Hiding the Emperor's Child

Chapter 13

The rain outside continued to tap lightly against the windowpane. Astelle couldn't help but wonder when this persistent rain would finally cease.

Arriving at the emperor's office with a sense of foreboding, she was greeted by the knight guarding the door, who promptly opened it for her. However, as soon as she entered the office, she was met with a barrage of accusations.

"This is an absurd farce!" Marianne, standing in the center of the room, erupted in anger at the sight of Astelle. "She ordered her own maid to frame me!"

Astelle, maintaining her composure, kneeled in front of Kaizen and bowed respectfully. Kaizen was seated behind his desk, with Vellian standing beside him. Vellian appeared notably intrigued by the unfolding situation, while Kaizen silently signaled to Lyndon.

Lyndon, in response to Kaizen's unspoken directive, reported what he had uncovered. "There is evidence that the maid who was apprehended as the culprit received money from Lady Marianne. She has confessed that Lady Marianne's own maid delivered the funds."

With this revelation, it seemed that the matter had reached a critical turning point.

At this point, Marianne found herself backed into a corner, and there appeared to be no easy way out of this predicament for her. It was becoming increasingly clear that she lacked the wisdom to extricate herself from this situation.

While Astelle remained silent, Kaizen pressed Marianne with a firm question, "Are you still going to deny it?"

Marianne, struggling to find words, began to cry, her delicate eyes welling up with tears. Despite her tears, she appeared beautiful and enchanting, almost like a fairy.

However, in this room, there was no one who showed sympathy for her appearance.

With no one coming to her aid, Marianne turned her tearful gaze toward Astelle once more, her eyes now filled with anger.

"She had a suspicious vial and various medicines in that box! Who carries so many medicines? How do you even know what's in there? It could be poison!"

However, as Marianne attempted to shift the blame onto Astelle, Kaizen's reaction was far from what she had expected. He rebuked her with a stern voice, clearly taken aback by her words.

"So, are you the one who decided to search through other people's belongings? Since when did you become the castle's security officer?" Kaizen retorted.

Marianne's excuse faltered, and she quickly shifted her words when it became apparent that her initial excuse was ineffective. She pointed at Astelle, tears still lingering in her eyes, and shouted, "The person who came to see Your Majesty has all these medicines. It's suspicious in every way! We need to inspect it immediately."

However, Astelle had never visited the emperor for quite some time. The only recent occasion was three or four days ago when she was summoned with her child to attend a dinner at the palace. Marianne, not knowing this, spoke out of turn.

Marianne's accusations caused the others in the room to turn their attention toward Astelle. Their expressions seemed to question why she had so many medicines with her.

Astelle responded calmly, addressing Marianne directly, "Lady Marianne, if I recall correctly, you have younger siblings, do you not?"

Marianne appeared puzzled by this unexpected question. "Huh? What are you talking about all of a sudden?"

Astelle continued, "Isn't it customary for the nanny employed by the household to keep a stock of medicines in the chest of drawers for Lady Marianne and her younger siblings? There would typically be simple cold medicine, remedies for upset stomachs, various ointments for different types of wounds, and even a calming agent to soothe a frightened child."