CH:28
The Emperor Brought a Baby
The emperor had brought a newborn.
No consort, no child, not even a fiancée—and yet, the emperor had returned with a baby? The servants murmured among themselves at the shocking news. They kept a safe distance from where Ivan was walking, afraid they might be scolded if they caught his eye.
“Where’s the baby?”
A maid, pretending to be busy sweeping, cautiously whispered to her colleague. Indeed, the man striding at the front had empty hands.
“Over there, in the back.”
But something was awkwardly cradled in Rodan’s arms.
“It’s really a baby.”
“It really is.”
The general consensus had been that he must’ve picked up a stray dog or cat and they had simply misseen it. But truly, a baby was being held in Rodan’s arms as he followed Ivan.
“He’s not the kind of person who’d bring a child out of pity…”
Ivan’s reputation in the palace was infamously cold, but not undeserved. He wasn’t the type to show compassion, even to the small and weak.
“What’s he saying?”
Ivan had paused and said something to Rodan, not sparing even a glance at the child before continuing on his way. As if he expected it, Rodan adjusted his hold on the baby and glanced around.
“He’s calling us, isn’t he?”
Rodan waved a hand toward the maids as if beckoning them. Eventually, two maids who had been observing from afar hesitantly stepped forward.
“You, go clean the guestroom in the West Palace immediately. And you, go bring Madam Werner to the West Palace.”
“Yes, but… the baby, is it…?”
Unable to contain their curiosity, the maids cautiously spoke. Rodan, though the emperor’s closest aide, wasn’t as cold as his master. That he waited for them to finish speaking proved that.
“Is it your child, Sir Rodan?”
Clearly, they had guessed wrong. When they saw Rodan’s face twist in displeasure, the maid quickly looked down, flustered.
“He’s a guest sent by the temple to affirm friendly relations with the imperial family. Don’t speak nonsense.”
Ah. The maids sighed softly. It was as if they could hear their swirling fantasies crashing into pieces inside their heads.
“Just get to your tasks now.”
Rodan gave a soft warning. The maids, who had been subtly eyeing the baby’s face, scattered quickly to do as instructed. Left alone, Rodan headed toward the West Palace—where guest chambers were located—with the child in his arms.
There wasn’t much to clean, but since it was their task, the maids were going over everything once again. Passing by them, Rodan gently laid the baby down on the bed. Though the child had woken up, Ian did not cry.
“So little caution…”
Maybe he took after the priestess in temperament. Rodan gently tapped the baby’s nose.
“Sir Rodan.”
A voice called from behind. It belonged to Madam Werner, recently appointed head maid due to her sharp judgment and discretion, and a favorite of Ivan.
“I heard you called for me.”
“I need you to make sure the maids hold their tongues.”
Rodan straightened from leaning over Ian and stated the reason for summoning her.
“Lord Ian may be a guest from the temple, but as you know, a baby’s presence is bound to spark misunderstanding.”
Madam Werner’s eyes fell on Ian, who wriggled atop the bed. Her gaze lingered momentarily on his shimmering hair but only for a second.
“I will take care of it.”
Suspicion was nothing more than poison. With that thought, Madam Werner quietly turned her gaze away.
Duke Russell had come to visit the temple. Being a devout follower of the gods, his visit wasn’t particularly unusual. However, his expression was unusually cold, and the way his cloak flapped violently with every step was not like his usual demeanor. Everyone instinctively kept their distance from him.
“Where is the High Priest?”
“He’s been in his room since returning from meeting the priestess…”
The young priest, intimidated by the duke’s intense presence, stammered his answer. Without another word, Duke Russell brushed past him and stormed toward Aaron’s room. It was closer to barging in than a formal visit.
“Aaron Skipper.”
Aaron, who had been sitting quietly, stood to greet him. But before he could even finish his bow, a large palm struck his cheek. The sound echoed loudly, even through the closed door.
“You useless bastard.”
The scathing insult fell like a hammer. But Aaron couldn’t argue. He had failed to fulfill his duty to keep watch over Amelia. That was the truth.
“My apologies.”
And so, all he could do was apologize. But Duke Russell remained furious. A plan he thought had been progressing well had been ruined—he was livid.
“How could you be fooled so easily?”
“……”
“You didn’t even check the hair color? Didn’t even try to figure out the gender?”
Duke Russell ran his hand through his hair in frustration, his chest rising and falling heavily. Aaron did not make excuses. Amelia had been grieving for her lost lover and had stopped caring for herself. She’d even followed his instructions quietly for a while. That complacency was his mistake.
“Forget it. What’s done is done. No one could’ve imagined that insolent woman would already be sharing a bed with a man and carrying his child.”
“……”
“But there won’t be a second chance.”
Duke Russell paced for a while before finally stopping and warning Aaron. No matter how loyal he had been until now, Aaron was replaceable.
“I understand, Your Grace.”
Aaron replied calmly. His lack of defense or excuses helped soothe some of the duke’s anger.
“Did the emperor only take the child?”
Finally, Duke Russell sighed and took a seat. They were in a place where others could easily overhear if voices were raised. Getting too worked up wouldn’t benefit either of them.
“Yes. He only took the child.”
“He came unannounced and rudely, just to take the child…”
More important now was understanding the emperor’s sudden and suspicious move.
Ivan was the kind of man who did as he pleased, even when it clashed with temple doctrine. There was no reason for him to suddenly claim friendship with the temple.
“Well, at least the boy’s useless.”
Duke Russell muttered as he stroked his chin. A golden-haired boy was of no value to them.
“Because his eyes are black?”
From Ivan’s perspective, the only potentially useful trait the child had was his black eyes. Just as black hair didn’t exist in Esclyffe, neither did black eyes.
“……”
But that alone wasn’t enough to pressure the temple. Which only made Ivan’s true intentions more difficult to decipher.
“Just kill him.”
He was done thinking about it. He didn’t want to leave a potential threat behind either. The simplest and clearest solution was best.
“The emperor and the priestess signed a written oath.”
Aaron objected. Killing the child and having the imperial family held accountable would mean they’d have to give up Amelia to them.
“Then we just don’t hold the imperial family accountable.”
It would be ideal if they could blame the emperor for abducting the priestess and taking the child. But that wasn’t possible now.
“We were planning to dispose of the child anyway. He had no particular value from the start.”
The child, if not a substitute for Amelia, was meant to be discarded anyway—forgotten as if he’d never existed. Attaching any grand meaning to his life now would be hypocritical.
“I’ll meet with the emperor myself and see what his intentions are before acting. Just in case it’s a trap.”
“Understood.”
Aaron answered immediately. He too had no desire to let the consequences of his negligence fester.
“And aside from that… the girl needs to be disciplined.”
At Aaron’s compliant tone, Duke Russell quietly added more.
“I don’t want any more noisy scandals. But she’s acting like a wild colt—if not this, then she’ll cause another incident for sure.”
The fewer people who knew the secret, the better. Under that customary rule, Amelia had been carefully managed as the only woman with black hair and black eyes.
“She can’t be killed off easily like the others, which is a shame.”
If there had been several of her kind, he could’ve replaced her by now. But Amelia’s uniqueness was now what irritated him most.
“A scar on the ankle isn’t too noticeable. It won’t be a problem. You understand what I mean, don’t you?”
Things had come too far. With no replacement for Amelia, this was something he would simply have to endure.
“Yes, Your Grace.”
There was only one option left now—to keep what remained of her life entirely within his grasp.
