“Damn, this is bad!”

Sir Alec Loitz, the escort knight of Crown Prince Mikhail, clenched his eyes shut and then opened them at the sound of the Empress’s voice from behind. Slowly, he turned around.

“Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager…”

“Ah, it is indeed Sir Loitz. But why are you here…”

Charlotte’s words trailed off as her eyes sharpened.

Alec felt a cold sweat run down his back.

Charlotte Liberty Alkan, the Empress of the Alkan Empire, was usually very calm and gentle. However, she was also a mother who worried about her child and had a formidable temperament that even the Emperor could not calm down once roused.

How did he know? …He wished he didn’t.

“You’re not here because of another escapade by the prince, are you?”

The Empress, almost certain about the prince’s misadventures, was asking this to admonish Alec, who then hung his head in shame.

“I’m sorry. His Highness the Crown Prince disappeared, and I was searching for him… But no matter how much I look, I can’t find him anywhere…”

He revealed more details than necessary.

Charlotte, who hadn’t pressed for details in front of Annette and the Dowager Empress, blushed at the sudden explicitness.

She had been privately worried about Mikhail’s recent behavior – skipping classes, spending time elsewhere, and seeming lost.

She couldn’t figure out why her son, who had always seemed responsible as a Crown Prince, was acting this way. She had spoken to her husband, Lucius, about it, but he, always lenient with his son, just advised to trust and wait.

She tried talking to Mikhail, but he remained tight-lipped, avoiding her questions.

Recently, after Annette’s arrival in the empire, Charlotte accidentally learned where Mikhail had been spending his time.

‘And to think that the knights couldn’t find him anywhere in the palace…’

Who would have thought he was hiding in the Secret Garden?

She sighed at her son’s unpredictable behavior. Both she and her husband were known for their sincerity, so where had he learned to trick his guards like this?

Suddenly, Charlotte thought of Mikhail’s beloved uncle, Kardein.

‘Could it be that Kardein’s overindulgence spoiled him?’

It was a logical suspicion. Kardein had always doted on his only nephew.

Now that Kardein was in the capital, she thought it might be time to have a talk with Mikhail and him.

“Alright, I understand. I’ll check if he’s in the garden.”

As Charlotte said this, she turned to the Dowager Empress and Annette, looking embarrassed.

Mikhail was likely in the garden, so she intended to go in first and bring him out.

But then.

“It’s good that Mikhail might be inside. Let’s go in.”

“Your Majesty…”

“The Empress was about to call him anyway. It’s even better to have a walk before enjoying our tea.”

The Dowager Empress took the lead, hoping to save her grandson from a stern reprimand.

“Introducing him formally inside wouldn’t be a bad idea either.”

“Yes, I was also bothered that I couldn’t properly introduce myself to His Highness the Crown Prince yesterday.”

Annette, who had been just observing, quickly chimed in at the Dowager Empress’s suggestion.

Charlotte sighed lightly and nodded.

Rather than being really angry, she was more embarrassed in front of the Dowager Empress and Annette. So, she decided to calm down first.

‘Maybe it’s not as immature a concern as I think, given how precocious kids are these days.’
Just as Charlotte was about to step into the Secret Garden to appease Mikhail, she was suddenly halted.

“Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager!”

“What is it, Sir?”

“Umm…”

Alec hesitated, lips quivering slightly.

It wasn’t just the Crown Prince Mikhail who had disappeared; the high-born daughter of Duke Melin, the commander of the Royal Knights, was also missing.

It was no secret in the palace that these childhood friends had been close, although they hadn’t met much recently.

Knowing that Duke Melin’s daughter had entered the palace that day, Alec had sent people to find her as soon as Mikhail went missing, only to discover she wasn’t where she was supposed to be.

‘I suspect they might be together…’

Aware that the Crown Prince knew this garden was restricted to the royal family, Alec couldn’t be sure.

“It’s nothing.”

He thought it unnecessary to disturb the Empress with unconfirmed matters.

Alec stepped back, not because he feared getting dragged into trouble or wanting revenge on the Crown Prince for making him run around the palace.

He had already failed in his duty by losing his charge in the palace and didn’t want to make things worse. But still…

‘If His Highness really took the Duke’s daughter to the garden, he deserves to be scolded.’

Hoping for an end to the prince’s rebellious phase was only human.

While one knight was indulging in vengeful fantasies about his young master, Annette followed the Empress Dowager and the Empress into the Secret Garden.

Walking along the path surrounded by tall trees and dense bushes, she was struck anew by the immense scale of the imperial palace.