Chapter 1.
I stared blankly at the boy sleeping in the bed—no, the boy named Claudiell. It had already been a full day since my mother brought him here.
“Stay by his side until he wakes up. Shouldn’t you be the first face he sees when he opens his eyes?”
Smiling as she told me to imprint myself on him like a newborn chick hatching from an egg, my mother left the mansion just like that. Occasionally, servants and the butler came in and asked if I needed anything, but I only shook my head. I stayed by Claudiell’s side except when I needed to use the restroom.
I wondered if it was really necessary to stay glued to his side as my mother had said, but this was purely out of my personal curiosity. I wanted to know whether he truly was the emperor’s illegitimate child—and how he had ended up here.
I had tried to ask my mother, but she had already left before I could. So I decided to wait. I thought he would wake up after a night had passed… since he seemed to be asleep. However, even after a full day had gone by and the sun had set beyond the western hills, passing over Uncle Ail’s farm fence, Claudiell showed no signs of waking.
At this point, I began to worry. He hadn’t even eaten… Could he be sick? Should I wake him? While I was pondering this, a knock sounded, and the door opened.
“Elena!”
A familiar voice, calling my name in that familiar tone. Turning around, I saw Cecilia, a blonde woman smiling brightly. My mother entered holding a notebook, approached me, and gently patted my head before looking down at Claudiell.
“He still hasn’t woken up?”
“No. Nothing is wrong, right? Mother, could there be something wrong with this child’s condition? Like a curse or some abnormal symptoms or something?”
“Again with this!”
My mother lightly tapped my nose and looked at me with a rather sorrowful expression.
“I’m proud that my daughter is smart and uses such difficult words well. But ten years old should act like ten years old. Calling me ‘Mother’ already… it makes me sad!”
Feigning tears like a tragic heroine, she pouted. I let out a small sigh and replied, “Yes, I understand… Mom.” Instantly, as if nothing had happened, she returned to a bright, cheerful smile. She patted my head again and turned her gaze back to Claudiell.
“From what Elena is thinking, I can guess, but that’s probably not the case. Maybe the medication was a bit too strong?”
Medication? Hearing that word from my mother, I looked up in confusion. My mother, resting her chin in thought while examining the boy, seemed to notice my gaze and glanced back at me.
“Oh, don’t misunderstand. I’m referring to the sedative they gave him when we brought him. Slaves are usually administered sedatives because they tend to resist.”
“Sedative…? Slaves?”
“Yes, that’s right. I originally wanted to bring him before he became a slave, but we couldn’t find him no matter what, so we had no choice.”
My mother casually explained things I hadn’t even asked about while placing a hand on her cheek, then took out her notebook and began scribbling something. Compared to her indifferent explanation, my confusion only grew. So that meant she had bought him from a slave market?
“You have quite a curious look in your eyes, my daughter.”
As if reading my reaction, my mother smiled softly. While I was still nodding absentmindedly, she gently pulled me into a hug.
“Don’t worry. Didn’t I tell you? My daughter is the most special being in this world. Do you remember why I said you’re special?”
“…Because I’m your daughter.”
“That’s right! Because you are my daughter, you are the most special existence. That’s why you can become the one and only emperor’s wife in the world. Do you understand?”
I don’t understand at all. Not only had she suddenly brought home the emperor’s illegitimate child, but he was apparently a slave. And yet my mother was treating all of this as if it were completely natural—it was utterly bewildering.
“Mother. Is that child really His Majesty the Emperor’s son?”
“Hm? Of course.”
“Really?”
“Isn’t that ash-gray hair proof enough?”
Well, that was true. Ash-gray hair was a defining trait of the Adboil imperial family. But that didn’t mean everyone with ash-gray hair was royalty…
“They could just resemble him in appearance. How do you know that, Mother?”
Even if the empire did not prohibit slave trading, it wasn’t something openly or frequently done. Moreover, I had heard that the abolition of slavery itself was being discussed. In such a situation where it was already being driven underground, bringing out the emperor’s illegitimate child made no sense. It was an act that could have shut down the slave market overnight—and one that might as well have had consequences severe enough to have one floating down the Revent River without anyone questioning it.
That meant the child had been sold at auction without anyone knowing his identity. So how on earth did my mother know?
Seeing my complicated expression, my mother let out a soft “hmm” and waved her finger lightly.
“There are ways to know everything.”
“How?”
“Because I’m your mother!”
“……”
I let out a sigh at that incomprehensible answer. My mother placed her fountain pen and notebook on the bedside table next to the boy, then cupped my cheeks with both hands and looked at me intently.
“My dear daughter, you’ve been sighing more lately. Didn’t I always tell you? Sighing drives away your fortune. Smile more. They say you can’t spit on a smiling face—if you keep smiling, good things will come your way.”
Good things? She didn’t mean something like bringing the emperor’s illegitimate child home overnight and putting him to sleep in our bed, did she? I swallowed the words that lingered in my mouth without letting them out. Meanwhile, my mother straightened her posture and looked at Claudiell again.
“Don’t worry, Elena.”
Gone was the playful expression from moments ago when she had pinched my cheeks; now she wore a suddenly serious face, the corners of her lips slightly raised. My mother sometimes made such serious expressions. When she did, she would often say something groundbreaking—or something that overturned common sense. Curious about what she would say next, I stared at her, and she turned her gaze toward me with a faint smile.
“He’s authentic.”
“……”
As expected, her choice of words went beyond common sense, and my mouth slowly fell open.
