A small carriage rattled along the forest trail.
Theor rolled the stiff woolen cloth that covered the windowpane with his little hand.
The blue sky and a wide wheat field could be seen through the small gap between the curtains.
It has been five days since he left the capital.
Theor was returning home with his grandfather.
The ride home in the small carriage was fun.
When he went to the capital, he slept in a palace-like castle in a large carriage, but this time he slept in small houses as he moved from village to village.
While riding the carriage, he had to get off sometimes and move to another carriage.
Theor visited the vegetable garden and the stream from time to time.
Theor looked up at his grandfather as he walked along the path of a stream and asked,
“Grandpa, when is Mom coming?”
The Marquis carrying the luggage replied with a smile to Theor,
“If we go home first, she will come soon.”
Theor believed it.
Before he left, his mother said the same thing.
If he goes home with his grandfather first, she will follow.
Thinking of the capital mansion, Theor turned to his grandfather again.
“Will Blynn and Hannah come with Mom, too?”
“Of course.”
It would be nice if Blynn and Hannah also came.
After leaving the mansion, whenever Theor had spare time, he missed his big hound.
He also missed Hannah, who brought her sweet cookies with a caring smile.
Of course, the one he missed the most was his mother.
After leaving the mansion, Theor missed his mother every night.
‘Go home with your grandfather first. Mom will follow soon.’
It was the last time he heard his mother’s voice before he left the mansion.
Theor missed his mother, but he endured it without crying.
If he came home, his mother would be back soon.
His grandfather was by his side and took good care of him, so he was able to bear it.
The two arrived in a small town around sunset.
The Marquis entered the building at the entrance of the village.
It was a large, two-story building that was well lit.
“Grandpa, where are we?”
“It’s an inn. We’re going to sleep here today.”
Theor knew what inn was.
Leaving the capital, the two continued to sleep in an inn somewhere.
As they went inside, there was a loud noise and the smell of fragrant food.
The Marquis took the key from the man at the door, grabbed Theor’s hand, and went up to the room on the second floor.
There was a small bed, a wardrobe and a chair in the square room.
Theor and his grandfather had a simple meal of white bread, boiled vegetables, meat, and soup.
It was nothing compared to the meal he ate at the castle or mansion, but Theor ate deliciously.
After dinner, the Marquis bathed Theor and laid him down on the bed.
As soon as he lay down on the bed, he was drowsy.
Theor hugged Levin the teddy bear and fell into a sleep, buried in the soft duvet.
Suddenly, as if he had just realized it, the Marquis said,
“I have to give you the medicine.”
‘It’s time to drip the medicine.’
Usually, when he was lying down to sleep, his mother would put in the eye drop medicine.
As drowsiness hit, Theor closed his eyes without warning.
“Theor.”
The voice of his grandfather woke him.
He opened his eyes and before he could come to his senses, his body was lifted up.
Levin in his arms fell to the floor.
Theor immediately came to his senses and stretched out a hand to the floor.
“Levin……”
The Marquis picked up the teddy bear and gave it to Theor.
But after that, he opened the closet door while hugging Theory.
“Theor, stay here.”
The closet door closed with those words.
Suddenly, he was in a dark closet.
Theor was sitting on top of his layered robe.
Thin light permeated through the closet door gap.
‘What happened?’
Rubbing his sleepy eyes, he peered through the closet door.
The candle-lighted room was quiet.
His grandfather was nowhere to be seen.
As Theor looked through the gap of the closet door with sleepy eyes, the silence in the room quickly broke.
“Ugh!”
A scream was heard.
Starting with the scream, there was a commotion in the room.
The sound of knives crashing, the scream of someone in pain, even the eerie sound of cutting something.
Young Theor could not comprehend the situation.
What’s going on?
Why did other people come into our room?
Where is Grandpa?
He could see people moving in the dark.
He looked through the gap in the closet door but had no idea what was going on.
He could only guess that people were fighting.
At that moment, something fell right under the closet where Theor was, shaking the closet greatly.
“Aa- eup!”
Surprised, Theor almost screamed, but he hastily covered his mouth with his hands.
The noise in the room disappeared in an instant.
It was when Theor was puzzled by the sudden silence.
creak.
The closet door opened.
***
“Hey, Count.”
A middle-aged man approached Vellian. He is the minister of the interior.
Then he put his hands on the desk.
Vellian frowned.
He had been sitting in his office all day, pretending to concentrate on his work.
“Why do you—”
“What the hell is going on?”
Vellian held back his breath.
He repeated over and over again what he had said over a hundred times in the last few days.
“This is the order of His Majesty the Emperor.”
At that, the minister of the interior bit his lip with a dissatisfied look.
‘That’s understandable.’
Vellian had been suffering for several days.
His Majesty the Emperor’s order to make the princess Reston the empress again shocked all the nobles in the capital.
Of course, Astelle herself was enough to become the empress.
The problem is she has a child.
Also, an illegitimate child whose father is unknown.
‘It was so shocking.’
Vellian clicked his tongue as he recalled Astelle’s calm and dignified face.
‘Who is his father?’
In fact, as soon as Vellian learned that Astelle was the child’s biological mother, he wondered if Theor might have been His Majesty’s son.
Because of Astelle’s personality, he couldn’t imagine that she would have met another man after she got divorced.
‘But his eyes……’
There is no blue-eyed imperial family in history.
‘But, his face looks a little alike.’
When I looked carefully, I felt something similar to His Majesty’s face.
However, if he is His Majesty’s son, there is no way to explain why his eyes are blue.
‘In the end, it’s impossible that he is His Majesty’s son.’
He had hoped in vain that he might be the son of His Majesty the Emperor, but it seems he is not.
After all, if he was a prince, there was no reason to hide his identity.
“How did this happen? What did you do while you were there? You must take good care of His Majesty!”
The interior minister had made Vellian suffer for the past few days, as had the other ministers and some nobles.
Their complaints are the same.
That they could not agree with the emperor’s decision to make a princess who gave birth to an illegitimate child the empress.
No matter how high-ranking a princess is, a single mother of an illegitimate child could not become empress.
It was impossible.
Moreover, her father, the Duke of Reston, was a man who lost power while fighting the emperor.
In all respects, the princess could not become the empress.
Even if the princess was once an empress.
Vellian also wanted to stop this marriage if he could.
But now, His Majesty the Emperor did not listen to anyone’s advice.
“How dare I disobey His Majesty’s will.”
Vellian also tried to stop Kaizen, but he failed repeatedly.
“Anyway, this is an order from His Majesty the Emperor. If you have any complaints, please speak directly to His Majesty.”
“……”
The minister did not say anything.
His Majesty the Emperor ended a long civil war and drove out the great nobles.
There was no one here who could openly disobey the emperor’s will.
They could not dare to object in front of His Majesty the Emperor, so everyone was expressing their anger towards Vellian.
Vellian let out a low sigh and went back to work.
***
Kaizen went up the stairs with mixed feelings.
He was on his way to tell Astelle about the marquis and Theor.
His footsteps were heavy as he thought of Astelle, who must have missed her child.
A small carriage rattled along the forest trail.
Theor rolled the stiff woolen cloth that covered the windowpane with his little hand.
The blue sky and a wide wheat field could be seen through the small gap between the curtains.
It has been five days since he left the capital.
Theor was returning home with his grandfather.
The ride home in the small carriage was fun.
When he went to the capital, he slept in a palace-like castle in a large carriage, but this time he slept in small houses as he moved from village to village.
While riding the carriage, he had to get off sometimes and move to another carriage.
Theor visited the vegetable garden and the stream from time to time.
Theor looked up at his grandfather as he walked along the path of a stream and asked,
“Grandpa, when is Mom coming?”
The Marquis carrying the luggage replied with a smile to Theor,
“If we go home first, she will come soon.”
Theor believed it.
Before he left, his mother said the same thing.
If he goes home with his grandfather first, she will follow.
Thinking of the capital mansion, Theor turned to his grandfather again.
“Will Blynn and Hannah come with Mom, too?”
“Of course.”
It would be nice if Blynn and Hannah also came.
After leaving the mansion, whenever Theor had spare time, he missed his big hound.
He also missed Hannah, who brought her sweet cookies with a caring smile.
Of course, the one he missed the most was his mother.
After leaving the mansion, Theor missed his mother every night.
‘Go home with your grandfather first. Mom will follow soon.’
It was the last time he heard his mother’s voice before he left the mansion.
Theor missed his mother, but he endured it without crying.
If he came home, his mother would be back soon.
His grandfather was by his side and took good care of him, so he was able to bear it.
The two arrived in a small town around sunset.
The Marquis entered the building at the entrance of the village.
It was a large, two-story building that was well lit.
“Grandpa, where are we?”
“It’s an inn. We’re going to sleep here today.”
Theor knew what inn was.
Leaving the capital, the two continued to sleep in an inn somewhere.
As they went inside, there was a loud noise and the smell of fragrant food.
The Marquis took the key from the man at the door, grabbed Theor’s hand, and went up to the room on the second floor.
There was a small bed, a wardrobe and a chair in the square room.
Theor and his grandfather had a simple meal of white bread, boiled vegetables, meat, and soup.
It was nothing compared to the meal he ate at the castle or mansion, but Theor ate deliciously.
After dinner, the Marquis bathed Theor and laid him down on the bed.
As soon as he lay down on the bed, he was drowsy.
Theor hugged Levin the teddy bear and fell into a sleep, buried in the soft duvet.
Suddenly, as if he had just realized it, the Marquis said,
“I have to give you the medicine.”
‘It’s time to drip the medicine.’
Usually, when he was lying down to sleep, his mother would put in the eye drop medicine.
As drowsiness hit, Theor closed his eyes without warning.
“Theor.”
The voice of his grandfather woke him.
He opened his eyes and before he could come to his senses, his body was lifted up.
Levin in his arms fell to the floor.
Theor immediately came to his senses and stretched out a hand to the floor.
“Levin……”
The Marquis picked up the teddy bear and gave it to Theor.
But after that, he opened the closet door while hugging Theory.
“Theor, stay here.”
The closet door closed with those words.
Suddenly, he was in a dark closet.
Theor was sitting on top of his layered robe.
Thin light permeated through the closet door gap.
‘What happened?’
Rubbing his sleepy eyes, he peered through the closet door.
The candle-lighted room was quiet.
His grandfather was nowhere to be seen.
As Theor looked through the gap of the closet door with sleepy eyes, the silence in the room quickly broke.
“Ugh!”
A scream was heard.
Starting with the scream, there was a commotion in the room.
The sound of knives crashing, the scream of someone in pain, even the eerie sound of cutting something.
Young Theor could not comprehend the situation.
What’s going on?
Why did other people come into our room?
Where is Grandpa?
He could see people moving in the dark.
He looked through the gap in the closet door but had no idea what was going on.
He could only guess that people were fighting.
At that moment, something fell right under the closet where Theor was, shaking the closet greatly.
“Aa- eup!”
Surprised, Theor almost screamed, but he hastily covered his mouth with his hands.
The noise in the room disappeared in an instant.
It was when Theor was puzzled by the sudden silence.
creak.
The closet door opened.
***
“Hey, Count.”
A middle-aged man approached Vellian. He is the minister of the interior.
Then he put his hands on the desk.
Vellian frowned.
He had been sitting in his office all day, pretending to concentrate on his work.
“Why do you—”
“What the hell is going on?”
Vellian held back his breath.
He repeated over and over again what he had said over a hundred times in the last few days.
“This is the order of His Majesty the Emperor.”
At that, the minister of the interior bit his lip with a dissatisfied look.
‘That’s understandable.’
Vellian had been suffering for several days.
His Majesty the Emperor’s order to make the princess Reston the empress again shocked all the nobles in the capital.
Of course, Astelle herself was enough to become the empress.
The problem is she has a child.
Also, an illegitimate child whose father is unknown.
‘It was so shocking.’
Vellian clicked his tongue as he recalled Astelle’s calm and dignified face.
‘Who is his father?’
In fact, as soon as Vellian learned that Astelle was the child’s biological mother, he wondered if Theor might have been His Majesty’s son.
Because of Astelle’s personality, he couldn’t imagine that she would have met another man after she got divorced.
‘But his eyes……’
There is no blue-eyed imperial family in history.
‘But, his face looks a little alike.’
When I looked carefully, I felt something similar to His Majesty’s face.
However, if he is His Majesty’s son, there is no way to explain why his eyes are blue.
‘In the end, it’s impossible that he is His Majesty’s son.’
He had hoped in vain that he might be the son of His Majesty the Emperor, but it seems he is not.
After all, if he was a prince, there was no reason to hide his identity.
“How did this happen? What did you do while you were there? You must take good care of His Majesty!”
The interior minister had made Vellian suffer for the past few days, as had the other ministers and some nobles.
Their complaints are the same.
That they could not agree with the emperor’s decision to make a princess who gave birth to an illegitimate child the empress.
No matter how high-ranking a princess is, a single mother of an illegitimate child could not become empress.
It was impossible.
Moreover, her father, the Duke of Reston, was a man who lost power while fighting the emperor.
In all respects, the princess could not become the empress.
Even if the princess was once an empress.
Vellian also wanted to stop this marriage if he could.
But now, His Majesty the Emperor did not listen to anyone’s advice.
“How dare I disobey His Majesty’s will.”
Vellian also tried to stop Kaizen, but he failed repeatedly.
“Anyway, this is an order from His Majesty the Emperor. If you have any complaints, please speak directly to His Majesty.”
“……”
The minister did not say anything.
His Majesty the Emperor ended a long civil war and drove out the great nobles.
There was no one here who could openly disobey the emperor’s will.
They could not dare to object in front of His Majesty the Emperor, so everyone was expressing their anger towards Vellian.
Vellian let out a low sigh and went back to work.
***
Kaizen went up the stairs with mixed feelings.
He was on his way to tell Astelle about the marquis and Theor.
His footsteps were heavy as he thought of Astelle, who must have missed her child.
