Waah… uwaahh… wahh…
The cry of a newborn echoed through the grand chamber.
"Congratulations, Your Majesty. A prince has been born."
The middle-aged midwife bowed deeply before the tall man standing near the bed.
"Thank you for your hard work. You may leave."
His voice was calm, yet carried the natural authority of a ruler.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Creak.
The heavy door closed behind her.
The Emperor stepped closer to the bed.
"Thank you for your hard work, My Queen."
The vast chamber shimmered under golden chandeliers, walls adorned with silk drapes and intricate carvings. Upon the grand canopy bed lay a breathtaking woman with short platinum hair and emerald eyes. Though her beauty remained radiant, exhaustion was evident on her pale face.
"Thank you… Your Majesty," she replied softly.
She looked at her husband , a man with white hair and golden eyes , a man she had rarely seen these past months.
"It feels like only yesterday that you told me you were with child," the Emperor murmured. "And yet… nine months have already passed."
"That is because you were too preoccupied with your duties to notice the passing of time," the Queen answered gently, though helplessness laced her voice. She had grown accustomed to such absences.
The Emperor's expression darkened.
"I'm sorry I could only come now, My Queen. The Empire has been in chaos for months. A handful of greedy nobles care for nothing but their wealth."
Sadness and anger intertwined in his tone.
The Queen closed her eyes briefly.
"As long as you can be a good father to our child… that is enough."
There was the faintest trace of resentment beneath her words.
She understood the burden he carried as Emperor. Still, she was not only a queen — she was a wife.
The Emperor stepped forward and gently pulled her into his arms.
"I promise you. From now on, I will be a better husband… and a better father."
For a moment, the tension between crown and family softened.
Then he glanced around.
"Where is our little prince?"
"The maid has taken him to be cleaned," the Queen replied.
***
"Waaahh… waaahhh…!"
The newborn's cries echoed sharply through the dim chamber.
"Chi… shut up!"
The middle-aged woman glared at the baby in her arms, disgust flashing across her face.
Her expression held none of the warmth expected from someone holding a newborn prince.
A hooded figure stood near the window, face hidden beneath heavy shadows.
"Are you certain you want to do this?" the hooded man asked quietly as the infant was shoved into his arms.
"Of course," she replied without hesitation. "If I want to secure my son's future, this one must disappear."
There was no affection in her voice. Only cold calculation.
The hooded man sighed.
"Hah… I will help you this once. After this, our debt is settled."
"Good," she said flatly. "Make sure no one can recognize him."
"I know what to do."
***
30 minute later
(Unknown POV)
"Hah… I really don't want to do this."
I looked down at the newborn prince in my arms.
Even under the pale light, it was obvious.
White hair. Golden eyes.
The unmistakable features of the Imperial Royal Family.
No one would mistake him for anything else.
He's going to be dangerously handsome when he grows up, I thought bitterly. A true heir in every sense.
The baby stared up at me, unaware of the fate decided for him.
"To be honest… I don't want to do this."
But a promise is a promise.
Her family once saved my life. This is my repayment.
Still…
"…There might be another way."
If I cannot betray my promise… then I will leave his fate to the heavens.
Slowly, I placed the infant inside a woven basket lined with cloth.
The baby whimpered softly.
"I'm sorry."
I lowered the basket into the river and let the current carry it away.
"I don't know if you'll survive… but don't resent me. I'm just another pawn in this game."
The basket drifted farther and farther into the darkness.
"Oh, my unnamed prince…"
The river swallowed the only rightful heir to the Empire.
Or so they believed.