Chapter 559 - 557: Thank You, Handsome

Chapter 559: Chapter 557: Thank You, Handsome

It wasn’t just the Emperor; the Empress, holding the small bottle, was also filled with anticipation.

For so many years, she had longed for a child of her own, but the blessing had never come. If her wish could finally be granted this time, she would be willing to do anything.

The Emperor was in high spirits, unable to hide the smile on his face. His gaze fell upon his younger brother and sister-in-law, and a sense of gratitude welled up in his heart.

True kinship had always been a rarity within the Crown, but his family was different. Though his younger brother seemed cold and distant, he still cared for him. Otherwise, he never would have sought out a fertility potion for them, knowing he was without a child.

He was deeply moved.

The Emperor thanked them again.

"Brother, I must thank you both for this."

The Empress clasped Celeste Grant’s hand, her face full of gratitude. "Sister-in-law, thank you. Whether it succeeds or not, I am truly grateful."

Celeste Grant gently patted her arm and said softly, "Don’t worry, it will definitely work. You’ll know in a month."

Javier Sinclair glanced at them and said, "Don’t celebrate too soon. We didn’t do it entirely for you."

Celeste Grant smiled slightly and added, "That’s right! I have my own selfish reasons. We just want our son to have his own choices and be able to live the life he wants. He can’t bear the heavy burden of this empire, so you two will just have to work a little harder, have a child, and raise them well. Besides, Royal Brother, you’re only forty this year. This is an age when you should be working hard and striving, so it’s not too late to have one now."

As soon as she said this, the corners of the Emperor and Empress’s mouths twitched, and they froze on the spot as if petrified. ’Are these supposed to be words of comfort from our sister-in-law? Why do they sound so bitter? Are we just fated to work ourselves to the bone?’

The Emperor was already doing the math in his head.

He was forty this year. If he had a child now, the child would only reach adulthood when he was sixty. This meant his dream of abdicating to travel the world with the Empress was still a long way off. He suddenly felt that being the Emperor was truly a difficult lot.

Before the two of them could stand there questioning their life choices,

Javier Sinclair reached out and took Celeste Grant’s hand.

"Celeste, let’s go home."

"Alright! Let’s go, Son."

"Okay, Mother."

As the family of three departed, Celeste Grant even waved to the royal couple. "Royal Sister-in-law, we’re leaving now."

"Alright, take care."

Watching the backs of the family of three recede into the distance, the Emperor and Empress, still standing in the same spot, exchanged a look and felt a pang of envy.

"Their bond is so strong."

The Warden of the North was completely devoted to his Princess Consort. He had no other women by his side, nor any concubines in his manor. For so many years, he had remained faithful to the Princess Consort alone. Such deep affection was a rare sight among the Crown.

After they left, the Emperor took the Empress’s hand. They looked at each other, and both could see the eagerness in the other’s eyes.

The Emperor wrapped an arm around her waist, swept her up into his arms, and carried her directly to his bedchamber.

It was destined to be a sleepless night...

...

After leaving the palace, the family of three rode in their carriage, which slowly made its way toward South District Avenue. The Warden’s Northern Manor was just past it.

At night, Atheria was ablaze with lights, and the streets bustled with people.

All sorts of lanterns were hung overhead, illuminating the streets.

Seeing how lively it was outside, Aaron Sinclair wanted to get out and stroll around. "Mother, let’s get out and walk. It looks so busy out there."

Celeste Grant lifted the curtain of the carriage window, glanced outside, and nodded slightly. "Alright! It’s still early."

Aaron Sinclair called out, "Zephyr, find a place to stop."

The voice of the guard driving the carriage came from outside.

"Yes, Young Master."

The carriage continued for a short distance before pulling over to the side of the road. The moment it stopped, Aaron Sinclair was the first to get up, push aside the curtain, and duck out of the carriage.

Celeste Grant and Javier Sinclair followed him out. The family of three took a stroll down the street, with the guard, Zephyr, trailing behind them.

Javier Sinclair and Celeste Grant walked arm-in-arm, leaning in to speak to each other from time to time.

"Candied haws! Get your delicious candied haws!"

Seeing a candied haw vendor pass by, Celeste Grant looked up. Her gaze shifted to her son walking ahead of them, and she asked,

"Aaron, do you want some candied haws?"

Hearing this, Aaron Sinclair, who was walking ahead of them, stopped and turned back.

He glanced at the candied haws on the rack the vendor was carrying and asked, "How much are these candied haws?"

The candied haw vendor hurried over. Seeing that the boy was dressed like he was wealthy or of high status, he immediately said respectfully, "Young master, my candied haws are five cents a stick. They’re very sweet, we use a lot of sugar. You get what you pay for, they’re absolutely delicious!"

Aaron Sinclair said, "I’ll take all of them."

’All of them?’ The vendor thought he had misheard. When it registered, he nodded happily. "Right away, right away, young master."

Zephyr, who was following behind them, stepped forward, took the straw rack studded with candied haws, and hoisted it onto his shoulder. Then he took out some Silver and handed it to the vendor.

The candied haw vendor beamed after receiving the Silver.

"Thank you, thank you."

With that, the vendor took the Silver and scurried away.

Celeste Grant walked up, her eyes widening in surprise as she looked at the candied haws on the guard’s shoulder. "Son, you bought so many. Are you planning on a career change to sell candied haws?"

Aaron Sinclair smiled, taking a stick and handing it to his mother. He then took one for himself. "Mother, you can just wait for your son to support you by selling candied haws."

Hearing this, Celeste Grant couldn’t help but laugh out loud. "Alright, alright. Your mom will be depending on you from now on."

Aaron Sinclair stopped in his tracks.

It was clearly the first time he had ever heard his mother use that word, yet it felt strangely familiar. The word "momma" surfaced in his mind instinctively.

"Does ’mom’ mean ’mother’? I feel like I’ve heard the word ’momma’ somewhere before. It must be a regional term that I’ve forgotten."

Celeste Grant was taken aback; she hadn’t expected her son to recall the word "momma." She smiled, stroking his head as she said softly, "Oh, ’momma’! That’s what they call a mother back in my hometown. It means the same thing as ’mother’."

He nodded slightly.

"I see."

Standing nearby, Javier Sinclair heard the mother and son’s lighthearted exchange, and the corners of his lips couldn’t help but curve into a smile.

Along the way, many parents passed by with their children. When the kids saw the candied haws on Zephyr’s shoulder, their eyes went wide with envy.

The passing children tugged on their mothers’ sleeves, their eyes fixed on the candied haws on Zephyr’s shoulder.

"Mother, I want candied haws."

"Father, I want to eat candied haws."

Aaron Sinclair raised a hand and gestured.

"Zephyr, give them some."

"Yes, sir."

The children who received the candied haws thanked him sweetly.

"Thank you, big brother."

"Thank you, big brother."