In the great hall of the palace, the tension was unbearable. Cecil raged furiously that Theodore had been missing for so long and yet the servants still had no leads. The servants trembled as they tried to urge the prince to calm his anger and take care of his health.
They reported that no strangers had visited the estate that day, except for a female perfume expert who had come by appointment.
Cecil's suspicion instantly fell on that mysterious woman. He ordered her seized at once so that he could personally interrogate her. The servants scrambled off to carry out the order while Cecil stood there, his expression thick with a frightening killing intent.
Suddenly Cecil's body stiffened as a violent wave of pain struck him, leaving him dizzy. The agony from the vicious curse grew steadily worse, tormenting his body until he staggered, clutching his face, and the servants rushed to catch him. A quick-witted servant offered up a freshly made sachet, asking whether its scent might help ease his pain even a little.
Cecil gripped the sachet tightly, pressing for word of the purification master's whereabouts, but was met only with a helpless shake of the head. Legend held that the purification master appeared only once every hundred years, possessing the power to heal any magical affliction. Cecil desperately needed this person to cure the illness caused by his overuse of magic. Despite mobilising every resource to search for four years, ever since rumours of the master's appearance first surfaced, it had all been like searching for a needle in a haystack.
In his despair, he asked once more about Gina's whereabouts, but was met again with that terrifying silence. His wife remained utterly without a trace.
Cecil buried his face in his hands, overwhelmed with grief and helplessness, wondering just how much longer Gina intended to keep running from him. He recalled the past. Though he had turned the entire country upside down searching for her, all he had ever recovered were a few tokens and the boy Theodore. Too many things did not add up, and he began to wonder whether this whole tragedy had stemmed from his own misunderstanding.
The impatient guards relayed the order to hunt down that woman as quickly as possible, on no account letting her escape.
Before Gina and her daughter could leave, soldiers blocked their path, declaring that neither of them was permitted to step one foot outside this area. The head housekeeper appeared, her face thick with menace, falsely accusing Gina of stealing valuables from the estate and fleeing in haste because of it. Though Gina demanded proof, the woman still forced her to stay for questioning, her tone dripping with contempt.
Gina was overwhelmed with worry. If they searched her and discovered that Odell had no disguising magic on her, her daughter's true identity would be exposed.
The housekeeper refused to listen to any explanation, snapping at her to be quiet and obey immediately, her attitude utterly overbearing. The servants roughly moved to drag the mother and daughter away, ignoring Gina's weak attempts to resist. Gina clutched her child tightly to her chest, her eyes blazing as she screamed at them not to dare touch her daughter, her maternal instincts flaring fiercely.
The housekeeper was stunned, never expecting a lowly commoner to have the audacity to defy her authority so boldly.
Gina understood all too well that the servants here were used to bullying those weaker than themselves, relying on their master's power and status. Painful memories came flooding back. She recalled being coldly shunned and isolated even after she had already been exiled from this place. It turned out these very servants had once whispered behind her back, dismissing her as nothing more than a puppet crown princess who would be quietly discarded within a few months, without so much as a farewell. They had even mocked her for carrying the reputation of a spy, saying that no one respected her, that she was nothing but a thorn in everyone's side. Those bitter words from years past echoed in Gina's ears, reminding her that in the end she was only ever going to be an eyesore before the Empress.
But the Gina of today was no longer the fragile young lady who once endured being bullied. She had toughened herself far beyond that. Now she had a priceless treasure to protect.
So when the housekeeper moved to call for more people, Gina was already bristling, ready to fight back to the end. She warned the housekeeper to think very carefully before calling anyone else over. Gina seized on the excuse that the head steward had personally asked her to make a sachet for some high-ranking figure. She threatened that she would never make another sachet again if the servants kept deliberately making trouble by demanding to search her guests' belongings.
The housekeeper broke out in a cold sweat, sensing the noble bearing radiating from this supposed commoner, and began to back down. Gina declared firmly that she would be leaving now, while the woman stood there still frozen in place.
Gina hurried to carry her child into the carriage, silently thanking whoever had rescued her and guessing that some important figure in the palace must be in urgent need of a sachet.
In the carriage, the child looked up with wide, worried eyes and called for her mother, sensing the unease radiating from the adults around her. Gina held her daughter close, comforting her, promising that everything was fine now and that they would head straight home together, trying her best to stay calm.
Just then Cecil appeared coldly, blocking the front of the carriage, his sharp gaze freezing the very air around them. He asked about the perfumer's whereabouts, and the housekeeper reported back that the woman had a child who looked exactly like the young master. Cecil glanced suspiciously at the closed carriage window, some instinct telling him something was off.
Gina held her breath, peering through the crack of the door, her heart clenching as she saw Cecil, still as handsome as the day they had first met, five long years of separation notwithstanding. Her heart pounded wildly in her chest, and she could not tell whether it was from stirring feelings for her former love or from the overwhelming terror gripping her mind.
The guards relayed that the prince wished to speak with her and demanded that she step out of the carriage at once, the stern command making Gina shudder with fear. She told herself firmly that she was now just an ordinary commoner mother, not a crown princess anymore, and that she had to be strong to protect the secret about Odell.
Gina stepped down, but kept her head bowed low, murmuring an apology for being unable to greet him properly, hiding how badly she was trembling. She invented a story about her child having a severe pollen allergy and needing urgent care, hoping to get Cecil to let them pass, but he insisted that she show herself properly. Cecil ordered the guards to pull her out, his voice cold as ice, refusing to accept any more excuses or refusals.
In despair, Gina clutched her child close and closed her eyes, bracing herself for the worst that was about to happen.
Luckily, a soldier's shout rang out, announcing that the young master had been found elsewhere, and instantly scattered everyone's attention. Cecil froze, his gaze wavering violently at the news about his missing son. He decided to turn and go search for his child, letting the suspicious carriage go free, since his son's safety mattered more to him than anything else.