Chapter 34

The floor was beautiful pale green marble and the walls were white and cream-colored stone with delicate embossing.

The luxurious furniture in the room was also of the highest quality.

It wasn’t even compared to the old castle that Astelle went through while coming here.

It was a more splendid dwelling place than Maern Castle where she stayed before.

‘It deserves to be called the Imperial Palace in the East’

Astelle simply unpacks her luggage and tries to leave, but Hannah knocks on the door.

“Lady Astelle, we have prepared a dessert. Young Master Theor is also waiting for you.”

“Yes, I’ll go now.”

Astelle headed to the gorgeous relaxation room overlooking the garden.

Outside the window, she saw a garden with bright sunlight.

The leaves of grass in the garden shone bright gold in the afternoon sun.

A tea set was set on a round table by the window.

“I brought some cookies and Mille Feuille that you might like.”

“Thanks, Hannah.”

Astelle sat face to face with Theor at the table.

On the table, there was a fragrant Mille Feuille on a beautiful white plate.

Astelle pushed to Theor a plate and a fork.

“Theor, now, try one.”

Theor was looking back and forth over the shape of the Mille Feuille.

“This looks amazing.”

“Cut it out and eat it. It is very delicious.”

Theor listened to Hannah and took a fork.

He cut one piece carefully not to lose the shape and put it in his mouth.

“Wow! Delicious!”

“Do you like it?”

“Yes, it’s sweet and delicious.”

Astelle also took a fork and ate a bite of Mille Feuille.

As soon as she ate a bite, the sweet vanilla scent spread in her mouth.

The savory and crispy pastries blended with the soft custard cream with plenty of vanilla scent.

‘Eating this food after a long time reminds me of the old days.’

In those days, she ate these things every day while going to the imperial palace.

She drank a sip of milk tea in a pure white mug.

It was a taste that naturally harmonized with fragrant tea and soft milk.

The bitter taste and scent matched well with Mille Feuille.

The fatigue accumulated while coming here was relieved by sweet Mille Feuille and warm milk tea.

Hannah laughed as she filled Astelle’s empty teacup with tea.

“Lady Astelle loves this dessert too.”

Astelle smiled slightly and picked up another piece with a fork.

It was when she had finished eating the last piece and put the teacup down.

Hannah asked a question.

“Are you going back to the Marquis’ mansion? “

“Yeah. I have to go back with my grandfather. How about you Hannah? Can you be ordered back to the capital’s imperial palace?”

Astelle met her long-awaited, but she was disappointed because she wondered if she would be separated again.

She was also worried about whether Hannah could go back to the imperial palace.

Even though she is a maid belonging to the imperial palace equally, she is much better at the imperial palace of the capital city than in this separate palace in the east.

There will be a difference in the salary.

Could she ever come here and return to the capital?

If that’s the case, she should ask Kaizen to let her go back.

Hanna replied in a bright voice as she put the teapot down.

“No, I want to follow Lady Astelle now.”

“What?”

Hannah faced Astelle with a calm gaze full of her old feelings.

“You sent me to the capital’s imperial palace alone 6 years ago and I really regretted it a lot. I swore that if I could find your whereabouts, I would surely go and served you.”

It was a calm tone, but it was a voice that was filled with sincerity.

Hannah looked at Astelle with tearful and desperate eyes.

“Lady, please don’t leave me this time.”

“……”

Astelle felt the touch in her chest, and she thought about real things.

Now she’s going to be able to give Hannah a salary.

Since she received her grandfather’s pension again, she was planning to hire a servant or a maid.

Theor will get bigger and bigger, and her grandfather will gradually get older, so she needed an employee to help with chores.

But she can’t hire anyone.

She had to choose someone who was trustworthy and loyal.

‘If it is Hannah… she can be trusted.’

Hannah was a maid who grew up with Astelle from childhood.

She was the most trusted person for Astelle.

‘Originally, I was thinking of bringing in back the servants who worked at my grandfather’s mansion.’

However, the servants in the mansion of her grandfather had already left out a few years ago.

She couldn’t guarantee that she could bring them back.

In the meantime, there will be people who have been looking for jobs in other mansions.

There will be people who have started other things.

‘That is why I was worried about it though.’

If it’s Hannah, I can trust it.

In any case, I might be able to tell you about Theor’s birth.

If I think about it, Hannah might be in trouble at the imperial palace now.

Her Majesty the Empress Dowager also died after the former emperor.

After a while, when the new empress comes in, she may be in trouble because she was a maid of the former empress.

‘Moreover, if the new empress is Marianne’s sister, she might be harassing Hannah because she was my maid.’

Astelle didn’t want Hannah to be harmed because of herself.

In that case, it might be better to hire Hannah and put her by her side again.

Astelle asked carefully after thinking about it.

“Hannah, would you not really mind though?”

“Yes, I already made up my mind before coming here. I will follow you this time.”

Hannah asked again with a desperate expression.

“Lady, please allow me this time.”

Astelle nodded to Hanna’s desperate beg.

“Yes, Hannah, then from now on, help me by my side again like before.”

Hannah was moved and her tears filled.

“Yes, Lady. Thank you very much.”

Astelle took Hannah’s hand.

While coming here, all sorts of things happened, but it was good to have someone she could trust.

Theor, who was watching quietly, asked while eating the last piece of Mille-Feuille left over.

“Then does Hannah live with us?”

“Of course.”

Hannah quickly wiped her tears and laughed, and she bowed her head to Theor.

“Thank you very much, Young Master. ”

“Yes, please take care of me too, Hannah.”

Astelle looked at it and smiled.

However, the time of emotion did not last long.

-knock knock

Suddenly a short knock was heard outside the door.

The door opened and the attendant came in with an urgent expression.

“Lady…”

“What’s going on?”

The attendant replied with confused eyes.

“The Marchioness of Croychen visited.”

Before Astelle could say anything, a middle-aged woman who looked dry and nervous came in.

She could know who the person was without being introduced.

She was the wife of the Marquis of Croychen, the Minister of State, and Marianne’s mother.

Even before Astelle said hello, the Marchioness of Croychen asked.

“Are you Lady Astelle?”

Astelle replied with a slight smile.

“Yes, it’s been a long time, Marchioness.”

The other person doesn’t seem to remember, but Astelle met the Marchioness a few times.

At that time, the Croychen was a minor family, so there was no close conversation.

‘Even then, it wasn’t a very good impression.’

The Marchioness was arrogant and short of thoughts.

At that time, she was not an important person, so she was not popular.

“Aunt Astelle?”

The Marchioness was trying to say something more, but Theor at the table came to Astelle.

“What’s up?”

Asked Theor, running on the hem of Astelle’s dress.

“It’s nothing, it’s just a guest.”

“Who is he?”

The Marchioness carefully looked at Theor with a curious look.

“You look like Lady Astelle, are you relatives?”

The words of her resemblance filled a corner of her heart.

Astelle replied with a smile without expressing any surprise.

“Yes, this is my nephew.”

“Hello, Madam.”

Theor bowed and said hello to the Marchioness.

Astelle quickly glanced at Hannah.

“Hannah, would you take Theor to his room and get the toy out?”

Hannah quickly noticed and lowered her head.

“Yes, Lady Astelle. Young Master, come over here.”

Hannah took Theor’s hand and went outside.

Astelle is left alone with the Marchioness in the room.

“Lady Astelle, you must know why I meet you suddenly like this.”

The Marchioness, who had watched Theor go out, couldn’t stand it anymore and opened her mouth.

“It’s because of Marianne.”

“Lady Marianne?”

“Yes, it is. She is my eldest child.”

She was a little too casual about what she was saying.

“Your Majesty has been imprisoned her in a Maern Castle’s prison.”

Come to think of it, Marianne is still there.

Astelle remembers the whereabouts of Marianne which she had forgotten for a while.

She hadn’t seen her since then, so she forgot for a while.

The Marchioness burst into anger.

“Marianne has been trapped there for over 2 weeks. The poor child…! I wonder how much she suffers in such a place…”

She asked Astelle.

“Lady Astelle, please ask His Majesty to release my poor daughter.”

She was a bit outright.

She only asks for words, but it is no different from forcing Astelle.

Her own daughter is trapped in such a place, and the feelings of her parents will be miserable.

No matter how miserable she felt as a parent, this was a bit severe.