Chapter 121

Chapter 121

The child Teresa gave birth to died.

After a long silence, Rosalia denied it.

No emotion could be felt in her restrained voice.

However, this was merely a public faade, and it was impossible to know what fervor truly lurked within.

Hayden answered with a tense face.

It did not die.

No, it died. Everyone confirmed the corpse.

She was confined and bound, but she was originally a person of good fortune and standing. The midwife and maid conspired to smuggle out the child and presented a dead infant in its place.

Are you saying that you alone saw through the deception that Teresa had fooled everyone with?

Because the child was sent to me.

Rosalia closed her mouth.

A silence longer than any before fell between them.

After a while, Rosalia issued a cold command to her subordinates to leave.

Everyone out.

But, Your Majesty the Empress, it is dangerous to be alone with a criminal...

Did you not hear me say to leave!

Rosalia snapped irritably, cutting off her subordinates protest.

Only those who had long served the Empress had followed her into this place, and they knew well that it was not in their best interest to cross her at such times.

They did not make the Empress repeat herself.

After everyone had withdrawn like the tide, only Rosalia and Hayden were left in the room.

Hearing the door close, Rosalia opened her eyes long and said, Continue.

You must remember the maid named Mariam. When I was staying outside the capital under Your Majestys orders, a member of the maids family came looking for me. With a child in arms.

Hayden added with a bittersweet tone, You know, dont you? Princess Teresa truly loved me. Even up to that point, she was eagerly awaiting my return.

Rosalia muttered to herself as if scoffing at the disgusting notion.

And she thought herself no less nauseating for having such thoughts.

She had always tried to justify the actions she had committed, but she had never felt proud of herself, only repeatedly failing.

The reason Rosalia could not forget Teresa was simple. Teresa represented her shameful past.

Rosalia closed her eyes and slowly retraced those distant days.

The Leman royal family had always treasured daughters for generations.

Among her boisterous brothers, the former Emperor had cherished Princess Teresa, his second daughter, with special affection.

The former Emperor certainly never vocalized his intention to kill the child, but Teresa, observing the circumstances, must have guessed her fathers intentions to some extent.

Was she planning to send the child to its father, unable to raise it herself...?

To entrust her daughters fate to the man who ruined her life was a sorrowful affair.

Rosalia swallowed a hollow laugh and then, with an icy gaze, turned to Hayden and asked, Do you understand what youre saying?

A royal bloodline, thought to be dead, clinging to life in obscurity.

It was a matter not to be spoken of lightly.

Whether it was a lie or the truth, it presented a problem; the truth, even more so.

Hayden, looking troubled, attempted to explain his position as if to justify himself.

Ive struggled with how to present this matter to Your Majesty. The reason I chose silence at that time was...

...

Still, isnt it a child of my blood? Revealing its existence would surely endanger its life, so as a father, I couldnt just speak up. I could only hope it lived untroubled, hidden away in some unnoticed place.

It was merely your last resort for blackmail.

Rosalia retorted coldly.

Hayden did not bother to deny it.

Indeed, he was blackmailing her at that moment, and any further embellishment would only serve to antagonize her further.

Hayden spoke in a subdued voice with a subtle tone.

Your Majesty the Empress would want to handle this matter with the least complications possible.

...

Ensure the safety and well-being of my family and me. The investigation isnt over yet, so the outcome could very well change. If everything is restored to how it was, as if nothing happened, I will tell you where the child is. And I will cleanly forget all the facts I know.

Hayden added, as if to persuade Rosalia.

Havent I proven over the past two decades or more that I am tight-lipped?

Hayden knew the weight of a secret.

The moment he took custody of the princess child, his immediate thought was to use it to silence Rosalia.

It would have been disastrous if the princess, realizing she had been betrayed by him, reported his name to the former Emperor.

Rosalia promised Hayden personal safety and power, but he didnt fully trust the Empress. After achieving her goal, Rosalia had no reason to protect Hayden to the end.

After much deliberation, Hayden returned to the capital and reunited with Teresa with Rosalias help.

Then, with a look of joy, he said to the princess, who inquired about the childs well-being.

Your Highness, rest assured, I have safely hidden the child you sent. As long as our meetings remain a secret, as they have been, the child will always be safe.

--- End Of The Chapter ----

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