Chapter 151 - Playing in Water

Chapter 151: Playing in Water

Translator: Blushy

Editor: Sam

In the end, we were detained the next day after breakfast, and our departure was incredibly delayed. Then, we were finally able to depart and went north along the lake, but it didn't seem like we could ride on the Rug Dragons without worrying about the small towns and villages.

Since we departed late, there was no time to rest in the morning and it was lunch time. In fact, it would have been better to eat in a neighbouring town so we can spend money, but since we have a lot of people, they decided that we would cook and have lunch outside.

We ate a hot meal on a table and chair in the cold. Only at this time did both the guards and maids take turns to eat the warm meal together.

However, there is something I want to do after eating. I ate my meal faster than usual and hurried to where Nico was.

"Nico weth'sh go tho thhe wake." (Nico let's go to the lake)

"To the lake? I'd like to go," Nico glanced at Prince Albert. This little wise Prince knows that our departure was delayed. If we spend time doing unnecessary things, then we'll arrive late.

"Well, I think we'll be staying in Coulter tonight. I have a close friend in Coulter, so it's fine if we're late."

"It's fine...? Neville-dono, that's..." Prince Al tried to object Ojii-sama's words, but Ojii-sama shook his head.

"We're passing through this nice lake and you're not even going to let them see it. That doesn't benefit the small Prince, now does it?"

That's right. I looked up at Ojii-sama and he patted me gently on the shoulder. "I know what you want to say, Lei," I felt like he said, and my heart warmed up.

"But the water is cold so be careful."

"Ai!"

"Hmm!"

I got a good reply, so I turned back to look at Nii-sama, and he and Gill followed behind us. Thanks. I ran to the lake with Nico.

"Oh, is this all water...?"

Come to think of it, I don't think Nico has even seen a river up close. It was useless to only cross the bridge and places with shallow water. We have to look carefully at the things we can't see in the royal capital.

The shore of the lake was a white sandy beach, and small waves came onto the shore as the wind blew. Nico timidly stretched his hand out to the water. I also crouched down next to him and reached out. Nico pulled back a little.

"Uoah, it hurts?"

"Ith'sh cowd."

"Cold?"

Will Nico understand if I explain what cold is? I touched Nico's cheeks with the hand that was touching the water.

"Chilly. Your hand gets cold. I see, so that's what it means."

"Ith hurthsh if ith'sh thoo cowd."

"Does it hurt when it gets too cold?"

A small ship was floating in the distance. They might be fishing. I watched as Nico put his hand in the water and pulled it out with a rock in his grip. I can skim this on the water.

"Ei!"

*PLOP*

"Lei, what are you doing?! I'm wet now!"

"Oh? Why ish ith thhere?"

I thought I threw it far away.

"Were you trying to throw it far? Alright then."

Nico didn't pay attention to the maid who was timidly trying to dry him. He wiped his face with his sleeve and picked up a stone at his feet.

"Ei!"

*PLOP*

"Cowd!"

"Huh, why?"

"Hahaha, it's like this, Your Highness and Lei." Ojii-sama, who was watching nearby, picked up a rock.

"It seems like Lei wants to skim the rock, but you have to start with throwing it first. You hold it like this and do this!"

*WHEW, PLOP*

"Oh!"

"Wow."

As expected. From there, Nii-sama and Gill also joined in and we started skimming rocks on the water. Me? It was difficult to throw the rock far, so I worked hard to collect the rocks. It was also quite interesting to pick up rocks. Sometimes, I also threw them around me.

How long did we play? I don't think a lot of time had passed since they can't keep throwing rocks. I began to doze off as I collected the rock and they put me in the carriage, as promised. We had proceeded quite a bit when I woke up.

"Snacwsh!" I screamed as I woke up and Nii=sama looked at me while smiling wryly.

"We wasted a lot of time at lunch, so we're proceeding without stopping for snacks."

"Snacwsh..."

"We can't stop the carriage, but we do have snacks, here."

I got up from the bed and sat on the chair, then ate my snack. As I chewed on my snack, I muttered, "We can pway more in shummer."

"Well, you could have put your feet in the water," Nii-sama answered.

"But I've never touched cold water before, so it was interesting for me too. Rather than hurt, it felt like my hand got numb."

"Ith mushth be tough tho cathch fishh."

It's cold in winter. Well, it's the same for hunters and farmers too. I recalled the fish cuisines from last night.

"Fishh ish yummy."

"Lei, you're really..." Nii-sama couldn't put what he wanted to say into words. He lifted me up and put me on his knees. Nii-sama knows me well.

"We're nearly at Earl Coulter's mansion. According to Ojii-sama, Earl Coulter is a very balanced person and he isn't power thirsty. He said that the Earl probably won't make us socialise until late like yesterday."

"Nico, dat's gweat."

I was relieved. A three-year-old baby should go to bed early at night regardless of whether they were nearly four or not.

"And we'll be staying here for a few days. We can relax a little."

"Lei wanthsh tho ride on a boath."

When I think about lakes, I think about boats.

"Hmm, but I think it's cold."

Nii-sama looked at the lake and looked as if he was pondering. I also looked out the window. We had proceeded quite far north and all I could see was the lake even if I looked out to the right or left. I shivered. It's not a toilet.

"Ith'sh big over thhere."

"Yes. That place is the widest. So there's more water there."

"The barrier gethsh weaw."

Nii-sama nodded quietly.

"Having said that, the barrier isn't weak enough for Hollows to appear. And I heard yesterday that there are people living at the foot of Wellington Mountains. In other words, there's no problem even if the barrier is weak around the lake."

That's good. However, I only thought that until I got off the carriage.

It was after the short winter day ended when we reached Earl Coulter's mansion since we had left late, and wasted time playing at the lake.

As soon as I got down from the carriage, the *WHIRR* that echoed from a distance to my body pulled me back to Wester in an instant. I screamed reflectively, "Awishthair! Ah, Nii-syama..."

"Lei, this..."

Yes. Alistair was next to me at times like this in Wester, but Nii-sama is next to me right now. I clung to Nii-sama's legs.

We, who should have been heading to Earl Coulter's mansion, stared at the dark lake without moving even though we couldn't see anything.

Chapter 152 - Purgatory Island

Chapter 152: Purgatory Island

Translator: Blushy

Editor: Sam

"Should I say as expected of the Four Marquises?" The voice surprised us and made us jump.

"I'm sorry about this. We thought we should greet you right away, but couldn't help but look at the night lake," Nii-sama held me and turned around, before apologising with a plausible reason. A relaxed Oji-sama was standing next to the person who had spoken, and Gill was also standing with them with an impatient look on his face. What I'm trying to say is that the person who looks to be the same age as Oji-sama is probably Earl Coulter.

Nico was being guided to his room, but he quickly ran this way because he was curious.

"Luke too? You weren't curious yesterday, but you're gazing at the lake today. Why?"

"Your Highness, that's-." Nii-sama didn't seem to know how to explain. He had to talk about our theories in order to explain, but he couldn't talk about this openly in front of everyone.

"Coulter, there two are my precious grandchildren, Luke and Leila Albans." Ojii-sama changed the conversation and introduced us.

"I'm Luke Albans."

"I'm Leiwa Awbansh."

We introduced ourselves and Earl Coulter looked a little grim.

"Gilbert Lisburn-dono and Luke Albans-dono. It's an honour to be able to greet the two key players in the negotiation with Wester. And Leila-dono."

"Ai."

"I'm glad you were able to return safely."

"Ai. Thanwsh."

It was the first time I've been told that in this way. Nii-sama straightened up. Earl Coulter looked at us with gentle eyes and turned towards the lake.

"It's already been a long time, but Coulter used to be a place for convicts. The island in the middle of Mils Lake is called Purgatory Island. I'll tell you why it's called that tomorrow. First of all, why don't you rest and recover from your fatigue? We also have delicious food."

Delicious food! He said something that worried me, but I can hear about that later.

"Fishh!"

"Do you like fish, Leila-dono? Let's go see if there's any fish dishes."

"Ai!"

When Nii-sama put me down, I took Oji-sama's and Earl Coulter's hands, and headed to the mansion.

"Prince Nico, I don't understand it well myself. I'll talk about it with Earl Coulter later... no tomorrow."

"Hmm. Alright."

"Then, shall we go too?"

Nico held Nii-sama's and Gill's hands and headed to the mansion while Prince Albert walked next to them in disappointment. Nico got used to them because he's always with them during class.

No matter how much you treasure someone, it wouldn't get through to them if you act like Otou-sama and Nii-sama did in the beginning and didn't show their feelings with their actions.

Or rather, isn't it because he's boring? If Nico is that important to him, then he should interact with him during the trip. At least Nico doesn't hide his love for Prince Albert.

We arrived late, so we had dinner straight away. Since Earl Coulter is an Earl, his mansion is a few times bigger than the noble we met yesterday. I couldn't really tell since it was dark, but it seemed like an old building. The walls were thick and scary, but it was well-maintained and comfortable.

Maybe because we were staying here for a few days, but Nico and I as well as Nii-sama and the others were allowed to go to our room after dinner.

"Nico, athe thoday. So, I didn'th need tho bring him food." I said, and Nii-sama and Gill smiled wryly.

"You're really observant."

"Gluttonies observe odd things."

"Food ish importhanth."

It's important to eat. If I want to eat then I can just say that I want to eat, but it's difficult to meddle with the eating habits of others. He didn't get to eat yesterday, so of course I will be more vigilant.

"You watch what people eat even if there isn't a problem, that's why you noticed what had happened yesterday. I know that's your good point. But you're still a glutton."

Gill patted my head. Aren't you a glutton, Gill?

Nico was travelling under the pretence of observation and study, so we'll be staying here for two days, and we'll be going around to see the industries in Coulter and going out into the lake with a boat. Prince Albert said it was his first time doing these things in Coulter too.

"Viwwa on thhe wawe." (Villa on the lake)

There's a lake a day's ride by carriage from the royal capital so isn't it normal to come here in summer to a villa or holiday home? But since the two were looking at me as if they didn't understand what I was saying, I rephrased my sentence, "Go tho thhe wawe in shummer. Wather cowd." (Go to the lake in summer. Water cold)

"It's certainly nice to soak in the lake during the hot summer months," Gill agreed.

"It makes me feel chilly in a different way. The lake gives me chills. Does Oji-sama know something?" Nii-sama rubbed his arms and Gill tilted his head.

"If I concentrate a lot then I can kind of feel something, but I can't really tell. And when I studied about Kingdom's history and geography at school, I don't think Coulter had any other features except for the lake."

If you don't learn it in school, then is it not important? In any case, Earl Coulter said he would explain it tomorrow. So, we can only wait until tomorrow.

The next day, I went out of the mansion in excitement. Of course, I finished breakfast before going out.

"When you mention Coulter, you think of the lake. So, we have to go to the lake."

"Hmm!"

"Ai!"

Earl Coulter smiled mischievously and looked radiant. At least, I think he got a hold of Nico's and my heart.

Even if we were feeling excited for some reason, what is that? It didn't matter to me since I felt like that every day in Wester.

There was a bridge right next to the mansion, but a large building was covering the bridge, and there was a large ship with a roof. Although it was just a houseboat that had been made a little larger, it only had a table and a sitting area to sit in the middle. There were many rowers aboard.

"A small fishing boat would probably have been fine, but it would be dangerous if someone were to fall into the lake."

Whatever boat we use is fine. I got on enthusiastically.

Even though winter was over, the wind on the lake was still cold. I was wrapped in a scarf and other winter clothes, but I could still stand firmly at the tip of the boat.

"Don't fall down."

"You thaww thoo much." (You talk too much)

However, it's a secret that Hans was holding onto my waist from behind. The boat sailed towards the centre. I waved when I saw fishing boats on our way. Nico also waved next to me. Then, everyone waved back.

"They're waving back!"

"They probably wanted to wave back since you waved."

The ship didn't sway much since we weren't on the ocean, but it was fun to feel the light sways and see the change in scenery. Finally, there weren't anymore fishing boats, and no matter what direction I looked in, I could only see the faint outline of the bank.

No, only one direction was different. We were approaching a small island.

Chapter 153 - Old Story

Chapter 153: Old Story

Translator: Blushy

Editor: Sam

"I promised that I would talk about the lake yesterday. That's Purgatory Island," Earl Coulter said from behind us as we gazed upon the small island filled with rugged rocks.

"Master, this isn't something to tell tiny children. I heard it was something that happened hundreds of years ago, to us, it's nothing but a fairy tale," one of the rowers spoke directly to Earl Coulter. It would be something that's impossible normally, but in this fief, the lord and his people are close. The rowers also said that this was good for extra income since people didn't come here in winter.

"However, the citizens don't come here either. It's a dangerous place that even fishermen avoid." Earl Coulter answered slowly. Didn't the rower say that he shouldn't talk about it because it's dangerous?

"Why is it dangerous? Is there something there?" Nico's eyes were sparkling. Prince Albert seemed to know the origin of the island and was staring at it in interest.

"That is an island without a barrier. The only place in Kingdom where the Hollows appear from."

"Hollows. The ones that suck the life out of living things?"

I looked at Nico in surprise. Is he already learning about them? Nico nodded lightly at me.

"Kingdom was built to repel the Hollows."

Come to think of it, that's the only role of the royal family. Well, the same for the Four Marquises though. I'm sure they really get taught about the role of the royal family from a young age. I've never taken such a class, so he must have learnt about this before I met him.

"It seems that the barrier is weak on this lake. This island is evenly separated from any shore and is a special place where the barrier doesn't reach. Prince Nicholas will learn more about this island when he gets older."

"I've never learnt about anything like that at school."

Nii-sama looked complicated.

"It's something that is only taught to the Four Marquises and the royal family when they reach adulthood," Prince Albert answered. Is it alright for me to listen to this?

"It's not hidden. In fact, all of our citizens know about it. But, everyone except for the fishermen probably think of it as a fairy tale."

The rowers all nodded.

"Children usually listen to what you say if you tell them that you'll take them to Purgatory Island if they do bad things."

That would probably be too scary.

"But, the fishermen, you know. Even if they're careful not to approach the island, they might inadvertently see the Hollows depending on the weather and time."

Thus, they know that it's dangerous and not just a fairy tale.

"The origin of the name Purgatory Island-." Earl Coulter paused slowly. Scary, scary.

"Because this used to be the place where Kingdom took their criminals."

Silence fell on the ship. I looked at Nico's face.

"Criminals."

"Peopwe who do bad thhingsh," I explained with a complicated expression on my face. It was a heavier story than I thought.

"Don't the Hollows suck life?! Why?!" Nii-sama was stunned, and Gill looked at the island with his arms folded.

"This may not be something to say in front of children, but don't you think it's not much different from killing someone with a sword?" Earl Coulter looked at Nii-sama and asked. That's not it. It's not about how you enforce punishment.

Hollows sucking up life is like this...

"The pershon'sh appearance remainsh. Ith'sh noth good," I said, and everyone looked at me in surprise.

There probably aren't many people who would come all the way here to see Hollows. However, if their family members were to come here...

Even if someone is killed by a Hollow in Frontier, their appearance would be overwritten by another living thing, or they are hunted by hunters, so people don't see their appearances, and they probably don't get sad because of it. However, no other living beings are on this island, so the Hollows will keep the same appearance until the next criminal arrives.

"Sad. Feew bad."

Even if people know that Hollows suck life from living beings, only regret remains if the Hollows take on the appearance of their loved ones. Regret will eventually turn into hatred, and before long, they will want revenge.

"I'm surprised..." Earl Coulter muttered after a long silence.

"That system is gone because of that reason."

Even if the person has committed a bad crime, and even if they know that the Hollows are only copying the appearance of something, they will still turn their grudges towards Kingdom. Before long, that grudge will probably cause a revolt.

"It's free to enter the lake now, but in those times, it was forbidden. Still, there were people who secretly sailed boats out to see their family. Eventually, things were rough in Kingdom because those people started revolting."

If the criminal was a noble, then they would have the power to cause a revolt.

"Since then, no criminals have been dropped off on this island."

"It's morbid, Master. But well I know about this," a rower interrupted Earl Coulter.

"If you're going to talk about this, then it's better to talk about this at the warm mansion."

"No, it's better to look at the island while talking about it."

It's not good, is it? The rower has a lot of common sense.

It was still morning, so the Hollows won't appear. We stared at the island for a while, then headed to the bank.

"We normally do this in the morning."

They showed us how they fished. It was fun to touch the warmish water that the fish was put in with Nico. Nico was having fun catching fish as well, and I found out later that Nii-sama and the others also had fun grabbing the fishes.

This might have nothing to do with inspections, but I think it's important to have experiences like this. The chef at the mansion salted the fish and put them on skewers. We were watching the chef and he said, "Are you alright with the organs?" He might be too friendly.

"I'm not. But it's probably important to eat," Nico answered, and I thought he was amazing. By the way, I'm alright with however the food is prepared.

"It's because you're a glutton," was it Gill or Hans who said this? I don't think they can talk though.

It's not gluttonous to have lunch and fish again for dinner since this is a snack. I'm only responding to their hospitality.

And, infants should have an early night, but there was a knock at my door, so my night was dragged on.

"Prince Nicholas is here," along with the voice of the guard at the door.

Chapter 154 - Reflecting a Human's Appearance

Chapter 154: Reflecting a Human's Appearance

Translator: Blushy

Editor: Sam

"Is it polite to visit a lady's room at night?" Even if one of the servants said this, isn't it fine? Unfortunately, no one pointed out that I'm still an infant and not a lady yet.

"Whath'sh wrong, Nico?"

"Hmm, there's something I want to ask."

Our room also had a living room this time. I offered the sofa to Nico.

"Isn't it fine to sit around the table? Don't climb onto the sofa one by one," Hans said in amazement, but I like the sofa, so isn't it fine? The problem might be that the sofa is too high. I sat next to Nico and tilted my head. Isn't hospitality important here?

"Nathawie, shnacwsh."

"Leila-sama, if you have snacks now, then you won't have any appetite in the morning."

"Hmph."

I thought we should eat snacks since Nico was here, but Natalie gently refused. It seemed like the snacks from the other night were an exception.

"Lei, it's fine. I'm full today."

Nico rubbed his stomach.

"I know how it feels to be hungry, so I know how it feels to be full now."

"Hmm."

I rubbed my stomach too.

"I feew wiwe I can shthiww eath more." (I feel like I can still eat more)

"Buffu."

"Lei-sama, it's your imagination." As expected, Natalie stopped me. Well, even I think that I'm imagining it. But there's no loss in saying it. However, when it comes to the differencet between Natalie's abilities and Hans's incompetence. I gave up and Nico started talking, "I've been looking forward to seeing you at the castle since you turned one."

I was surprised when he suddenly brought up something from long ago but tried to recall what had happened back then.

"Lei wash ath home when I wash one."

"I thought you weren't going to come, then one day, father looked serious. He said that you might not come to the castle."

"Lei wash ath Weshther at thhath thime."

"Hmm." Nico nodded heavily.

"I was still only two at that time. I only found out about what had happened to you a few days before you came to the castle."

"Reawwy?"

"I heard you were kidnapped, then Hunters rescued you, and that they made an exchange to get you back from Wester."

"Ai."

'You don't know much at all.' But he knew the gist of it so I nodded. Nico turned his body to face me.

"Lei, did you see Hollows in Wester?"

Nico's always serious yellow eyes. They reminded me of the bad guy at the beginning, but Nico's eyes are so beautiful since they're different and his personality is different. I wondered how to answer, and Nico reached out and stretched my cheeks.

"Your violet eyes look pretty when I look at them like this."

"Guh."

That bad guy also said my eyes are purple. However, Nico was purely complimenting them, and his words meant something completely different from the bad guy's. And the guy who's laughing right now will get a pay cut.

"Nico'sh ish preththy thoo."

"Really? I'll look at them in the mirror next time."

The conversation has shifted a bit, but I have to answer him.

"Lei hash sheen Howwowsh."

"So, you have." Nico nodded as if he understood and the rest of the room gasped. Natalie and Hans were calm, but I didn't miss that they closed their eyes for a second. Did Otou-sama not tell them about this?

"The peopwe who shaved Lei are hunthersh."

"Hunter. The people who reap Hollows."

"Yesh. We go reap thhem thogethher ath nighth."

This time, the whole room fell silent. They probably thought that I saw Hollows by chance.

"Ojou-sama, don't tell me..." Natalie was so surprised that she called me Ojou-sama instead of Lei-sama.

"There aren't any barriers in Frontier. What did you do while they were hunting Hollows?"

"Lei woowed afther thhe barrier box. Lei wash inshide thhe barrier." (Lei looked after the barrier box. Lei was inside the barrier.)

"Barrier box. So, it does exist...?" Hans put his hand on his chin and thought about something. Even Hans hasn't been to Frontier?

"I'm a former escort, so I've never been to Frontier even if my position was high."

I looked at Hans in surprise. I didn't know he was an escort.

"Same ash Gracesh."

"Graces is a former subordinate."

So that's why they can cooperate?

"Lei, what did you mean when you said that appearance remains?"

"Nico, thhath'sh..."

He's asking in detail. How should I explain it?

"In Weshther, thhere wash an Othou-shama who wash wiwwed by a Howwow." (In Wester, there was an Otou-sama who was killed by a Hollow)

"Otou-sama."

"Yesh, thhe Howwow had thhe Othou-shama'sh appeawance."

I'm talking about Noah's Otou-sama.

"The chiwd reached outh tho hish Othou-shama. Buth thhe Hunthersh wiwwed thhe Howwow." (The child reached out to the Otou-sama. But the Hunters killed the Hollow)

"Cutting something that had the appearance of Otou-sama..."

"If thhe chiwd thouchesh thhe Howwow thhen hish wife wouwd have been shucwed away." (If the child touches the Hollow then his life would have been sucked away)

"Of course, it would." Nico said as if it was obvious and I shook my head.

"The chiwd goth angry. Why did you wiww Othou-shama, he ashwed." (The child got angry. Why did you kill Otou-sama, he asked?)

"Lei-sama, when a Hollow is killed, they should turn into magic stone. Did the child also see that?" Hans asked an important question.

"Buth ith'sh pointhweshsh. Hish hearth..." (But it's pointless. His heart...)

I pushed on my chest.

"Hish hearth probabwy didn'th thhinw thhath wash good." (His heart probably didn't think that was good)

"His heart."

Nico pressed his stomach.

"Thath'sh your shthomach. Your hearth ish here." (That's your stomach. Your heart is here)

"Here?"

"Ith feewsh happineshsh, pain and shadneshsh." (It feels happiness, pain and sadness)

The two of us pressed on our chest.

"The pwace thhath threashuresh Okaa-syama, Otou-syama, and Nii-syama." (The place that treasures Okaa-sama, Otou-sama, and Nii-sama)

"It hurts here when your loved ones are gone."

"Ai. Ith'sh painfuw even if you undershthand."

Both me and Nico stayed quiet as we pressed our chests.

"Lei, thanks for talking to me."

It's not something he should thank me for. I only said what I knew. However, the followingday, I thought that it would have been better if I hadn't told him.

Chapter 155 - If Lei Can Do It...

Chapter 155: If Lei Can Do It...

Translator: Blushy

Editor: Sam

"We're going to Purgatory Island again!? And at night this time!? What're you thinking?!" Hans yelled. If this was going to happen, then I shouldn't have told Nico about the Hollows.

"I've seen Hollows at the border of Wester. However, Nico is only going to the north this time. It's a safe area, and if I want to show him Hollows then there's no better place." Prince Albert calmly answered Han's violent exclamation. Based on what Nico heard from me, he came up with the shallow idea that it was alright for him to see them since I've seen them.

"Based on what proof are you saying it's safe? You're probably going to use a barrier box, but barrier boxes aren't perfect. The range is limited, and if someone loses their calm and goes out of the barrier then they'll become victim to the Hollow. We can't let the royal family face such danger."

I looked at Hans in admiration. He has never been out of kingdom, so he's never used a barrier box before, but he knows about the dangers. If he was in Frontier, then he would definitely be a skilled hunter.

"Liththwe chiwdren are shcared of Howwowsh." (Little children are scared of Hollows) I backed Hans up too. It's not a pleasant thing, and I think they're scary enough for children to have nightmares and cry at night. No matter how much Nico wants to see them, I don't think it's something that he should see at his age.

"If you can do it, then Nico can too."

"You're mishthawen." (You're mistaken) I desperately tried to explain. If a baby sees a Hollow, then they would just blank out. However, the shock may be greater at an age where they understand that the ghost-like Hollows have the appearance of a person or animal.

"I'm not. If the baby Albans says that she saw them every day, then Nico should see them too."

Hans and I looked at Earl Coulter. He shook his head. He might be opposed to the idea, but he won't stop the Prince. If it's like that, then I'll talk to the person himself, "Nico."

"Lei, I want to see them too. I can't go out of Kingdom like you, Lei. If the Hollows are the origin of Kingdom, then it's important to see them."

If the Four Marquises aren't adults, then they can leave Kingdom. However, that's impossible for the royal family.

"But it's been a long time since that sentence was abolished. There shouldn't be any Hollows with a solid appearance since there're no living beings on that island."

"Fishhesh, and..."

That's right. Fishes that jump to the surface. Stray animals. And perhaps those who want to commit suicide; a painless death is bliss.

Nii-sama quickly picked me up and buried my face in his neck to stop me from talking any further.

"If you have to take Prince Nico there, then Gill and I will go too."

"Lei two."

I was crushed by Nii-sama.

"Gill and I have hunted Hollows before, and we have Rhodolite swords."

It went silent for a moment and Oji-sama looked up.

"What are Albans and Lisburn making their heirs do..." Prince Albert muttered involuntarily. Hans seemed to agree with him this time, but he confirmed, "So, you'll do it no matter what?" Then, he looked at the escorts. Graces was silent and nodded as if he had given up. The escorts have already tried to persuade them.

"Fine. But, Leila-sama won't be going, so some escorts will have to remain behind. I would like you to rearrange the escorts so that you can make sure Luke-sama and Gilbert-sama are also safe."

Hans, who didn't think much of the safety of the royal family, is in a sense, a paragon of an Albans guard.

"Nii-syama."

"No."

"Nii-syama."

"You can't."

Nii-sama anticipated my request and his reply was cold from the beginning.

"Nii-syama, thhe barrier..." Nii-sama quickly buried my face and took me out of the room so that I couldn't say anymore than that.

"Lei, that was dangerous. What's wrong? You're always more careful," Nii-sama whispered and Hans was behind us.

"Nii-syama, ith'sh wiwe Hansh shaysh." (Nii-sama, it's like Hans says)

"What Hans said?"

Nii-sama looked at Hans who raised his eyebrow since he didn't know what was going on.

"Bawwier box."

"The barrier box?"

"Ai."

Nii-sama tilted his head in confusion and I nodded.

"Peopwe wanth tho run away when thhey're shurprished. They wiww weave thhe barrier shthraighth away." (People want to run away when they're surprised. They will leave the barrier straight away)

"Certainly, the barrier box usually has a range of only three metres. It's wide, and if you're upset you'll be out of range."

Nii-sama clenched his hands as if he had remembered something.

"And if you move the barrier box itself, then it's over."

That's right. That's why I should go and keep the box with me.

"Lei, even if that's true, I'm there."

"Lei ish bethther."

"That's true, but..."

"Lei wiww awwaysh be nexth tho ith."

Nii-sama placed his hands on my shoulders like he had given up.

"Luke-sama," Hans called Nii-sama's name as if he had realised something.

"Alright. Lei might be safer in a place where everyone can see her."

"Sure, there's less chance that she would be kidnapped that way, but..."

"Gill and I have a barrier box even if it's for individual use. What worries me is what has been left behind on the island and which ship we will use..."

"According to Earl Coulter it's fine. He hasn't received any reports from the scouts that there are any suspicious people around."

I stared gapingly at Hans and Nii-sama. It appears that they still think that I would be kidnapped again.

"You don't have to look like that."

Nii-sama wrapped my cheeks in his hands.

"Let Prince Albert show us what he has. It would be nice if he knew how naïve he is for thinking that Prince Nico can see them just because you did, Lei."

I think I was hallucinating when I thought that Nii-sama's smile was scary.

Thus, we were going to Purgatory Island again in the evening.

Chapter 156 - The Oldies

Chapter 156: The Oldies

Translator: Blushy

Editor: Sam

We changed our plans and headed to Purgatory Island at night. Unlike yesterday, the rowers were quiet. They were silent, but sometimes, they would look at Nico and I, then at our guardians, and their eyes clearly showed uneasiness.

I don't think they should look at us with eyes that were asking why we were taking children along even if the other party is part of the royal family. I hope Prince Albert doesn't notice.

Purgatory Island, like an island I visited in the past, was rocky and there was hardly any flat land. Still, there were no gaps in the ground, and I was relieved that Hollows didn't come out in the daytime.

"Do Hollows not come out in the day?"

"It is said that they don't appear while it is bright out," Earl Coulter politely answered Nico's question. There were three barrier boxes and the edges of the barrier overlapped with each other. We waited for night-time with the minimum amount of people. The island was much bigger than it appeared from the lake.

The ship will wait for us on the lake but getting on and off the ship was dangerous even if we have barriers, so we were spending our morning on the island. We went over the schedule so that no one would lack sleep. In the end, I worried about whether Prince Albert would be late for his marriage interview and if that would cause Kingdom's relationship with Farland to deteriorate.

They probably didn't want Nico and I to move since there were chairs prepared for us to sit in, even while moving, at the middle of the barrier. But honestly, it was easier to sit directly on the floor. Nico was sitting with his back straight on the chair, but someone who was nearly four is really different.

While I was impressed, I also became honest.

"Nii-syama."

"What is it, Lei?" Nii-sama answered in a gentle voice.

"I'm thired of shiththing on da chair. I wanth tho shith on thhe ground." (I'm tired of sitting on the chair. I want to sit on the ground)

"Tired, Lei?"

Because my legs are swinging around. Fortunately, Natalie, and the other women, were left at the mansion, so there was no one to tell me that I couldn't sit on the floor. I successfully sat on the ground comfortably on the rug laid out for me.

"I also want to sit on the ground."

Of course, he would. Nico's chair was also put away and we both sat on the floor.

"Nearwy sheththing." (Nearly setting) I warned Nico. The sun was about to set.

"If this were the case, then I should have checked what kind of Hollows are on Purgatory Island right now," I could hear a faint voice filled with regret. The truth was that Earl Coulter wanted to investigate the island today and bring Nico here tomorrow after proper preparations had been made. However, there was no point in regretting it now.

"Hm." Nico held his stomach. They're here. The Hollow's presence echoed in his body. As expected of the royal family who have a lot of magic. Though, I think he should just put his hand on his chest normally.

I met Nii-sama's eyes, then looked at Gill. Nii-sama and Gill nodded a bit late.

*WHIRR* The presence that shook in my chest increased by one, two and three. Apparently, there were Hollows who had sucked the life out of living things here even though there were no living beings here. There was only a faint light placed inside the barrier box so that the Hollows wouldn't notice. As the sun fell and the area got darker, the presence of the Hollows gradually increased.

Everyone inside the barrier was staring at the presences.

"What the hell?" I wouldn't be surprised if the person who had said those words were Nico or Prince Albert. However, it was Earl Coulter. Earl Coulter, who was next to Nico in the middle of the barrier so that he could answer Nico's questions, stepped forward as if he was being pulled by something.

However, a guard stopped him after he had taken a few steps.

"So-sorry. But..."

Earl Coulter's eyes didn't stop staring in front of him even though he was stopped. I looked where he was looking, and...

"Melissa. Why?"

There were a few Hollows with the appearance of a person. However, they were all old people.

"Who's Melissa?" Nico's calm voice echoed. He could also see the Hollows clearly.

"She was an employee. She should have gone back to her hometown when she got too old to work, but why?"

Earl Coulter looked at the guard and said, "My body moved on its own before, but I'm okay now. I want to take a closer look."

"But, it's dangerous."

"It's fine. That's a Hollow. I won't reach out to it."

The guard reluctantly stepped aside. They were only a few metres away from the Hollows. Earl Coulter slowly walked towards the Hollows who were being repelled by the barrier.

"Nico," I called out to Nico, who had stood up. I implied that he couldn't go. Nico looked at me as I tried to stand up and nodded to reassure me. Of course, I don't feel reassured.

"I won't go further than where Coulter-dono is. Gill, help me."

"Understood."

Gill acknowledged him, and firmly held Nico's extended hand.

I quickly stood up and reached out for Nii-sama. Nii-sama hesitated a bit, but he firmly held my hand and walked towards Earl Coulter alongside Nico.

Of course, Hans was following behind us.

I saw Hollows many times in Frontier, but I only knew they were dangerous, so I didn't feel like observing them properly.

"Melissa. She's older than she was when she left the mansion." Like Earl Coulter had said, she looked decrepit and ugly with age. But what she was wearing was gorgeous. I couldn't see the colour properly, but she had on a lacey dress and there was a large necklace around her neck. Her hair was also done up properly.

Earl Coulter took his eyes away from the Hollow, closed them and turned his face to the sky. I also understand. She had funeral makeup on. She was probably prepared to die when she came to this island. So, since there are a few elderly people who are dressed the same, then it indicated that this wasn't a rare thing to do.

As a feudal lord, he must have been shocked by the fact that he didn't know this.

"Their feet don't touch the ground even though they have the appearance of people," Nico said suddenly, and everyone stared at the Hollows' feet in shock. They were certainly floating a bit.

"Why are they swaying? If you look carefully, you can see through them as well."

That's what Hollows are. However, when I look at them again, I can clearly see the difference between them and humans.

"Their eyes also aren't looking over here. They want to come over here, but their eyes aren't looking at anything."

Nii-sama grasped my hand tighter. I looked up and saw that Nii-sama had pressed his lips together and was looking firmly at the Hollows.

"I only thought about defeating them, so I haven't taken the time to observe them."

"You're right. We only think about how to reduce their numbers by a little and how to defeat them efficiently," Gill answered Nii-sama's mutter.

Nii-sama noticed my silent question and answered, "We don't talk much about the time when we were separated. Let's take our time and talk about it later."

Meanwhile, it got darker, as the Hollows swayed and were repelled by the barrier.

Chapter 157 - Leaping Shadow

Chapter 157: Leaping Shadow

Translator: Blushy

Editor: Sam

"This certainly does hurt," Earl Coulter muttered. He seemed to have calmed down a lot.

In Lentforce when Amy was captivated by the Hollow with Noah's Otou-san's appearance, I was calm. When I saw a Hollow take on Hannah's appearance. I didn't have time to act.

However, when I saw how people close to me were being affected by the Hollows, I realised how important it was to see them.

"Earl Coulter, what should we do?" Gill said quietly.

"We've achieved our original goal of showing Prince Nicholas the Hollows. Now, we just need to..." Gill said, and he looked straight at the Hollows who had the appearance of the old people before looking at the Rhodolite sword on his waist.

"Are you going to kill them?"

"That's..."

I think it's amazing that Gill could say those words even though he knew that the Hollows had the appearance of people who Earl Coulter knew.

"It seems like there aren't many Hollows on this island. If we defeat all the Hollows that we can see, then we could probably leave this island. It isn't a good idea to stay up all night in the cold with children. If we can return, then I would like to."

Moreover, he adapted himself to the circumstances. I looked at his side profile in admiration because he resembled Alistair.

"Putting aside if we should defeat them or not, I don't think you should think about going back now. They might think that Hollows are things that take on human appearances because that's what they're seeing, but there are some who take on the appearance of small living beings too. See."

Nii-sama pointed at the ground, and a small mouse was moving in the light. And above that was a bird flapping around in the air without sound.

"Riding the boat is the most dangerous thing to do right now. Sorry. Luke-dono and Gill-dono. If the Princes are alright with it, no, if the small children are okay with it, then could you... the Hollows..." Earl Coulter quietly sighed once.

"Won't you defeat them?"

Nii-sama gently let go of my hand and looked at Hans before nodding.

"Lei-sama, please hold hands with Prince Nicholas and sit down," Hans instructed. Hans had to keep both his hands free, so he couldn't hold my hand.

Gill let go off Nico's hand, looked at Prince Albert and confirmed again, "We're going to defeat the Hollows now, but is it alright to show this to Prince Nicholas?"

"Why aren't you two worried about lei seeing this?" Prince Albert said in irritation. Gill glanced at me and returned his gaze to Prince Albert.

"Lei said that she went hunting with the Hunters in Frontier. She has already seen Hollows being defeated. Therefore, it's safer for her to stay where we can see her instead of having her hide in the tent. However, this will be a new experience for Prince Nicholas."

"We're already here. I want him to see everything."

"Understood."

No matter how much experience he says he has, Nii-sama is still only 12 years old. The 15 year old Gill, who was as tall as an adult, was reliable when he was being decisive. However, does Earl Coulter not employee Hunters to hunt on this island? He probably doesn't, I answered the question that floated into my mind straight away. If he had someone like that, then he would have information about this island.

Gill and Nii-sama walked towards the end of the barrier and brandished their Rhodolite swords. They could tell where the barrier ended because the Hollows were being repelled from there.

Gill cut down the Hollow that was reaching out its swaying hands.

I heard the adults gulp. Nico held my hand and sat in silence.

The Hollow that was cut stopped as if its body was slipping off, then it shrunk, and a magic stone fell from where it was.

"What does this mean... So, it is from the Hollows?" I heard Earl Coulter mutter. He looked like he couldn't accept this no matter how much it is explained to him. I think Nico's fine, but did Prince Albert understand this?

Nii-sama and Gill, both continued to proceed forward while cutting down the Hollows. They started with the bigger ones. Soon, the moving Hollows disappeared from before our eyes and Nii-sama and Gill retreated.

"It's better to pick up the magic stones tomorrow. But, look."

Gill had picked up a magic stone and gave it to Nico. It was pretty big. Nico let go of my hand and took the magic stone.

"Magic stone. The magic stones that I always see came to me in this way."

"That's right, Prince Nico. There aren't any Hollows in Kingdom, so we buy the magic stones from Frontier Hunters."

"I see."

There were some people who thought that the magic stone was disgusting because it had the appearance of a Hollow earlier, but apparently, Nico didn't think it as such.

"Gilbert and Luke, good job. Now then, it's about time for the children to rest," Prince Albert said, and Nico returned the magic stone to Gill before standing up. Now, I have to go to the tent too. I'm a good girl who doesn't cause trouble. I carefully stood up because my body felt a little stiff from the cold, and Nico walked to the tent first.

We're both children, so he could have waited for me. I won't even ask him to help me, but he could have waited. I pouted. It's not like I'm jealous that he could walk briskly.

When I finally got up and made my way to the tent, Nico stopped before he entered and looked at the lake. I was also curious and looked at the lake too.

They were probably having a late meal. The scales of the jumping fish shone in the light.

Nico looked at them, then walked towards the lake with his eyes sparkling. It was only yesterday when he was allowed to touch the fish in the bucket. It was only normal for him to think about wanting to touch them again.

I thought I had to run, but my body wouldn't move because I was feeling frustrated. Everyone took their eyes off Nico because they felt safe after the Hollows were defeated.

Nico noticed it. Why isn't the water making any sound even though the fish is jumping in it? Noticed that the fish is dancing on the water without touching the surface.

Chapter 158 - The Adults Don't Know

Chapter 158: The Adults Don't Know

Translator: Blushy

Editor: Sam

"Lei-sama, what's wrong? Come on into the tent, huh?" The first person to notice was Hans. He noticed that something was wrong with me and turned around to see what I was looking at.

"Prince Nico!" He screamed, and Nico pulled back the hand that was reaching for the fish for a moment, but then he reached out again. He probably liked touching the fish yesterday.

When the others noticed Han's scream and started to move sluggishly, Hans had already begun to run. However, even though Hans and Nico were only a few metres apart, Nico's hand reached the fish faster than Hans ran.

He was about three metres away from Nico. I let my consciousness enter my body for a moment.

"Lei!" Regardless of Nii-sama's warning tone, my magic changed into a barrier. *PAAN* The barrier spread.

The barrier repelled the fish that Nico was trying to touch far away. At the same time, Hans picked Nico up and brought him back inside the barrier. When I confirmed that they were inside, I dispelled my barrier.

"Your Highness! That's a Hollow! It only has the appearance of a fish!" Hans carried Nico to safety, gently put him down on the ground, leaned over, and grabbed Nico's arms.

"It was a Hollow, you say? But it looked exactly like the fish I saw yesterday."

"Listen, you saw it properly a while ago, didn't you? Hollows take on the appearances of humans, but they can also take on the appearance of mice and birds. Of course, they can take on the appearance of fish as well."

"Even fish?" Nico repeated Hans's words and seemed blank as if he didn't understand what Hans was talking about, but then he froze as if he realised something.

"A fish Hollow. If I touched it, then it would have sucked my life?"

"That's right. I'm so glad I made it in time."

Hans loosened his grip on Nico's shoulders and gently patted it to reassure him.

"Nico!"

Then, Prince Albert was finally able to move and came running up to them. Nico reached out for Prince Al, who stood frozen on the spot, not knowing what to do.

Prince Al picked up Nico and hugged him tightly.

"Nico! I thought something had happened!"

"Uncle. Sorry. I thought I could catch the fish."

"You can't! I told you to be careful against Hollows, didn't I!"

Nico didn't understand that even if you told him. He thought Nico would understand since he was smart, but he's exactly like a three-year-old since his guard flew out the window as soon as he saw something interesting. Regardless if he's turning four soon or not.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Nico repeatedly apologised, and I saw that he was trembling. I don't think he understands how dangerous it was, but he was definitely shocked from suddenly being picked up by an adult, brought back and yelled at.

I walked up to Nico and Prince Al. It was just a few steps. Then, I strongly hit Prince Al's thighs.

Why his thighs? Because that's as far as I can reach.

"From now on, wh-what is it?"

Prince Al looked down in surprise. Of course, an adorable toddler was looking up at him.

"Time for Nico tho shweep."

"What are you saying?"

"Nico and Lei wiww geth warm and shweep."

"Sleep? But..."

It seemed that Prince Al was upset as well. It didn't seem like he understood what I said.

"Prince Aw. Nico shweep."

"Nico is here..."

Prince Al looked at the trembling Nico, shocking him greatly .

"Nico! Hey, someone!"

Don't call for someone, honestly.

"Hansh, geth a bwanweth and a warm drinw."

"Understood."

I immediately gave instructions to Hans, and he made tea with the simple cooking set.

"Mawe ith shweeth."

"Lei-sama."

"Sweeth ish importhanth."

Hans looked at me suspiciously because he thought that I was the one who wanted to drink something sweet, but he made Nico a sweet cup of tea. Of course, he made me one as well. I got him to dilute it with a little bit of cold water so that we could drink immediately after blowing it once or twice.

"Nico, dwink."

"Lei."

I gave the cup of tea to Nico, who was wrapped in a blanket and held by Prince Al. Prince Al awkwardly supported Nico's trembling hands.

"Warm."

"Sweeth."

"It's sweet."

I took out a snack wrapped in paper from my jacket pocket. It was my emergency rations that Natalie prepared for me. I twisted it open. Inside, was a cake like Castella. I broke it in half and gave one piece to Nico.

"Hmm, thanks."

"Lei, that's..."

Prince Al looked at me and I reluctantly halved the remaining piece.

"Fine, you can have shome."

"... Thanks."

Sweet tea and cake are delicious. By the time we finished eating, Nico was dozing off. How rare.

"Lei."

"Ai."

I pulled Nii-sama's hand and stood up.

"Goodnighth."

"Yeah, sweet dreams."

I entered the small tent with Nii-sama. Gill had prepared the blankets and was waiting for us.

"Rest with Gill first. Gill and I will take turns to guard against the Hollows."

"Ai. Nii-syama be carefuw."

Nii-sama smiled wryly, then went out of the tent. Gill wrapped me in the blanket and laid next to me.

"Lei, you've done it."

"I had tho."

"Yeah. But, you did well," he said, and patted the top of the blanket. My eyes, which were unusually clear, closed in no time. After I thought it was a terrible day.

Like always, I slept at night and the next day arrived. I quickly flew up and went to see Nico, but he looked fine.

"Morning Lei."

"Mowrning Nico."

The tent was packed up as soon as I got up and we had breakfast, then withdrew. It was a good idea to leave an island like this as soon as possible. I nodded on the ship that was leaving the island with my arms folded.

"What are you doing?"

Nico stood up and a few guards straightened up in surprise. Either yesterday left a big impact on them or Prince Al was quite angry and yelled at them.

"I'm woowing ath thhe ishwand." (I'm looking at the island)

"Purgatory Island? It was a terrible place."

Nico folded his arms next to me and stared at the island.

"Buffo."

Hans, acting as he usually does. I'd like Nico's guards to follow his example since they're overly cautious.

"Do people who live outside of Kingdom have that horrible experience every day?"

"Nico no."

"No?"

I looked at Nico. I saw that everyone on the ship was listening in. Honestly.

"Howwowsh are near thhe mounthain. They don'th reawwy come tho thownsh." (Hollows are near the mountains. They don't really come to towns)

"Aren't they always there?"

I shook my head.

"There are pwacesh withh Howwowsh and pwacesh withhouth thhem. They don'th come intho houshesh." (There are places with Hollows and places without them. They don't really come into houses)

"So, you'll be safe if you're in a house!?"

"I hear that they use special materials at the entrance. It's the same material that Rhodolite swords are made from," Nii-sama commented on the difficult question.

"Weshther ish a fun pwace. They wawe up earwy in thhe morning and go home ath nighth." (Wester is a fun place. They wake up early in the morning and go home at night)

"I see. If they do that then they won't meet any Hollows."

"Ai."

The people around us listened in admiration. Lentforce benefits from the barrier, but few people go out at night. Perhaps, there is great injustice near the border. However, people in the coastal and prairie towns that I passed didn't live in fear of the Hollows.

"Even if there are a lot of adults here, you're more amazing since you've seen them directly."

Nico, you can't say that. As expected, none of the adults laughed at what Nico had said.

Chapter 159 - Childish

Chapter 159: Childish

Regardless of what was said, Nico and I, who slept soundly through the night, were energetic, but the adults, who had to stay awake in the cold, and the rowers, were exhausted. They were all going to rest until night time after returning to the mansion, and Nico and I, who were full of energy, were playing quietly inside so that we wouldn't bother our guards.

Earl Coulter had small children in his mansion before, so there was a large children's room prepared for us, and Nico and I happily played with the toys.

Whenever I go to the castle, I always went as his study buddy, so it was fun to play all day and not have to study.

We played games that allowed us to move our bodies inside, such as imagining the floor as a lake and the person who dropped in the lake was 'it' and climbing on the sofas and jumping off. We were so energetic that it made Natalie want to scream.

Nico, who was in danger yesterday, would sometimes blank out and think about something, but he mostly acted like he usually did.

After dinner, almost all the adults were present, and were making plans for tomorrow onwards.

"Anyway, Nico's guards have to be more alert. If they take their eyes off Nico for even a second, then something like yesterday could happen again," Prince Albert said, and the guards nodded firmly. Judging from their expressions on the ship this morning, they were probably worried about it a lot. After all, it was Hans, my guard, who had brought Nico back.

However, no matter how smart Nico is, Prince Albert was the one who took him to a dangerous place even though he was still an infant whose actions couldn't be predicted. Not only I, but others also cautioned him, but he didn't listen to them, and as a result, Nico found himself in a dangerous situation.

It has only been a few days since we've started our journey. However, we don't eat properly, he makes unreasonable plans, and makes us do dangerous things, from what I can tell, I can't entrust Nico to him. The problem is no one would speak up and exclaim, "If you're going to take Prince Nico, a young child with you, then you have to match the child's pace."

"Nii-syama, down."

"Lei, do you need the toilet?"

"No."

Rude. I puffed in anger a little and walked up to Prince Albert.

"What?"

"Going home."

Prince Albert made a face which stated that he didn't understand what I was saying.

"I'm going home withh Nico."

I had no choice, so I explained it in detail. How's that? I folded my arms and raised my face.

"Going home."

"Ai."

"How?"

"On thhe Rug Dragon."

Did he think that we would walk back?

"Lei, what's wrong? Why're you saying this all of a sudden?" Nii-sama quickly stood up. He walked towards me and crouched down.

"Nico in danger. The aduwthsh aren'th wathching him properwy."

"That's true, but..." Nii-sama didn't know what to say since he knew what I was talking about. However, it would be more dangerous since we had to split up the guards for Nico and I to go home. Of course, I know I shouldn't go home.

"You're just a toddler. You'll scurry home when something unpleasant happens," Prince Albert looked down on me and said. How many times do you think that infant has helped you?

"Becaushe shomethhing unpweashanth happened?"

I took a step away from my crouching Nii-sama and confronted Prince Al.

"Thath'sh noth ith. Ith'sh becaushe you're no good, Prince Aw." (That's not it. It's because you're no good, Prince Al)

"Shyt, stop it, Lei-sama." The aura in the room froze, and Hans's voice sounded as if he had forced it out.

"You can't even go home without that useless adult. Whatever. Shut up."

"I'ww go home."

"You can't ride a Rug Dragon by yourself."

"I can."

"Lei, that's enough," Nico cheerfully interrupted the childish quarrel between Prince Al and I.

"This was all because I was selfish. Uncle and the guards didn't do anything wrong."

Prince Al is really hopeless for making a three-year-old say all this. I'm sure I glared at him.

"I'll follow Uncle obediently from now on, so Lei, don't worry."

"That's how it is."

Why does Prince Al look like he's won?

"For what?"

"You're still talking?"

"Why did you bring Nico withh you?"

Prince Al looked as if he had been taken off-guard.

"If ith'sh sho he wouwd behave, thhen you didn'th need tho thawe him withh you." (If it's so he would behave, then you didn't need to take him with you)

"That's..."

"Nico and Lei wiww go home and pway."

"But the royal capital is dangerous," Prince Al said before shutting his mouth. Then, he carelessly said, "Toddlers can't go home by themselves. If you can then try it."

"The guardsh wiww be withh ush."

"Take them with you."

"Nii-syama and Giww wiww be withh ush two."

"Do what you want."

He probably thinks it's impossible. I turned back and walked to Nico, who was sitting down, then I looked him in the eyes.

"Lei."

"Nico and Lei wiww go home."

He could probably see confidence in my eyes. Nico nodded lightly. I turned back to Prince Al.

"We'ww go home thomorrow."

"If you can that is."

"Chiwdishh."

That's exactly right.

Chapter 160 - With the Rug Dragon

Chapter 160: With the Rug Dragon

When I went back to my room, Nii-sama, Gill, Hans and Natalie surrounded me.

"Lei."

"I wnow."

Nii-sama called my name anxiously, but I know. Nico aside, I came because Easter's Third Prince was coming to the royal capital. Because there are a lot of people who are trying to protect me. But Nico is different.

"Prince Aw onwy wanthsh tho shpend thime withh Nico." (Prince Al only wants to spend time with Nice.)

"Prince Al does?"

Nii-sama scratched his head.

"He didn'th thawe Nico awong for hish shawe." (He didn't take Nico along for his sake)

"He didn't?"

"Ai. No, he did. But, he mainwy did ith for himshewf." (Ai. No, he did. But, he mainly did it for himself.)

Everyone pondered a little when I said he did it for himself.

"To be honest, I think it's easier to travel without a toddler, Lei-sama. If he did it for himself, then I feel like he would have left Prince Nico at home." Hans looked like he couldn't agree with me and I shook my head.

"Prince Aw wovesh Nico." (Prince Al loves Nico.)

"It certainly does seem like he has something against you, but ah," Nii-sama was surprised because he realised something.

"Is he annoyed because he thinks that you get along better with Nico than him?"

"Noth jushth lei. Nii-syama and Giww thoo. You geth awong withh him becaushe you theach him." (Not just Lei. Nii-sama and Gill too. You get along with him because you teach him.)

"Then why doesn't he interact with Nico? Ah." Nii-sama realised something.

"It's because he doesn't know how to express himself."

"Ai. Ith'sh fine if he doeshn'th wnow. Buth he can'th puth Nico in dangeroush shithuathionsh."

When Gill heard this, he put his hand on his chin like an adult and pondered.

"So, what does that have to do with you taking Prince Nico home?"

Hans, who was also pondering, suddenly realised, "Lei-sama, were you perhaps trying to make him say, 'Don't go because I'll feel lonely'?"

"Ai. If he threashuresh Nico, thhen he shhouwd shhow ith."

"Will that work?"

I don't know. However, if we really had to go back, then I would feel uneasy with just us and Nico's guards. It's a game to see who will fold first.

"If he doeshn'th geth ith, thhen Nico wiww be in danger from now on."

"It's a trial for Prince Al."

"Ai."

The match starts tomorrow. We finished making plans for tomorrow before sleeping.

After breakfast the next day, we lined up outside Earl Coulter's mansion and got ready to go home. Nii-sama and the others have already finished our travel preparations, all that was left was to wait for Natalie to get into the carriage. Well, we were also waiting for me to get onto the Rug Dragon, so nothing would proceed if I don't move.

"So, you can't go home unless you ride a carriage after all."

Prince Al had his arms folded like he was making fun of me, and it was stupid of him not to notice that everyone was watching him in suspense.

I folded my arms and only watched him in anger. Then, I turned to the dragon. Minnie already had her basket attached.

"Drawgon!"

"Kyee!"

"Kyee!"

With my voice, dragons other than Minnie also gathered. Nico had already experienced this, so he was calm. The adults, however, were not.

"What's with them?!"

"Hah?! His Highness! Leila-sama!" They made a big fuss. However, the dragons didn't approach us even though there were a lot of them. I glanced backwards at the fuss and reached out for Nii-sama's dragon since it was closest to me.

The Rug Dragon lowered his big head and muzzled me.

"Aah, Lei-sama is...!"

"What...?"

While Hans and Nii-sama were stopping the adults, who were trying to help, the Rug Dragon gently lifted me up and put me into Minnie's basket.

"Yoshi."

I released my hand from the dragon's head and slid into the basket. See, I got into the basket. I folded my arms and looked smug, but I don't think many people can see me in the basket.

"Nexth whath wiww you do Nico?"

"Alright. Dragon!" Nico yelled for a dragon, and another dragon carefully placed his head down. Nico clung to the dragon's head and he was put on the basket on the opposite side of mine.

"I'm in!"

"Ai!"

Natalie got into the carriage when Nico and I spoke, and Nii-sama and Gill straddled their dragons. The adults could only look at us in amazement. However, I saw Ojii-sama smile wryly while shaking his head. I'm sorry for causing a fuss, Ojii-sama.

Nii-sama called out to the stunned Prince Al, "Well then, Prince Albert, I'm sorry for my sister's selfishness, but we'll be going back to the royal capital first. We will prioritize safety and return home in the shortest time possible, so please feel at ease."

"No, er, wait," Prince Albert called in confusion, and Nico spoke to him, "Uncle, I'm sorry things turned out like this because I didn't behave. I'll listen to what I'm told, so please don't worry."

"Nico, Nico, wait."

Nico yelled, "I'm very happy that I got to spend a lot of time with my beloved Uncle."

Did his voice reach Prince Al's heart? I glanced at Prince Al who was clenching his fist without saying anything and called out to the Rug Dragon, "Go!"

"Kyee!"

"Kyee!"

The Rug Dragons raised their voices happily while moving lightly.

"Swowwy." (Slowly) I added quietly, and the dragon replied in a small voice, "Kyee," before advancing slowly.

"*SNIFF*." A voice came from the other side of Minnie.

"Nico, don'th cwy."

"I'm not crying. It's just that my chest hurts, and my eyes got warm."

"You're probabwy paththing your shthomach." (You're probably patting your stomach)

I can't see him, but that's probably what he's doing. He didn't cry when he left Prince Lambert, but he must feel lonely. Then, I felt Nico lift his face up.

"Lei it was fun."

"Ai."

"I don't want to go home yet."

"Ai. Pwobably."

"Probably?" I heard Nico's depressed voice.

"Pwobably awright."

"Kyee."

Minnie turned back. You want to speed up, you say?

"Kyee."

Because something is coming from behind us really fast.

"Jushth weep thhe shpeed you're going ath." (Just keep the speed you're going at)

I don't mind losing this game.

Chapter 161 - Take Care of Things That Matter (Prince Albert)

Chapter 161: Take Care of Things That Matter (Prince Albert)

The larger dragons surrounded the smaller one with the basket and ran.

"Kyee."

"Kyee."

The remaining dragons also seemed to be saying goodbye.

"Did dragons cry this much?"

"I've rarely heard them cry."

"Kyee!" The Rug Dragons cried as if they wanted to go too. Then, the dragon with Nico on it got further and further away.

"Your Highness. Are you alright with this?"

Earl Coulter ran up to me in a hurry.

"I didn't think they'd really leave. I just assumed that she was throwing a tantrum. I can't understand. Why are the Rug Dragons listening to a baby? There's no way a baby can leave with a Rug Dragon since she's just a baby!"

He was running his mouth in frustration, but I also want to say the same thing. What's with that audacious baby?!

"Your Highness, we have to go after them quickly! There shouldn't be any bandits around, but it'll be too late if something happens! Neville! Aren't you worried about your grandchildren?!" Earl Coulter's frustrations were also directed at Earl Neville who was happily seeing his grandchildren off.

"I am worried, but..." Earl Neville didn't seem worried at all and was just looking at the dragons with squinted eyes.

"I gave Lei the small dragon and basket on her 2nd birthday the other day. I knew that she could ride well, but I didn't think she could board it so brilliantly. She really is Claire's child."

"It's not time for you to act like an idiotic grandfather! I'm telling you it'll be dangerous if we don't bring them back quickly!"

"Well..." Earl Neville clasped his hands behind his back and looked up at the sky.

"My duty is to escort Prince Albert to his marriage interview. I can't leave his side freely even if it's for my beloved grandchildren."

That means that no one will move unless I go after them myself. But, if I make a move before the other side whines, then that means I've lost to a toddler.

Why does that baby's brother and Lisburn listen to what she says without saying anything? I was torn between Nico's safety and not wanting to move since I would lose and couldn't do anything. It was irritating to see those around me looking at me with eyes that were saying that I shouldn't let them go.

"Luke said that the first time he met Prince Nicholas, the Prince asked to be carried," Earl Neville said something surprisingly.

"What?! Nico did?! That polite boy would ask a stranger to carry him?"

"I heard that Lei bragged that her Nii-sama was good at holding people and giving hugs. Hahhahha."

It's not funny. Right now, Nico is trying to go back to the royal capital without enough guards with him.

"That baby..."

"She's not that baby. Her name is Lei, Your Highness. You can call her Lei if you'd like."

"Mm, sorry. She's your grandchild." For some reason, I don't want to call her name. I had no choice but to apologise when he gently pointed out my feelings.

"The royal family's education is strict. Lei was chosen as a playmate for Prince Nicholas since he had no playmates in his age group. And I believe that she correctly conveyed how an infant is supposed to be like to him."

"How an infant is supposed to be like, you say? There is no such thing." I snorted. Royalty must be brought up strictly from a young age to care for their citizens. Both my brother and I have been well educated since before we were three years old. There is no such thing as a playmate, is there?

"Eat well, play a lot and sleep a lot. Say what you want. Your mind and body will grow up healthy if you can do this. But I wonder how Prince Nicholas was during this journey."

"During this journey..."

The life of a royal should be well managed on a regular basis regardless of whether they are travelling or not.

"I'm sorry that we didn't notice this, but he got dragged into socialising, didn't eat enough, and we forced the children to continue on without giving them time to play even if they didn't complain. On top of that, he was almost attacked by a Hollow."

"Neville. You're saying too much." Earl Coulter quickly stopped Earl Neville. Earl Neville shook his head and then looked straight at me. His eyes weren't criticising me.

"Why did you bring Prince Nicholas with you on this trip, Prince Albert?"

"I wanted Nico to see various places while he was still young."

"So that was why you were frustrated that extra people came along with you on this journey and he had more fun with them than with you?"

"That's..." I tried to refute but stopped. At first, I only wanted to take Nico. From there, other people heard about my plan and other small children came along. When we finally started our journey, I couldn't do what I had planned to do, and that baby took all the good parts away from me.

Things like making Nico smile widely and playing with him in the water, they were all things I wanted to do with him.

"You have to learn from Prince Nicholas."

"Learn what?"

"You have to say what you want."

"Excuse me?!"

Earl Neville looked at me and then at the group that was getting further away.

"Prince Nicholas said that he was happy to be with his beloved uncle, didn't he?"

He certainly said that at the end.

"Prince Nicholas didn't want to leave. But..."

"Did he follow that baby because he thought he would be a nuisance?"

"I will tell you this Prince Albert, I don't think my curious and energetic granddaughter, who is so cute and adorable, wanted to go home."

I don't know if she's cute and adorable. Why did that strange baby, who confronted me head-on, bring Nico back with her then?

"That little dragon is as mobile as it is small. She's fast. But for some reason, we can still see them."

I bit my lip and looked down. In the end, it's like that baby predicted. Everyone stared at me to see what I would do.

"Who is losing something just because they lost?"

I looked up in surprise. Is it worth it to weigh my frustrations against Nico's safety and spending time with him?

"Get me a dragon!"

"Yess!"

"Kyee!" The guard aside, why did the dragon reply happily?

"We're catching up to the group that's moving slowly even though they said they'll take the shortest way home!"

"Yes!"

"Kyee!"

"Kyee!"

And this time, I'll spend a lot of time with Nico so that I don't lose to that baby.

"Dear me, His Highness is still young."

At that time, I was so caught up in the baby's pace that I had completely forgotten that I was going to the north for a marriage interview.

Chapter 162 - Look Who's Talking

Chapter 162: Look Who's Talking

Translator: Blushy

Editor: Sam

"There are Rug Dragons rushing at us. They might be thieves," Nico looked back and said, a little excitedly. Why are you so excited about that?

"Ith'sh noth. Nii-syama and Giww, woow bacw."

Everyone, including the dragons, were calm.

"Hmm. They're not thieves?"

"Thievesh are shcary..."

Nico's uncle was pitiful for being treated like a thief, but I wasn't kind enough to tell him that. We slowed down even more and a group of Rug Dragons rushed towards us while trailing dirt behind them.

"Kyee," Minnie squealed quietly and stopped in her track, and all the other Rug Dragons stopped as well.

"Nico!"

"Uncle?"

Prince Albert jumped down from a Rug Dragon. He peeked at Nico, who was in the basket, but Nico was held in place by a belt and couldn't move. Hans, who had already gotten off his dragon, quickly approached and unbuckled Nico's belt.

He also walked over to the other side and unbuckled my belt too. He's competent.

When we came out of Earl Coulter's mansion, we bluffed and pretended that we were able to ride the Rug Dragons ourselves, but in reality, we still needed the help of an adult to buckle our belts and get on and off. Even on carriages, it was difficult to climb up the stairs safely.

Being able to ride the dragons ourselves was just an illusion. The adults, who were left behind, were successfully deceived and they panicked.

If I can't ride a dragon once I reach Nii-sama's or Alistair's age, then I can't really say that I can properly ride a dragon.

Prince Albert picked Nico up from his basket once he was free and gave him a tight hug.

It worked. I nodded in my basket, then looked at Nii-sama. He quickly rushed to my side, but he was a little too short to pick me up from the basket. Gill picked me up from the basket instead and handed me to Nii-sama. It was like harvesting vegetables.

"Lei-sama, it's like he's harvesting potatoes." It was slightly irritating that Hans was thinking the same thing. And why potatoes?

"Lei likes potatoes, so that's nice."

"Ai!"

It's not. It's one thing to like potatoes and another to be treated like one. But if Nii-sama thinks it's good then it's good. I wrapped my hands around his neck and hugged him tightly.

"Uncle, I heard there aren't any thieves, so you don't have to worry."

"That's not it. That's not it."

Prince Albert hugged Nico tightly. Isn't that painful?

"Nico don't leave yet. I'll make sure to go at your pace and won't force you to do anything."

"Uncle. I'm alright, so match the pace with little Lei."

"Nico, you!"

Not only Prince Al, but everyone must have been moved by Nico's words. Me? I wasn't moved because I was tempted to ask him who was the person who almost reached out to a Hollow.

"Lei may be important too, but you need to pay attention to me too," he finally said it. I was relieved. Honesty is the best. I don't think Nico particularly thinks of me as important. How and when did it look like he treated me that way?

"What are you saying, Uncle? Lei is my friend, but you're my uncle. I love you as much as I love father."

"Nico!"

I love Nii-sama.

"I see Lei every day, but I rarely see you. It's always fun to spend time with you when you return."

"I also go back to the royal capital because I want to see you, Nico. I was happy to be with you again this time, but I forced you to do things."

"I don't mind. But I'm worried about Lei."

Look who's talking. If I was next to him, then I would have pulled on his cheeks. I huffed in anger. Honestly, who's fault is it that I suffered so much?

"Lei, Lei is cute even when she's angry."

"Nii-syama, wove you."

"Kyee." The Rug Dragon also answered for some reason. Prince Al noticed me from that cry.

Then, he came closer to me while still holding onto Nico. You want to have a go? I waved my fist in my mind.

"Leila..." His Highness mumbled a little. I leaned my head against Nii-sama's chest without replying.

"Lei, you..." Why is Gill laughing?

"What the heck am I doing against a baby like this...?" Prince Al muttered.

"Lei, do you want to go down?"

"Uncle, I want to get down too."

The two children were put down.

"Prince Albert. Lei is a bit odd."

"Nii-syama..."

What a terrible thing to say. However, Nii-sama glanced at me regretfully, put his hand on my head, patted it gently, then turned to face His Highness again.

"Still, she's a cute little girl, so I think it's fine as long as she's cute and adorable. But she's a smart child. Prince Nico is exceptionally clever, but Lei isn't inferior to him in that aspect."

Prince Al looked at me suspiciously. I'm an adult inside. Probably. I've been feeling a little less confident about this lately though.

"I hope you don't get fooled by her cuteness and overlook how she really is. We've only been travelling for a few days, but I can't tell you how many times we've been saved by Lei."

Prince Al opened his mouth to say something, then closed it again. He probably remembered that I helped and rebuked him when he made Nico overdo it.

"We're just extras who are accompanying Prince Nicholas. Prince Albert, please take care of Prince Nico without minding us or get worked up because of us." Nii-sama said 'us' but he meant 'Lei'. It's bad because he feels a weird sense of rivalry towards me.

"I'm sorry, but we're going to learn from this trip and enjoy it on our own. Of course, we'll look after Prince Nicholas properly as well."

Of course, we've been looking after him properly this whole time. I puffed my chest out. The edge of Prince Al's lips twitched when he saw me do this.

"Your Highness, you only have to think about your marriage interview and Prince Nico."

"Alright."

His Highness nodded reluctantly, but he apologised properly, "I'm sorry for being stubborn. I'll look after Nico properly, so don't say you're leaving."

What progress.

"Oway."

"Lei," Nii-sama chastised me since I was acting a little proud. I stopped crossing my arms.

"I'ww go bacw withh Nico."

"Please do," like this, Prince Albert became a little honest and the matter was settled. However, "Are there really no thieves?"

"There ishn'th."

Can't someone solve this? Why do you think a two-year-old knows about thieves? I thought royals were bothersome.

Chapter 163 - To the North

Chapter 163: To the North

"Ojii-syama!"

"Oh, you're back."

I asked to be let down from the basket and ran to Ojii-sama, who was waiting.

"Ooh, she's tottering."

"Noth thoththering!"

"Yo-you're right. Well, you walk pretty quick."

He was obviously flattering me, but it's better than nothing. Then, Ojii-sama lifted me up high.

"Looks like it all went to plan?"

"Ai! We'ww shthiww be thogethher." (Ai! We'll still be together.)

"I see, I see."

We were talking about mean things, but to others, it looked like a warm-hearted interaction between an elderly person and a child.

"Uncle, I want to try that."

"That? Alright."

Nico coaxed Prince Al to raise him higher. Prince Al, who was awkwardly lifting Nico up, didn't have time to pay attention to what we were saying to each other. He really is a handful.

"I wondered how it would turn out. Honestly, the next generation of the Four Marquises are such mischievous children. But still, couldn't you at least try to stop the two, Gill-dono?" Earl Coulter approached while looking disappointed. Then, he talked to Gill who looked like he was understanding. Apparently, Nii-sama and I came as a package and he assumed that Nii-sama was reckless too. I'm sorry.

"I might be a little older than them, but it's impossible for me to stop these two."

"So that's why you followed them and backed them up."

Gill grinned and shrugged lightly.

The Four Marquises are equal. Therefore, there was no concentration of power anywhere and no one was under anyone. In regard to Nico and this trip, Gill behaved as if he was on reserve, but that's not true.

He was more straightforward than Nii-sama, he's also frank and takes action. An 11 year old boy wouldn't have been allowed to come find me and pick me up. Nii-sama was only allowed to go because Gill was with him.

He was only backing us up because he wanted to. If someone only saw that he was following us, then they must be blind.

Earl Coulter stared at me in shock while I was in Ojii-sama's arms, then he squinted his eyes in amusement.

"Lei-dono, so did I pass?"

"Ai."

Earl Coulter, who could properly assess Gill, is a decent person. Or rather, he was a decent man from the start.

"It's a bit late, but we've finished preparing, so I think we'll set off now."

"Yes. You're a little behind schedule."

We're running late because His Highness wanted to go to Purgatory Island. It's definitely not because I insisted on returning to the royal capital.

"I know. Don't look at me like that."

"I'm woowing ath you normawwy." (I'm looking at you normally)

"No, you're not."

Our conversation was nostalgic. Huu. Is he doing well?

"Uncle, this isn't the time to play with Lei, right?"

"We're not playing."

Prince Al quickly gave the order to leave. Then we started preparing.

"Minnie!"

"Kyee!"

"Now, grab my head," the dragons gathered. It's actually easier for me to be put into the basket, but it was hard to ask Hans to put me in the basket since I tried my best to show my hand before.

"Ai!"

I opened up my arms and squeezed onto a dragon's head, and he picked me up. He slowly moved me to the basket, and when I let go, I got put into the basket without a hitch.

"Me too!"

"Kyee."

"Nico. You're riding in the carriage."

"Why Uncle?"

"Because..."

He didn't have a reason for this, but he probably felt that it was somehow dangerous.

"Isn't it fine if Uncle rides a rug dragon too?"

"That's..." Prince Al stopped speaking there, and I could tell that he thought it was fun, but he was hesitant because of Nico's safety.

"I'm next to Lei."

"Ai!"

Nii-sama smiled as he secured my belt.

"Kyee."

"What's with you? Are you telling me you want Nico to get on?"

"Kyee."

"So, you understand me, hurry, hurry," the Rug Dragon urged Prince Al.

"Alright. Fine. But it's cold on top of a dragon. If you get tired or cold, then tell me straight away," Prince Al looked at Nico and said, then he looked at me.

"Leila, you too."

"Ai!"

"It's strange for you to be honest."

Rude. I can hear him even if he speaks in a quiet voice. Nii-sama, this isn't the time to giggle.

"Now, let's ride on the dragon. Coulter, thanks for looking after us."

"Neville, it's alright. I'll stay here and wait for their return. But, you..."

I'm sure he wanted to say, "You have to bring the troublesome infants and Prince safely to the place where the marriage interview is being held."

"What? It's been a while since I've had this much fun. It's exciting to see what will come."

Without agreeing or disagreeing, Ojii-sama turned his dragon to the north. The only thing left is to leave. The rug dragons glanced this way as if they were expecting something.

I also felt anticipation from the basket on the other side of the dragon as well.

"Fine. Nico can ushe shignaw."

"Are you sure?!"

"Ai."

As soon as the adults turned around to see what was happening, Nico shouted loudly.

"GO!"

"Kyee!"

"Kyee!"

Cute children. We're leaving at last.

"Oi, what, woah."

I pulled out the flute Otou-sama gave me from my clothes.

"Puu, puu."

"Kyee!"

"Kyee!"

Now, let's move to this wonderful sound.

"Hey, what's going on all of a sudden?"

"Kyee!"

"Kyee!"

Our comrades are waiting in the north.

"Go!"

"Kyee!"

"Kyee!"

"We're no match for Lei."

Now, let's go to Ojii-sama's place!

Chapter 164 - At the Royal Capital (Felicia's POV)

Chapter 164: At the Royal Capital (Felicia's POV)

After dinner, Chris came to my room and sat on the couch. She dangled her legs around while pouting.

"Nee-sama, it's boring."

"Chris, you shouldn't put it that way. But..." I rebuked, but I knew how she felt.

"You're right, it's boring."

"Nee-sama."

I sat down next to Chris and gently put my arms around her waist, and she clung to me too.

Only a month ago, Chris was living like this too. She managed to spend time alone in the mansion when I went to the Academy or to the royal castle with mother. However, she seemed to be enjoying her time since she started going to the castle as one of Prince Nicholas's playmates.

At least in the evenings, I tried to spend time with her like this after dinner, but she had a sudden change from her unhappy days and started talking about the fun she had every day.

"You're still studying even though Prince Nicholas and Lei are away, aren't you?"

As an heiress of the Four Marquises, I had a proper tutor by the time I was five. There were times when I thought it was boring, but I took it seriously as it was something I had to do. Chris isn't the heiress, so she doesn't have to study a lot, but that doesn't mean that it's alright for her to not study.

Chris used to skip her studies a lot, but she has been diligent lately. However, I don't think I can force her to find it interesting.

"At least I have a day off tomorrow, so I can play with you."

"Really? Nee-sama, let's climb trees."

"Climb trees?! Well, Nee-sama will watch you."

Chris bounced happily on the sofa.

Of course, I knew it wasn't proper mannerism, but she was cute so I couldn't help but laugh. She started showing childish gestures like this after she started playing, no, studying with Lei and His Highness, and it was really cute. I know I should scold her for misbehaving, but well whatever.

But still...

I wondered if I should tell her about the marriage interview while I was chatting with her. In the first place, Chris's fiancé shouldn't be decided yet since mine hadn't been, and she was too young. Even if it's just formalities, it could affect her future interactions.

Having said that, I couldn't just take her place. What is mother thinking?

Normally, the head of the family should give her a proper explanation. But I wonder if she would tell Chris properly. I think she would only tell Chris to behave herself since they were deciding on her future husband. If that's so, then I think I should tell Chris to prepare her for it.

The marriage interview is five days away. Worriedly, I decided to postpone it just a little bit and talk to her about it while we're playing tomorrow.

"Nee-sama!"

"Ah, look out!"

"It's fine. Even if I take my hands off like this."

"It's fine as long as my other hand and feet are firmly holding on. That's what Lei taught me," Chris said as she steadily climbed up the tree, and it was hard to believe that she was a noble child. I did allow her to climb the tree, and the fact that her maid wasn't worried meant that she always climbed trees like this.

"But Lei can't climb a tree by herself. She said she could climb herself, but she ends up needing the help of Hans or Gill to climb. And yet, she acts happy as if she had climbed the tree herself," Chris said after she had settled down on a large branch and laughed.

Hans is probably Lei's guard. I can't believe that Chris bothered to remember the name of someone's guard when she had never cared about those around her before. Besides, I can feel that she liked it when Lei was happy even though she was making fun of her.

I'm glad I let her go to the castle.

"Say, Chris. Nee-sama has something I would like to talk to you about."

"What is it?"

"Let's talk over a cup of tea."

There was a greenhouse at the Remington's too. When I instructed for tea to be prepared in the greenhouse, Chris happily climbed down from the tree and grabbed my hand.

"Lei can't climb down on her own, you know?" She said while looking forward to the snacks more than the tea.

"Chris, I wonder if you know that a noble from Easter will be coming here?"

There's no way she would know. She probably didn't even know what Easter was.

"I know. They're here for a marriage interview with me, right?"

"Chris! Why do you..."

"The maids said it. They said that they couldn't believe that I was being set up for a marriage interview when I'm only five. They said... hmm... that the blood of the Four Marquises will get mixed."

"Oh."

I looked at the maid and she shook her head while looking pale. This was probably gossip coming from those not directly under her control. I think the Remingtons have lost some quality too.

"The maids wouldn't answer my question even if I asked, so I asked the old man at the stable what a marriage interview is."

"Oh my, Chris..."

"He said I was at that age, even though I wasn't, and he told me what it was. It's to decide on my future husband."

I didn't know what to say. But that wasn't the only surprise.

"I heard that he's someone from Easter. You know, I also studied geography when I went to study at the castle. Since Lei has been to Wester, Odds-sensei said we should learn about the countries surrounding Kingdom."

"Chris..."

Chris was growing up a lot smarter than I thought she would. Her selfishness had hidden this part of her, but since when did she learn to look at things so carefully?

"It made me think a lot. Your future husband hasn't been decided yet, right Nee-sama?"

"Yes, not yet."

"Why me? Sometimes, I hear about the responsibilities of a royal and about the responsibilities of the Four Marquises at the castle. But Lei only takes them half-heartedly and said 『Bothh Lei and Chrish are wiwe exthrash, sho we can do whath we wanth.』" (Both Lei and Chris are like extras, so we can do what we want)

Chris chuckled.

"But, you know, I think that mother would use an extra child if they were useful to her." Chris's eyes as she spoke were the same lonely eyes she used to watch mother.

Chapter 165 - Being Friends is Fine (Felicia's POV

Chapter 165: Being Friends is Fine (Felicia's POV)

Translator: Blushy

Editor: Sam

I worried over how to talk to her.

"You know, as long as Kingdom accepts the marriage interview, then you have do it. But that doesn't mean that he has to be your husband."

"Really?

Chris tilted her head cutely.

"What kind of man do you want as your husband, Chris?"

"Someone like father!"

"Me too."

Father is a kind man. The Remingtons also trade agricultural produce domestically and internationally, so father is busy inspecting different locations and isn't in the mansion often, so I miss him.

"But what if he isn't like father?"

"Then, I don't want him."

"Right?"

Chris had a look that said, 'so you understand'. I have to talk to her about another difficult matter. I let out a big sigh.

Mother is cold to Chris. Or rather, she's not interested in her. Chris knows this, and she acts selfish because she wants mother to care about her. She thinks that mother would like her if she does what mother wants.

But it was pointless. Mother's interest will never turn towards Chris no matter what she does.

Why did she say such a cold thing?

I looked out the hazy greenhouse window.

Chris isn't the only one. Mother isn't interested in me either. I've been through what Chris has been through.

How hard have I tried to make mother satisfied and tell me that I'm a good girl? She's with me when she needs to be because I'm the heiress. But I really understood that she had no interest in children no matter how hard I tried when Chris was born.

I hated my sister for being born, thinking that the little baby would take away her little love, but I was shocked that mother didn't show any interest in the baby that was so cute, so I lost my hatred for her.

I was reassured that the adorable Chris wouldn't take away mother from me and was able to love her. But children want their parent's love. She wanted it and was brushed off, and I was surprised to find out that I was the same as her when I watched her struggle for love even though she wasn't a good girl like me. I felt my heart gradually grow colder when I realised that I wasn't loved.

Therefore, it was useless to try to be useful to mother.

She wouldn't give us love even if we're useful to her.

"But he came to meet me, right?" Chris's cheerful voice brought me back.

"That's right."

"Then, I might be able to become friends with him like I am with Nico and Lei."

"Not become your husband?"

"That's right."

I can't explain to her that she won't get mother's love anyway. If Chris thinks it's fine to be friends and not make him her husband, then that's fine.

"I see. You can just think of it as a friendship."

"Friendship?"

"It means having countries get along with each other and helping each other. Like Chris said, being friends is nice."

"Then, I'll see what I can do. I'll try not to get angry if they call me Chrish-san."

I chuckled when I recalled the first meeting between Chris and Lei. I suddenly remembered what the maid said the other day, "So Felicia-sama can laugh out loud too." Chris was having a great time, and I was also having fun because of her.

"I'm sure he's older than you?"

"Then I wonder if he will hold me like Gill and Luke do."

"Oh my, those two did that?"

"Because they hold Lei and Nico. So, I wanted to be held too," Chris said. That's not fair. I want to hold Chris too.

"Then, I want to as well. Chris, come to my lap."

"Is it okay?"

I lifted Chris up and put her on my lap.

"Up you go. Oh my, Chris. You're pretty heavy."

Chris felt heavy, maybe because I was small. Luke and Gill are younger than me, but I wonder if they feel fine when they hold Chris.

"Nee-sama, isn't that rude? Gill says I'm light as a feather."

"Oh my, he did?"

That person's light-heartedness is something I can't deal with. Still, I'm jealous that there's someone who can act carefreely like that. But I have to say this, "You know, Chris. Do you like Nee-sama?"

"I love you!"

"Is it because I'm useful to you?"

"No."

Chris looked up at me strangely.

"I just love you. And Lei, and Nico."

I hugged Chris tightly.

"Really? So, Chris. You don't have to be useful to anyone. I love it when you're happy and laughing not when you're trying to push yourself."

"Really? Then I don't need to study."

"You have to study."

The laughter of Chris and I echoed through the greenhouse. Perhaps it isn't good to think about it too much, but my mind eased a little since whatever happens will happen.

After a few days, the guest from Easter was invited to the Remington greenhouse for the marriage interview.

Chapter 166 - : Doubt

Chapter 166: Doubt

Both mother and father were here for the first time in a long time, and although the adults were nervously preparing things around the mansion, Chris seemed happy.

Chris is thought to be tomboyish and selfish, but her soft, milk-tea coloured hair and big eyes, with the same colour, give her a gentle impression if she kept her mouth shut. In order to keep her gentle aura intact, she was made to wear a light cream dress with dark brown layers and ornaments.

Chris was in a good mood since she was able to spend time with mother even though she was forced to try on different dresses.

Mother really has good taste in clothes. I happily squinted my eyes at Chris's adorable appearance as she clung onto mother and father.

Chris has the same hair colour as me, as she had also inherited mother's hair colour. She also inherited father's kind brown eyes, albeit, a bit lighter. When the three stood together, it looked as if she had inherited all of father's and mother's wonderful features, which looked really cute.

"The guest is nearly here," the butler said, and everyone moved outside to greet the guests. In Kingdom, the Four Marquises didn't have to bow to the King, but they needed to give courtesy to guests from other countries, and a member of Easter's royal family was coming.

It was a sudden decision, so pictures of the two haven't even been exchanged. Even so, mother had said, "It'll probably be fine if they meet as children." Where does her confidence come from when that comment is so baseless?

The candidates were a pair of siblings; one 10 and the other 15, and it didn't matter who we chose. However, common sense told me that the 10 year old would be Chris's partner.

"We don't have to decide on either one, right Okaa-sama?"

If she said, "Either one is fine," then it would sound like Chris had to choose between one of them. I confirmed this once again to let Chris hear that she didn't have to choose.

"Of course, Felicia. Even if it's a marriage interview, nothing can be done if the person in question doesn't feel the same way." Mother laughed weirdly. I was a little relieved.

"Yes, yes, Felicia, you look properly as well."

"I'm like an extra right now and considering that the other person is 15 years old, I think it's best to keep a low profile."

I inherited mother's looks and am apparently beautiful. To be precise, I look fleetingly like I'm fragile and need to be protected. It's impossible for the current head of the family to look fleetingly like that. Stupid. I snorted. Oh my, I wonder if I sounded like Lei. I sneaked a peek to the side to see if I had been caught doing so. It seemed like I hadn't.

However, I would stand out a lot if I dressed up. It doesn't matter if they're 10 or 15, their eyes would naturally be attracted to a 16 year old rather than a 5 year old girl. Chris is the star of the show this time. I'm going to stay in the shadows.

However, I couldn't disobey mother and was dressed up properly as always.

A few carriages lightly approached us straight away as we waited outside.

From the leading carriage, a boy hastily got off and then another boy rushed to stop him. Those boys are probably Chris's husband candidates.

"Hey, Harry. I told you that the chamberlain is supposed to get off first!"

"Sorry, Nii-sama. I wanted to quickly get out."

The boys seemed lively and both had loose, wavy, dark golden hair and green eyes. They had the same hair and eye colour as a typical noble in Kingdom.

"Ith'sh bashicawwy thhe shame." (It's basically the same) For a moment, I thought I heard Lei's voice and I chuckled to myself for behaving like an Onee-san.

The chamberlain was late to rush out of the carriage, and a person also got down from the carriage behind them.

I widened my eyes in surprise for a second.

Golden hair and eyes. The same as Kingdom's royal family. I heard that Easter's royal family had similar colours to Kingdom's royal family, but I didn't think it would be that similar.

But, something's different. I couldn't just stare at him rudely, I only saw it for a brief moment, but what was different? I asked myself. He's two years older than Prince Albert, and yet he looks calm and collected. If his hair and eyes were a different colour, then his slightly hanging eyes, thin lips and firm build would make him look more like a guard than a noble.

"Welcome to the Remington residence," mother's soft voice echoed.

"Thank you for your invitation. I am Bran Ladislas. This is my brother..."

"Harry Ladislas."

Normally, royalties should be introduced first, but this time he was only here under the guise of sight-seeing and chaperoning, so the Prince was introduced afterwards.

"I'm their chaperon, Silas Easter," his low voice was devoid of any emotion. Was he uninterested because he was forced to be a chaperon? Or is he good at hiding his emotions? I continued to look down as I waited to be introduced.

"It's been a while."

"Yes. Angelique-dono and Broad-dono, you two are the same."

I tried hard not to let out my surprise. I didn't understand everything about what kind of socialising adults do.

How did mother and father know the Easter Prince when they have never travelled out of the country?

Chapter 167 - It was Me (Felicia's POV

Chapter 167: It was Me (Felicia's POV

"Now, this is Felicia, my heiress."

I suppose I would be introduced first since that was the order, but I had a hazy feeling that Chris was the star of the day.

"Nice to meet you, Bran-dono, Harry-dono and Prince Silas. I am Felicia Remington," I greeted them in turn with a slight nod.

"And my other daughter, Christine."

"It's nice to meet you. I am Christina Remington," Chris greeted clearly. Wonderful. She couldn't even greet properly the other day. I was relieved to see that the children seemed like they were enjoying themselves instead of being nervous.

"Please come inside."

It's close to spring, but it was still winter. After the introductions were finished, they were invited to the parlour room. The boys, who were talking pleasantly about their trip, gave a good impression, but Chris soon got bored of listening and got fidgety. As discussed beforehand, it was decided that the children would interact with the other children.

"Do you want to stay inside or go outside?" Chris said as she bounced up happily.

"Outside."

"Harry. The air outside is still too cold for little children," Bran said, and Harry looked startled.

"It's okay. I always play outside. We can come back inside before it gets too cold," Chris said, and I smiled and got up.

"I'll come with, so I won't let her overdo it."

It's annoying to get into adult talk. I might have to do it someday, but I want to spend a little time with Chris right now.

"Then, me too," Prince Silas stood up.

"No, I'm enough. You don't have to worry about entertaining the children, please talk with father and mother," I refused, but His Highness bowed at father and mother and followed after me. You can follow after me, but I have to look after Chris, so I won't entertain you.

The guards also followed along, and Chris headed outside while keeping an eye on Bran and Harry.

"What would you like to do? A game of tag or tree-climbing? Of course, if you want to have a look at flowers, then we have a greenhouse."

The words 'flowers and greenhouse' made the brother, Bran, twitch, but his younger brother, Harry seemed more interested in 'tree-climbing'. She didn't even care that she had finally gotten dressed up, and I was dragged to where the tree was. The two climbed the tree with all their might. I knew that Chris could climb trees well, so I was able to watch her calmly.

Naturally, the three left on the ground were watching over the two young ones.

"Chris-dono seems to be very active."

"Yes, Bran-dono. She loves to move around, but she also studies hard. She's Prince Nicholas's study partner."

It's better if this marriage interview doesn't succeed. But, forgive me for unintentionally bragging about Chris.

"It's disappointing that Prince Nicholas is off on a trip."

"Yes. Prince Albert took him on a tour of the North to expand his horizons at a young age."

"I hear he's only three years old. Besides, since I'm already here, I would have liked to meet the next generation of Lisburn and Albans."

I'm certain those two are around Bran's age. Bran, who was just a year younger than me, didn't seem interested in me much. I felt relieved about that.

"Please bear with the Remington selfishness for a bit. I can show you the greenhouse later if you'd like."

"Bear with, you say?" Bran quickly looked at me. His cheeks flushed a little and he averted his gaze.

"Yes. If you don't mind. I'm interested in plants."

Cute. I wish Gill and Luke could see this. I thought of the two who were probably in the North right now. Are normal 15 year olds like this? Come to think of it, Harry is two years younger than Luke.

"I met Gilbert-dono, Luke-dono and his lovely sister in Wester."

"Your Highness! I didn't know that. In Wester?" Silas-sama, who had been as quiet as a shadow, suddenly remembered them when their names were brought up and said. Bran looked at Prince Silas in surprise.

"The three of them were there by chance when I went there for an errand."

"But, isn't Luke-samas's little sister still a baby?"

"She has just turned two. But she's a strange baby, who plays with Prince Nicholas and has accompanied him to the North."

Calling Lei strange was not a weird way to describe her. I turned to Prince Silas, feeling compelled to say a few words on behalf of Luke. But, wait...

It's true that the Four Marquises are famous. They had her debut the other day. However, word shouldn't have spread that she's Prince Nicholas's playmate. Much less the role she played or her accompanying him to the North. Why did he know so much?

"Felicia-dono. I have already paid my respects to the King of Kingdom," Prince Silas sensed my suspicion and implied that he had heard things from the King. So, does that mean he knows about Chris? But why doesn't Bran know? Is it because Silas is royalty?

"As expected of Angelique-dono's daughter. You look like a fragile beauty, but you're smart."

It seemed like he was complimenting me, but why do I feel offended? I don't think Prince Silas and I can be on the same page. After that, I focused on talking to Bran-sama, and limited my conversation with Prince Silas. Prince Silas looked at this in amusement with a smirk on his mouth, but I don't think it was rude.

I showed them around the greenhouse afterwards, then returned to mother and father when Chris and Harry got bored.

"Okaa-sama! It was fun!"

Chris, who had been bored without Nico and Lei, seemed to have fun for the first time in a long time, regardless of the marriage interview.

"That's good to hear. Let's have some tea and rest," Mother said and looked at me. What is it?

"Chris was very bright, and she thinks that both Harry-sama and Bran-sama are wonderful people," as the chaperone, I told her what I saw.

"I see. That's good. Then, Felicia..."

What about you? She seemed to say as she tilted her head. Me? I'm a chaperone. I...

I looked at Prince Silas in surprise. Prince Silas, who was talking to father, Harry and Bran, noticed my gaze straight away. He looked at me and smiled.

What a surprise. Is that perhaps his smile?

I felt somewhat irritated as I looked at mother and realised for the first time when I saw her hopeful eyes.

Me.

So, me?

Mother used Chris as a cover to get me to meet Prince Silas.

Chapter 168 - Those Golden Eyes (Otou-sama's POV)

Chapter 168: Those Golden Eyes (Otou-sama's POV)

Translator: Blushy

Editor: Sam

"Both Luke and Lei told me to be wary of the Third Prince, now then."

"Don't say that, Dean."

Stan shook his head beside me, but honestly, I couldn't make up my mind. If the Third Prince was the one who kidnapped Lei in Wester, then I can't judge him fairly if I see him as that person from the beginning.

That said, if he really was the person who had kidnapped Lei, then I want to expose his intentions and bring him to judgement. However, I can't speculate why he's the only person who wants to harm the Albans while the diplomacy between Easter and Kingdom has remained the same as it has since the past. I have no other evidence except for Lei's testimony and Luke's intuition. It was decided that I would have an audience with the Third Prince while I was still hazy on things.

"Well, to tell you the truth, you're not good at judging people. Even if you say you'll look at him with unclouded eyes, it can't be helped if you miss what you can't see," Stan said as if he was looking down on me. I can feel that he was saying I'm a troublesome guy.

"Isn't that a bit of an exaggeration? I'm rarely troubled socially or commercially." I don't think I'm a good judge of character, but I've never been troubled because of it either. I counterargued.

"If you were a good judge of character, then you wouldn't have gotten divorced in the first place."

It was slightly painful to be told that.

"And whether someone is good or bad, you aren't interested in them at all and don't even glance at them if they don't affect you or only affect you a little. You reap what you sow."

Stan is very stern today. But it's true that I'm not interested in others, so I obediently kept my mouth shut.

"Listen, Dean. You don't have to have any preconceived notions about the Third Prince. But be interested in him. I don't think we'll have many opportunities to talk to him, but it's important to take advantage of the few opportunities we have and try to read them as much as possible."

Being interested is a little difficult for me, but if the Third Prince is really the person who harmed Lei, then I will have to get to the bottom of it. I prepared myself and headed to the Remington House's party.

"Oh my, Dean, Stan and Julia, I'm glad you're here."

"Thank you for the invite, Broad, it's been a while."

Ange was as beautiful as ever and she greeted us happily. Even if a royal person came here, Kingdom hadn't personally invited them, so they didn't need to be officially welcomed at the castle. Therefore, the Remingtons hosted a party to welcome the Prince.

"I've been busy with work, you know. I'm glad you both look well, Dean and Stan, but I also wanted to see Luke and Gill."

Broad loves his daughters, but he didn't have any sons, so he cared about Luke and Gill. Just like how Julia, Stan's wife, cares about Lei. But he was devoted to his job, so he's not in the royal capital often, therefore it's been a long time since they've met.

"So, how'd it go?" Stan asked straightforwardly. Ange raised her eyebrows, but he wasn't asking her so Broad smiled wryly.

"I knew that it would be difficult to find her a fiancé because she's a tomboy, but while I was busy, she had grown up to be a considerate person. She had probably learnt a lot with His Highness Nicholas. Well, it seems like they're a great match, but it's still too early to tell. It's enough if we can get one of the candidates to be her fiancé."

Did they come all the way to Kingdom just to find out if they had chemistry? I wasn't really interested since I was focused on keeping Lei away, but this abrupt matchmaking has always made me slightly uncomfortable.

"Anyway, I would like to be introduced."

"That's rare, Dean. I thought you wouldn't be interested in him even if he's part of Easter's royal family. I even thought you wouldn't come like Molesey."

How uninterested in people does he think I am? And, Molesey didn't come after all?

"Royalty aside, Chris's potential partners are probably the same age as Luke, right? It wouldn't hurt to meet them once," I lied so that they wouldn't think that I wanted to meet the Third Prince.

I looked around the wide hall and saw that Remington's daughter, Felicia, was with a man with golden hair. Chris was bouncing at their feet. Her light milk tea coloured hair stood out more to me than gold. She was probably entertaining him instead of her parents who were greeting people as they came. She's a diligent child.

"You see, you've only just become interested in Felicia, and have no clue about what she's like," Stan whispered, and I couldn't argue back since it was true. Lei and Chris were friends, and because of that, I finally took interest in Felicia.

However, the person who I should be looking at is the Third Prince. Golden hair and a sturdy body which made him look more like a guard than a noble. And...

He must have sensed our arrival, since he turned towards us, and his golden eyes were the same as Kingdom's royals'.

"Oh, they're the same golden eyes as the royal family's just like the rumours say they are," Stan muttered reflexively. But the look in his eyes bothered me more. You can find golden eyes everywhere if you go to the castle.

He had turned those eyes towards us because he was curious, but I couldn't see any value in them before he turned. That's certainly because I've seen them somewhere before.

They're eyes that aren't interested in others. They're eyes that don't even care about themselves. They're eyes that always stare back at me in the mirror.

Me?

I looked down spontaneously and smiled wryly. I'm sure I've seen them somewhere before.

"Dean?"

"Huh, nothing. It's nothing."

Now, it's time to meet the Third Prince who Lei told me to be careful around even though she doesn't hate people.

Chapter 169 - Completely Black (Dean's POV)

Chapter 169: Completely Black (Dean's POV)

Translator: Blushy

Editor: Sam

Ange and Broad were still greeting guests, so Felicia will be introducing us to the visitors. Felicia is certainly reliable, but isn't this couple relying too much on her? No, is that what an heir to the Four Marquises should be like? Everyone is expected to fulfil their role as the head of the family from an early age.

"Felicia," Stan called out to Felicia since she hadn't noticed us.

"Oh my. Welcome. Stan-ojiisama. Dean-ojiisama."

"We came since we had unusual guests."

"I see," Felicia said while smiling, but her eyes weren't smiling. Is she nervous? Felicia and I didn't have the chance to call each other by name, but her relationship with Lei has led us to calling each other's names like this. Then, she introduced me to the young blond man next to her.

"This is Prince Silas Easter. These two are Stan Lisburn and Dean Albans."

"These two are part of the Four Marquises, right? Please call me Silas," the young man greeted in a quiet voice which made him seem like a very ordinary noble man. No, he seemed too ordinary. Most young people flinch when they hear the names of the Four Marquises or they may come forward because of their strong curiosity. However, the young man in front of me wasn't like that.

"You can call me Stan, Prince Silas."

"Call me Dean."

That was when our eyes met for the first time. The Prince's almond eyes were only slightly opened, and the corners of his mouth were slightly raised. It was like he had found something good. The Prince seemed to be checking my violet eyes just like how I had checked his golden eyes.

"Violet eyes. I haven't seen them in a while. Oh, sorry for suddenly being rude. I don't know if you've heard, but I met your son and daughter in Wester. Of course, I also met Stan-dono's son."

According to Luke and Lei, it hadn't been a pleasant meeting for either side, but why did he mention it in such a pleasant way? If I hadn't heard about what had happened beforehand, then I would have thought they had a nice encounter.

"Although my daughter is still young, I heard from my children that she did something rude to you. Thank you for tolerating her actions."

"No, it's fine. She didn't seem like she was in a very good mood. I was simply impressed by her strong will and energy."

The Third Prince replied to my polite apology with something that could be interpreted in any way. Then, he bent his left elbow as if he had remembered something and made a gesture that looked like he was grabbing something.

"I hope I can see them again. Next time, I would like to firmly, no, slowly talk to them."

"Luke is, if I do say so myself, a very mature boy. Maybe the next generation will be able to get along." Perhaps the Prince was referring to Lei. But I changed the conversation to Luke.

"Luke-dono. Yes, I've had the pleasure of meeting Felicia-dono, as well as Gilbert-dono and Lei-dono, I hope I can meet the Four Marquises again someday."

I knew it, he's talking about Lei this time.

I couldn't help but look away from the Prince and glanced at the other people at the party. Otherwise, I might say something unnecessary.

This man is black.

He's also different from bad people. We're talking, but it's like our responses are subtly passing each other, and we're not standing on the same ground when we're talking. It feels unpleasant.

In the midst of all this, I heard a voice that sounded like a dose of refreshment, "Silas-sama, what did it mean when he said that Lei was rude?"

"Chris! Don't interrupt in their conversation!" Felicia quickly stopped Chris from talking.

"She wasn't rude. I wonder if Lei-dono still walks around with her stuffed animal."

"You're talking about the Rug Dragon stuffed animal, right?! She doesn't always have it with her, but she walks around with it like it's important."

"I see. She hit my leg with that stuffed animal."

"Oh! I can't believe that Lei did something like that."

Chris looked up at the Prince in surprise.

"Silas-sama, is it because you did something bad to her?"

"That's..." It must have been surprising to be asked this since the Prince didn't know how to reply.

He didn't just do something bad to her, he kidnapped her in a rough way, I said sarcastically in my mind. And, this took my opinion of Chris up a notch.

Lei isn't the kind of girl who would hit someone for no reason just because she was in a bad mood. Chris knew this, so she is Lei's friend.

After that, I had a light conversation with Harry and Bran about our bright children, and a harmless conversation with the Third Prince. The party ended without a hitch.

"Do you think it ended peacefully, Dean?"

"That's..."

I was able to grasp the Third Prince, so it should have ended fine. No, even if the Prince wasn't someone who I should be wary about, at least Lei and Luke weren't in the royal capital right now, so I don't have to worry about them.

"It's not something that's fine as long as Luke and Lei are safe. If you thought that Chris's matchmaking wasn't important, then Dean, you really are..." Stan looked at me and sighed.

"It's Felicia."

"Felicia."

What is he on about?

"I knew it. I guess you were too focused on the Third Prince that you didn't notice how Felicia was acting. She's always a serious child, but she was really nervous today. She was probably trying to keep her distance from the Prince as much as possible and tried not to get close to him."

"I didn't notice."

I was astonished.

"Is it Ange or Broad? Who was the one who planned all this? Hey, Dean. This matchmaking is for Felicia and the Third Prince under the guise of finding Chris's fiancé."

"No way. Felicia is a heiress to the Four Marquises."

Stan ruffled his bangs with his right hand in irritation.

"That's right. That's why they couldn't get her out of Kingdom. What the heck are they thinking? Both Easter and the Remingtons."

And, what does that have to do with Lei? Apparently, it wasn't good enough that things ended peacefully.

Chapter 170 - Sneaking into the Matchmaking

Chapter 170: Sneaking into the Matchmaking

"Lei, you need to go over there a little more."

"They'ww cathch ush if I go over thhere." (They'll catch us if I go over there)

Nico and I sneaked around behind the plants as we bumped into each other.

"What are you doing, Lei-sama, and Your Highness?"

"Hansh, be quieth!"

"Yes, yes."

Hans quickly disappeared behind a tree. Nico's guards were quietly hiding behind the tree since the beginning, but our Hans is like this.

"Lei be quiet! The guards have arrived first. I'm sure uncle and his matchmaking partner will show up shortly after."

I think I was quieter than Hans, and if anything, Nico was louder than me, but I knew that it was better to be quiet, so I nodded silently.

The guards who came looked at us, then at the trees behind us, but I think we're well-hidden so we should be fine. I had a feeling that Hans was waving his hands, but when I turned back, he wasn't. Let me see.

Soon, the double-glass doors to the greenhouse opened wide, and Prince Albert came out while escorting a beautiful young lady.

The greenhouse led directly to the guestroom like at the Albans mansion, but even though this was the north, it was warm enough with no heating if there was sun. However, Nico and I both have our jackets on.

"Oh, uncle looks cool."

"Aberage."

Indeed, I've only seen the Prince in his travelling attire, and when we stayed at the nobles' mansions, he hadn't worn anything gaudy. So, I couldn't say that seeing him dress in a military uniform and having his hair sleeked back while looking like a noble wasn't cool.

But, as a young girl, what I should be looking at is how young women in Farland dressed. I stared at the young woman. Her blonde hair which was as dark as wheat ear, hung elegantly around her small and pale face, and it was tied up high behind her head. Her chest had good volume, and she wore a dark rose-coloured dress over a sheer, thin blouse. She was probably older than Felicia.

"Pwetty."

I sighed. I'll probably wear a dress one day too. And, maybe one day someone will escort me as well. Well, it's troublesome, so it'll be fine if such a day doesn't come. Me aside, the pretty Onee-san looked amazing.

However, come to think of it, I don't know what fashion the Onee-san's in Kingdom wear in the first place. I looked at my poncho. It was a larger version of the poncho I wore last year, but it had more room in the pockets, and was practical. But I can't tell what fashion they wear just from looking at baby clothes.

"There are plenty like her at the castle," Nico was a bit harsh. At least, Natalie and Nico's maid are pretty, and so is Julia-obasama and Ange-obasama. Ange-obasama had approached me because of nasty rumours, but I think her milk tea hair is very pretty.

The two people sat down, the maid made them tea and there were sweets on the table. And yet, they only talked while smiling, and occasionally sipped their tea; they didn't touch the sweets.

"The shweethsh ath Ojii-shama'sh pwace are yummy." (The sweets at Ojii-sama's place are yummy)

"What, are you hungry?"

"I'm noth hungry!"

It's not like I'm hungry. However, we escaped to this place before snack time, so I haven't had today's snack yet.

"Hmm. I do feel a little peckish."

Nico rubbed his belly. I had some sweets in my poncho pocket, but they weren't freshly made and nicely decorated. I looked sadly at the sweets on the table. I can't believe they're not eating them even though they were made just for them.

Wait. That snack at the end of the table... can I grab it if I reach up?

There were several large potted plants along the way.

"Nico, dat."

"That?"

"Thath pwathe if we jushth reach outh tho ith..." (That plate if we just reach out to it)

"Hmm." Nico put a hand on his chin and quietly observed the way to the table.

"First, we'll run to that potted plant. Then, we'll move to that plotted plant. Then, we just need to crouch down and go to the bottom of the table."

"We can craww for thhath." (We can crawl for that)

"That sounds like a good idea. But there is a problem."

"Whath probwem?"

I tilted my head.

"You can't run, can you?"

"I can! I awwaysh run!"

"Shh! You're being too loud."

I think the woman looked over here.

"Didn't you hear something?"

"Who knows? The greenhouse is warm, so it might have been a bird chirping?"

"Oh my, I want to see them."

"N-no, ah... They flew away."

Nice Prince Albert! The two went back to what they were talking about.

"Then we'll do it quickly and without hesitation. I'll go first and confirm it's safe before you go."

"Ai! I goth ith."

I raised my hand properly.

Nico stood up from behind the plants. He looked left and right before running to the first potted plant.

"Ah! Come to think of it, the glass design on that terrace is so exquisite that you don't see something like that in the royal capital."

"Really? I thought it was beautiful earlier. Is Your Highness also interested in architecture?"

The moment Nico signalled for me to come; the two adults looked at the building. Now!

I jumped out and started running.

"Ah, you're tottering."

"I'm noth thoththering!"

"Hans, Lei, shhh."

I huffed and quickly rushed over to Nico.

"Phew."

"You don't have to worry about everything Hans says."

Nico was angry.

"Ai. Sowwy."

"Alright. We'll go to the next potted plant while those two are looking over there. Now, give me your hand!"

"Ai!"

This time, we held hands while rushing over to the next potted plant. Alright, the two adults still haven't noticed us.

"We're almost there. Good, now let's lower our bodies."

"Ai!"

We quickly rustled our way to the bottom of the table.

"B-bug."

Ignore Hans, ignore him. We just have to get the sweets.

"Alright, then I'll reach for it since my arms are longer."

Nico extended his short arm.

"They're not as short as yours."

"Rude."

"Huh?"

"Whath'sh wrong?" I asked quietly from under the table.

"See, I just stretched my arm out and I got this."

In Nico's hand was a plate covered in napkins to keep the snacks from falling out.

"I can theww from thhe shmeww. They're definithewy shweethsh." (I can tell from the smell. They're definitely sweets)

"You can tell from the smell...?"

Of course, I would? It's normal. Next, grab the plate and get out of here!

Chapter 171 - The Reason Why I Don't Want to Go Back

Chapter 171: The Reason Why I Don't Want to Go Back

Translator: Blushy

Editor: Sam

Nico and I suppressed our urge to eat the snacks and looked above the table.

"Say, Prince Albert."

"W-what is it?"

"I think there was a plate here before."

"You're imagining things," His Highness declared.

"But the sweets that the Neville chefs made are excellent. I heard he sent his chefs to train in the royal capital to make his sick daughter happy."

That daughter must have been Okaa-sama.

"This greenhouse was also built for her because she was too sick to go outside. He wanted her to have fresh air, even if like this."

"So, it's designed so that she could go directly to the greenhouse from her room."

Otou-sama must have seen this and rebuilt our greenhouse replicating it. If I look closely, it looks just like our greenhouse.

"That lady has..."

"She passed away not long after she married Albans, one of the Four Marquises. I've met her before too, she was cheerful and showed no signs of being sick."

Prince Al, you've met Okaa-sama? That's nice. I wanted to meet her too. At that moment, Prince Al let out a slight cough.

"Since we're here, let's order more sweets. We've had nothing but tea for a while now, right?"

"I'm actually curious about the sweets."

The lady giggled. Aren't they getting along well?

"Why don't we take a look around the greenhouse while we wait for the sweets?"

"I'd love to."

We huddled against the table legs. The two slowly walked to the back of the greenhouse without looking at us.

"I thought we were going to get caught."

"Thath wash cwoshe." (That was close)

"Uncle and the lady probably won't be back for a while. Let's eat here."

"Ai!"

We stretched our legs and sat under the table, then Nico placed the plate on his legs and removed the napkin.

"Ith woowsh dewicioush!" (It looks delicious)

"The colours are pretty."

Who cares about the colour or shape? I feel bad for the person who made it if we don't eat it.

"Bon appethith." (Bon appetit)

"Let's eat."

Normally Nico would use a fork. He was good with a fork, but he learnt to be resourceful as he spent time with me.

In other words, he could eat with his hands even if he didn't have a fork.

"Lei, there's cream around your mouth."

"Ai."

I can wipe it with my sleeve, since I don't have a napkin.

"There's a napkin here, isn't there?"

"I can'th reach ith."

"I have no words for you, Lei."

Nico rubbed my face with the napkin even though I'd already wiped it away.

"It looks like His Highness and the lady will be back soon."

"But first, we need to put more sweets on the table."

I heard the maids' voices.

"Okay, let's hide before Uncle and the lady comes back."

"Ai!"

Nico gently placed the empty plate back on the table.

"It should be fine like this."

"I'm fuww now."

"Let's go!"

We went back to where we came from by hiding behind the potted plants.

"Phew, we got back safely."

Nico wiped the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve. I didn't sweat. Going there and coming back was a simple mission. Hans spoke to us in a quiet voice, "Lei-sama and Your Highness."

"Whath Hansh?"

"So, did you take a good look at Prince Albert's partner?"

Nico and I looked at each other. Oh yeah, we snuck out because Nico said he wanted to see Prince Al's partner. I'd forgotten all about it. I came out for another reason.

"Hmm. They're getting along and she doesn't look bad," Nico said seriously even though he had forgotten the reason why he'd come out.

"Well then, let's go back to the mansion since we've accomplished our goal."

"I don't mind. Lei?"

"I don'th wanth tho go bacw." (I don't want to go back)

I looked down.

"Oh my. You have it tough too, Lei-sama. You just have to put up with it for one more day. There are a lot of people coming to Farland too."

"Too many."

Apparently, there is a communication network in this world as well, and the information about the marriage interview partner for the Four Marquises coming to Kingdom's royal capital from Easter has also reached Farland. Incidentally, they didn't use a fast horse for communication, instead they used a fast dragon.

Rug dragons can run fast for a long period of time. I know that even if I don't want to.

Therefore, the information about people from Easter arriving at the royal capital was conveyed to Farland in no time at all. They were going to meet at the border, but since people from Easter were invited to the royal capital, they thought it would be fine if they go to Farland or another northern border. It wasn't just Prince Albert here, but also Nico, Gill, Nii-sama, so the noble children were quickly sent to Ojii-sama's house because they could meet the royal family and the Four Marquises.

Ojii-sama was greatly troubled.

But it seemed that the northern fief was like that.

"Large numbers of soldiers can come to the border as well when push comes to shove. I heard they haven't come here for a while, but as you can see, this mansion is pointlessly large, and it's only annoying to have more guests, but you still have to welcome them."

Ojii-sama patted his chest to tell Nii-sama and I not to worry. I'm sure he was annoyed.

Still, there were a lot of nobles who sent their young children to meet the royal family and the Four Marquises in Kingdom even though it was cold. There were a few children around Gill and Nii-sama's age, and a few children under six too.

For the record, I had just turned two even though I'm cute. Nico is three.

"I'm nearly four."

I don't have to answer in my head.

But can you have feelings for a two year old other than feelings towards a sister? The answer is no. Can you be friends with someone who is a different age to you even if you're unwilling to? The answer is this. However, that's only if the six-year-old is gentle and kind to the younger one.

I sighed softly. If you don't know how to make friends with someone younger than you, then don't.

"Wait! His Highness and the lady are getting to know each other better! You can't enter!" A panicked voice came from outside the entrance of the greenhouse along with the thudding sounds of a child's footsteps.

"Hansh!"

"Lei-sama, one more day. Please bear with it."

"No!"

I tried to get up and run away, but it was too late.

"I found you!" I was grabbed from behind.

Chapter 172 - Arrival

Chapter 172: Arrival

Translator: Blushy

Editor: Sam

Normally, at times like this I would properly say, "Leth go." But this six-year-old boy, Lawk, doesn't listen to what I say at all. Knowing that it was useless to say it to him, I let him catch me like I was dead fish.

"Prince Nico is here too! Let's get out of this stuffy place and play outside!"

"Lawk-dono. I don't mind playing outside. But you have to let go of Lei first. We have to take care of the young ones."

"Huh? Why?"

Don't ask why. I became more sluggish. Do children from Farland not understand words?

"Don't ask why. Isn't it sore for Lei?"

Lawk probably looked at the caught me when he heard Prince Nico say this, but all I can see is the hand around my stomach.

"Because this girl will run away straight away, right?"

"She runs away because she doesn't like it. And it's not this girl. You should call her Lei."

A three-year-old treating a six-year-old like this. I feel like Kingdom has a bright future.

"Tsk. Fine."

Thank god. I tottered over to Hans since Lawk let go of me. Hans picked me up so that I wouldn't be caught again. Honestly, my guard shouldn't be holding onto me because they had their hands full, but in this case, it was the only way to protect me from Lawk.

"Hmph. Annoying."

"Lei-sama, I can hear what you're thinking. Pretend to be a baby, pretend to be a baby."

"Hansh. Lei ish a baby."

"So you are."

That's not what you're supposed to say. The people around me don't do much because they think I'm having fun, so it's really tiring.

"Lei-sama, you only have smart people around you like Prince Nico. This is a life experience."

"Ith'sh noth an experience," I mumbled under Hans's chin.

"But you're getting what you deserve too. You were so into it because you were taught a fun game."

"Hmph."

I sighed and remembered our first meeting.

We went through a lot before we left Earl Coulter's mansion, and I had a lot of fun riding the Rug Dragon to Ojii-sama's mansion. Prince Albert became a little more honest and he seemed to enjoy playing and talking to Nico during breaks. Above all, I'm glad Nico looked like he was having fun.

Won't you miss having Nico taken away from you, you ask? I had Nii-sama, so I didn't mind at all. Nii-sama usually stayed in the dormitory, so I can only be with him on the weekends, but I made some reason to be with him and it was fun even if we weren't doing anything. I don't mind if we just sing and dance. Family is a good thing.

"Hmm, hmm, hmmm."

"What is this strange movement," Gill looked at me and mumbled, but isn't he being rude? I did my best to explain it to him.

"Fun feewing." (Fun feeling)

"Fun feeling."

"We're nearwy ath Ojii-syama's manshion." (We're nearly at Ojii-sama's mansion)

"Earl Neville's mansion?"

That was why I showed it with this fun dance. Gill crossed his arms and tilted his head.

"It's a lovely dance filled with Lei's feelings."

"Is there something wrong with your eyes?"

Compared to Nii-sama's smile, Gill was a failure. I looked at him with pity.

"Why are you looking at me like I'm the dumbest person around just because I don't understand your weird dance? I don't understand."

"Isn't it because you're not knowledgeable enough?"

"Why?"

It's fine as long as Nii-sama is smiling.

But, a fast dragon, instead of a fast horse, arrived from the mansion before we arrived at Ojii-sama's mansion. They delivered a message that stated that unexpected guests had arrived from Farland.

Honestly, I underestimated the situation. No one bothered me when I was in a noble's mansion last time, and the youngest was six-years-old. While Nii-sama and Gill were being sociable and everyone was interacting with each other, I thought I would get someone to show me something with Okaa-sama on it. I'm sure they have portraits of her here.

I got off the dragon and went into the carriage since I couldn't appear on a dragon at the mansion.

"Are dere picthures of Okaa-syama?" (Are there pictures of Okaa-sama)

"I think I saw several on display when I came here last time. Especially the picture you could see clearly from the staircase, we'll go look at it first."

"I woow forward tho ith." (I look forward to it)

What does Okaa-sama look like?

"It's a picture of her holding flowers and smiling. You really look like her even though her eyes and hair are a different colour."

Nii-sama squinted his eyes and looked off into the distance.

"Indeed. She looked very fleeting in that picture holding a bundle of early spring white-bellied cypress, but it's strange how she now looks naughty once you look at it after seeing Lei."

Come to think of it, didn't Gill also come to Ojii-sama's mansion last summer? But still, isn't that comment rude?

While we were talking about such things, the carriage eventually approached a mansion in the middle of the prairie. Looking closely, I could see four towers of some sort standing at equidistant intervals from the mansion. There seemed to be a town in front of those towers.

"Nii-syama, whath'sh thhath?"

"I'm surprised you can see them. They appear to be watchtowers. They were made to watch over the distance since it's impossible to build an enclosure on the prairie. Even now, people take turns to guard all directions."

That's cool. There was one wide street leading from the entrance of the town to the mansion. The road was neatly laid out like a grid. There were a lot of houses on both sides, and a lot of people too.

"This is the centre of town. It's not as lively as the royal capital, but it's still lively."

"It's because Farland is the transit point for trade."

Nii-sama and Gill went out of their way to explain this to help me understand.

"We're in a hurry right now, but there will be a parade to introduce us to the people while we're here. Aside from us, it's rare for the royal family to visit, even if it is unofficial."

Nico really has it tough, I thought as if it was someone else's problem.

We passed through town, and there was a front yard which looked like a courtyard. Ojii-sama's mansion was there.

"Big."

"It's not much different from ours, no it's bigger than ours."

"It was probably built to protect the fief on the northern border."

I'll probably learn about Kingdom's history when I get a little bigger. It seems like there's a lot of history to learn.

Then, Nii-sama got off the carriage and helped me down. People who lived in the mansion, and those who lived in Farland were there to greet us.

Chapter 173 - Oji-sama and Oba-sama

Chapter 173: Oji-sama and Oba-sama

Translator: Blushy

Editor: Sam

"This is annoying," Nii-sama whispered. Prince Albert had plans, but Nii-sama and the others shouldn't have any particular plans. Which meant that Nii-sama would be in charge of that group.

"There are two for Prince Albert, no, one of them is for Gill? There are probably two children that match the age of the Four Marquises and there are two for Prince Nico and Lei. As expected, are there no babies?"

"Eben Lei?"

I looked up at Nii-sama in surprise.

"The two of them might be for Prince Nico."

"An age difference of about ten years is common. See, when Lei turns 10, even a 12 year difference is fine."

"Gill. Don't be realistic."

Nii-sama looked at Gill in disgust since he had teased me.

"It's probably so they can say, 『I've met Lei-dono. I was small back then, but I still remember』."

"If you say that, then it's the same for you."

"That's bringing unnecessary trouble upon myself."

Gill shrugged. I heard from Nii-sama that Gill was already receiving a lot of proposals. He's probably used to having encounters like this. Incidentally, apparently Nii-sama hasn't had much of those yet.

The adults greeted each other while I was carelessly distracted by the group of young people.

I'm sure that's my Oba-sama (Aunt) and Oji-sama (Uncle) who had welcomed Ojii-sama home and then politely greeted Prince Al and Prince Nico. Oji-sama is older than Otou-sama, and he had brown hair and eyes like Ojii-sama. He looked stern, but his mouth showed that he had good humour. Oba-sama had bright blonde hair and blue eyes and looked like a calm person.

Oji-sama left the Farland group introductions to the mansion servants and came running at us while Oba-sama scolded him.

"Luke! Gill! You're here! And this is, oh." He crouched down and met my eyes as if he didn't have time to speak to Nii-sama and Gill.

"Claire. It's Claire. She really does look like her," he kept repeating Okaa-sama's name as his lips quivered.

I rarely heard about Okaa-sama in the Albans mansion. I heard that Otou-sama purposely put away Okaa-sama's things because he was afraid that I would get lonely, but it has been a long time since Otou-sama confessed this, but he still doesn't talk about her much, so in the end, I still don't know much about her.

That's why I was so excited to find out more about Okaa-sama this time. I could tell that they loved Okaa-sama a lot since Oba-sama, who had chased after Oji-sama, put a hand over her mouth and started crying. I have to appeal myself here.

I looked up properly and bent my knees a little bit just like I had done at my debut.

"My name ish Leiwa Awbansh. Pweashe caww me Lei." (My name is Leila Albans. Please call me Lei)

See, I said hello properly. I puffed out my chest in pride and snorted. Then, I was suddenly picked up and my vision immediately went higher.

"Leila, no, Lei. What a cute little girl you are. You look just like Claire did when she was younger," Oji-sama's voice was still a little shaky as he held me tightly and while trembling a little.

"You. I want to say hello to Claire's child too."

"This isn't fair," I could almost hear this coming from Oba-sama, who was next to us. Oji-sama hugged me tightly, then reluctantly put me down on the ground. Oba-sama couldn't crouch down because her dress was in the way, but she gave me a friendly look and reached out to me.

"I'm Grace Neville. Claire and I were close."

"Cwoshe withh Okaa-syama." (Close with Okaa-sama)

"That's right. Clever girl. You know that Claire is your Okaa-sama," she mumbled and gently placed me on her knee. I said what I wanted to say the most, "I wanth tho shee Okaa-syama's porthraith." (I want to see Okaa-sama's portrait)

"My, are there none at the Albans house?" Oba-sama said in surprise.

"Otou-sama hid them all away because he thought Lei would miss her too much if she knew what Okaa-sama looked like," Nii-sama told Oba-sama honestly.

"Honestly, that man. It was a mistake to let Claire meet him."

No, no, no. You're not supposed to say that in front of me, are you? But I couldn't deny this since Otou-sama wasn't good at connecting with people. I looked at Nii-sama since I was a bit troubled, and Nii-sama looked at me with a strange expression.

That's the kind of man Otou-sama is. That was the moment Nii-sama and I agreed with each other.

"Lei looks so much like Claire, but she also looks a lot like Luke. And Luke looks just like Dean. It's strange how blood works. The two families are connected through Lei and Luke," Oba-sama spoke in admiration while looking at Nii-sama and I.

"For now, there's a portrait of Claire by the stairs. We'll go look at it later."

"Ai!"

I'm looking forward to it.

"Luke and Gill! And Lei as well. Come over here." Is this not the time for relatives to interact with each other? We went to the Farland group since Prince Al had called for us. I'm a baby so I was going to spoil myself and let Oba-sama carry me there, but apparently, she couldn't. I was gently lowered to the ground.

I had no choice but to walk hand in hand with Nii-sama.

Just as Nii-sama had said, there were two young ladies who looked a little older than Felicia, two boys who looked a little older than Nii-sama and Gill and two boys aged six and seven years old. They were standing there without looking cold. As expected of those who grew up in Farland.

"It's cold, so stop tottering and come, ouch!" The smallest one honestly expressed his feelings and received a fist from a kid who was a little bigger than Nii-sama. Surprisingly, he might be studying martial arts. But first, let me speak for myself. I let go off Nii-sama's hand and crossed my arms while puffing out my chest.

"I'm noth thoththering!"

"You..."

"Ith'sh noth you. Ith'sh Lei."

I looked at the boy in anger. I can even introduce myself.

"What? Your arms aren't even folded, ouch."

He received another first, and the situation seemed questioning.

"Pfft."

Unusually, Nii-sama laughed a little. With that, Nii-sama and Gill stepped forward.

"Nice to meet you. Welcome to Kingdom. My name is Gilbert Lisburn. Please call me Gill." Gill started by introducing himself since he was older.

"I'm Luke Albans. And my little sister..."

Nii-sama looked at me gently then softly placed his hand on my back.

"My name ish Leiwa Awbansh."

How's that? I puffed my chest out more with pride.

"Aaah, Lei-sama. She's going to fall over."

Hans I won't, no matter how much I puff my chest out.

Chapter 174 - Okaa-sama

Chapter 174: Okaa-sama

Translator: Blushy

Editor: Sam

"I see. So, it's true that there's a Four Marquis girl who has survived Wester," the boy who had his hand on his chin and was looking at me in amusement wasn't the boy with the iron fist. Like Gill, his height alone was close to that of an adult's, but he looked fragile and still had a young face.

Nii-sama stepped out in front of me to protect me.

"Excuse me. I'm Lloyd Stingler. This is my brother, Jeff. Our fief borders Wester."

Nii-sama raised his eyebrows, I think. I can only see his back, but it seems like something he would do. I quietly poked my face out from behind Nii-sama.

"I see. So Farland received information that there was a Four Marquis girl in Lentforce."

I felt like the cold air got even colder.

"Hey, hey, we're just greeting each other. You don't have to take it so seriously."

"Haha," he laughed. I don't think he's the type of person Nii-sama doesn't like. Another pair of brothers came forward in a hurry, probably because they could read the mood. To be exact, the older brother came forward while dragging his little brother along with him.

"I'm Jasper Grayson. This is my brother, Lawk. Our fief is on the northern end of Farland, or the most northern part of this continent."

I pictured the map of the continent. If I recall correctly, the northern end was pointed and surrounded by the sea. So that means, "Lothsh of fish," the fish in the southern port town in Wester was delicious. I'm sure the fishes from their fief will be delicious too.

"That's right. Fishing is great in the northern fiefs. That's impressive. You've studied a lot."

Jasper-kun and his brother smiled admiringly. They have black hair and green eyes. Somehow, they look like they're Gill and Alistair's siblings.

"And this is Sienna Helford. She's the young lady of the fief that borders Neville. And this is..." Prince Al probably thought he should finish the introductions for now. He interrupted and introduced the two women on the side.

"Tessa Farland. She's the youngest princess of the Farland royal family."

I looked at the two of them, a little surprised. Even though his matchmaking partner was from Farland, I thought that she would be a noble, not royalty since we came here carefreely. Nii-sama and the others don't seem fazed at all.

The lady named Tessa had black hair like the Greyson brothers, and her eyes were a dark blue and looked black. It could be said that she resembled the Lisburns, but those were colours you didn't see often in Kingdom. Her dark hair and eyes highlighted her white skin and she looked beautiful. Her familiar dark hair and eyes made me feel nostalgic since they were colours, I saw a lot in my previous world.

"Haha! The calmness in your faces doesn't change even when you hear she's from the royal family. As expected of the Four Marquises!" But she sounded hearty when she opened her mouth and Nii-sama and Gill pulled back a little.

"And it's lovely to see that you're clearly surprised. Leila, was it?" Tessa looked at me while I was still hiding behind Nii-sama and smiled.

"I'm Leiwa Awbansh," I greeted her in a small voice. Why can I deal with a crass boy, but get shy because of a beautiful Onee-san?

"You're small, but you listen carefully. You don't hide your expression as well as your Nii-sama and the others. You're probably wondering why a member of the royal family came here, right?"

That's true, but I'm troubled when you ask me that. I put on a face that said I had no idea what to say.

"The Farland Princess is a chaperon," Prince Al explained in a tone that made it clear that she wasn't here for the matchmaking. Not just to me, but so that everyone could hear. Which meant that the silent woman was his partner. However, before I could get a good look at her, Oji-sama said, "Now, let's go inside the mansion since we've all met. You're cold, right?" so I couldn't get a good look at her since I went into the mansion. That's a shame.

When we entered the mansion, we went through a room that looked like the hall, but we quickly passed through it to an even bigger room. This seemed like the real hall. It was much bigger than the one at the Albans mansion.

"It was designed so that a lot of people can gather here in times of emergency," Oji-sama explained. What could that time be?

"The barrier around Kingdom has shaken in the past. When that happens, this is a safe place for those within the vicinity."

"We had fought with Farland in the past." I was secretly told the other reason afterwards.

We decided to go our separate ways for now in the hall since we had to clean up after our trip first, before the warm reception. I loved new places and new people, but I've anxiously wanted to see Okaa-sama's portrait since we entered the mansion and kept looking towards the stairs.

"Come on, why don't you go see Claire with me?"

"Ai!"

Ojii-sama took my hand and led me up the stairs. The walls up the stairs were filled with old and new family pictures and I didn't know when they were painted. Among them, housed a brightly coloured frame with Okaa-sama's picture on it and it could be seen whenever one went up to the second floor.

There was a young woman sitting on a chair among white flowers in the early spring when it was still cold and there were young green leaves visible among the withered grass. Her wavy, light brown hair was swaying in the wind, and in her hands, she was holding a bundle of the white flowers she picked from near her feet. She had a warm coat on, and she was also wrapped in several shawls. She didn't look fashionable or anything, and looked like a village girl, and yet, she was smiling with joy from being outside.

"I think she was a little over twenty here. She had gotten pretty healthy at that age, but she still fell ill during the cold season. She was finally able to go in spring, so this picture was painted when she went to the prairie out back."

Ojii-sama picked me up while I was looking up and brought me just a little closer to Okaa-sama.

"If you weep puththing thhoshe on me thhen I won'th be abwe tho move." (If you keep putting those on me then I won't be able to move)

I'm sure Okaa-sama would have pouted while saying that. The words that had spilt out of my mouth made Ojii-sama twitch.

"You won't keep still no matter how much we put on." I heard Oji-sama's voice from behind.

"I said to Claire who pouted as everyone came up to her and tried to put more shawls on her. Maybe we cared about her too much, but she was still like a child no matter how old she got."

"But she was hardly selfish. That's why we let her do whatever she wanted to do."

I understood that that was why they had let her go to where Otou-sama was.

"The shun, thhish famiwy and thhe fwowersh are aww warm. I'm shure Okaa-syama woved everyone." (The sun, this family, and the flowers are all warm. I'm sure Okaa-sama loved everyone)

"Lei..."

"Okaa-syama."

I reached out for Okaa-sama's portrait. I'm sure she would smile at me and reach out to me as well.

"Lei also woves Okaa-syama."

I'm glad I came to the northern fief.

Chapter 175 - Young Children

Chapter 175: Young Children

Translator: Blushy

Editor: Sam

There were other pictures of Okaa-sama, including when she was little, and I had fun looking at them with Nii-sama, but in the end, we went back to the picture on the stairs. I went to the stairs to look at her portrait whenever I had free time while I was at Ojii-sama's mansion, but it was a pity that I didn't have much free time to do so in the first place.

On the day we arrived, we had dinner then went to bed right away, but on the next day, we had to interact with the children from Farland since we were here.

Isn't it time for them to send a little girl here? If it's too hard to travel or deal with a boy's tantrums, then why would I, a two-year-old, have to accompany Nico even though I've travelled all the way here? I would like to ask this to the person in charge, but there wasn't anyone in charge, and the result was this makeshift treatment. I miss having Chris around.

"Since we're all here, there are a lot of things about the different fiefs that I'd like to talk about. Although Neville and Helford share a border, the climate and vegetation are almost identical. But how do you think the productivity changes with and without the barrier? I'd like to hear your honest opinions." We were thrown into a large room so that we can interact with each other in a less formal setting, and it was Lloyd who started the conversation. I'm certain he was, "The pershon near weshther."

He seemed mischievous yesterday, but he suddenly started talking about a serious topic today. When I looked at Nii-sama and Gill, they also seemed to exude a surprised aura. Of course, Nii-sama is Otou-sama's son. His feelings didn't show on his face in the slightest. I know since we get along.

"Why do you look so proud?"

"Noth you. Ith'sh Lei." I politely corrected Lawk's mistake when he spoke to me.

"You don't know my name either do you!?"

I looked at Lawk a little coldly. We introduced ourselves yesterday, didn't we?

"Laww. Jeff. Jashper. Lwoud." (Lawk. Jeff. Jasper. Lloyd) I called their names out in the order that I was looking at them and looked smug.

"And Lei ish Lei. And thhen Nico."

I made sure to say Nico's name so that he wouldn't be left out.

"Hmm. Lawk. Jeff. Jasper. Lloyd. You can call me Nico." Nico nodded coolly, then called out each of their names in confirmation and introduced himself like I had done. The other two youths had their mouths agape.

"Fuha, hahaha! The small Prince and lady are very smart. I think the little ones will do just fine under these circumstances. Jeff. Can I leave it to you?" Lloyd was the first to speak and he laughed in amusement, then he confirmed this with his brother, Jeff.

"I'm fine, Nii-sama," Jeff said then glanced at Lawk.

"I'm fine too. I can take care of the midgets."

I think we'll be the ones who will look after this Lawk. Lawk's brother, Jasper, looked a little uneasy.

"I don't mind. There are things that the older children want to talk to each other about. Lei and I will accompany these people."

Why did you include me without permission? Since Nico said it was alright, we had to hang out with the two younger ones. Well, whatever. I'll just watch over them quietly.

"Then, what should we do? Shall we study since it's before lunch?"

"What are you saying?" Lawk said, and his brother Jasper spun around with a tragic look on his face, but his fist didn't reach here. Nico didn't seem to mind, and the conversation proceeded as normal.

"We're finally away from home, so we're not going to study. Let's play!"

"That's good." Nico looked happy too. Jeff was quietly watching, or rather, he was keeping his mouth shut. Then, he gently crossed his arms.

"But you know what? What kind of games can we play that a baby can also play?"

What a nice child to think of a game where everyone can play. But I want to say this, "I'm not a baby."

"Board games might be a little difficult."

"I can pway."

"I know! How about hide-and-seek?!"

I thought Jeff was just being quiet, but he wasn't listening to us at all. Well, I always play hide-and-seek with Nico and Chris, so that's fine.

"Then Lei can join in too. But..."

"But?"

"Lei will fall asleep anywhere if we don't find her soon."

I won't sleep in the morning no matter how much I sleep. Rude.

"Well, I'll find that midget straight away, so it's fine."

"I hope you're right."

Nico looked at Lawk with pity.

"Then, I'll be it since I suggested the game. Is 20 seconds enough time?"

So, we played hide-and-seek. Isn't 20 seconds too short? It's not. I already assumed that we would be playing hide-and-seek from the moment we entered this room, so I've already memorised the placement of the furniture. Nico also did the same, so we ran to our hiding spots without complaining.

I can hide behind the couch, under the table, in the curtains or behind the guards and maids in this room. There are also gaps between the bookshelves.

But I chose to hide under the couch I was sitting on. I got off the couch when Jeff started counting, lied down on the ground and hid behind the carved leg. I barely made it.

"Huh!"

"... Pfft."

I can hear Natalie's inaudible shriek and Hans sigh, but it's okay. Even underneath the sofa was well-cleaned, as expected of an Earl's mansion. Everyone also seemed to be hiding somewhere, and I couldn't hear the sounds of footsteps anymore.

"19, 20. Once more..."

"Okay."

I replied in a small voice as if I didn't know where they were.

"The room isn't that big, so I'll find them soon."

Jeff-kun, who was counting by the door, was full of confidence.

"I guess I'll start with the curtains."

I knew his eyes would be attracted to that. I heard the rustling of the curtains.

"Not here. Which means..."

Jeff's feet passed in front of me. A moment later, I felt him flip the tablecloth up.

"Lawk, I found you!"

"Tsk. This room is too small."

There's always someone who will blame other people and things. But still, it's warm in here. It's nice and warm.

"Next, here! See."

"It's easy to find someone hiding behind a pair of legs, after all?"

Apparently, that person was hiding behind Nii-sama's and others' legs. Trees hide in forests. Babies hide behind adults. Hmm. Sleepy.

I don't remember anything after that, but the next thing I know, I was being dragged from under the couch.

"I told you, didn't I? She'll fall asleep if you don't find her soon."

"I washn'th shweeping." (I wasn't sleeping)

Nico wiped my mouth with a handkerchief while looking at me with pity as I rubbed my eyes. This is something a lady shouldn't do. I drooled?

"Alright! Let's play something that requires more moving around!"

We're still going? I reluctantly stood up.

Chapter 176 - And, So He Liked Us

Chapter 176: And, So He Liked Us

Translator: Blushy

Editor: SenjiQ

After playing hide-and-seek a lot, they got bored. Then, "Okay, let's play tag!" it turned out like this. Well, of course. But there was a problem.

The odds of winning at tag are proportional to the speed and nimbleness of one's feet. This means that the two and three year olds are at a disadvantage. So, I had a strategy meeting with Nico.

"Nico, weth'sh do thhath."

"That, huh." Nico groaned and crossed his arms. Even at the castle, there were times when we went against Chris, and even if we made Chris our ally, we had to go against Felicia, Nii-sama or Gill, or against other unfavourable conditions. Therefore, Nico and I plan and practice our strategy each time.

"The problem with that is that we can only do it once."

"We can'th win againshth big widsh in thag in thhe firshth pwace." (We can't win against big kids in tag in the first place)

"Especially not you Lei."

It's annoying how he made it sound as if I was slow.

I glanced at Lawk and Jeff. They were talking about something. By the way, Nii-sama and the others were looking at us with a smile while in deep conversation. It's good that they seem to be enjoying themselves.

"I think it's fine if we have fun even if we lose."

How upright is this three year old? But the reality is that it's not all about having fun. The world of little kids is tough. We have to make a big impact from the beginning.

"Ith'sh noth fun tho woshe aww thhe thime." (It's not fun to lose all the time)

We should still try even if we know that we're going to lose. It's important to be acknowledged.

"Jushth once. If we win jushth once thhen ith'ww be oursh." (Just once. If we win just once, then it'll be ours)

"Is that how it is?"

"Yesh."

"Then, let's do it."

We had to have special rules for tag to do this. We will definitely lose in an ordinary game of tag.

"Gib me wong wniththed woow." (Give me long knitted wool)

"Knitted wool?"

The maid looked at me curious when I asked for this, but she prepared it for me. Nico and I took that and laid the wool in the shape of a big gourd in a wide area. Everyone looked at us curiously. I had the feeling that Hans, Natalie, Nii-sama and Gill were smiling wryly. Nii-sama and Gill were probably remembering what had happened to them once.

"'It' will be outside of these lines, and the others will be in the gourd. If 'it' can touch the people inside the gourd then 'it' wins. If 'it' can't touch the people inside then 'it' loses," Nico explained.

"Alright, I'll probably catch the people inside this narrow space in no time!" Lawk, who was 'it', said lively.

"Then, we three will be inside. Alright, begin!" At the sound of Jeff's voice, Lawk ran around the gourd, but I moved in a straight line for the gourd's thickest part, where he wouldn't be able to reach me. I did get caught eventually, but the game lasted for a while and it was quite fun.

On the other hand, even if I become 'it', I can eventually catch them as they move if I wait at the narrow part of the gourd. It's a very child-friendly game of tag.

The time had finally come after we changed 'it' a few times. As expected, Lawk realised that he didn't have to run around and just wait at the gourd's narrowest point.

"Nico."

"Ready?"

"Ai!"

Operation time. Nico and I began to move inch by inch to the thinnest part of the gourd.

"Quickly!"

Lawk grinned, since he was convinced that he was going to win. Nico approached close to him and quickly shifted to the side. Lawk reached out and lost his balance a little.

I quickly got down on all four and crawled past him in a narrow space.

"B-bug."

Rude. You're always like this even though you've seen me done this many times. How are you a guard? Honestly, it's just that I still crawl faster than I run. I didn't practice crawling just for the sake of it.

"Ah, that's not fair!"

"There'sh no ruwe shaying I can'th craww." (There's no rule saying I can't crawl)

"Ah!"

Nico quickly moved to the thin place while Lawk was distracted by me. He won't be able to catch Nico now even if Nico just waits there.

Nico and I folded our arms and grinned at the gourd's thickest place. But we let our guard down and Lawk caught us from the other side. What a shame.

"You guys are good."

However, this made Lawk like us, and Jeff also liked us since we gave Lawk a run for his money. Thus, we had to come up with interesting games to play while we were in the mansion.

"If onwy I shthayed quieth from the shtharth..." (If only I stayed quiet from the start)

I regretted it but, "You're not very quiet in the first place, so what could you have done?"

"Tsk."

That's not true. I am. But it was the winter of my second year when I realised that I might be a little bit competitive.

Chapter 177 - Younger Brother, Younger Sister (Luke's POV)

Chapter 177: Younger Brother, Younger Sister (Luke's POV)

Translator: Blushy

Editor: SenjiQ

"Kingdom is an unknown country even to us. I thought it was a free country that had nothing to do with us. It's covered in a barrier and people don't have to worry about being attacked by Hollows at night. It's strange to see the next Prince of Kingdom playing with his brother."

We were talking about how the absence and presence of the barrier actually affected the lives of the people, but between talking, we were concerned about our younger siblings. We glanced over at the four who were playing together happily and then Lloyd mentioned that.

Lloyd is the eldest son of the feudal lord, Stingler, and their fief bordered Wester. Like how we attend the Academy, he said that he was living in the capital of Farland, away from his fief, to attend school.

"They suddenly asked us to go to Kingdom, and I quickly came forward before anyone could decide what to do and was sent here."

I could tell that Lloyd wasn't a good listener from how lively he is. From the looks of it, his younger brother looked like a calm person, but also seemed like someone who would take action first. Then what about the other brother and sister?

"It's true that parents wouldn't let their kids out if they aren't as lively as my brother. By the way, I'm my brother's monitor," Jasper Greyson said while smiling wryly. He's the son of the northern most feudal lord in Farland. His brother, Lawk, certainly wasn't considerate and kept the adults around him in suspense. But Lei is interacting with him and Prince Nico didn't seem to mind.

"Only active kids or older kids can deal with Lawk though."

Next to me, Gill looked at Jasper with an expression that was asking why he had brought Lawk along, but Jasper smiled wryly. Lawk hadn't caused any problems yet. Lawk looked like he was having fun even though the children were playing active games, and he didn't look like he was unhappy about anything.

"Kingdom has good successors. And, Luke's sister is amazing."

It was clear that Lei was in charge of the game even from a distance. Even though she was the slowest, she had advantages and wasn't losing at all. I was a little worried though when she crawled under the couch.

"I believe that she survived because she takes initiatives. But, that's not the only thing that's charming about her. Would you like to hear about her charms?" I addressed the two Farland men while smiling.

"N-no, I can see them just from looking at her. Well, she's really cute. And wild as well."

"Really? How about a story about her and the Rug Dragon?"

"Hahaha."

They refused in an indirect manner, but it was a shame to not tell them about how cute Lei is.

"The real person is here, so it's enough for me to see her."

"That too, I suppose."

Gill said nice things sometimes too. Lloyd and Jasper looked as if they were saved, so I left it at that for now.

Lei became Prince Nico's playmate as soon as she returned to Kingdom, and Chris also joined their group, so my worries rapidly decreased.

Although I'd cared for her, I didn't really understand Lei at the beginning of my 11th year, and when she returned at the end of my 11th year, I decided to just watch over her carefully. Every little thing she did kept me on my toes.

When Lei came back, I thought it was absurd to let her play with a violent three year old, even if he was royalty. But I had the opportunity to become their sensei, and I'm glad I got to see Lei and Prince Nico play with each other even if it was only for half a day, once a week.

Unlike I, who was tempted to meddle, Hans and Natalie felt uneasy, but they only watched as the two played, instead of butting in. Prince Nico was probably really energetic for a three year old. He's smart and fast, but I often felt danger when he was playing with Lei.

Nevertheless, Lei never gave up, never lost, and was always ready to make suggestions. She played with him as well as calmed and humoured him. She's weaker than him since she's still a baby, and she slept a lot, much to the annoyance of His Highness, but Prince Nico learnt how to take things easy.

The royal family and the Four Marquises are equals. Or so people say, but it's actually not like that. The Four Marquises are under the royal family. I didn't have any special attachments to the royal family or anything.

The citizens and nobles may envy the powerful royal family and Four Marquises. But they don't understand how it feels to be forced to do something you don't want to do, and I believe that the royal family and Four Marquises are equal to them only because they can sympathise with that. Nevertheless, the royal family and the Four Marquises feel the same about protecting the citizens of Kingdom.

I finally believed that I would protect Kingdom with Prince Nicholas only after I became close to him. Lei, Prince Nico, Chris and I will grow up together in the future.

Strangely enough, the Four Marquis children were divided and gathered around Lei. It wasn't just the Albans and Lisburns around her, but also the Molesey and Remingtons.

I couldn't help but smile when I saw the four younger ones playing happily, and then glanced next to me. Of course, my friendship with Gill is the best.

"What is it?"

"Nothin."

"Ah, I should have brought him with me," Gille mumbled a bit boringly.

"Him?"

"Alistair. Isn't it unfair that I'm the only one who doesn't have a younger brother or sister?"

"He's your uncle, isn't he?"

"But still. He's younger than me."

Alistair probably wouldn't like it, I thought.

"Nii-syama!"

Lei tottered, no, ran up to me and clung to my legs. She's not the kind of girl to disturb adults or older people. I guess she's tired. Prince Nico, who had followed Lei to keep an eye on her, naturally placed his hand on Gill's lap and leaned back to rest.

"Are you hungry?" I asked the two in a way that also asked if they were done with playing.

"Hungry."

"Hunwgry."

The two repeated while rubbing their stomachs.

"Oh, I think I'm hungry."

"Lei ishn'th."

"Really?" Prince Nico looked at Lei in doubt. He probably wanted to say that she's a glutton. It's odd how Lei gets stubborn sometimes for no reason. I'm sure she's hungry. I gave her another push.

"Then, do you want to play some more?"

"I'm hunwgry now."

It's cute how her willpower doesn't last long.

"Then, I'll ask them to prepare our meals," Gill said, and Lei laughed in relief. Lei, good job. It's fine for you to work this hard and be stubborn like that.

Chapter 178 - Separate

Chapter 178: Separate

Translator: Blushy

Editor: Sam and SenjiQ

So, Nico and I, who were liked by the group of little kids from day one, spent time with them whenever we had spare time.

Even so, the main purpose of this trip was Prince Albert's matchmaking. They thought that they should quickly have the matchmaking done from the first day, just like how the children's group suddenly played together on the first day, but it wasn't easy to have a date with just the two of them as we all met for dinner and went to the ranch to look at the Rug Dragons together for a few days.

Apparently, Prince Albert and Farland's royalty had a good relationship, and the lively Princess Tessa argued with Prince Albert as if she was his matchmaking partner.

On the other hand, his real matchmaking partner, Sienna, blended in with the group, and spent her time smiling without asserting herself. Maybe she didn't want to have an arranged marriage, or maybe she was just being considerate towards her own Princess.

Honestly, it was tiring playing with the boys, but I don't mind prolonging our stay. After all, Ojii-sama, Oji-sama and Oba-sama are here. It was also fun to see traces of Okaa-sama everywhere.

It was also interesting to observe the situation around Prince Al during our meals together. But I don't think Nico found it very interesting.

"Was Tessa-dono uncle's matchmaking partner?"

"No, ith'sh Siehna."

"Siehna? Ah, Sienna? But uncle is only speaking to Tessa-dono."

"Thath'sh becaushe..."

I wanted to say that it was probably because of politics or part of diplomacy, but it's hard to say it as a two year old. I put my mouth next to Nico's ear and whispered, "Lei and Nico wiww go home afther thhe mathchmawing ish over." (Lei and Nico will go home after the matchmaking is over)

Nico looked at me, startled.

"That's bad. No, it's not, but I don't want to go home too quickly."

"Then don'th worry abouth ith."

"You're right. They won't get started unless everyone separates."

It's a bit weird to say separate. Apparently, the person who was taking this matchmaking more seriously than anyone else, was Nico. I couldn't help but give him a pat on the head. He's a good boy.

"What is it?"

"Good boy."

"I'm almost four."

"Ai."

But you're still a child, I didn't say.

"Honesty that is hard to believe in a royal or a Four Marquis. I don't think we were like that when we were little."

"Really? Is there an environment where you can't be honest in Farland?"

At that time, the words that were said in the room made me feel that Prince Albert was indeed honest. It wasn't something that should be asked out loud. Sienna chuckled nearby while looking at us. In terms of age, both of them should be younger than Prince Al, but as expected, women were more mature.

"I would like to go to Neville-dono's Rug Dragon ranch again tomorrow. I'd like to hear more about the small Rug Dragons."

"Sure, that's fine. Lei has the Rug Dragon with the best personality, but since she's returned here with her, why don't you have a look at her?"

"Please."

If the Princess is going alone, does that mean that it's finally time for the matchmaking tomorrow?

"Finally? I'll have to check her out myself," Nico muttered to himself, but I don't think anyone heard him because his voice was so low.

We played outside that day until I was exhausted.

I had a bath earlier than usual and stuck to Nii-sama in our room while dozing off, then there was a knock on the door. There were guards at the door, probably because I was targeted a lot. The knock indicated that the guards had given this person permission to enter the room.

"Come in," Nii-sama looked at me for a brief second and gave the person permission to enter.

"Hmm. Sorry for visiting you at night."

"Nico?"

I was startled awake. Nico came in quietly with his guard. We played together a lot during the day, what did he want?

"Well, I'd like to have a private conversation with Lei."

Nii-sama looked at me, and I made an expression that said it was fine. Having said that, we only moved to a corner of the room.

We crouched down next to the wall with our backs turned towards everyone else.

"Whath'sh wrong?"

"Mm. Well, I heard that uncle will finally have his matchmaking tomorrow."

"Finawwy."

"Yes, finally."

If that's all, then well, it's a good thing, isn't it?

"Aren't you curious about what kind of person Sienna is?"

"Noth reawwy."

I think she's a calm person, but I wasn't curious about her.

"She might become my aunt!"

It doesn't matter to me even if you say that. It's not like she's becoming my aunt.

"So whath do you wanth tho do?"

I had to ask him frankly. I'm sleepy.

"Hmm. Let's go watch them."

We were talking to each other, but I suddenly felt like everyone in the room was listening to us. Nico didn't notice.

"Thwo, uh, thhe mathchmawing ish for thhe thwo of thhem onwy." (Two, uh, the matchmaking is for the two of them only)

Nico said something weird, so I also spoke weirdly from panic.

"You're an idiot, Lei."

"Hah?"

Can you believe that he called this super smart two year old an idiot?!

"Of course, we're going to do it secretly."

"Secrethwy."

My momentary rage instantly subsided. Sneaking around sounds pretty fun.

"We'll leave the Farland children alone tomorrow."

"Thath'sh importhanth."

"We'll watch the matchmaking in secret."

"Oway."

I grinned. His Highness also grinned.

"Your Highness and Lei..." If Hans was here, I'm sure he would say something rude like, "Your bad influence has rubbed off on him," but Nii-sama's surprise exclamation was nothing. Nico and I spun around.

"Luke?"

"Nii-syama?"

I'll be troubled if he becomes an accomplice.

Chapter 179 - Hepatica

Chapter 179: Hepatica

Translator: Blushy

Editor: Sam

The matchmaking was in the afternoon on the next day. Actually, we played until we were exhausted in the morning, and I had already finished my nap.

"Nii-syama, quicwwy." (Nii-sama, quickly)

"I know. Those children are a bit annoying for your Nii-sama too."

"Ith wash more annoying for Lei."

What is Nii-sama saying? What's the point of forcing a two year old to deal with children who are annoying even for a 12 year old?

Well, whatever. I held back my shock and asked Nii-sama for help. It wasn't something difficult even though I had asked Nii-sama for help. All he had to do was keep Lawk and Jeff from finding Nico and I.

In the meantime, Nico and I will sneak into the matchmaking place with our guards.

"It's alright. I asked their Nii-samas to help me today. Their Nii-samas should be keeping them in their rooms."

"Leiilla and Prinnccee Niicoo." I can hear Lawk's voice from across the hall.

"Nii-syama..."

"Tsk. They're useless."

"Nii-syama..."

I wonder if he can feel my dismay.

"Lei-sama, it's a time of crisis, so let's go back and take the long way around the stairs over there. Up you go."

Hans is a guard, so he doesn't carry me since he couldn't protect me if his hands were full. But with my graceful, leisure steps, Lawk might catch up to us. It can't be helped.

"Ai." I reached out to Hans and asked him to pick me up.

"Let's change plans. How about Hans holds Lawk back and I carry Lei to the greenhouse?"

"Nii-syama..."

No. A guard had no right to stop the actions of a foreign noble.

"Hansh weth'sh go."

"Okay, then Luke-sama..."

"Fine. I'll leave it to you."

And so, I secretly moved around.

I'll be meeting Nico in front of the greenhouse. We went out of the balcony in the room in the middle of the building instead of through the front door and went around to the greenhouse from the outside.

"Ith'sh cowd." (It's cold)

"Because it's winter, Lei-sama."

"The wind ish shthrong."

"Because we're outside, Lei-sama."

Hans and I chatted peacefully, then we arrived at the greenhouse.

"Phew, thhath wash rough."

"For me."

He just carried a cute baby, but he was acting like this.

"You've gotten pretty heavy."

"Peopwe caww thhath growing up."

It's rude to say it in a way that sounded as if I had gained weight. Doesn't this mean that I'm growing? However, Nico was already at the greenhouse waiting for me.

"Lei, aren't you late?"

"Thath's becaushe..."

Nico looked at me pitifully when I told him that Lawk had almost found me.

"Well, whatever. Let's go!"

"Go!"

This was how the matchmaking scout mission began and was completed.

◊♦◊♦◊♦◊ After the matchmaking (The matchmaking scout mission is in chapter 170-172) ◊♦◊♦◊♦◊

"If you were going to go see the matchmaking, then you should have told me too. Don't be secretive."

"Uoah."

"Anyway, just put Lei down."

Lawk held me as he walked quickly and he was quite strong for a six year old, so it wasn't very comfortable to be in his arms. Jeff didn't care and just whistled. Don't you have any desire to tell your friend off? Jeff looked calmed, but he probably didn't care about others around him.

Lawk finally put me down after being told to by Nico. Phew.

"Now then, let's go play."

"Oh."

Lawk and Jeff. They might be hopeless people when put together.

"Where are we doing?"

Nico's eyes were sparkling. He might be hopeless too. How about the boys just go off on their own?

"You know, Princess Tessa is going to see the Rug Dragons today. We'll go too."

"Let's go."

"Let's go."

"Noth going."

The last opinion was ignored.

"We'll have to take a carriage if we're going to the ranch or we won't make it there until the sun sets," Nico's guard, who was normally quiet, told us.

"It's fine. I want to drop off somewhere first," Lawk refused this selfishly.

We went to the back of the mansion instead of the ranch. The odd group of toddlers and guards were honestly moving slower because of me. However, neither Lawk nor Jeff told me to 'hurry up' or 'move quickly' when we played together for the past few days.

Jeff was whistling while walking leisurely, but he occasionally looked in my direction to check his pace, and Lawk and Nico were picking up branches and swinging them around, but they were always careful not to hit me.

Still, aren't we going to see the Rug Dragons? We walked quite a bit, then Lawk stopped. It was a fairly large hillside. There were also trees.

"We're here."

There were no Rug Dragons. But there was something else.

At the end of winter, and the faintest hint of spring, Lawk pointed to a field of pure white flowers.

"I heard they're called 'hepatica'," Nico told me since I couldn't speak.

"You're always napping. We found this when the three of us were playing together."

"Laww." (Lawk)

"This is the flower that your Okaa-sama was holding, right? It's not a painting. It's real."

"Jeff."

The three of them were smiling. They must have brought me here to show me these flowers.

I crouched down and plucked a hepatica. It faintly had the scent of spring soil.

Okaa-sama's favourite flower must be waiting for spring.

"Let's make a bundle like the one in your Okaa-sama's painting."

"No, ith'sh fine, I'ww jushth thawe thhish." (No, it's fine, I'll just take this)

They'll die if we pluck them.

"Laww, Jeff and Nico. Thanwsh."

"It's fine," they said before smiling.

"Well, there's more. Lei, stand up."

"Eh, un."

I stood up. Then, I heard a loud voice calling out to me from the direction of the mansion, but I didn't know what they were saying. When the guards turned towards the mansion, Lawk took my hand.

"There's a big hole on the ground over there. Let's go."

I think that's a place we definitely shouldn't go.

"Waith," I couldn't say. We fell when we got to the other side of the trees. Right down.

Chapter 180 - At the Place Where We Fell

Chapter 180: At the Place Where We Fell

Translator: Blushy

Editor: Sam

It was like I had suddenly lost my footing. Lawk and I fell down while still standing and holding hands.

I looked up stunned and could make out the faint hint of the sky even though it was dark. It seemed like we had fallen through a tiny gap in the ground. It may seem impossible, but in fact, people can easily fall through even the tiniest gap between the train and the platform.

I can't get up because my eyes are unaccustomed to the dark, but I don't seem injured either.

"There reawwy wash a howe," (There really was a hole) I mumbled and the hand that was holding mine twitched. He seemed to have come back to his senses because of what I had said. Lawk probably wasn't injured either since he wasn't crying. But the words that he said back to me was a surprise, "Not this one."

"Noth thhish one?"

What's not this one?

"This isn't the hole I wanted us to go to."

"Whath..."

"There's a hole in the hill up ahead. One that someone had dug up."

I see. So, no one might know about this hole and the ceiling might collapse because of people running.

"Laww yeww in a woud voice." (Lawk yell in a loud voice)

"In a loud voice?"

"Yeww for hewp." (Yell for help)

That's right. We were able to stay somewhat calm since the both of us were here, but we're in an emergency. Lawk looked up while stunned, like I had done earlier, and shouted into the hole.

"Heeey!"

I see. It was certainly easier to yell 'hey' rather than 'help'. I'll do that too.

"Heeey!"

"Heeey!"

We immediately felt the presence of people from above as we were both yelling and the first thing we saw was dirt falling.

"Uoah."

"Ahh."

We moved around on all fours and brushed the dirt off our heads.

"Lei-sama?" Then a familiar voice came from above my head.

"Hansh!"

"There you are! They're here! Wait! Don't run!" Hans's voice was as pleasant as always, but he had never sounded so relieved. Hans laid on his stomach and gently reached into the hole. Then, he carefully touched the walls. But dirt fell down from the places where he touched.

"Hansh, thhe dirth ish fawwing." (Hans, the dirt is falling)

"Lei-sama, you're okay. Stay calm. I'll definitely get you out."

"Ai."

"But how did you fall down from such a small hole?" He was probably speaking to himself. But I've seen people fall into gaps like this in my previous life. Surprisingly, people can fall from narrow holes, even more so when they're children.

Lawk stood up and did his best to reach out. However, we had fallen deeper than we had expected, so his hands didn't reach Hans, and the hole was only big enough to fit an adult's shoulder.

"Lei-sama, I'll have someone get me a rope, so please behave yourself down there."

"Ai."

It's a good idea to have them make a loop with the ropes and pull us up by the armpits. So, we'll just sit down and wait somewhere so the dirt doesn't fall until then.

"Laww shith down."

"Okay. Sorry, Lei."

"Ith'sh awrighth. They'ww geth ush outh righth away." (It's alright. They'll get us out right away)

My eyes grew accustomed to the light as we both huddled together, and the light shining through the hole gave me a vague idea of what was happening on the other side.

"It's a long way down isn't it?"

"Ith'sh wiwe a cave."

"Yeah. There's a hole like this on the hill and it leads all the way down."

It didn't look like a big hill.

"I heard there was a battle around here long ago, and they widened the original hole to make a maze so that they could hide. I was told that we weren't allowed to enter."

Of course. Caves and mazes were places that a six year old boy should never be allowed to enter. When I observed our surroundings, I felt that the wall was smooth at the end and a person's hands could pass through.

On the other hand, the walls in the area where we fell were soft and people couldn't put their hands through.

"Thath'sh where thhe howe wash made wather." (That's where the hole was made later)

I guessed. While I was observing, there was a lot of activity above us.

"I didn't expect you to come this way. I told you it was dangerous cause there were holes here, didn't I?"

"I, I thought you were talking about the holes over there."

It might have been Nico's guard who was angry. Hans didn't seem to know about this. I wish the guards shared information with each other.

"I'll bring the rope as quickly as I can, but it might be quicker to walk around to the hole in the hill. I'll bring some light with me too."

"It's connected to the other side?! If we can get there safely, then it might be safer for Lei-sama that way rather than trying to get her out with a rope."

"Well, we'll try both ways. I'll get more people to help."

Hans and the people from the mansion were talking above us. I'm sure Nico's guard must be flustered.

"Connected... from over there?" Lawk whispered next to me. I have a bad feeling about this.

"Laww."

"Let's go!"

"Aah!"

Lawk stood up and ran towards the passage that was vaguely visible from the hole.

I suppose I have to call Hans. However, Lawk said that this passage is a maze. Is the important thing to get myself out first or not to leave Lawk alone?

"We can'th sheperathe, Laww." (We can't separate, Lawk)

I also stood up and began to move towards Lawk. Briskly, of course.

Chapter 181 - In My Pocket Is...

Chapter 181: In My Pocket Is...

Translator: Blushy

Editor: Sam

"Laww!"

The light from the hole barely reached me a little further on and it was almost dark, and soon I came to a fork in the road. Which way did Lawk go?

He was on my right side since he was pulling my right hand with his left. Since he's right-handed, he might have just kept going right, I also called out to him, "Laww!"

"Lei!" His voice sounded more like it was coming from the left. However, it was unlikely that Lawk had gone left when he had ran straight ahead. Did the pathways curve or intersect?

"Laww shthay thhere." (Lawk stay there)

"Lei! It's so dark, I can't see anything!"

"Don'th move! Waith thhere."

At least we're both within hearing distance. If I make the wrong turn, I might still be able to find him as long as we talk to each other.

I proceeded to the right and began moving cautiously with my left hand on the wall to my left because he might have gone left in the fork road since his voice was coming from the left.

"Laww, Lei ish here."

"Lei!"

"Aai." I called out to him as easy-going as possible. My hands were almost pitch black and it was quite hard to move with a toddler's legs. I was panicking, but I tried to stay calm.

"Laww!"

"Lei."

"I've reached underground."

I had a feeling that the straight wall bent to the left, but I couldn't tell anymore. I moved forward one step at a time. I can hear a child's breathing. I'm almost there.

"Laww."

"Lei!"

My outstretched hand hit something warm and I grabbed it blindly.

"I found chu."

"Lei! It's dark. I couldn't move."

He must have been really scared. Lawk's breathing was heavy.

"Laww thouch thhe waww withh your bacw." (Lawk touch the wall with your back)

We both sat down gently with Lawk still clinging to me.

"Hah, hah, yes."

I slipped between Lawk's legs as he sat obediently and leaned against him. Lawk hugged me tightly. I was substituting for a stuffed animal, but he probably felt safer holding onto something.

"Laww if we waith a bith thhen hewp wiww come." (Lawk if we wait a bit then help will come)

"I thought that I could get out from the hole in the hill if I went this way."

"Ai."

However, even after hearing him say that, if he wasn't an impulsive child or one who thought about things a bit more then he would have waited there.

Lawk is impulsive, that's why things turned out like this. It's a bit dangerous when you're little, but sometimes, it's kids like this that allow people to progress massively.

I thought about this in Lawk's slightly shivering arms and sighed.

Like Lawk said, it would be nice if this connected to the hill. However, night was near. I wish I had a map of the hole, but some places in here will crumble since it has been a long time since they were made, like the place where we fell into. I have to brace myself for it to take some time for them to come rescue us.

What can I do? I pondered in the darkness and then widened my eyes.

This isn't Frontier. I have my reliable Ojii-sama at the mansion and my Oji-sama and Oba-sama. Nico's guard is as unreliable as ever, but I have Hans.

And I have Nii-sama and Gill.

What am I worried about?

"Lei."

"Ai."

"I'm hungry."

"Lei ish..."

I wasn't particularly hungry since I ate sweets to my heart's content before I was caught by Lawk. Rather, my bursting stomach felt a bit better after I exercised.

I'm sure Lawk ate a lot of snacks too, but he must be hungry no matter how much he eats after moving so much.

I rummaged in my pockets.

"Lei? What's wrong? You're squirming."

"Found ith."

Earlier, among the many snacks I had, I put a cake without cream into my poncho pocket. A biscuit would crumble in my pocket, so I selected something good that was solid and not too soft like a financier.

"Ai. Swheets."

I opened Lawk's palm and gently placed the financier in his hand. Lawk gently put the financier in his mouth. Crumbs were falling onto my head, but I put up with it since it couldn't be helped.

"Yummy."

"The shweethsh ath Ojii-syama'sh pwace are yummy." (The sweets at Ojii-sama's place are yummy)

"Yup."

"I hab candy thoo."

I took out candy from my other pocket. I always have candy with me. I was told not to eat it unless Natalie was around since it was still dangerous for me to have them on my own, but it's alright for Lawk to have them.

I took out a piece of candy, opened up Lawk's palm again and gently placed it in his palm.

"Eath ith shwowwy, awrighth?" (Eat it slowly, alright)

"Ok."

"Don'th bithe ith." (Don't bite it)

"Ok."

I could hear the sound of candy rolling in his mouth from the top of my head, so he should be alright. In the meantime, Lawk's breathing calmed down a lot.

They should be entering the hole soon. Then, we should start too.

Nii-sama, are you ready?

I muttered in a small voice, "Bawwier."

*DING* I still have a sufficient amount of magic power since I wasn't continuously maintaining the barrier. In other words, I'm going to be the radar from now on.

"W-what was that?" Lawk was startled. I didn't pay much attention to this, but he's still a noble even though he lives in Frontier. It looks like Lawk also has magic power. If so, I can't trick him.

"Four Marquish power. Ith'sh oway."

"The Four Marquis's power..."

"Nii-syama wiww fee with." (Nii-sama will feel it)

I made another barrier after a short while, then repeated it again.

*DING* He's here!

"Nii-syama nothiced!"

"Really?!"

"Ai."

All we have to do is wait for him to come. In the meanwhile, I'll listen to Lawk's story.

"Laww, theww me abouth thhe fwowersh in thhe northh?" (Lawk, tell me about the flowers in the north)

"The north? Oh yeah. You like hepatica, don't you Lei? My favourite northern flower is Mouse-ear Blossoms."

"Moushe-ear Bwoshshomsh?"

"Mouse-ear Blossoms. Two of the petals are big and look like mouse ears, so Mouse-ear."

"Moushe. Ear. Cuthe."

I couldn't help but smile.

"It's pink. The hills near the northern seas are pink with Mouse-ear Blossoms in spring."

"I wanth tho shee ith."

"You can visit whenever you want. You can visit before you turn into an adult, right?"

"Yup."

*DING* I activated the barrier while talking. Waves were transmitted back to me as if answering to my barrier. When we nearly stopped talking, a wave came from Nii-sama first.

"Cwoshe, Laww." (They're close, Lawk)

"What is it Lei?"

"Ith'sh your thurn. Yeww, yeww woudwy." (It's your turn. Yell, yell loudly)

There was no answer, but I felt like there were people here.

"Heyy!"

"Heyy!"

Lawk's arms which had been lightly touching onto me, tightened and wrapped around me.

"Lei! There was a reply!"

"Yeww!"

"Heey!" Lawk's voice grew louder and the reply also got louder. I was relieved when I eventually saw light at the end of the passage. I also activated the barrier one last time.

*DING, DING* Every person who had magic in the northern fief must have fief something swell up and disappear that evening.

Chapter 182 - Lei-sama Has Disappeared (Han's POV)

Chapter 182: Lei-sama Has Disappeared (Han's POV)

Translator: Blushy

Editor: Sam

"Heey, don't go that way!"

"What is it?"

A voice from the mansion made me look away from Lei-sama for a second.

"Oh, there are holes on the hill over there. I won't let them go up the hill, so it's fine." Prince Nico's guard shrugged as if to reassure me. I was annoyed since they had caused many situations that were worrying, but I held back.

I had my breaks when Lei-sama napped and stayed in her room. I took turns guarding her with another guard at night. So, I knew that Prince Nico and the other naughty boys were doing something, but I didn't know what they were doing.

Therefore, I didn't really want them to take her to the back of the mansion, but the other guards knew what they were doing, so I held back. Well, I was also impressed that they had some good points since they didn't bring her here for mischief, but to show her a flower garden.

However, it's a different story if there's a dangerous place nearby.

"You won't let them go up the hill? You guys should be a little more aware of what can happen when Lei-sama and Prince Nico are together," I advised them frankly. Then, when I turned back to where Lei-sama was, she wasn't there.

Prince Nico is there. Jeff is there. Lei-sama and Lawk aren't there, and His Highness and Jeff both looked stunned.

"Your Highness and Jeff-sama. I don't see Lei-sama."

"She fell down."

"Hah? Fell down?!"

"Straight down. All of a sudden."

Jeff started to move as well at the sound of Prince Nico's voice.

"They slipped straight down. The both of them." His words were incoherent, probably because he was panicking. Then, I faintly heard Lawk's voice, "Heey."

"Hey? They're down there!?"

I grasped various information with that realisation.

"There's a hole down there!? They fell down there!? Don't move, Prince Nico and Jeff-sama."

I left the two who were nodding frantically, dropped to my knee and lowered my gaze. There was a hole in the ground just two meters away from Prince Nico.

"Heyy!"

"Over there!? Heey!" I replied and carefully walked towards the hole. There it is!

I gently peeked into the hole. I was being careful, but dirt might have fallen down.

"Heey!"

"Heyy!"

"Lei-sama?"

I heard Lei-sama's voice. I could faintly see white skin and golden hair in the light that was shining through the hole. It seemed like she was safe somehow, and I felt relieved and relaxed.

"So, they're there?!"

"Wait! Don't run!"

What are you going to do if it collapses!? Are you an idiot?!

"Hansh, thhe dirth ish fawwing." (Hans, the dirt is falling) I heard Lei-sama's soft voice.

"Lei-sama, you're okay. Stay calm. I'll definitely get you out."

"Ai."

Such a calm reaction to this disaster. My Ojou-sama is amazing.

Adults can't get into this narrow hole. The only way to get them out is to lower a looped rope, get them to wrap it around them and then pull them up. Just as I thought that, the person, who had probably called out from the mansion before, came running over.

"I didn't expect you to come this way. I told you it was dangerous cause there were holes here, didn't I?"

"I, I thought you were talking about the holes over there."

Prince Nico's guards and Jeff and Lawk's attendants were being yelled at. I wish they shared this information with me from the beginning.

"I'll bring the rope as quickly as I can, but it might be quicker to walk around to the hole in the hill. I'll bring some light with me too."

"It's connected to the other side?! If we can get there safely, then it might be safer for Lei-sama that way rather than trying to get her out with a rope."

"Well, we'll try both ways. I'll get more people to help."

"Please ask Luke-sama and Gill-sama to come here as well."

The person from the mansion looked hesitant.

"It's scarier if you don't tell them. And Prince Nico and Jeff-sama, please go back."

"No."

"Your Highness."

"I feel like I know where Lei is. I'm sure I'll be helpful if I stay here."

I am weak against Lei-sama, so I'm weak against Prince Nico too. I looked at his guards.

"Don't let them come over here please."

"O-okay."

Rather, shouldn't you guys not hesitate to bring him back?! I resisted the urge to yell at them.

Soon after that, Luke-sama and Gill-sama arrived, followed by Earl Neville, who was holding maps of the cave, and the mansion people who had various rescue tools.

I was about to call out to Lei-sama to reassure her when, "Hans, wait."

"Wait."

Luke-sama and Prince Nico stopped me.

"They're moving."

"Towards the hill."

"What did you say!?"

I didn't ask them how they knew. I carefully looked into the hole, and sure enough, I didn't see anyone inside.

"What on earth is going on?"

"It's probably Lawk."

"Jeff-sama?"

Prince Nico and I looked at Jeff when he was about to say something.

"I think he heard you talk about how it connects to the hole in the hill. He acts without thinking, so I'm sure he left when he heard that."

"He acted on his own. Did Lei-sama choose to follow after him?"

I won't contemplate that it would have been better for Lei-sama to stay there by herself. But it really is worrying.

"Alright, let's go around to the hill. It shouldn't be that troublesome of a passage, but it's been neglected for a long time so it may be on the verge of collapse. Let's split into two teams and search for now," Earl Neville's voice was reliable and sounded a little relieved.

Then, I felt something faint, and soon something else passed. What was that?

"It's here."

"It is."

"Lei?"

Luke-sama and Gill-sama's voices. Prince Nico was also holding his chest.

"This way."

Luke-sama said, and the three moved. They moved towards the hill while avoiding the hole. Something passed by. Something was returned.

"Here. Lei is under here."

At Luke-sama's voice, Earl Neville didn't hesitate to confirm the location on his map.

"It seems like they're in the middle of the third tunnel. They're near the fork, but it's well reinforced." He sounded a little relieved.

"Ojii-sama. I'll also go into the tunnels."

"But you know. What would Dean say if he were here?"

"Otou-sama would only argue with me about who would go first."

Earl Neville looked like he agreed with Luke-sama and I made the same expression as him.

"I'll stay here where Lei is."

"Then, I'll try to stay between Lei and Luke."

I'm really glad that the three split up as if they realised something.

Luke-sama proceeded to the tunnels without hesitation, and I was really relieved when we found Lei-sama and Lawk sitting quietly in the dark without crying.

Lei-sama reached out to Luke-sama under the light and gave him a hug, then she got him to put her down and reached for me this time. I picked her, then she wrapped her arms around my neck and said, "Hansh, I wnew you wouwd find me." (Hans, I knew you would find me."

"Lei-sama. Of course."

I couldn't form the words, "I'm glad you're safe," or "I'm glad we found you." Come to think of it, this might be the first time Lei-sama has praised me without reserve. Even at a time like this, my smart Lei-sama understands that being held by me instead of Luke-sama is the fastest way to get home.

I declare that my Lei-sama is the best in the world.

Chapter 183 - Everyone Gets Scolded

Chapter 183: Everyone Gets Scolded

Translator: Blushy

Editor: Sam

I didn't do much. I just fell directly underneath and walked just a few meters away.

You were rustling around the greenhouse before? I have no memory of this.

It was almost dark when help arrived, so I was quickly taken back to the mansion, bathed, fed in my room and tucked in bed by Nii-sama.

"Whath abouth Laww?"

"He seems to be okay."

"And Nico and Jeff?"

"They didn't fall, you know."

That was the last thing I remember of that day. When I got up the next day, I was surprised that my body was sore everywhere.

The impact of the fall must have been great, and honestly, it was mentally draining to be in the dark.

I'm proud of myself for keeping calm despite the circumstances.

"What's wrong? You'll tumble over if you puff your chest out too much."

I wasn't puffing my chest out. I was just complimenting myself for what I did yesterday.

"Yeshtherday wash thiring." (Yesterday was tiring)

"You did your best didn't you, Lei?" Nii-sama sat down beside me on the bed. It was very like him to say something that had a hidden meaning behind it.

"The chiwd feww." (The child fell)

"I didn't fall, and I haven't heard many stories about children falling. You should be angrier, Lei."

I didn't know there was a hole there and I didn't care because I was saved, so I was already preoccupied with breakfast.

"I wonder whath'sh for breawfashth thoday." (I wonder what's for breakfast today.)

Why did he suddenly hug me then? Well, it's fine since it's fun.

A concerned Gill came to our room to check on me and the three of us had breakfast together. Speaking of which, how did the matchmaking go?

"How wash Prince Aw'sh mathchmawing?" (How was Prince Al's matchmaking)

"Hmm, well."

"We were all preoccupied with something else."

Nii-sama and Gill looked at each other and smiled wryly.

"On the contrary, I think it went rather well for Prince Albert though," Gill said a little mysteriously.

"After all, no matter which of the three Frontier countries he chooses a wife from, there will always be conflict somewhere."

"Weshther didn'th sheth a mathch for him." (Wester didn't set a match for him)

A group from Easter might be in the royal capital right now, but Wester hasn't said a thing. Well, they did approach Nii-sama and Gill when we were in Sebel, Wester's royal capital.

"If His Highness were to marry someone from Farland, then it would be disastrous afterwards. With me, they'll probably try to introduce someone to me through Alistair." Gill looked off into the distance. I looked at Gill asking him about Nii-sama's case.

"I wonder if that stupid Wester will go that far?"

"They would. Probably without any ill will."

"Ah, you're right."

Nii-sama and Gill arrived at Sebel before me and a lot of things seemed to have happened during that time, so something probably happened to them then too. The two of them agree with each other.

"I wonder if Awishthair ish weww." (I wonder if Alistair is well)

"He's probably fine. Don't worry, he's got his four guardians looking after him."

"Ai."

I have a feeling that he'll come visit us this summer once he's gotten used to his studies.

"I'ww grow bigger by shummer." (I'll grow bigger by summer)

I pictured myself being slim and well-proportioned. Then, "Lei, you've gotten big."

"You've gotten faster."

They told me. How is it?

"You won't be that much different by summer, will you?"

"She probably won't."

It seems that reality is like this. Well, the three-year-old Nico wasn't slender and well-proportioned, so of course a two-year-old wouldn't be either.

"Lei's question was about the matchmaking, wasn't it," Nii-sama brought the topic back.

"The matchmaking itself went well, or rather it went well for the Farland group. It's not just about the matchmaking, but also practical matters such as exchange of grains and magic stones, which often progress further if people meet and talk."

"A lot of things that needed to be done were settled, and the last thing that needed to be done was the matchmaking. Well, I heard they made a good impression on each other, but they're lacking a deciding factor."

I can kind of imagine. If they had been from the same country, then an arranged marriage would be successfully set up if they could talk peacefully. But, if she's not the kind of person that Prince Albert wants to be his wife, then there will be no further discussion on this.

"In the end, Farland couldn't manage their children because of their greed, and that's why yesterday's incident happened."

"Thath'sh..."

It certainly felt like Farland was hoping that things would work out if their children met with us, so we had a hard time dealing with the children. I don't have a very good impression of Farland.

However, having said that, my impression of Wester isn't a good one either. Huu and I got along in the end, but his attitude and that of his country's wasn't very good.

Easter is out of the question as far as the Third Prince is concerned.

And, even my impression of Kingdom, where I live, isn't a good one.

Oh, aren't I being harsh? Nii-sama talked to me yesterday when I was thinking about something else.

"Lei, you went to sleep early yesterday, and that's fine since you're both the victim and you also helped out a lot, but it was tough on the rest of us."

"Did you geth shcowded?" (Did you get scolded)

"Yes. Prince Al also lectured Prince Nico at length about his lack of awareness as an heir."

But I don't think Nico actually did anything bad.

"Not to mention Lawk. Jeff didn't try to stop him either. Of course, Jasper and Lloyd also got scolded for their lack of control over their brothers. And most of all, the guards." Nii-sama's face became stern.

"Whath abouth Hansh? Hansh didth whath he had tho do." (What about Hans? Hans did what he had to do)

"Hans also took his eyes off you for a second. That's why Hans also got scolded a bit by Ojii-sama and Oji-sama."

"Ai."

I didn't mind complaining about Hans myself, but I hated the thought of others scolding him for some reason.

"And most importantly..."

Nii-sama chuckled, and Gill's expression said, "Here we go."

"The royal family's guards also got scolded. Of course, I'm sure Prince Albert would have reprimanded them later, but they were lectured by Hans."

"Hansh didth?"

"You might not know this Lei. Hans used to be the captain of the Special Forces, like Graces."

"Whath!?"

I didn't think he was such an amazing person.

"I heard he's been out of the royal capital many times. He always goes on and on about what guards should be like. It seems he's been putting up with the other guards on this journey..."

A lot of things did happen.

"So, the matchmaking has ended, and we were able to crush Farland's momentum since they had gotten the Four Marquis involved in something outrageous, and well, things turned out great."

"Nii-syama..."

That means that we will be back at the royal capital already even though we've only been here for a few days. I'm a bit disappointed.

Chapter 184 - Finale

Chapter 184: Finale

Translator: Blushy

Editor: Sam

We wanted to peacefully say farewell to the matchmaking, but it turned out to be a big deal in the end, but apparently, Kingdom doesn't intend to use this as diplomatic blackmail.

It was better to keep interacting with them through trade rather than making them owe Kingdom a small debt of gratitude.

Therefore, this meeting was accepted to give Farland face since they had come here to offer a match. We interacted with them. There were a few mishaps, but nothing serious.

Unfortunately, the matchmaking didn't work out, but it was concluded that Farland and Kingdom will continue to get along well with each other.

However, while it's nice for me to say that a small incident had happened, it made me angry that the adults said that it was nothing serious. But my anger was towards the adults.

"Lei, I'm really sorry."

"It's also because I wasn't looking carefully."

Lawk and Jeff hung their heads down. Lawk and Jeff must have been scolded pretty harshly for them to look this withered since Lawk never listened to people and Jeff listened, although it went in one ear and out the other.

"We didn't supervise them enough."

"We're really sorry."

I also got apologies from the two Nii-samas. However, these Nii-samas are still children.

"Ith'sh awrighth."

I smiled.

"Jeww, Laww, and Nico. Thanwsh a woth for thhe fwowersh." (Jeff, Lawk and Nico. Thanks a lot for the flowers)

They shouldn't forget why they went to the back of the mansion because of the incident, because I was really happy to see the flower garden.

"Lei!"

"Ith hurthsh."

Stop hugging me so tightly. Nii-sama and Gill pulled Jeff and Lawk away from me. Nii-sama, your smile is scary.

"Leila, I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry that I was so focused on myself that I didn't see what was going on around me."

The two Ojou-sans from Farland, who were apologising, aren't adults yet either. One of them also shared her snacks with us during the matchmaking. There's no way Prince Al is considerate enough to put a napkin on top of the plate of snacks.

However, Princess Tessa, who is a member of the royal family, should be a little more level-headed.

I looked sternly at the Farland attendants who were standing behind the apologising children. Princess Tessa was here, so were her guards. They might have been involved in negotiating since they didn't stand out. However, the children of the Four Marquises, a.k.a us, were left entirely to their children to deal with.

And, they wanted the children to take responsibility for their own actions to the very end.

I looked stern and stepped forward quite a bit.

"Hey, what's wrong?"

"Laww, move outh of thhe way."

Lawk looked confused while gazing behind me, then he moved out of the way. Nii-sama probably did something. The other children also moved aside. Now only the adults from Farland were in front of me.

And they looked at me with dumb expressions on their faces.

I crossed my arms. Hans could read the mood right now and he didn't say something like, "You're not crossing your arms." I was practically crossing them.

I looked at each and every one of them properly. From one end to the other, I gazed at them slowly.

"Lei wash widnapped when shhe wash shmaww." (Lei was kidnapped when she was small)

The adults from Farland looked at me as if they were wondering what I was saying all of a sudden. Even now, some of them were holding back their laughter because I was small.

"Lei remembersh who widnapped her. And now..." (Lei remembers who kidnapped her. And now...)

I looked at each of them again from one end to the other.

"I'ww remember you Farwand peopwe." (I'll remember you Farland people.)

The adults started chatting for a moment, and then quietened down. Those who don't know what had happened, won't know what I was talking about. Those who suddenly twitched and looked serious may still have room for improvement.

"Chiwdren do thhingsh thhey're noth shupposhed tho do. Aduwthsh are thhe ones who are shupposhed tho prothecth thhem from doing thhoshe thhingsh." (Children do things they're not supposed to do. Adults are the ones who are supposed to protect them from doing those things)

I asked them with my eyes if they had protected the children properly or understood what they were supposed to do. If they can't understand that, then they're hopeless.

"Everyone wash cwoshe by." (Everyone was close by)

"Buffo."

"Hansh wash also cwoshe by."

Hans should have held back a bit longer. I said what I wanted to say, and when I tried to turn around, Nii-sama picked me up.

I didn't realise that Nico had stood beside me and had his arms crossed or that Gill was standing diagonally behind him as if to protect him. I think the eye colours of Kingdom's royals and the Four Marquises, which couldn't be seen anywhere else, would have made a strong impression on Farland's group.

Then, Gill spoke, "You guys. You may have come here to probe out Kingdom's heir and the heirs of the Four Marquises but be careful."

I was surprised by how he had phrased that, but I didn't let it show on my face and silently looked at the Farland people.

"We were also trying to figure you out."

Wow, cool.

Then, Nii-sama took his eyes off the Farland adults who had frozen in place, unable to say anything, and gathered the Farland children who had moved to the sides. The children thought they were going to be blamed as well and looked meek.

"It was fun. We will never forget our friendship with you. I hope we meet again someday."

The big children lit up, but Jeff and Lawk were flabbergasted.

"It was fun. Let's meet again someday."

"It was fun."

We will meet again. Jeff and Lawk looked brighter now that they understood this.

"Nico!"

"Lei!"

There was an aura of relief in the air.

In short, I forgive them because I became good friends with the children, but I just wanted to say that I'll beat them up if they do something inappropriate. Nii-sama and Gill, thanks.

With this, my stay at Neville fief is really over now. I think it was quite a good trip.

Chapter 184.1 - Gossip 01: Welcome to the Pasture!

Gossip 01: Welcome to the Pasture!

Translator: Blushy

Editor: Sam

"Kukuku."

My pink poncho fluttered in the late winter breeze. A baby stood alone in the pasture.

"I'm here too. And your arms aren't crossed."

"Dey are."

I am now at Ojii-sama's Rug Dragon pasture. The pasture is so big that it couldn't be compared to the pasture at the Albans mansion in the royal capital. There was no fence to begin with.

"I'm surprised you noticed that there aren't any fences. Lei's very smart. There's no point in building fences around such a big place. The Rug Dragons also know they're safer with us, so it doesn't make a difference if they're a wild pack or our own." Ojii-sama laughed heartly.

Ojii-sama brought me, Nico, as well as Nii-sama and Gill, and the other children from Farland to see the pasture.

"I've never seen a pasture this big in Farland either."

"But there are small pastures in every town in Farland."

"It's the same in Kingdom."

The Nii-samas spoke.

Thinking back, the pasture in Earl Tucker's fief was big, and Ojii-sama's pasture is big too. However, I certainly didn't see many big pastures in Wester. On the contrary, I don't think I saw many groups of wild Rug Dragons either.

"So, this is what it means to have no Hollows."

"You can create pastures anywhere you want without being at risk at night."

That's true. But then why don't all the Rug Dragons live inside of the barrier? Wouldn't wild dragons naturally come inside the barrier to seek safety? The ecology of living beings is quite difficult to understand.

However, my goal today is Minnie. I wanted to see Minnie enjoy her time with her friends since she was back in her hometown, and hopefully get the chance to ride some of the other Rug Dragons. It's not like I wanted to take this chance to show off to my friends.

"Minnie!"

"Kyee."

She actually came to my side straight away, but I called out to her to make myself look a little cooler. Minnie probably understood this, so she answered. She's a good Rug Dragon.

"Wow. I've never seen such a small Rug Dragon before."

"I've never seen one in Farland."

Lawk and Jeff were surprised. Nico and I felt proud when we heard this. Wait a minute, why does Nico feel proud as well?

"Minnie is a good part of Kingdom. Of course, I would be proud of something that is good in Kingdom," I felt he was saying.

"Ojii-syama, bashweth." (Ojii-sama, basket)

"Oh, sure, of course."

Ojii-sama smiled and motioned for the baskets to be moved here.

"We have a few prototype baskets left. Do you big boys want to ride in them too?"

"Yes!"

"Yes!"

In addition to Minnie's basket, there were two other baskets that were divided in the middle. In other words, they could hold four people.

"Is it alright for us to ride too?"

"Of course. The Rug Dragon is small, but these baskets were constructed to hold two adults in one basket."

Jasper and Lloyd were surprised that they could ride too, but they seemed very happy to be able to do so. Lawk and Jeff's small group of children were fidgeting. I guess I have to set an example, don't I?

I sucked in a bit of air.

"Lei ish geththing on."

"Ah, Lei-sama! You'll get hurt!"

It's already too late. Hans, you're unsuccessful.

The Rug Dragon poked her head in front of me and I squeezed onto her head.

"Ah, even Your Highness!" I could hear what sounded like screams coming from Nico's guards. Then, we successfully got into the Minnie's basket. It was a perfect fit.

"Hurrry."

"Quiccklyy."

Nii-sama and Gill straddled their own Rug Dragons while smiling wryly when Nico and I urged them to. They weren't planning on sitting in a basket in the first place.

"Like this?"

"This?"

Lawk and Jeff held out their arms and were stopped by the guards as they tried to hug the Rug Dragon's head.

"Lei-sama is only a bad influence."

That's not true. I'll pretend I didn't hear Hans.

Eventually, the bigger people were able to get Lawk and Jeff settled into the baskets by lifting them up from their sides.

"Everyone in? Alright, we'll lead."

"Kyee!"

"Kyee!"

"We will..."

"Kyee!"

"Kyee!"

The Rug Dragons made a fuss saying that they were fine on their own when Ojii-sama spoke. This was where Minnie grew up, so it should be fine.

"Awrighth! Leth'sh go!"

"Kyee!"

"Kyee!"

"Oh, hey! Lei! You can't just..."

The Rug Dragon started running quickly. Nii-sama and Gill followed beside me a little further away. The wind at the end of winter was cold, but there was green grass around which hinted of spring as well.

"Amazing!"

"It feels nice!"

"Kyee."

That's right, that's right. Nii-sama started riding Rug Dragons when he was 11, but that's usually too early. So even if small children have seen Rug Dragons, they can only ride in the carriage. What could be more exciting than having a dragon close enough to touch and share their view as they run?

I rummaged around and took out the whistle that I always carried with me. It was the whistle that Otou-sama had given me.

"Puu."

"Kyee!"

"Puu."

"Kyee!"

"Everyone run around in circwesh!" (Everyone run around in circles)

"Kyee!"

But it's the Rug Dragons who are running.

We ran around the pasture in circles and got scolded by Ojii-sama afterwards.

The Rug Dragons ran away without a care.

"Let's ride the Rug Dragons again next time," Lawk secretly whispered in my ear.

"Yup."

"It's a promise."

I nodded and Jeff whispered as well.

"Hmm."

Nico nodded vigorously instead.

It was actually very difficult for the Four Marquises and nobles from Farland to meet again. But I had a feeling that we'll meet again.

Chapter 184.2 - Side Story 01: Christmas with Otou-sama (V3 Side Story)

Side Story 01: Christmas with Otou-sama (V3 Side Story)

Translator: Blushy

Editor: Sam

"Aaah, I'm tired."

"Otou-syama?"

The door suddenly opened and Otou-sama staggered into my room. It was the end of December and Nii-sama's birthday had already passed. Otou-sama had a lot of work to do, and I didn't have dinner with him even though he was home. It was something that rarely happened.

It seemed like he was finally back from the castle now. He had taken off his jacket, but his tie was still wrapped around his neck, and he hadn't even changed his clothes.

"Otou-syama, have you had dinner?"

"Lei time is more important than dinner."

When Otou-sama found me, he quickly picked me up, hugged me and took a deep breath.

"Those incompetent fools. They ask me about everything. Shouldn't they ask the person in charge of the Rug Dragons about the Rug Dragons? Why do I have to adjust the numbers for the Rug Dragons?"

"Aiya."

I patted Otou-sama's shoulders as he hugged me in his arms and motioned for his chamberlain to prepare a meal for him. Truthfully, I signalled Natalie, and she told the chamberlain to prepare a meal.

Not everyone can understand the adorable gestures of an infant. It's not the chamberlain's fault for being troubled since he couldn't understand what I was gesturing.

Sometimes, it's nice to have a meal in my room with just the two of us. I looked around my room.

I got a bigger room when I returned to the mansion. It had a big bed, soft carpet, a big couch for me to climb up and read on, and a table and chairs for snacks.

Otou-sama should sit down if he was tired, but he paced around the room with me in his arms and didn't speak, probably because he was too tired. Then, a knock sounded from the door and the food cart was pushed into the room.

"I've brought your meal, Milord."

"Why in Lei's room?

I patted Otou-sama's shoulders again as he frowned for a moment, and said, "Puth me down."

"Lei..."

I sighed as Otou-sama complained that he didn't want to.

"Lei wiww eath withh you."

"Alright then."

Otou-sama was in a better mood as he gently lowered me to the ground. I quickly got him to sit down and pulled a child's chair next to him.

"Yoshi, yoshi."

"Lei-sama, I will do that."

Natalie quickly took the chair from me and placed it next to Otous-sama. She quickly picked me up from behind and placed me on the chair. Hmm. She's very cooperative.

Soup was soon served to Otou-sama, and a small piece of grilled chicken, today's main dish, was neatly sliced and placed in front of me. There was also dessert.

As expected, I couldn't eat much even though I was joining him for his meal since I had already eaten dinner. I was only aiming for the cake.

So, why the chicken? I stabbed the chicken with my fork just as Otou-sama finished with his soup.

"Otou-syama, aan."

"Lei? What are you doing?"

"Aan."

The chicken will drop if you don't open your mouth quickly. Otou-sama saw that the chicken was sliding off the fork and quickly put the fork into his mouth.

If I think about it carefully, it was bad manners to do this. But, Otou-sama skilfully took a bit of the chicken. As expected of a Four Marquis.

"Otou-syama, amawzing!"

"I'm not going to drop the chicken that Lei fed me!"

"Ai!"

"Hahaha!"

It's a small price to pay if Otou-sama cheers up since he's been sulking since Nii-sama's birthday. The aura in the room was filled with relief.

I sat and snuggled with Otou-sama on the couch after a peaceful dinner when Otou-sama started to get heavy. He seemed to be dozing off. He must be really tired.

But, he's heavy. A one-year-old baby, who was almost two, didn't have the strength to support a grown man.

Natalie quickly pulled me out from under Otou-sama as his chamberlain gently laid him down on the couch.

"Give him a fwuffy piwwow." (Give him a fluffy pillow)

"Yes."

I took the pillow from Natalie and pushed it under Otou-sama's head, then put a blanket on him.

It's kind of on an angle.

"Yoshi, yoshi."

I pulled the blanket and adjusted it.

"Awrighth."

I'm satisfied.

"Let's leave him like this for a while. He'll wake up on his own," Jude, who came to check up on us, said in a gentle voice.

"Ai, yeah."

On closer look, isn't there a perfect gap under Otou-sama's arms? I crept through the gap in the blanket and tried to crawl in. Climbing the couch was my specialty. I made my way through the blanket and popped my face on Otou-sama's chest.

I think I heard an inaudible shriek in the room, but that's okay. I looked at Otou-sama's face and he was sleeping peacefully. He was sleeping soundly. Very soundly.

"H-hmm. What kind of present is this?"

Otou-sama was surprised that I had fallen asleep.

That's because today must be the day when presents are given to those who worked hard.

Merry Christmas.

Chapter 185 - : In the Royal Capital

Chapter 185: In the Royal Capital

Translator: Blushy

Editor: Sam

When Nico's group, or rather, Prince Albert's group returned from the matchmaking in Farland, it was already the season of young leaves sprouting in the royal capital. That is, it was spring when I returned.

"Lei!" Otou-sama's voice echoed in the mansion. I'm usually in my room, so there's no point in shouting at such a distance.

"Otou-syama ish woowing for me! Hansh!" (Otou-sama is looking for me! Hans!)

"Yes? I think it's useless."

"Quicwwy."

"Yes, okay."

Hans picked me up, took a quick look around the room, and gently lowered me to the edge of the bay window. I sucked in my stomach as much as I could and stood up straight against the window curtains.

"Your stomach is showing a bit."

"Hans!" It wasn't me who was offended by Hans's rude words. It was Natalie. Natalie has been doing a lot of things for me lately. Of course, she also scolds Hans for being rude.

"It's cute because her stomach is sticking out!"

"Nathawie come here."

"Yes?"

Rather, why am I surprised?

No, this isn't the time to be asking this. The voice that was calling my name was coming closer.

Hans stepped back to an inconspicuous spot by the entrance, while Natalie wandered around looking for rubbish that wasn't even on the floor.

"Lei!"

The door opened with a bang and Otou-sama flew into the room. Why didn't Otou-sama knock?

"Lei?"

He looked around the room and wondered why I wasn't here.

"Hans?"

"I'm here."

"Natalie."

"Yes? Pardon me, I'm in the middle of cleaning."

The two of them tried to deceive Otou-sama.

However, such small tricks didn't work.

"Lei! Hide and seek?"

He found me in an instant. His experience in this is definitely different from the little ones from Farland.

"Th-thhere wash a bird outhshide." (Th-there was a bird outside)

Let's pretend that I wasn't hiding but watching a bird.

"A bird? If you want to watch birds, then I can have them fed outside the window."

"No. Thish ish thhe shecond fwoor." (No. This is the second floor)

It's a room without a balcony for security. How would he feed them outside my window?

Otou-sama quickly scooped me up in his arms as I was thinking about this and turned to leave the room.

"Milord, where are you going?" Hans called out like a guard.

"My office. I can't do my job without Lei by my side."

I think people wouldn't be able to work with children around.

I love Otou-sama and I want to spend as much time with him as possible. However, Otou-sama seemed to have become much more anxious during the little time we were apart, and he won't leave me alone for a short while when he was home.

I didn't have to go to the castle as I have just returned, so I will be back at the castle next week. But Otou-sama has work to do and he has to go to the castle. Maybe that was why he came home earlier than usual, but because of that, he also brought his work home with him and ended up staying in his office.

And, he watches me loiter around his office as he works.

Frankly, it's a pain in the butt.

"Lei-sama, let's give up."

"Hans, what are you talking about?"

Otou-sama looked suspiciously at Hans, who had spoken to me very quietly. Well, I guess he's only coming home this week, and it'll work out somehow since I'll be going back to the castle next week. Babies also need time alone. I clung tightly to Otou-sama's neck for now.

"Were you lonely too, Lei?"

"Ai."

A lot of things happened, and I was with Nii-sama at night, so I can't say that I had time to feel lonely.

Unlike a baby, Nii-sama couldn't get special leave, so he had to go back to the dormitory as soon as he returned. I thought that Nii-sama would grieve, but he went back to the dormitory without complaining.

"I'm going to gather information on what has happened while I wasn't here. It's rare for a noble from another country to visit, and it's also rare for the Four Marquises and royals to meet with a noble from Frontier. I'm sure they'll be all sorts of rumours flying around."

Is that something a twelve year old thinks about? I looked at Nii-sama in admiration, and he patted my head and smiled.

"Of course, I'm thinking about meeting with Remington and Molesey. I'll have you come with me then."

"Chrish! I have a preshenths for her!" (Chris! I have presents for her!)

"Aren't you seeing Chris next week?"

Nii-sama chuckled at my excitement. The Remington and Molesey that Nii-sama was referring to was Felicia and Mark. In other words, the heirs of the Four Marquises.

I feel bad, but I'm glad I'm in a comfortable position.

After a week of not resting and resting, I'm going to the castle with Otou-sama today.

"Hmm, hmm, hmmm."

"Kyee." The Rug Dragon replied from outside of the carriage.

"I never thought that you would be so close to Prince Nicholas that you would look forward to going to the castle that much," Otou-sama smiled wryly. It's fine for me to have a good time, but it's complicated to be good friends with royalty.

I tapped the package on my lap.

"I'm woowing forward tho giving Chrish her preshenths." (I'm looking forward to giving Chris her presents)

"I see."

Of course, it's fun to see Nico, but I'm meeting Chris for the first time in a long time. I'm looking forward to giving her the gifts that I'd collected from the northern fief.

When I got to the castle, Chris was probably looking forward to seeing me because she was already waiting at the castle for me with a smiling Felicia. Of course, Nico was next to them.

"Lei!"

"Chrish!"

I had Hans help me down from the carriage and ran up to Nico and Chris.

"Chrish, are you weww?"

"Of course! I even had a blind date."

Chris crossed her arms and turned away in anger. I was curious about Felicia, who had a complex expression on her face next to Chris.

"Amazing!" I don't know what's amazing, but I said it anyway. Besides, doesn't she want me to ask how it went? And, I also want to give her the presents.

"Lei, what's that?"

"Nico, ith'sh thhoshe thhingsh."

"Those things, huh."

"Ai."

Nico looked at me questionably. Rude.

"Let's go to the library first. I studied hard last week, so Odds-sensei gave me the day off."

"Nico, nice!"

I only spent time with Otou-sama last week. The royals sure have it hard. I have to praise him.

"Alright! Let's go!"

"Ooh!"

"Wait!"

Thus, life returned to normal.

Chapter 186 - Presents

Chapter 186: Presents

Translator: Blushy

Editor: Sam

When we got to the library, which was also the classroom, Chris fidgeted and looked like she wanted to say something. Is it about the blind date?

"Hey, Lei."

"Ai?"

"I'm curious about that box, about that box you're holding."

"Thish?"

I held the bag and puffed out my chest.

"Thish ish a preshenth from my triph." (This is a present from my trip)

"It wasn't a trip, we were inspecting the fief," Nico said seriously. At first, but I felt like we had just played around since we got to Ojii-sama's fief. Then, I'll rephrase it, "Thish ish preshenths from thhe inshpecthion."

"Show me!"

I sat down on the carpet, flipped open the box and opened it on the floor.

"Wow, huh? What's this?" Chris's delight changed to confusion.

"Preshenths. I picwed thhem up from everywhere."

The presents that I had spread out onto the floor were collected from all over the place. First, I picked up a flat and slightly bluish stone.

"Thish ish a shthone from Miwsh Lawe." (This is a stone from Mils Lake)

"Mils Lake is here. It's to the northwest of the royal capital." I thought that Odds-sensei wouldn't be here since we didn't have class, but he was here. He immediately drew a map on the blackboard and explained where Mils Lake was.

I stood up with the flat stone in my hand and imitated throwing it to the side.

"Ith fwiesh on thhe wather if you thhrow ith wiwe thhish." (It flies on the water if you throw it like this)

"I don't know what Lei is saying."

"Lei, it's like this, right?"

Nico picked up another stone and did the same thing.

"If you throw it like this onto the water's surface, then the stone will bounce over the water."

"What?! That's amazing!"

"Ith'sh becaushe thhe shthone ish fwath." (It's because the stone is flat)

"You're right! The stones are flat."

I don't think there's much difference from how Nico explained it and how I explained it though. Why does Chris look like she understood him well? Fine. Let's move onto the next item.

"And I cowwecthed a woth of them." (And I collected a lot of them)

The stones varied from bluish to reddish ones, and if you looked closely, there was a mix of different stones in there as well. Everyone went up to the stones and looked at them.

"I guess the waves from Mils Lake rubbed the stones together and the edges were grinded down to form round stones," even Odds-sensei picked up a stone and explained this to us while demonstrating how the waves would rub the stones together.

I picked up another stone and showed it to them.

"Thish pointhy shthone ish from Purgathory Ishwand." (This pointy stone is from Purgatory Island)

"Lei, you picked up stones in that situation?"

Nico looked amazed, but I picked this up before everything happened.

"Really!? Leila-sama, that island is....! Don't tell me His Highness went as well?"

"H-hmm. I think I went."

Nico averted his gaze.

"And thish ish hepathica."

Odds-sensei seemed like he was going to start lecturing, so I interrupted him. I accidently mentioned Purgatory Island, but I didn't want to tell him, I just forgot for a moment that it was a secret.

"The flower is flat."

"Thish ish withhered. If you puth ith intho a boow, thhen ith'ww go fwath wiwe thhish." (This is withered. If you put it into a book, then it'll go flat like this)

When I returned, the maids stuck it onto a piece of paper with glue.

"Ith mawesh a good boowmarw." (It makes a good bookmark)

"You can see the flower whenever you want. It's amazing."

Chris was happy with this.

"Thish ish a cave shthone." (This is a cave stone)

"Lei-sama, what the hell did you do?" Hans said in amazement. That's rude of you to say that.

"I picwed ith up shince ith wash where I feww." (I picked it up since it was where I fell."

"So, turning anything to profit means this."

"I didn'th thrip. I feww." (I didn't trip. I fell)

"That's even worse."

Isn't it fine since I didn't fall because I wanted to.

"Look, this stone is black."

"You're right. There's something different about this stone."

It seemed like Chris understood how valuable the stone is.

"Aren't these stones unique to the northern hills?" Odds-sensei looked at all the stones.

"There wash a cave ath Ojii-syama's manshion."

"I knew it. I see, that's very interesting."

After enjoying my presents, Nico signalled the maid to bring a small box.

"This is my present to Chris."

"What is it?"

It was a small box without any ribbons on it. I looked at it curiously.

Chris opened the box and a loud sound echoed in the room. There was a beautiful green stone inside.

"It's a malachite from Wellington Mountain which is located on the other side of Mils Lake. It's beautiful to look at, but I also heard that a lot of people make brooches out of it."

It was quite different from the malachite that I remember, but I guess this is what the power of a Prince is all about.

"Nico, thanks." Chris smiled happily. Then, she looked at me, "Thanks Lei," and smiled happily. Chris has also grown since she could say thank you now. I nodded and there was a knock at the door. Then, a group of maids came in pushing carts.

Natalie stepped forward and coughed.

"This is a present to everyone from Leila-sama."

Everyone was confused since there were sweets and tea on the carts even though it was a present.

"We have recreated the secret recipes from Earl Coulter's mansion, which Leila-sama has asked the chefs to teach her. The only place where you can eat these sweets in the royal capital is the Albans mansion." Natalie proudly emphasized the words, 'secret', 'Leila-sama', and 'asked'. This evoked a shout of joy from the castle maids. Odds-sensei also looked happy. He must actually have a sweet tooth.

"Hmm. Well then, let's take a break and have some tea."

"Sweethsh! Importhanth!"

"What do they taste like? I can't wait to eat them!"

It's okay to have days without studying.

Chapter 187 - Join Us

Chapter 187: Join Us

Translator: Blushy

Editor: Sam

The week started with presents, and neither Nico nor I fell ill, probably because we rested for a week. Once today ends, it will be the weekend, so it's a day off. So, "Today ish thhe day Nii-syama comesh home!"

"It's the tree-climbing day."

Chris only comes to the castle on days her sister, Felicia, does, so she doesn't come every day, therefore she didn't know if she would be able to take Nii-sama's class until the given day.

"I'll be here today!"

"Chris, ladies do not bounce around in public." Felicia escorted Chris to the castle and scolded her for bouncing. I stared at them. Chris is at the castle today.

I listened to their conversation and secretly learnt that it was alright to bounce when I grow up as long as it wasn't in public.

After all, their example is valuable to me since I don't have any adult women around me.

"Lei-sama, you're thinking too much."

"I'm noth."

I'm not thinking. I'm just learning. Actually, Felicia seemed very busy, and she never came to teach me etiquette even though she said she would. I'm aware that I'm a two-year-old who didn't have to worry about etiquette right now.

"Then, I'll come back this afternoon," Felicia smiled and said before going back to her work at the castle.

"Ish Fewicia shthudying thoday?" (Is Felicia studying today?) I asked Chris and she pulled Nico and I to a corner for a bit. But the maids and guards were still close enough to hear what we were talking about.

"No. Nee-sama said she wanted to join us during Luke's class."

"Nii-syama's?"

"Yeah. But, you know, it's a secret." Chris put a finger to her mouth and made a shushing gesture. Nico crossed his arms and looked conflicted.

"Why? Luke's classes are easy to understand."

His face said that there was no reason to keep it a secret.

"Nee-sama said a lot of things, but I couldn't understand much. But, it's a secret."

"I don't know."

I turned to Hans. It's too hard for me to explain, and it wouldn't be a secret if Odds-sensei heard this.

"Ah, I'll be talking to myself from now on," Hans began talking without looking at us.

"Firstly, Felicia-sama has already graduated from the Academy, but is being taught by a younger Academy student. Secondly, they're supposed to be equal, but her position is lower if she is taught by him."

"Isn't it fine to learn something you don't know from someone else?"

"That's why Felicia-sama will be here in the afternoon, right?"

"I see," Nico seemed like he understood.

"However, even if the person who is learning is alright with this, it doesn't mean that others will be. Some people might not like it, and if they find out, they could stop her from learning."

"Hans, language." Natalie chimed Hans since his words were getting more casual.

"I'm talking to myself."

"Hansh, thhanwsh."

I understood. What about Nico?

"Some people won't like it. They'll stop her. That's..."

"Nico, weth'sh go," I interrupted Nico.

"Lei wanthsh Fewicia tho come. I'ww weep ith a shecreth." (Lei wants Felicia to come. I'll keep it a secret)

"Me too."

"Lei and Chris," Nico thought for a moment.

"A secret? Alright. Let's go."

It'll be troublesome if he keeps asking about this. I've never heard anything about the Remingtons. But, at my debut, and from my association with Chris and Felicia, I had a vague idea that the Remington House seems to be in trouble.

There wasn't much a two-year-old could do. But I can at least do something that wouldn't hold back someone from learning.

"Lei will fall asleep anyhow."

"Nico thhath'sh rude."

Either way, I'm looking forward to the afternoon.

"Nii-syama!"

"Luke!"

First was a hug. For some reason, we had the habit of lining up in order, Nico, me and then Chris, to wait for Nii-sama and Gill to hold us.

"Oh, Chris is here too?"

"We have to treat everyone the same or else it'll be unfair."

"Then, okay."

She had gotten pretty big at five, but Nii-sama held her in his arms without dropping her and smiled softly as he spun Chris around.

"Fun!"

"That's good."

"Lei wanthsh tho do thhath thoo."

"Alright. Oh, Felicia."

This was the first time that Nii-sama noticed Felicia who was smiling at Chris. By the way, Gill was holding Nico up high. He noticed Felicia at the same time as Nii-sama.

"Do you want to try, Felicia?"

"I'm fine," Felicia refused straight away.

"I came here since I wanted to study with Chris today."

"That's..."

Nii-sama gently lowered Chris. Oh, it's supposed to be my turn.

"Felicia, you're already 16. You've already graduated from the Academy and should have started practicing how to channel your magic. I may have something to learn from you, but I don't think you have anything to learn from me."

Nii-sama looked suspiciously at Felicia.

"It's because I've just started training. I don't think I'm weak, but I don't seem to be as strong as Okaa-sama requires me to be."

Indeed, I don't think Felicia's magic power is inferior to Gill's or Marks. What's there to be displeased about?

"I should have enough magic, but if I can't use it well, then I have to train."

That's true, but why is she asking Nii-sama to train her?

Nii-sama has been trained by Otou-sama since he was ten. It would be fine if the Remingtons did that as well. I'm sure Nii-sama is trying to say this. But Gill interrupted before Nii-sama could open his mouth.

"Luke, Mark and I were also trained by the Albans. I don't think it matters if a Remington joins us."

"Gill." Nii-sama's eyes were asking him why he was defending Felicia.

"Again, you don't have to teach me. I'll watch what Chris does and learn for myself what I'm missing. I just want you to allow me to be present and learn something from this. And..." Felicia looked down for a moment.

"I don't want Okaa-sama and Otou-sama to know about this."

"Some people don't like it, and will stop Felicia," Nico muttered.

"So that's what it means?"

That's what it means.

"We're not doing much, but you can observe if you want. I also want to observe Lei's, my sister's class."

Nii-sama only smiled at Felicia. 'Sisters are important, aren't they? You can observe. Whatever you do during that time doesn't concern me, so I won't tell anyone,' that was what Nii-sama was saying.

"Thanks, Luke. And Gill."

Felicia smiled in relief and became our study buddy from today onwards.

Chapter 188 - I'm Only Two

Chapter 188: I'm Only Two

Translator: Blushy

Editor: Sam

We began our training by swaying magic to feel our magic. Chris has done it a few times before, so she knows the procedure.

Felicia, who said she would just watch, was surprised to see an unfamiliar training method. She was worried about whether Chris was okay and began to fret about whether she could do it too.

She was really just watching, but it was annoying to see her act like that. Nii-sama must have thought the same because he spoke to her, "Felicia, would you like to try for a bit?"

"No, hmm. I'm just watching."

"It's fine for you to join in with the children."

"Really?" She fidgeted as she spoke.

Isn't she cute?

"I'll help sway your magic."

"No thanks."

She shut Gill down. Well, it's a bit sensitive for a woman to hold hands.

"Then, Lei wiww do ith."

"Oh my. Is that alright?"

I think she's figured out that I was mentoring Nico and Chris even though I'm small. Felicia is also quite a good judge of character.

"Lei wiww channew magic from here."

"You're channelling it through my right hand. Channelling magic is a mystery."

"Ai. See."

"Oh my!" Felicia raised her voice in surprise and tried to take her hand away from mine. She can take her hand away, but it's easier to control if our hands are connected.

Nii-sama advised her, "Try to sway your magic just like that."

"Sway magic instead of circulating it."

Felicia closed her eyes and her body swayed. That should be enough. I let go.

"Oh, it's shifted. Curious."

"Then circulate your magic slowly like you normally do."

"Alright. But..."

Felicia opened her eyes and was troubled.

"I can't circulate my magic well since it's shifted."

"Realising that is the key to using your magic well."

Nii-sama laughed since she had noticed this.

"I thought the same with Mark, but Felicia, I don't think your magic nor Mark's is inferior at all. It's just that the way you circulate your magic is wasteful."

"I've been training how to circulate my magic for years."

Gill nodded as if that was the case.

When I was still too young to walk, Otou-sama didn't seem to have taken much interest in Nii-sama. Nevertheless, he began training Nii-sama's magic at home at the same time Nii-sama started training his magic at the Academy.

Which meant that all the Four Marquises properly train their successors. Of course, that included the Lisburn's, Gill's House.

"In addition to that, I discuss with Luke and train by myself."

"Giww amazing!"

"Well, yeah."

I think it's truly amazing that Gill didn't care that Nii-sama is younger than him.

"I think you're only aware that you're circulating your magic around, but like water seeping out of a wet cloth, your magic is seeping out and becoming useless," Nii-sama explained. This wasn't explained to Nico and Chris since small children would have trouble understanding the theory even if you explain it to them. All that matters right now is that they have fun moving their magic around.

"Think of it as trying not to force it out of your body."

To be precise, you can force it out. For example, it's like making a round ball outside of your body when you make a barrier. The important thing is to not let magic leak out from there.

"So, does that mean I'm not channelling all my magic into the magic stones when I'm doing it?"

"Probably. I've never seen you do it before, so I can't say."

Felicia's quick to understand, and she's too serious. I looked into Felicia's eyes and smiled.

"Fewicia, magic ish inthereshthing."

"Interesting? No, handling magic is the duty of the Four Marquises. It's not interesting." Felicia reminded me rather politely as if she was reprimanding me. That's probably how she tells it to Chris as well.

"Nii-syama, magic shthone pweashe."

"Okay."

I received a small magic stone from Nii-sama. This is used for light. I gently channelled my magic into the magic stone. Felicia tried to stop me but gave up. We're the teachers right now.

"Thish wiww thurn intho money."

""Money?"" Chris and Felicia's voices overlapped.

"Thish ish a job. Channew magic in. Then itsh becomesh shweethsh bread." (This is a job. Channel magic in. Then it becomes sweets and bread)

"Puff it becomes sweets? By doing this?" Chris was surprised. Nico was also looking at the magic stone with new eyes. To them, magic stones were used for the barrier, and they don't feel that it is a necessity of life.

"There aren'th many magic ushersh." (There aren't many magic users)

"That's why there's jobs for channelling magic into magic stones in town. Those stones become light and heat to cook," Nii-sama added.

"Sway magic. Channew ith outh. Magic becomesh bread."

"Isn't bread just a little too different?"

"Food ish importhanth."

Hans interrupted me and huffed at my serious reply.

"I'm sorry, Lei-sama. Bread is important, isn't it?"

"Ai." I nodded firmly. In the end, it ends up like this.

"Magic ish inthereshthing. You can pway withh ith." (Magic is interesting. You can play with it)

Felicia had her mouth agape, then quickly closed it. I see. Having your mouth agape isn't lady-like. I made a note in my mind.

"Lei and I also practice moving our magic before bed. Although, that's just for fun."

"Me too. I don't have any siblings, so I do it alone."

Nii-sama and Gill also spoke. Gill seemed a bit lonely when he said he did it alone.

Chris, who had been silently listening to our conversation, bounced up and down. Ladies shouldn't bounce, should they? But Felicia was too confused to pay her any attention.

"It's simply fun."

"It's fun."

You can just simply enjoy it like Chris. Felicia's face lit up.

"You're right. We can do this together whenever we want since we're home together."

"Yay! I get to practice magic with Nee-sama!"

Since then, Felicia has been coming to class every week, and she had completely forgotten about the etiquette classes that she was supposed to teach since she was so busy with Nii-sama's class. But that's fine with me. Since, "I'm shthiww onwy thwo." (I'm still only two)

I stretched my index and middle finger.

"Lei-sama, your thumb is out too, so you're three."

"Don'th woow ath thhe thumb." (Don't look at the thumb)

"... So, you're around two, yeah?"

"Ai."

I don't need to learn about etiquette right now.

Chapter 189 - Despite Being an Adult

Chapter 189: Despite Being an Adult

Translator: Blushy

Editor: Sam

Mark arrived in the middle of the next week. It was spring, but he had wintery hair and eyes. He's a winter noble who is also popular with the Albans maids.

"Mark!"

"Ith'sh Marw."

"It's Mark?"

Mark hadn't come to class since he took us to the barrier room and got scolded even though he was supposed to be our teacher like Nii-sama.

Still, we watched Mark excitingly as he walked over to us, as we expected that he would do something fun.

"Prince Nicholas, Lei, and Christine."

"You can call me Chris."

"Then, Chris. It's a nice day today, so why don't you three go to the West Botanical Garden?"

West Botanical Garden. How alluring it sounded. We were delighted.

"Mark-sama, be careful," the Prince's guards looked reluctantly at Mark and called for his attention. That's true. Mark took me and Nico to the barrier room without permission recently and the guards were also scolded a lot because of that.

However, I think his guards should be scolded. After all, they did nothing good during the northern inspection.

"By the way, Your Highness and Lei, aren't you going to give me any souvenirs? I heard that Chris and Felicia got some."

Where did he hear that from? I couldn't give Felicia stones and a handmade bookmark, so Nii-sama should have prepared something for her since it was from the Albans House. I thought that the Molesey House would receive something as well.

"Hm, uncle prepared a souvenir for you Mark." Nico looked up at Mark as if he hadn't gotten it.

"I got it. Of course, I got some from Luke and Gill too. But you know..." Mark is around 20, but he was pouting and looked unhappy.

"His Highness and Lei are both my friends. I thought it would have been nice if you gave me something since I had to stay at the royal capital."

"You're not our friend, aren't you our teacher?"

"Oh, Your Highness, why did you say that? I'm your teacher, but I'm also your friend."

"Hmm. I'm not sure about that."

I felt troubled even if Nico looked at me. I sighed a little and fumbled in my poncho pocket.

"Ai. Shouvenir."

"I knew you got me something Lei! You knew what I was talking about. But what is this?"

"Rocw."

It was a black rock from the northern fief that I happen to leave at the back of my poncho pocket. The maids would normally empty out my pockets, but they turned a blind eye to this since I usually kept snacks and other stuff in my pockets.

"I know it's a rock."

Mark was puzzled. He had heard that Chris had received souvenirs, but he didn't know what kind of souvenirs.

"That's..." Nico briefly explained for me, "It's a cave rock that Lei picked up when she fell into a hole."

"Thath'sh righth!"

Nico is amazing.

"It's a special rock in the hilly parts of the north. She only showed it to me. You're so lucky Mark."

I only had two black rocks, so I only showed them to Chris.

"Thwo. I onwy had thwo."

"He, heh. It's unusual. Thanks."

Mark tossed the rock and caught it, then he carefully tucked it into his pocket.

"I heard that Felicia has been joining in on your classes. It's boring that I'm the only one who seems to be left out of the loop."

"You're older than us, and you're already channelling your magic into the magic stones for the barrier." Nico was shocked.

"That's true, but Felicia is practicing on them now as well, and Gill will be starting next year."

"Giww twoo?"

"He's only younger than Felicia by a year."

Oh yeah, Gill is almost an adult.

"I'm the oldest and Luke is the youngest, so Felicia and Gill are in the middle, but they're closer to Luke. And you two younger sisters are close to each other as well. I'm the only one out of place, it's not fun at all."

"Aren't you friends with father?"

"With Prince Lambert? I've never thought of it that way before. Al and I are friends though."

By the way, Nico, who is talking to Mark as an equal, is three years old; I am two and Chris is five. I was shocked at what they were talking about.

"But why is Felicia attending your classes?"

"That's..." Nico glanced at Chris and I. He was probably wondering what he should say.

"It's a secret."

"Secreth."

There was no need to worry about it. We've already decided to keep it a secret.

"It's a secret from me as well? Even though I'm also a child of the Four Marquises?"

"It's a secret between the children, Mark."

Nico looked at Mark as if saying he was an adult. He's a really hopeless adult.

"Ashw Nii-shama and Fewicia." (Ask Nii-sama and Felicia)

"Yes, you should ask Nee-sama directly."

"Tsk."

What's with that tsk? The guards were also standing surprised at the back. One couldn't hold back his laughter.

The West Botanical Garden had a greenhouse with a few flowers from Wester and lots of fruits and vegetables.

"Wathermewon! I athe ith in Weshther."

"I've also had them before, but aren't they summer fruits?"

Since it was a greenhouse, precious things grew it in.

"I thought that the West Botanical Garden would be better for you than the one in the south since there's a lot of food here and you're gluttonies. This is where they grow food used in the castle. These foods go into your mouth, Your Highness and they're also served in the dining hall."

We were certainly learning about the world with this.

The watermelon was too expensive to eat, but we were allowed to eat freshly picked tomatoes and the like, and then Mark's class was over.

"Let's meet again," Mark briskly left, and his evaluation went up.

"Bye!"

"Bye!"

"See you later."

We waved our hands, and a few days later, we were gaping.

"Yo."

I saw a happy Mark and a dejected Nii-sama, Gill and Felicia.

"I've decided to take Luke's class with you."

What the heck are you doing? You're already an adult and doing your job as a member of the Four Marquis.

"Now, let's see you shake your magic."

He must have come here to play, not study.

Chapter 190 - Mark's Objective

Chapter 190: Mark's Objective

Translator: Blushy

Editor: Sam

"Mark, you..." Nii-sama put his hand on his forehead and shook his head as if Mark was a troublesome person.

"You came to our house a lot to study last year. I think I've already taught you all you need to know."

I guess he was talking about the Albans mansion when he said house. I didn't know that Mark came over.

"It was when you weren't there Lei," Nii-sama explained since he had seen my questioning look. I see. Then I wouldn't have seen him.

"Well, isn't it fine? We're not as busy as our fathers. I'm only playing with the children once a week."

Oh, I think your true intentions just slipped out. Nico looked sternly at Mark.

"We're not playing around. We're studying."

"You're right, Your Highness," Mark replied politely to Nico. But his opinion didn't waver.

"Felicia is here, so it's not strange for me to be here. Now, let's start studying."

"Well, okay." Nii-sama surprisingly started circulation practice without any resistance. The class went well with the addition of an experienced adult.

As everyone was laughing and shaking their magic, I suddenly felt like there were more guards here than usual.

"Thath'sh Gracesh." (That's Graces)

"Lei, concentrate."

I felt like I saw a familiar guard and raised my voice, but Nii-sama scolded me softly. I'll ask him again later.

But I've always thought that I never made it to the end of class because Nii-sama came in the afternoon. I fell asleep while helping Nico and Chris.

When I woke up after another good nap that day, Mark was gone, and the person who I thought was Graces was gone too.

Felicia, who was leaving with Chris, was still here, and she rubbed my head while I rubbed my eyes after waking up. Chris climbed up onto the bed and smiled.

"You're such a good sleeper. Chris used to sleep a lot too."

"Doesn't Lei sleep too much?" Nico asked Felicia grumpily.

"I think it's normal. Chris takes naps sometimes too."

"Sometimes. I'm not a baby anymore."

"Lei ishn'th eithher." I quickly claimed.

"Where'sh Marw?"

"He left already. But he's coming back next week. He seemed to be enjoying himself as a teacher and as a student. I didn't expect him to be like that."

Felicia also seemed to be enjoying herself as she put her hand on her check.

"I want to come and take Mark's class too if I have time. Exploring the castle is so exciting!"

Nii-sama and Gill smiled wryly, but they couldn't come since they had classes at the Academy. I wondered if I was still the Prince's playmate and if the classroom was still for the toddlers to use.

◊♦◊♦◊♦◊ Nii-sama's Perspective

"Gill! Higher!"

"Gill! Me too!"

"Chris. No, it's dangerous."

Gill took Prince Nico and Chris to climb trees. Felicia was worried about Chris and it was funny to see her hovering around Gill and interrupting him instead. Mark, the eldest one, should be watching them, but this easy-going and only child of one of the Four Marquises Houses, had no sense of taking care of children and his light coat hem was swaying in the spring wind.

Even Otou-sama didn't know how to take care of his children; I guess that's what being a noble is all about.

"So, Mark. What's your real purpose?"

"My real purpose? I'm going to relearn how to manipulate magic."

"Then, I'll rephrase my question. What is your purpose for relearning how to manipulate your magic?"

"Hmm."

I was annoyed when he looked at me as if I had done well. I was supposed to be the teacher today, and Mark was supposed to be learning.

"You visited our mansion the other day with Gill, right?"

"I gave you a souvenir then, but I heard you asked Lei for more souvenirs," I said in annoyance. Why is he begging a two year old, or rather, Lei, for a souvenir? Otou-sama was appalled. It couldn't be helped that he went to Lei and asked her for a rock.

"I'ww give Otou-syama thhish rocw. Ith'sh thhe shame cowour ash your eyesh." (I'll give Otou-sama this rock. It's the same colour as your eyes) She gave him a pinkish rock rather than a purple one, but it should be fine since he seemed happy about it.

"Isn't it fine? I would have given up if she said she didn't have any for me, but she gave me one, so I took it. I decorated my room with it."

"You took Lei's rock, so you should do that much."

Mark chuckled.

"This is fun. I never would have thought that the Four Marquises would gather together like this a year ago."

"Yeah. Since both the royal family and the Four Marquises are independent, they try to stay out of each other's ways."

This was so that the royal family wouldn't give preferential treatment to one family, or it could also be that collusion among the Four Marquis was too dangerous since there would be too much influence in one place.

But I think the real reason is that no one had an interest in the other.

"But the royal family approached the Albans. To be precise, they had simply chosen Leila as the Prince's playmate, but it doesn't look like that from the outside."

"Yeah. It's annoying."

"But the Remingtons sent their youngest daughter. I guess they hated the power balance leaning towards the Albans, but the public's view of the Albans has weakened as a result, right?"

"Yes. I'm surprised even Felicia showed up."

Gill and I came here as teachers before Felicia came alone, but it was no secret that the Albans and Lisburn got along well, so it wasn't a big deal. Rather, it would look to others as if Gill was the teacher and I was just there because of my age. That was fine with me.

"Well, it's also because I don't want people to think that the Moleseys have been left out of the loop."

"That's true. In fact, I'm sure our Otou-samas get along well with each other."

"Well... But it's not just about how it looks to outsiders," the teasing tone in Mark's voice disappeared. I looked up at Mark, who was standing next to me.

"When you came over to my house the other day, we talked about what we Moleseys thought about the Third Prince of Easter, right? I wasn't planning on meeting him, but I did have the opportunity to meet him a little at some party."

"Yes. It was nice to hear your opinion on him."

I visited the Molesey House to gather information.

"But, you see, I'm more anxious about the Remingtons."

"The Remingtons, you say?"

Sure, there were a lot of weird things like letting a little girl like Chris have a matchmaking.

"We Moleseys, well, we get along with the Albans. The Albans and Lisburns are friends. Therefore, the Moleseys aren't on bad terms with the Lisburns either."

"Yes, I know."

"But I don't know about the Remingtons."

I thought about the reason when he said this. The Molesey House didn't associate with anyone in the first place. They became closer to the Albans House because of Lei. As a result, they didn't have a bad relationship with the Lisburn House either. But the Remington House wasn't connected to any of the other Houses.

"I don't think the Remingtons should be isolated."

The conversation Mark started was a surprising one.

Chapter 191 - Complicity (Luke's Perspective)

Chapter 191: Complicity (Luke's Perspective)

Translator: Blushy

Editor: Sam

"You said isolation, but isn't it just that we're not close with them? The Remingtons do a proper job with the barrier and they are doing their political work as well. In other words, nothing has changed; in fact, it's the rest of us three families that have changed."

It was just that the three houses questioned what magic was because of Lei and grew a little closer. Even if the Remingtons are isolated, I don't think they would have a problem with it, since Otou-sama didn't think anything of it even if he were isolated.

That was how much the Four Marquises weren't interested in each other.

"Father's generation is probably fine with this. Or perhaps, it's difficult to say what can be done to improve the situation. If father hadn't made a move, then nothing would have changed in the first place," Mark lightly agreed with me.

"But I wonder if that's alright with our generation."

"Our generation?"

I was surprised that we had been lumped together. Otou-sama is still in the prime of his life. I had only started training my magic two years ago. I have six more years before I come of age.

"Hey, hey, I may be a little older than you, but your father is more than 10 years older than me. However, I'm only four years older than Felicia, and five years older than Gill. I think of myself as being in the same generation as you guys and Prince Lambert."

"Prince Lambert's generation?"

"Yeah. Our fathers are in the same generation as the current King. And the Four Marquises who are younger than me and I are in Prince Lambert's generation. Perhaps, Prince Nico's generation will be included in this too."

Mark is 20. He's more in Otou-sama's generation for me than the children's generation.

"Dear me. Don't treat me like an old man. Even with the barrier, I'm only helping father."

"I'm sorry."

Honestly, I apologised because I thought that his generation had nothing to do with me.

"I'm not going to say something childish like I want us to get along. It's just the Remington House doesn't seem the same as ours where our parents take good care of us."

"I had an inkling that it was something like that."

"That's why..." Mark looked at Gill and Felicia and at His Highness and Chris, who were playing happily.

"Even if their parents aren't supportive." What was Mark expecting when he said that?

"It will be extremely difficult for Felicia to stand alone. When the time comes, if we don't support her, then Kingdom, which is protected by the royal family and the Four Marquises, will collapse."

"Mark?"

"With father's generation and ours. Two, not one, make up the groups that maintain the barrier. Wouldn't it be a relief if that happened?"

It was something I hadn't thought of. I didn't know what to think and nothing came out of my mouth.

"So, we're going to train our magic, and raise all the children's powers. So that the barrier can be maintained with our generation alone. Coincidence or not, but all the skilful people are gathered here, I'm sure we can do it."

"You're not just talking about the heirs, but Lei and Chris too?"

"That's right. Those two have too much magic, so they probably won't be left alone even if they're not successors."

"You came all the way here today to say that?"

Then it would have been better for him to come to the mansion so we can talk about it more.

Mark looked a little cheeky and laughed.

"I didn't want father to know. I mean, Luke, you shouldn't tell the Albans head either."

"Why?"

"Because they'll stop us."

"You're right."

At least, Otou-sama wouldn't like Lei to be involved, and Gill's father wouldn't want to impose such a burden on a small child.

"But we can do it, for better or for worse. I'm not going to misjudge Lei's special powers just because she's cute. In terms of magic manipulation alone, she's probably better than you."

"That's..."

Lei said that I was amazing since I learnt everything quickly, but Lei is actually better at manipulating magic than me. She just doesn't know because she can't concentrate and falls asleep quickly.

"Felicia is too serious to keep secrets, so you can't tell Felicia and Chris about this. This is between me, you, and Gill."

"I haven't agreed to anything yet, and I don't know what Gill will say."

"Gill will agree. I'm sure."

I couldn't help but snap at the confident Mark, "Then, Prince Lambert..."

"He doesn't know. If he does, then he'll disband this study group."

I felt like I was about to be made an accomplice to something preposterous.

Chapter 192 - Otou-sama is Busy

Chapter 192: Otou-sama is Busy

Translator: Blushy

Editor: Sam

Felicia started showing up to Mark's classes, and Felicia and Mark started showing to Nii-sama and Gill's classes. A few extra guards also came on those days in addition to the usual guards.

Graces was there most of the time, so I was kind of happy to see him. I have a slight connection with him, and he was also the person who had protected Otou-sama. He seemed to feel indebted to me for some reason and listened to my requests.

"Gracesh I wanth tho cwimb thhath three." (Graces I want to climb that tree)

"Alright, up you go." He lifted me up like this.

"Climb up the places you can climb," it was completely different from what Hans would do. Hans would scold him, "Graces, you have to guard them, is this the time to be paying attention to a baby?"

"No, I'm guarding them inside the castle, it's different from guarding someone outside of the royal capital. I thought that it was more important to raise the Four Marquis children well rather than protect them from enemies."

"Don't quibble."

Well, in fact, Hans told Nii-sama that the convoy corps was monitoring what the Four Marquis children were doing since they were all gathered here. They wanted to keep track of the movements of the Four Marquises. Felicia was also included in this, but it must have made a big impact for Mark to be here since he's already an adult.

Stupid Mark.

Under these circumstances, the Remingtons must have found out long ago that Felicia has been training her magic here.

However, Felicia explained, "They know that I'm taking classes with Chris. But she was surprised that I was interested in such a thing. She only asked me if I was embarrassed to be studying with babies since I've already graduated from the Academy."

Felicia smiled sadly.

"She knows I want to spend time with Chris, so she probably thinks that I'm simply keeping her company instead of studying. She's not interested in what I want or anything else. She just thinks it's better not to be disturbed."

Certainly, Otou-sama didn't seem interested in what I'm learning. I guess he just wants me to have fun. Oh my, why are Hans and Natalie looking at each other in a troubled way?

"Well, in a roundabout way, the Four Marquises are independent and don't interfere with each other. Yes, but she heard what I said."

Felicia giggled. I think she's been laughing a lot lately. Chris also seemed to be enjoying herself.

But the reason why we were able to play like this is because we were actually spending more and more time at the castle.

It's quite a long time between when I wake up from my nap and when Otou-sama comes to pick me up.

I played with Nico while waiting, which made him happy, and I had no problems with this either. The maids were apparently worried about me not coming home early, but that doesn't matter for now, the problem right now is Otou-sama.

"Lei!" He says, as he puts me on his lap and doesn't let go while in the carriage. I want to look outside the carriage too, but it can't be helped so I swung my legs. Otou-sama seemed really busy with work.

"Lately, the distribution of the Rug Dragons has been very intense. Originally, each fief should only replace the Rug Dragons they need from the herds in their fiefs, but having the Rug Dragons travel from Kingdom to Wester and back, then from Kingdom to Farland means that business is not just across fiefs, but across countries."

"Gah."

What else can I say in reply to Otou-sama who was complaining about how hard his work was?

"And a lot of magic stones are being moved around too. The amount of magic stones coming from Wester and Farland remain the same, but recently, we've been exporting more to Farland. We're also exporting some to Wester, but a lot less than to Farland. The system was designed so that the magic stones would be gathered in Kingdom, so a slight increase in exports won't cause any problems. But why are the exports increasing?"

"Ai."

That's certainly information I'm interested in.

"I'd like to go to Farland to investigate. Well, I don't think it would be a problem for me to go to a town near the border. But I don't want to separate from Lei."

I didn't respond to this. I would also miss Otou-sama when he's gone, but that's what working means sometimes.

"I'll send a team of investigators first for now..."

I comforted him. I can only ask Otou-sama to do his best as someone who he is raising. But what are the others doing? For example, Gill's Otou-sama.

"Lei's hard on me."

"I'm noth."

Stan-ojisama lamented. He came to the mansion with Gill and Julia-obasama on his day off. I only asked him, "Otou-syama ish bushy wathewy. Are you bushy Sthan-ojisyama?" (Otou-sama is busy lately. Are you busy Stan-ojisama)

I didn't say that he was slacking off or not doing his job.

"It feels like you did. Well, the answer to your question is that I'm busy too." Stan-ojisama looked tired as he grieved.

"Is Dean coming home late too?"

"Ai, Juwia-obasama. Otou-syama ish thired."

"Oh my, Stan is as well." It must be true since Julia-obasama said it was.

"Farland is making a lot of fuss about the Rug Dragons and the magic stones. Dean works more on the Wester side, but I'm the one who's dealing with Farland. The vendors say they're just following the orders, and I'm beginning to wonder if I need to go to Farland for this, but I can't go, and I'm troubled over who to send to investigate."

I certainly didn't get the impression that anyone was very competent.

"Whether it be the Lisburns or the Albans, it would be quicker to use our companies. But the civil officials are the people who are operating this, so that's a problem. Those guys can't do their jobs."

"It's not that they can't, it's that they don't want to leave the royal capital. They'll faint if I told them to go to Farland to investigate," Otou-sama, who had just returned, joined in on the conversation.

"Stan's right, let's use our companies first."

"That sounds faster."

It sounds like a hassle.

Chapter 193 - The Castle on Top of the Hill

Chapter 193: The Castle on Top of the Hill

Translator: Blushy

Editor: Sam

It was already spring.

"We're going to the Rug Dragon stables today."

"Ai!"

"Okay!"

"Alright!"

"... Okay."

Today is Mark's teaching day. We responded cheerfully to mark while raising our hands. The last small voice was Felicia.

"Felicia, if you want to be a student, then you should reply in a louder voice."

"Well."

Nico said something plausible, but it was terrible to ask an adolescent girl to match the rhythm of children. But Felicia embarrassingly raised her hand half-way up.

"Like this? Okay!"

I think all the guards fell down. Felicia looked cute as she hugged Chris and smiled embarrassingly.

"Hmm. That's good."

But the only thing that seemed to matter to the three year old was Felicia raising her hand. He folded his arms and nodded in a pompous manner.

"Though I've never actually been there either."

"Really?"

Nico looked at me as if it was strange.

"Because a carriage would be ready for you when you need it. See."

Indeed, there was a carriage ready to go to the stables in Mark's line of sight.

"I only know a little bit more about the castle than you guys. That's why I research beforehand on days when we have classes and it's my first time going to most of them. In fact, that was the first time I went to the greenhouse too. Haha."

"Mawk..." I couldn't help but look at Mark in amazement, but after thinking about it, it seemed rather strange if he did know a lot about the castle. I'm grateful if he really did do his research before he took us out.

"Well, I heard that there are five stables, so let's hurry and visit them all~."

"Five!"

This was surprising.

"There's a separate pasture and they only bring the Rug Dragons there when needed. They also take care of the Rug Dragons that visit the castle."

I'm definitely learning something. Then, we rode the carriage and took a tour to the stables.

Even though they were called stables, they all had small pastures attached to them, and the Rug Dragons seemed to be spending their time in a relaxing manner.

"Dragon!"

"Kyee!"

"Kyee!"

I called out and the Rug Dragons came up to me.

How rare, ride me, I could tell that was what they were saying, but I shook my head.

"I'm noth riding. I'm onwy vishithing thoday." (I'm not riding. I'm only visiting today)

Really? You can ride me anytime, they put their noses against me, and I laughed. Chris and Nico were also snuzzled by the dragons. They were teasing us.

"The Rug Dragons really seem to love you Lei."

"Lei awsho wovesh thhem." (Lei also loves them)

"Kyee!"

Somehow, all the Rug Dragons, no matter which stable they came from, knew us. It's a mystery.

The castle stood in the middle of the royal capital, atop a slightly elevated hill. We went around the castle by visiting each of the stables. I don't know how much time this would have taken had we not been in a carriage.

"The castle is located in the middle of the royal capital, so we have no choice but to hold the castle if we're surrounded by enemies."

Mark muttered just as we were about to return to our usual location. I don't know if he wanted Nico to hear this or Felicia.

But I don't think that's possible. The castle standing at the top of the small hill is quite large. I don't think the other three territories have enough men to surround it. But Mark said something surprising, "The royal capital has never been attacked even if there have been skirmishes on the borders of Kingdom. Do you know why?"

"Because they can't hurt people who can create barriers," Nico replied seriously. Felicia looked straight at Mark.

"I think it's the other way around, Prince Nico."

"What do you mean?"

Mark started saying something difficult, "I think it's because they only need to hold down the royal family and the Four Marquises if they want to capture Kingdom."

"But then the barrier would be gone. What about the citizens?"

"You're right, Your Highness. Your Highness is a good boy." Mark patted Nico's arm.

I turned away from Mark and looked out the carriage. The citizens who are being protected by the barrier were there.

They may fight over fief, or the rights to Rug Dragons, but there has never been a territory that has wanted to destroy Kingdom.

But Mark was asking what would happen if the enemy didn't care about Kingdom's people.

"Mark, even if they can hold down the royal family and the Four Marquises for a while, those who can't protect the people can't rule Kingdom," Felicia answered quietly. That's correct. Felicia was able to think of things from the standpoint of protecting the people.

But what if they didn't want to protect or rule over the people?

I shivered.

"Lei, we're almost there, hang on."

"Whath?"

"You should have relieved yourself at the last stable."

"Thath'sh noth ith!"

What are you saying to a one-year-old when her diaper has slipped? It's something even a smart toddler would have trouble with.

Chapter 194 - Gill's Secret

Chapter 194: Gill's Secret

Translator: Blushy

Editor: Sam

Within a month of returning from the northern fief, my life settled down and began to revolve around a set rhythm.

After eating breakfast with Otou-sama in the mornings, I would go to the castle, and spend the morning studying, drawing and reading books with Nico. By the way, drawing and reading were two things that I had Odds-sensei gradually add to the schedule.

It's pointless for a two year old and an almost four year old to spend three hours a day studying. Odds-sensei had us review the places we visited in the north, and he has become more flexible with his lessons compared to before, but he still gets boring in the middle of the lessons.

It's nice to move my hands while drawing or reading a book. As the weather got warmer, we went outside to look at plants and catch bugs.

"Ah." I quickly caught a lizard while basking in the sun.

"Lei-sama is only quick with things like this."

"I'm awwaysh quicw."

"Lei-sama, I don't want it."

"I'm noth giving ith tho you Nathawie."

Our guards and maid are a bit rude.

"Lei, what's wrong?" Nico, who had been chasing a butterfly, came up to me.

"Nico cup your handsh."

"Cup? Like this?"

I gave Nico all sorts of things, so he knew exactly what I meant when I said cup your hands. He cupped his hands and held it out to me.

"Ai."

I gently placed the small lizard that I had caught into Nico's hand.

"Ooh..."

The lizard stayed still for a while, then it flickered its little tongue into the air and crawled onto Nico's wrist before jumping down to the ground.

"Ah, it's gone!" Nico looked at the lizard with sparkling eyes, then grieved.

"Ith'sh oway, I'ww cathch ith again."

I have a knack for catching lizards. I have been able to do it since I was one, and I have no blind spots. I crossed my arms with a huff.

"Lei, you're not crossing your arms. No, are you crossing them?"

"Unfortunately, you're almost there Lei-sama."

Apparently, I've been making progress too.

"Catch it again like that Lei."

"Ai! Leave ith tho me."

Nico wasn't going to catch it himself. Is it because he's a Prince?

After spending my mornings like this and having proper exercise in the afternoon, I take a nap as usual.

Halfway through the week, Chris and Felicia would join us here.

Then, Mark would come during the middle of the week and take us on a tour of some part of the castle in the morning. On the day before the weekend, Nii-sama and Gill would come to the castle and all the children of the Four Marquises would train their magic.

The magic training which seemed like playing didn't seem enough for the older heirs, and it changed to full-fledged training when a big magic stone from the Albans House was brought out while we, little ones, were swaying our magic.

That meant that Nii-sama received permission from Otou-sama to bring it here. Nii-sama told us to keep it a secret from our parents, but they'll probably find out right away.

I asked Nii-sama about this at night while we were practicing our magic.

"Yes, Mark said it's better not to inform our parents' generation, but the royal guards are watching us in the first place. First of all, I'm sure Prince Lambert would have been informed of this."

"Lam-ojisama acthuawwy wanthsh tho come and wathch ush."

"I think he's holding back. I talked to Mark and Prince Albert, so I'm sure he's holding back."

Nii-sama and I looked at each other and smiled wryly.

It was easy to picture that Nico's curious father was itchy to do something but was holding back for Nico.

"So whath abouth Otou-syama?"

"I've told Otou-sama," Nii-sama said clearly so I laughed.

"I almost went along with Mark. No, I think he's right. I'm glad that he boldly declared that the children need to get stronger. But it's better to talk to our parents and get them to help us instead of keeping it a secret from them. However, the Remingtons.... It's better not to let them know," Nii-sama said.

"That's why we do it properly once a week, and for the other times, we do things that won't allow anyone to breathe a word about it."

"Lei, Nico and Chrish awsho wnow ith'sh a shecreth." (Lei, Nico and Chris also know it's a secret)

"You're great."

Nii-sama patted my head. I'm a two year old who has no one to gossip to.

The next week after Nii-sama's class, Gill came over to our house since it became clear that he couldn't keep it a secret from his parents. He came over often on his days off, but he rarely came over on weekdays.

We went in different carriages, but after having dinner together and playing, Gill was with us when I talked with Nii-sama, and he was staying over too.

"Giww! Thish bed ish yoursh! Thish ish Lei's and Nii-syama's."

I was excited since it was rare for someone to be here. Nii-sama and I also slept in the guest room with Gill.

"Lei, calm down."

"Ai!"

Nii-sama caught me while I was excited and lowered me onto the bed. Then he sat down next to me and looked at Gill.

"Gill, what did you need to talk about?"

"Oh."

I hadn't realised this, but it seemed like he had something to say.

"I'm getting better at making barriers."

I stopped on reflex and was about to congratulate him when I suddenly realised. Is this good news?

"I did teach you how to do it, but I'm surprised you were able to do it on your own. Amazing," Nii-sama was genuinely praising him, so I guess I should congratulate him.

"You two used the barrier to inform each other of your positions in the northern fief, right? I was honestly envious at that time, and after feeling the barrier on my skin a lot of times, I felt like I had grasped it."

"I shee."

I nodded in understanding, but why is Gill smiling?

"I haven't heard you say I shee in a long time."

"I, I see," I corrected myself. You should tell me if you noticed this.

"We'll know if you make a barrier. You want us to see if you've actually done it, right?"

"Yeah."

"Alright," Nii-sama agreed strongly.

Then, the three of us sat in a circle on a bed.

"I'm making it. Barrier."

Magic spread around Gill in a circle. The magic slowly changed into a barrier.

"Ah, it changed into a barrier..." Nii-sama, who was squinting and feeling magic, blurted. But his eyes immediately widened. I also gasped and shuddered at the same time.

"Giww ith'sh thoo big!"

"Stop your magic!" Nii-sama grabbed Gill's arm and Gill stopped his magic in surprise.

"Is your body alright?!"

"Ah, yeah. It's no big deal."

*THUMP THUMP THUMP* There were knocks at the door as if interrupting Gill.

"Ah, Otou-sama noticed because it was too big."

"Crap. My father's going to find out."

How much should we keep secret and how much should we tell? It was a difficult question for us too.

Chapter 195 - Sloppy

Chapter 195: Sloppy

Translator: Blushy

Editor: Sam

There was a knock on the door, Otou-sama slammed the door open and walked in without waiting for an answer, "You didn't tell your father that you were having fun, oh, Gill."

"Otou-sama..." Nii-sama looked at Otou-sama with disappointment.

"Oh yeah, you were going to stay with Gill in this room today. I see, so this is the guest room?"

He came to the source of the barrier as soon as he found out where it originated from, but he finally realised that it wasn't Nii-sama's room nor mine. Otou-sama had never been in the guest room in his own mansion before, so he looked around curiously and finally stopped his gaze on Gill.

"That was a pretty sloppy barrier, but it came from you Gill?"

"Y-yes."

"That's rude to Gill, Otou-sama."

"M-my bad. I thought that it was Lei or Luke being sloppy since they hadn't produced a barrier in a while."

"That's not a good follow-up Otou-sama."

"B-but the barrier was clear enough for Otou-sama to feel. You're amazing, Gill."

"Giww, amawing."

We had to do our best to compliment him.

"Haha. Thanks. Sloppy, was it?"

Otou-sama walked over to the other bed and sat down, not caring about the depressed Gill.

"Since you're here, you should be aware of what sloppy means and improve the accuracy of your barrier."

Otou-sama seemed cool when he said that making a barrier is neither good nor bad, and that it should be done properly and not half-heartedly. I looked up at him with sparkling eyes.

Then, I softly looked away.

Otou-sama was also looking at Gill with sparkling eyes. It seemed as if he had found a good playmate since he has been bored lately.

"Otou-sama, I'm sure I can teach him about barriers on my own."

"But I'm sure you'll feel safer with me around, right? I'll watch over you. Stan is also away, so I'll act as his parent."

"Now, do it," Otou-sama opened his arms wide. Nii-sama also turned towards Gill to hide his smile.

"Then, I'll set up a small barrier. Please try to feel the amount of magic needed to create the ward and the nature of it."

"Yeah, alright."

Nii-sama quickly set up a barrier while Gill was watching him intently. The range of the barrier was just enough to loosely surround Nii-sama.

"Now, try moving your hand in and out of the barrier."

"Okay. Wow." Gill tried to put his hand in and out of the barrier.

"This is a reference to a portable barrier box, so hopefully you can use that as a guide, Gill."

"Oh, I didn't know that was possible. I see. I had a feeling that my barrier hadn't been turned into a barrier with magic. Got it."

"Ah, wait a minute!" Nii-sama quickly put out his barrier.

"Barriers made by people resonate and spread wide. It's easy for this to happen, so you have to make sure that you can produce a barrier properly by yourself."

"Oh yeah, you're right."

Gill nodded meekly, probably because he recalled what had happened on the trip and made a barrier while suppressing his magic. Although his barrier formed after his magic was released, it was a good barrier and was less sloppy.

"Oh, it's pretty good. It's a bit inferior to Lei's first barrier," Otou-sama added unnecessarily.

"How sloppy was Lei's first barrier?"

"Ith washn'th shwoppy."

I was the one who came up with this original idea in the first place. Nii-sama poked my puffed out cheek with his finger.

"Otou-sama, Lei was the one who thought of making a barrier in the first place. It's rude to call hers sloppy."

"Sorry, Lei. Anything Lei makes is the best."

Lie. Didn't you say it was sloppy before, Otou-sama? I pouted and turned away.

"Aaah, Lei."

"Let's leave those two to their own world and make a few barriers."

"Yeah, I'm starting to get a feel for it, so I want to do it right."

Otou-sama picked me up and held me tightly to his chest. I couldn't stay angry at him like this.

"Lei can do ith properwy thoo."

"Lei and her barrier are cute."

There's nothing cute about barriers. But I came up with a cute idea.

"I'm going tho mawe a shmaww barrier on my pawm." (I'm going to make a small barrier on my palm)

I wonder if I can make it outside by body, like putting a ball on my hand. I reached out my right hand and tried it.

"Shmaww barrier."

Pop, a barrier the size of a melon was formed.

"Lei, what are you...?"

Nii-sama felt the fluctuation of magic and looked at me. Gill also looked at me, "Woah!" He had turned around with the barrier still up, so his barrier shook and expanded.

It engulfed my small barrier while expanding then disappeared.

"""..."""

An awkward silence filled the room. Otou-sama cleared his thoughts and so did Nii-sama.

"Since it's gone, it's the same as never having happened."

"Yes. I think that's enough for today."

"Ith'sh bedthime."

"Albans..."

I felt like it wasn't a good idea to act like an Albans for everything. That happened because Gill didn't have good control in the first place, isn't it good that we didn't blame him?

However, I fell asleep quickly while chatting, and unreasonably ended up in a troublesome situation the week after.

Chapter 196 - Getting Dragged In

Chapter 196: Getting Dragged In

Translator: Blushy

Editor: Sam

The next week when I went to the castle, three boys were lined up in front of me.

It was Prince Nico, Prince Albert, and Prince Lambert. Nico and Prince Al were looking at me with their arms folded and Lam-ojisama was only standing there looking at me in amusement. It was hot and humid even though it was spring.

"Lei, it's about the night before your day off," Nico spoke heavily. I expected this.

I went to the northern fief with Prince Al and Prince Nico, and the incident where I fell down a hole also happened in the north, and Nii-sama and I used our barriers to communicate with each other.

It was an emergency, so nothing was said to me at that time, and I don't think anything was said to Nii-sama either.

But I think those who have magic, more or less felt something. They might have thought that it was something unique to the north. But if the same 'something' was felt in the royal capital as well, then it was caused by someone who was also with them in the north.

And that someone, in other words, was, "Lei, it's you."

Prince Al, your eyes are sharp. That's not the way you look at a baby. I shook my head.

It could have been Nii-sama or Gill. In fact, it was Gill who said he was going to make a barrier.

"Whath wash?" I answered, I lifted my palms up and showed him. Otou-sama does this often.

"Guh. Alabans. Kuku." Lam-ojisama was holding back his laughter. He was being rude, but does this mean I look like Otou-sama? Then, that's good.

"You really make people angry."

I hardly did anything to be angry about on our trip to the north. It was Prince Albert who got angry on his own.

"Lei ignore Uncle. Can't you tell me?"

Nico looked at me sadly. This isn't fair. It wasn't fair for adults to be questioning a two year old either. I screamed, "Ashw Giww and Nii-syama. Lei doeshn'th wnow." (Ask Gill and Nii-sama. Lei doesn't know)

Dammit. This made it sound like Nii-sama and Gill did something. Well, they did. I'll leave the rest to them.

"Now. Nico, ith'sh thime tho shthudy."

"Okay."

I grabbed Nico's hand and ran towards the library. I heard a small voice behind me.

"You're not walking fast at all."

Prince Al is really rude. You can't grow up in just a month or two, now can you?

Nico looked at me seriously when we reached the top of the stairs.

"Uncle only noticed the time in the north. But I think I've felt it three times now. Didn't the same thing happen on Purgatory Island?"

"Nico, thath's..."

Nico noticed that I had made a barrier back then, probably because he had been next to me.

"Ith'sh hard tho expwain. Ashw Nii-syama."

"You're not keeping it a secret from only me, right?"

I patted Nico's head with my other hand.

"I'm noth. You're my friend."

"That's right!"

Nico tugged my hand as his face brightened. The truth is even friends can keep things from each other. But I won't be ambiguous about it anymore if even Prince Al or Prince Lambert can sense it.

"I'wm wefting ith tho Giww and Nii-syama." (I'm leaving it to Gill and Nii-sama."

"What's wrong?"

"Nothhing. Leth'sh go!"

"Okay!"

We managed to trick Odds-sensei and reduced our studying time.

I thought about leaving the matter to Gill and Nii-sama, but apparently that wasn't enough. The Four Marquises can only be away from the capital for barely 10 days since they had to maintain the barrier. Using those ten days, Gill's Otou-sama went to Farland last week. Otou-sama was also called away under the guise of receiving Stan's report, and was asked about the barrier which took place last week.

That was the day before this week's holiday, or in other words, today, exactly one week after we had carelessly caused a barrier reaction.

Because of that, Nii-sama and Gill were called away in the middle of Nii-sama's class, so it was boring.

"You're complaining, but didn't you have fun playing with Chris, Felicia and Mark? You even had a nap half-way through."

"I washn'th compwaining. You awsho pwayed Nico." (I wasn't complaining. You also played Nico.)

"Isn't it fine since you had fun? Older people have their own circumstances too."

I wanted to say that Mark and Felicia didn't, but I held back.

Leaving aside Otou-sama who came home while looking disheartened, I was worried about Gill, who was taken home by a stern looking Stan-ojisama.

"Worry about Nii-sama too."

"You're fine."

First of all, no one here had a stern expression on their face or looked gloomy. I only saw a cheerful man who said he was going to spend two days with his family since he had a break. Otou-sama seemed to be in a much better mood than usual.

"It's been a while since I've seen Stan. He was summoned by the royal family before Gill told him about the situation. He turned grim when he found out about what had happened. He's always a cheerful guy, so it's interesting to see him look like that sometimes."

"Otou-syama..."

It was completely someone else's problem. It's not Gill's fault in the first place, and the Albans was the source of the problem since he had only copied what we were doing.

"Lei, are you saying it's the Albans fault in the first place?"

"Lei did nothhing wrong. He wash copying Nii-syama and Otou-syama."

"You're right. It'll take too long to tell them about the full story." Otou-sama summed it up nicely.

"Well. Stan was funny, but it's more trouble than it's worth."

I felt like I didn't want to ask.

"His Highness wants you to teach the children how to do it."

I knew it was like that.

Chapter 197 - Someday, it'll be a Memory

Chapter 197: Someday, it'll be a Memory

Translator: Blushy

Editor: Sam

Just as Gill's father, Stan-ojisama, went to Farland, Chris's parents also went to Easter as well. However, there was a new transaction taking place in Farland, so there wasn't anything particularly unusual about Easter.

"Usually Otou-sama goes in place of Okaa-sama who can't leave the capital, but this time, she said 『I'd like to go for once, Felicia will be useful when it comes to it』," Felicia said while shrugging.

"You still can't charge your magic into the barrier magic stones, right?" Nico asked seriously.

"Yes, not yet. But I am training. So, I'm sure she'll make it back in seven or eight days, way before the ten day deadline."

"If it comes to it, the royal family has Prince Lambert and Prince Al. Even the Moleseys have two people, my father and I. It's not like the Four Marquises can't leave the royal capital for more than ten days. It's because there's an unspoken rule that we don't touch the magic stone of other houses," Mark also added to Felicia's explanation. Today is magic practice day, so Nii-sama, Gill and Mark are here.

Oh yeah, I've heard of that before. Otou-sama said he barely made it back in ten days when he went to rescue me when I was kidnapped. He said it was hard to get permission from the Supervision Department.

"Supervishion Departhmenth."

"Woah, Lei knows some difficult words," Mark patted my head.

"Well, I'm sure both Gill's father and Felicia's mother received permission from the Supervision Department before they left."

"Otou-syama shaid ith wash hard."

"I don't know if it's your Otou-sama's fault, or if it's thanks to him," Mark chuckled.

"I've been wondering about the Supervision Department too. I heard that Otou-sama will go to Wester, or rather Kaylie. I'm afraid that he'll have another argument with the Supervision Department," Nii-sama seemed a little worried.

"My father's the only one not going out."

"It's because the Moleseys are in charge of domestic affairs."

It seemed that Mark's House wasn't going anywhere.

"But it's become more troublesome because of Dean-sama's unconventional trips, so the Supervision Department is more forgiving when giving permission. It's thanks to Lei and the Albans that the Four Marquises can leave the capital with ease."

"Lei's?" I was surprised to hear my name pop up.

"It's because Albans worked hard to get you back. Gill's House, the Lisburns also did what they could."

Gill was a little down this week, probably because Stan-ojisama scolded him a lot last weekend. Mark turned towards Gill and included him in the conversation.

"Oh, we went to Farland for a bit, didn't we?"

"We did. The hunters completely betrayed us."

Gill was laughing with Nii-sama as if he remembered something. It sounded like an adventure-filled story.

"Lei hashn'th heard abouth thhish."

"Oh, I told you that I went to the north to train, didn't I?"

"I wnow thhath you were shthudying."

That was all I heard about their trip.

"Luke, won't you tell us about it?"

"Yeah, do tell. What was so interesting about your trip? Maybe I should go on a trip too."

"Is it a scary story?"

Nico, Mark and Chris all had a twinkle in their eyes. Felicia looked as if she found it questionable and it was interesting.

"Hollows appear in this story; will you be okay Chris?"

"Of course!"

She probably didn't know what a Hollow was, but she proudly said it was alright.

Me? Of course, I'm alright.

I remembered they treated me with the utmost care when I first returned. Otou-sama, Nii-sama and the people at the mansion were considerate and avoided mentioning my kidnapping, or what happened when I was kidnapped.

I never imagined that one day it would become a mere memory, something I can brag about to entertain my friends.

But it was one spring day when I thought that the end of my tough baby days was coming.

However, Nii-sama and Gill's story was a little too scary to be entertaining.

"Back then, a hunter ran out of the barrier with the barrier box to help his comrade who had gotten out of the barrier."

"What?!" We were sitting on the lawn, but as that part of the story came up, Nico stood up in surprise.

"Luke and Gill will be killed by the Hollows!"

"Your Highness, we're still alive, aren't we?"

"Oh, you're right."

Nico sat down in relief. Chris and Felicia were sticking to me.

"But we both secretly carried a newly developed barrier box with us."

"Oh, I've never heard about that."

"A newly developed barrier box?"

"I wish you could have seen the surprised looks on the hunters' faces."

The boys got excited. Nii-sama casually dropped a bomb after he told us that they had successfully killed the Hollows and ended the story.

"Come to think of it, we don't need a barrier box to make a barrier."

Is that something you can say in front of Mark and Felicia? I panicky looked at Mark and Felicia.

Mark narrowed his eyes and he was frowning.

"That night two weeks ago?"

"You noticed?"

"I felt something strong pass through my body. I knew something happened. And if I were to say what..."

Why are you looking at me? I averted my gaze and looked at the garden. That reminds me, the story was so interesting that I hadn't taken a nap today.

"I can make it too."

"I'm practicing too."

Gill said and Nico also puffed his chest with pride.

"Lei can do ith."

"See."

Dammit.

Chapter 198 - Otou-sama's Ulterior Motives

Chapter 198: Otou-sama's Ulterior Motives

Translator: Blushy

Editor: Sam

Well, I can't blame him since I carelessly blabbered it out. However, why did Nico say he's practicing?

Wasn't it earlier this week when Prince Al and Lam-ojisama said that they wanted to learn how to make barriers? I asked Nii-sama with my eyes and he replied, "The academy dormitory and the castle are relatively close. They invited Gill and I here twice in the evenings."

"Lei wanthsh tho shpend thime withh Nii-sama!"

On weekdays, I couldn't spend time with Nii-sama since he stays in the dormitory. And yet, I can't believe he's spending time with Nico.

"I'm sorry Lei. Luke and Gill came in secret, so I couldn't make it public." Nico gave me an apologetic look. But I couldn't stay angry anymore since Nico smoothly said difficult things like 'secret' and 'public'. In the first place, "Everyone found outh even if ith'sh a shecreth."

Mark, Felicia, Chris and even the guards found out. The guards will directly report this to the Supervision Department.

I glanced at Graces. He stood there with a serious look on his face, but he pretended not to have heard anything. I looked at Hans. He raised an eyebrow and grinned.

"Hansh, faiw." (Hans, fail)

"Wait, Lei-sama. I don't understand why you said I failed."

It might have been a bit unreasonable. I can't help it, I'm sleepy.

"Nii-syama, Nii-syama."

"Now, Lei come to Nii-sama. There you go, good girl."

Nii-sama picked me up and I fell asleep. Can't I do anything about this sleepy disposition? I don't know what everyone else did after this. I think I slept well because I was trying my best to stay awake, and when I woke up, I was already being swayed in the carriage home.

"Ith'sh over..."

The day when Nii-sama came to the castle ended. What a shame. Otou-sama looked at me in surprise. Of course, he would be surprised since a baby woke up from her nap and said something like that.

"Why did you say that out of the blue, Lei?"

"The day'sh awready over."

"Oh, that's what you were talking about?"

It's lively and fun when Nii-sama comes to teach at the castle because both Mark and Felicia come too.

"The day's not over yet. You're going to have a nice dinner with Luke and I, have a bath, chat and get under the warm blankets."

"You're righth!"

The day isn't over yet! Otou-sama continued to talk to Nii-sama as my mood improved.

"So how was the Princes?"

"Well. I guess this is to be expected, but Prince Nico was the first one to do it."

"Oh."

"Nico!"

I didn't know what they were talking about, but I joined in on the conversation.

"You and Lei also made barriers easily, is it easier to learn at a young age?"

"Otou-syama did ith shthraighth away."

"Because I'm great."

Otou-sama said it was obvious that he could do it.

"Coow."

"Oh, Lei. You're embarrassing me."

Otou-sama doesn't look embarrassed at all.

"Prince Albert and Prince Lambert seem to be struggling with it."

"It might be difficult for them to make delicate adjustments because they have so much magic."

"That's what it felt like. And then, as we discussed, I told Mark and Felicia about the barrier."

I was relieved. He had this discussion with Otou-sama beforehand?

"I wonder what the Supervision Department will say. Well, they can't tell us not to do it since the royal family is involved."

Otou-sama chuckled. He hates the Supervision Department.

"Did you..."

"That's right. Graces will have to report this to the Supervision Department."

The Supervision Department will find out anyway, so they deliberately gave them this information.

"The Moleseys will be fine since I told Harold beforehand, but what will the Remingtons do when she returns?"

Otou-sama's expression looked mixed. Nii-sama had an expression on his face that said that it wasn't a big deal.

"She doesn't seem to have much interest in Felicia's magic training, and she doesn't even know if Chris is training her magic or not. I don't think Remington will take action on this either."

"I was surprised that Angie left the capital even though she's going on an inspection. I didn't think she would leave the royal capital, let alone Kingdom."

Otou-sama is apparently alarmed by the Remingtons' constant lack of actions.

"I'm more worried about your inspection."

"Kaylie's a long way away. Lei, don't tell anyone, but I'm going to meet with the Second Prince of Wester."

"Second Prince... Huu~!"

I remembered a nostalgic name.

"I'm going to ask how that Lisburn boy is doing as well, so look forward to my return."

"Ai! Awishthair!"

"Is his name Alistair?"

He's still the same Otou-sama who shows no interest in things he isn't interested in. He said he's going to meet the Second Prince but I don't even think he knows Huu's name.

It's already been six months since I've separated from Alistair and everyone. How much bigger has he grown?

"I'll tell them that Lei has grown even more charming every day."

"Otou-sama... That's not very mature of you."

Nii-sama looked at him coldly.

"Lei hash goththen more shwiwfuw." (Lei has gotten more skilful)

"Oh, I thought you could already do it in the first place."

Otou-sama grinned slightly.

"Of courshe. I can fowd ith more now." (Of course. I can fold it more now)

"Alright. I'll tell them that you've gotten better at folding your arms."

"Ai."

I really want to see them, but they're too far away.

"Lei, let's go in summer."

"In shummer?"

"Yes. The academy will have a long holiday then. Otou-sama can only leave the capital for 10 days, but it doesn't matter how long Lei and I are gone for."

"Th-that's not fair."

Otou-sama panicked.

Actually, we probably won't be able to stay away from the royal capital for too long because of security reasons. Especially me since I've almost been kidnapped many times. We would need a lot of guards and it'll be expensive. There are also diplomatic issues. If we go to Wester, then we would have to go to Easter and Farland too.

Still, I would like to meet them if I can. Even if I want to see them, I can't.

"Luke, make sure the Princes can make barriers while I'm at Kaylie. I can't be bothered dealing with them forever."

"I'm the one dealing with them. Honestly, you always say too little."

I wondered what those boring days were like when I returned to the capital. Spring was busy not only for me, but for those around me too.

Chapter 199 - Everyone's Busy

Chapter 199: Everyone's Busy

Translator: Blushy

Editor: Sam

Gill's Otou-sama had been back for a week, and now it was Otou-sama's turn to leave. He rushed towards Kaylie and will be returning after staying there for a night.

"I think I could stay a little more than ten days with the increase in magic, but we can't afford to experiment with Kingdom's barrier, either." Otou-sama sighed. But I think we should experiment with it. I counted down the things that could be done on my fingers.

"Firshth, go outh during thhe daythime. Howwowsh don'th shhow up." (First, go out during the daytime. Hollows don't show up.)

"Lei, you..."

"Second, thhe othher Four Marquishesh can do ith in your pwace." (Second, the other Four Marquises can do it in your place)

"..."

"Third, puth thhe barrier down during thhe daythime and puth ith bacw up ath nighth." (Third, put the barrier down during the daytime and put it back at night)

It's easy to count this way since I don't have to hold my hand out to count. Two won't turn into three. Satisfied that I counted well, I lifted my eyes from my hands and puffed out my chest.

Oh, everyone's looking at me with their mouths wide open. What's wrong with Hans?

"How did you come up with that?" Otou-sama uttered. How you say? Rather, why haven't you thought of this? It's okay to quickly replenish the magic stones the moment the barrier disperses. Barrier boxes can be turned on and off in the first place.

"Thinw abouth thhe shthructhure of thhe barrier." (Think about the structure of the barrier)

"Structure. It's made to keep the Hollows out, I suppose."

"Ai. Howwowsh come ath nighth. Whath abouth daythime?"

"They don't show up during the day," Otou-sama was stunned.

"Accidents will increase if you turn the barrier on and off. It is safer to have the barrier on all the time since someone might forget to put the barrier back up. Safety is the only thing that cannot be achieved with efficiency."

"Luke-sama, you're amazing."

Hans should always compliment me in front of Nii-sama.

"But that's an afterthought. It's possible that the large barrier box wasn't created to be turned on and off, so that conclusion was made. I'll research about the history of barrier boxes."

Nii-sama put his hand on his chin and pondered.

Small barrier boxes can certainly be turned on and off. But what about big barrier boxes? I recalled the barrier boxes in Lentforce. Also how was it in Wester? Barrier boxes were only used in times of emergencies at Lentforce, and in Wester, I have a feeling that they accepted my suggestion of only having the barrier up when it was a holiday.

So those barrier boxes are designed to switch on and off.

"The barrier box in Weshther thurnsh on and off."

"Come to think of it, it does. Then does that Kingdom's barrier box is the only special one...?"

We all pondered.

"The royal family is in charge of the barrier box, so I should talk to the royal artisans about it. Well, it's probably a 'top secret' matter."

"The most important matter is the safety of Kingdom's citizens, but if things change from how they are, then we'll have a bit more freedom too."

"Ai."

I nodded meekly at Otou-sama and Nii-sama. The two instantly erupted.

"Puu."

"Hahaha. Lei's so cute."

Weren't you two talking about something important? Geez.

"Anyway, I'll be off. I'll bring back stories from my trip, so look forward to it."

"Ai!"

"Safe travels, Otou-sama."

Then, Otou-sama was off.

"So, the only Four Marquises left in the city are Lisburn and Molesey," Nico said after Otou-sama left.

"Remington is here too."

"Ange-dono is here, but Felicia isn't."

"But, Nee-sama isn't working as a Four Marquis."

"You could say that."

Could you? Or was Chris right? Chris was a bit grumpy.

"I would have liked to go too if Nee-sama was going with Otou-sama."

Chris's Otou-sama is in charge of diplomacy in Easter in place of Ange-obasama. It's a rare example of a husband and wife sharing the work of a Four Marquis.

Just the other day, I thought it was rare for Ange-obasama to go out of the royal capital, but now it was Felicia's turn. I glanced at the guards. My eyes met with a young guard. Graces wasn't here.

"The Captain is with Felicia-sama."

"Don't say a word!"

The young guard, who had answered the question I had, was being scolded by an older member of the squad.

"Leila-sama, you can't talk to the guards either."

"I didn'th."

"You can't look as if you want to ask them anything either. They won't be able to react if something happens if they are talking to you."

"Ai."

The sarcasm in his voice when he said that they wouldn't be able to react if something were to go wrong wasn't appropriate to say to a two-year-old, so I nodded meekly.

"I want to travel too."

"Both Nico and Lei aren't being fair. I want to go too."

"Yesh."

I know how she feels since I also want to travel if Nii-sama does.

"Nee-sama said it was her first time travelling too. She said that she never left the mansion when she was Chris's age."

"Buth you wanth tho go."

"Of course, I do."

"Right?!"

I felt like the people around us were looking at us hopelessly, but I want to travel if I can.

"Uncle went somewhere again. He isn't in the castle. I wish he took me along with him."

It would be difficult for Al to take Nico with him because of security reasons. But I don't have to bring this up.

"Oh, I haven'th sheen Prince Aw in a whiwe." (Oh, I haven't seen Prince Al in a while)

"He's really not here."

"Nee-sama isn't here either."

It's quite unmotivating.

It's best to play at times like this. Can't I persuade Odds-sensei somehow?

"It would be nice to observe the animals in the garden since the weather's nice."

"Reawwy nice."

"That does sound nice."

What a difference three people can make. This was the spring day where we put our heads together to convince Odds-sensei to let us play.

Chapter 200 - Emergency Rations

Chapter 200: Emergency Rations

Translator: Blushy

Editor: Sam

According to Nico, "There are only two Four Marquises left in the capital," but Mark still comes to play. No, I mean, he comes as a sensei, and sometimes as a student. I thought it over in my head.

"He reawwy comesh jushth tho pway." (He really comes just to play)

That was the conclusion I reached. Nico also worriedly asked Mark, "I'm glad that you're here, Mark. But don't you have work to do outside the capital?"

"Hey, hey. Don't forget. My job is to channel magic into the magic stones for the barrier, and to help my father with his political affairs. The Moleseys job is to manage the royal capital. So, I don't need to leave the capital."

Well, if he says so then it's fine.

"Geez, don't make it seem like I'm slacking off just because the other Four Marquises suddenly got busy. It's disgraceful."

I made eye contact with Nico then gently turned my head to the side. If that's what he thinks, then that's fine.

"Wait. Hey, why are the babies looking at me like I'm hopeless? Hey."

Felicia was on an inspection, and Chris isn't here either, so it was just Nico, Mark and I touring the castle today.

I sighed a little and took out a candy from my pocket. The candy melts in your mouth, so I've been given permission to eat it while adults are present. I held it out to Mark, "Ai."

"In the end, am I an adult who can be coaxed with a candy?"

"If you don't want it, then I'll take it."

"I didn't say that I didn't want it."

Mark didn't have the dignity of an adult as he hurriedly threw the candy into his mouth so that Nico wouldn't take it as he reached his hand out for it. Of course, I handed Nico a piece of candy as well.

"You always have food with you Lei."

"Oh yeah, you also had snacks with you when we went to the barrier room."

I do this because I didn't get to eat as much delicious food as I would have liked when I was kidnapped.

"For when I need ith."

"For when you need it? Oh, I see."

"Ai. Food and drinwsh are importhanth."

I nodded seriously while Hans and Natalie looked at me sadly. Mark noticed this and finally realised why I had snacks with me all the time. However, he also looked towards the guards.

"You're not going to get kidnapped again."

"Even if i don'th geth widnapped, I faww intho howesh." (Even if I don't get kidnapped, I fall into holes)

"Buffo."

I wonder who it was that looked sad just now.

"It might be nice to carry around food."

"Nico ish a prince."

I don't think it's cool for a prince to carry around food with him.

"Lei, you're a lady of the Four Marquis Houses, aren't you?"

"Four Marquishe..."

Can you eat that? I couldn't understand what he was talking about and opened my mouth. A lady of the Four Marquis Houses... Oh!

"I am!"

This time, it wasn't just Hans who was being rude; everyone was laughing their heads off. No, no. A baby is a baby, they're not a lady of the Four Marquis Houses.

"If a lady of the Four Marquis Houses can carry candy around then so can a Prince."

"Hmm."

I crossed my arms and thought about it. Nico can carry sweets around with him, but isn't there a better way for him to do this? I suddenly thought of an idea and unfolded my arms.

"Nico, shecreth bashe!" (Nico, secret base)

"Shecreth bashe? What's that?"

"Umm, shecreth pwace."

When I crouched down, Nico also crouched down, so I lowered my voice so only he could hear me, "On thop of a three, or behind a boowshhewf, or shomepwace shmaww wiwe thhath." (On top of a tree, or behind a bookshelf, or someplace small like that)

"I see."

"Ith'sh a shecreth from thhe aduwthsh, sho shhhh." (It's a secret from the adults, so shhhh)

"I see! That sounds interesting."

It seemed like he understood what I was saying.

"Hide thhe shweethsh thhere."

"So, you're saying that I don't need to have sweets on me if I hide it in places that I visit often."

"Ai! Food thhath washth for a wong thime ish good." (Ai! Food that last for a long time is good)

"Alright! Tomorrow, I'll ask Odds-sensei if we can make a list of food we want to eat."

It's probably alright since Odds-sensei has been helping us with our independent activities. He's a reliable ally.

"Ith'sh importhanth tho wnow where you're going tho puth thhem." (It's important to know where you're going to put them)

"I'll make a list for that too."

Nico is a planner.

"Then, why don't we start with making one in the greenhouse since we go there a lot."

We nearly jumped when we heard Mark's voice come from behind us. I completely forgot that other people are here. I looked around and everyone quickly looked away and pretended that they hadn't been listening in on us. I'm sure they were listening.

"Aren't you an adult, Mark?" Nico asked coldly.

"It's not fair that you're leaving me out. And if you let me in on this then you can get food easily."

Mark is an adult, but he's a child of the Four Marquises, so I guess you could call him a child. I poked Nico with my elbow.

"What is it Lei?"

I tried to talk to him with my eyes and gestures. We don't have an allowance even though one of us is a Prince and the other is a lady of the Four Marquis. Shouldn't we get Mark to sponsor us then?

"Do you need to go to the washroom?"

"Noo."

"I know. You want to include Mark?"

"Chrish thoo."

Even though Chris isn't here, she's still our friend.

Thus, the day of Mark's castle tour also became the day to explore the castle for a secret base.

However, it also became a day that Nii-sama complained about a lot. Though Otou-sama was the one who said this.

"Even I want to play and have fun with Lei, but I limit myself to the weekends and one day a week for lessons. And that's after I've had boring classes in the morning. I'm angry."

Apparently, he was angry.

"It's times like this that you should abuse your privileges as a Four Marquis at the Academy. Tell them you want to be there when Mark goes as well. Why not just say it's part of your training as a Four Marquis? It's not necessarily wrong," Otou-sama insisted.

"I've already understood everything I need for graduation."

What did he say?! Nii-sama is amazing.

"Nii-syama, amazwing."

"Lei!"

He hugged me.

"Okay, alright. Have fun in a way that you won't be scolded, hmm, a little seriously, ah," Otou-sama racked his brain on how to explain.

"I understand. I'll write a report if needed."

Nii-sama chuckled.

"I, I see. The next generation of the Four Marquises are so reliable."

He's reliable enough to confuse Otou-sama, probably. He doesn't just like playing around.