Whose Child Belongs to the Emperor - Chapter 8 - Part 5

Chapter 8 – Part 5

The Duke Salvatore’s estate was shrouded in a gloomy atmosphere throughout.

This was because the Emperor, who had gone on an inspection to the north, was rumored to be bringing back the Empress to the palace.

Moreover, there was an incident today where the Duke’s carriage narrowly escaped a major accident.

If the Duke hadn’t pointed out the abnormal movement of the carriage, it might have been completely destroyed by now.

Furthermore, the Duke himself would have found it difficult to guarantee his life.

“I, I apologize, Your Excellency. I, I surely checked it thoroughly…”

“That’s right. I’m sure you did. But then, whose responsibility is this?”

Duke Salvatore showed no signs of anger. However, it was evident that he would not easily let this matter go.

“I pay you a good salary every month through my butler. In the months when I’m away from home, you’ll have plenty of work to do, and I’ve made sure to pay you well for it, not because I’m particularly fond of you, but because I want you to fulfill your responsibilities as the Duke’s carriage keeper. To make sure this doesn’t happen.”

The Duke kicked the carriage wheel with his foot as he spoke. The servant’s face turned pale.

“I will, I will ensure such incidents do not occur again. Please, please forgive me, Your Excellency!”

The manager quickly kneeled and banged his head on the ground. Though dirt touched his forehead, he paid no attention.

The Duke looked down at him and spoke.

“Isn’t it interesting? The Empress, who was greatly cherished by the Emperor, gave birth to a child only after she was dethroned. And while His Majesty was returning to the capital with a child whose identity was not yet surely known, someone played a prank on my carriage.”

“Y, Your Excellency…”

“Who instigated this?”

It was one thing to have neglected the carriage, but quite another to have tampered with it to harm the duke.

Accused of trying to harm the Duke’s order, the servant pleaded on the dirt floor.

“I-I’m innocent, Your Excellency. I really am. P-please believe me!”

“If you speak the truth, you’ll be spared.”

“N-no! I’ll gladly accept punishment for neglecting the carriage management, but I never intentionally did such a thing! Y-your Excellency!”

As Duke Salvatore raised his eyebrows, knights who had quietly approached seized the servant.

As if realizing where he was being taken, the servant screamed and struggled.

The Duke turned away, barely glancing at his retreating figure.

“Brother.”

Callian Stewart, the Duke’s brother, called out to the Duke. He had inherited their mother’s title and surname, and though he normally lived on the estate, he often visited his brother’s home like this.

Due to the significant age difference, or perhaps their strikingly similar appearances, Isaac and him had been quite close since childhood.

From an early age, Callian had taken to his older brother, and Isaac had favored him enough to willingly relinquish the Viscount Stewart title.

“Did something happen for you to come all the way here?”

“You nearly got hurt, Brother.”

“I’m old enough to know better.”

Isaac shook his head uneasily, but he didn’t seem offended.

Callian cautiously spoke up.

“…Is it the Emperor’s doing?”

“I suspect so, but there’s no evidence. First, we need to question the accused.”

It meant they couldn’t be sure. Callian furrowed his brows, as if not understanding.

“Isn’t this too much? Trying to harm an Imperial Duke….”

Callian knew about Alaina, Isaac’s daughter, who had been living as the designated Empress. He also knew that Isaac had been pressuring the Emperor to accept Alaina as Empress again.

“I understand. The Emperor cherished the former Empress.”

“Doesn’t that mean he’ll kill you if you stand in his way? How is that any different from his predecessors?”

“Lower your voice, Callian.”

At the subtle warning, Callian closed his mouth.

If what Callian said was true, there might be someone in the Duke’s estate serving the Emperor.

Someone who would dare to damage the Duke’s carriage.

“…I apologize, brother.”

“The Emperor has seen his ancestors, and he is the current Emperor, so it is no wonder that he is not as vigilant as the previous Emperor was when it came to personal feelings.”

“Even so….”

“Is it that easy to fake blood? ”

His voice was calm, but it signaled that Emperor Leonard had inherited his love-crazed grandfather’s temper.

Callian bit his lip.

“Is Alaina still trying to become empress?”

“She was betrothed to the king. Becoming Empress has been her life’s goal, and she won’t give it up so easily.”

“I’ll try to convince her. Even if she doesn’t become Empress, she’ll still inherit the dukedom, and since I’m planning to pass the title on to Alaina, I might be able to talk her into it.”

“The viscountcy should go to your children.”

Isaac said, smiling broadly. As close as brothers could be, Isaac had always been concerned that Callian was well past forty and hadn’t even married, let alone seen children.

But Callian shook his head.

“You know how much I love Alaina? She’s just like my own daughter.”

“Maybe you’ll understand once you have your own children.”

Although it was a worrying statement as an older brother, Isaac laughed heartily.

He lightly patted Calian on the back.

“Anyway, don’t worry too much. If things get complicated, you can always come down to my territory and hide for a while. After causing a bit of trouble all this time, staying quiet for a while might soothe His Majesty’s anger.”

Isaac continued to smile amicably, despite his stern expression. However, his true feelings were not as cheerful.

The Emperor had met the Empress. Perhaps he knew that he had tried to kill the Empress and the imperial heir.

However, if they officially accused him of the crime, he might reveal his birth, so he was probably trying to disguise the incident as an accident to avoid exposure.

‘Ungrateful wretch.’

How dare he try to kill his own father? If it weren’t for him, he wouldn’t have been born.

‘I need to prepare for a move.’

The security in the Imperial Palace would likely be significantly strengthened, making it difficult to intervene once the Empress entered. Therefore, he had to act before the Emperor returned to the palace.

He couldn’t formally be charged with a crime.

‘The report said he’s in the Hale Territory.’

Viscount Hale was a man with strong ambitions and vanity compared to his possessions.

He would probably host a reception forcibly under the pretext of the Emperor’s visit, and by then his guard would be down.

‘He deserves to be punished for daring to harm his father.’

* * *

“…Are you okay, James?”

Tenere asked, offering water to James.

It hadn’t been long since they came from the northern region to the Hale Territory, but they had been riding continuously for another day, making even the strong James quite tired.

She had brought a bow and arrows, just in case, but she hadn’t needed to use them for more than half of their journey.

Tenere felt relieved but didn’t neglect to keep an eye on the surroundings.

Even though her body was heavy from lack of proper sleep, her mind was surprisingly clear.

“Just a bit more, okay?”

She said this, looking at the map Laura Hale had given her. It marked a shortcut to Albarelo, mainly used by merchants.

It seemed to be a road made for transporting goods as quickly as possible.

Whatever it was, Tenere considered it a stroke of luck.

The terrain was not as challenging as she had thought, perhaps because it was a path frequented by people.

‘She should have told me more…’

Right after meeting Laura Hale, Tenere announced her intention to meet with her brother to see Tasha.

Although Eric seemed a bit surprised, once he confirmed that Tenere was holding a bow, he nodded as usual, saying he would talk to His Majesty about it.

However, Leonard seemed to view Tenere as delicate.

Even if he thought it was inevitable that she would find her mother, he must be worrying about her leaving alone.

Perhaps he didn’t know what to do with the guards he had assigned to her.

She felt sorry for them, but there was nothing she could do now.

First of all, it would be better to meet her mother and then return quickly.

‘…I wonder if I can really meet her.’

Even if she couldn’t, Tenere thought about why she was going like this.

Tenere stroked James a few times and then got on him again.

The forest at night was dark, but the bright moonlight was shining in front of her eyes.