Over the years, Gina had lived in hiding on the outskirts of the city, selling perfume to survive while quietly gathering information about her lost child. By chance she had met a generous customer — and, ironically, that person had turned out to be none other than the steward from her ex-husband's palace.
In the carriage, Gina urged the coachmen to hurry, terrified that Cecil might change his mind and come after them if he discovered this shocking truth. The carriage rolled off in haste. Gina knew she had to leave this place entirely and find another, safer way to continue searching for her other child.
The child in her lap innocently asked whether her mother was all right, seeing how tense she looked, those bright eyes full of worry. Gina forced a smile to reassure her, hiding the anxiety churning in her stomach so that her daughter would not be frightened too. Looking at the small child in her arms, all her lingering worries seemed to melt away, leaving only boundless love behind.
Suddenly Gina noticed, to her surprise, that her daughter seemed to have grown a little taller. She felt a flicker of doubt, but she was not yet sure. Little Theodore, still disguised as Odell, quickly changed the subject, loudly complaining of hunger to divert his mother's attention.
Once home, the boy's eyes lit up at the sight of the pile of pastries, and he asked shyly whether he could really eat them, since back at the palace he had always been forbidden from so many things. Gina smiled happily, letting him eat as much as he liked, wanting to make up for everything he had been denied. Overjoyed, the boy rattled off every treat he had been craving — apple pie, chocolate cake, strawberry jelly, things he had only ever dared to dream about. Theodore silently wished that his own birth mother could be just as gentle and understanding as this mother was.
Meanwhile, back at the palace, Cecil stood before Odell, disguised as Theodore, after the child had been found and brought back. Cecil looked coldly at his son with a sharp, scrutinising gaze, as though still suspicious of something. Odell recalled Theodore telling her that their father was extremely strict and disliked him, and she felt a shiver of fear before his intimidating presence.
The steward reminded them that it was time for lessons, and Cecil was about to turn and head off to his own work. Determined to help Theodore mend his relationship with their father, Odell mustered every ounce of courage to make a bold move. She ran up and clutched tightly at the hem of Cecil's coat, calling out, "Father!" in the sweetest, most affectionate tone anyone had ever heard from him.
To everyone's shock, Odell asked Cecil to take a walk in the garden with her, her eyes shining with hopeful anticipation. A servant broke into a cold sweat, thinking to himself that the young master had guts of steel today; acting so clingy, like a little puppy, was sure to get him scolded. The other servants trembled, certain that the prince would erupt in fury at being disturbed in the middle of his busy schedule.
But against everyone's expectations, Cecil simply replied with a short, "Fine," leaving everyone frozen in shock. Every single person there gaped in astonishment, unable to believe their own eyes at this rare display of leniency from the famously cold-hearted prince.
Odell walked cheerfully beside her icy father, while the servants were still reeling from this unbelievable turn of events. But once they sat down for tea, a terrifying silence settled over them, and Odell began to regret letting the request for a walk slip out. Cecil radiated an ice-cold aura that seemed to freeze the very air around them, leaving the little girl shivering. Odell was scared out of her wits, unsure how to get closer to this terrifying father and break through the wall of ice separating them.
Cecil suddenly asked why she was not eating, or whether the cake simply was not to her liking. The maid immediately dropped to her knees, apologising frantically, ready to remake it at once for fear of harsh punishment. Odell quickly stepped in to defend the maid, stuffing her mouth eagerly with cake to prove that it was delicious, hoping to keep her father from getting angry.
Watching the child eat messily, cream smeared all over her face, Cecil studied her closely, never taking his eyes off her. Suddenly he gave a faint smirk, a rare smile that left Odell wondering, baffled, whether she had just imagined it. The smile vanished so quickly that the girl thought her eyes had simply been playing tricks on her out of sheer nervousness.
Odell decided to try one final trick, hopping off her chair and running over to close the distance with her father. She grabbed hold of Cecil's large gloved hand and called out to him tenderly. Odell held out a small flower she had picked from the garden, praising how nice her father looked when he smiled and offering it to him as a keepsake.
Cecil looked at the flower, then at his child, his expression flickering with something complicated at the innocent, sincere compliment. Then he harshly refused, telling her that he had no need for gentleness or softness, that such things were only for women to like. Odell felt hurt, thinking to herself that Theodore clearly loved flowers, and yet their father had the heart to reject it so cruelly and so coldly.
Suddenly Cecil placed a hand on her head, remarking with confusion that his son seemed to have got a bit shorter, making Odell's heart lurch in fear of being exposed. He told her that he would measure her height again next time and reminded her to eat properly, then walked off coldly.
Back at Gina's house, Theodore finished his plate of cakes clean and thanked his mother politely, while Gina lovingly wiped his mouth with tender care. Gina thought back on the years she had spent secretly selling sachets, hiding her noble identity to avoid drawing anyone's attention. Thanks to her old friend Ina's help, she had received an invitation to a perfume tasting event — an opportunity to earn the money that would help her and her child escape far away.
Seeing his mother getting ready to leave, Theodore looked up with innocent eyes and asked whether she was going to work. Gina held his hand, hesitated for a moment, then nodded, reassuring the boy that everything would be fine. Understanding, the boy grinned brightly and promised to stay home and behave, absolutely refusing to open the door for strangers, so that his mother could go about her business without worry. Theodore reminded himself that Odell had told him their mother was very busy, so he had to be well behaved and not cause her any trouble.
Gina kissed her son goodbye on the cheek before setting off for the important event, carrying with her a great deal of hope for a better life.