Chapter 148

“Brother Fritz?”

As soon as Astelle saw Fritz, she knew it would be about herbs.

Fritz’s sparkling eyes raised her hopes that the herb was here.

Astelle left Theor with Gretel and went outside.

“Good news.”

Fritz spoke in a slightly excited tone as soon as he entered the next room.

“Sir Seibel has arrived in the capital.”

“Already?”

It was unexpected news.

“You mean he brought all the knights with him? Already?”

How did such a large army arrive so quickly?

If the entire knights were to enter through the gates of the capital, the news would have been delivered. But Astelle heard no reports from the guards.

“At first, Sir Seibel and only one battalion were said to have arrived.”

“So not all of them arrived?”

“It seems that the knights were selected and returned first with only a few.”

Why did he bring only a small group?

It was suspicious, but Fritz didn’t seem to know the details either.

Astelle decided to meet him first.

Before heading to where Seibel was waiting, she grabbed Fritz and asked, “How about the herb?”

“I got a call this morning. It will arrive soon in a day or two.” Fritz replied with an apologetic look.

“… … I see.”

It was hopeful that it would come within a day or two.

Astelle sent Theor back to his room and headed to the drawing room where Seibel was waiting.

“Your Majesty the Empress.”

As she entered the drawing room, Seibel hurriedly bowed.

“I heard the news from my father and ran as quickly as possible.”

“Sir Seibel, you did a great job.”

Although Seibel had come a long way, there was no sign of tiredness.

“Where are the other knights?”

“In order to get here as soon as possible, we chose the best battalion and came to the capital first.”

Thanks to that, the knights were able to return quickly. But Astelle needed the entire knights.

“What about the rest?”

“Only half of the people I brought are in the capital, and the other half are staying in the suburbs. The battalions left in the north are returning to the capital in sequence, except for the last battalion. All the battalions will arrive in the capital within three days at the latest.”

While explaining that, Seibel paused for a moment and looked into Astell’s eyes.

“I decided it would be better than coming back all at once.”

“… … .”

Astelle listened to Seibel and understood the situation.

Count Ecklen seems to have informed Seibel that the Emperor is in critical condition and that the ministers are in a precarious state due to divisions.

When Seibel heard that, he decided to select the knights before bringing them back to the capital. To prevent others from predicting when the Lanberg Knights will arrive.

If the commander said that he came first with only a small number of knights, the enemy would not be wary now.

Therefore, half of the battalions that came with them were left in the suburbs.

Seibel looked at Astelle’s cold face and asked anxiously, “I apologize if my judgment is wrong, Your Majesty.”

“No, you did really well.”

I didn’t know that this sincere Knight Commander had such a wit.

Seibel was relieved at that moment and came one step closer to Astelle.

“Your Majesty, I will risk my life to protect Your Majesty and His Highness the Crown Prince.”

A calm and deep determination was revealed in his sincere eyes.

“Thank you.” Astelle sincerely thanked him.

***

Fortunately, good news came one after another.

As Fritz said, that evening, the herb from the estate arrived.

Astelle ran out happily.

However, she was very disappointed to see the flower in the pot.

“Is this the flower?”

The flower in the pot was very different from what she had imagined.

“When I saw it before, this flower looked exactly like the one in the picture,” Fritz muttered as he touched the withered and fallen petals.

In fact, it had been a long time since Fritz had seen this flower in the estate. The flowers that were in full bloom were about to wither in the meantime.

Fortunately, there are flowers blooming on the other stems as well. Small flower buds with slightly opened buds hang from the tip of the stem.

It looks similar to the one in the picture, but a little different.

Is it the same flower? Is it because it’s not fully bloomed?

“Gretel, is this okay?” Astelle asked anxiously.

Gretel also had a look of doubt.

“I can’t say for sure, but I’ll make some medicine first.”

The condition of the flowers is disappointing, but for now, this is the best.

Gretel spent a long time preparing the flowers and then boiling them.

Astelle also stood by her side and watched her do it.

After a while, the medicine was finished.

Astelle took a spoonful of the medicine herself and fed Kaizen who was still unconscious.

Even after she put down the empty medicine bowl, Gretel remained unsure.

“I don’t know how effective it will be.”

In the end, she had no choice but to wait.

Astelle watched Kaizen all night from the bedside.

When Kaizen wakes up, Astelle herself may be in danger. But that doesn’t matter at the moment. Astelle always hoped that Kaizen would survive.

How much time has passed? When the unsteadily shaking candle flame had melted more than half of the candle, Gretel hurriedly called Astelle.

“Astelle!”

Kaizen, who was lying motionless, slowly began to show changes.

***

Florin took a light bite of the appetizer and just took a sip of water.

The next seafood dish looks really good, but she’s not in the mood to taste it.

Next to Florin is her father, the Marquis of Croychen, and on the other side is the empress’ father, the Duke of Reston.

“What a wonderful dinner, Duke.”

The two were eating in a friendly atmosphere.

An hour ago, the Marquis Croychen was invited by the Duke of Reston to his mansion. He took his daughters Florin and Marianne with him too.

Florin couldn’t understand why her father brought her here. Even brought Marianne, not just herself.

Shouldn’t he rather bring his wife, the Marchioness, to a place like this?

Of course, the Marchioness has a history of being exiled for trying to kill the Empress, the Duke of Reston’s daughter, so it’s a bit odd that she comes with him but still……

The Marquis Croychen thanked the Duke politely.

“Thank you so much for inviting us. You brought me back to the capital… … .”

“Well, it’s not even forbidden to return to the capital, is it?”

It is true that the exiles cannot return to their original capital. But the Duke of Reston spoke as if he didn’t know about it.

“That’s right… … .”

Florin was irritated by her father’s servile attitude. She could understand why her father was subservient to such a man.

Under the current emperor, the Croychen family has little chance of regaining their former influence.

So it looks like he’s trying to change his attitude and stick with the Duke of Reston.

I heard that now the emperor is in critical condition.

I don’t know how it came about, but when the emperor dies, the young prince will ascend to the throne.

‘The Duke of Reston wants to convince the new nobles to make his grandson the emperor without any trouble.’

Although expelled from the capital, the Marquis Croychen was the head of the new nobles. He still has some influence over them.

The interests of the two coincided, and this odd meeting was created.

As she speculated, the Duke brought up the subject.

“The Marquis, please convince the other ministers who are still stubborn.”

“Don’t worry too much. They won’t have any other choice either.”

Florin listened to their conversation without a word. But there was still something she didn’t understand.

Why did Florin herself and Marianne come to this place?

“The Marquis has really beautiful daughters.”

“They cannot be compared to the majesty of the beautiful and wise Empress.”

Until a few months ago, they were enemies. Now the two exchanged compliments with humility seemed like old friends.

Marquis Croychen set down the half-empty wine glass and turned to the Duke.

“So which one do you like?”

Hearing her father’s question, Marianne, who was just eating blankly, stopped her hand. On the other hand, Florin’s whole body became cold.

The Duke looked at the two of them and smiled slightly.

“They are really beautiful ladies. I’m a little worried because your daughters are too young.”

“What do you mean? Marianne and the new Duke aren’t even ten years apart.”

For a moment, the smile on the duke’s face disappeared.

“Yeah, but she’s a little too young for me.”

“… … sorry?”

This time, it was the Marquis’ turn to harden his face. The Marquis just blinked his eyes, confused.

“I, I thought you were talking about your son…….”

“I told you I needed a Duchess.”

The Duke of Reston looked back at the three with a slightly annoyed smile.

Florin was greatly dumbfounded.

‘Father…… are you going to marry one of us to that Duke?’

Marianne was also looking at her father with her eyes wide open.

But the Marquis did not dwell on it for long.

“Yes, it is truly an honor for our family.”

“Father……!”

Marianne, who couldn’t stand it, hurriedly got up from her seat.

“I am sorry, Duke. It’s because I’m lacking in educating my daughter… … .”

But the Duke wasn’t too angry. He was now looking at Florin.

“Your second daughter is so calm and beautiful. She is a role model for ladies.”

Florin felt goosebumps for a moment.

Fortunately, a savior appeared at that moment.

“Duke.”

The old butler came in and called the Duke. The Duke of Reston got up and went outside.

“Her Majesty the Empress is looking for you urgently.”

“Now?”

It’s almost midnight now. She’s calling me at this hour?

“They say it’s urgent.”

The Duke of Reston had entered the Empress Palace two days ago to confirm. By then, he had already explained to Astelle what she had to do.

The Emperor is now known to have suddenly become ill and is resting with his beloved empress. But lying in a bed for too long will make others suspicious.

The Duke of Reston calculated the situation for a moment.

The Lanberg Knights had not yet reached the capital. It was only a day ago that the knight commander returned to the capital with only a small group of knights.

The Rosewood, on the other hand, said they would come to the capital in three or four days.

‘It doesn’t seem like a big deal.’

The Duke of Reston pondered for a moment before answering.

“Alright. I’ll go to the palace right away.”