Is Charlie in Danger

The two chatted and laughed as they entered the children's room. It was quiet inside; the children must be asleep.

Lily Evans and Mrs. Charlotte Evans tiptoed into the room and saw Connie Evans, Leo Penny, and Lucy Penny lying on the big bed, with their respective nannies sitting nearby. Mrs. Penny hadn't arrived yet.

But Charles Hayes and his nanny were not in the room.

The other three nannies saw Lily Evans enter and quickly knelt to greet her.

Lily Evans told them to rise and softly asked, "Where's An'er?"

The three nannies looked at each other and all shook their heads.

Mrs. Charlotte Evans said, "Could the nanny have taken An'er out to the backyard to get some sun?"

Lily Evans nodded, "Yes, probably. I told the nanny that sunlight is good for An'er's legs, and the weather is perfect right now—sunny but not too hot. Maybe she took An'er outside to sunbathe. Aunt Charlotte, the three kids are asleep, let's not wake them. Let's go to the backyard and check on An'er."

Lily Evans took Mrs. Charlotte Evans by the hand and headed out the door toward the backyard.

The courtyard was large, with many rooms. Lily Evans and Mrs. Charlotte Evans searched for a while, but didn't see the nanny or Charles Hayes anywhere the children might be sunbathing.

"Huh? Why is no one here?" Mrs. Charlotte Evans muttered in confusion.

At that moment, Mrs. Penny quietly entered the children's room, saw the three children sleeping, and noticed that Charles Hayes was missing. However, Mrs. Penny's expression did not reveal any surprise at his absence.

As usual, she asked the nannies, "How did the children eat today? How did they sleep?"

The nannies answered one by one. Then one of them added, "Mrs. Penny, just now Her Majesty came looking for the little prince. When she saw he wasn't here, she asked us, but we didn't know. So Her Majesty went to the backyard to look for him."

As soon as the nanny finished speaking, Mrs. Penny's expression changed. She thought to herself, "Oh no!" and then, swift as the wind, dashed out the door toward the backyard.

At that moment in the backyard, Lily Evans and Mrs. Charlotte Evans stood at the door of an inconspicuous side room. They heard faint sounds from inside, like a baby's soft whimper. The moment Lily Evans heard it, her face changed.

It was Charles Hayes's voice!

Charles Hayes's whimper sounded nothing like usual—it was painful and suppressed, as if he couldn't get the sound out of his throat.

Lily Evans's mind buzzed, her blood rushing to her head. She pushed at the door, but found it was locked from the inside!

How could this be? Who brought Charles Hayes here and locked the door? Something was very wrong!

"Who's in there? Open the door!" Lily Evans shouted.

Suddenly, there was the sound of something being knocked over inside the room, as if someone had been startled and clumsily sent things tumbling to the floor.

Lily Evans banged on the door several times, hearing Charles Hayes's whimpers turn into low, sobbing cries. Growing even more anxious, she stepped back, ran, and slammed her body against the door with a loud bang.

The door rattled loudly several times, but still wouldn't open.

"Open the door!" Lily Evans clutched her chest, tasting blood in her throat, and heard the nanny's panicked voice from inside: "Y-Your Majesty... it's just me inside, putting the little prince to sleep..."

"You're lying! Open the door now!" Lily Evans pounded on the door desperately, her eyes red with fury. "Who are you? Who sent you!? If you dare harm a hair on my son's head, I'll make you pay a thousand times over!"

Inside the room, the nanny fell silent, and Charles Hayes's sobbing grew more desperate, as if he was suffocating...