Hiding the Emperor's Child

Chapter 14

Most of the time, it had been her father, the Duke, who had dealt with such situations, but there were occasions when Astelle had to extricate herself from traps on her own. After a few unpleasant experiences, she had become exceedingly cautious in her actions, always vigilant and watchful. Looking back, her life had been a precarious one, akin to walking on a thin sheet of ice.

"Very well, it's not a significant matter," Astelle responded, feeling fortunate to have escaped such a life. If all went according to plan, she would soon be able to return to a peaceful life with Theor in her maternal grandfather's mansion.

Kaizen, however, sighed with a somber expression. "This won't happen again. We should assign some knights to protect you."

Astelle attempted to decline. "No, Your Majesty, I..."

But Kaizen, firm in his resolve, interrupted her. "Don't be stubborn. There was a real danger."

Suppressing her irritation, Astelle bowed her head calmly and respectfully. "Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty."

"People might misconstrue things if Your Majesty's knights were to escort me, the former empress. In fact, drawing unnecessary attention might pose a greater risk," Astelle explained, hoping that Kaizen would refrain from taking any action.

She couldn't help but think that the most dangerous person to her at the moment was Kaizen himself. This situation had arisen because Kaizen had sent her an unnecessary dress and invited her to dinner. If he didn't do that, Marianne might not have taken such drastic measures.

'This happened because of you, what kind of protection is that?'

Kaizen wasn't foolish enough to miss her meaning, but getting angry was another matter entirely. He responded with a mix of amusement and irritation in his crimson eyes and gaze.

"Very well, do as you wish," he conceded.

Astelle, satisfied with the outcome, ignored Kaizen's irritation. She offered a slight bow and delivered her parting words with a polite tone. "Thank you for your understanding, Your Majesty."

~• 🌼 •~

"You should be careful," Kaizen warned as Astelle left the office. She headed back to the hallway, but Vellian, who had been in the office, followed her. Unperturbed, Astelle continued toward her bedroom, expecting him to have something to say.

Vellian, however, brought up an unexpected topic. "The Marquis of Croychen has three daughters. The first daughter... well, you've seen her. But the second daughter is quite different."

Curious, Astelle asked, "And who might this second daughter be?"

Astelle had difficulty recalling the Croychen family's daughters, as they were not a prominent noble family and had not often mingled with the influential nobles. She remembered that the Croychen family had several young daughters but couldn't recall their names.

Seeing Astelle's uncertainty, Vellian provided the name. "Her name is Lady Florin. She recently reached her coming of age and is currently considered the most promising candidate for empress."

Astelle's curiosity was piqued, and she pondered the implications of this information.

Even after hearing her name, Astelle struggled to recall Lady Florin's face. It seemed that Lady Florin had been a quiet young lady, but her image remained hazy in Astelle's memory.

Vellian continued his explanation, closely observing Astelle's reaction. "The Croychen family patiently waited for their second daughter to reach adulthood. Marquis Croychen has long worked to groom her as a potential empress."