How to Hide the Emperor’s Child

Astelle slowly looked around the greenhouse.

It was a greenhouse so beautiful that she was more worried than awed at it.

“It’s really beautiful…… must be very expensive.”

A greenhouse made of jewels, what kind of luxury is this?

Kaizen asked, “Is that your first impression?”

“That is my honest admiration. How much did it cost you to make this?”

“……it didn’t cost that much,” replied Kaizen one beat late.

This seems to cost a lot of money.

He added, “Well, this is the property of the imperial family anyway.”

Kaizen muttered as if it was no big deal, but Astelle realized something new when she heard ‘the property of the imperial family.’

“No way.”

Astelle touched the blue jewels that filled the walls on all sides.

Blue jewels of slightly different colors and concentrations are embedded in the wall like mosaics.

Astelle belatedly noticed what it is.

It is the imperial family treasure that the empress of the empire received, ‘blue moonlight.’

“Oh my God, did you use all of this here?”

Blue jewels come from the mine owned by the imperial family.

Because it is a jewel that symbolizes the empress, it is also a gift that successive empresses received as engagement or wedding gifts.

There isn’t a lot of production, so you only get one or two rings or necklaces.

“I told them to scrape everything in the mine,” Kaizen said confidently.

Astelle was so stunned and asked back, “How can you use this many jewels?”

“Is there a problem?”

However, Kaizen only smiled charmingly.

He said, “You’re the only empress to me, so it’s only right that this should all belong to you.”

There was a deep emotion in Kaizen’s eyes looking around the blue jewels.

He added in a low voice, “This is the last time.”

“…….”

Kaizen and Astelle were married twice, and both times he gave her this jewel as a gift.

His words also meant that the two of them would no longer have to repeat divorce and marriage.

That’s not wrong. The two will be together for the rest of their lives just like this.

It is such a heartwarming romantic statement.

Astelle, however, was deeply moved and at the same time had a very realistic question.

“Then what about Theor and his wife?”

“…….”

Kaizen was silent for a moment as if he hadn’t thought about it that far.

Then he answered irresponsibly, “That’s……. Theor will take care of it.”

Astelle clicked her tongue lightly and thought that she should give Theor the blue jewels she has.

“It’s beautiful, though.”

Astelle expressed honest admiration as she looked around the greenhouse where the clear sunlight was pouring in.

Anyway, the greenhouse is really beautiful.

Light blue jewels envelop the fragrant flowers in a soft glow.

It feels like being inside a blue jewel.

“This doesn’t disappoint, does it?” Kaisen asked, delighted by Astelle’s admiration.

“Yeah, although it’s extravagant to the point where a lot of things are really unnecessary.”

Hearing Astelle’s words, Kaizen again showed a disappointed expression.

Astelle smiled at his downcast appearance, and she asked, “But why did you suddenly build a greenhouse?”

Not a tea room, a break room, or a study. Why is it a greenhouse?

Kaizen turned his gaze to the window without answering.

The baby princess held in his arms stretched out her hand while looking at the flowers blooming under the window.

“Aooh…….”

“Oops, you can’t touch it with your hands yet.”

Kaizen said calmly, raising his hand so that the baby could not grab the flowers.

He said, “I heard the Duke built a greenhouse for the Duchess.”

Astelle frowned as if she couldn’t understand.

Astelle heard that Fritz had built a large greenhouse in the mansion as a wedding present for Gretel.

Since Gretel always needs to research herbs, it would be a welcome thing to see more herb fields and greenhouses everywhere.

“But I don’t grow herbs.”

“Still, I wanted to build you a new greenhouse for you. The greenhouse now is being used for drinking tea with the noble ladies. There are guests coming and going all day.”

The greenhouse in the Empress Palace was being used as a beautifully decorated living room and tea room.

Astelle decorated it with colorful flowers and drank tea with her guests.

Naturally, there were separate gardeners and servants who tended the flowers.

“I thought it would be nice to have a space where you could spend some quiet time with the princess alone. Also, you can grow any herbs and flowers you want to grow here.”

Since this is the furthest end of the Princess Palace, it can be made into a quiet space that people cannot reach easily.

So it’s a space where you can enjoy the tranquility and do some hobbies.

“Still, you shouldn’t need to make it full of blue jewels like this.”

“…….”

Kaizen didn’t answer and went to her side holding the princess.

Astelle let out a sigh. Even though the purpose wasn’t bad, it was too much.

Having a private space is not a bad thing.

That was because there were maids everywhere in the Empress Palace who were always busy with guests. It would be nice to have a place to cool off.

If it is a small greenhouse attached to the Princess Palace, you can spend time with the baby.

It was surprising that Kaizen had such a thoughtful thought, and she was grateful for that.

Astelle followed the two with such thoughts.

As the princess in Kaizen’s arms looked at the white flowers by the window, she stretched out her small hand again.

“Uuh…… dada…….”

“Did you just say daddy?”

Kaizen looked at the baby with a surprised face as the baby waddled and babbled.

“It was just babbling,” said Astelle.

“No, she just said daddy.”

Kaizen didn’t listen to Astelle and looked at the baby with fervent eyes.

“Try again. Say ‘daddy….’”

The baby tilted her head, sucking on a finger.

“Ng……?”

“She definitely said daddy…….”

Astelle looked at him pathetically and shook her head.

The baby said something like that yesterday. Even when she saw Hannah, she was like ‘Dada dada!’.

Astelle tried to tell him that but decided not to.

The princess lost interest in what Kaizen said to her and reached for the flower by the window again.

She wiggled her fingers as if she wanted to grab the flower right away.

“Would you like to have this? But no real flowers. You might just put it in your mouth.”

Kaizen walked to the opposite window, soothing the baby.

“I’ll give you this instead.”

He opened the box under the window.

Astelle belatedly realized that there was a box there.

A blue box with a beautiful pattern was hidden between flower pots. It was a box large enough to hold dozens of books.

Kaizen opened the lid with one hand, and a heap of accessories came out.

“What’s all this?”

“……I saved all of this for our princess.”

“You bought jewelry for the princess?”

The princess is only three months old!

“I bought one or two whenever I thought about her for the past three months, but somehow I ended up collecting a lot.”

Just as he said, there are cute dolls and small toys among the tiny necklaces, rings, and hairpins.

Jewelry, dolls, and toys filled the box.

This isn’t a little.

While Astelle looked at Kaizen with a puzzled look, he took a white pearl hairpin made in the shape of a small flower and held it in the baby’s hand.

Looks like he chose the one with rounded corners so there’s no risk of getting hurt.

The princess looked at the flower-shaped pin in her little hand carefully.

Astelle also looked at the hairpin the baby was holding. A subtle light like the morning sun shone on the elaborately made white pearl.

“It will go well with her hair color.”

She couldn’t praise him that he bought it well. Because if she did, she was sure that he would buy double or triple the amount of jewelry for the princess from tomorrow on.

Kaizen turned to Astelle and smiled. “Because our princess resembles you, she goes well with anything.”

He also started talking nonsense in front of the baby.

Astelle ignored his words and walked forward.

She felt she had to stop him from saying such embarrassing things in front of the baby.

Fortunately, the princess was not interested in what her parents were saying because she is just a three-month-old baby, and she only played with the pearl hairpin in her hand.

“Hwaa- hwaa-!”

“Looks like you like it.”

Kaizen has become very good at handling babies. Because he’s had a lot of experience taking care of Theor.

The Kaizen of the past would probably just pick and hand flowers to the baby. That is it.

Astelle smiled happily as she thought of it.

Then Kaizen stopped in front of the middle window of the greenhouse.

“I was going to give you the amulet here then hang it here,” he said as he touched the white curtain.

But he couldn’t because Astelle gave birth early.

Astelle laughed when he heard it. “So that was what you planned.”

As expected, it seems that he intended to give this greenhouse as a gift to her before giving birth.

He must have missed the right time because the baby was born too early.

“This is better.”

Kaizen turned to Astelle again.

“Getting the gift with the princess is better,” she said with a happy smile, imagining a future where the baby would grow up and play here.

Next to her will be her brother, Theor, and her cousin, Gretel’s baby.

Astelle took out what she put in her pocket.

“Then I’ll hang it here as you planned.”

It was a star-shaped amulet made of blue thread given by Kaizen.

Kaizen was a little surprised to see what she took out.

“Do you always carry it with you?”

“No. Your Majesty said you would show me something. I didn’t know what it was, but I thought it had something to do with this, so I brought it along.”

Astelle hung the small amulet by the window.

The unusual combination of the blue jeweled walls and glass windows, the white curtains, and the crude string decorations matched surprisingly well.

“I have a name for our baby,” Kaizen said suddenly as he looked at the amulet hanging from the window.

The princess doesn’t have a name yet. Because it is customary for the imperial families along with the three territories to decide on an imperial baby’s name together after about three months.

“What is it?”

Kaizen’s gaze turned to Astelle and then to the amulet hanging from the window.

He said with a smile, “Estella.”

Estelle has the meaning of a star.

Princess Estella.

That’s a good name.

“You didn’t think about it beforehand, did you?”

“It just came to my mind the moment I saw this.”

Astelle smiled as she looked at the baby who was still holding the flower.

“That’s a good name. Estella.”

Astelle stepped closer to Kaisen, who looked satisfied.

Kaizen, who was holding the baby, belatedly turned to Astelle.

Astelle grabbed his shoulder with one hand and lifted her heel. Then, she lightly kissed Kaizen’s cheek.

Kaizen froze in place.

Astelle looked up at Kaizen, who was standing with a bewildered face, and burst out laughing.

“Thank you for the gift.”

The baby princess between them just blinked her eyes as she looked at them.

Astelle who was still smiling tried to back away but Kaizen grabbed her arm and pulled her back toward him.

He murmured softly, “Lucky you Estella is watching.”

Really, she was going to nag him this time for not talking nonsense in front of the baby.

She really would have if Kaizen had not suddenly grabbed her arm and devoured her lips

The two shared a sweet kiss with the baby between them in a greenhouse bathed in warm sunlight.

***

The next day, the newly-born empress was officially named Estella.

And after a while, a new heir was born to the Duke of Reston.