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Emily couldn't say she meant to eavesdrop on Kirin and Corvus.
But she absolutely meant to surprise Kirin by sneaking in through the balcony door to his office. Because when the Outsider had made it so blissfully easy to sneak up on unsuspecting friends, family and loved ones, why wouldn't she take advantage of a bit of fun every now and again?
And Kirin had been cooped up in his office since breakfast, Emily knew as much because she had been running late herself and made a point to ask Dorane, a sweet serving girl who always had a ribbon braided into her hair, if Kirin had come down for lunch.
Sadly, Emily had found herself more than bogged down with her own work that morning so she couldn't go and drag Kirin away from his work without making herself a hypocrite. She could however make time to sit and eat with her little Corvus, as she always did.
Emily may have been the Empress of the Isles, but as her mother did for her, she refused to allow a nanny or wet nurse to raise her son in her stead.
That being said, it also didn't bode well for Emily to have her son be so isolated in his schooling. While she could recall her tutelage fondly, keeping up with old teachers, Callista especially, who she loyally wrote to every fortnight…
Emily could still recall the loneliness of her youth…
There were very few noble children born during or around Emily's birthday, and even fewer girls for her to associate with, because there was no playing as noble children, only networking and pretending.
Which was why Emily initially suggested that… Perhaps, tutelage wouldn't be the best option for Corvus. Yes it would have offered him a more structured learning environment, with full access to his teacher and all the benefits of being a sole pupil, but at the cost of social interaction and the chance of genuine friendship?
Kirin wasn't exactly thrilled by the idea, but then again, he still had years of resentment festering like a rotting tooth lodged in his skull. Had Kirin been offered the same privileges that Corvus had, he wouldn't have had to spend years crawling his way out of the gutters of society.
Emily pointed out that while Corvus need not worry about 'crawling out of societies gutters' Kirin's words nor hers, she understood Kirin's point of view, but even he had to admit that he had learned more than his fair share of valuable life lessons by attending school with other children.
So they settled for a compromise and found their boy a good school, or according to Kirin, and after a literal year of research, tours and comparisons, the best school.
The school was, of course, for the elite, and not just because Kirin wanted what he was sure to be the best for his son, or the fact that Emily would rather her son to stay close to home.
There was also the glaring fact that Corvus was to be Emperor one day, so safety and school security was of course taken into account. Kirin was even prepared to donate a few dozen Clockwork Sentinels to the school just to be sure, but Emily managed to talk him down to two which would remain at the front entrance, pointing out that many noble families sent their children to the school, and nothing had happened throughout all the years of the school's operations.
Unfortunately for the three of them, it was a boarding school…
Kirin had assured both Emily and his son that, for everything the school offered, the fact that Corvus was to remain on the premises throughout the school year, not including the hol breaks, was the only downside.
Private rooms and baths, small class sizes, a varied dietary plan and more than enough common rooms and lounges for social interaction. An education most parents would kill for their children to have.
The real selling point however was the fact that, as the school was situated in Dunwall, students whose families resided close enough were allowed to return home over the weekends granted they remained on top of their school work.
Emily, since Corvus began his education, approximately seven months ago, had made sure to clear off at least half of her weekends to spend with her son, though she often managed to clear her whole schedule.
The duties of an Empress never ceased, but Emily was more than willing to put them on pause for Corvus.
That being said, it was Saturday, just past two in the afternoon, and Emily had finally finished everything she had wanted to get done for the weekend, leaving the rest of her day, and all of Sunday open for Corvus.
And as Kirin had yet to have lunch, Emily made the executive decision as Empress to round up her three favorite boys, because there was no way her father would miss the chance to sit and visit with his grandson, for coffee, cake and family time in the lounge.
But first thing first, getting Kirin away from his table.
Which was how Emily came to be where she was, standing on the balcony of Kirin's office, peering around the edge of the bundled up curtains just beside the door, waiting for the perfect moment to slip inside…
Of course, her perfect opportunity to sneak inside, that opportunity being the office door opening, Emily thought it was Dorane coming to bother Kirin about lunch, but instead of Dorane, Emily saw her son also attempting to sneak in as quietly as he could.
Her father had evidently been influencing her boy, because Emily had seen her father walk in the exact manor her son was, carefully stepping towards his target, eyes trained on Kirin's back in case he moved to turn…
But Emily could see something else about her boy… This wasn't just him trying to sneak up on Kirin as he sometimes did… This wasn't quite so… Playful…
Corvus was nervous about something…
And it wasn't the, 'I accidentally broke Grandmother Jessamine's portrait and I spent an hour trying to put the frame back together and now my hands are all bloody and I have no idea what to do please help' kind of nervous…
Corvus, once he got close enough, Emily couldn't help but feel proud, her little boy had just snuck across the whole room without making a sound, he tugged on the elbow of Kirin's sleeve.
"Yes Corvus?" He asked, without even turning to look at his son, a smug little smile tugging at his lips as Corvus stood straight and pouted, his arms crossed over his chest as he looked up to his father.
"How's you know it was me?"
Kirin turned in his chair, one leg propped over the other as he always did while working seated, to face his son, setting one arm on his desk to tap the mounted magnify glass that showed, at the right angle, a decent reflection of the room behind him…
Emily took note, Corvus just smiled sheepishly.
"Now then." Kirin drawled affectionately, keeping his body turned to face Corvus as he returned his eyes to his desk and the not quite literal mountain of paperwork atop it.
He wasn't ignoring Corvus, Emily knew well enough, Kirin was an incredible multi-tasker, to the point where, if he couldn't focus on more than three things at a time, he would crash as hard as a junkie.
"My office door is open to you always, as you know." He hummed, taking hold of his pen to scribble a little something on one of the pages before him, another blueprint by the look of it, though Emily couldn't make out any of the details from where she stood.
"But to see you sneaking in has me rather suspicious of your business here." Kirin mused, his pen moving from one blueprint to another rapidly though fluently as always, Emily could see his eyes flicker back to the magnifying glass and Corvus' reflection in between the strokes of ink he laid on his pages, watching as his son's posture withered slightly… His shoulder hunching and eyes finding his feet.
"Corvus." Kirin spoke softly, setting his pen down in a sudden display of singular investment, Kirin wasn't one to waste time with banter or idle chatter, he was a man of action, a force of movement who would not be weighed down with frivolous words or the intricacies of noble word weaving.
But Kirin was also a father, a job he took every bit as seriously as his profession and passions. And he knew that a certain amount of patience was required when it came to dealing with young minds who didn't always know how to express their feelings.
Kirin looked down at his son thoughtfully before reaching out to the young boy, setting a gentle hand on the small shoulder before him a tad awkwardly.
Kirin had told her of his upbringing, of the lack of warmth in his sad excuse of a childhood home. Kirin was patient and kind with his son, but always a little distant, a little unsure of himself and a little unsure of how to talk with his boy.
But he tried… Outsider's eyes did he try.
"Corvus, what's wrong?"
Emily was moments away from forgoing her little surprise for Kirin to comfort her baby boy, that was a mother's duty wasn't it? To protect and comfort her children?
And the only thing stopping her from doing so was the fact that Corvus wasn't only hers, he was Kirin's too, and if he went to Kirin… Emily figured Corvus had his reasons...
"Are… Are you and mum ever going to have another baby?"
Erin had enough sense to muffle her most unladylike snort of surprise with her hand, Kirin, who had decided, rather stupidly, to take a sip of water, began to choke.
When he could finally breathe again, though his cheeks were still a remarkable shade of rouge, his voice understandably rough, Kirin responded with a sensible.
"M-may I ask what brought this about?"
Corvus shifted from foot to foot timidly.
"Gilly was going on about how… How he's getting a half-sister this year…" The young boy replied softly.
Gilderoy, or Gilly as he preferred, was from Morley, he was nice enough, charming in the face of company, a bit of a goof when out from beneath the pressure his family put on him, and quite close to Corvus.
"His mother told him that his father had an accident during the Feuge Feast…" Corvus continued smally.
"He-he said that she was going to be a bastard because his dad isn't married to her mom… And he said a bunch of really mean things about her…"
Emily could hear his voice wavering slightly by the end.
"He… He said that sh-she was ne-never going to be his re-real sister…" Corvus whispered, "B-because she-she's going to be a bastard, a-and an accident…"
Emily could hear her son sniffle and the squeak of Kirin's chair as he leaned closer to his son.
"H-he wasn't talking about me, I know… But I'm a ba-bastard too, right?" Corvus questioned through a whimper.
"S-so if y-you and mum e-ever get married a-and have another baby, t-they'll be you-you're real h-heir, right?"
Emily could see her son, softly sobbing before his father, doing his very best to stifle his sniffles and stall his tears as his little shoulders trembled beneath Kirin's palms.
"G-Gilly said th-that she w-was broken an-and wrong." Corvus warbled as Kirin pulled him closer, tucking his son's head against his shoulder as he hoisted Corvus into his lap.
"Corvus, Corvus, Corvus…" Kirin chided softly as he reached out to snag a tissue from a nearby box, offering it to his sniffling son.
"Where on earth did you get such a preposterous idea?" The inventor asked once Corvus had finished blowing his nose, his hand running through his son's hair gently.
"G-Gilly told m-me…" Corvus snuffled quietly as Kirin coaxed him to lean against him, tucking his son's head under his chin.
"Gilly told me t-that b-bastards are b-broken…" Corvus repeated against his father's throat as he tucked himself as close as he could to Kirin's chest.
"Well, do you think you're broken?" Kirin asked gently, calmly, he was always so calm, even in the most tense situations, Emily envied him at times, and the other times she was beyond grateful for his composure.
"I… I don't know?" Corvus replied quietly from his father's lap.
Kirin hummed quietly as he began to spin the chair back and forth gently, rocking his son back and forth… Back and forth...
"Then why do you think you're broken?" Kirin asked again.
"B-because I-I'm a bastard." Corvus whiled, "Weren't you listening dad?" He pouted, leaning away from his father to look at him with his big water eyes.
"Well what's wrong with that?" Kirin asked, in the reflection, Emily could see him cocking his brow in the way he always did when he was attempting to explain his genius to plebeians.
Emily didn't appreciate him looking at their son like that, but she also didn't appreciate the way Corvus was speaking down at himself…
And knowing Kirin, he had a point to make.
"Your mothers a bastard too, you know." Kirin pointed out, "And that doesn't stop her from being the Empress as you well know."
Corvus was silent for a while, looking at his father curiously, Emily could see Kirin's shoulders rise and fall as he sighed.
"Do you think your mother is broken?" He asked his son gently.
Corvus glowered and shook his head feverishly.
"Of course not! Mum-"
"Of course not." Kirin replied softly, cutting Corvus' would be rant off as he brushed a porcelain thumb over his son's cheek.
"Emily is perfect, bastard or not." Kirin soothed softly, "I wouldn't love her if she wasn't."
Emily rolled her eyes, that giant sap.
"You are half of her Corvus." Kirin pointed out with a hum, "Remember that always, you are half of her… And bastard or not you are half of me too."
Emily could hear the smile in his voice… She could picture that smile too, the same smile he showed her the night she told him about Corvus, still so small, not even the size of a bean inside her belly.
Honestly, Emily expected him to be distraught, to demand she terminate or even leave her right there and then.
They weren't married, in fact, Emily could say with certainty that if anything, they were married to their jobs, Kirin as the Royal Inventor and she, the Empress.
They spoke as friends and colleagues would, casually over drink and food, sometimes for a laugh, sometimes for the simple pleasure of listening to one another ramble about anything and everything.
They bickered too, more often than not, childishly, over who would get the last slice of cake, whether or not Emily was taller than him in heels (Emily was sure she was but Kirin denied it at every turn)
They supported each other as friends did as well, appearing together at banquets hosted by whoever had a good idea to propose but only moth holes lining their pockets and no means to move forward.
Back then, in those moments, when they appeared and disappeared together in the public eye, rumors would of course begin to take flight. Rumors which were more often than not absolutely correct.
People assumed they were fucking, that they were engaged or secretly wed or a number of strange assumptions…
Emily never bothered denying the accusations, but she never confirmed them either. It wasn't as if the rumors could hurt them any, after all, there was no law citing that the Empress had to wed.
Her mother had been proof of that.
Likewise, there were no laws citing that a bastard couldn't take the throne, she herself was proof of that…
Yes they did fuck, and yes, they did care about one another. They kissed and spoke soft things across the pillow they would share after their fun. It wasn't a strenuously serious relationship, they didn't need to be with one another every waking moment…
In fact there were times when either Emily or Kirin would get so tied up in their work that neither of them would realize that they had been gone for days on end.
They both learned not to hold work binges against one another however, duty sometimes simply called, and neither of them could just ignore their responsibilities…
Which was why Emily was initially so nervous about having a child with Kirin.
A child, a wanted child, who was planned and prepared for, was hard work, and endless responsibilities that had to take priority over anything and everything.
Emily, upon learning of the little spark inside her, decided that she was more than willing to make any and all necessary sacrifices for her baby… But in doing so, she had to recognize that Kirin may not be as accepting of the burdens of fatherhood.
And as they were unwed, the child would be a bastard, just like her…
Still a child at the end of the day, but one that Kirin would, if he so chose, have no responsibilities towards.
Emily wasn't sure what she would have done if Kirin had responded poorly to the news. She would have cut contact for sure, to save herself and her child the grief… But other than that…
Kirin was a brilliant man, and sordid past or not, he had done and was still doing remarkable things for the empire, Emily couldn't rightly deny him his right to create again…
But knowing Kirin, he would figure something out on his own… He was brilliant like that… So, so brilliant.
So the night Emily finally decided to tell Kirin about the child, she expected the worst…
Not screaming or shouting, Kirin wasn't one to raise his voice… But an icy silence? A cold glower, a twisted frown and a single order, three words or less, which would decide whether or not Kirin would turn onto his other side and ignore her for the rest of the night or leave altogether?
Instead he smiled.
Emily told him that she was pregnant, tumbling through the words she had been thinking about all day before she just took his hand and pressed his palm to her belly.
She wasn't far along, at that point Corvus was little more than a small bean inside of her, but she could feel her stomach hardening slightly, and she hoped he wouldn't be disgusted by it.
With his hand still on her belly, Kirin rose from his place beside her, dragging down the bedspread shielding them from the cool ambient air of the room, he looked down at his palm, resting against her stomach, beneath her own…
And he smiled.
He smiled this big stupid smile, his eyes lighting up in the dim light from the window, and if Emily hadn't been with him, in their room, on their bed since diner, she would have sworn he was drunk or high or maybe both.
He smiled and looked down at Emily in their bed as if she held the would in her hands and he looked… So, so happy.
"You Corvus Vasilis Kaldwin… Are the perfect combination of the very best parts of your mother and I." Kirin said firmly, his tone absolute, leaving no room for question or dispute.
"Not a single thing about you is broken, I can assure you of that." Kirin continued, looking at Corvus as if he were every single star in the sky…
"And even if I would ever allow myself, or your mother for that matter, to purposefully create something broken, have no doubt that we would love you, no matter how imperfect, regardless."
Emily sighed and leaned against the glass of the balcony window, taking a moment to bask on the edge of the moment between her son and his father, not wanting to interrupt the, but unwilling to leave either…
"You are our son… And even if your mother and I get married, even if we have a thousand more children." Emily nearly balked at that, "You will always be our son, our eldest and our heir."
Emily peered around the corner again to see her son loop his arms around Kirin's neck, the inventor pulling his son close and warm in a hug.
"So." Kirin chimed as he took his son's face between his palms, playfully squishing the young boy's cheeks to give him fishlips.
"No more rubbish about being broken, alright?" Kirin demands gently through a question.
"I never want to hear you go on about this sort of nonsense again, you understand Corvus."
Corvus made an effort to speak through fish-lips before he settled for humming out his answer.
Satisfied, Kirin released his son's face, instead looping his arms around the young boy's hip, plucking his son from his lap and into his arms as he stood. Corvus clung to his father's shoulders, looking to Kirin as if he hung the moon.
"Now." The inventor hummed as he turned towards the door of the office.
"I do believe you mother has worked hard enough for the day, what do you say we go badger her into joining us for a cuppa?"
Corvus' merry response was cut off by the door as the duo retreated to the hall.
Emily huffed before finally making her way into the office, staring at the door for a moment before deciding to race the pair back to her own study via the window and surrounding street lamps.
Had Emily gotten nosey enough to look at the inventor's desk, she would have found the blueprints for enough rings to think that Kirin was thinking of entering the jewelry business.