Ansel hurriedly stopped Jessa, “Forget it, let’s go get Bernie back.”

It was impossible for Benson to remember Bernie.

The two approached the elderly nanny, and Jessa extended her hand, saying, “Please give me the child.”

The nanny was so frightened that her face went pale, and she handed over the child without hesitation.

“Don’t kill me. I don’t know anything,” she begged.

She dropped the child and ran away.

Ansel and Jessa looked at each other.

After a long pause, Ansel scoffed and said, “What kind of person is this?”

Jessa rolled her eyes and said, “Let’s go home.”

“Huh? Go home?” Ansel looked at her in surprise, his face slightly pink.

He took a few steps toward Jessa and said, “Jessa, about the home you just mentioned…”

Jessa said, “A slip of the tongue. I meant returning to the manor.”

Jessa rolled her eyes at Ansel and said, “Put those silly thoughts away, or I’ll knock your block off.”

She waved her fist at Ansel, causing him to shrink back, and he couldn’t bring himself to imagine anything further.

Following behind Jessa, he muttered in a low voice, “Why being so harsh on me?”

After returning to the manor, Benson almost sobered up.

He instinctively touched his chest, but found it empty.

He looked down and Bernie was nowhere to be seen.

“Bernie, where’s Bernie…” he murmured.

A cold sweat quickly broke out all over his body.

If he lost Bernie, not to mention Athena, even Prince Regent would skin him alive.

“Return to the Star Pavilion quickly,” Benson commanded as he nearly crawled to the carriage door to speak to the coachman.

The coachman immediately reacted with an “aha!”

Seeing this, Benson snatched the reins from his hand and shouted.

The horse galloped towards Star Pavilion.

Seeing him return, the waiter thought he must not have had enough to drink and asked, “Benson, is everything alright?”

“Get out of the way.” Benson was so frightened that his face turned pale, and he weakly made his way upstairs, trembling as he went.

As he walked, he called out, “Bernie, I’m coming! Where are you?”

Seeing his panicked look, the waiter was taken aback.

He belatedly realized something and asked, “Benson, are you looking for the child you brought today?”

Benson suddenly turned his head, his eyes full of panic. “You saw Bernie, didn’t you?”

The waiter replied, “No, no, I didn’t see him. I was just asking.”

“If you didn’t see him, why are you interrupting? Get out…” he snapped.

Benson went up to the second floor and headed straight for the private room from before. His friends had already left.

He went back to the nanny’s former location, but he didn’t see anyone there either.

“Bernie, Bernie, where did you go?” he called.

He was so frightened that his hands and feet felt icy. If he lost Bernie, he knew he could never compensate for that.

Benson broke down and cried. Suddenly, he saw a small shoe on the ground.

It was Bernie’s.

“Bernie, where are you? Where on earth are you…”

Noticing his apparent distress, the waiter couldn’t help but inquire, “Benson, may I ask which manor the missing child hails from? Wouldn’t it be prudent to report this to the authorities?”

Benson lifted his head, his tear–filled eyes blurring as he gazed at him. “That is Prince Regent’s son. If anything happens to him, Star Pavilion can be shut down.”

“Prince Regent’s son?”

The waiter was so terrified that it felt as if his soul had nearly left his body. Once he regained his composure, he swiftly dashed downstairs to find the shopkeeper.

He was so flustered that he lost his balance and fell down the stairs.

“Boss, something terrible has happened! Prince Regent’s son has gone missing in Star Pavilion!”

The shopkeeper was so terrified upon hearing this that his eyes rolled back, and he fainted on the spot.

“Boss, wake up.”

The waiter and staff pinched his philtrum and patted his back, ultimately managing to revive the shopkeeper.

The first thing the shopkeeper said upon waking was, “Go and find him. Tell all the staff to go out and look for him. Don’t return unless you find him.”

For a time, Star Pavilion was closed.

All the staff went out to look for Bernie.

Benson felt a chill creeping up from the soles of his feet, leaving him weak in his hands and legs as he exited the building.

Seeing the Pidence Guards on patrol, he hurried over, took one of them by the hand, and exclaimed in a flustered voice, “Sir, please help me! Prince Regent’s son is missing…”

The Pidence Guards soldier was taken aback by the strength of his grip.

Upon realizing that the individual was Prince Terence’s son and hearing that Prince Regent’s son was missing, his expression instantly turned serious.

The leading captain quickly stepped forward to assist Benson, who was almost paralyzed.

“Mr. Cavendish, please don’t panic. First, can you tell us where little Bernie disappeared? What is he wearing? What are his distinctive features?”

The soldiers on patrol quickly gathered around, and while Benson felt a bit more at ease, he remained disoriented.

He said, “At the Star Pavilion, I drank too much and lost track of him. When I turned back to look for him, he was gone.”

“He wore a light yellow padded jacket and was chubby, with very large eyes, as he babbled happily.”

As he spoke, his voice quivered with emotion. “It’s all my fault. I shouldn’t have taken him to that kind of place. If he gets abducted, how will I ever explain this to the Prince and Princess Consort?”

The captain reassured him while swiftly making arrangements.

“Ian, Max, take two people to search the surrounding area and ask the shopkeepers and passersby if they have seen a child matching the description.

“Stan, immediately send someone to report to the Regent’s Palace and request their assistance in the search. We must find Bernie as soon as possible!”

The Pidence Guards acted quickly and immediately started to move.

Gale Zhong stood there for a moment, deep in thought. He gritted his teeth, realizing he needed to confess this to Athena.

As long as he could find Gale Ning, he was willing to endure any beatings or scoldings.

Gale Zhong returned to the mansion with apprehension, feeling as though his steps were weightless.

He finally reached Athena’s courtyard, gritting his teeth as he stepped inside.

He knelt on the ground with a thud and cried, “Royal Aunt, beat me, scold me, I lost Gale Ning, it’s all my fault…”

Before he could finish speaking, he heard a babbling sound in his ear.

He looked up and saw Bernie safe and sound in Athena’s arms.

His little feet danced, one foot adorned with a shoe while the other remained bare.

Seeing this, Benson felt a bit puzzled.

He subconsciously rubbed his eyes and took two steps forward, afraid that he was imagining things.

It was only when Bernie saw him stretch out his little arms and call out to him with an “ah” that he was finally able to confirm it wasn’t just an illusion.

His throat felt like it was blocked with cotton, and he couldn’t speak for a long time: “B–Bernie? What are you doing here? I thought…”

Benson burst into tears.

“Thought you lost him?” said Athena.

Athena stood up with Bernie in her arms; her expression was unreadable, but Benson’s face instantly flushed.

Jessa crossed her arms beside him and couldn’t help but sneer, “Or what? Someone had a bit too much wine and even forgot about Bernie.

“You even ran off to alert the Pidence Guards, causing a city–wide commotion, like you’re afraid others wouldn’t notice your confusion.”