I’ll Quit as The Empress

Perhaps, thanks to Adrian’s care and sincerity, the black hawk grew bigger day by day. If recalling how weak and ugly the hawk was when he was born, it was quite impressive to see him growing up as healthy and strong as he was now.

“Ugly, fly!”

The little hawk, whose wing feathers had begun to grow quite a bit, started to flap at Adrian’s voice.

Rebecca had run away already. On the other hand, Fabian and Evelyn watched Adrian’s every training session with their cheerful faces.

“High, high!”

“Prince, he can’t fly that high yet.”

The bird trainer next to Adrian looked confused. Because the eagle was too young to be trained seriously.

To be honest, the trainer still doubted he could train the hawk. He couldn’t expect much because Adrian brought the bird, which usually had been culled.

“……Okay, let’s get bigger Ugly! Eat this!”

Adrian shouted with curiosity and stuck out his snack. Then the bird trainer quickly took the cookie and gave it inside the cage to Ugly.

The young hawk flapped in a short distance, looking for his food, and landed next to Adrian, eating his feed. It was a rare thing. Initially, that bird had a fierce and ferocious nature.

“Good boy, my Ugly.”

Adrian’s little hand patted the bird’s back, which pecked his food. As he watched them, Fabian briefly asked Evelyn the identity of the little hawk.

“Ugly?”

Evelyn nodded as Fabian spat out a word while looking at the hawk.

“It’s a unique name, isn’t it? But it’s Adrian’s own way of showing his affection. I think he named it that way because he liked it so much.”

“…Name?”

“Yes, Ugly is the bird’s name. Didn’t you know?”

It was really confusing in many ways to use “Ugly” as a name.

“Yeah, that bird so ugly…It doesn’t look like a black hawk.”

“We can’t do anything. Adrian likes it.” Evelyn said, and Fabian took a sip of tea as he thought the same thing.

Duke Metis had dismissed his army. His mother decided to marry Stella with Duke Perth, and the Vatican also compromised with him. Fabian was more compassionate than usual after he had good news in several respects.

“Yes, it’s fine as long as it can make Adrian laughs.”

Fabian didn’t expect that the day he said something like this would come.

Supposedly, the imperial family’s heirs had no time to play except learning etiquette, royal studies, and tested to measure their progress. So, they didn’t even dare to be naughty and laugh like Adrian.

“When I looked at Adrian these days, I thought, Imperial principles aren’t completely correct.”

Adrian’s bright smile was made possible because of Evelyn’s love and care. Well, although Adrian had a little lack of etiquette, he had significantly improved since being mentored by a teacher.

“Thank you for your understanding.”

“……No, he’s also my child.”

Fabian, who gave a calm response, didn’t have such a childhood. So Evelyn could only guess the trouble he had while gave toleration to Adrian.

“I just want him to grow up like this.”

A slight fear floated in Fabian’s eyes. Sir Philip took care of him entirely, but Adrian wasn’t in perfect health yet.

Even if it could definitely be cured, as a father, his heart was hurt whenever he thought of the terrible poison that exists in his small body.

“He’s a brave child, more than anyone else,” Evelyn said in a gentle voice as if she knew what Fabian was thinking.

“Maybe, it’s because he looks like Your Majesty.”

“Maybe, it’s because he looks like you.”

They both said the same thing in unison, with the eyes gazing with great love on each other.

“As a child … I was more gentle than Adrian”, denied Evelyn at once.

“That’s the same with me.”

“Really?”

“Just ask Serus. I was a calm kid.” Fabian said leisurely. “I’ll also ask King and Queen Felice when they come here.”

“What? No!”

“Why? Are you not confident?” asked Fabian, teasing her with eyes full of mischief.

Evelyn was both irritated and fascinated as she watched him, “……Well, anyway, I was quieter than Adrian.” she repeated the same thing.

“Yeah, I could get in big trouble if you weren’t quiet.”

Evelyn squinted her eyes as he made fun of her again. Fabian, seemingly aware of it, tried to distract Evelyn’s mind by reached out, grabbing her arm.

But still, Evelyn deliberately pushed away his hand with a peevish look.

Both of them were still throwing a joke with affection until the very next moment before the problem arose.

“Oh….”

By mistake, Fabian’s sleeve, which Evelyn jokingly pushed away, was unexpectedly ripped after getting stuck in the corner of the table.

Evelyn’s face suddenly darkened. However, Fabian looked indifferent as if it was no big deal, “Don’t put on a face like that, it’s just clothes. Besides, I actually don’t like a quiet child.”

Even after Fabian spoke kindly, Evelyn’s expression still didn’t change. Only then did he follow her gaze.

“Oh, this…..”

Between the ripped sleeves, there was a cotton pad seen on the inside of Fabian’s elbows. The cotton was still drenched in red blood flowing out and was unsightly.

Fabian quickly straightened his sleeves and hid his arms from her sight. But Evelyn’s face was already filled with sadness.

“Evelyn, this is nothing.” Fabian took Evelyn by the hand. “Look, aren’t I really strong and healthy? It’s just like a flea bite. “

Evelyn tried to calm her tears. She was even more, sadder to hear the desperate comfort from Fabian, the person who suffered for them.

“Still… Isn’t it very serious?”

Evelyn barely spoke. Adrian’s small body was in the process of detoxifying the demon’s poison and could be healed only by treatment of his blood.

Although it was his own will, it was a fact that it caused Fabian, the Emperor, to lose a lot of blood.

However, Sir Philip and Fabian didn’t show much, so Evelyn forgot that they took his blood for medicinal use.

“Your Majesty, are you not pushing yourself too hard? Shouldn’t you have told me too?”

“Evelyn, I’m totally fine. Do you think that only a few drops of blood will hurt my strong body? You’re going to hurt my pride if you worry about these things.” Fabian comforted Evelyn in a sincere voice.

“And there’s nothing better than being able to do something for my child.”

When he thought of Adrian, who was dying at that time, Fabian was grateful his son could run around and laugh like this.

Maybe without Evelyn and Adrian, Fabian wouldn’t have understood these emotions for the rest of his life.

“It’s the best thing I’ve felt since I married you,” he said.

Evelyn tried to erase the shade on her face as she heard Fabian’s warm voice.

“And soon, I’ll marry you again, so there’ll be more good things would happen to me.”

In truth, the Emperor who remarried his ex-wife wasn’t something that was honored.

It would certainly be a historical scribble that would be discussed in future generations’ history, even they had ignored public opinion.

Fabian didn’t care what people said. But undeniably, his remarriage to his former wife was something that had attracted more attention than his achievements as the Emperor.

“I’m… I’m somewhat embarrassed to think, in several ways, about getting married again.” Evelyn said in a sheepish voice.

Looking at it now, the wedding preparations, led by Rebecca, were already underway.

“I’m looking forward to it.” His calm-low voice rang. “At the time of our first marriage, I was very nervous, but I know now what I didn’t know then.”

“You mean.… that’s right.”

Evelyn remembered the day when she married Fabian. She was so nervous and trembling that she couldn’t recall things. She couldn’t focus on Fabian because she was trying not to make mistakes in front of countless eyes.

“The second time, I think I can do better.”

“This is not my first time either, just like Your Majesty, so I am confident.”

Evelyn deliberately chimed in with a brighter smile. She chose to ignore the people’s opinions anyway and wanted to enjoy what she had and focus on each other.

Now, Evelyn knew it was the right thing to do.

“Ugly, ugly, come here!”

Adrian’s lively voice interrupted while they looked at each other lovingly.

“Your Mas-ty! Ugly, say hello to him!”

Fabian held back his laughter at his still-clunky-pronunciation. Now Adrian had steadily mastered etiquette, so he needed the cooperation of the people around him.

Evelyn also seemed to be trying hard not to smile, but she looked at Adrian in a rather dignified way.

“Prince Adrian, what’s the matter?”

When Evelyn asked Adrian, his clear eyes twinkled, “This… Your Mas-ty, Ugly! Nice to meet you!”

Fabian clenched his jaw and hardened his face, and so did Evelyn. Perhaps, this was the suffering of parents when they had to refrain from laughing at Adrian’s adorable and awkward behavior.

“I see. So, his name is Ugly? Fine, I will remember it well.”

“Your Mas-ty! No……..Your Mas-ty…!”

“Pfft….”

As Adrian had reached his limit, Fabian grinned then soon laughed out loud. He couldn’t help it. Though Evelyn had given him a signal to stay quiet.

Adrian tried to move his short tongue with a powerful cry since he couldn’t pronounce ‘Your Majesty’ correctly. It was a habit that Adrian often did after he realized the words sounded identical.

“Fa-father, why are you laughing? Because Adrian is weird?”

Fabian immediately hugged him and set him on his lap when he saw Adrian looking at him with his wide navy eyes. As always, Adrian giggled to show that he enjoyed it.

“No, you did well,” said Fabian, stroking Adrian’s head.

Even though Evelyn felt that he still had a long way to learn etiquette, she didn’t want to disturb the lovely scene between father and son.

“Yes, and Adrian has raised Ugly.”

Who raised who? But for now, Fabian nodded, “Adrian, you too, you must grow up strong and bravely.”

“Yes, like Ugly!”

“That’s not good. You have to grow up like me.”

Adrian’s eyes glistened like tears. Feeling happy, his chubby hips were bouncing in Fabian’s knee. “Can Adrian grow as big as Your Mas-ty? “

“Of course. Because you’re my son. And soon, you’ll be the Crown Prince.”

“Oh…!”

Seeing his innocent expression, Evelyn was convinced that Adrian had no idea what the Crown Prince meant.

“Are you happy to be a Crown prince?” asked Fabian.

This question was actually callous and challenging to answer. Fabian only knew about it himself as he grew up.

“Hm… not really!”

But Adrian didn’t have to. They both smiled softly as they watched Adrian answered coolly about his Crown Prince’s title.

“Become a Crown Prince is a good thing.”

“No! Adrian wants to be like Your Mas-ty”.

If other people said that, he would be considered treason, but the person who told Fabian right now was just a sweet child in his arms.

“That’s what will happen after you become the Crown Prince.”

“Hmm…okay, I get it.” Adrian gently nodded. “But later……Now, Adrian is busy because I have to raise Ugly.”

“Okay, don’t worry. You have a long way to go. I’m still busy raising you too.”

While he had no understanding of what Fabian meant, Adrian still nodded his head. He buried his small head in his arms as if he were trying to feel his father’s affection and love.

“Okay….” Adrian whispered.

Adrian’s nap time had passed. He slowly began to close his eyes and leaned on his chest, grabbing the hem of his clothes with a snoring sound.

Only

After Fabian patted his back head several times, Adrian fell asleep. His little figure who breathed out so soundly while sleeping was so lovely.

“…Oh.” Evelyn, who had only watched them, belatedly uttered embarrassing words.

“I forgot to tell you, but Adrian never changes positions once he takes a nap.”

Fabian was startled and looked at the child in his arms in amazement.

Evelyn was right; Adrian still firmly grasped his hem.

“I can’t believe you’re holding me like this. You’ll be a great guy.” Fabian chuckled. He sat more relaxed so that the child didn’t wake up.

Finally, after a long time, the three of them could spend time together as one family.