Yeon, the maid of Suin — the emperor’s fiancée and the esteemed daughter of the Duke of the Western Kingdom — entered the palace twenty years ago as the young emperor’s nanny after he lost his parents.

As time passed, the emperor grew into a handsome man, but Yeon, who was still unmarried, remained by his side.

“You still think of me as your little baby, don’t you?”

“Your Majesty.”

“Suin cannot enter the palace unless you bear my child.”

Ryu smirked, curling his lips into a sharp, cold, precise smile that cut like a knife.

Yeon swallowed hard when his fingertips brushed beneath her chin.

“If you carry my child, I will no longer be your baby anymore. Because then… I will be the father of your child.”