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nTL: Lilac | PR: Faith

nThe Marquis of Carlenberg requested a formal audience with the Emperor. When he meets him he is going to plead with Kaizen to let him and Theor go home first.

nAstelle had a little hope that if an elderly requested it, the Emperor would probably grant it.

nWouldn’t it be nice if Grandpa met and asked the Emperor for one favor?

nOn the day of the ball, Kaizen was angry with Astelle, so he spontaneously refused. But now that he has come to his senses, he might allow it, Astelle thought.

nHowever, even that small hope was crushed horribly.

nKaizen had rejected her grandfather’s request for an audience.

nThe reason for the refusal was that private meetings were not allowed as there was a lot of official work pending.

n‘It’s really too much.’

nAstelle stayed in the annex and forcibly suppressed her rising anger.

nTheor, bored from staying in the room, asked while playing with his teddy bear.

n“When are we going to the capital?”

n“Yes?”

n“Aren’t we going to the capital?”

nBlue eyes were full of anticipation.

nA few days ago, Theor kept saying that he wanted to go to the capital. Perhaps it was after the kidnapping incident.

nWhen he met Kaizen in the garden, he must have told Theor about it.

nAstelle let out a sigh and walked over to Theor’s bed.

nShe knelt down, eye level with Theor, and said in a calm voice, “Theor, you are not going to the capital. You have to go home with Grandpa.”

n“Why?”

n“Because it is too far away and not good for children.”

nTheor waved the teddy bear’s arm and made a slightly hoarse voice.

n“I also wanted to go to the capital.”

nAstelle stroked Theor’s head gently.

n“If you listen to Grandpa and play with Blynn at home, I will buy you a lot of gifts from the capital city.”

n“Okay!”

nThe word ‘gift’ seemed to make him feel better again. Theor sat the teddy bear on his lap and asked, “Can’t you bring a bear from the capital?”

n“That…… I’ll buy you a teddy bear instead.”

nAstelle looked through the window. It was a clear day.

nFluffy clouds floated in the bright and sunny sky, and the warm sunlight added warmth to the vivid green of the garden.

nThe trees adorned with green leaves glistened in the sunlight.

nAstelle looked at the clear, shining sky, and made a suggestion to cheer Theor up.

n“Then shall we go on a picnic today?”

nThere is a forest used as a hunting ground near this palace. It was a forest dedicated to the emperor, so no one could enter without permission.

nKaizen has not gone out hunting since he came here. Even so, Astelle still needed his permission to enter the forest.

nTheor was refreshed by the word picnic.

n“Really? Are we going to the forest to play?”

n“Mhm! Go and tell Grandpa, too. I’m going to the kitchen to prepare some snacks.”

nTheor got excited and ran out.

nAstelle looked at him with affectionate eyes.

nThe forest is not visited by many people, so there will be many wild herbs and wildflowers.

n‘I have to make more potions before sending Theor home.’

nThe potion that changes eye color has already been prepared in sufficient quantities.

nBut the Marquis’s house was a long way from here, ten more days away.

n‘I don’t know what might happen in the meantime, so it would be better to make as many bottles as possible before sending them away.’

nIt is a long journey, she was entrusting Theor to her elderly grandfather so Astelle wanted to prepare thoroughly to avoid any kind of mistakes.

nAstelle was planning to go to the forest to get more herbs. However, she needed to get the emperor’s permission.

nShe left the room and headed to the kitchen.

nAlthough this annex was small, the kitchen was large in its own way.

nEverything was there.

nAstelle took out the toasted bread, cheese, and ham, cut the lettuce, and made a sandwich.

nIt was a simple sandwich made with salty cheese, savory ham, and fresh and crunchy lettuce, sandwiched between soft white bread and drizzled with sweetened sauce.

nShe also took the leftover apple pie from breakfast. Golden syrup filled the slices of golden apples.

nShe took out the picnic basket, put the tools for gathering herbs in it, and covered it with a handkerchief.

nThen the food was wrapped in paper and placed inside.

nShe then put the milk and lemonade bottles in the empty space left and it looked like a decent picnic basket.

n‘I think this should be enough.’

nAstelle put the basket on the kitchen table and went outside to call the attendant.

n“Please tell His Majesty that I want to take Theor to the nearby forest, and I am asking for permission.”

n‘He would definitely allow me this much right?’

nAstelle thought so and went to find Theor.

n***

n“Where is she going?”

nKaizen looked at the documents and asked curiously.

nThe attendant repeated Astelle’s request again.

n“Lady Astelle wanted to take a walk in the north forest and is asking Your Majesty for permission…..”

nKaizen didn’t listen at all, but raised his hand and cut off the attendant’s words.

nHe put down the papers and muttered angrily.

n“She’s going to the forest alone with a young child and an old man…… Even after going through something like that just a while ago.”

nKaizen continued to mutter in annoyance, wondering what Astelle was thinking.

nVellian, who was looking through the documents, raised his head slightly and looked into Kaizen’s eyes.

nThe northern forest was a hunting ground connected to this palace, so no one could enter without the permission of the emperor.

nThere was a boundary line around the forest and soldiers were guarding it.

n‘I thought it was safe enough, but……’

nVellian wasn’t stupid enough to not know what the Emperor thought.

n“The Marquis said that his health has recovered a lot so Lady Astelle wanted to go on an outing with him and her nephew after a long time.”

nThe Emperor’s mood has been very low since the night of the ball, but Astelle seemed light enough to go on a picnic with the child.

nThe root of all this was the child, Theor.

nOn the day of the prom, Astelle publicly asked for permission to send her nephew and maternal grandfather back home.

nHowever, Kaizen flatly refused Astelle’s request in front of everyone.

nEveryone who watched was bewildered.

n‘It was a rejection that an ordinary mind could not understand.’

nBut Vellian understood Kaizen’s heart.

nThe Emperor intended to use the child and the Marquis to get Astelle to stay in the capital.

nAstelle, whose request was rejected, stood in the middle of the banquet hall like a cold stone statue.

nThe expression on the Emperor’s face was so terrifying that Vellian couldn’t even get close and hand him over the ceremonial robe.

nDue to this incident, the relationship between the two, that had been built up little by little, was shattered.

nNow, even if her young nephew and grandfather were to accompany them to the capital, Astelle will be returning to the eastern countryside as soon as the will was finished, without even looking back.

nVellian looked at Kaizen with sympathetic eyes, then slowly turned his head and gazed at the sky through the window.

nThe blue sky is clear without a single cloud. It was a bright day that made his eyes ache.

nAt this point, Vellian decided to help His Majesty the Emperor.

nIt was a brilliant idea out of pure loyalty to the Emperor.

n“The weather is nice, how about going out hunting for a refreshment?”

n“What the hell are you talking about?”

nKaizen looked at Vellian as if he saw an idiot.

n“Lady Astelle is going on a picnic in the forest, so how about Your Majesty goes hunting instead?”

nIf someone is going on a picnic in the forest, you can’t go hunting.

nIt was common sense.

nThere would be people roaming around, and it would be a big deal if someone gets shot while hunting.

n‘If you refuse, it means that you allowed her to go on a picnic.’

nVellian looked at Kaizen and suggested again.

n“Then, let’s go on a picnic with Lady Astelle. Since Your Majesty came here, you haven’t had a single break, are you only going to do government affairs?”

n“……”

nKaizen didn’t answer, he just stared at the papers with displeasure written in his face.

nHe hasn’t seen Astelle since the day of the ball.

nThe Marquis asked for an audience, but he ignored it.

nThinking of the ball, his heart was still stuffy.

nAstelle’s voice that he heard in the garden that night was engraved in his memory.

n‘Your Majesty may think that you can do whatever Your Majesty wants to do, but there are things in the world that are absolutely irreversible.’

nThese were Astelle’s true feelings.

nThey were the feelings that she had buried in her chest and brought out honestly for the first time.

nAt that time, Astelle was angry and uttered sarcasm, but as time passed and Kaizen thought about it, she was right.

n‘How dare I said that.’

nKaizen once again regretted his actions in the past.

nHe himself asked Astelle for a divorce 6 years ago.

nBefore the wedding venue was even cleared, he dumped the woman he had been with for over 10 years without paying a penny.

nAstelle also agreed to divorce, so he forgot about her for six years, thinking that he was not at fault.

nHe knew he couldn’t turn back the past.

nNow, he wanted to apologize to Astelle for what happened that night.

nBut he didn’t have a chance.

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