Chapter 8

Chapter 8

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Knock. Knock.

“Lady Ernst, I’m coming in.”

Adele was awakened by a knock on the door of her room.

“Good …… humph…morning.”

Her throat was sore. Her eyes ached. Adele remembered the dream she had last night.

‘My heart hurts.’

Whoever the emperor was, he was Adele’s love and husband for the last few and a half years. Maybe that’s why it was heartbreaking that she had to break up with him even in her dream. It was painful near her heart when she had cut off her beloved lover. She felt a strange sense of lethargy.

“Ha…”

Adele sighed. Yurialooked at Adele and saw the expression on her face.

“Why don’t you get some more rest?”

No. I’m going to see Leo today.”

Adele folded up the covers and put her hands on the bed, trying to get up.

“?”

There was something sparkling in Adele’s hand.

“What is this?”

Adele grabbed something shiny and golden. It’s a little smaller than her palm and has a golden chain.

“Is it a locket?”

Adele pressed the lock in wonder.

“Crack!”

The round lid opened and what she saw inside was not a portrait, but a clock.

A clock. Adele knew what it was. In Dreyfus Castle, there was a clock tower where the bells would ring at regular intervals. It was the only clock in the estate. The clock was an expensive and precious item. Clocks as small and luxurious as this one could only be made in a duchy that belongs to an empire called the Strong Principality.

‘How can something like this be in my bed?’

Adele, who hadn’t gotten out of bed in days, tilted her head.

“Yuria, I don’t think this is mine.”

Adele was frightened.

The most common tactic used by nobles to bully people of lower status is to feign “theft”. The idea was that you had stolen something expensive or precious by hiding it into their luggage. Sadly, it was difficult to prove innocence when the fabricated stolen goods were evidence of the theft.

Uria’s eyes widened when she saw the watch in Adele’s hand.

“Lady Ernst. That watch belongs to the Emperor.”

“What?”

Adele was startled and the maid of honor hurriedly opened her mouth.

“As a matter of fact, the Emperor was here last night.”

“His Majesty?”

The maid of honor bowed her head nervously.

“We were in the hallway yesterday and didn’t see him come in, but we saw him come out. We were surprised too.”

“Yes …….”

Adele chuckled lightly at the maid’s anxiety.

“It’s all right.”

The maid’s expression became relaxed as if the burden was lifted.

“Then….”

“I think it would be best if Lady Ernst returned it in person.” Yuria said quickly.

“Yes, I will.”

Adele let out a small sigh.

Adele didn’t want to face the emperor either.

But the thought of asking a servant to take it to the emperor did not faze her.

“You will be having breakfast with His Majesty and His Highness Leopold.”

‘His Highness Leopold?’

Leo was Adele’s son. Leopold Ernst. It was correct to call him Mr. Ernst. Adele was greatly offended when she thought that the title of “His Highness Leopold” reflected the emperor’s will.

“I have no idea.”

“His Majesty and His Highness Leopold are waiting for you.”

Her worries were short-lived. Adele nodded reluctantly at the mention of her child waiting for her.

‘You came out so angry yesterday and ended up using Leo, didn’t you?’

Now, everything the emperor did seemed hateful.

‘Still, I will have breakfast with my son.’ Thinking of Leo waiting for her, she couldn’t refuse.

‘It feels strange to be visited by the emperor. Did I talk in my sleep in front of the emperor?’

Adele reflected on the dream she had had all night.

[Van. I love you.]

Those were the words.

‘You didn’t hear it, did you?’

[I guess I wanted to be loved.]

Adele’s head started to hurt.

[I can’t love you anymore, Van]

‘How many times have I told you that I love you?’

Adele picked out a dress similar to what she always wore for today.

“There are so many dresses. How do you find clothes like that?”

Yuria tidied up Adele’s hair in a gentle manner. Who would mind that? But she was afraid that once she touched a luxury that did not belong to her, she would change. Adelaide Ernst, the administrator, did not want to lose herself.

Adele also wanted to wear fancy and pretty dresses.

But when she dressed like she always did when she went to work, it calmed her down a bit.

“Mom!”

“Leo.”

Adele smiled at her son.

“Morning greetings, Your Majesty.”

“Yes, let’s sit down first.”

The emperor’s face was expressionless, as usual.

‘I’m glad. It seems I didn’t talk in my sleep last night.’

Adele was relieved.

Last night, she had a dream and something became clear in her mind.

The Van she knew was not the real Van in her imagination. The Van she met was the Emperor.

‘half’ that she had known was not the real half, the ‘half’ that was in Adele’s imagination. The class I met her in was that of the Emperor. That night was sweet, but four years had passed.

Too much time had passed for her to maintain the memory of their one-night accidental crossing paths.

Adele decided to accept the situation as it was.

It was frustrating, but how could she part with someone who wasn’t there? So there was no need to feel heartache.

When she thought about it like that, she felt a little alive again.

Breakfast was brought to the table. It was bread, savory and watery soup, juice, and fruit.

At that moment, the tray with grapes on it shifted a little closer to her. She saw that the emperor pushed the grapes toward her with one hand, not even giving a glance in her direction.

‘It’s what I like, that’s great.’

Adele popped a grape into her mouth.

As the sweet and sour juice spread in her mouth, she began to work up an appetite.

The servants kept bringing in plates with a little bit of everything.

Adele looked at Leo when she saw the spinach frittata on the plate.

‘He’s going to make a big deal about not liking spinach again.’

Adele was about to say to Leo, ‘Eat it up.’

The Emperor told the servant to put the dish away.

“Give it to me.”

Adele told the servant.

“The child must be fed equally.”

The servant looked at the emperor’s face.

When the emperor signaled with his eyes, the attendant immediately placed the plate on the table.

“Leo. Let’s have some spinach.”

Leo’s mouth was already agape.

Adele tried to get Leo to eat all groups of food.

So even though Leo fussed about not liking spinach, she made sure he ate it at least once or twice a week.

“Ahh. Do I have to eat it?”

“Yes, you must. What did mother say?”

“If you don’t eat spinach, you won’t grow taller.”

“Yes.”

When Adele fought with Leo about whether or not to eat the spinach dish, she felt like they were back in the days when they lived together.

‘Who the hell do you think you are to make such a big deal about not eating spinach?’

A gentle smile appeared on Adele’s face.

“He doesn’t need to eat spinach.”

She suddenly heard the emperor’s voice.

“What?”

Adele looked at the emperor.

“Spinach has nothing to do with height.”

Adele opened her mouth unknowingly.

“What?’ Are you saying that even an emperor is a picky eater?”

She thought the Emperor would say he didn’t need to eat anything he didn’t like. However, at that moment…

“Dad!”

Leo suddenly offered it to the emperor.

“You can have this.”

“What’s this?”

What Leo put in the emperor’s hand was two pieces of messily cut bread with a piece of spinach frittata in between.

“If you eat it like this, it doesn’t taste like spinach.”

Adele was appalled.

Leo was mimicking what Adele did when he normally wouldn’t eat spinach.

“If you eat it quickly, I’ll give you a cake.”

He even offered appropriate compensation.

Adele’s heart was in turmoil. The emperor’s blank expression cracked. Adele looked at his figure anxiously. The emperor immediately took the messy lump of bread that Leo had offered him as if he couldn’t help it.

‘I can’t believe he’s going to eat it.’

Adele inhaled as she watched the emperor chew and swallow in one gulp without breathing and rinse his mouth with juice.

“Yeah. It’s delicious.”

Having finally fed the emperor the spinach, Leo looked satisfied, as if he had accomplished something important. This time, the emperor put the spinach frittata on a piece of bread and offered it to Leo.

“Leo. You should eat it too.”

“Dad.”

Leo replied cheerfully, looking at the emperor.

“I’m full. Can I go play?”

Thus, after feeding the emperor his spinach, Leo jumped off his chair and waddled toward the entrance of the dining hall.

He ran away.

Adele couldn’t hold it in and laughed out loud.

“Ahahaha.”

Adele took a handkerchief to her eyes and wiped her happy tears.

‘My life is at risk anyway.’

She didn’t know why she was happy when the Emperor was taught how to eat spinach by his son.

‘If he’s angry, so be it.’

Adele softly glanced sideways at the emperor.

“Huh?”

The emperor stared at her with a strange face. It was as if he had seen something he didn’t want to see. One hand was holding his clothes as if pressing his chest.

“Your Majesty, what’s wrong?”

Adele was surprised.

“Are you ill?”

“No.”

The emperor immediately came back with his usual face.

‘Does he have a chronic illness?’

Adele concentrated on the grapes to forget the awkwardness and tension.

‘A heart condition.’

When the emperor said that he was fine, Adele silently took the grapes in front of her and ate them.

Leo left first and it was quiet, only the two of them remained with silence.

The grapes were delicious. Maybe it was because they were imperial grapes, but they were also fatter and much sweeter.

Nonetheless, the thought of having a solo meeting with the emperor made her less appetized.

‘I hope this will be over soon.’

Adele envied Leo for rudely telling the emperor he would get up first and succeeding in getting his consent. Some time later, the servants removed the dishes.

Adele glanced at the Emperor. Now that the meal was almost over, she thought it would be a good time to give him back his watch.

“Your Majesty. I have a question.”

Adele took out the watch she had brought with her.

‘I must tell him quickly before I forget. It would be a disaster if I dropped it.’

“I found it in my room.”

Adele didn’t dare mention that it was found on her bed.

“Could it be that this belongs to Your Majesty?”

Adele lifted the watch carefully.

“Yes. It is mine.”

Adele handed the watch to the emperor with both hands.

The hand that held the watch went in the air.

Adele raised her head.

Her eyes met the emperor’s gray eyes that were staring at her. His gaze was intense.

It was Adele’s hands, not the watch, that the emperor grasped in his large hands.