Whose Child Belongs to the Emperor - Chapter 9 - Part 4

Chapter 9 – Part 4

The old pillow emitted a dusty smell.

Tenere lay on the bed, staring blankly at the fireplace. The areas touched by the light were warm, and the ones in shadow were cold, but the overlapping blankets made it bearable.

“It must be cold…”

The small bed, just enough for one person, creaked with the slightest movement. Every time Tenere turned, the bed made a squeaky sound, and she would meet eyes with Leonard, who was watching her.

“Aren’t you cold?”

“…”

“If it’s uncomfortable, I can…”

Interrupting with concern, Leonard smiled tiredly with a face stained with fatigue.

“The one who deserves punishment complains a lot.”

“…”

“If you don’t want to disturb my sleep, please refrain from saying anything else.”

In response to those words, Tenere eventually laid back down. But how could he sleep comfortably?

‘Did I say something unnecessary…’

She hadn’t said it with the expectation of being heard.

It was because, as the emperor, Leonard couldn’t afford to give up his only imperial son. Moreover, he already referred to her and Joshua as the empress and crown prince, making it difficult to retract those words.

She didn’t want to admit to herself that she’d already been fooled once, and she wanted to believe it might be true this time. She doesn’t want to admit to herself that he’s doing this with someone he doesn’t even love.

Is he trying to tie her up by saying he loves her because he’s afraid she might run away again?

She denies his words, repeating them back to herself as if I’m trying to protect her fragile pride.

Since it couldn’t be sincere, there was no point in expecting anything.

But as time passed, regret became inevitable. Maybe she should have pretended to believe.

She doesn’t want to offend him by stroking his ego.

Especially for the sake of their child, she shouldn’t appear hateful to him.

There were too many things to think about, but she didn’t want to think about anything.

She was just tired and wanted to rest.

Leonard got up after Tenere had fallen asleep for a while.

He pushed dry logs into the fireplace and sat down next to the bed.

“Tenere”

Whether she was tired from talking for a long time or not, Tenere was deeply asleep. The light flickered on her face.

Leonard stared at her sleeping face for a while.

“Tenere.”

As he reached out to touch her cheek, her lips faintly murmured. Those small lips excited him, made him hopeful, and disappointed him.

It wasn’t that he didn’t understand; he’d whispered false love before to get his child, so it wasn’t unreasonable to be wary that it might be false this time.

But understanding the mind and feeling uncomfortable in the heart were separate issues.

Isn’t it about choosing between the body and the heart?

If he wanted to prove his love, he should send her away. Isn’t this a harsh punishment for late enlightenment?

“There’s no way you’ll listen.”

He couldn’t possibly entertain such a request. As the successor to the imperial family, he couldn’t give up his bloodline for sentimental emotions.

Even if he were to give up the child, what meaning would it have if Tenere also left with the child? Couldn’t he make her love him again?

Even if her heart grows cold and she wants to leave his side, he will try to make her love him again.

He can make her withdraw that demand of her own accord, so that she cannot even think of leaving his side.

Leonard looked at Tenere, leaning against the wall. There was no movement on her peacefully sleeping face, and even her forced smile looked artificial.

“I will make sure you don’t even think about being without me,” Leonard said with determination.

“Whether it’s for our Josie or for yourself, you shouldn’t even think about leaving my side…,” he continued.

Tenere remained silent. The shadows cast on her face by the dim light of the fireplace revealed the deep wrinkles on her face.

“I will make sure of that, Tenere.”

“…”

“So…”

Leonard grabbed a strand of her dishevelled, dark hair and kissed her lips.

Then he rested his head against the wall. He couldn’t take his eyes off her peacefully sleeping face.

The night was getting deeper.

***

He thought he had closed his eyes for a moment, but before he knew it, he had fallen asleep. It was natural, considering the exhaustion from the hasty journey.

When Leonard opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was several layers of blankets covering his body. It seemed like Tenere had covered him.

The light sleeper was already up.

He moved his stiff shoulders and turned his body. However, Tenere, who should have been sitting on the bed, was not in sight.

“Tenere?”

Leonard stumbled out of his seat..

The bed where she should be lying was empty, and her clothes, hung by the fireplace, and the bow placed on one side were not visible. His heart sank as if it were falling.

“Tenere!”

He shouted loudly, but there was no answer anywhere.

Leonard hastily put on his clothes and grabbed his sword. Since there was still warmth on the bed, she couldn’t have gone far.

“Where did…?”

She had promised to fulfill her responsibilities as a mother and as an empress. But where had she gone without a word?

Maybe she had never intended to come back from the beginning. Suddenly, such a thought crossed his mind.

Meeting her mother was just an excuse, but maybe she’d been trying to run away all along.

Even if she pretended to follow him when he came, was she actually waiting for an opportunity to escape?

Even if he tried to think of it as a groundless suspicion, the anxiety that arose once wouldn’t disappear.

Leonard lifted the tent that covered the entrance.

“Ah!”

The scream brought Leonard to his senses, and he quickly grabbed Tenere, who stumbled backward in surprise.

Fortunately, she didn’t fall backward, but a few fruits in her arms rolled to the ground.

“Your Majesty?”

Tenere looked at him with surprise in her wide-open eyes.

It had stopped raining and was now snowing outside. Leonard grabbed her clothes tightly.

“Why did you go somewhere again without saying anything?”

He didn’t mean to scare her, but his voice, lowered like a whisper, flowed as if he were scratching his throat.

Certainly, he hadn’t said that such a thing would never happen again.

As he stiffened his face, Tenere turned her head in embarrassment.

“…I went to fix my makeup.”

The phrase “fixing makeup” or washing hands or tidying up clothes was an aristocratic euphemism for going to the bathroom.

His voice, which was low and meant to frighten, finally softened.

“Then, the bow…?”

“Just in case there might be something dangerous. And…”

Tenere picked up the fallen fruit from the ground.

Upon closer inspection, her dress looked loose, as if she hadn’t been able to button it properly on her own.

She’d only worn it to keep out the cold wind.

“I found some Lineni fruits on the way back. They are not very tasty, but they are edible. Since you might be hungry, I thought it would be better to eat these.”

Lineni fruits were rough fruits that grew in the northern regions during the winter.

With a particularly hard peel and an abundance of seeds, the flesh was neither sweet nor bitter. Aristocrats rarely ate them because they were not particularly delicious.

However, Tenere, who had spent two years in the northern regions, knew that these ugly fruits were quite popular among travelers and commoners.

Although not very tasty, Lineni fruits were perfect for filling one’s stomach during the scarce winter months, as they provided a quick sense of fullness.

“We left the territory for too long, Your Majesty. It would be better to return soon. Josie is waiting, and…”

Tenere spoke as if he had no intention of running away.

There was not an ounce of falsehood in her concern for the child she had left behind.

Leonard nodded and broke the hard fruit in half.

The soft flesh tasted like nothing.