My Child’s Father Is the Emperor - Chapter 1

A cheap inn room, dimly lit.

The moonlight seeping through the cracks in the window outlined the silhouettes entwined together. Their bodies, pale against the darkness, seemed sculpted from marble—beautiful and seamless.

“Hah…”

Adele exhaled heavily, her breath catching as the man’s smooth back and shoulders glistened with sweat. His intensity consumed her, and she clung to his neck, swept up in the storm of pleasure.

Reaching his peak, the man’s body stiffened before he wrapped his arms around her, pressing kisses endlessly across her face. His feather-light touch radiated affection, gentle and tender.

Odd, considering they had only met tonight.

Adele, however, felt entirely satisfied. She had achieved exactly what she set out to do with this reckless escapade.

“Just one more time,” he murmured, lips brushing her temple sweetly. “May I?”

She nodded, without hesitation or regret.

 

* * *

 

Four Years Later, Ernst Manor

Though old, the small manor was well-maintained, and today, it bustled with activity.

“Mom!”

A little boy dashed toward Adele, his left cheek still damp—clearly, he hadn’t dried off properly after washing his face.

“Leo, how many times have I told you to dry your face after washing?”

“Hehe,” Leo giggled sheepishly.

When he attempted to wipe his wet cheek with the sleeve of his pajamas, Adele gently grabbed his tiny hand.

“The other way, sweetheart.”

She dabbed at his cheek with a towel, drying him off properly. Leo grinned brightly.

“Today’s my birthday!”

“It is! The big day you’ve been waiting for!”

Adele scooped him up with ease, standing as she held him close.

“And for breakfast, we’ve got something special.”

“What is it? What is it? Tell me!” Leo’s excitement bubbled over, his eagerness making Adele chuckle fondly.

“Ta-da! Your favorite—spinach sauté!”

Seated at the table, Leo’s face immediately fell into a dramatic pout.

“Mom, do I have to eat spinach?”

“Yes, you do. If you don’t eat your spinach, you won’t grow even one centimeter before your next birthday.”

“Hiiing,” Leo groaned in protest.

With a smile, Adele prepared his meal to be more appealing. She tucked the spinach, along with bacon and cheese, into thinly sliced bread, creating a neat little sandwich.

“See? It won’t even taste like spinach this way.”

“Hmm… okay. I can eat this.”

Leo kicked his tiny legs in the air as he ate, spilling a bit of juice from his cup in the process. Adele decided to let it slide—it was, after all, his birthday.

“If you finish quickly, we’ll head to the cake shop earlier.”

“Okay!”

“Eri, help Leo finish his breakfast and get the carriage ready,” Adele called to her maid.

“Yes, my lady,” Eri replied, stepping in to assist.

Leaving Leo in Eri’s care, Adele headed to her room to prepare for their outing.

Adele changed into her day dress: a simple, solid navy piece with buttons running in a neat line from her waist to her neck. While the design wasn’t particularly feminine, it suited her slender figure perfectly. Her long, graceful neck, delicate shoulders, slim arms, and trim waist gave the modest dress an air of quiet elegance.

Her dark brown hair and green eyes shone all the more brightly against the deep color of the fabric.

Standing in front of the mirror, Adele carefully fastened the buttons, one by one.

 

* * *

 

Four Years Ago

One day, Adele’s mother, Melina, called to her with a bright, almost gleeful expression.

“Adele, dear, you’ve received a marriage proposal.”

“What?”

Adele was past the usual age for marriage. Between caring for her ailing father and the mountain of debt accumulating over the years, rumors of the family’s dire circumstances had spread, discouraging potential suitors from sending any offers.

“You’re saying… to marry into the Dreyfus family?”

The son of Marquis Dreyfus, Viscount Dreyfus, was infamous for having seven recognized wives, a bald head in his mid-40s, and ten children. Adele felt as though her soul was being wrenched from her body by sheer indignation, but Melina quickly reassured her.

“No, no, not the viscount. It’s the marquis himself.”

“What?” Adele’s voice rose in disbelief.

The marquis? The man nearing seventy, who had more missing teeth than remaining ones?

“He’s offered a generous dowry, enough to clear our debts,” Melina said, her tone brimming with relief.

The years of long illness and expensive treatments had left their family with nothing but liabilities. To make matters worse, Melina had wasted a small fortune on dubious remedies from shady gypsy peddlers. All of it funded by high-interest loans.

“How could you sell me off like this?” Adele shouted, her voice trembling with outrage.

“Sell you off? How crude! We should be grateful that you’ll never have to worry about money or food again under the marquis’ protection!” Melina snapped, her face hardening.

“Grateful? For this? All these debts were caused by you—buying fake medicine and falling for fraudsters!”

“So what? Should I have let your father die because we couldn’t afford proper treatment?”

Adele’s anger flared. “Are you even my real mother? You’re selling me off just to get your money back!”

Melina avoided her daughter’s furious gaze.

“Behave yourself, Adele. Until the wedding, you must remain modest and demure. Don’t disgrace us.”

Adele snatched the proposal letter from Melina’s hands.

“I’m not getting married!”

“Adele!”

Ignoring her mother’s cries, Adele ripped the letter to shreds and threw it into the fireplace. Then, she stormed out of the house.

“This can’t be happening,” she muttered to herself, walking aimlessly through the streets.

Adele had always been known as a beautiful, polite, and intelligent young lady. But her family’s financial woes and her father’s ongoing illness made her an unattractive prospect for most suitors. No one loved her enough to take on her burdens.

“I’d rather die than marry that old man!”

Her steps quickened as she tried to outpace her spiraling thoughts.

“Modest? Demure? What a joke.”

After years of behaving with grace and dignity, this was the reward: being sold off to an elderly marquis with questionable health who might not even survive a wedding night.

“There’s no way a man like Marquis Dreyfus, who already has grandchildren, could still be pure like me,” she thought bitterly.

Her resentment burned. She had spent the prime of her life nursing her father and now faced the prospect of being sold off as a caretaker for an even older man.

That was the day she met Leo’s father.

A wandering knight named Van.

He was strikingly handsome, a man who could turn heads with his looks alone. Young, fit, with a strong and athletic build. His skin was clear, his nails and teeth pristine—no signs of illness or frailty.

That night, Adele spent a passionate and fiery evening with the stranger.

Though cleaning up afterward worried her slightly, she had no regrets.

Four years ago, after a reckless night of passion, Adele returned home only to be greeted by surprising news: the Marquis Dreyfus had passed away the night before, succumbing to old age.

What followed was unexpected.

The incompetent and lecherous Viscount Dreyfus was pushed aside, and the Marquis’ eldest daughter, Lady Elipson, rose to the position of Marchioness.

“Are you the daughter of Ernst, the former administrator?”

“Yes, that’s correct,” Adele replied, tense as she stood before the new Marchioness.

“I hear you studied administration at the university.”

Adele had attended university on a scholarship. At 17, she had earned a diploma in administration—a remarkably young age to do so. At one point, she had aspired to follow in her father’s footsteps as an administrator, but her family’s circumstances had derailed those dreams.

“I’ll appoint you as my new administrator.”

“What?”

“You’ll start tomorrow.”

Thus, Adele moved into the official residence of Ernst Manor, which became her home as Adeleaide Ernst, the administrator. She worked hard, and during this time, she gave birth to Leo.

Lady Elipson proved to be unexpectedly generous and supportive, perhaps because she understood the challenges women faced. When Adele had Leo, she was given time to rest before returning to work.

“Life has been full of twists and turns,” Adele mused.

People often said that time flew when raising a child, and today, on Leo’s birthday, her mind kept wandering to the past.

The carriage came to a stop beneath a garish sign that read Patricia Burn in hurried script. It was one of the most popular cake shops in the Dreyfus territory.

Leo, who had been hanging from the carriage window, beamed with excitement.

“Mom! Mom! We’re here!”

Adele got out first and helped Leo down.

“Can I get the biggest one?”

Leo only added the polite “-yo” ending to his sentences when he was asking for something. Adele tousled his hair and smiled.

“Of course.”

“Yay!”

Leo darted into the shop, bubbling with excitement. Adele followed, watching him fondly until she suddenly paused.

“Hm?”

She felt a strange gaze on her.

Looking around, she saw people hurrying about their business, none paying her any particular attention.

Was that my imagination?

Hesitating for a moment, she eventually shrugged it off and went inside.

“Cake for lunch, cake for dinner, and cake for breakfast tomorrow!”

Leo was beside himself, torn between a large chocolate cake and one covered in white cream with strawberries and candies.

“Leo, no,” Adele said firmly.

“Aw…”

Leo gave her his best pleading look, but her answer didn’t waver. She couldn’t give in to every one of his whims, even on his birthday.

The shop, Patricia Burn, was known for its luxurious and delicious cakes, making it the go-to choice for children’s birthday parties in the region. But the cakes were expensive, large, and not easy to store. With only seven people, including staff, living in Ernst Manor, buying two cakes would be wasteful.

“You’ll have to choose just one,” Adele said.

Leo’s enthusiasm deflated under her unyielding tone.

The truth was, Adele was still paying off the debts her father had left behind. Even buying one of these cakes was a financial strain. But remembering how Leo had only ever shared cakes at his playgroup and never had one of his own, she had resolved to make this exception for him.

“…Okay,” Leo mumbled, finally choosing the strawberry-and-candy cake.

As they left the shop, Leo glanced back at the chocolate cake several times, clearly reluctant to leave it behind. Adele let out a quiet sigh, pretending not to notice.

“Raising a child isn’t easy.”

Adele thought to herself as she held Leo’s hand, watching his mood brighten again after the cake incident. Lately, situations like these were becoming more frequent—Leo’s growing independence and stubbornness meant his requests were often hard to manage.

“…If I had a dad, we could’ve bought two cakes,” Leo suddenly blurted out.

Adele froze at the unexpected mention of a father. She looked down at Leo, meeting his gaze. His cheeks puffed out indignantly.

“Hans said his dad eats a lot, so they can buy three cakes in one day!”

For a moment, Adele was at a loss for words.

“Leo,” she said softly.

His small eyes turned toward her, curious.

“Leo’s dad is so fit, he wouldn’t eat three cakes.”

Probably doesn’t even like sweets, she thought. After all, she had personally confirmed that there wasn’t an ounce of extra fat on that man’s body.

“Come on, let’s hurry. If we don’t get home soon, the cream might melt.”

“Okay!”

Leo bounced back immediately, his earlier disappointment forgotten.

Adele, however, couldn’t shake the weight that lingered in her chest whenever Leo brought up the subject of a father. It wasn’t something she could simply make happen.

“Huh? Again?”

Adele turned sharply to the side, her senses suddenly on high alert.

No one was there. The street was as it had been moments before, filled with people minding their own business.

“Why do I keep feeling like someone’s watching us?”

She frowned, tilting her head slightly in confusion.

 

* * *

 

“Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you…”

The adults clapped as they sang, and Leo burst into laughter, his joy filling the small dining room of Ernst Manor.

The household staff totaled five people: Royce, the butler; Bain, the coachman; Paul, the cook; Hannah, who handled cleaning and miscellaneous tasks; and Eri, the maid and nanny. Like Adele, they were all commoners and treated as equals despite working at the manor.

Adele had asked them all to stay after hours to join in Leo’s birthday celebration—not only to make it more festive for him but also to ensure that the expensive cake didn’t go to waste.

“Thank you!”

Leo handed out small thank-you cards, each painstakingly scribbled with his name in uneven handwriting. The staff smiled warmly as they received them, delighted by the gesture. In return, they gave Leo small packets of cookies or chocolates, which he accepted with an expression of utter triumph, as though he had just been gifted the world.

Then came the sound.

Bang. Bang. Bang.

The loud knocking on the front door echoed through the manor.

“Who could it be? We didn’t invite anyone else,” Adele said, startled.

“I’ll go check,” Royce offered, rising from his seat.

But when he returned moments later, his face was pale.

“Ma’am… Administrator…”

“What’s wrong?” Adele asked, standing quickly.

Before he could answer, the sound of boots filled the corridor.

Clank. Clank. Clank.

A group of knights in uniform, light pauldrons gleaming on their shoulders, marched into the dining room. The cramped space felt smaller as their presence overwhelmed it.

Then came the announcement.

“His Imperial Majesty, the Emperor!”

The knights parted, revealing a man who stepped forward with measured authority.

At his waist hung a holy sword. He wore silver armor adorned with a cloak trimmed in sable fur. Atop his head sat a dazzling crown, and his jet-black hair framed a face dominated by piercing, storm-gray eyes.

Adele froze.

That man…

She recognized him immediately.

“…Van?”

The man didn’t even glance in her direction. His gaze was fixed firmly on Leo.

“I’ve come to take my son,” he declared.