The three men sat down at the worn table on the opposite side of the bed when she walked in. She didn't have many weapons on her, mainly because they would easily spot them. The best thing she had on herself right now was a knife tucked and strapped onto her wrist. Thank god for these large sleeves. If things went south she would have little choice but to use it. She was thankful that they were not here for any other reason besides talking.... for now.

Samaya walked over and placed a plate of snacks in front of each man before sitting down opposite Han Qin, feet tucked under herself and shoulders hunched slightly to portray a nervous disposition. "You... you said you wanted to talk about my child, my lord?"

"Yes," the man replied and then paused for a moment, frowning. it was clear he was trying to phrase his words properly. "The boy's father... Where is he?"

Samaya frowned. She didn’t even know who the father was. As far as she could guess, the father and the biological mother had a tryst or a one-night stand. Father was absent from the beginning after he had sex with the mother. Mother had the baby, regretted having him, and then abandoned him. At least... that was what he could gather from the disjointed ramblings of the boy when she first found him. And it was not an uncommon scene even in her world, let alone this ancient one.

She frowned thoughtfully, wondering how to answer the question. Finally, she decided to give a vague answer with a half-truth.

"His father," She said softly, "is no longer in our lives." She hoped that the man would think she had a husband who died.

But, of course, her luck wasn't that good.

"Is he dead?" Han Qin asked.

To lie or not to lie? That was the million-dollar question.

She ran her eyes over the men in the room. They seemed to be expecting something. A specific answer.

Hm. Truth, it was.

"I have no idea, milords," She frowned. "Manu is the result of a night of passion. That bastard left well before Manu was born."

All of the men tensed at her words. One of them looked ready to draw his sword. Hmm... so calling the father a bastard triggered them. Only Han Qin relaxed instantly, an amused look entering his eyes.

"Do you know... who the 'bastard' is?" He asked.

She immediately shook her head. These men clearly knew who the father was—no need to dig herself deep into a hole.

"No, milords," She answered softly, steady despite the judging look in the men's eyes. She was a 21st-century woman with enough sexual experience under her belt, damnit. She wasn't going to let these men make her feel ashamed. Even if she had been the biological mother, she would not have been ashamed. "It was a drunken night of lust. He left soon after. "

One of the men - barely, still a boy really - slammed his fist down on the table. "Disgusting woman! Do you not feel ashamed speaking like that? You had a child yet you do not even know the father? Shameless!"

She smiled at the man. It was a soft, bitter smile. "Look around you, milord." She said softly. "Does this look like a place where shame has any place to stay if you want to survive?"

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The man went to speak again but looked around before closing his mouth. Hah. Han Qin sighed. "We apologize. We did not mean to offend you, my lady."

"I am not a lady," She responded. "And please do not feel sorry for me. This... is a common story around here." She sighed before looking at them. "So? May I now ask why you are inquiring about my son and his father?"

"Because we know who he is," came the immediate answer from Han Qin. It was one of the possibilities she had considered. There was a moment of pause during which her heart skipped a beat. If they knew who the father was... that meant that the father was influential. They were probably here to take her son to the father.

Fuck.

'Okay, Samaya,' she told herself. ' Let's not jump to conclusions here. Calm the fuck down.'

"Really?" She asked, trying to keep her voice as steady as possible. "Who is he?"

The men exchanged a round of looks between themselves before turning to her. Han Qin was the one to answer her question.

"The Emperor."

It took her a moment to process the answer. She stared at them blankly for a moment before she couldn’t help letting out a snort.

“The Emperor? The Emperor of Xin?” Yeah, right. And here she was thinking these guys might actually know something. “I do not know why such esteemed lords as yourselves are trying to make a fool out of me, but it is not appreciated.”.

“We are not trying to make a fool out of you,” Han Qin said. Samaya frowned and looked at them, surveying their faces. None of them had any change in their facial expressions, and instead, they were looking at her sternly.

Her mind stuttered to a halt. She assessed all of them. No trace of lying. At all.

"Wait, you're serious?" She asked softly.

Their expressions remained steady and Han Qin nodded resolutely. And Samaya tried to wrap her mind around the fact that they might be telling the truth.

Double Fuck.

No wonder they were angry when she called the guy a bastard.

If her son is the Emperor's child.... a Prince... goddammit.... she could not imagine the shitstorm that would hit the country if a new Prince popped out of nowhere. She knew the current Emperor had no heirs. If suddenly a son brought up in the slums appeared... She imagined it would shift the paradigm of the current political situation. Not many people would accept the child as a legitimate Prince. And most importantly, her son's life would be in danger.

Sending him away had really been the best decision.

She was about to speak, deny everything and make some random shit before finding a way to leave and get her son the hell out of dodge when suddenly there was a rapid, urgent knocking on the door, with sounds of shuffling and grunting, followed by a loud, high-pitched voice, “Let me go!”

Samaya’s heart sank. That was Manu’s voice. Had he been caught? Her eyes widened and, throwing all pretense out the window without forming a single thought, she rushed to the door before yanking the door open. Sure enough, a buff man who could give Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson a run for his money stood before her, holding up her son by his scruff as if he were a cat. And her son was flailing in the air in an attempt to get out of that stronghold.

Triple Fuck.

Samaya had to actively suppress the panic in her chest. She had been in numerous dangerous situations before but none of them had her son in danger as well. She clenched her fist, her nails digging into her palm, and the pain grounded her. Without thinking, she pulled out the knife from her sleeve on instinct, ready to cut through the man and get her son.

“Do not be foolish,” the man snorted, looking down at her over his nose before turning his eyes behind her. “General Han, the boy was trying to escape underground.” She turned to look at the man surnamed Han incredulously.

General? What on earth?

Suddenly … it sunk in that this was far, far bigger than what she had first thought. This… might actually be a problem. She took a deep breath and turned to the man holding her son.