My Child's Father is The Emperor - Chapter 10.1
“Miss Ernst.”
After quickly drinking two cups of tea, Alvin set down his empty cup.
“Do you wish to become the Empress?”
Adele felt her throat tighten.
‘What did I just hear?’
She couldn’t respond.
“Is my question difficult?”
Alvin leaned back on the sofa, crossing his arms.
“Let me ask again. Do you wish to become the Empress?”
“Me?”
Adele’s eyes widened.
“I’m a commoner.”
“I know.”
“An Empress? That’s… absurd…”
Alvin seemed pleased with her reaction, raising his eyebrows.
“Do you truly think so?”
“Yes.”
“That’s good.”
Alvin spoke clearly.
“His Majesty the Emperor wishes for Miss Ernst to become the Empress.”
“What are you saying?”
“The Empress. Not a consort or a wife, but the Empress.”
“That’s nonsense.”
At Adele’s reaction, Alvin seemed as if he’d gained a mighty ally.
“Has His Majesty ever mentioned such a thing to you?”
Adele hadn’t even had a proper conversation with the Emperor, let alone discuss such matters.
She had become pregnant with his child without knowing who he was.
Their lips had met before words could even be exchanged.
Having spent her best years caring for her father, Adele had no experience in love and no leisure to engage in romance due to her family’s debts.
Yet, she knew well enough that true mutual affection didn’t work this way.
“We’ve never discussed it…”
Responding to Alvin, Adele felt a pang in her heart.
“I thought as much.”
Alvin sighed briefly.
“Miss Ernst, marriage is different from a relationship between a man and a woman. Fated love, that’s all well and good. I personally dislike the idea of His Majesty being swayed by such personal emotions.”
Fated love? Personal emotions?
‘What is he talking about?’
Adele couldn’t comprehend his words.
“Trust me. When the time is right, I can arrange for you to seek asylum in another country.”
Alvin’s voice became more earnest.
“Don’t trouble yourself. Wasting your life on reckless endeavors is foolish.”
With that, Alvin stood up.
“I shall see you again later.”
After he left, Adele remained seated, motionless, for a long time.
“What does all this mean?”
Alvin had been explicit.
“Has His Majesty ever mentioned such a thing to you?”
The Emperor never brought up such a conversation with her.
The only thing the Emperor had spoken to her about was taking away her child. There was never any mention of her.
So wasn’t she right to wonder this morning if he wouldn’t kill her?
Adele had dinner with Leo.
After dinner, she read him his favorite story from the “Tales of Continental Heroes.”
“As they passed through Snidel, Kyle rode swiftly, holding the great sword with one hand…”
Leo, being a boy, enjoyed the stories of adventures and heroes.
“Kyle held the great sword with one hand…”
“Mom?”
“Yes?”
“Why are you reading the same part again?”
“Sorry.”
Adele tried to focus. Her thoughts were jumbled with too much to consider.
“I’ll read more tomorrow. Shall we call it a night for now?”
“Okay.”
She handed the book to a maid and returned to her room. Having slept in late after breakfast, Adele found herself unable to sleep until dawn.
Moreover, Alvin’s words were deeply troubling.
The Emperor, a sovereign, wanted to make her, a commoner, the Empress.
Count Castellan opposed this to the extent that he offered to secretly send her to another country.
What could it all mean? As an administrative officer, Adele was knowledgeable about policy matters, but she wasn’t as familiar with royal or internal palace affairs.
Nor was she privy to information sooner than others.
After everything that happened, Adele often found out about significant events, such as “the Emperor eliminating all his siblings in a battle for the throne,” months later.
That’s how disconnected she was from the immediate circles of power.
‘Why did the Emperor only talk to me about the child?’
Alvin hadn’t mentioned anything about Leo.
She knew the Emperor could provide the answers.
‘But it’s hard to initiate a conversation.’
Even if there were no opportunities to meet, the Emperor’s presence felt different.
In his presence, Adele found herself involuntarily shrinking back.
She understood why the common people referred to themselves as lowly in the face of the imperial family.
Near the Emperor, she felt diminished, like a blade of grass under his feet.
“Hahhh. If I’m going to be up, I might as well get out of bed.”
She had been lying down for a while but sleep eluded her.
She wondered if reading a book might distract her from her thoughts.
As Adele debated getting up, a slight noise caught her attention.
Tap. Creak.
The soft sound of a window opening startled her.
‘What was that?’
A thief in the palace?
