The Stepmother Has Left

Chapter 43

***

As the purpose of coming here was to meet Adolf and learn painting, the first destination was to go to see him.

She wanted to see Adolf.

She was very curious about how he was doing.

In fact, she also wanted to surprise him.

She just showed up like nothing happened.

Of course, that was only her mind, and in reality, it was not easy to see the face of the royal family.

In order to know the royal family in the Fontrich Empire, she had to send a telegram in advance and make a direct appointment with the royal family.

However, in order to send a letter to the imperial palace, which is sensitive to security, it had to be clear which family she belonged to.

In that respect, she was vague.

Now that she had divorced the Duke of Whidrian, she had regained the surname of the Bennette family, but she had been out of touch with her family for a long time.

Of course, there were no seals or letters that could be sent in the name of the family, and there were no errands or birds that could be sent.

So, she decided to try another way, although it might be a little dangerous.

Anyway, she was a member of the Bennette family, so she was free to enter the palace as a nobleman.

Entering the palace, she put on the cape and went out to find the palace.

It was not difficult to find the royal palace because she had been to the palace a few times when she was young.

She went here and there without being noticed and reached the front of the Imperial Palace. The guards stood at the entrance.

They opened their eyes wide, bewildered by her sudden appearance.

“My name is Cassia from the Bennette family, and I’m here to see the Third Prince.”

The two knights standing at the entrance looked at her once and at each other once with bewildered eyes.

A knight turned to her.

“Did you have an appointment? I didn’t hear anything like that…”

“…As you know, an audience with the Imperial family is only possible after scheduling in advance.”

“I know.”

Cassia looked at the knights with a smile.

It was out of the blue, but somehow she remembered Ken.

‘Will Ken be escorting someone like this as an Imperial knight?’

The two knights happened to look about the same age as Ken, and they were young men.

“If it were possible to make an appointment ahead of time, I wouldn’t have come so rudely right away.”

Cassia went on.

“I have the Bennette family surname, but I lost contact with the family long ago, and it is impossible to write a letter in the family’s name. But I must see His Highness the Third Prince. So I came to you right away without making any excuses. Can’t you at least tell him I’m here?”

The two knights looked embarrassed. They looked at each other once again.

A slightly more determined-looking of the two knights said.

“I’m sorry, but you can’t break the set rules. Make an appointment in any way, oh…”

“Wait a minute.”

The knight standing next to Cassia interrupted his colleague.

“Didn’t you say that you’re Cassia of the Bennettes?”

“Yes.”

“If it’s Cassia of the Bennettes…”

They seemed to be thinking something. As if they realized something, they slowly looked back at each other.

What’s going on?

It was when she tilted her head because she didn’t know what to say.

“Cassia?”

A familiar voice came from behind.

Her eyes got bigger.

Cassia looked back.

A feeling of welcome spread in his eyes which were filled with joy. There stood none other than Adolf.

“Cassia, it’s you!”

“Adolf?”

Adolf, dressed in the Prince’s costume, ran and hugged her.

Cassia was surprised, but she was in his arms for a while.

For a moment in his arms, she smiled as she watched him shiver with joy.

Adolf and Cassia managed to reunite safely in the capital.

* * *

Adolf led her into the drawing-room.

After sitting on the sofa with her, he asked the maid to prepare two cups of tea.

With an answer of yes, the maid retreated, and Adolf told her.

“I’m sorry, the knights just started escorting, so they are not used to…”

“Oh.”

“I already told them to let you in as soon as you come, but it seems they forgot for a moment. It’s a shame that I happened to be taking a walk.”

“No, Adolf. I was the one who ignored the rules and put them in trouble.”

Cassia waved her hand, saying it was okay.

“I didn’t expect that you would come. Thank you very much.”

“I’m glad you think so. They look inflexible, but in fact, they are pretty good guys.”

Soon, maids with hot tea and refreshments appeared before them and began setting the table.

Meanwhile, Adolf looked at Cassia with a happy smile.

When all the ladies stepped down, they sipped tea together.

Cassia opened her mouth.

“It’s my first time coming to the palace, and I think the atmosphere is very good.”

“Is that so?”

“What are those frames?”

Cassia pointed to one wall.

The frame contained the image of a young Adolf.

A portrait of Adolf in his childhood in the garden holding the hands of his mother, the current Empress.

There was also a portrait painted shoulder-to-shoulder with a man who seemed to be the first prince.

Usually, these kinds of personal picture frames were not hung in the reception room where guests were greeted.

It was common to hang portraits of Emperors according to the lineage of the Empire in order.

“Oh, my mother and my first brother. Two of the people I love the most in the world.”

“I see.”

Unlike the complex image of the royal family, the images of the frames naturally smiled because they were in a harmonious family atmosphere.

In fact, such portraits were very meaningful because the childhood of the royal family like Adolf was not revealed to the outside world.

The young Adolf in the portrait was cute, and Cassia looked at it with a smile of satisfaction.

“How have you been? I’ve heard about the gallery.”

“Yes, I was going to close the gallery, but people complained, and I just handed it over to the Imperial family.”

“I felt very good for a while after receiving a letter from Lawrencia.”

Adolf continued.

“Why does the fact that you think of me always make me emotional?”

“I was just telling you to come with my permission because I thought you might feel uncomfortable.”

Cassia answered with a smile.

“That was the best thing I could do for you.”

“Anyway, thank you. Thanks to you, I feel like flying.”

Adolf smiled and took a sip of his tea. He put it down, glanced at her, and carefully opened his mouth.

“May I ask why you came to the capital after closing the gallery?”

“…I want to learn how to paint.”

Cassia took a sip of tea at his words and opened her mouth in earnest.

Adolf’s eyes filled with joy at her answer.

Cassia went on.

“Since you left, I’ve been seriously thinking about painting. I got advice from people around me, and I thought a lot about it myself. But as you said, I think I really like painting, and that was my conclusion.”

“…I see.”

“If I want to learn painting anyway, I’d rather learn it in the capital, whether or not you help me, but since you said you’d help me, I decided to open my hands. Because, as you say, you have a great infrastructure. That’s why I came to you.”

In fact, Cassia could use her own money to hire a teacher to learn painting.

But she wanted to learn painting through Adolf’s connections and resources.

He’ll be better than her at finding and hiring a good painting teacher.

She thought she could meet a better environment even a little bit.

Also, Adolf was the first person to show deep affection and interest in her painting.

For some reason, she had a hunch that he could find a teacher who fits her well.

“Get a good teacher for me, Adolf. Please.”

“Good, very good.”

Adolf, who was listening to Cassia seriously, nodded. He smiled radiantly.

“I’m so glad I found you, Cassia.”

“…”

“I look forward to it. I’ll make sure to provide you with the great teacher you want.”

His confident expression gave Cassia a good feeling.

* * *

A few days later, Adolf secretly visited her house wearing a cape.

Behind him were two women standing side by side, looking at her.

“Have you waited long? I thought I’d prepare it as soon as possible.”

“Not at all. It would have been better if you had taken longer. Come in, Adolf.”

Cassia let them in. Following her guidance, Adolf took off his cloak and sat on the sofa.

The two women he brought stood side by side next to Adolf.

One woman was young, about Nick or Ken’s age, and one looked older than Cassia.

What?

She recognized the woman who looked old and opened her eyes wide.

‘That person, if I know her…’

Then Adolf beckoned to the young woman and opened his mouth.

“Let’s start with Sophie. I’m a maid who can manage your schedule and help you with housework.”

Cassia looked back at the maid. She came forward at Adolf’s command and bowed her head before Cassia.

“Hello, I’m Sophie, and I’m going to manage your schedule from now on. I look forward to your kind cooperation.”

“Oh…”

She was a maid to help Cassia.

“Nice to meet you.”

After greeting her, Cassia turned to Adolf.

Cassia whispered something to Adolf so that she wouldn’t feel embarrassed.

“I appreciate your help and care, Adolf, but I’m fine with the maid. If you could just save me…”

“You may think so now, but you’ll probably need it in a few days.”

Adolf whispered with a meaningful smile. He tilted his head and said.

“I happened to get a teacher who seemed to teach a lot.”

Adolf turned his hand. Wearing a black dress, she stepped forward with stiff steps.

“Greetings. I’m Mrs McKenna Hudson, who will teach you in the future.”

***

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