CH 37

Fortunately or not, Carlisle didn’t wait for my answer and eventually fell asleep.

“I’m sorry your mom couldn’t give an honest answer.”

It was my desire to erase his father’s existence, but at the same time I was sorry to do it.

“Instead, your mom will love you more.”

Carlisle flinched slightly. I let go of his hand and pulled the blanket up to his neck.

I turned off the magic light in the room, lit a candle, sat down by the bed and patted the child on the chest.

Soon after the sound of breathing was heard in the quiet room.

As I watched Carlisle in deep sleep, I let out a sigh, which I held back for a long time.

“…Father.”

[Duke Croft is currently in custody at his estate and is likely to face trial in the near future. If he can’t prove his innocence, accused of fraud and embezzlement, he may be stripped of his title, as well as confiscated all his property, and sold him as a slave.]

It isn’t enough to simply take away his title, they wanted to make him a slave.

In addition to the shock, an irresistible anger flared up inside me against an yet unknown enemy.

There were quite a few reports in the newspapers about my father’s conspiracy with a representative of that desert kingdom.

There was more than enough evidence of my father’s guilt, but I know the truth very well.

That my father would never accept a bribe. And that there was no way to steal advance payments.

After I became Empress, he even turned down my birthday present, saying it would look like nepotism.

However, looking at the current situation, my father clearly found it difficult to avoid punishment.

By order of the Emperor, the father was locked in his own estate.

“Raymond…”

Does he really suspect my father?

“…No, he can’t.”

Others may not know, but Raymond saw everything with his own eyes. He knew my father as well as I knew.

But Raymond won’t be able to hide it for ages.

Right now, there was a huge hole in the budget for next year.

The nobles who paid the most taxes will never be silent, and Raymond can’t keep my father.

“…What should I do.”

The only thing now is clear: I must return to the Empire to save my father. It’s time to go back and get him out at any cost. I hated myself for hesitation, even though I knew perfectly well what would be right and what would not.

If I were alone, I would already be on a ship to the shores of the Empire, but now I am not alone.

I have Carlisle.

A child who was as precious to me as my father.

If Raymond hadn’t been looking for me, I could have gone to the Empire for a while. But for some reason he wouldn’t let me go.

In this situation, if I float to the Empire, I can’t easily return.

So, if I’m going to the Empire, Carlisle should be by my side.

I couldn’t leave my child alone, because without me something could have happened.

“…If I get caught?”

I wasn’t sure if I could hide that Carlisle was Raymond’s child.

If it suddenly turns out that he was a prince, he can never leave the Empire. And then the game for the throne is inevitable.

“Carlisle.”

The Empire already has a first prince. During the time that while we were away, he matured and has already begun to build up his power.

And they will all target my child like a pack of wolves.

I carefully held the sleeping child’s handle.

I hoped to live in peace until these little hands were bigger and stronger than mine.

As much as I hesitate, in the end there will be one answer.

I couldn’t leave my father, who always lived only for me.

Maybe my father will not approve of this, but I’ll have to go back.

“Carlisle, whatever happens, your mom will protect you.”

I will protect both my father and Carlisle.

I was no longer the silly fool who ran after Raymond.

I grabbed Carlisle by the arm, shaking off the last hesitation and fear.

* * *

The next morning.

I opened the doors a little later than usual and took Carlisle straight to the academy.

“See you later, Mom!”

Fortunately, since I promised to go to the market again today, Carlisle burst into enthusiasm and ran to the academy.

When I returned to the shop, I called Helen, who was bustling nearby.

“You don’t need these fees. I will go light.”

She was surprised by my sudden decision, but after hearing about my father, she agreed.

“I can’t go with all this junk… But you can’t throw it all away. Especially flowers…”

I couldn’t take my eyes off the flowers. Specifically, I looked at the flowers that I had recently grown to make incense from them. It was a pity to part with this.

“They will live without my spirits.”

I chose flowers with a pleasant scent, cultivated the seeds and added vitality to create new species.

I extracted the scent, made the perfume and sold it. People loved it, so I decided to seriously start a perfume business with Jed.

Unfortunately, this will have to be postponed until the story with my father is over.

“But don’t throw them away. We’ll have to ask someone to figure it out.”

“Oh, leave that to Jed.”

Helen already knew about my relationship with Jed and our organization.

“Ha. I really thought about finding the right person through Jed. So you don’t have to mess with it.”

“But Eli, when are you sailing away?”

“The sooner the better. I’ll clean up the mess and leave in a few days. My father’s position isn’t much better than I thought.”

“I understand.”

It was sad to part with the neighbors, because I received a lot of help and love from them, but this connection was not forever anyway.

It would be better to speed up the parting.

However, I will repay the people I am grateful to.

“Eli, the shop is clear, so I’ll go home and deal with everything.”

“Good. Oh, I’m going to the market again today with Carlisle. Don’t wait for us, have dinner yourself.”

After Helen left the shop, I looked around at the small garden.

“I will miss this.”

The moment I was momentarily melancholy, I heard the doorbell ring.

I smiled at the gorgeous man with platinum hair.

“Jeremy, come in.”

Jeremy, that mysterious platinum-haired man I met by chance on a ship to the Lund Kingdom.

We were pretty close friends now.

I still don’t know who he really is, but it didn’t matter.

In any case, we both lived in this kingdom, pretending to be common people.

“Eli, how are you?”

“I’m fine. Did you have some work?”

He was a mercenary in the Lund Kingdom.

Although he was mainly in charge of small tasks, he sometimes disappeared for two weeks and then returned.

Jeremy’s smiling face suddenly changed.

“Yes, I got myself into trouble.”

“Are you hurt?”

When I took a step with a surprised face, Jeremy smiled at thirty-two.

“But when I look at Ellie’s face, everything heals by itself.”

“Damn you… I thought you were hurt.”

When I first heard this joke, my face turned red and I was embarrassed.

However, listening to it for the past few years, it was nothing more than a conversation about the weather.

Jeremy was the guy who jokes with everyone.

Finishing his silly joke, he touched the tip of his chin as if concerned.

“I see that something is oppressing you.”