Chapter 12

“I’m the one to be your mother, Your Highness Leopold.”

Adele was struck by an invisible thunderbolt.

“What?”

Bellota smiled brightly at the innocent eyes of young Leo.

“You’ll find out soon,”

Leo opened his eyes wide and looked up at Adele. Following that gaze, Bellota’s eyes headed toward Adele.

“Who is this? I don’t think it’s a nanny. Are you His Highness teacher?”

Yuria replied to Bellota’s words.

“She is His Highness Leopold’s birth mother, Ms. Ernst.”

Bellota’s eyes widened.

“Oh, that commoner?”

Adele closed her lips tightly as if she was repressing something. She held her skirt with trembling hands and barely bowed her head to greet.

“Hello, I’m Adelaide Ernst.”

“Yes, you did a great job.”

Bellota looked back at Yuria as if she had finished what she had to say.

“We want to drink tea, so can you move away?”

Adele took Leo’s hand and retreated from the lakeshore. As she walked a little in the garden, Adele looked back slightly. Bellota, who smiled brilliantly against the backdrop of the silver waves of Lake Viner, was like a picture. From birth, it was as if she was a person who was supposed to sit there.

“Ms. Ernst?”

Yuria looked at Adele with a worried face.

“Are you okay?”

“Yes, I’m a little tired. I should go and rest.”

Adele dropped Leo off and returned to her room. She sat powerlessly in front of the mirror. What happened a while ago was shocking from one to ten. ‘I’m the one to be your mother, Your Highness Leopold.’ What do you mean you’ll be the mother of the prince? Does that mean she’s the one who’ll be the empress?

⸢This is Ms. Ernst, the birth mother of His Highness Leopold.⸥ When asked by a noble, Yuria had to answer. But “birth mother”? Leopold’s “birth mother”? Being called that, Adele felt absurdly just a “birth mother”. ‘I’m Leo’s mother.’ She couldn’t stop the Emperor putting the child on the Imperial Family register, but she never imagined that another woman would sit in Leo’s mother’s seat.

⸢Oh, the commoner?⸥ Adele felt humiliated. Bellota’s tone contained an endless sense of authority and superiority. It was based on the premise that she could do everything she wanted. Even Marquis Dreykus, the Lord, did not say so.

⸢Who is it?⸥ Can you not say it in a self-centered way? ⸢We want to drink tea, so can you move away?⸥

‘Is the emperor thinking of marrying that woman? Then, how should I interpret his visit that continues almost every night?’ Adele was almost convinced that the Van of her dreams was the emperor. So she put the watch in his pocket. Because she wanted to confirm that he was the Emperor in her dream. However, after seeing Bellota, Adele was so shocked that she was confused.

Adele was so angry that she didn’t know what to do. ‘I wouldn’t have been so angry if I had simply been an Empress.’ Adele suddenly thought that. Would Bellota be this angry even if she said she was married to the emperor? ‘Then I don’t think I would have felt so bad’. Even though it would be absurd and she would be resentful towards the Emperor. ‘How dare you tell my son that you will be his mother in front of me, who is his real mother? I can’t forgive this Bellota.’

Adele was so sad that she couldn’t punch an angel-like face with her own hand. Because she’s a commoner, if she slapped Bellota on the cheek, she would have been immediately decapitated by Bellota’s escort knight.

Adele looked at herself sitting in front of the mirror. Adele gathered her hair together and untied the neatly tied ribbon behind her neck. The disheveled brown hair and face were messed with anger.

‘You’re ugly.’ Adele also had pride. She had no desire to accept what the emperor gave her as if it were natural because she gave birth to a child. It was Adele’s own choice to give birth to Leo.

What is different from selling yourself if you enjoy something in return for giving birth to a son there? Adele’s life was precious, and she was proud of herself for giving birth to and raising Leo all alone. Because she lived on her own without anyone’s help. There was no shame in looking up to the sky.

⸢Who is this? I don’t think it’s a nanny.⸥ … ⸢Are you His Highness teacher?⸥ The words scratched my chest.

It was not the Emperor that Adele loved, but Van, a wandering knight. So she wondered if she needed to pretend to be worthy of the Emperor. Adele thought she didn’t want to lose herself because she was dragged all the way here. Only then could Adele have hope that she could go back to the days when she was blessed with Leo. But now she regrets it. This was not The Dreycus territory. No one recognizes Adele and Leo. But next to Leo, she hears words like nanny or teacher. In other words, neither the Emperor’s woman nor the Emperor’s heir’s mother.

‘What in the world is he thinking?…I don’t even understand.’ He didn’t explain anything properly. Adele was resentful of the Emperor.

A woman in a monochrome dress buttoned up to the end of her neck untied her hair and clenched her fist in front of the mirror.

***

Van looked at the clock on the desk. ‘I definitely gave this to Adele’. When Adele tried to give him the watch, he hugged Adele instead. So he thought Adele would have taken it back. He would have dropped it on Adele’s bed in the first place. Although Adele said it was found in her  room. ‘Did I put it in my pocket without realizing it? I should put it back, right?’

If Adele tried to return the watch next time, Van was going to receive something else then. Van opened the window of the Emperor’s office. The night breeze was refreshing. Without hesitation, he just jumped out of the window. He quickly arrived at Adele’s room, stood on the terrace, looked at the inside, and gently opened the window.

Van slowly approached the bed.

“Adele.”

It was then. Adele jumped up as she threw the blanket. At that moment, even the Swordmaster was forced to be surprised.

“Oh, Adele?”

Adele was usually asleep. Van missed her so much that he had to gently touch her and wake her up.

“You came a little early today, didn’t you?”

“Oh, yeah, that’s right.”

“I guess you weren’t very busy.”

“Yeah.”

Van was embarrassed by Adele’s clear tone. It didn’t seem like the person was sleeping. Adele was a sleepyhead. When he stroked her head, she used to dig into his arms like a small and lovely kitten.

“Van.”

Adele called his name. Van calmed down his surprised heart. Adele was right to still regard it as a dream.

“Am I pretty?”

Van nodded.

“How much?”

“I’ve never seen a woman more beautiful than you.”

“Lie.”

Adele looked sulky.

“I saw a really pretty person today.”

Adele squinted as if she had recalled.

“I’ve never seen such a pretty person.”

Adele, who says she saw a pretty person, seemed to have no idea how lovely she was. Van slipped out and swept Adele’s hair.

“Did you?”

“Aren’t you curious about who she is?”

“It doesn’t matter. You’re the only one for me, Adele.”

“She’s the one who’ll be the empress.”

Van’s hands, which were smoothing Adele’s hair, hardened.

“Van. Why? You don’t know her because you’re only in my dream?”

“Yeah, yeah, that, that.”

Van felt weird. Somehow Adele seems to know everything and interrogates herself. ‘It can’t be. If you think it’s not a dream, you can’t act like this… if you think I’m the Emperor, not Van.’

“I’m sure the emperor likes such a pretty woman, too, right?”

“No.”

“The Emperor and Van are two different people.”

“No, it’s me!”

Van thought it was unfair.

“Well, even the Emperor has eyes, and I wouldn’t say any woman is pretty. If one has eyes, one’ll say she’s pretty. Unless the eyes are blind.”

Suddenly, Van became frozen. ‘Was Adele like this?’ She was too negative today.

“Adel. Don’t worry about that.”

As time passed, Adele blinked her eyes as if she were sleepy.

“You’re the only one for me. In the future, as it has been so far.”

Adele soon fell asleep. Van hugged Adele and went to sleep. The only place you can rest. A place where you have to turn around when the dawn rises. Van was someone who could live only by looking at Adele like this.

***

The next morning, Adele woke up and stretched in the bed with dreamy eyes. A metallic noise was heard, and she saw a familiar watch on the pillow.

‘I left it.’ If the Emperor found the watch in his pocket without even realizing it, he would try to return it. ‘As expected, Van was the Emperor.’Adele clenched her watch.

Knowing that it was not worth doing anything now, Adele first had to organise her complex thoughts. After meeting Bellota yesterday, it didn’t seem important whether it was Van or the Emperor who came to visit her at night.

Adele hurriedly groomed herself and headed to the restaurant.

“Mom!”

“Leo, did you sleep well?”

“Yes.”

Adele looked at Leo. She was bothered because his answer seemed strangely weak. After a while, the Emperor sat down.

“I see His Majesty the Emperor.”

“It’s alright”

Adele sat down and began to eat soup.

“What’s wrong with Leo?”

There were many things Leo liked on the table today. On a day like this, he was excited and ate breakfast hard, but he didn’t seem to be happy today even though there was no spinach.

“Leo, are you sick?”

At Adele’s words, the Emperor also looked at Leo.

“No. It doesn’t hurt.”

Leo looked around as if he wanted to say something.

“Leopold, what’s going on? Tell me.”

“Yeah. You know what”

She has never seen Leo like this before, and Adele was worried.

“Why don’t you sleep with Mom at night?”