The moment Astria withdrew her hand, she straightened her posture.
Reclaiming her regal aura.
But before she could utter a word, Len surged from the sofa like a flash of lightning.
His feet hit the floor in a blur, and within a heartbeat, he was standing by the massive chamber doors.
Astria barely registered his movement.
One moment he was under her hand, and the next, he had vanished from her immediate reach.
Len flung the heavy doors wide open.
Allowing the cooler light of the corridor to spill into the golden warmth of the sanctuary.
"I'm going out," his voice rang out.
Astria whipped around, her eyes locking onto the small frame poised at the exit.
Len paused at the threshold, looking back with a casual wave.
"Bye! I'll be back in a little while."
Watching his bold, effortless departure, Astria's lips twitched with a ghost of a movement.
She didn't speak aloud, but her lips shaped a silent, lingering question:
'Do you still like me?'
Len's eyes caught the subtle shift of her lips.
Deciphering the unsaid words as if reading a page in his favorite book.
A mischievous glint returned to his golden eyes.
"Yes, I like you!" he called out, his voice clear and bright.
Without waiting for a reaction, he spun around and vanished into the hallway.
Astria remained standing there, her gaze anchored to the empty doorway.
The echo of his laughter and that final, unabashed declaration still hung in the air.
Leaving her alone in the sudden silence of the room.
After Len's departure, the silence of the chamber roared in Astria's ears.
She remained rooted to the spot, a frozen statue.
Whose gaze was still anchored to the empty doorway.
Within her mind, Len's final declaration— "Yes, I like you!"—echoed like a recurring spell.
She struggled to gather her thoughts.
Her mind still shivering at the memory of that strange moment.
When she saw an unknown, haunting depth in Len's eyes.
Suddenly, the stillness of the corridor was shattered by the rhythmic, heavy thud of footsteps.
Ethos appeared at the threshold.
His seasoned eyes immediately caught the heavy atmosphere.
He saw the Queen standing motionless, lost in a state of sheer bewilderment.
"Queen..." Ethos's grave voice sliced through the silence.
Astria did not respond.
Ethos stepped inside with measured strides.
"What exactly has transpired here? Did that boy... did Len say something that left you in such a state?"
Astria blinked slowly, as if awakening from a dream.
She slowly pressed her palm against her forehead.
"No..." she replied in a low tone.
"Len said something just now... something that is perhaps quite difficult for even me to comprehend."
"His words were very strange and far too heavy for his age."
A knowing smile drifted across Ethos's face.
He spoke in a grounding voice.
"Children sometimes say things that leave us in deep thought."
"But ultimately, he is still just a small child."
"You saw for yourself how he left this room; he bolted out like a young stag."
"I just saw him; he had that same mischievous grin..."
"As if he cares for nothing but his play and his antics."
"To him, the world is still but a grand playground."
Astria listened and gave a slow, measured nod.
Ethos's words brought her a sense of relief.
She thought to herself that perhaps she was overthinking.
What she had glimpsed in Len's eyes moments ago was likely just a trick of the candlelight or her own imagination.
She convinced herself that Len is still very young.
And the things he said were probably just lines from a book or spoken without much thought.
She cast her confusion aside and braced her regal composure once more.
"You are right, Ethos. He is, after all, just a child."
Ethos looked toward the corridor, voicing a brief curiosity.
"Queen, by the way, that 'child' just went out... but where has he gone?"
A slight tension touched Astria's neck.
She looked at Ethos from the corners of her eyes.
Her voice carrying a soft yet clear authority.
"His name is Len," Astria corrected him calmly.
"It would be better if you addressed him by that name."
Ethos bowed his head slightly, acknowledging his oversight.
Astria looked back at the empty doorway where Len had stood only moments ago.
"To be honest, even I do not know where he has gone."
"He only said he would be back in a while."
"Perhaps he is in the palace gardens or somewhere nearby."
She took a long breath.
"He is a master of his own whims, and for now, the palace walls are his entire world."
Ethos nodded, lost in thought.
"Understood, Queen. Len... I shall remember."
"If he is nearby, I hope he is mentally preparing himself for tomorrow's beginning."
Astria did not respond, but in her mind, the question still echoed.
Was Len truly as innocent as he appeared on the surface?
Or was he a profound mystery that even she hadn't fully deciphered yet?
A grim line appeared on Ethos's face.
He voiced his concern in a heavy tone.
"History is witness, Queen... one shouldn't grant too much leeway to any child."
"There is a limit to indulgence and freedom."
"Otherwise, the child may not only lose his way but could also rebel against your very authority when the time comes."
Ethos's words were cold and logical, like a warning of a looming storm.
Astria's steps faltered for a fraction of a second, but she did not turn back.
In her mind, Len's innocent face and that profound vow flashed simultaneously.
She kept her emotions from surfacing and offered a very brief response.
"Fine," Astria said calmly.
There was an endless depth in that short reply.
She moved toward the door, leaving the heavy atmosphere of the room behind.
The rustle of her royal gown echoed in the silence.
As soon as Astria stepped out of the chamber, Ethos followed behind her like an obedient shadow.
Without saying another word.
The long corridor of the palace now resonated with their footsteps.
Astria's stride had regained its old regal poise.
But her mind was still wandering somewhere within the palace walls.
Where Len was spending his moments of freedom.
Under the amber glow of the daylight, the royal gardens stretched out like a vibrant tapestry.
Len wandered through the blossoms, a free spirit amidst the structured beauty of the palace grounds.
The air was thick with the scent of damp earth and fresh petals.
He would pause, sinking to his knees to inspect the various flowerbeds.
Sifting through the blooms as if searching for a hidden secret.
The servants and gardeners nearby watched the boy's antics with quiet curiosity.
Some were busy pruning the overgrown hedges.
While others tended to the saplings with seasoned hands.
On the other side, maids gathered the fallen leaves and stray twigs.
Clearing the stone paths of the day's debris.
Len moved like a shadow through the sunlight.
Darting between the maids and weaving past the gardeners with effortless grace.
His presence had drawn every eye in the garden.
There was an infectious energy in the way he moved.
He carefully plucked a selection of the finest blossoms.
Weaving them together until he held a small, charming bouquet in his hands.
With his mission accomplished, he sprang to his feet.
His eyes alight with a newfound purpose.
Clutching his floral treasure, he turned away from the green sanctuary.
And sprinted toward the towering main gates of the palace.
His focus was singular, his destination clear: he was heading back to Astria.
Carrying the freshness of the royal gardens, Len burst through the main palace gates like a small whirlwind.
The colorful bouquet was held tightly in his small hands.
His mind filled only with the imagined radiant smile of Astria.
He had no inkling that at this very moment, she was occupied in the gravity of the Grand Court.
To him, the world was simple.
He had promised to return, and he was certain she would be waiting for him in the room.
He sprinted across the Main Hall, the marble floor echoing with his rapid footsteps.
Before him stood the Grand Staircase.
Its intricate carvings ascending toward the upper levels of the palace.
Without a second's pause, Len scrambled up the stairs.
His heart hammering with every step as he drew closer to Astria's private sanctuary.
Reaching the top of the stairs, he adjusted his messy hair.
Took a stabilizing breath, and with immense pride, pushed open the heavy doors of Astria's private chambers.
He wanted to surprise her, to thrust the flowers forward before she could even speak.
"I'm back!" his voice rang out with joy.
But as his gaze swept the interior, the echo of his own words was the only reply he received.
The room was empty.
No one sat by the mirror; no familiar shadow graced the velvet sofa.
The golden light still danced across the walls.
But the person for whom he had gathered these treasures was gone.
The spark in Len's eyes faltered for a fleeting second.
And the bouquet in his hand lowered slightly.