n

n

n

nHannah also noticed that something was strange. She stood aside and kept silent, then looked into Astelle’s eyes.

n“Lady Astelle, I will look for Young Master Theor.”

n“I will go with you.”

nAstelle ordered the rest of the maids.

n“You also scatter and look for Theor.”

nAstelle ran down the garden path with Hannah.

n“Theor! Where are you?”

n“Young Master Theor!”

nThe two followed the garden path looking for Theor.

nHowever, Theor was nowhere to be seen.

nAfter walking in the garden for a while, Astelle saw people in the distance.

nThe maids were gathered on the road where the pavilion was located.

n“What happens?”

n“I do not know…”

nHannah also had a puzzled face.

nAs the two approached, the startled maids turned and bowed their backs.

n“What’s going on?”

nThe maids exchanged glances with each other.

nOne of them stepped forward and reported what was going on.

n“The decorative pottery in the pavilion was broken.”

n“What?”

nNormally, she would have ignored that such a thing had happened, but now she can’t get over it.

nApparently, the pottery was broken when Theor disappeared.

n‘Maybe something happened in the exhibition room?’

nShe had an ominous feeling. Astelle entered the pavilion.

nHannah followed.

nThe other pottery had not changed from what she had seen before, except for the luxurious pottery with gold flowers painted on a blue background like a sea, which was proudly placed in the center.

nAstelle found the blue fragments on the floor and stopped.

n‘This… totally shattered.’

nPieces of pottery were scattered here and there.

nBut there was no trace of Theor.

n“Has anyone seen Theor? A little boy about five years old.”

nAll the maids who had gathered answered that they had not seen him.

nIt was at the moment when Astelle was about to go back to the garden with a confused mind.

n“Aunt Astelle!”

nThen Theor found Astelle and entered the pavilion.

n“Theor? Where have you been?”

nSurprised, Astelle hugged Theor. Then a familiar maid came in. It was one of the maids in the annex.

n“After Lady Astelle went out of the annex, the Young Master came back.”

nTheor calmly embraced her and replied cheerfully.

n“Aunt Astelle were not in the annex, so I came to find you.”

nAstelle took Theor in her arms and asked.

n“Theor, I’ve been looking for you. Where have you been?”

n“I was in the garden.”

n“Um, Lady…”

nThe maid who was looking at the two looked up to Astelle.

n“Why?”

n“T-That’s…”

nThe maid hesitated for a moment, and then she confessed.

n“I clearly saw with my own eyes that the Young Master pushed the pottery and knocked it over.”

nThe maid’s finger was pointing at Theor.

n***

n“Theor, is that real?”

n“No!”

nTheor shook his head with a sad expression on his face.

nAstelle took Theor by the shoulder and spoke in a sweet but clear tone.

n“If it was a mistake, I wouldn’t be angry. So, be honest.”

n‘When we came here back then, I said clearly that you shouldn’t touch it, but…’

nTheor was still a child.

nIt may have been broken and dropped while he touching it out of curiosity.

nIf it were like that, she hoped Theor would be honest, but he insisted it was absolutely not.

n“It’s true. I am not lying. I have never been here today.”

nEveryone’s eyes turned to the maid.

n“While I was away, the Young Master came in with a dog and broke the pottery while touching it.”

nThe maid looked straight at Theor and repeated her argument again.

n“I clearly saw it.”

n“This is where the collections of the previous emperor are located. Why didn’t you lock the door?”

nWhen Astelle asked quietly, the maid bowed her head and trembled.

n“T-That… today is cleaning day…”

nThe other maid left it open for a while for her to clean.

n“But apparently the Young Master broke the pottery.”

nAstelle exchanged glances with Hannah.

nThe maid, who was taking care of Theor, heard a strange voice and left him, but in the meantime, the pottery in the exhibition room was broken.

nThe maid who was cleaning said she saw that Theor broke it.

nShe felt something out of the ordinary.

n‘It’s probably a trap.’

nIt was very crude for a trap.

n‘What would you get if you framed a young child into a trap?’

nThere was one thing to be gained.

nIf you framed Theor, it was Astelle who got into trouble.

nShe could be punished for ruining the collections of the previous emperor.

nEven if she is not punished, she will have to pay at least the price of the pottery.

nShe felt that there was only one person who could come up with such a thing.

n‘It must have been the work of the Marchioness.’

nAstelle asked Theor.

n“Theor, can you tell me what really happened?”

n“I…”

nTheor bit his lip involuntarily.

n‘His Majesty the Emperor told me to keep it a secret…’

nShould I keep it a secret where we met?

nIt was difficult to distinguish from where it was a secret and from where it was not.

n‘He told me to keep only what he said, but…’

nIf he said he had met, Astelle would ask what he was talking about.

nAs Theor was so arguing inside, Astelle found yellow powder on Theor’s wrist and Blin’s hair.

nUpon closer inspection, it was clearly pollen.

nIt is pollen with a very familiar scent.

nTokar flower.

nIt must have been the pollen of the Tokar flower.

nA smile appeared on Astelle’s lips when she saw it.

n“You went to Tokar flowerbed, right?”

n“Oh, how did you know?”

n“There’s pollen here.”

nTheor’s sleeves were turned upside down so that everyone could see them.

n“It looks like he went to the flower garden. There is pollen here.”

nTo get to the flower garden from the pavilion, you had to go around the road leading to the main palace.

n“A child broke pottery alone, ran such a long way, then turned around and came here?”

n“T-That…”

nThe maid grunted and did not answer.

n“Astelle.”

nShe turned to the familiar voice and saw Kaizen walking in.

nNot only the maids in the pavilion but also the maids who were watching this scene near the door all bent their knees and bowed their heads deeply.

n“What’s going on?”

nAstelle explained the situation to him politely.

n“The pottery was broken, and this maid said that she saw Theor breaking it.”

nKaizen’s eyes were on the broken pottery shards on the floor.

nThen he reached Astelle and Theor.

n“Theor has been with me in the garden.”

n“Did you?”

n“Yes. I met Theor at the flower garden and I took him to the tea room.”

nShe wondered what the person who was supposed to be in the main palace had to do in the flower garden, but she was not in a situation to ask that now.

nAstelle asked Theor again.

n“Theor, is that real?”

nTheor replied as if he had waited.

n“Yes. Your Majesty saved me.”

n“Saved you?”

nShe wondered what this was again.

nKaizen answered in place of Theor.

n“Theor said a strange maid in the garden was trying to catch him.”

n“What? Who… what kind of maid?”

n“I’m on my way to find out who the maid is.”

nKaizen said the knights would be arriving soon.

nAstelle hugged Theor and asked him.

n“Theor. Please tell me in detail what happened.”

n“Huh!”

nTheor said it all with ease.

nAfter hearing the story, Astelle hugged Theor tightly.

n“Okay. It’s all right now. Nothing will happen.”

nLoud footsteps were heard outside the door.

nThe knights could be seen through the window.

nAnd walk behind the knights one after another, the maids were also seen.

n“Everyone get out.”

nThe maids stood side by side on the lawn in front of the pavilion’s gate.

nIt looked like there were 30 people in total.

nKaizen also made the maids in the pavilion stand with them.

n“Your Majesty, this is…”

n“I called all the maids that were seen around the garden at that time.”

nKaizen gave a brief explanation as he approached Theor.

n“Can you tell who the maid who was trying to catch you is?”

nAll the maids stood still with their eyes fixed on the floor.

nTheor pointed to one of the many maids standing there wearing the same clothes.

n“It’s her.”

nThe little maid with red hair.

n“Are you really sure?”

nAstelle asked Theor again.

n“Huh! That red-haired maid.”

nTheor nodded his head confidently.

nEveryone looked at the maid.

n