Another 6 months passed.
A year had passed since the birth of the Prince.
Nathan had grown to be a beautiful boy.
He was starting to walk and had stopped taking breast milk.
He was now able to push his hands into the sleeves while getting dressed.
He has also learned to say a few more words.
He would also turn the pages of the books by himself.
He was a sweetheart and everyone who met him loved him.
Violet's parents and brothers had also warmed up to Nathan despite having a bit of reservation towards him.
They all knew that the child was innocent.
But knowing that he was the Emperor's son made it difficult for them to treat the baby wholeheartedly.
Especially for the Duke and brother Stefan.
Now , there was an announcement that wreck havoc in the entire Empire and the neighbouring empires as well.
The entire Empire was now aware of the Emperor's infidelity.
Because Lady Olivia was pregnant again.
Except the few people who knew the truth , majority of the people still believed that the Empress was the birth mother of the Prince.
The Emperor had done a great job at silencing the people who were aware of the Royal secret except family members.
With threats posed to the lives of their loved ones, no one had dare to spill the secret.
Lady Olivia was found to be 2 months pregnant three weeks ago when the Prince turned 9 months old.
The Emperor had actually met the Empress again.
To pose as the mother of the unborn child in Lady Olivia's womb.
' Are the both of them crazy? Delusional?
Did they think I would be thrilled to do it again because I treated Prince Nathan well?' ,
was Violet's first thought.
Though she felt pity for the unborn child who would be labelled as an ' illegitimate child ', Violet could not find it in herself to follow the Emperor's wish.
She refused to lower herself for them a second time.
Violet knew that there would be little to no results if she tried to convince the Emperor so she went to find Lady Olivia.
" Is Lady Olivia really keen to give up her parental rights to me again?
What if the child is a healthy Prince?
Would you abandon him again?
And suppose if he is the Crown Prince?
All the honour and glory would go to me ,
the Empress while no one will recognise you as his mother.
The Emperor would probably take care of all the people who are aware of the child's identity.Just like with Prince Nathaniel.
Besides, would you really be alright and not seethe with jealousy to see your son sitting on the throne and calling me Royal Mother?"
"I've treated Prince Nathan so well that in the past 12 months , he has never sensed that I was not his Mother.
I could do the same to the unborn child in your womb if he is left to my care.
I can make it so that he never seeks out for you. Would you not regret it , Lady Olivia?"
" As a woman whose value depends only on the Emperor's love for you , don't you think it's a shame that the Emperor has never publicly declared your presence in his life?
Isn't it suspicious? Does he have another woman or does he simply not find Lady Olivia worthy enough to deal with the repercussions that shall follow with the announcement of you being his mistress? Does Lady Olivia really think you would remain young and beautiful forever? That the Emperor would not favour another woman in the days to come?"
Lady Olivia must have been scared of her position being threatened .
Violet did not know how Lady Olivia convinced the Emperor that day but he was swift in announcing the news that Lady Olivia was his lover and they were expecting a baby together.
Maybe it was because the situation in the Empire was much more stable now.
Or he just could not bare to see his beloved crying.
But if he really loved her as much as he claimed , why would he hide her all this time?
Why would he marry another woman?
Was it really for the sake of the Empire?
And now that everyone knew that the Emperor's mistress was pregnant with a child, Violet wondered why the Emperor still kept the secret of Prince Nathan's birth.
Of course , Violet wouldn't allow him to expose the secret of the Prince's birth either.
She was merely curious.
Was he doing it just to uphold his end of the deal?
Violet really couldn't understand the way the Emperor's mind worked.
But before he made the announcement , the Emperor went to the Empress' room and caused a disturbance.
Thankfully , nothing major happened as Violet was prepared for such an outcome.
And he still made the announcement anyway.
The Emperor's announcement had caught the Empire by a storm.
The people felt extremely bad for the kind Empress but no one dared to openly criticise the Emperor.
' The Royal Prince is only 12 months old! How could the Emperor already get another woman pregnant?'
' The Royal marriage has not been even 2 years and the Emperor already found a lover! How could he be so cruel towards the Empress?'
If only they knew.
That the Emperor was already unfaithful during the engagement.
That he had announced to his wife on the night of the wedding that he had a lover!
But who would dare to criticise the Emperor at his face?
That would mean a dead sentence for the person and his entire family.
The Empress received sympathetic looks everywhere she went.
Many people called her "The Abandoned Empress " behind closed doors.
Her family was distressed but Violet did not mind so much.
It did not really change anything significant.
What was kept a secret was now simply out in the open.