Chapter 19

“Lady Astelle is here.”

Vellian was thinking about that, but the attendant came in and announced Astelle’s arrival.

The door opened and Astelle entered the study room.

Kaizen, who stepped into the room, inadvertently turned his gaze toward the door and looking at Astelle.

There was Astelle in front of the opened door.

Kaizen almost didn’t recognize Astelle at first.

Astelle was wearing a green silk dress instead of a cotton dress that looked like a giant bag she usually wore.

It was an old-fashioned dress that was different from the current fashion, but the neat design peculiar to the old-fashioned matched Astelles’s neat appearance.

The light blonde was also loosened or tied in one, unlike usual, it was simply lifted up in a bundle and fixed with a butterfly-shaped comb pin.

The pale green butterfly which sat down on the slightly watery platinum colored hair looked elegant.

It was like a beautiful woman painted in an old portrait.

It was a graceful and beautiful.

Of course, Astelle originally had a nice appearance.

The line was thin and the features were neat.

However, it has never been seen as such an overwhelming beauty.

In the past, Astelle was often dressed much more beautifully than this.

However, Kaizen of those days never looked at Astelle.

‘Was it like this…’

Vellian was also surprised and stared blankly, then came to his senses belatedly and greeted Astelle.

“Lady Astelle.”

Astelle went inside while calmly receiving the gaze that was focused on her.

It was good for her to wash her body wet in rain with the bath water provided by the maid, but the problem was that she had no clothes to change.

She can’t wear wet clothes again.

She couldn’t even send someone to the castle to tell them to bring clothes.

Besides, since this is a hunting lodge, there were many extra clothes for knights and nobles, but there were few women’s clothes.

It is said that it is a very remote place and did not even hire a maid.

All the working people were servants or attendants.

‘These are all existing ladies’ clothes.’

With that said, the clothes the servant brought were three dresses.

Astelle took the clothes.

One was a red velvet evening dress, which was deep enough to reveal the chest and embroidered with gold thread on the bodice.

It was literally a fancy dress that would be worn only at a ball.

The other one was worse than that.

It was a light pearl colored muslin dress, but the fabric was thin enough to see the inside.

Seeing that they were all popular designs a few decades ago, they seemed to be the clothes of a woman brought by the former emperor when he came here.

Kaizen’s father, His Majesty, was a gentle man and did not have a woman or a lover, but Kaizen’s grandfather, His Majesty Emperor Gilbert, was the one who really revealed his feelings.

‘It must be the clothes that his woman came to and left behind.’

Still, the third dress was a little wearable.

It was the most ordinary.

The fabric of the dress was all light and soft silk giving a luxurious gloss.

It was a neat style dress with dark green and gold color at the end of the hem and cuffs.

It was okay when she tried it on. The dimensions fit similarly too.

She didn’t think it would suit her to wear such clothes and loosen her hair, so she simply fixed her hair with a pin on the vanity table.

Suddenly she appeared wearing something like this, Vellian openly observed Astelle with a surprised expression.

Astelle bent her knees slightly at Kaizen and sat down. Kaizen apologized to her first.

“I’m sorry for bringing the child here without a word. I was thinking of sending him back soon, but it rained so much that it was delayed.”

“It’s okay, Your Majesty. The child was also bored at the castle.”

“You said you came to give him a medicine. Where is the child sick?”

Astelle noticed what Kaizen was misunderstanding. He thinks Theor has some big problems.

She was giving medicine to the child and suddenly followed up here, so it was worth misunderstanding.

Astelle responded without denying it.

“He doesn’t have a special disease, but… according to my maternal grandfather, the Carlenberg family, our mother’s family, sometimes has a weak child. Like my mother.”

“I see.”

Astelle’s mother was originally a weak person. She eventually gave birth to Astelle and died.

When she brought out the story, Kaizen was convinced of her.

“He’s a good boy, but I’m sorry to hear that he is so weak.”

Astelle looked at Kaizen’s attention.

Fortunately, he didn’t seem to doubt something.

‘Thank God.’

It would be nice if she could keep Theor away from this man for a while.

It was when Astelle was thinking so with her desperate heart.

Someone knocked on the door. It was a attendant from the castle.

The attendant came inside and delivered the news.

“Your Majesty, I got a call from Denz Castle.”

‘Finally.’

Astelle was relieved.

She was fully guessing what the news was, so she felt relieved at the word.

Astelle looked back slowly, pretending to have a questionable expression.

Vellian got up quickly.

“Excuse me for a moment.”

He took the attendant and went out the door.

Vellian guessed it might be news related to the capital’s work.

It must be the Duke of Reston. Or it will be an urgent matter about the state administration.

Whatever the news, it wasn’t something that would be said in front of Astelle.

He went out into the hallway and closed the door.

“What’s going on?”

However, the story that came out of the attendant’s mouth was completely different from what he predicted.

“I got a call from the Castle of Denz, but the Marquis of Carlenberg says he was feeling sick.”

“What?”

The explanation was simple.

It was said that Astelle’s maternal grandfather, Marquis of Carlenberg, who is staying in Denz Castle, feeling sick and was lying in a bed for several days.

After that old man was caught ten days earlier than Astelle, he was always there all the time after being briefly interrogated.

Later, he continued to be uncooperative from the beginning, saying that he would not tell the whereabouts of his little granddaughter.

That doesn’t mean that old man was imprisoned or tortured.

Vellian would have done it if necessary, but he did’nt

Kaizen ordered that the nobleman, who had dedicated his loyalty to his grandfather, be treated as a guest, not to treat him carelessly.

By the way, the marquis are said to have been lying down for several days complaining of headache and dizziness.

According to the doctor, it doesn’t seem like there’s a big illness, but it’s just because of weakness.

‘Looking at it, it seems that the reason why he is weak is because of the history of the Carlenberg family as Lady Astelle explained.’

Well, people who are far more than sixty years old were caught in an unfamiliar place and were forced to stay in a fleeing life.

No matter how much he was treated as a guest, it seemed like he was trapped there anyway.

When he was young, he went to war and made achievements, but now he is old and weak.

Vellian, who had been listening to the words of the beginning, asked with absurdity after listening to them all.

“Did you come all the way here to tell that?”

The attendant came to deliver the news through this rain, so he thought it was a great thing.

Of course it would be important for marquis’ families, but it wasn’t great enough to run to tell the emperor.

However, the attendant answered silently with an emotionless gaze.

“I’ve been ordered to report as quickly as possible if anything happens to the marquis.”

“Me? When did I give that order?”

No matter how much he thought about it, he didn’t remember saying that.

When Vellian asked with a quizzical expression, the attendant said again with a calm expression.

“His Majesty has ordered.”

“……”

Vellian thought that Kaizen had fallen in love with the former empress over there.

Even a little while ago, Kaizen looked at Astelle who appeared in a proper dress, as if he was possessed.

Vellian turned around. It was difficult to deliver this news.

‘I think you’ll be shocked, Lady Astelle.’

Vellian was worried and slowly opened the door and went into the study room.

As soon as he entered the room, Astelle asked with an anxious glance.

“What happened?”

“Ah… that… that…”

Vellian looked at Astelle’s face and couldn’t answer, but Kaizen on one side nodded a little and urged him to speak quickly.

Vellian sighed and spoke to her.

Well, it’s something that can’t be hidden anyway.

“Marquis of Carlenberg is said to be a little sick.”

“My grandfather?”

Astelle asked back with her shocked eyes.

Vellian nodded his head with a confused expression.

“Yes, it is said that he was lying in the room with a terrible headache for several days.”

“Oh my gosh…”

As expected, the news seemed to shock Astelle.

In an instant, the light green eyes drenched like a rain-wet forest.

Astelle bowed her head with a tearful eyes.

‘It worked.’

Even with a tears, Astelle was deeply relieved in her heart.

She had written a letter to her maternal grandfather in the past for this.

Her maternal grandfather was very healthy even at that age, so at some point he did not get sick.

As a war hero, he was healthier than the young Astelle.