Gardenia of Blooming Desire

Chapter 165: Backing

"You picked that slut's kid to Golden Palace?! Leopold, you are insane! She will destroy us!" Empress Eva had just heard that Celine's daughter, Camille, had been picked up by her husband and was going to live under her real identity as princess of Golden Camellia.

"Honey, relax, I picked her because she is still a golden blood. Golden blood has important traits that should be controlled, or else she will be a real threat to Golden Camellia."

"What threat?! Just kill her already! She is just trash!"

" I can't kill her."

"What is in your mind now? Did you suddenly fall in love with Celine!?"

"No!" Emperor Leopold rebuked harshly. "She is still my daughter, Eva! I believe she will be useful for me, for us!"

Empress was enraged to the core, she didn't want to listen. She just stormed out from the room and went straight to Camille's new room.

Camille had been calculating that soon, Empress Eva would come to her room anyway, thus, she already prepared herself before. She sat on the chair and wrote something studiously. She heard an angry footstep from outside.

'Three two one.'

"You! Slut kid!" Empress Eva broke into Camille's room. Emperor Leopold was following from behind, but he said nothing and just observed.

Camille who was writing on her desk was frightened with the sudden interruption. Camille trembled instantly when she saw Empress Eva. She prostrated with her head touched to the floor. Afraid that Empress would kill her.

"Wwwhat can I do to Your Majesty Empress?" Camille asked. She almost sobbed out of fear, but the Empress was unforgiving. She pulled Camille's hair and threw her to the side, her body smashed against the desk.

"Why are you here!? Go back to your trash house, now!"

Camille was scared and confused at the same time, she looked at her father, Emperor Leopold. But the Emperor didn't even budge, then Camille felt Empress Eva's high heels kicked her kidney.

Six years old Camille cowered while enduring the pain. She tried to get up and looked at her father one more time, then ran away.

Emperor Leopold did ignore Camille, he didn't help her at all when his beloved Empress abused Camille. But he had this unsettling feeling in his heart. Something similar to guilt.

"There, I kicked her out!" Empress Eva snarled, "You shouldn't do stupid thing, Leopold! We're going to war, WAR! And that bitch Celine caused this!"

Emperor Leopold said nothing, but he nodded slowly. 

"I will order the servant to burn the furniture in this room! It's all dirty with her!" Empress Eva left the room, still snarling.

Emperor Leopold stood still and looked around the room, he noticed something on the desk where Camille wrote something before. He saw a book with an unfinished text on the opened page. 

Emperor checked on the writing and he couldn't help but to praise Camille, 'She is only six and her handwriting is already this beautiful, her sentence is very structured too. She is definitely a prodigy, compared to Ludwig'

'Maybe because of their bloodline'

Camille was definitely a lot smarter than Ludwig, Emperor Leopold wouldn't deny that Camille was born from the Great Arctyr royal princess, of course, she had the upper hand from her bloodline alone compared to Ludwig. Since Eva was just an average maid.

Emperor Leopold read Camille's writing;

'Today, I found out that Emperor Audric III is my dad! It is so surprising for me, but it is a pleasant surprise. I feel sad because I have to leave my mom, but I believe I can ask my dad to give mom better food and clothing!

Well, my mom said that my dad is a valiant hero. But if my dad is actually the Emperor, then he is better than a hero, right? He is the hero of all heroes! I'm so happy that my dad is still alive and well! I will try my best, so I will not disappoint my dad! I want to say to dad that I love'

The writing stopped there, presumably because Empress interrupted. Emperor Leopold closed the book, he clenched his heart tight. There was such crazy emotion that made him almost whimper like a baby.

Emperor Leopold had never felt this kind of sadness before, even when he killed his two brothers and his mother. When he read Camille's letter, there was a mixture of sadness and guilt in his heart that overwhelmed him.

'I am just as terrible as my Emperor father.'

***

'Emperor must've been reading my letter by now.'

Camille had planned everything she could. She hoped that Emperor Leopold wasn't heartless enough to ignore the content, because it was more like a gamble.

Camille was sitting on the chair in one of the pavilion gardens. She was enduring the pain in her kidney, because Empress Eva really kicked her there.

'All I can do now is to return back to Cold Palace and wait for the Emperor to take me back.'

Camille was planning her next move, because she knew no one in this Golden Palace, it was quite hard to gain foothold without the sympathy of the Emperor. This was her only ticket.

It was already eight pm and it was quite cold, she shivered slightly, then she could feel a warm shawl was placed on her neck. She looked on her back and saw a very old lady, probably around eighty years old. She was wearing a thick dress with padding and there were no maids around her.

"Little girl, what are you doing here?" the old lady asked with her gentle voice.

Camille observed the old woman in front of her. She didn't know who this old lady was. But this woman had the bearing of the royal family, not only because of her golden circle eyes and golden hair, but also her gait and elegance. She was old, but she did look really good for her old age.

"Um I ran away, because I'm afraid Her Majesty Empress will be mad at me again"

"Her Majesty Empress? What did you do to make her mad?" the old lady asked. She sat on another side of the table, watching Camille attentively.

"I um His Majesty Emperor brought me to Golden Palace and asked me to call him dad. But Her Majesty Empress hates me, so I ran away when she started to hit me."

"Dad?!" the old lady was surprised. She checked on the little girl's eye. It made her wonder about something.

"You know that Emperor Leopold only has one child, right?"

"Yes, Ludwig is the Crown Prince!"

"Then why did you say you are his daughter?"

"That is because Emperor said so! I don't know much"

At first, the old lady was curious, because she didn't know anything about a little girl with golden blood here. She only knew that she had a grandnephew called Ludwig.

'Is this girl the accidental offspring of Leopold and that princess from the Great Arctyr? I thought she was executed already'

The old lady noticed the little girl kept holding her stomach, around the kidney, she asked, "What happened with your stomach?"

Camille shook her head and lowered her head. The old lady knew something was wrong, she pulled Camille gently to her side and then lifted the dress a little to check on her.

She was shocked with the obvious bruise on Camille's stomach. It was right on the kidney, thus it must have been extremely painful for a kid. She asked, "Who did this?"

Again, Camille didn't answer.

The old lady had a bad feeling about this, she asked again, "You should tell me, you know, I might be able to do something about it."

Camille finally raised her head, but her countenance changed instantly when she saw the tall figure behind the old lady's back. Camille reacted by trying to distance herself from the old lady.

"Little girl? What happened?" the old lady asked Camille. 

"It is a private matter, Aunt Elena shouldn't interfere," said the figure behind the old lady.

The old lady turned her back and sneered instantly, "Oh, it's my traitorous little Leopold. What are you doing here?"

The Emperor cracked his knuckles in response to that insult, "I didn't have time to argue with Aunt Elena, I will take that little girl back."

Emperor Leopold's hand reached for Camille, but she hid behind the old lady instead. The old lady could sense the fear in this little girl and then said, "Why are you taking her back? Who is she anyway? I thought you only have a son."

"It's none of your business! Give her back!" Leopold raised his hand. But he halted when he saw the frightened expression of Camille. She was so frightened that she started crying.

The argument between them stopped, the old lady became even more furious with Emperor Leopold, "I shall leave with this little girl, Emperor, please mind your only child and your filthy low born wife. Please excuse us."

The old lady held Camille's hand and left the Emperor alone in the garden.

Camille was led to another building slightly far from the garden, a small palace guarded by many guards outside. The guards bowed when the old lady passed. Camille never knew this place, but since the old lady protected her, she assumed it was okay to follow her.

The old lady stopped in front of the main door, she smiled at Camille, "This is my small palace, it's not bad, right?"

"Um ma'am, ifif it's allowed, can I ask something?"

"Go on, sweetheart."

"Who are you?"

The old lady caressed Camille's head gently and replied, "I am the current Golden Princess, my name is Elena Anna Camellia."