently.

The sun’s rays pierced through the cold wind and made her feel unnecessarily sleepy. Her eyelids felt unusually heavy.

“……Tenere.”

As Tenere’s eyes slowly closed, Eric called out to her.

“If you’re going to sleep, go to your room. You’ll catch a cold if you sleep outside.”

Tenere remained silent. She briefly opened her eyes, but perhaps due to not having slept properly all night, she soon started to doze off again. Her head fell onto Eric’s shoulder.

“It seems like being an empress means you can sleep anywhere. Are you a newborn?”

Silence.

“Alright, sleep. Even if you catch a cold, I won’t know.”

Eric sighed as he watched Tenere’s swollen eyes close. Josie, who had been playing alone, approached them.

“Mom?”

“Yes, your mom is sleeping.”

“Coo.”

“That’s right. Coo is sleeping. Try waking her up.”

Josie looked at Tenere for a moment, then chuckled and moved his feet. His small, dirt-covered hand awkwardly patted her knee.

Eric laughed. “Hey, if you’re going to wake her up, do it properly. Say, ‘Mom, wake up.'”

“Coo. Cooo.”

“What’s this? Are you putting her back to sleep? Then maybe sing a lullaby.”

Eric chuckled and gestured to his nephew. At that moment, a deep voice was heard.

“What are you doing?”

Eric slowly raised his head. Before him stood Emperor Leonard. The calm smile that always adorned his face had turned cold, and the lines that formed while smiling remained straight.

His gaze shifted from Eric to Tenere. “Wake up, Tenere.”

“Ugh…”

Eric quickly shook the drowsy Tenere awake. She raised her sleepy eyes and detached her head from Eric’s shoulder, but her eyes remained closed.

When Eric was sure she wasn’t rolling over, he stood up and greeted him with a bow.

“Lord Evan, greet His Imperial Majesty, the Emperor.”

“I thought I asked what you were doing, Lord Evan.”

The voice was as cold as a gust of wind. Eric, still glancing at the half-asleep Tenere, quickly opened his mouth.

“She must have had a restless night. She seemed tired, so I let her…….”

“Da. Da!”

Josie quickly hugged Leonard’s leg. Meeting his father, whom he hadn’t seen last night, brought great joy.

Leonard softened his expression a bit, bent down, and picked up the child.

“Da. Da!”

“Yes, Josie.”

Leonard kissed the child’s forehead. Tenere’s eyelids fluttered slightly as she heard a soft giggle.

Slowly raising her head, Tenere jumped in surprise at the sight of Leonard standing before her.

“Ah…….”

“Are you awake?”

Tenere scrambled to her feet. Leonard bit his lip in a small smile at the sight of her bloodshot eyes.

“I was hoping to see you after breakfast, I came out for a walk as I heard you did.”

“I apologize, Your Majesty,” Tenere replied politely. Leonard remained silent.

The child, who had been in his father’s arms, looked at Tenere and laughed.

Seeing Josie in his arms, a faint unease appeared on Tenere’s face.

“Your Majesty…”

Silently, Tenere reached out, and Leonard’s forehead wrinkled slightly. A short sigh escaped from his lips.

“I won’t take him away.”

“…”

“I just wanted to talk with you.”

Leonard kissed Josie’s forehead again, then handed him obediently to Tenere.
Only when she had him in her arms did Tenere relax, looking relieved.

“I’d like to talk to you about the night before. Do you have a moment?”

Leonard said it in as gentle a voice as he could muster. But Tenere didn’t answer; she only hugged Josie tightly. She wasn’t sure what to do with him yet.

“……Tenere.”

“My sister is not feeling well, Your Majesty.”

Eric, who had been watching them, spoke up. Leonard stiffened and looked back at him.

“If it is not urgent, perhaps you two can talk later.”

Eric’s attitude was extremely polite, but his gaze was not. His look towards the Emperor was excessively impure, especially when dealing with someone of his rank.

Ignoring Eric’s words, Leonard looked at Tenere again. The child still looked at Leonard, calling him ‘Dad.’

“Your Majesty.”

After a long silence, Tenere spoke. Her voice was cautious, as if dealing with someone superior. Unaware that her demeanor was irking Leonard.

“May I return to my room with Josie?”

“…”

“Your Majesty.”

Tenere stood there, waiting for Leoard’s permission. Leonard carefully examined Tenere’s swollen eyes and pale complexion. Had she cried all night, or was it just a bout of crying?

“I will tell the Duke to call for a doctor.”.

After a long moment of silence, Leonard barely spoke. Tenere shook her head.

“I haven’t been able to sleep properly. If I rest, I should be fine,” Tenere replied. It was undeniable that he was the cause of her sleepless night.

Leonard opened his mouth to say something, but it was obvious that she didn’t want to talk to him right now.

“Very well, get some rest,” Leonard said, and Tenere, bowing her head, turned away. Josie waved his hand towards Eric and Leonard.

Leonard continued watching Tenere’s retreating figure for a while before finally turning away. His softened expression when looking at Eric immediately turned cold again.

“Lord Evan, you…”

Leonard opened and closed his mouth as he looked at Eric. It wasn’t that he had much to say. He had only come down to the garden when the servant told him she was out for a walk and found her asleep, leaning against Erich’s shoulder.

Tenere, who had looked as if she might burst into tears at any moment, was sleeping quite peacefully. The two of them sat side by side in the warm sunlight, with the child clinging to her mother’s leg. Leonard couldn’t figure out why the peaceful scene was so disturbing.

“You must be quite close to the Empress.”

That was all Leonard said. Surprisingly, Eric narrowed his eyes in question.

“Why shouldn’t we be close?”

He was polite, as if trying not to get caught, but his voice was hard, unlike the way he’d spoken to Tenere or Joshua. Leonard was silent for a moment, then spoke again.

“I hear you weren’t so friendly in the Marquisate.”

Leonard knew Tenere had not been treated well during her time at the manor. Eric hadn’t gotten along too badly with her, but he hadn’t been much of a shield either.

“Still, seeing as how you ran away from your duties for her, perhaps I was mistaken.”

It was he who had encouraged Tenere to flee on such a subject. Though she never said so, Leonard could tell by the way she looked that she was afraid he would punish her brother.

And even if she had chosen to run away of her own accord, it would have been impossible for him to stop her. Leonard looked at him, unable to hide his displeasure.

“I tried my best to take care of her even as an inadequate brother, especially after she was deposed.”

Eric ducked his head politely at the sarcasm. He made no excuses for his failure to protect Tenere during their time in the manor.

Leonard raised the corners of his mouth in approval.

“Now that the Empress will return to her post and Marquis Evan will be exonerated, shouldn’t Sir…… get on with his life?”

“I do not… pardon me, Your Majesty; I did not understand your words.”

“Perhaps you should start a family of your own.”

He couldn’t dismiss him or punish him. He was Tenere’s brother, and he had protected her all these years. And if you tried to punish him in any way, Tenere would not stand for it.

So it was in his best interest to exonerate him and find a suitable young lady to marry.

“No matter how much you love your sister, she can’t be everything, so you shouldn’t…….”

“Even my sister would choose her child’s happiness over her own, so who am I to judge?”

The voice was impeccably polite. But its content made Leonhard raise one eyebrow.

“What does it mean?”

“My sister is going to an imperial palace; she doesn’t even want to go, but for Joshua’s sake, I need to be there to support her.”

Eric wasn’t exactly a favorite of Leonard’s.

While it was certainly gracious of him to give the traitor’s children the utmost accommodations, he was a man who told his sister to stop hoping for love as soon as they were married.

He tried to be grateful that Tenere seemed to care about him, but even that was not something he wanted to take advantage of.

“I will not blame Your Majesty. As the Emperor, continuing the imperial line is more important than anything else. Choosing the mother of the prince rather than introducing a new empress is better for the empire. However, my sister…”

Erich’s voice trailed off, and Leonard understood the unspoken words. Tenere had accused him of betraying her feelings and of trying to use her. If only he had honestly said that he came to take the child, things might have been different.

“To see a person who used to understand whatever you said end up like this, from the perspective of a brother, it’s inevitable to harbor some resentment towards Your Majesty.”

“…”

Leonard chewed on his lips. The voice filled with resentment still echoed vividly in his ears.

He spoke heavily. “What am I supposed to do?”

Should he insist until the end that it’s genuine love, whether she believes it or not? Or is it better to be honest now and apologize? Leonard hadn’t decided yet.

If he continues to lie until the end, she will be more disappointed. If he bluntly says he doesn’t love her, she will undoubtedly be hurt. No matter what he says, Tenere will never be the same.

Knowing that Leonard couldn’t easily decide how to talk to Tenere. Maybe there’s another way.

Is there a way to change her mind? He repeated the same pointless dilemma.

“You don’t have to do anything,” Eric said. Leonard looked at him as if asking, “What are you talking about?”

“You don’t have to do anything, Your Majesty. Tenere will go to the palace as you wish. Whether or not she truly wants to, Josie will be recognized as an imperial son.”

“…….”

“But she won’t love Your Majesty like before. Of course, it might be more comfortable for Your Majesty that way.”

Eric added, as if teasing, and then respectfully bowed his waist as if to say that he had finished speaking.

Leonard glanced at the bench where the two had been sitting for a moment before turning away.