Hiding the Emperor's Child

Chapter 28

Astelle hurried over to Kaizen, hoping to collect the herbs. She observed the small white flower in Kaizen's hand, which bore resemblance to the one she sought.

However, upon closer inspection, the spout was a bit longer, and the petals were smaller. Disappointment was evident in Astelle's pale green eyes as Kaizen lowered his hand.

"Is this not it? Again?" he asked, displaying disappointment and embarrassment.

"No, it's not," Astelle responded gently, trying to console Kaizen. Vellian arrived with a handful of Gurren grass, offering his help, but Kaizen coldly dismissed his offer.

"Not needed," Kaizen replied in a frosty tone, silently seething with frustration as Vellian found the correct herb requested by Astelle. It was apparent that Kaizen was angered by continuously searching for the wrong herbs.

'It's my first time searching for medicinal herbs, even after spending a lot of time in the forest,' Kaizen pondered. As he encountered failure after failure, his mood soured, leading to further dissatisfaction.

A somber aura seemed to envelope Kaizen as Vellian swiftly handed the gathered herbs to Astelle's basket and swiftly departed.

After a long search through the grass, Kaizen sighed and asked, "When did you learn this?"

"There's a pharmacist near my grandfather's estate. I somehow got acquainted and learned how to prepare medicines," Astelle replied.

"Why did you learn that?" Kaizen questioned, prompting Astelle to give him a quizzical look at the obviousness of his query.

"Well, we have a young child and an elderly grandfather at our mansion," Astelle explained.

The vulnerability of children and the elderly to even minor illnesses was evident. Although both Theor and her grandfather were in good health, Astelle fervently hoped they'd remain so. In her free time, she learned the art of making herbs and potions from Gretel.

Aside from eye medicines, she had to be prepared for any other illnesses that might arise when Gretel was unavailable.

Gretel had praised Astelle for her aptitude for crafting medicines. 'Because of your meticulous personality, you learn quickly. You certainly seem to have talents too,' Gretel acknowledged, offering to take her on as a student. However, due to the scarcity of time, Astelle politely declined the offer.

Instead, she had learned to cultivate medicinal herbs, nurturing them in her garden and earning a livelihood by selling them annually. Astelle's response lacked enthusiasm, but it perplexed Kaizen once again. "Was it so challenging to earn a living?" he wondered as he walked through the grass.

While he had been in the forest before, it was the first time he had ventured through the underbrush.

The air was laced with the scent of damp earth and the crispness of the grass. His gaze drifted to the sky, a canvas of silver against the backdrop of the setting sun's reddish glow, painting the heavens in a light purple hue.

Several steps ahead, Astelle, garbed in a simple dress, delicately held a basket, carefully gathering an unfamiliar herb. This scene triggered a sudden memory.

'It turns out I've been in the forest with Astelle like this before,' he realized.

In his memories, Astelle had always been a beautifully adorned, doll-like figure set against the backdrop of an imperial palace or the opulent halls of a grand mansion. However, in reality, he had only ventured into the forest with Astelle once. It was a distant recollection, akin to a page in a dusty, forgotten book.

Kaizen brushed off the layers of dust that had gathered over his forgotten memories. "I recall the old days," he remarked with a composed voice. Astelle turned to face him upon hearing his words.