Whose Child Belongs to the Emperor - Chapter 7 - Part 5

Chapter 7 – Part 5

The night air was cold.

The weather, which seemed to have eased a bit, became cold again.

The old castle had outdated heating, and even with a blanket covering her, the chill still seeped in when the fireplace was not lit.

Tenere slowly got up. As she emerged from the blanket, her body trembled, but she put a shawl hanging by her head and approached the sleeping child.

It was fortunate that Joshua didn’t catch much of a cold.

Still, she was worried that he might catch a cold, so she pushed the hearth towards him, squinting sleepily, and tucked in two more layers of blankets.

“Ung.”

As she touched the chubby cheeks, Joshua seemed to enjoy the gesture.

Tenere watched him for a moment, then let out a long yawn. Sleep washed over him again.

Tenere slowly walked towards the bed. Originally, she should have taken off the shawl first, but because it was so cold, she entered the blanket and fumbled to take it off.

She groped around the bed, trying to find a warmer spot.

“Tenere?”

A soft voice sounded like a dream. Though there was a rustling sound, the cold made it difficult to hear.

Something hard was caught in Tenere’s hand. It was thick and warm, a familiar warmth.

“Are you cold?”

At the voice that came again, Tenere half-closed her eyes and nodded her head. Then, as if waiting, something wrapped around her shoulders.

“Good night.”

A warm, broad arm wrapped around him, a large palm gently stroking her back.

A familiar voice and body scent, warmth, and touch. The pleasant things relaxed her tense body.

Tenere didn’t say anything and fell asleep.

It felt like she was dreaming. The strokes on her back slowed down gradually.

***

Upon waking up, Tenere took a deep breath upon seeing familiar skin.

Before her eyes was a well-built chest, firm with muscles.

‘What is this…’

Although she was always half asleep in the morning due to being a heavy sleeper, the sight that met her as soon as she woke up was not something she was used to.

What is this? What happened?

With confused eyes, she looked to find a deeply asleep face. Beneath neat eyebrows, his eyes were tightly closed without any movement.

‘Just… How about I go back to sleep?’

It was at that moment that the memories of the previous dawn came back.

Joshua stopped her father from going back to his room. Leonard asked if the child wanted him to sleep here, and she…

“…”

Waking up because of the unusually cold weather, covering her child with a blanket and lying back down, and finding warmth while still half asleep.

‘Did I…’

A closely attached face, as if it might touch her chest, suddenly lifted.

Her hands were digging into Leonard’s clothes, wrapping around his bare back.

In addition to hugging him because it was cold, she was also touching his bare skin.

The embarrassment was long, but the judgment was quick.

Tenere cautiously removed her hand from his back. She tried to slowly retract her arm from his embrace.

Perhaps if he hadn’t pulled her body tightly at that moment, she would have succeeded.

“Your Majesty…?”

“…Tenere.”

His voice, muffled, tickled her ears. Tenere took a deep breath again and lifted her head.

When she moved, his arms pulled her even closer.

Thump, thump. The sound of his heartbeat echoed as if it could be heard from their tightly pressed bodies.

“Your Majesty, please, just a moment…”

When Tenere twisted her body, Leonard kissed her forehead.

Tenere could neither push him away nor pull herself away; she just remained frozen in place.

‘Is he asleep…?’

Seeing no movement, it seemed that was the case.

Tenere whined and raised her head. Previously, there was a chest in front of her, but this time it was a face.

The distance was so close that the tips of their noses could almost touch, so Tenere didn’t know where to place her eyes.

“Your Majesty.”

“… ….”

“Your Majesty… … .”

“… ….”

She whispered, but Leonard still did not move a muscle. He seemed to be sleeping quite deeply.

Tenere hesitated a little while looking at the sleeping face.

“…Leon.”

It was just an impulse. Since there was no response, she tried calling him a little differently.

Perhaps this was a lingering attachment, but…

His closed eyes suddenly opened at that moment. Tenere was once again taken aback by the clear gold eyes before her.

Likewise, he seemed equally surprised as their eyes met and he blinked slowly.

“…Tenere?”

Leonard, with a puzzled expression, belatedly realized that he was hugging Tenere.

His massive arms quickly withdrew. Tenere, too, quickly removes her hand from his body.

“I…”

“I apologize, Your Majesty. It was cold last night, and… I didn’t even realize that I hugged you.”

Although Tenere quickly apologized, Leonard only touched his lips with a confused expression.

As she treated the Emperor like a heater, the embarrassment was mutual, so the two stood silently, avoiding each other’s eyes.

“No… No, it’s not like that.”

The first to speak was Leonard. He casually turned to the fireplace as if nothing had happened.

“I easily get very cold, and the weather suddenly became cold, so there wasn’t enough fuel. Joshua…”

“I covered him with more blankets last night.”

Tenere quickly picked up the fallen shawl from the floor and placed it on her shoulders. Her footsteps towards the sleeping child were urgent.

Whether it was due to worry about the child or embarrassment, it was unclear.

“Thanks to Your Majesty playing with him last night, Joshua also slept deeply. He had no tantrum.”

Although it might be evident that she was hastily changing the subject, Leonard did not point it out.

He just wiped his face a few times by himself and approached her.

“…Tenere.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Since it was awkward to meet his eyes, Tenere still answered while looking at her child.

Leonard stood by her side and scratched his cheek absentmindedly.

“Did I…”

Knock, knock.

The knock was heard at that moment.

Whatever he was about to ask, Leonard quickly closed his mouth and turned his head.

The one who entered after opening the door was a maid from the Hale residence.

“Her Majesty, a guest has arrived.”

“My guest? ”

Tenere looked a little puzzled. Since she was planning to return to the capital soon, no one would come looking for her here.

“Who is it? ”

“First, let’s prepare to welcome them.”

The one who answered was not the maid, but Leonard.

Tenere did not understand what was going on, but Leonard seemed to know something, so she nodded obediently.

The warmth that touched her forehead was still vivid.

***
When Tenere and Leonard finished dressing in the morning, Joshua, too, woke up and groaned as he grabbed the edge of the bed.

Leonard hugged Joshua for a moment, letting him enjoy a few flights, and then gently lowered him to the ground.

Of course, the child, who only felt relieved when engaged in a particular game and begged for more, continued to insist.

“Your Majesty, your arm must hurt.”

“My Josie likes it.”

Leonard walked down the corridor, lifting and lowering the child as he matched the rhythm. The sound of the child’s laughter echoed cheerfully.

They arrived not in the reception room but near the entrance.

While Tenere was somewhat puzzled, Leonard smoothly guided her outside.

And through the open door, she let out a short gasp at the familiar figure in the courtyard.

“Hans?”