Chapter 126
“Waaah! I’m going too!”
“I wanted to go to Larkrin as well!”
“I heard there are so many fun things there!”
“Mom, can I buy whatever I want there?”
After spending about two days in Byron, Hestia and her group decided to head to Larkrin together with the Frost family.
While the kids excitedly argued over who would ride in which carriage, a slightly awkward voice came from behind.
“Well, this feels like I’ve suddenly joined a family trip. I was just going to quietly leave…”
“Come on, Count. Don’t say that. We’re going to the same place anyway—it’s nice to go together.”
It was Kenneth Oklin.
He had only planned to stop briefly in Byron to talk with Melvin before going to Larkrin. But somehow, he ended up being dragged along by the Frost family and now was part of the group.
“If you’re uncomfortable, we can prepare a separate carriage.”
“No, no. Since we’re going together, let’s chat on the way.”
So, Hestia and Luciard got into the carriage with Kenneth and Melvin.
At first, Kenneth seemed strict and cold. But now, he had softened—just like Melvin.
It showed that Kenneth now felt comfortable with Hestia and Luciard.
Over the past two years, they had worked together on the refugee crisis and gotten to know each other. Hestia had made efforts to care for him, and eventually, he opened up to her.
‘It was a lot easier than when I tried to get close to him before,’ she thought.
In her previous life, when she first started working as a maid at the Oklin mansion, she was told never to upset the master.
Then, not long after she was hired, Kenneth’s personal maid suddenly quit. Hestia had no choice but to take her place.
At first, Kenneth was very sensitive and hard to please. But after learning about his situation and slowly gaining his trust, she was eventually accepted by him.
Back then, Kenneth had lost his wife, was in a wheelchair after a leg injury, and had retired from politics.
He was going through an incredibly painful time, and Hestia—watching from close by—wanted to help him avoid future hardships, just as she was trying to improve her own life.
“How is your wife these days? Is she feeling better?”
“Yes, those herbs you sent last time worked really well. She says she feels lighter and even goes on short outings now.”
“That’s such good news. If you ever need more, just let me know—I’ll send more right away.”
“Haha, you’re too kind. My wife said she’d love to have a meal with you sometime. Let me know when you’re in the capital.”
“I’ll make time and visit for sure.”
In the past, Kenneth’s wife had died from a contagious disease.
Hestia was working hard to prevent that outbreak and also sending her good herbs to strengthen her body in advance.
“And you should come to the palace sometimes too. His Majesty says he’d like to speak with you, but you’re always too busy.”
“If His Majesty calls, of course I’ll come as his loyal subject.”
“I mean even when he doesn’t call. Just come visit sometimes.”
When Kenneth mentioned how much the Emperor liked the Winston family, Hestia gave an awkward smile.
She had no intention of becoming closer to Emperor Sylvester than necessary.
‘He’ll come of age next year…’ she thought.
And on his birthday—the Florence Duke’s family would start a rebellion.
“Is the Duke still acting as regent?” she asked, testing Kenneth’s reaction.
“Yes. But now His Majesty handles a lot of things himself.”
The Duke was still the regent, but he had passed many responsibilities to Sylvester.
“At first, I thought the Duke wanted the throne, but I guess I was wrong. I believe he’ll step down as regent once His Majesty becomes an adult.”
Kenneth smiled, saying everything seemed to be going well. But Hestia couldn’t smile back.
‘That’s when the rebellion will happen…’
Kenneth would also get caught up in it, seriously injuring his leg and retiring from politics.
He was known as a loyalist to the Emperor—one of Sylvester’s most trusted nobles.
Compared to others who lost their lives, Kenneth was lucky.
Still, he lost his leg, his political position, and even the master he served. He completely broke down.
‘He was so capable that the Duke even tried to recruit him several times.’
After the Duke took the throne, they visited Kenneth again and again. But he locked his doors and refused to respond.
Hestia had no desire to get swept up in such dangerous power struggles.
Yes, the Duke had rebelled, but he wasn’t a bad ruler. He had taken care of the empire during Sylvester’s youth.
In fact, by the time of the rebellion, the people’s support for Sylvester wasn’t very strong.
Fixing Leonhard’s future and restoring the Winston family were personal to Hestia.
But politics? That was another matter. If she got involved, she could lose everything she had worked so hard for.
Still, part of her wanted to save Kenneth from the storm that was coming.
“With fine young people like Lady Frost and Sir Luciard, the empire will be just fine,” Kenneth said with a hearty laugh.
Feeling brave, Hestia decided to speak up.
“Maybe it’s time for you to retire from politics and let the younger generation lead the empire.”
She meant well—she didn’t want him caught in the upcoming rebellion—but Kenneth might have seen it as rude coming from a young noblewoman.
When he stopped laughing and stared at her, Hestia nervously swallowed and continued,
“You could live quietly in the west with your wife. Or maybe even move to the south—I can recommend a nice area. You’ve seemed more tired lately, so I just… I’m worried.”
As the silence dragged on, Hestia started sweating nervously.
Luciard, sensing the tension, added, “Tia always worries about you, Count. She only said that out of concern, nothing more.”
Seeing how anxious she looked, Kenneth gave a small laugh.
“Alright, I know you two aren’t saying this without a reason. Ha, I really must be getting old if youngsters are worried about me.”
They both let out a sigh of relief.
“Retire, huh… I’ve actually thought about it.”
Hestia’s eyes lit up.
“Then…”
“I was thinking about stepping down after the civil war in Noveli ends and the refugee issue is handled. But His Majesty is still young.”
Her excitement faded at his next words.
“I want to stay by his side until he becomes an adult and the country stabilizes.”
Kenneth still saw Sylvester as his king.
Suddenly, Hestia remembered how in her past life, Kenneth would get drunk and cry out for his wife and the late emperor.
-“I’m sorry, Your Majesty… I couldn’t protect you…”
There were always sobs and apologies coming from his room.
If she said anything more, it might truly upset him.
So, Hestia said nothing more.
“I wasn’t upset. Actually, I’m grateful you worry about me like this. I don’t have any children, so sometimes I feel like you’re my daughter or granddaughter.”
Kenneth had once treated Hestia like a daughter, even asking her to push her wheelchair around. Thinking of that, Hestia suddenly felt emotional.
“…I’m honored that you think of me like a daughter. I’ll take even better care of you from now on.”
“Haha, I’d like that.”
“Hey now, Tia is my granddaughter. You can’t go stealing other people’s grandkids.”
Just then, Melvin, who had been quietly listening, got jealous. Kenneth looked at him with disbelief.
“You already have three grandsons, can’t you share just one?”
“What are you saying? They’re all my precious kids.”
“You’re not even their real grandpa, don’t be so stingy.”
Watching Kenneth and Melvin argue over her, Hestia couldn’t help but burst out laughing.
They were both very dear to her in different ways.
‘I’ll do my best to make sure the people I love can be happy.’
She had already overcome so many challenges. Surely, she could get through this one too.
With that thought, she smiled.
And Luciard secretly watched that smile from the side.
After traveling all day from Byron, they finally arrived at the Larkrin District.
Nowadays, it was better known as Noveli Town.
Before it was developed, Larkrin had been an empty field with some scattered farming attempts, but nothing grew well there. It had been a troublesome place.
But now, it was a proper village, full of people and life.
“Welcome to Larkrin!”
“Be careful getting down, everyone.”
Yovan and Brina got off the carriage first, welcoming the others as if it were their hometown.
Everyone except Hestia, Luciard, Derrick, and Kenneth had never been to Noveli Town before, so they looked around with curious eyes.
“So this is Noveli Town!”
“It definitely looks a bit different from the usual places.”
“Oh? That blanket is so pretty. Mom, can we go look at it?”
The town had a unique feel, and items were only found in the Noveli Kingdom, catching the children’s interest right away.
“I know everyone wants to look around, but we have someone important to meet first. So please be patient.”
“Okay!”
The children responded cheerfully and followed along.
“Alright, we’ll guide you to the village chief. Please follow us.”
Brina and Yovan led the way, and the rest followed while looking around the town.
They saw lots of local crafts like colorful fabrics and ceramics, unique to the Noveli Kingdom.
Unlike the Pastine Empire, Noveli’s style was bold and colorful, with vibrant patterns.
‘No wonder these are so popular.’
Lately, crafts from here had been gaining popularity all over the country.
They truly were works of art.
“Oh! Lady Brina is here!”
“And Sir Yovan too!”
People who recognized them greeted them warmly.
“Gasp! That’s Count Oklin!”
“And Lady Frost is here too?”
“Is something serious going on?”
When the townspeople recognized Hestia and Kenneth, they started to worry something bad had happened.
“I guess we feel like unwanted guests,” Kenneth said with a chuckle.
“It’s probably because we usually only come here when something goes wrong,” Hestia replied.
Although the people saw Kenneth and Hestia as heroes, their visits were always tied to emergencies, which caused misunderstandings.
“We’re here.”
Finally, they reached their destination.
Inside, an elderly lady welcomed them.
“Welcome to Noveli Town, honored guests.”
She was none other than Lavio’s elderly mother.
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• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •By Freya• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •
If you want to support the translation and the translator, you can buy a coffee~
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