My Child's Father is The Emperor - Chapter 3.3
Adele sneaked down to the castle’s kitchen.
In front of the back door, bags filled with preserved food and fruits were laid out, surrounded by empty wooden boxes.
No one was around the wagon, busy getting the goods into the castle.
Adele carefully examined a loaded box that caught her eye.
It was challenging to climb onto the cart with Leo on her back, but now wasn’t the time to fuss about that.
With Leo in her arms, Adele lay down inside the narrow wooden box and closed the lid.
After a while, the sound of organizing the empty boxes was heard, and then the cart began to shake along the dirt road.
Thud. Thud.
The rhythmic noise of the swaying cart oddly comforted her.
Taking a deep breath, Adele reflected on yesterday’s events.
“I can’t do this. Taking the woman too.”
The Emperor seemed to have had no intention of taking her along.
Adele was furious.
‘My son has grown this much, and he doesn’t even give him a glance?’
Despite being extremely upset, there was no room for anger.
Adele had worked as an administrator. Although the place she worked was an estate slightly away from the palace, theoretically, she was astute.
‘How long will I be able to survive? Until I reach the palace? Or before that?’
If the emperor had originally intended to take her, he wouldn’t have come searching like this.
“I came to take the Crown Prince.”
It was as if someone had come to find items they had left behind.
The attitude was as if he didn’t have the slightest regard for her, the mother of their child.
“Well, I am a commoner.”
Adele sighed.
If she had to go with them, she couldn’t predict when she would be separated from her child.
‘If Leo is the only reason he wants to take me, then.’
Adele rolled her eyes.
It was a great relief to have stopped by Dreyfus Castle.
She felt like it was the last chance the heavens gave her.
Thud. Thud.
Lying in the swaying box felt warm, like lying in a dark crib.
‘Since I couldn’t sleep all night.’
Stamina was essential for escape.
Adele closed her eyes and quickly fell asleep.
“Mommy.”
“Hmm?”
Leo shook her body with his small hand.
Adele opened her eyes slightly.
“Leo.”
“Mommy, where are we?”
Leo looked around this way and that through the gaps in the wooden boards.
“Where’s Dad?”
Adele felt a pang in her chest.
‘Not knowing Dad at all would have been better.’
It would have been better not to know than knowing and feeling curious, wanting to meet, and missing him. As she had felt half the time, for the past four years.
“Leo, are you hungry?”
“Yeah, I’m hungry!”
To a child, a mother is the whole world.
For Leo, the fact that his mother is by his side makes him not even question the situation surrounding him.
Leo was that kind of presence to Adele too.
‘Even though he didn’t give birth to him or raise him.’
How can you call a man like that the father of your child?
He was only a destroyer who meant to end Adele and Leo’s world.
“Here, Mommy brought you some bread.”
“I’m thirsty.”
“There’s water too.”
Adele shoved the food she’d grabbed on her way out of the room into Leo’s mouth.
“Don’t you eat, Mommy?”
“Yeah, Mommy will eat in a bit.”
Once Leo finished eating the bread, he fidgeted around.
“Can’t we go out here?”
“Mommy will just take a quick look.”
The cart had stopped for a while. She needed to check how much she had slept and where they had arrived.
‘Looks like there was no pursuit.’
She was relieved that the surroundings were quiet.
Adele gently lifted the lid of the wooden box.
Peeking outside, she saw no one passing by, only green trees and shrubs.
‘Are we at a trading post or something?’
Usually, they operate trading posts in open areas between cities in the forest.
Adele took Leo out of the box with relief and carefully got off the cart.
“Did you sleep well?”
Then, a voice from the side froze Adele in place.
“Em, Emperor… Your Majesty?”
The Emperor had brought a chair and was sitting there.
Their eyes met, and it felt like her heart froze.
Adele looked at the forest spread out behind the Emperor. Beyond that, she saw a neatly arranged stone wall under the sky.
“Wh-where is this?”
The Emperor sarcastically replied to Adele’s speechlessness.
“Welcome to the Imperial Palace.”
