Chapter 7

Episode 7: Family

“Are you saying you are going through a divorce?”

Surprised at the moment, I forgot that I was in front of the emperor and hardened my face. It was a violation of Kailos’ words, who always says to laugh in front of the emperor.

But I also thought he would lightly let go of my mistakes this time. The emperor’s remarks were terrifying.

“But that’s such a big price…..”

“Anything for you,” the Emperor cut me off and whispered firmly, but softly.

The Emperor’s touch of moving my flowing hair behind my ears was rough and delicate. I didn’t understand why he did this for me.

So I stared blankly at the Emperor. I just stared at him with blurry eyes for a long time.

“What did I say, Chloe?”

Kailos leaned against the wall and laughed at me. The beautiful corners of his eyes were curved.

“If it’s for you, the current Emperor will sell the country.”

Eventually, the Emperor pushed ahead with the divorce with the Empress. The land east of the Empire, which was given as alimony, was more than three lands of ordinary aristocrats.

“I don’t understand.”

“A man in love is always like that. He’s reckless and blind.”

“Is uncle like that too?”

“I don’t want to be like the emperor, so I’m trying not to fall in love.”

I nodded my head silently. He was a man who would use even his feelings for his benefit.

Kailos chose Marquis Rosaline because he needed the power of Marquis Rosaline, but when I saw him with Marquis Rosaline from time to time, he seemed to really love her.

But after listening to him, that doesn’t seem to be the case. Kailos, who is with Marquis Rosaline, was neither reckless nor blind.

“When I first saw His Majesty, I thought he was a very scary and overwhelming man. At the same time, I felt that he was just like my uncle. Why did he make the mistake of loving a child like me?”

“It’s because he was a man who had everything from birth.”

Kailos’ expression of saying so looked somewhat bitter, I still didn’t understand. In my eyes, the Emperor and him were the same, they both had everything.

“How many months are left?”

Glancing at my swollen lower abdomen, Kailos asked,

“A little less than three months left.”

“That’s a good time.” Kailos smiled faintly.

“From now on, I’ll be busier too. I can’t come to you for a while, please understand, Chloe.”

Walking to the front of the table where I was sitting, he bowed slowly. His cold lips touched my forehead. Even with a small contact, my cheeks heated up.

I laid my eyes down slowly and stared only at the back of his hand on the table. He was an overly lewd man, even the veins that bulge over the back of his hand.

“Will you understand?” He asked again.

“Yes,” I replied shyly with a trembling voice.

Of course, it was possible because I had no idea that one of the reasons he became busy was his wedding with Marquis Rosaline.

When the Emperor’s child was born, it was Sir Enoch France, not Kailos, who came to see me.

“It’s a gift from his highness.”

“Thank you.”

Thid my regret and accepted the gift Lord France gave

me.

It was an earring with a black diamond on it. The black diamond was a jewel that even the Emperor could not easily find, but it did not impress me much because of the regret that Kailos did not come in person.

“The child looks like Lady Garnet.”

A calm voice broke my thoughts.

Lady Garnet, who gave birth to the emperor’s child but failed to become the emperor’s wife, I was still ‘Lady Chloe Garnett’.

It took two months for the Emperor to go through divorce procedures with the former Empress. Even that was the result of handling it as quickly as possible.

And it will take a much longer time for me to take the position because of those who do not recognize me.

“This baby who is red and wrinkled?”

I tilted my head. Contrary to what I heard in the story, the baby who was just born was not pretty at all. It was red, small, and wrinkled. In short, ugly.

“It’s small and lovely. That part looks like Lady Garnet.”

Looking back on Lord France’s words, it really seemed so. My baby, who was just born, was lovely, even though she was not pretty.

When I recognized it, my heart beat fast. I looked down at the small, wrinkled baby as if possessed.

“It may be a little rude, but…”

Lord France, who was staring at me silently, carefully continued.

“The redeness looks like Lady Garnet.”

“Ah…”

Belatedly, I noticed the reddened cheeks. When I put my hand on it, I felt a great heat. I kind of became shy. But I couldn’t stop looking at the baby. The sight of a sleeping child kept pulling my attention.

Lord France was wrong. If the baby looked like me, it couldn’t have been so lovely.

Suddenly, I wished my child looked more like the Emperor than me. Although the Emperor was a foolish man in love, he was a pure man, unlike me.

As I fumbled through my thoughts like that, it was Kailos who was always at the end. It’s already been more than three months since I saw Kailos. I missed

him.

“Is my uncle very busy?”

“Well…”

Lord France carefully chose his words. Instead of rushing him, I waited silently.

“He had his wedding last month.”

“What?”

For a moment, my head tingled as if I had been hit by a hammer. He got married? With whom?

“The Marquis Elizabeth Rosaline, is now Grand Duchess of Ludwig.”

“……I see.”

My heavy head fell slowly. It was a natural step. Kailos has long tried to remove the emperor and has been working behind the scenes. I was one of them and maybe that woman, Marquis Rosaline, was too,

This was the right time to fulfil Kailos’ wish. The Emperor’s foundation was weakened, and he needed the power of Marquis Rosaline.

“I’m so sorry. What should I do? I didn’t even prepare a gift…..”

I never thought I would stand next to him. But at least I wanted to be with him at his wedding.

I’ve been thinking since I was seventeen years old, when I realized I loved him, that I would congratulate him with a brighter smile than anyone else. Maybe that’s why it seemed a little disappointing.

“If Lady Garnet says that, he has already asked me to tell you that your existence alone is the greatest gift of his life.”

What a cruel man whom I love.

“It’s always a great pleasure for me to live for my uncle.”

I smiled vaguely and looked up. Lord France’s expression looking at me was subtle. Does he sympathize with me?

Even after Lord France went back, I couldn’t come to my senses for a long time.

As I told Lord France, living for Kailos was definitely the only purpose of my life. Why? For some reason, the corners of my eyes kept burning, I had a question for the first time.

Kailos, my savior, who gave life back to me, who had been devastated by the sludge. My benefactor who should pay tribute to this one body for the rest of my life. The one and only person I love with all my heart.

I promised to live for him. That’s why I can’t feel this way.

“Unggg…”

“Baby…?”

My heart was pounding and I was startled by the unfamiliar sound. The source of the sound was my child, who had been sleeping all the time. The child started crying

I was confused, not knowing what to do. Kailos taught me many things, but most of them taught how to win the emperor’s heart, none of which dealt with children.

When I hurriedly waved the silver bell, the maids outside came inside.

“The baby is crying. I have no idea why she’s crying.”

Unfortunately, the baby did not have a nanny. All the women of prestigious noble families were reluctant to care for my baby because of my origin, and this is because they could not entrust the blood of the Emperor to anyone.

“Isn’t the baby’s hug uncomfortable?”

Sarah was only twenty years old, but she said she had taken care of seven younger brothers since childhood. According to her advice, I tried to relax my rigid body, but it was not easy. The baby’s crying kept making me more nervous.

In the end, the room became quiet only after handing over the baby to Sarah.

“Look at this. The baby is smiling.”

“…… You’re right.”

I replied in a rather dispirited voice. The baby in Sarah’s arms was smiling like an angel. Looking back, she was wrinkled, but she wasn’t ugly.

Looking at the baby, a bright feeling came up from a corner of my heart. It was a different feeling than when I thought of Kailos.

For the first time since my mother’s death, in addition to Kailos, a real family’ has emerged.