Astelle was lost in thought about the events of the previous night when her maternal grandfather's voice echoed in her mind.
"They've sent another woman to the emperor," he remarked.
"Is that true?" Astelle responded, surprised by the news. She had known such a situation might arise eventually, but she hadn't expected it so soon.
Her grandfather's voice turned stern. "It's inevitable, isn't it? If the emperor's affections change, both you and Theor could be at risk."
Astelle fell silent, grappling with the unsettling possibility. Could such a thing really happen?
Astelle harbored doubts about whether the day would ever arrive when Kaizen would forsake her and Theor for another woman. Knowing his steadfast nature, she couldn't envision him making such a choice. Yet, she also acknowledged his capricious temperament; it remained uncertain whether his affection for them would endure indefinitely.
"Your Majesty," Hannah's sudden entrance interrupted Astelle's thoughts, her expression urgent. "I have something important to inform you."
Astelle apologized to her grandfather and accompanied Hannah back to her quarters.
"Lady Florin has sent a message," Hannah explained without preamble.
"So soon?" Astelle remarked with surprise. "That was unexpectedly swift."
The haste suggested that the prospect of an arranged marriage weighed heavily on Lady Florin's mind.
Astelle remained resolute in her decision not to resort to retaliatory measures. If Lady Florin truly understood her, she would have recognized the trap she had set. Fortunately, Florin's knowledge of Astelle was limited.
"Did you bring the note?" Astelle inquired calmly.
"Here it is," Hana replied, extending a small piece of paper.
Meanwhile, Hannah had tasked the maids with keeping an eye on Naen. Astelle was aware of Naen's clandestine correspondence with Florin. It involved a simple method where Naen would respond if a maid sent by Florin discreetly placed a note in a specific spot in the palace's backyard.
It would have been too risky for Naen, employed in the empress's palace, to meet the maid face-to-face. Their method of communication relied solely on these clandestine notes. Hannah had managed to intercept one ahead of time.
The note she presented was filled with a sequence of unfamiliar numbers.
"It's a code," Hannah remarked quietly.
Astelle scrutinized the numbers closely. They appeared in a consecutive order without exceeding 300.
"Perhaps it's referencing a book?" Astelle pondered aloud.
"I believe so," Hannah confirmed, her expression serious.
It seemed too obvious to encode messages by specifying page and word numbers from a particular book, but given Naen's sudden relocation to Astelle's palace, Florin might have resorted to such a straightforward method out of necessity.
Naen hadn't had the opportunity to practice more complex cryptography with Florin beforehand.
Astelle turned to Hannah and inquired, "Does Naen have any books?"
"I believe she brought a couple from her own mansion," Hannah confirmed.
Astelle nodded thoughtfully. "Summon Naen immediately. She has tasks to attend to."
Before Astelle could elaborate, Hannah anticipated her intention and replied, "I'll go to Miss Naen's quarters and search for her books in the meantime."
