“Don’t oversleep and be late. Now that the nights are getting chilly, close the windows well when you sleep. Though you always eat well, don’t skip meals just because you’re lazy.”
Carol said, unable to move from the doorway.
She glanced back at the carriage. She knew she had to leave now, but she couldn’t take her eyes off her younger siblings.
Unlike the anxious Carol, her two siblings yawned sleepily and patted her shoulder.
“Sis, that’s the seventh time you’ve said that.”
“Yeah. It’s not like we’re going to cause trouble just because you’re not here.”
Dylan added to Kevin’s words.
Carol furrowed her brows and looked at the two alternately.
“I’m feeling uneasy thinking I won’t see you for a while. Don’t you feel anything?”
“You said we’d follow soon anyway. We’ll see each other again in a few months.”
“Right. We might see you sooner than you think… Ugh!”
Dylan, who was following up on Kevin’s words, swallowed his words after Kevin’s elbow attack. As Dylan clutched his stomach and caught his breath, Kevin naturally spoke again.
“So, Sis, don’t worry too much and go ahead.”
“…Okay.”
Carol responded, pouting at her siblings who seemed less upset than she expected. Knowing Carol’s feelings, Kevin hugged her.
“Didn’t you say the Duke left earlier because he had work? Will you be okay going with just Benjamin?”
“It’s not just the two of us, Teacher Bianca and Noah are coming along too.”
“Really?”
“Teacher Bianca was originally planning to go separately, but when she found out I was going alone, she quickly adjusted her schedule.”
Carol made a gesture of relief, saying it was really kind of her.
“That’s good.”
“I couldn’t see Louis because he was busy, so give him my farewell greetings for me.”
“Okay. Don’t worry. Be careful. Send a letter as soon as you arrive.”
“Yes.”
Dylan also murmured while hugging Carol’s shoulder. He looked a bit sad, as if Carol’s disappointment had rubbed off on him.
“You know that long goodbyes only make it more disappointing, right?”
“…I know.”
“And Teacher Bianca is waiting.”
“Yes. Everyone needs to be well until we meet again.”
Carol peeked up at the two, her eyes glistening with tears.
****
Mrs. Wells, who usually didn’t show much emotional change, walked with unusually quick steps.
Unlike before, the corridor of the Duke’s Mansion was now lively. The place Mrs. Wells arrived at after crossing the corridor was the lounge.
“Here you are, Norman.”
“It’s just a short break time. Did you come from the kitchen?”
“Yes.”
“Is there something urgent?”
Norman tilted his head, indicating he hadn’t heard anything.
“I hear she’s finally coming.”
“Who do you mean?”
“Miss Carol, I mean.”
Mrs. Wells said, handing Norman the letter she was holding.
The letter stated that Carol would arrive soon, and that the Duke would arrive a few days later than her due to a business trip.
Norman, who received the letter, checked its contents and let out a low laugh.
“Haha…It’s true.”
Clank.
The window rattled unsteadily in the strong wind.
“Carol, who left without saying goodbye, is finally returning.”
Norman murmured, narrowing his eyes as if recalling events from a few years ago.
“That’s right.”
“The Duke always gives himself ample time in his schedule, so they’ll probably arrive around the same time.”
“If the journey is delayed because of the two children, the Duke might arrive even earlier.”
At Mrs. Wells’ words, Norman’s expression hardened as if he suddenly remembered something.
There was something Mrs. Wells always used to say after Carol left.
[Miss Carol left so irresponsibly without even saying a word..]
Norman swallowed dryly. He remembered it clearly because Mrs. Wells had mentioned it so many times.
Norman looked at Mrs. Wells with a cautious voice.
“Are you going to do as you said before?”
“Don’t tell me you’ve changed your mind?”
Mrs. Wells turned her head sharply and stared at Norman fiercely. Norman shook his head vigorously as if wronged.
“No!”
“I’ll take that as no objection to my decision.”
“Of course not.”
Norman smiled, his eyes shining. Unusually, a smile also spread across Mrs. Wells’ lips.
****
The cold in the north was as harsh as she remembered. However, perhaps due to living in the capital for a few years, the cold now felt biting enough to sting her skin, whereas before she could have endured this level of cold for a long time.
Tap.
After checking outside, Carol closed the window and looked at the three exhausted people.
“It’s really cold.”
“Indeed. It’s cold just from opening the window for a moment.”
“We’re really almost there now.”
“…Didn’t you say we were almost there a few hours ago too?”
“This time it’s for real.”
Perhaps because she had been saying this for a while, the three didn’t seem to believe Carol’s words.
“Yeah, yeah.”
Noah answered half-heartedly and lay back down.
“You can sleep more.”
“…Okay.”
Noah nodded at Carol’s words. Benjamin was sleeping soundly, breathing evenly despite the murmuring conversation, seemingly very tired. It was when Noah fell back asleep.
“I think we’ll arrive soon, but the weather doesn’t look good.”
“Is that so?”
Bianca slightly lifted the curtain and looked out the window. The sun, which had started setting much earlier than in the capital, had already completely disappeared.
“The Duke said we could stay at his mansion, but looking at today’s weather, we might have to stay at a nearby hotel.”
“I don’t mind either way.”
Bianca smiled as if she was happy just to be arriving soon. Even with her good stamina, the long carriage ride seemed to be tiring.
Clank.
Even though it had become famous as a tourist destination, not all roads were smooth for carriages. The long journey must have been challenging for Bianca, who was traveling for a long time for the first time, and for the two young children.
The interior of the carriage prepared by the Duke was cozy and comfortable. Although the travel party was kept to a minimum, the coachman and guards were all veterans who frequently traveled between the north and the capital, making it a very comfortable journey for Carol.
Moreover, after carefully closing the curtains, she could occasionally transform into her beastman form and rest on the cushions, making the trip even more pleasant.
Bianca, rubbing her tired face, opened her mouth as if a question had occurred to her.
“By the way, we’ve been talking about our arrival, but I forgot to ask this.”
“Yes?”
“Where will you be staying when you start your job as an academy teacher?”
“Pardon?”
“If I can’t find a house I really like, I’m planning to apply for a dormitory within the academy.”
Bianca said there was still room in the dormitories, so applying wasn’t urgent, but she would look for a house first.
“I… I think I’ll be staying with my siblings, won’t I?”
Carol thought this was obvious. She was planning to look around the area where they lived when they used to commute to the Duke’s Mansion.
“Really? I thought you’d be staying at the Duke’s Mansion.”
Bianca looked surprised, as if she had asked the question with an answer already in mind.
“Is that so?”
Carol laughed it off casually.
Come to think of it, Carol had naturally assumed she’d live with her siblings, but what did the Duke think about Carol’s residence?
The fact that they hadn’t discussed it likely meant the Duke had his own assumptions.
Carol held her tongue for now, and Bianca, knowing their engagement wasn’t real, didn’t press the issue further.
Still, it would be troublesome if she was just making assumptions on her own.
“Would you like to go house hunting together?”
“I’d be grateful, thank you.”
Clank.
Before the conversation could continue, the carriage stopped. The two women exchanged glances.
“Looks like we’ve arrived.”
And finally, they had returned to the long-awaited North.
****
Although she had heard the North had developed a lot, she didn’t expect it to this extent.
The streets had twice as many shops as she remembered, and there were quite a few people walking around.
But that wasn’t the important part.
“This is the cheapest house.”
“…This is?”
Carol asked in disbelief as she looked around the empty house.
It had only one room, and the wind was whistling through the windows in this cold winter.
“Yes. Some people still think of prices from a few years ago, which is quite troublesome for me.”
The real estate agent explained that decent houses had increased in price by at least five times in the meantime.
“I’ll think about it a bit more.”
“This house will probably be taken soon, so it’s better to decide quickly.”
“I see.”
After checking the last house they were shown, Carol muttered with a dazed expression.
“…The house prices have risen considerably.”
She had vaguely thought they would have increased, but not to this extent. For prices to nearly double…
“I think I’d better apply for the dormitory after all. What about you, Teacher Carol?”
Carol, who had been looking around with Bianca just in case there was a good house, threw in the towel after just one day.
“I’m going to look around a bit more.”
“By the way, it’s really cold.”
The two women stopped by the nearest tea house side by side.
‘I feel like I’ve forgotten something.’
Carol tilted her head before entering the tea house. She was sure there was something else she needed to do before coming out, but she couldn’t remember what it was.
“What are you going to order?”
When Bianca turned around and asked, Carol put aside the unremembered errand and approached Bianca.
Sitting in a comfortable seat, listening to the sound of the fireplace, and stretching her shoulders that had been hunched in the warm air, she felt like she could finally breathe.
“It feels like heaven in here.”
