The Emperor and the Knightess

Chapter 189

“Welcome, your highness, we have been expecting you.”

Duke Luzo and his wife waited at the castle gate and when they spotted the emperor, they bowed deeply. At the highest point of the castle, a large flag was hung to announce the arrival of the emperor. It was quite a sight as the north wind blew around it, making the magnificent flag dance. Unlike the castles in the mid-continent and the southern regions, Nanaba castle was coarser, making it look sturdier and oddly beautiful.

“You may rise, Duke Luzo.”

Lucius the First and Duke Luzo stood side by side. With a wig and diet, Duke Luzo regained his handsome look. Even by the emperor’s side, Duke Luzo still looked gorgeous. The ladies, seeing the two most beautiful men in the kingdom, exclaimed in delight.

The emperor announced hurriedly, “Let’s go inside.”

When he entered his room, Lucius the First quickly took off his clothes and asked for a bath to be prepared. He didn’t even wait for the servants to help him; he washed himself rapidly and walked towards his beloved cousin’s quarters.

As the emperor entered Duke Luzo’s room with his golden hair still wet, the maids blushed. Even Duke Luzo was surprised to see his cousin, who came in unannounced. As soon as Lucius the First spotted his cousin, he ordered firmly, “Where is my nephew? I would like to see my adorable nephew now.”

It has been a year since Duke Luzo and his wife had their baby. During the last year, Lucius the First was dying to see his first and only nephew, but it wasn’t possible. He couldn’t leave the capital unattended during that time, and his nephew was too young to travel to see him. The only thing Lucius the First had was the portrait of his nephew Duke Luzo sent him and it wasn’t enough to satisfy the emperor.

If Lady Rebecca wasn’t pregnant with his child, the emperor might have run away to see his nephew secretly. Duke Luzo complained at the emperor, who insistently demanded to see his nephew, “Your highness! Calm down!”

“You don’t understand, this is my first nephew! You were my only cousin and now, you have a baby! Can you imagine how I have been feeling the past year about not being able to see my very first nephew?!”

“But you are going to be a father yourself very soon.”

“That’s the only reason why I didn’t come here as soon as I heard you had a baby!”

When the emperor left to rule in the new capital, he left Duke Luzo in charge of the north. Lucius the First promised his cousin to free him when he got married, but clearly, the emperor lied. Duke Luzo was upset that he got stuck again in the Nanaba castle with the burden of running the north again. He should’ve known better than to trust his sneaky emperor.

And now, Lucius the First was demanding to see his son.

The wet nurse brought the baby wrapped in a thick blanket. The emperor grinned widely as he held the little bundle.

“Hahaha, so adorable.”

“Your highness, please calm down.”

Duke Luzo whispered to the emperor, but Lucius the First ignored him. He couldn’t help laughing joyously as he exclaimed, “How could I calm down? How could I stop smiling? Look at this adorable baby! So cute! So handsome! So heavy! He is so amazing!”

Duke Luzo’s baby boy, Park Luzo, wasn’t quite a year old yet. He was taking a nap when the emperor grabbed him. The baby woke up and looked up at Lucius the First with an odd expression, making the emperor laugh in delight.

Because Lucius the First didn’t have an heir yet, technically, Park Luzo was second in line to the throne at this point. Even when the emperor had a male heir, Park Luzo will still remain the heir to the Dukedom, which made him a very important baby. At the moment, one could say that Park Luzo was in fact the highest-ranking baby in the kingdom.

When Duke Luzo saw how awkwardly Lucius the First held the baby, he became uncomfortable. Duke Luzo asked, “Your highness, please hand me back my baby please.”

“Can he support his head by now? Yes, he can! How adorable? So cute! Haha! Very cute! Park! I am your uncle!”

“Your highness! You are scaring the baby!”

Duke Luzo trembled as he watched the emperor dote on his baby. Lucius the First seemed to instantly fall in love with his nephew, so how obsessed is he going to be when his own child is born? Duke Luzo couldn’t even imagine.

The emperor clearly knew nothing about babies. Park Luzo was almost a year old, which meant that he could not only support his head, he could crawl and even stand. Yet Lucius the First was asking about if the baby could support his own head. The emperor looked clumsy holding the baby, and Duke Luzo couldn’t just watch it anymore. He quickly grabbed his son back, and Lucius the First looked at him in disappointment. The heavy weight of the baby felt so warm and wonderful.

Lucius the First didn’t have any siblings. Duke Luzo was an only child as well. They both lost their mothers at a very young age, so they had lonely childhoods. They grew up together along with Sir Ainno, and to the emperor, Duke Luzo was like his own brother. Lucius the First loved Duke Luzo dearly, so to see Duke Luzo’s baby was an incredible feeling.

Only

The emperor said to him, “When Rebecca bears me a son, they can play together; your son will make a great playmate for my son.”

“Your highness, you can’t do that. If you do, I will leave this castle and return to my own home.”

What the emperor was suggesting was that Duke Luzo should send his son to Yapa to become the playmate for the emperor’s child. Duke Luzo couldn’t understand why the emperor would suggest such a thing. He could see sending his second child perhaps but definitely not his first-born. Duke Luzo would never give up his heir to the emperor.

When his cousin looked upset, Lucius the First promised not to take Park Luzo away. Still feeling wishful, the emperor said to him, “But don’t you think it would be great for your son and my son to grow up together as we did?”

“Your highness, what you need to do is to have many children of your own. That would be the best way to go about it.”

Duke Luzo imagined what it would be like for his son to grow up in the emperor’s household, and he trembled in fear. His case of baldness never ran in his family, so why did Duke Luzo lose so much hair? It was all because of the emperor and how he forced Duke Luzo to work so hard. The stress and overwork were what caused Duke Luzo to need a wig. If his son had to work for the emperor… Duke Luzo’s eyes watered just imagining his own son becoming bald too. He definitely couldn’t let this happen.

Duke Luzo smiled proudly and kissed Park’s forehead.