My Child’s Father Is the Emperor - Chapter 3

Adele’s voice rang with fury.

“He’s my child! I carried him for ten months! Where were you? What were you doing all that time?”

Her accusations struck like arrows, and for a brief moment, the emperor’s stormy gray eyes wavered, betraying a swirl of emotions too complex to name.

What…?

Adele’s next words faltered as she caught the flicker of vulnerability in his gaze. But as quickly as it had appeared, it vanished, replaced once again by the cold, steely resolve of a ruler.

“Very well,” the emperor declared with finality. “The woman comes too.”

He turned sharply, and before Adele could react, two knights seized her arms.

“Let me go! Release me!” she cried, twisting and struggling against their iron grip.

“Mom!” Leo’s frightened voice pierced the air, his face crumpling in distress.

“Leo…”

Adele forced herself to take a deep breath, trying to steady her trembling voice as much for Leo’s sake as her own.

“Let me go,” she said more calmly this time. “You’re scaring the child. I’ll go quietly, just let me go.”

Her measured tone seemed to work. The knights hesitated before loosening their grip and stepping back.

“Mom,” Leo whimpered, running to her as soon as she was free, clutching at her skirt in relief.

Fighting back tears, Adele knelt down and scooped Leo into her arms, holding him tightly.

No matter what happens, she thought, I’ll protect you.

 

* * *

 

The wagon carrying Adele and Leo rumbled to a halt in front of Dreyfus Castle, the place Adele had once commuted to daily for work.

But the castle at night was a completely different sight. Torches illuminated the entire structure, their flickering light so plentiful that the darkness seemed to retreat in all directions.

Adele, who always left work promptly at 4 PM, had never seen the castle in such a state before.

Through the wagon’s narrow openings, she glimpsed clusters of villagers gathered along the roads. They whispered and gawked at the unusual procession, curious about the spectacle of their emperor’s unexpected arrival.

The capital of the Albrecht Empire, Steinhart, was only three or four hours away by horse from Dreyfus territory. Yet, the emperor had no intention of returning to the capital tonight, instead opting to stop here.

Adele and Leo were led to a pristine guest room within the castle.

“We depart early tomorrow morning,” the attendant informed her curtly before leaving.

The ones who guided them and even those who brought simple meals weren’t servants of Dreyfus Castle. Adele noted this carefully. The emperor had clearly brought his own people, maintaining complete control over the situation.

Such thoroughness… Adele couldn’t help but marvel, even as her nerves simmered beneath her calm façade.

But the emperor had overlooked one thing.

This is my workplace.

Adele knew Dreyfus Castle like the back of her hand. Every corridor, every hidden corner—this castle was practically her second home.

Keeping her composure, she summoned a servant.

“I seem to have left abruptly. I’d like to pay my respects to the lord of this castle before departing.”

She worked hard to mask the tension in her voice.

“It won’t take long,” she added.

The servant left to deliver her request and returned shortly.

“His Majesty has granted permission.”

Adele blinked in surprise. She had assumed the servant would ask the Marquess of Dreyfus for approval, but clearly, the decision lay entirely with the emperor.

She swallowed, steadying herself.

Even my simple request goes through him…

The iron grip of the emperor’s authority was suffocating.

“The emperor’s permission, of all things…”

Adele sighed, realizing that both her life and Leo’s now rested entirely in his hands.

She glanced at Leo, who was peacefully asleep, his small chest rising and falling with soft breaths. Quietly, she adjusted his blanket and left the room.

Knock, knock.

“Come in.”

Adele opened the familiar door to the marquess’s office, finding it dimmer than usual.

The Marquess of Dreyfus, a formidable woman in her late thirties, sat behind the desk. Normally exuding authority, tonight her expression was weighed down with visible concern.

Adele bowed respectfully.

“My lady, I’ve come to pay my respects.”

The marquess nodded but didn’t immediately speak.

Adele subtly scanned the room, ensuring no one was hiding to eavesdrop. The marquess’s office, as the heart of the castle, was well-secured, making it unlikely for prying ears to be present. Still, Adele lowered her voice.

“I must leave.”

The abrupt statement made the marquess look up at her sharply.

“During the last succession crisis, most of the imperial bloodline was wiped out,” Adele began carefully. “Only the emperor and his supporters survived.”

The marquess remained silent but leaned slightly forward, her expression unreadable.

“The emperor has yet to take an empress,” Adele continued, her voice barely above a whisper. “It’s only a matter of time before Leo and I are no longer seen as assets but liabilities.”

Adele’s eyes darkened as she stated the truth she’d tried to ignore. A bastard child of the emperor, born out of wedlock to a commoner, was more of a curse than a blessing in imperial politics. They were perfect scapegoats, expendable in the bloody games of power.

The marquess sighed deeply, leaning back in her chair.

“Godmother,” Adele said, her voice trembling slightly. “Please, spare Leo. Just this once.”

The Marquess of Dreyfus was Leo’s godmother, a bond that had protected him in the past.

When Adele had given birth to Leo out of wedlock, the people of the estate had sneered and whispered behind her back. However, that changed the moment the marquess personally stepped forward to be Leo’s godmother at his christening.

“What is the child’s name?”

“I haven’t yet chosen one.”

“Then… Leopold. Let him bear this name.”

The marquess had not only attended the christening but had named the infant herself.

That name had silenced whispers across the estate. No one dared belittle Leo or Adele after that day.

Adele had been deeply grateful, though hesitant.

It felt like a noble’s name, far too grand for a child born to a commoner.

“…Thank you for your generosity, my lady,” Adele had managed to say, holding back her unease.

Leo had been barely a month old then, and Adele had no inkling of the storms the name Leopold would one day bring.

At the time, Adele, still naive to the harsher storms of life, couldn’t bring herself to tell the marquis that even the name he gave her child felt like a heavy burden.

“I don’t ask for my own life, my lord. Only for Leo’s,” she pleaded, clinging to the faint hope that the lord, who had named Leo himself and cherished the boy, might understand her desperation.

“Why do you believe life in the imperial palace will be so miserable?” the marquis asked, his tone measured.

Adele struggled to suppress her fear. “It may not turn out as you think,” he added.

She shook her head firmly. “I am not so foolish as to gamble on such slim chances.”

The Marquis of Dreyfus remained silent, his expression heavy with contemplation. After a long pause, he looked at Adele with a somber resolve.

“At five o’clock in the morning, a cart delivering provisions will arrive. You’ll have thirty minutes to prepare.”

Adele bowed deeply, tears threatening to spill over. “Thank you, my lord. Farewell.”

“Go,” the marquis replied.

Just as she was about to leave the room, Adele hesitated and turned back to face him.

“My lord… I’m sorry for putting you in this position.”

The marquis shook his head. “There’s no need for that. These past four years, I’ve been able to remain seated comfortably because of you.”

Adele quickly wiped her tears and left the room.

But once the reality of their plan set in, her heart grew heavy with guilt. What would happen after she and Leo escaped tomorrow? Would the Marquis of Dreyfus pay the price for their actions with his life? The thought filled her with anguish over her own selfishness.

The marquis said it would be all right. He must have a plan, she reassured herself, clinging to the thought as if it were her only lifeline.

That night, Adele worked tirelessly with a small pocket knife, cutting her blanket into strips and fashioning them into something resembling a sling—like those used to carry infants.

By dawn, she gently secured the sleeping Leo’s arms and legs into the makeshift carrier and strapped him to her back. If she needed to run, she’d have both hands free.

Adele donned a loose-fitting robe, pulling the hood low over her face. Her slight frame concealed Leo so well that anyone looking might not notice the child at all.

Her heart pounding with nerves, she stepped out of the room, the weight of her decision and the life on her back grounding her resolve.

 

* * *

 

Bang!

With a deafening crash, the door to the lord’s study flew off its hinges.

“Ugh!”

The steward, caught in the aftermath of the shattering force, rolled his eyes back and fainted on the spot.

“Marquis! Was this your doing?”

A furious, blue-tinged aura rippled from the emperor’s body, distorting the air around him like a heat haze.

He was the merciless butcher of the battlefield, Vanhelm von Albrecht—a 9th-class swordmaster. He had reached a level where even his killing intent alone could snuff out a life.

But few knew this terrifying truth. Anyone who had ever driven the emperor to this point of rage had not lived to tell the tale.

“Hngh…”

Marquis Dreyfus clutched his stomach, suppressing the pain roiling inside him as he knelt before the emperor.

“Your Majesty, now is not an opportune time.”

“What did you just say?”

“Please, take an empress from one of the prominent families. Once the inner court is more stable—”

“Ha.”

The emperor’s cold, golden eyes bore into the marquis.

“Marquis, I do not recall asking for your opinion.”

“Your Majesty, I merely thought—”

“Enough!”

The emperor, unable to contain his rage, struck the wall with his fist.

Boom!

The solid wall crumbled into dust under the force of his blow.

“I thought I’d raised a loyal dog, only to find a cur biting its master,” he snarled.

“No, Your Majesty! It was merely earnest counsel from a loyal servant!”

“How amusing.”

A bitter smirk curled the emperor’s lips.

“Is this not the precious prince to whom I bestowed my imperial name?”

Dreyfus bowed his head even lower. “He can be brought back at any time, Your Majesty. Is there truly a need to rush?”

“Rush?”

The emperor looked down at the prostrate marquis with a gaze that could freeze the air.

“Do I appear to you as someone who is rushing?”

Dreyfus wisely kept his mouth shut.

“Well? Which way?”

The oppressive aura spilling from the emperor felt as though it might crush him. His vision swam, his chest tightening as if blood would erupt from his throat at any moment.

“Which way did they go?” the emperor demanded again.

A thin trickle of blood escaped the marquis’s lips as he finally answered.

“T-the north. They went north.”

At last, the emperor withdrew his killing intent, allowing the marquis to breathe again.

“Marquis, you have my gratitude,” the emperor said coldly, his voice like steel. “But do not expect a second act of mercy.”

The emperor swept out of the study, and the knights stationed outside immediately straightened to attention.

“They’ve gone north,” the emperor commanded.

“Yes, Your Majesty!” the knights saluted, quickly moving to carry out his orders.

As they departed, the emperor called after them, his tone unwavering.

“I will go myself.”

 

* * *

 

Adele quietly descended to the castle’s kitchen.

Near the back door, baskets of canned goods and fruits sat waiting to be moved inside, alongside empty wooden crates stacked high.

The staff was too busy unloading supplies into the castle to pay attention to the unattended cart.

Adele eyed the empty crates. Climbing into the back of the cart with Leo on her back was no easy feat, but this wasn’t the time to hesitate.

Cradling Leo in her arms, she lay down inside one of the cramped wooden crates and pulled the lid shut over them.

Not long after, she heard the sound of workers sorting the empty boxes, followed by the cart lurching forward, its wheels rolling unsteadily down the dirt road.

Clatter. Clatter.

The steady rhythm of the jolting cart somehow soothed her nerves.

With a moment to catch her breath, Adele’s mind wandered back to the events of the previous day.

“I suppose there’s no choice. Bring the woman as well.”

The emperor hadn’t originally intended to take her along—it was clear from his tone.

Adele clenched her jaw at the thought, anger flaring.

“After all this time, after never even showing your face once while the child grew up… now this?”

Her fury simmered, but she couldn’t afford the luxury of dwelling on it.

Adele was an administrative official by trade. While she had worked in a region slightly removed from the imperial palace, her knowledge of protocol and governance was thorough.

“How much time do I have left? Until we reach the palace? Or will it end before that?”

If the emperor had truly intended to take her with him, he wouldn’t have approached this matter the way he did.

“I’ve come to retrieve the prince.”

He spoke of her son as if Leo were nothing more than a possession being reclaimed.

His utter disregard for her as Leo’s mother stung deeply.

“Of course,” she muttered bitterly. “I’m just a commoner.”

Adele sighed. If she was being brought along reluctantly, there was no telling when or how she might be separated from Leo.

“If Leo is the only one he wants…”

Her mind raced with anxious possibilities. Stopping at Dreyfus Castle had been a stroke of fortune—perhaps a last act of mercy from the heavens.

Clatter. Clatter.

Lying in the swaying crate felt almost comforting, like being nestled in a darkened cradle.

I didn’t sleep at all last night…

Adele knew she would need her strength to sustain the escape. Closing her eyes, she quickly drifted off.

“Mom.”

“Mmm?”

A small hand shook her gently.

Adele’s eyes fluttered open.

“Leo,” she murmured softly.

“Mom, where are we?”

Leo pressed his face against the gaps in the wooden planks, peering out curiously.

“Where’s Dad?”

Adele’s heart felt as though it might break in two.

“It must be worse than never knowing at all,” she thought.

It was easier to believe a father didn’t exist than to know he did and be filled with questions, longing, and the desire to meet him. It was only natural to feel that way—Adele herself had wrestled with those same emotions every time she thought of Van during the past four years.

“Leo, are you hungry?” she asked softly, shifting her thoughts to her son.

“Yes, I’m hungry!”

To a child, a mother was the entire world. Leo didn’t question the strangeness of their situation because his mother was by his side.

To Adele, Leo was just the same—her everything.

“How could I ever call a man like that Leo’s father?”

The man hadn’t raised Leo, nor had he been there for him. He was nothing but a destroyer, a harbinger of doom for the world Adele had built for herself and her son.

“Here, Mama brought bread,” she said, pulling out a small loaf she’d packed before they left.

“Thirsty,” Leo said.

“There’s water, too.”

Adele handed him the bread and a small water bottle.

“Aren’t you going to eat, Mom?”

“I will, in a bit.”

Leo quickly devoured the bread and began squirming restlessly.

“Can’t we get out of here?”

“Let me check first,” Adele replied, peering out cautiously.

The cart had stopped moving for some time. Adele had no sense of how long she had been asleep or where they had arrived.

It seems like we weren’t followed, she thought, relieved by the quiet around them.

She carefully lifted the crate’s lid and peeked outside.

There was no one in sight, just a dense forest of green trees and shrubs.

Is this a trading post? she wondered.

Trading posts were often established in clearings between cities, where merchants would gather.

Feeling reassured, Adele gently lifted Leo out of the crate, cradling him in her arms as she carefully climbed down from the cart.

“Did you sleep well?”

The voice startled her, freezing her in place.

She turned her head slowly, her heart sinking as she recognized the speaker.

“Y-Your Majesty…?”

The emperor sat casually in a chair nearby, his golden gaze locking onto hers. The intensity of his stare made her feel as though her heart had turned to ice.

Behind him, the dense forest stretched on endlessly, framed by stone walls that lined the horizon under the vast sky.

“W-where are we?” she stammered, unable to piece her words together.

The emperor’s lips curled into a sardonic smile as he answered, his voice dripping with mockery.

“Welcome to the imperial palace.”