The emperor insisted that he would bring them home and Melissa had no choice but to go along. It would be useless to argue with the emperor since she would come with him to the palace eventually. The moment she said yes to him, it meant that she would devote her life to the emperor. That was the only way for Luca to survive as a prince because he had a commoner mother.
"I'll send you clothes tomorrow along with a carriage. Make sure to wear those before coming to the palace." The emperor kissed her cheeks and smiled at his son who was carried by Melissa. "I'll see you again tomorrow, son. I'll make sure to give you everything that you deserved as a prince of this empire."
Though Luca could not understand, he smiled at his father and nodded. "Thank you, Father. I'll take care of Mother today so please don't worry."
The emperor chuckled and patted his son's head. "Thank you, son. Take care."
The kid waved goodbye to the man and the carriage departed. Melissa let out a sigh of relief as soon as the carriage and the knights were out of sight.
"Mother, what was that sigh for?" Luca asked. He thought that being with his father would be better, but why would his mother let out a sigh of relief as soon as the emperor was gone.
"It will be suffocating starting tomorrow, son." Melissa smiled and kissed her son's forehead. "There would be knights always keeping an eye and guarding you no matter what you do."
"Just like the knight over there?" Luca laughed as he pointed from behind the tree near their house.
Melissa walked towards the direction that Luca pointed and her eyes grew wide when she saw two knights hiding there. "What are you doing here?"
The knights' eyes grew wide when they saw Melissa behind them.
"Your Highnesses!" The two bowed their heads at the sight of Melissa and Luca. How did they not notice the presence of those two coming from behind?
"I asked you a question, Sir Knights. What are you doing here when His Majesty already left?" Melissa looked at them with suspicious eyes. Did the Empress already hear about the Emperor's search for her?
"Your Highness, we were assigned by His Majesty to guard you until you safely returned to the palace. However, the emperor also tasked us to do it discreetly so that our presence would not be comfortable for the both of you." One knight explained with his head still down.
Melissa sighed. "Is that so. Then please keep on guarding us. I'll bring you something to eat after I finish cooking."
"Thank you, Your Highness." The knights bowed to her once again.
Melissa shook her head. "Don't address me that way. I am not a queen and my son is not yet a prince. Please refrain from addressing us in such a manner."
She turned her back on the knights and walked back to the house. Luca who clung to his mother felt sorry for the knights and looked at them with pity.
"Mother! The carriage sent by the palace is here!" Luca ran towards his mother as soon as he saw the carriage stopped in front of their house.
Since the morning, he had been waiting for the carriage to arrive and he was amazed when he saw how majestic it was. It was real! His father was indeed the emperor and he wanted them to return to the palace. Though he still had a lot of questions for him like why did he take too long to find them, Luca had forgotten all of his questions because of the excitement.
He pulled his mother towards the door and the coachman and the messenger bowed before them as soon as the door was opened.
"We greet the future 3rd queen and the prince. Blessings to the Breische Empire."
Luca looked at his mother who kept a composed demeanor and just nodded. He imitated his mother and nodded as well.
After they acknowledged the greetings, the messenger announced the gifts bestowed on them and told them that the carriage would be waiting for them to get ready. The gifts came along with attendants that would help them prepare for their return.
"You look exactly like His Majesty, your highness." The maid said proudly as soon as they finished changing Luca's clothes.
"Am I really a prince?" Luca looked at his reflection in a mirror. "Being a prince means getting to wear cool clothes like this, right?"
Luca smiled at the maids and the maids smiled back. The kid in front of them resembled the emperor so much that it was hard to deny that he was from the imperial lineage.
"We should go see Her Highness, my Prince." One of the maids led the way toward Melissa's room.
Luca followed eagerly and gasped when he entered the room and saw his beautiful mother in a luxurious dress and expensive pieces of jewelry.
"I really don't think I should wear something like this," Melissa mumbled. She wanted to wear something neat and comfortable—befitting of her status. However, the emperor sent her something to wear so she could not just reject it as she wanted.
"Mother, you look amazing…" Luca was at a loss for words. He walked towards his mother and the latter carried him carefully.
"Shall we go?" Melissa asked the attendants and they all nodded. They boarded the carriage and they finally set off towards the palace.
"Mother, is the palace a beautiful place?" Luca asked with eyes filled with curiosity.
"Of course it is. Living in the palace means having a bigger room than the one you had at our house. You can also enjoy tea anytime you want and play inside a big garden. You will also get to taste delicious meals and snacks. Most of all, you will be living with your father," Melissa explained with a smile. However, her eyes seemed worried.
She knew that the luxurious life that she and Luca could experience would cost a lot. Luca would be shackled by the rules meant for members of the imperial family. She would also have to hide Luca's talents from the ladies of the palace to keep him safe.
Luca would experience discrimination because he was her son. Could she really bear to watch all of those unfold before her eyes? But what could she do? The emperor wanted him to live like a prince. He promised to protect them.
"You say that it was a wonderful place, so why do you seem to be worried that we're going there?" Luca stood on the couch and reached for her mother's cheeks. "Are you afraid of the people there?"
"What are you saying, son?" Melissa forced a smile. "There's nothing to be afraid of. Your father will protect us."
She did not know whether to feel relieved that her son was sharp enough to notice her feelings or not. Luca was intelligent despite his innocence. She did not want that innocence to be tainted by the power struggle inside the palace. She just wanted him to grow healthy and normal.
"I heard from the other maids earlier." Luca smiled to assure her when her brows furrowed in worry. "They say that if I did not look like His Majesty, no one would believe that I am his son and it would be hard for the nobles to accept that I was a prince."
"Don't listen to them, Luca." Melissa cupped Luca's cheeks and looked him in the eye. "You are a prince. You need to remember that no matter what."
"Why do the nobles need to accept that I am a prince? Isn't that the obvious thing because I am my father's son?" Luca pouted but then he smiled when he saw the worry on Melissa's face. "Don't worry, Mother. I'll remember that always."