Chapter 12
I stared at Eunsu for a long time. She genuinely looked like she didn’t recognize Joshua.
“Mama?”
I quietly looked down at Joshua, who was gazing at me with complete innocence.
His wavy black hair, his eyes darker than his hair, his ivory-toned skin, his small, delicate lips—they were all exactly like Eunsu.
A typical Korean appearance through and through.
Why wouldn’t Eunsu, who claims to be “from another world,” react at all to seeing Joshua’s appearance?
No—more importantly, why didn’t she recognize her own child? Hadn’t they met earlier?
Before I could come to any conclusion, Joshua stretched his hands toward me.
“Mama!”
He acted as if I were the only person in his world. Eunsu seemed oblivious.
The same question ran through my mind again.
Earlier, hadn’t Countess Letel brought Joshua to Eunsu?
Now, Eunsu didn’t recognize Joshua, and Joshua didn’t recognize Eunsu. I couldn’t figure out where the confusion happened, so I quickly asked Joshua:
“Joshua? Earlier, who did you go with with grandmother? When you came to me and cried and went outside?”
“When Mama told me to go out?”
The boy seemed completely unaware of the seriousness of the situation, just cheerful.
I glanced at Eunsu for an answer.
“Yes,” I said.
Eunsu sighed, crossing her arms, looking utterly exasperated.
“Pa-ha!”
Huh? Pa-ha? The pronunciation sounded strange.
“Your Majesty?”
“Yes. Pa-ha. Pa-ha told you. That Mama is sick. It’s not because of you, Joshua.”
Sick? Could it be that Mikhail had told Joshua that I had a limited time left?
The situation was getting more serious. If someone was going to misunderstand, it should be them alone—not the child.
I looked down at Joshua, bewildered, when noise came from the entrance.
“The Emperor is coming!”
At the head attendant’s voice, I quickly straightened up, then lowered my head again.
“Glory to Krelas, we greet His Majesty the Emperor.”
“Greetings, Your Majesty.”
Mikhail entered, raising one hand.
“Stand.”
Joshua and I bowed and then stood, while Eunsu kept her head high, facing Mikhail.
“You’re late, Mikhail,” Eunsu said.
I was surprised by her tone. When they were alone, she could call him however she wanted, but now, with an outsider (me) present, it would have been proper to address him as Your Majesty.
I worried Mikhail might be upset, but instead, he completely ignored Eunsu’s voice and spoke to me.
“Lin, how is your body? Did the clothes I sent fit well? How about the jewelry and shoes?”
What…?
The atmosphere felt strange. Mikhail seemed to be deliberately ignoring Eunsu.
‘Why is this? Did they have a fight?’
Despite the tense atmosphere, I had to answer the emperor’s question.
“Ah, yes, Your Majesty. The clothes fit well, and the jewelry and shoes are wonderful.”
I glanced at Eunsu, whose expression twisted in disbelief.
“Good. They look nice to me as well. Very pretty indeed.”
As Mikhail looked at me with satisfaction, Eunsu’s face contorted even further.
There was no reason for Mikhail to praise me in front of her. Our relationship had always been strictly employer and employee—nothing more, nothing less.
Perhaps the two of them were in the middle of some kind of lovers’ quarrel?
I had never experienced one myself, but I understood the subtle emotional tug-of-war between lovers from books.
“Thank you for the compliment,” I replied.
Eunsu’s gaze on me was cold, like a woman catching her husband with another woman.
It seemed I was about to become a victim of their love quarrel.
It was strange that Eunsu didn’t recognize Joshua, but if a love quarrel was happening between her and Mikhail, it was better for me to step back.
“Alright, sit down. Joshua? You sit too.”
“Yes!”
Mikhail sat first, and Joshua eagerly took my hand, leading me to a seat close to him. He pulled out a small chair with his tiny hands.
I couldn’t help but laugh at the sight of him struggling.
“Mama, sit here…”
Before he could finish, Eunsu quickly sat in that chair.
Joshua frowned and protested, his face twisting.
“This is our Mama’s seat!”
Eunsu sat upright and tilted her head toward the boy.
“This seat is second only to the emperor’s. Naturally, as Empress, I should sit here.”
Eunsu seemed to be trying to teach the boy etiquette, but a five-year-old wouldn’t understand.
Moreover, she didn’t realize that the seat she took was the one I always sat in during meals with Joshua.
Joshua insisted it was my seat.
“No! This is our Mama’s seat. Mama!”
Joshua’s face turned red as if he might burst into tears. Eunsu, more stern, said:
“Living in the palace without knowing etiquette… now I see how you were raised.”
Her gaze flicked toward me. Ah, she’s doing this to scold me through the child?
I didn’t understand why she involved Joshua, though I could understand her hostility toward me.
Why is she saying this? He’s her son.
I swallowed the words rising to my throat and looked at Eunsu.
She seemed to have no lingering affection or longing for her child—only asserting her authority over what she saw as a misbehaving, bothersome child.
Could something have gone wrong with Eunsu’s memory?
In the game, how dimension travel worked wasn’t explicitly mentioned.
Fishing trips with her father, the lake bottom, Mikhail’s palace fountain—three key scenes explained everything.
Perhaps dimension travel had physically and mentally exhausted her.
If there were problems caused by dimension travel, it could explain her awkward speech and failure to recognize her child.
I quickly turned to Mikhail, wondering if he was aware of this situation.
He was silently observing, one hand on his forehead.
There was no clear emotion—no irritation, no anger.
He was watching but made no move to intervene.
But why let his wife speak harshly to their child?
If Eunsu didn’t recognize her own son, wouldn’t Mikhail step in?
This incident could leave a lasting scar for Eunsu when she realizes Joshua is her son.
And Joshua too—how hurt would he feel when he realized his mother had been so harsh?
I couldn’t just watch, so I opened my mouth to ask Mikhail to intervene—but someone grabbed my hand.
It was Joshua, holding my hand.
His eyes were brimming with tears, his nose red, looking as if he might cry at any moment.
“Mama, are you okay? I’ll protect you.”
It was heartbreaking—a child ignored by both his parents, yet showing affection to a temporary mother.
I was about to leave soon, and to Joshua, I was nothing—but I couldn’t ignore a child twice deprived of affection.
I scooped him up and gently patted his back.
“Joshua, it’s okay. Don’t cry, alright?”
Gently comforted, Joshua burst into tears.
“You bad person! Waaaah! This is Mama’s seat! Waaaah!”
Hearing the child’s mournful cries, I was furious too. Neither parent tried to comfort him.
I was about to scold them for being such useless parents, when Eunsu spoke to Mikhail:
“Mikhail, what on earth is this? You said we would dine alone and yet summoned someone without permission? Is that how little you consider me?”
Eunsu’s behavior was one thing—but Mikhail was worse.
He looked at her sternly, expression indifferent, and calmly said:
“I never said we’d dine alone. Perhaps you misunderstood, Empress.”
Mikhail faced her directly. Eunsu’s voice rose.
“Mikhail! After three years, are you going to continue treating me like this?”
I couldn’t help but think it was ridiculous.
Of course, I wasn’t going to interfere, but as someone who had played The Flower of Krelas multiple times and deeply admired Eunsu, this was absurd.
Mikhail had waited three years, raising their child, unaware of why she had disappeared.
If I were Eunsu, I would be too embarrassed to be angry at a man who waited for me.
Mikhail slightly turned his head toward me and smiled faintly.
“Sorry the gathering became so noisy, Lin. And I apologize for not informing you beforehand that I would invite Eunsu and Joshua.”
Eunsu, feeling humiliated, trembled and then abruptly stood.
She pressed her hands to the table and shouted:
“I don’t think I can continue this conversation with you!”
Eunsu stormed out, followed by the maids outside.
I sighed, patting Joshua’s back.
“Your Majesty, why did you do that? Empress Eunsu misunderstood and left.”
Mikhail blinked and asked, startled:
“What misunderstanding?”
“You don’t know?”
He didn’t answer, only staring at me.
“Your Majesty?”
After calling again, he finally turned his head.
“Don’t worry about it. Let’s eat.”
Even with Mikhail’s suggestion, I didn’t feel like eating.
Eunsu stormed out, Joshua cried sadly, and on top of that, my stomach felt queasy.
Something was about to erupt inside me.
I tried to calm myself, but when I held Joshua still, I instinctively felt blood trickle through my fingers.
Ah, damn it. Again.
I thought Casian said it would be fine for a while, but apparently he had become a quack while I wasn’t looking.
I silently vowed not to blindly trust Casian anymore.
Just as I was thinking this, someone called me from behind.
“Evelyn!”
