Hiding the Emperor's Child

Chapter 41

"Theor, is that true?" Astelle asked.

"No!" Theor shook his head with a saddened expression.

Astelle placed a hand on Theor's shoulder, speaking in a gentle but firm tone.

"If it was an accident, I won't be upset. Just tell the truth." Despite her hopes that it might have been a mishap caused by curiosity, Theor persisted, denying any involvement.

"I swear. I haven't been here today." Theor remained resolute. All eyes turned to the maid, waiting for her explanation.

"While I was away, the Young Master and a dog entered and broke the pottery while touching it," the maid asserted, directing her gaze at Theor.

"I saw it clearly."

"This area holds the previous emperor's collections. Why wasn't the door locked?" Astelle questioned, puzzled by the lack of security.

When Astelle asked quietly, the maid bowed her head, visibly trembling. "T-That... today is cleaning day..."

She explained how the door had been left open for her to conduct cleaning duties.

"But it seems the Young Master broke the pottery," the maid stated hesitantly. Astelle exchanged glances with Hannah, sensing something was amiss.

The maid assigned to watch over Theor had heard a strange voice and left his side, coinciding with the incident of the broken pottery in the exhibition room. The cleaning maid claimed to have witnessed Theor breaking it.

Astelle had a sinking feeling.

'It's probably a setup.'

It felt too crude to be an effective trap.

'What could be gained by framing a young child?' There was only one conceivable gain...

To implicate Astelle.

She could face repercussions for damaging the collections or at least be held responsible for the cost of the broken pottery. She suspected one person behind this scheme.

'The Marchioness.'

Astelle turned to Theor, her voice calm but firm. "Theor, can you tell me what really happened?"

"I..." Theor hesitated, chewing on his lip involuntarily.

'His Majesty the Emperor told me to keep it a secret...'

Keeping it a secret about where they had met was challenging to determine.

'He instructed me to keep only what he said, but...'

If he disclosed they had met, Astelle would inevitably ask further.

Meanwhile, Astelle noticed yellow powder on Theor's wrist and Blin's fur—pollen, upon closer examination, with a very familiar scent of Tokar flowers. It was unmistakably Tokar flower pollen.

A smile played on Astelle's lips as she noticed it.

"You went to the Tokar flowerbed, didn't you?"

"How did you know?" Theor asked, surprised.

"There's pollen here," Astelle remarked, pointing to Theor's sleeves. "It looks like he went to the flower garden. There is pollen here."

"To get to the flower garden from the pavilion, you had to go around the road leading to the main palace," Astelle observed. "A child broke pottery alone, ran such a long way, then turned around and came here?"

The maid hesitated, unable to respond adequately to Astelle's question.

As Astelle was pondering, Kaizen arrived. The maids around the pavilion immediately bowed to him.