Whose Child Belongs to the Emperor - ✿ dusk blossoms ✿

Chapter 7 – Part 6

“Hans?”

“I, Great…Your Majesty the Empress!”

Hans, who had been frozen in place, bowed deeply.

Next to him stood a familiar horse. A horse that had always been with her when she was in the northern territories.

“James!”

Tenere quickly picked up Joshua and ran to James.

As if recognizing the owner, the horse snorted and quickly nuzzled his head.

Joshua laughed as the mane brushed against his cheek.

“Jetty. It’s Jetty.”

“Did you bring him yourself?”

While stroking James’ black and tangled mane, Tenere asked.

“Yes. Woe, woe, I have come under orders from His Majesty the Emperor to bring James to the imperial palace. He said to take him with me.”

The whole time Hans was answering questions, he bowed his head and glanced at Leonard.

Tenere was a little puzzled as to why he was so afraid of the emperor. However, Leonhard had an idea of the reason to some extent.

It was because he remembered that on the day the Emperor went to look for Tenere, he held a sword to Han’s neck and threatened to tell her whereabouts.

“Hans, right?”

Leonard said it in a friendly tone.

He also clearly remembered the conversation between Tenere and Eric before coming to Hale Territory.

The name Hans and the fact that he didn’t match Tenere’s taste at all.

Moreover, he had a boyish appearance, more like a young boy than a man, with a small stature and a cheeky face.

So, rather than being on guard, he wanted to show a relaxed attitude, not wanting to be too vigilant.

“You’ve been through a long journey.”

“Oh, no, no. It is an honor to be able to follow His Majesty’s orders! ”

While answering the question, Hans nervously glanced at Leonard.

Hans shouted, putting his arms close to his body like knights do. Of course, it was too clumsy to be called a knight.

Leonard smiled kindly at him and turned his head.

What his eyes landed on was a beautiful black horse with a rich, wavy black mane.

‘I heard you’re handsome… … .’

Leonhard took a close look at the horse.

Shining black skin, a rich, shiny mane, long, strong legs and neck, straight calves, and even wavy horse hair.

Even compared to the well-preserved horses of the imperial stable, this one was exceptionally handsome.

No, the horse, which had not been ridden by humans for a long time, still had its unique wild nature and seemed even braver.

And those eyes filled with intelligence and excellence—what exactly could be said about them?

If he had to choose between a boy like Hans and this sturdy, dignified horse, Leonard would choose the latter without hesitation.

Just look at which one Tenere was stroking with affection.

“He is handsome, right?”

Tenere, who had been stroking and hugging the horse for a while, smiled and asked.

Leonard nodded and stretched out his hand. However, the calm horse lashed out as if it were rejecting an unfamiliar hand.

Tenere comforted him.

“It’s okay, James.”

She made eye contact with him, petted him, and kissed the straight bridge of his nose.

Leonard saw the affectionate gaze directed at the horse. That gaze was once addressed to him.

Even now, he and Tenere have never been on bad terms, but she would probably never look at him like that again.

However, despite reassuring himself that it was a natural thing, he couldn’t help but keep recalling the old days.

Back then, there wouldn’t have been any need for separate rooms.

Even if they hugged each other in the morning, they wouldn’t have been surprised and would have let go.

“It’s okay now, Your Majesty.”

After comforting the horse for a while, Tenere finally spoke. It was a sign that it was okay to touch it.

The atmosphere had become calm, like a gentle lamb.

Leonard reached out and gently stroked the mane with a soft glow.

“Thank you for bringing him all the way here, Hans. Does James listen well?”

“Always, well, when it comes to Tasha… No, I mean, Her Majesty the Empress.”

Awkwardly scratching his neck, Hans quickly corrected his address when he met Leonard’s gaze.

Tenere did not object to Hans addressing her so respectfully.

“Thank you, Hans. Is the village doing well? Has the new watchman arrived?”

“Yes, yes. Of course, not only Lady Tasha… No, I mean, Her Majesty the Empress. But thanks to both of you, the village chief is quite reassured.”

“I’m thankful. Oh, by the way, rather than standing like this, should we go in and talk?”

“Oh, no! I think I should go back now… … .”

Hans trailed off, still looking at Leonard. Tenere raised her eyebrows, and Leonard, who was watching, opened his mouth.

“You came here early in the morning. Wouldn’t it be tiring to go back like this? Go in, have a cup of tea, and rest.”

“Yes, yes?”

“Yes, Hans. You came a long way, and I would feel uncomfortable if you just left like this.”

Hans looked embarrassed, but when Tenere said so, he eventually nodded.

The maid led them into the drawing room.
***
Leonard, deciding to explore the Hale territory, left first.

Perhaps it was a considerate gesture to allow them to talk comfortably.

After calling for her brother, Tenere had the maid bring tea.

Hans finally seemed relieved when Leonard left his seat.

“There’s no need to be so tense. His Majesty has never punished innocent people.”

“Well, I know that, but…”

“Hey, I guess that’s because you got stabbed when he asked about Tenere in the past?”

Eric asked with a chuckle. Hans couldn’t deny it and bowed deeply.

“I’m sorry. I apologize….”

Of course, it was true that he had been intimidated by the memory of Leonard pointing a sword at him.

However, what made Hans even more nervous was his past behavior.

Didn’t he murmur that, if butchering scared her, she should lean on him? Didn’t he bring her meat and try to mix in some words, not sparing any effort?

He never thought that she might be the empress. What if the emperor found out? Would he be put on the chopping block like some jealous emperor of the past did to someone who dared to covet their empress?

Whenever Hans met eyes with Leonard, it felt as if he were a condemned prisoner facing imminent execution.

“I didn’t say anything about being the empress. Since I didn’t inform His Majesty, don’t worry too much.”

Tenere said it kindly, smiling. Hans looked truly grateful.

Since she wasn’t someone he loved anyway, even if he found out, he wouldn’t care.

His frightened appearance was rather pitiful.

“How are the people in the village? Did anything happen on the way here?”

“Yes. The watchmen are all good people, and His Majesty has rewarded us for protecting the empress so far. On top of that, our Roza gave birth to two cubs this time.”

As the tension eased, Hans excitedly shared village stories.

He discussed Lord Travell’s plan to repair the old houses and the ongoing discussion about entering Travell’s territory. Some houses had plowed their fields a few days ago, and he even mentioned the signs of love affairs between certain individuals.

“At first, James stubbornly refused to give us a ride, but when he was persuaded that we were going to Tasha, he quieted down like a ghost. I don’t know if he’s a horse or a person.”

“You’ve been through a lot.”

“Did anything happen at the inn? There must have been quite a few people who wanted it.”

“There were. But after the imperial officers said it was slander to the emperor, everyone changed their tune. Oh, by the way, I saw some strange people at the inn.”

Hans, who had been mumbling, suddenly turned to Tenere.

“When I was about to eat breakfast, a group of hunters suddenly rushed in while the imperial officer was in the bathroom.”

“A group of hunters?”

“They didn’t look like rough bandits, and they were all fair-skinned and delicate, like men and women. Seeing them bring in a pile of prey to sell, it seemed like they needed urgent money. The innkeeper bought all of it, saying they were all high-quality goods without a single scratch.”

“That’s amazing.”

Tenere sighed softly.

Unless they were malicious people who enjoyed tormenting animals, hunters usually aimed for the vital points of their prey. This minimized damage to the skin, allowing them to sell it at a higher price.

However, whether they could aim for vital points was a separate issue.

If what Hans said was true, they were undoubtedly skilled hunters.

“Were they old?”

“The age range seemed diverse. There were even elderly people. But most of them had hair color similar to the Empress’s. And among them were called Tasha, so at first, I thought the Empress herself had come to welcome us.”

“I beg your pardon. “

Tenere asked in surprise. Hans blinked his eyes, not knowing why her voice suddenly became louder.

Eric, too, with a bewildered expression, made Hans wonder if he had said something wrong.

“Why…did I say something wrong?”

“Tell me in detail.”

Eric slammed the teacup down and prodded. Hans stammered in confusion.

“There’s not much to tell. Just a group of about twelve suddenly came in, sold some items, and left in a hurry. It seemed like they were in a rush.”

“Which inn was it? Which village? Where did they go?”

“F-Ferdun, and the inn was called ‘Dancing Cat’… I don’t know where they went.”

In the midst of Eric’s interrogation, Hans could only stammer and tremble. Annoyed, Eric tousled his hair.

“I didn’t know you were clueless… Hey, you idiot!”

“Yes, yes?”

“Can’t you tell just by looking at it? There’s a group of skilled hunters with the same hair color as Tenere, and there is even someone with the same name as her mother! Then, of course.”

“Ta-Tasha was Her Majesty’s mother’s name? ”

“You’re just realizing that now?”

Eric raised his voice. But from Hans’s perspective, it was just unfair.

Why should he know the name of someone else’s mother?

Living in a small village in the north, all he could barely grasp was that the Empress’s mother was called Patrona.

“No, if I had known that, I would have suspected when the Empress used the name Tasha in the village…”

“This person… … .”

Eric pounded his chest in frustration but couldn’t bring himself to refute Hans’ words.

If he notices anything at all, you can tell the imperial officer who was with him so they can trace their destination.

He regretted missing the person he had been searching for right in front of his eyes.

Eric barely swallowed his shouts and looked back at Tenere.

Tenere just sat there with a dumb expression on her face, hugging Joshua tightly.

Joshua’s eyes were wide open, as if he were startled by the loud noise.

“Don’t worry, Tenere. If I tell His Majesty, we can somehow trace them. Hans, do you remember anything else?”

“W-What I remember… R-Rabbits, four of them? Two deer, three foxes, one bear, and wolves and wild boars… and they were all about half the market price…”

“Oh, who asked for that kind of information?”

Eric shouted as if he would breathe fire. Tenere, realizing the situation, quickly grabbed Eric’s arm.

“It’s okay, brother. There’s no need to look for them.”

“What nonsense! You went all the way to the north to find your mother!”

“Shh, Joshua is scared, brother.”

Tenere brought her index finger to her lips, and Eric quickly shut his mouth.

Joshua clung to Tenere, and Eric looked at her with an apologetic expression.

“But Marquis, if Tasha was the name of Her Majesty’s mother… … So what did El mean?”

“… … .”

In the midst of all this, you’re asking a stupid question.

Eric felt like slapping himself for thinking that he should have let Tenere marry that stupid man, even for a moment.

“It doesn’t mean anything, so just shut your mouth.”