Oh! My Empress

Audrey Lazarus wanted to slap her rebellious daughter for trying to ruin everything she had worked for thus far. Teaching a kid of a concubine would mean he would become contender to become an heir, threatening her own son's position. She had eliminated all the male kids in the family one way or the other. Where did this 'Christopher' creep up from? She was sure she had removed every hurdle from her son's path. And this kid was nine years old already?

"Christopher? Does not ring a bell," Harold Whittemore finally changed his pose, putting his arms down and opening his eyes wide in surprise.

Kim Su Won could not get any more disgusted with this man. He did not remember his own children? On one hand, he resembled and behaved like her original dad and she would easily take advantage of that. But on the other hand, this man could not be more different than her dad. What was wrong with this man, seriously?

"H-his mother is no more, unfortunately. He has been playing with me for quite a while now and I believe he really has talent with studies. Duke, if he gets to have teachers, I might be able to sit with him in the classes. I will try my best to show my sincerity. Plus, having a scholar from our family will be good for our reputation too, right? If he can become a helper to elder brother Ivan later, that would be the best, right?" she pleaded with her whole being, almost looking desperate.

Audrey wanted to say something but observing her husband's attitude, it seemed like he was really giving it a thought. To be honest, her husband was a mystery to herself too. He would fool around with so many women, even getting illegitimate kids on the way but for him, his wife and three children were the only family. Or were they? He was rather married to his work. His friends also included his work circle only. He had no acquaintances outside of his work circle, meaning the other dukes and the emperor.

He was too busy to look after house affairs, so she was the one who was raising her kids however she wanted. He was not even surprised at this rude kid's sudden appearance and even pleading on behalf of an outsider. Was he seriously going to consider her proposal and interfere in her ways for the first time in their lives?

"I cannot make that decision for you Emma. You know we have clear division of responsibilities. It utterly disappoints me that you did not discuss with your mother," Harold Whittemore shrugged in helplessness. He had thought it through and he was well aware of his wife's ways. He knew if he said yes, then his wife would be furious and then he would have more headache in life. He did not have even an ounce of time to spare for his crazy wife, he would rather be working.

Audrey breathed a sigh of relief. Her husband did honor her after all. She glared at the girl with a glint of triumph in her eyes. Hah! This wench was being oversmart to directly go to her father. Now she would make sure that neither that bastard child nor her would get any education at all. Anyway, this girl was not fit to study.

Kim Su Won felt a sense of urgency. She was failing real bad here and she needed to salvage the situation. Her plan to get herself and her brother educated was not going to get fulfilled at this rate.

She tried remembering the worst memory from her previous life. She needed to produce tears and in her panic, they were not coming. She had to act even more pitiful than she was right now. Of the countless haunted memories from her past, her mind settled at one where her sister had called her, bawling one day.

She was still in her office, far away from her home. But her sister, Kim Su Jin, was living with her family at that time. Her baby sister was still in high school, so did not have any choice. Their conversation had gone something like this:

"Sister, mom she…," her sister was breathless on the phone. She had perhaps already cried for a good few minutes.

"Why Su Jin-ah, what happened this time?" Kim Su Won had rolled her eyes. This was an everyday thing at home. Her sister was more disobedient that her and it did not sit right with their mother. She always compared the two sisters and was particularly fond of Kim Su Won, since she was the elder kid and also listened to her mother well. Su Jin, on the other hand, was more aware of her life and rights. It must have been another usual brawl between the mother and younger daughter.

"She… she called me a b*tch," Kim Su Jin dropped a bomb on her elder sister. Their mother had never used extreme curse words on her daughters ever. Kim Su Won had heard a few milder ones herself before, but not living at her own house for quite a while now, she had no idea what her mother was turning into. And that woman absolutely refused to get counseling for she did not want to be labeled as crazy.

That was the moment when Kim Su Won had wanted to fly to her sister and hug her, comfort her, bring her to her city, away from their mother. But it was just not possible. She had never felt so helpless in her life like this. That day, she cried with her sister over their sad situation.

The moment still brought such heartache to her. She herself was in no different situation now. It was even more heartbreaking to experience all that agony firsthand. She really wanted to see her sister once again now. How was that kid coping with her loss?

A pool of tears inadvertently formed at the bottom of her eyes. Ah, her poor sister! And her poor brother Chris! What was she to do in this situation? How could she help them? This pain was tearing her apart.. Her head was not able to keep calm anymore and the dam finally broke.