Chapter 4 - Two Mothers

Fortunately, time began to pass. The wind swept Evelyn’s broken heart and drifted away.

By the time, the unpleasant relationship with the Empire had been eased. And, Evelyn’s probation in the kingdom had been set free. Her bright smile could be found again. But in the future, Evelyn brought unexpected things together.

***

“Princess······.”

The season had already passed through the winter and spring. Nora came to the bed where Evelyn was lying quietly and sat down around her.

“It’s hard to hide it now.”

“Yes, I know.”

Evelyn nodded gently with a stiff face. She was sitting on the bed, knitting a tiny sock. It was her devotion to a new life she never dreamed about.

“This child must be …..”

Nora managed to broach the subject. After Evelyn returned from the imperial family for some time, it was a life that no one had noticed.

Evelyn was under excessive stress in the imperial family, so her menstruation was irregular. Her body was weak, so she was late to find out. She never thought about it, so she didn’t even notice it for the first few months.

“Nora, this is my child.”

Evelyn, who first noticed this new life, didn’t believe in reality at first. But the tears that poured down her cheeks were obviously happiness. The painful experience of giving birth to Fabian ‘s child twice in her previous life made this “new life” more precious.

“I can do whatever it takes to protect this child.

Evelyn couldn’t bear the pain of losing her child again. Her body, which was under the stress of the Imperial Family, might be the reason she’d lost her child.

Of course, she felt it was an improper body to give birth, but the child grew up in Evelyn for several months.

“So, this child must be mine.”

Evelyn glared. Her vivid blue eyes were not as tender as when she came back from divorce for the first time. Instead, it was a serene eye without fear.

“If I go back to that lonely place, ….. this child won’t be able to survive. No, he couldn’t survive.”

Imperial Palace, that’s where Evelyn miscarried her child twice. If they knew that the Emperor had a child, he would be taken away to the imperial family before he’s even weaned. And she couldn’t imagine how a small child could grow up in such a place.

Countless people would hurt the descendants of the Emperor, who had grown up without a mother.

“I’m sure I’ll protect this child. This child won’t be taken by anyone.”

Evelyn quietly wrapped her belly. All she was afraid of now was losing this child. Nothing else was scary at all. Evelyn was fine as long as she could protect this child.

***

It’s been a moment for Evelyn to take courage. She could no longer hide her swollen belly, and she had a lot to decide before her child would finally be born into the world.

At first glance, Evelyn, who had a slender body, didn’t look like she was pregnant, but she couldn’t disguise it when the child was born. Above all, Evelyn didn’t want to hide it.

“King Father, Queen Mother.”

Evelyn stood in front of her parents after a long time.

“I have something to tell you.”

King Arthur, her father, still had no idea what to do with his daughter, who had divorced and returned, and the Queen’s eyes had pity for her daughter, who was still young. Not enough with a divorce, now her daughter had to give birth to a baby.

It was very difficult to say that she was going to raise it. Nevertheless, Evelyn had already decided to protect the child. To do that, she needed help.

“It’s a difficult request.”

Evelyn hesitated about what to say, and she took off her thick coat.

The King did not know yet, but there’s a faint suspicion spread in the Queen’s eyes, and soon a little amazement showed up.

“Evelyn, I can’t believe it·······.”

“Yes, mother…..”

Evelyn was looking at the Queen. Queen Miriam staggered from her seat and approached her daughter.

“Oh my God, … Evelyn.”

Miriam’s eyes were filled with questions about Evelyn. But then, the wise-Queen soon realized what was inside her daughter’s stomach.

What was hidden was Evelyn’s will to protect the ‘new life’ within her. The last notice also meant that Evelyn was so desperate.

“Queen, what’s going on all of a sudden? What did she say?”

Only The King who didn’t understand this situation.

“King Father, I ‘m going to have a baby …”

Evelyn had already decided.

“I think this child will be born before fall.”

The King smeared his eyes slowly. Then he opened his eyes with surprise.

“Evelyn, it’s the Emperor’s…..”

“No.”

Evelyn was holding Miriam’s hand next to her. Just by looking into her mother’s eyes had already helped her. Miriam, who had raised Evelyn as a mother, couldn’t have abandoned her daughter’s child.

“I couldn’t protect my child in the imperial family. I believed there was no child in my fate.”

“Yes. So I made a difficult request to the Vatican. But….!”

“If I were still in the imperial family, this child wouldn’t have been born. Because I’ve lost my unborn child twice.”

Although it didn’t happen in her present life, the pain of miscarriage was still vivid. Miriam was holding Evelyn ‘s hand in silence.

It was heartbreaking for Miriam to think of her daughter, who lived so badly in the imperial family. The King looked at the two mothers and daughters, speechless.

“The imperial family is a cruel place. It’s a place where the child can’t survive.”

Evelyn’s voice sounded painful.

“I dared to ask for a divorce because I was afraid of dying there.”

It was Evelyn’s first time to hear this. Miriam shed tears in silence. Though parents like them could not say the details of the affairs of the Imperial Family. Her father sent the letter because he knew it was a difficult place for her daughter, but he didn’t send it because he knew this was going to happen.

“Then if I send this child back to the imperial… it’s like killing the child with my own hands.”

The King’s face hardened like a stone. Evelyn was guilty of putting such a heavy burden on her parents, but her priority was to protect her child.

“I don’t want to lose my child. It’s too painful and vain. I’d rather die than suffer such pain.”

Evelyn bit her lower lip. It was a great sin to hide the descendants of the Imperial Family. It could have turned into a political issue, and the responsibility belonged to the King.

“Please, I’m begging you.”

Evelyn slowly bent her knee before the King.

“You don’t have to forgive your sinful daughter. You can collect all the status, property, and privileges of a princess from me. But please don’t let this child go back to that horrible place and die there.”

Evelyn found the first thing that was worth her life. She wasn’t afraid to lose her own life. If only she could protect this child, Evelyn would have smiled.

“Are you suggesting that we keep and raise the child of His Majesty the Emperor? Do you think that’s possible?”

The King’s sigh was similar. Miriam, watching it, slowly lowered her knees by Evelyn ‘s side.

“Your Majesty, I beg you, please. We have only one child. Did you forget what we swore when we raised our daughter? We decided to protect her. That’s how the parents feel. If the princess’s isn’t good enough, I’ll give you the Queen’s.”

“That’s not the problem!”

The King sighed sadly as he looked at the two mothers. Evelyn was a divorced Empress. If the descendant of the imperial family were born, it would be natural to give him back.

However, The King hesitated. When his bright daughter returned to him with a slim face, the King was torn at the sight. He could not ask her anything, but he regretted sending her to the imperial family.

“No need. How people would laugh at a royal family without a queen or a princess!”

The King raised his old body from the throne. The wrinkles around his eyes were filled with regret to see his daughter’s destined fate. He stood in front of two mothers and daughter in person and looked at them for a moment.

“Get up.”

The King still ordered bluntly. However, he bent down his waist and raised his daughter first.

“Get up. The floor is cold.”

“Father, ·······.”

The King, who barely raised Evelyn, glanced at Miriam. Then Miriam raised herself and took Evelyn’s hand.

“What a bunch of ugly things. Why are you hiding with a child!”

The King kicked his tongue reluctantly.

“You divorced and returned to your parents What’s more to be done? What did you do when you get divorced so easily? And now you call yourself a sinful daughter? You ‘re the daughter of this parent forever.”

“I’m sorry······.”

The King snorted.

“Stop doing anything that’s not like you. Where’s the spirit you have when you got divorce? You’re here to give us a free hand. You were originally a free-spirited child, so it’s my fault that you were raised like that.”

The King said only mean things, but Miriam kept smiling at her husband’s eyes as he saw Evelyn’s belly. Initially, the King was a poor father. Evelyn was able to decide on divorce and come back because she believed in her father.

“Now the princess’s residence is in the north wind, so move from her place right away. I don’t mean… It’s better to keep my doctor a secret. When is the child born?”

The King quickly spat out short words. The terms he spoke with a frowned face were more like grunts.

“Queen.”

Suddenly, the King, who stood still, saw Miriam.

“If you say that …..you gave birth to this child…”

It was definitely a good idea. It’s a brilliant way to hide the Emperor’s child while maintaining the family’s structure. But in reality, it was hard. Given Miriam’s age, no one would believe it.

“I’d love to, but it’s impossible.”

“Right······.”

The King frowned and turned to Evelyn.

“Come on and put on your coat I ‘m worried you can’t take care of your own body when soon you ‘re going to be a mother. Yeah, you’ve been so naughty since you were a child. When are you growing up?”

Her father’s nagging, which she hated when she was young, sounded so sweet today. When she became a mother, Evelyn learned that his frowning face and grumbling speech was all love.

“Father, I’ll think about this together.”

“Okay! Everytime you get into trouble, your measures have always been my responsibility. Go rest rather than do something that doesn’t suit you! Queen, get this thing out of here. Just looking at her gives me a headache.”

“Yes, by all means.”

“Move your place right away!”

“I’ll give you my place.”

Evelyn was dragged out by Miriam, who had swallowed a small smile. The King saw it and kicked his tongue out. He was seemed troubled.

He had to come up with a plan to raise the child well, hiding that he was an emperor’s child.

It was the worries of those who became parents.

***