Holding the maid's hand, Theor explored the castle's inner rooms and library. Compared to the grand imperial palace and other large residences, this old-fashioned castle seemed relatively small, but in young Theor's eyes, it appeared immense.
Each floor featured a gray brick wall that seemed to stretch endlessly, while the window railings were adorned with finely crafted stone columns. Through an arched window, Theor could see the central garden of the castle, where a gentle rain was falling.
As he approached the corridor leading to the castle gate, Theor noticed a gathering of people at its end. Among them, he spotted Kaizen, accompanied by his knights, preparing to leave the castle grounds. Theor darted toward him before the maid could catch up, entering the corridor where the knights guarding the emperor took notice of him.
Though Kaizen continued walking briskly ahead, paying him no mind, Theor greeted the emperor as he chased after him.
"Hello, Your Majesty."
The emperor halted in his tracks, drawing the attention of the entire group. Kaizen slowly turned to face Theor.
'Oh, that's the child with Astelle,' he thought, realizing he hadn't seen the boy since dinner and hadn't paid him much attention until now.
Kaizen had heard that Astelle was deeply fond of this child from Vellian.
"Why is the child here?" Kaizen asked, his curiosity piqued.
The maid answered, her back slightly bowed. "Lady Astelle instructed me to show him around the castle."
Theor had shared dinner with Kaizen and, in his own way, felt a sense of closeness to the emperor. Living a relatively isolated life, he was fascinated by the numerous people he encountered for the first time.
He also remembered the beautiful blonde lady he had seen during dinner but hadn't seen since then.
Astelle had mentioned that His Majesty was a very important person, so Theor was particularly curious about him. After a brief hesitation, he posed a question to Kaizen.
"Your Majesty, where are you going?"
"I'm heading to the forest for a hunt," Kaizen replied.
Theor was taken aback by the mention of the word 'forest.' He remembered Vellian mentioning something about a bear during dinner.
"In the forest... can you see a bear?" Theor asked, his eyes wide with curiosity. Kaizen, who had been frowning, recalled the child's previous reaction to the word 'bear' at the dinner table.
"Do you want to see a bear?" Kaizen asked.
Theor's eyes sparkled with curiosity as he responded, "Do you have a real bear?"
Kaizen nodded casually. "Yes, it's in the hunting lodge."
The forest surrounding the area was vast, seemingly endless. After venturing into the woods for a considerable distance, they would reach a separate hunting lodge where they could rest during the hunt.
Successive emperors had enjoyed hunting in this expansive forest, returning to their villas only after a full day of adventure.
Kaizen gazed down at the child, who was looking up at him with wonder. According to Vellian, Theor had lost his father before birth, and as a baby, he had even been abandoned by his mother.
As he remembered Astelle holding the child with such care, Kaizen wondered if anyone else would show such devotion. Astelle had treated Theor as if he were her own child.
In a different scenario, he might have believed that she was the boy's real mother, especially since Theor had lost his own mother when he was a baby.
He wasn't particularly interested in Astelle, but he knew these facts. Kaizen's thoughts drifted back to a distant memory from his childhood.
