Several hours before Jane received the invitation, in the royal palace.

In a bedroom adorned with gold and various jewels, Helena was receiving a massage amidst the gleaming of luxurious lighting.

Every time the masseuse pressed on her calves, Helena let out small moans.

“Ah, yes. That feels good.”

“Your Majesty.”

At that moment, Helena’s aide approached.

Helena opened her eyes, which had been closed, and tapped the masseuse’s back.

“Finish up.”

“Yes, Your Majesty. I will apply a pack made from ground gold and pearls. It should be left on for 30 minutes before washing off. Shall I return then?”

“Send someone else.”

There were many people who could serve as Helena’s hands, feet, eyes, and ears.

If Helena had to choose one organ from her body that was absolutely necessary, she would choose her mouth.

With just one word from her, everything was accomplished.

The masseuse generously poured gold dust and pearl powder into the thick paste.

The amount of gold and pearls used in Helena’s calf pack, if converted to money, would be more than enough for several months of living expenses for a family of four commoners.

The masseuse applied the pack to Helena’s feet, placed them on oiled paper, and then left the bedroom.

Helena raised her upper body, which had been reclining. The aide then placed a cushion behind her back.

Helena smirked.

Sometimes she thought that palace life was so comfortable that she might not even need a mouth.

“Here is the list of invitations sent for the zoo event. Please give it a final review, Your Majesty. We will prepare the event accordingly.”

Children’s Day was just around the corner. As it was an event to boost Helena’s popularity, thorough preparations were necessary.

“Let me see.”

Helena extended her hand. The aide carefully placed the document on her hand, mindful of her long nails adorned with numerous jewels.

“Turn the pages for me. Why are you just standing there?”

Helena didn’t want to move a single finger. The aide turned the pages of the report whenever she signaled that she had finished reading.

The report contained the final list of distinguished guests to be invited to the palace, along with brief personal information about each person and their response status.

Since it was an event that required pre-registration, all the response columns were marked with circles.

Except for one family, the Hastings.

“Jane? Why isn’t she coming?”

“I’m not sure of the reason, but we received a reply from Duke Hastings saying they couldn’t attend.”

“Ah…”

The aide watched Helena’s face intently, tense from her ambiguous reaction that made it unclear whether she was displeased or not.

Helena raised one eyebrow, pushed her lips from side to side, and then gave a calm smile.

The aide felt relieved for now.

“Nothing can be done about it.”

“Shall we remove the Hastings family from the list?”

“No. I’ll invite them personally. Bring me some stationery.”

Helena very much wanted to see Jane.

When she had threatened to kill that child, Cain had prostrated himself at her feet and begged.

It was hard to imagine the current arrogant him doing such a thing.

The young man who had just shed his boyishness and had nothing to his name at the time had, over time, built a solid castle with his achievements and become an arrogant master.

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that he had the noble council wrapped around his finger.

To Helena, Cain Hastings was the best dog.

She thought she had tamed him completely, but lately, it seemed that wasn’t the case.

He occasionally defied her words, took Jane as his wife, and even let the Rose faction slip away.

“It’s time to tighten the reins.”

To do that, she needed to find his weakness.

But she had been frustrated because she couldn’t find one, until now when an opportunity arose to meet the woman who could be said to be the cause of bringing him to his knees in the past.

“It’s only for my son. I have no personal feelings, so don’t worry.”

That’s how Cain had answered when asked why he was marrying Jane.

‘Let’s see if those words still hold true.’

The queen’s hand was light as she wrote out the invitation.

“Send this to the Hastings. And visit the Carelina family too. I’d like to have a chat with Scarlet after a long time.”

Thinking about Cain made her recall something amusing.

‘There’s nothing more entertaining in this world than affairs of the heart.’

Helena’s smile deepened.

* * *

“Nas, they say there are giraffes too.”

“Really? You mean those animals with long necks, right?”

“Yes! And, and there’s an animal with a horn on its nose… What was it?”

Joseph turned to look at Letty.

“A rhinoceros.”

“Th-that’s right! There are rhinoceroses, and they say there’s an animal with nostrils this big.”

“An elephant?”

“N-no, it has a short nose but nostrils bigger than my fist!”

“I wonder what that could be.”

Joseph’s room was noisy from early morning. His excited chatter showed no signs of stopping.

Although he seemed overly excited, no one tried to stop Joseph.

They knew he had been counting down the days until the zoo visit.

“It, it lives in water…”

Joseph furrowed his brow intensely, as if trying to solve a very important problem.

“I know!”

Nas, who had just finished adjusting the suspender straps on Joseph’s shoulders, raised his hand high.

“A hippopotamus?”

Joseph’s furrowed brow smoothed out, and his lips spread into a wide smile.

“That’s right! N-Nas, you’re a genius!”

“It’s thanks to the young master’s good hints.”

Nas and Joseph were as happy as if they had just scored top marks on an academy exam.

Just then, there was a knock at the door. Jane was standing outside the wide-open door.

“Are you ready?”

Jane was wearing an outing dress with a hint of lavender. It matched the color of Joseph’s shirt collar.

“M-Mother!”

Joseph scurried over and twirled once in front of Jane.

His attire was suitable for the weather. Joseph’s outfit of a thin sailor shirt, knee-length shorts, and white knee socks looked comfortable while not straying too far from proper etiquette.

“Just need to put on shoes now.”

Jane looked down at Joseph’s feet, which were still in slippers.

As she watched his small feet fidgeting, Nas asked,

“I’ll prepare the shoes. What style should I bring?”

“Something with soft leather since we might do a lot of walking.”

“Yes, I’ll prepare them.”

While Nas went to get the shoes, Joseph chattered on about which animals he wanted to see at the zoo.

“Are you that excited?”

“Yes, I’m super excited!”

It’s always more enjoyable when you get to go somewhere after initially being told you couldn’t.

Jane recalled Cain’s grim expression when he heard about the queen’s invitation, but she quickly pushed the thought out of her mind.

Right now, she wanted to focus solely on Joseph.

“I’m all ready, Mother! Let’s, let’s go now!”

As Jane bent down to hug Joseph, he took a big step back.

Jane’s eyes widened in surprise.

“J-Joseph is all grown up now! Y-you’re heavy, Mother.”

Early this morning, Cain had visited Joseph’s room.

Cain looked around the room decorated to suit a child, nodding in satisfaction.

Then, to Joseph, who was standing there blinking in surprise at seeing Cain for the first time since the room’s remodeling, he said:

“Try to walk on your own as much as possible. Don’t tire your mother out. And carry yourself with pride wherever you go. You’re a Hastings, after all.”

Joseph’s face, which had been gloomy thinking he was going to be scolded again, brightened up.

Joseph’s excitement wasn’t just because of the zoo.

It was Cain’s words.

“You’re a Hastings, after all.”

Those words made Joseph happy.

And the men of House Hastings are not weak. They know how to endure hardships with dignity.

Recalling Cain’s image, Joseph lifted his chin. Then, like Cain escorting Jane, he stuck out his hand.

“M-Mother, shall we go?”

Jane burst out laughing at the sight of Joseph trying so hard to look gallant.

But she quickly bit her lip to stifle her laughter and grasped Joseph’s hand tightly.

“Please lead the way, young lord Hastings.”

And so began the outing of the happy mother and son.

* * *

The area near the zoo within the royal palace was decorated lavishly, befitting the Children’s Day event.

Children burst into laughter at the sight of giant puppets moving with the wind.

Clowns walked around on long stilts, handing out candy to young children, while dancers performed amusing dances to the lively music played by musicians.

Joseph stared at it all in a daze.

“It’s… amazing…”

Jane nodded in agreement at his voice, which had slipped out as if he were enchanted.

“Her Majesty has prepared a lot.”

Jane had been invited to this event in her childhood too, but it wasn’t on this scale. Back then, they didn’t even open the zoo.

“How may I help you?”

A gatekeeper stopped Jane and Joseph at the entrance to the event.

Although their attire clearly showed they were nobles, only invited guests were allowed inside the venue, so identity verification was essential.

Jane handed over the invitation she had received directly from the queen.

“The Duchess of Hastings and the young lord. Please come in.”

After putting the returned invitation into her small bag, the person assigned to guide the Hastings approached.

“May the goddess’s peace be with you. I’m Becca, in charge of guiding the young lord today. The young lord will accompany me, and the Duchess can spend time in the prepared area.”

“Wasn’t I supposed to accompany the child?”

Jane gripped Joseph’s hand tightly. She didn’t feel comfortable leaving Joseph alone.

“Yes, but the zoo is too large for walking around in shoes.”

“I’ll be fine.”

“All the other families sent only their children.”

Becca was subtly asking if the Hastings were going to make a fuss when others weren’t.

He seemed to have misunderstood Jane’s reluctance to leave Joseph as distrust in him.

“Mother! I’ll be okay!”

Despite Joseph’s brave declaration, Jane was still worried.

But she couldn’t hold back a child who had found his courage.

Jane let go of Joseph’s hand.

“I leave him in your care.”

Jane and Joseph parted ways at the entrance to the event.

Jane was guided by another court official towards the palace where the noble ladies had gathered.

“Oh my, isn’t that Jane?”

There, she met Scarlet.