My Child's Father is The Emperor - Chapter 5.2
Knock, knock.
Adele woke up to the sound of the doorbell ringing.
Someone outside the door called for Adele.
“Ms. Ernst. Are you awake?”
“Yes.”
“I will come in.”
Adele couldn’t gather her thoughts.
“Good morning. Ms. Ernst. I’m Yuria Hendricks.”
A stately woman in a flowing dress greeted Adele.
The sight of her brought her back to reality.
Adele smoothed her nightgown and bowed.
“I’m Adelaide Ernst, and I apologize for lying down when you greeted me.”
Yuria kindly smiled.
“I didn’t get to greet you yesterday. I will be taking care of Miss Ernst from now on. Please feel free to ask me anything.”
“Um, then, could you please prepare some clothes for me to change into?”
Yuria nodded and lowered her head before disappearing from the room.
“What happened?”
Adele was definitely in prison yesterday.
She lifted the blanket and got out of bed.
The wounds on her arms and legs, which had been there, were now covered in some ointment. The sore spots had almost healed overnight.
A moment later, maids carrying a basin of water and Yuria returned to the room.
“What would you like for breakfast?”
“Um, where is Leo?”
Adele asked with an uneasy expression.
“His Highness the Prince will go with Miss Ernst to pay his respects to the Emperor after breakfast.”
“With Leo?”
“Yes.”
“Oh, I’ll do it alone, I don’t need your help.”
Adele protested, looking at the maids rolling up their sleeves on either side of her as she tried to wash her face.
“Well then, if you need anything, please let us know.”
After Yuria and the maids left the room, Adele sighed.
“With Leo? Then they are not keeping me from meeting Leo.”
Adele washed her face, scrubbing every inch of her body that hadn’t been properly washed in two days.
Afterward, she felt refreshed.
With Yuria’s help, Adele picked out a dress.
“This would make you even more beautiful.”
Yuria suggested a revealing, emerald chiffon dress with a low neckline.
“No, I’ll wear something else.”
Adele had never worn a dress that emphasized her figure so much.
“How about this one?”
Yuria kept pulling out different dresses, but Adele shook her head. Yuria put the dresses away with a disappointed look on her face.
It was similar in style to her original dress, buttoned up to the neck.
‘I don’t want to look good for the emperor.
It was a conscious choice.
Adele quickly downed a glass of juice before hurrying off.
“Leo!”
At the entrance to the palace gardens, Adele met her son for the first time in a day.
“Mommy!”
Leo ran up and hugged her.
Rubbing her cheek against his chubby cheeks, Adele was touched that he was still alive.
“I missed you.”
Leo whimpered.
Adele forced a bright smile.
“I couldn’t sleep yesterday because I missed Leo.”
“Hehe. I slept in a really big room.”
“Weren’t you scared without Mommy?”
“Yeah. It was a bigger room, but I wasn’t scared.”
The child’s innocence calmed Adele’s nerves a little.
Adele walked through the garden with Leo in her arms.
“It’s really beautiful.”
“This is the garden of His Majesty the Emperor.”
“A garden?”
Her eyes almost popped out of my head.
We could walk for an hour and never reach the far end.
“Yes. Lake Vigneron, the largest lake in the palace, is also the widest part of His Majesty’s garden.”
A lake? A lake? Does the garden include a lake?
Adel decided to pretend she hadn’t just heard that.
“Yuria, where are we going? Isn’t it unnecessary to personally explore this vast garden?”
“Yes. I’ve set out tea and snacks in the shade of the trees over there. If you rest, His Majesty the Emperor will come.”
At least she wouldn’t be punished by being forced to explore all those large gardens.
Adele was a little relieved.
“Wow.”
Arriving at the outdoor tea table, Adele was more amazed than Leo.
“Is this the lake?”
“Yes, it is. It’s Lake Vigneron.”
The silvery ripples of the lake, reflecting the sunlight, were incredibly beautiful.
Large trees lined the shore. And Leo excitedly ran across the grass as Yuria brought out the ball she had packed.
The scene was so peaceful and pretty that it made Adele relax a little.
Adele smiled, forgetting the pain in her heart for the first time in days.
“Hey, Leo. Do you want to go on a treasure hunt?”
“I want to! I want to!”
Leo closed his eyes and Adele hid the ball under the long tablecloth.
Yuria and the maids covered their mouths and giggled at the sight.
“Now find it.”
Leo removed his hand from his eyes and looked around with a twinkle in his eye.
I smiled at his adorable face.
“Dad!”
Leo exclaimed, and the smile vanished from Adele’s face.
