My Child's Father is The Emperor - Chapter 8.2
Breakfast was served at the table: bread, a rich and thin soup, juice, fruits, and the like.
Then, a tray topped with grapes slid slightly closer to her.
Without looking in her direction, the Emperor had pushed the grapes towards her while watching Leo chatter.
‘It’s something I like. Lucky.’
Adele popped a grape into her mouth.
The sweet and tart juice revived her appetite.
A servant continued to bring dishes filled with small portions of food.
Looking at the spinach frittata on the plate, Adele glanced at Leo.
‘He’s going to throw a fit about the spinach again.’
Just as Adele was about to speak to him,
“Remove it.”
The Emperor curtly dismissed the spinach frittata the servant had yet to set down.
“Please leave it.”
Adele asked the servant.
“Children need a balanced diet.”
The servant looked to the Emperor for approval.
With a nod from the Emperor, the servant quickly placed the dish on the table.
“Leo, let’s eat the spinach.”
Leo already had a pouty look.
Adele was firm about feeding Leo a balanced diet, even if it meant making him eat spinach once or twice a week despite his protests.
“Do I have to eat it?”
“Yes, you do. What did Mom say?”
“If I don’t eat spinach, I won’t grow tall.”
“Exactly.”
As they bickered over eating the spinach dish, it felt like a return to simpler times for the two of them.
‘Whose fault is it that he’s so fussy about spinach?’
A gentle smile spread across Adele’s face.
“You don’t have to eat things like spinach.”
Suddenly, the Emperor spoke up.
“…Excuse me?”
Adele looked at the Emperor.
“Spinach has nothing to do with height,” he said.
Adele involuntarily opened her mouth in surprise.
‘What? The Emperor himself is picky about food?’
While Adele was at a loss for words after his comment about not needing to eat spinach, Leo suddenly addressed the Emperor.
“Dad!”
Leo thrust something towards the Emperor.
“Here, you can have this.”
“And what is this?”
What Leo had handed the Emperor was a haphazardly cut piece of bread with a spinach frittata wedged between it.
“This way, you can’t taste the spinach.”
Adele was astonished.
Leo was imitating what she would do when he resisted eating spinach.
“Eat it quickly, and I’ll give you cake.”
Carrot and stick.
He even proposed an appropriate reward.
Adele’s mind was in turmoil. The Emperor’s usually expressionless face cracked slightly. She watched him nervously, heart pounding.
Eventually, the Emperor, as if resigned, took the messy bread concoction from Leo and brought it to his mouth.
‘He’s actually eating it.’
Adele held her breath as the Emperor chewed and swallowed in one go, then rinsed his mouth with juice.
“Hmm. It’s edible.”
Having successfully gotten the Emperor to eat spinach, Leo looked proud as if he had accomplished something great.
Now, the Emperor put spinach frittata between the bread and offered it back to Leo.
“Leo. Your turn to eat.”
“Dad.”
Leo looked at the Emperor with a bright smile.
“I’m full. Can I go play?”
Having fed the Emperor spinach, Leo then bounced off his chair and ran out of the dining room.
“Pfft.”
Adele couldn’t help but laugh out loud.
“Ahahaha.”
She dabbed her eyes with a handkerchief.
‘After all, life is fleeting, why not enjoy it?’
She wondered why she found the sight of the Emperor being outwitted by his son so amusing.
‘Let him be angry if he wants.’
Adele sneaked a glance at the Emperor.
‘Huh?’
The Emperor was looking at her with a strange expression.
The Emperor looked as if he’d seen something he shouldn’t have. One hand was clutching at his chest.
“Your Majesty, what’s wrong?” Adele was startled.
“Do you have any pain?”
“No.”
The Emperor soon returned to his usual expression.
‘Does he have a chronic illness?’
Adele wondered, perhaps something like a heart condition.
Despite the Emperor’s reassurance, Adele quietly focused on eating the grapes placed in front of her.
With Leo gone and only the two of them left, the clinking of utensils was the only occasional sound breaking the silence.
Adele concentrated on the grapes to forget the awkwardness and tension.
The grapes were indeed delicious, larger and sweeter, perhaps a testament to the royal vineyards.
Yet, the thought of being alone with the Emperor dampened her appetite.
‘I wish it would end quickly.’
Typically, the person seated at the head must rise before others can. Adele envied Leo, who had managed to get permission to leave early without seeming rude.
Finally, after a while, the Emperor set his utensils down.
Adele glanced at him, thinking this might be the opportunity to return the watch.
“Your Majesty, I have something to ask.”
She took out the clock she had brought.
‘I better say it before I forget.’
It would be a disaster if she carried it around and lost it.
“I found this in my room.”
Adele deliberately omitted that she had found it on her bed.
“Is this yours?”
She carefully presented the watch to him.
“Yes. It is mine.”
Adele reached out to hand the watch to the Emperor.
But her hand remained suspended in mid-air.
She looked up.
Her gaze met the Emperor’s gray eyes. The Emperor’s eyes were genuine as he looked at her.
Instead of the watch, the Emperor’s large hand had grasped Adele’s own.
