Fabian went to the Empress’ Palace that night. Same as before, Rebecca was standing in his way, stopping him. But she couldn’t kick him out since she had something important to do.
Evelyn, who got fatigued after the tea party, was still awake. As if there was telepathy through the mind that they had a desire to see each other.
“Your Majesty.”
“Stay still.” Fabian quickly stopped Evelyn when she was about to give an example and sat right beside her.
Actually, Rebecca only banned him from seeing her late at night, and Fabian saw Evelyn’s face almost every day. Yet oddly, he felt content every time he looked at her.
“It’s a shame Lady Akshire is a woman.”
“What? Rebecca?”
“Yes. If she were a man, I would have hired her as a general and used her well.”
Evelyn burst out into peals of laughter, looking at Fabian, who talked with a serious face, “Thanks to her, she always helps me.”
“Ah… … I heard what happened today.”
Evelyn didn’t look surprised. The Emperor’s Palace Chief was there, so it was evident that he would report everything to him without missing a word.
“So did you come here to scold me?” Evelyn asked.
“No way.” Fabian grinned. “I won’t say it’s a punishment if you give me a prize.”
With only that word, Evelyn could guess what’s inside Fabian’s mind, “It’s amazing.” she said unknowingly. “I used to find it’s hard to understand Your Majesty’s feelings even with words, but now I think I know…….”
“And so do I.” Fabian instinctively reached out and took Evelyn’s hand, “I like that very much.”
Evelyn could feel Fabian’s warm temperatures patted her back-hand. In the past, she didn’t realize that any little moment like this would feel so precious.
“If l had known you were coming, I would have put Adrian to bed late.”
“No ….. you’d better keep him healthy.” Fabian suddenly remembered his mother’s words. “A little while ago, Empress-mother came to me and said so.”
“The Empress?” Evelyn was stunned. Even her face was perplexed.
“Yeah, she poured out words that I couldn’t understand and left on her own. It’s so her.” Fabian said calmly. However, Evelyn thought there might be a reason why the Empress Dowager acted like that.
“What did she say?”
“Hmmm. The proposal she offered was interesting, but I don’t know what her motive is. “
Monica sat back at the tea party instead of helping Stella as expected, and she left early to lighten Evelyn’s burden. Although they didn’t really interact much, Evelyn felt goodwill from her actions at that time.
“Your Majesty, not every word, is supposed to have meaning. Moreover, she’s your mother.”
“Yes, and she’s worse than other mothers.”
Evelyn had no choice but to nod her head in silence at the remarks.
“The Empress’s offer…… it’s strange. She asked me to give her an “elder” position in the Inner Palace for a short time. But she doesn’t want power.” Fabian told her.
“I don’t know what that means either.”
“Ha, as you may know…… Duke Metis is an ambitious person.”
“Yes, I think so, too.” Evelyn felt something strange when she recalled Stella’s face, which was shaking after she had fought with Rebecca.
“I won’t accept another Empress other than you.” Fabian looked into Evelyn’s eyes and said firmly, in case she’d forget.
“I know.” Evelyn didn’t doubt him, and it wasn’t a vague belief but a certainty.
“The Empress said she would arrange for Lady Metis’ marriage in her capacity as an Elder in Inner Palace. But of course, that person isn’t me.”
Suddenly, Evelyn blinked her eyes. She wondered if Rebecca’s ominous words would become a reality?
“And when the Vatican arrived, as the Palace-elder, she said she would ask them, to bless you as the Empress.”
“That’s…… Isn’t that a very good offer? Actually, I’m a little embarrassed to ask them myself.” Whispered Evelyn.
“I didn’t mean to make you do it. I thought it would be best to ask Duchess Perth instead.”
“But there won’t be anything better than the Empress herself who comes forward.”
Fabian nodded his head a little, but for a moment, his face looked dark. “Can you believe her?”
To Evelyn, Fabian, who took his mother for granted, seemed a little sad. But she could fully understand his feelings. The relationship between the Empress Dowager and Fabian was distant, dry, and cold. Whatever the cause was, whether the Empress wanted it or not, that was the reality.
“The Empress said she didn’t care about the prosperity of the Metis family. Her purpose is to clear up this complicated problem and return to the Southern Palace’s peaceful daily life. Still…. it doesn’t change the fact she’s Metis’ daughter.”
Evelyn was lost in thought. Considering Metis’ ambition, it was something she couldn’t do. However, there was a sense of disparity with the Empress’ figure in Evelyn’s mind.
When Evelyn was the Empress, Fabian’s mother tended to remain indifferent in everything. That’s why it’s unlikely for her to cheat on her son for the Metis family’s sake and created a storm.
“Well, may I give you my opinion?”
Fabian sighed, “I came here to hear that.”
“I don’t think…… the Empress-mother is moving for Metis’ sake.”
No matter how strong Metis’s influence was. When Evelyn joined the Imperial family, she could vaguely notice, nothing could overshadow the Emperor’s power in this Empire. And the Empress must be well aware of it and also felt the same thing as her.
“Then, for what?”
“Did she say anything else?”
“She said some strange things. Well…… She’s happy that I have something I want, or to raise my child in good health.” Fabian muttered insignificantly, but Evelyn was surprised and widened her eyes. She was amazed that the Empress whom she knew could say such a thing.
“She wants to help me once because she never did anything to me.”
“Is she… serious?” Evelyn asked cautiously.
“I don’t know.” Fabian cut it short.
“I think the Empress is sincere.”
“Why?”
It’s hard to explain. First of all, Fabian wouldn’t understand because it’s Evelyn’s heart that felt that way. So she slowly arranged the strands of words in her mind, trying to make an answer as natural as possible.
“Maybe, if it were me…… I also want to help Adrian.”
Fabian slanted his eyebrows as if he heard a weird answer. “You care and love Adrian like your own life because you raise him by your side.”
But it’s a different case for him. Fabian could hardly remember his mother’s face as a child because they rarely met.
“Yes. But even if I can’t hold him and have to raise him with someone else’s hand, I will still love him.” Evelyn looked at Fabian with eyes full of confidence, “Because I’m a mother too.”
“………The relationship between Empress-mother and me is different.”
“It’s the same. Both of you are mother and son.”
If she hadn’t given birth to Adrian, Evelyn might have doubted the Empress Dowager’s intentions. But as she looked back, she could understand his mother’s feelings felt a little bit.
If Evelyn became an Empress and gave birth to Adrian, she would have to follow the same path as her, even if she loved him.
“No mother wants to throw away her own child. Me too… I know how she feels.”
“That’s…”
“Empress-mother had no choice. Like I did.”
Fabian couldn’t argue with Evelyn’s words. Because it was Imperial’s tradition that had passed down from ancient times and had never been questioned. If it weren’t for Adrian, he probably wouldn’t have realized how cold and cruel things were.
“I know you can’t get close to her all of a sudden. It’s nobody’s fault.” Evelyn spoke in a tender voice. “But still, a child is probably the most special person in one’s life. Even if I left Adrian and didn’t raise him, I would definitely want to help him at least once if he has a family, even though we’re never close.”
Evelyn never thought about this in the past. She always thought the Empress Dowager was a cold person, just like Fabian. She didn’t feel suspicious why they were distant, and she didn’t want to find out more about their relationship.
“I don’t think Empress-mother will deceive you for the sake of Duke Metis …..”
“That family cannot be trusted.” spat Fabian. His words also made sense. He knew exactly what kind of human his uncle was. He is a greedy person and couldn’t control his endless ambitions.
“At the tea party today…… The Empress did nothing.”
“Huh, she’s that kind of person.”
“No, something more than that… Even though Lady Metis was humiliated, she didn’t defend her at all, and she didn’t seem happy with her niece’s behavior. For me… I felt like she’s on my side.”
But, whatever she said, Fabian still had mixed feelings about his mother.
“If that time your mother was on Metis’ side, she couldn’t possibly let that happen since it would become a social disgrace. “
Sometimes, the socialite women’s eyes and mouths were more brutal than the nobles arguing at the congress. After today’s tea party, the Imperial socialite circle must have known that there was no chance of Lady Metis becoming an Empress.
Evelyn, who had the full authority of the Inner Palace and the Empress Dowager, who had the reputation of being the Emperor’s mother, only watched when her niece was degraded.
“Do you really think so? Empress-mother has no other intentions?”
“Yes, I’m sure of that,” assured Evelyn. Her blue eyes contained a mix of emotions.
Seeing her warm heart and unwavering conviction, Fabian stopped thinking intricately, “If you believe, I’ll believe.”
“Still… … Are you okay?”
“I believe in your contention.” Fabian convinced, in this matter, Evelyn’s judgment seemed more accurate than his. “And I thought while listening to your story….. About Adrian.”
Initially, Fabian never had any particular thoughts about his children except as a successor. He grew up under disparate circumstances, so Fabian never imagined to have a harmonious family.
“Strange, even though I only met him for a short time …..I wanted to save Adrian no matter what, at the time of the demon’s raid. Even if I had to exchange it for my life.”
Fabian’s soft-low whisper made Evelyn’s eyes grow bigger. It’s normal to be attached to his child, but he was an Emperor. A superior being to all humans in this world, and couldn’t be replaced by anyone.
“I know… I couldn’t believe it either.”
For Fabian, who was born as an heir to the imperial family and ascended the throne at sixteen. That kind of thought was unfamiliar. So for him, it was something startling. Fabian felt like he could do anything for that child.
“If later you raise Adrian like me …… even if we can’t be as close as you said, maybe I’ll still love him.”
At that moment, a serene smile bloomed on Evelyn’s lips.
“Honestly, I still don’t know my mother’s heart.”
Evelyn nodded at his words. Time gaps that were too long couldn’t be closed at once.
“I want to believe, Empress-mother loves you with the same heart like me.”
Only
“That’s a very strange word.” Fabian shed low laughter of unknown meaning. “But I don’t hate it….” He was still awkward, but he began to express his feelings as it was.
“Do you know what?” Evelyn unwittingly reached out and wrapped his cheek. Her sudden action made Fabian startled, but quickly he smiled.
“I more like the current Your Majesty.”
Her beautiful blue eyes were overflowing with love. The short moment felt as long as eternity.
Fabian took Evelyn’s hand around his cheek and slowly came closer towards her.
Then Evelyn closed her eyes unknowingly.
Soon, they were wrapped in a lovely moment when Fabian’s lips touched Evelyn’s deeply.
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