~Chapter 28~
“Do you really have to go? Is there some issue with the Duke getting married…?”
“Yes, there is.”
“I’ll follow whatever you decide, but since you’re not in the best shape, wouldn’t it be better to rest for a bit?”
“You’re being quite talkative today, Shun.”
I knew that everything he said was out of concern for me, so I didn’t take it negatively.
“It’s not just because of the injury. You’ve always been so busy, without time to rest. I just thought this would be a good chance for you to take a break.”
“I’m fine. Thanks for worrying.”
Even though Shun still looked concerned, I assured him that I was okay and sent him back to the palace.
He was a loyal subordinate, always thoughtful.
Anyway, that’s how I ended up here.
The only person who knew I secretly followed Latryne was Shun.
Everyone else probably thinks I’m comfortably resting at Latryne’s mansion.
After telling the mansion staff to take good care of Sertien, I packed my things and left.
I couldn’t let Latryne go through with the marriage.
From the start, he didn’t want it, and it bothered me that they were trying to force him into it.
And there was no way I could accept him getting married and leaving Sertien behind.
I did think Latryne would refuse the marriage on his own, but based on our last conversation, it was clear that wouldn’t work.
At times like this, I needed to step in and help.
Besides, Shun had told me something concerning:
“But there are rumors that Princess Sylvia is happy with the marriage to the Duke.”
“Really? Why? Have they even met?”
“I’m not sure, but they say they might have met a long time ago.”
If the other side didn’t want the marriage, it would be one thing, but hearing that she did made it obvious why the elders were pushing so hard for it.
In the distance, I could see the delegation, including Latryne, boarding the train.
Although this was supposed to be an important exchange event, it didn’t seem like there were many people.
Latryne… and the person next to him was the young Count Cloud, still in his twenties.
He was about my age, if I remember correctly.
“This delegation is really young,” I thought absentmindedly.
I didn’t have time for random thoughts. I needed to board the train quickly.
“Mom, are we going on a trip?”
“No, it’s not a trip… Seri?”
I was so startled by the sudden voice that I almost fell over.
Right next to me, smiling brightly, was Sertien.
Wait, why is he here…?
“Seri! Why are you here?!”
“I followed you because you were sneaking out! Are we going on a trip?”
I held my head in my hands at the sight of Sertien’s innocent face asking that question.
“Well…”
I didn’t know what to do.
There wasn’t much time left before the train was supposed to depart, so I didn’t have time to take Sertien back to the mansion.
By now, the mansion must be in chaos, realizing Sertien was missing.
Why does everything have to be so complicated?
There was no other choice. I had to take Sertien on the train with me.
At least Shun had reserved an entire compartment for me, so we could board without any problems.
“Seri, did you put on those clothes yourself?”
Sertien, wearing mismatched clothes, proudly spread his arms when I asked.
“Yep! I dressed myself! Isn’t that amazing?”
“It’s really amazing!”
Even though I said that, I could tell he had just grabbed random clothes, so I was already thinking I’d have to change him when we arrived in Sylvia.
“The train will be departing shortly, so any passengers who haven’t boarded yet, please do so now!”
Holding Sertien’s hand, I heard the stationmaster’s announcement.
There was no more time to waste.
I led Sertien toward our reserved compartment.
“Wow… What is this? It’s so cool.”
It seemed like this was Sertien’s first time on a train. As soon as we got on, he started looking around curiously.
Although we weren’t in the same carriage as Latryne, I was worried he might notice that we had followed him, so I stopped Sertien from wandering around.
“Seri, you’ll bother the other passengers if you wander around. Let’s go to our room together.”
Even after entering the room, Sertien’s excitement didn’t stop.
He seemed fascinated that there was such a room on the train.
He ran around, jumping up and down, and when the train started moving, he looked out the window, clearly thrilled.
“Mom! The room is moving!”
“Yeah, the room is moving, isn’t it?”
As long as we stayed in the room, I didn’t think there was any risk of being caught by Latryne, so I just watched Sertien enjoying himself.
The people who saw me in the royal palace probably wouldn’t recognize me now, even if they saw me. After all, I was wearing a light, flowy dress, different from the usual uniform-style clothes I wore there.
Since I still hadn’t fully recovered, I started to feel tired.
“Seri, don’t leave this room, okay?”
“Okay.”
I told Sertien not to leave the room and closed my eyes to get some rest.
Even though I was pretending to sleep, I was still alert to sounds and sensations around me.
I’ve never been able to sleep comfortably outside like this.
That’s why, even while dozing off, I could sense what Sertien was doing nearby. At some point, I heard the door open.
‘I knew he wouldn’t listen to me.’
I opened my eyes and got up to look for Sertien.
“Seri…?”
I called out to Sertien in a small voice, but he was nowhere to be seen.
‘…If Latryne finds out, we’re in big trouble…’
Thinking that, I headed to the far end of the carriage.
Fortunately, Sertien hadn’t gone too far; he was there.
I approached him, feeling relieved, but then I noticed there was a man standing in front of Sertien.
From a distance, I saw Sertien smiling and talking to him.
Could it be that Latryne had already found us? I rushed over, but the man in front of Sertien was someone I hadn’t expected at all.
“Seri, who are you talking to?”
“Hello, I didn’t expect to meet you here. I guess it’s fate?”
“…Your Highness!”
Once again, it was Ered, dressed in a way that didn’t make him look like a prince at all.
Why was Ered here?
I was so surprised that I instinctively called him “Your Highness,” but as soon as I did, he quickly covered my mouth with his hand.
“Don’t call me that out loud. It’ll cause trouble if people find out.”
He still didn’t want people knowing he was a prince.
But…
“Then, what should I call you?”
“Just call me by my name. Hardly anyone calls me by my name, so not many people even know it.”
“Really? But how can I call you by your name?”
“Why not? Sertien calls me uncle. Why can’t you call me by my name too, right, Sertien?”
“Yeah, Uncle!”
Sertien, completely unaware, was excited to see someone he knew.
Does he even know what he’s saying…?
Now that I think about it, it’s been a while since I last saw Ered’s face.
I reluctantly agreed to his request to call him by his name.
“Okay, but if I call you by your name, don’t change your mind and accuse me of disloyalty later.”
“Of course not. I’m a very forgiving person.”
“Anyway, why are you here? Don’t tell me you’re part of the delegation going to Sylvia?”
Nervously, I asked, but luckily, that wasn’t the case.
“No way… Does my outfit look like I’m here on official business?”
“Well, no…”
“Besides, you know I hate appearing at official events. I’m just on a trip. A vaca-tion.”
“…Ered…”
“What?”
At the mention of a “trip,” I suddenly thought of something, and my eyes narrowed as I called his name.
Ered, and even Sertien, seemed a bit scared by my expression.
“Did you sneak out of the palace again?”
“….”
His silence meant I was right.
Recalling all the trouble he caused every time he disappeared, I spoke with frustration in my voice.
“Do you have any idea how much trouble you cause when you disappear? You need to go back to the palace right now!”
“Mom… you’re scaring me…”
“Wait, how am I supposed to go back? The train’s already left!”
“Then get off at the next station and figure it out!”
Flustered by my tone, Ered pointed at me and spoke.
“Hold on, hold on… Didn’t you sneak onto this train too? Judging by the way you’re acting, that seems to be the case.”
“…”
“Aha! That’s why you were so nervous when you saw me. You thought I was Latryne or something.”
“…”
“You’re doing the exact same thing as me, and yet you’re telling me to go back?”
“…This is my first time, but Your Highness… I mean, Ered, you’ve done this so many times!”
“Oh really…?”
The look in Ered’s eyes seemed to ask if I was really sure I wanted to keep pushing this.
He seemed ready to go tell Latryne everything if I kept pushing him.
Seeing that look, I had no choice but to say:
“Fine. But you have to stay with me.”
“Why would I?”
“Because I never know when you’ll disappear! Why are you even on this train in the first place?”
“To go to Sylvia, of course. But are we really going to keep talking here? If someone overhears that we’re on this train, don’t blame me.”
Now that he mentioned it, he was right.
Even if it wasn’t Latryne, someone else could hear us, and that would be a problem.
Reluctantly, I led Ered back to the room I had been in moments before.
