Mon amour, ma vie

8

Waking up, the sun was just starting to rise. Groggily, you turned over, hoping to see Napoléon. But alas, he had already woken up and you were left to an empty bed. You sighed, you wished to talk to him, he seemed so kind, even if you were still nervous around him. Étiennette's crib was beside you, she was still peacefully quiet, but awake. You sat up, and put her on your lap. She was getting stronger, she could sit up a bit and you were pretty sure she recognized you.

She put her hands on you and smiled. You loved her, you couldn't believe less than a few hours ago you wanted to commit suicide, as long as you had Étiennette, life was worth it.

Getting up, you saw a new dress on the chair to the side. It was for you. There was a note, with your name on it, in a handwriting you didn't recognize. Getting up, you put your baby back in the crib and walked over to the dress. Opening the letter, it read;

'Good morning, y/n. I am sorry that I could not be here when you wake. I am sure you are even more beautiful in the morning. Étiennette slept without an issue through the night. I hope to see you for dinner tonight, if that suits you. Keep yourself happy while I am gone.' -Napoléon.

You smiled at the note. It was very sweet for him to leave you that. Especially the first part, not any man had ever said something so thoughtful to you. You put down the note, knowing you'd read it again when you were feeling down. Looking down on the dress, it was a dark pink, almost red color. It was the same style as the rest of the dresses you had worn, just colored.

You undressed and put on the new dress. It was a little longer and higher cut than the last one. It was made out of cotton, and was warmer. It was obvious it had been made for the winter months. Even though you had been wearing dresses for a week now, it still felt like the greatest luxury. It was even better because it was dyed. You had only had one other dyed dress in your life, it had been a wedding gift, but Clement had never liked you wearing it.

The sun had now fully risen. The sunlight shone through the curtains. Peering out, you tried to get more of a look at your surroundings, even though you had already seen most of it from last night on the balcony. It was a green area, with a slight hill off to the distance. Beyond that, there were some trees, perhaps to break the wind. Though beyond the line of trees, there seemed to be a small creek, which you hadn't noticed before.

It was very beautiful and enchanting around the palace. No wonder Napoléon had decided to live here. You put back the curtains and walked over to Étiennette. She was awake, when she saw you she seemed to signal for your breasts with her little arms. Picking her up, you sat down and let her attach her mouth onto your breast. She began to drink.

You loved these little moments as a mother. When Étiennette was quiet you could appreciate every little detail of her. Her black smooth hair, her pale skin, and she had your eyes. It was hard to believe Clement wanted such an innocent and sweet creature dead. Maybe it'd eventually be for the better, he didn't deserve the pureness of a baby.

You weren't going to think about your old life though. You were here now, even if it was somewhat against your will. And, since the Emperor seemed to like you, maybe you'd be allowed to stay.

It still hadn't fully settled into you that the man who had found you and brought you back was the Emperor, the most powerful man in France, and possibly Europe. But, even though he was kind and generous, you still weren't so sure of him. You'd been abused one too many times to ever fully trust someone, especially a man like him. He could have you killed for any reason.

At this Étiennette stopped sucking and snapped you out of your deep thinking. You looked around, hoping to find something to do. There was a shelf full of books. You had never been a reader, and ever since you had left school you'd had little practice with the subject. Walking over with Étiennette in the other arm.