Chapter 113 --113
"I made arrangements. Your mother had a research assistant—a woman named Nanny Yue. Skilled in transformation magic. I paid her to use that magic to appear as your mother. Not perfectly—the enchantment couldn’t hold under close scrutiny—but enough that a small child wouldn’t know the difference."
Elara’s breath caught. "The woman who raised me..."
"Was Nanny Yue, transformed to look like your mother. I thought... I thought if you had even a semblance of her presence, it would be better than nothing. So for years, until you were old enough to remember clearly, Nanny Yue cared for you while appearing as Imperial Consort Mei."
"How long?"
"The official story is wrong." The Emperor’s voice was firm. "I met your mother in disguise. Just like Lin Mei. I was traveling as a common scholar, visiting her research facility. We talked for hours about magical theory, about applications that could improve civilian life. She didn’t know who I was. And she... she saw me. Really saw me. Not the Emperor. Just a man who understood her work."
He swirled his wine. "We fell in love. Real love, built on actual connection instead of political positioning. And when she discovered I was the Emperor, she didn’t run. She didn’t try to use me. She just said, ’Well, that explains why your questions about imperial resource allocation were so specific.’"
Despite everything, Elara almost smiled.
"We were going to leave," the Emperor continued. "I was ready to abdicate. To walk away from this throne I’d built for a dead woman and live as a commoner with your mother. We had plans. A small house in the countryside. Research work. Normal life."
"What stopped you?"
"She became pregnant with you. And when the palace physicians confirmed it, when word spread that I’d impregnated a commoner..." He exhaled slowly. "The same noble families that killed Lin Mei started mobilizing. I could see it happening again. So I made a different choice."