IFLDMHF | Chapter 112

Episode 112

It was at that moment, as I let out a sigh and quietly wiped the corners of my eyes.

A distant murmur reached my ears.

‘What’s going on?’

The sound was coming from the direction where the children’s carriage was stationed, which only deepened my curiosity.

Although Euclid and I had been caught up in the strange atmosphere—not quite inappropriate for children but still unusual—I had assumed the children would have already left the carriage.

However, instead of marveling at the beautiful lake formed by the melting ice or running across the field covered like a carpet in fresh green sprouts, the children remained inside the carriage.

Even as Anne spread out a mat by the lakeside, busily preparing a picnic by unpacking sandwiches and fruit from her basket, they still hadn’t stepped out.

‘Could something have happened on the way here?’

Concerned, I hurried toward the children’s carriage.

As I approached, I saw that the carriage door was wide open, with Richard and Delano standing in front of it.

“What’s going on?”

Euclid, who had arrived slightly ahead of me, asked about the situation.

“Well… Lady Marianne keeps saying the carriage smells.”

Delano scratched his head as he spoke, making my eyes widen in surprise.

The children’s carriage was none other than the one I had ridden all the way from the capital—the Tower Master’s carriage.

“What kind of smell?”

As I stepped closer and asked, Marianne, who had been sniffing around the carriage like a curious puppy, lifted her head.

“Aunt!”

“I don’t really smell anything.”

I deliberately leaned my head inside the carriage and took a deep breath, but I couldn’t detect any odor.

However, since I didn’t have an especially sensitive sense of smell, it was possible that Marianne was picking up something I couldn’t.

‘If I had known this would happen, I should have just accepted a new carriage.’

Even now, the thought of arriving in the North in a rocket carriage in front of so many people made me cringe with embarrassment. But then again, perhaps the children preferred it over a normal carriage.

‘Now that I think about it, the Tower Master did offer to replace it last time…’

I wasn’t sure if that offer still stood.

Just as I was considering whether to request a replacement if there really was a smell, Marianne hesitated before speaking.

“Well, actually… it smells like money.”

“Huh? What kind of smell?”

“The smell of money?”

Not only me, but everyone, including Delano, reacted with confusion. Seeing this, Marianne’s face turned as red as a ripe strawberry.

As if embarrassed, she clamped her mouth shut, and Dior answered in her stead.

“My sister has a great nose for money!”

“Dior!”

“It’s true! She even sleeps hugging the allowance Aunt gave us.”

A while back, I had allocated a new budget for the children, distributing some of it in actual gold coins.

At the time, Marianne had tried to act nonchalant, but her delight had been written all over her face. I hadn’t realized she cherished it so much that she slept hugging it every night.

“She even finds my hidden stash just by smell!”

Ah, so Dior was upset because his sister had discovered his secret funds.

Seeing him grumble softly, I let out a small chuckle and asked again for confirmation.

“So, you’re saying the carriage smells like money?”

Marianne, who had been bickering lightly with Dior, stopped and answered.

“Yes, it’s been like that since we left.”

“Hm. So, are you looking for money inside now?”

Marianne nodded, her expression turning almost tearful.

“Yes, but no matter how much I search, I can’t find anything. It’s so strange.”

The certainty in her voice made me think there really might be something hidden.

At the same time, I found it hard to believe that the Tower Master wouldn’t have noticed if he had dropped money inside his own carriage.

As I crossed my arms and tapped my fingers, Delano spoke up with an utterly ridiculous theory.

“Magical carriages are incredibly expensive! Perhaps the Lady is simply sensing the wealth infused into the carriage itself?”

What kind of nonsense was that? Even with my abundant financial luck, I didn’t have such an ability.

Noticing my cold glare, Delano shut his mouth and stared off into the distance.

Just then, Euclid, who had been narrowing his eyes in thought, suddenly murmured, “Ah.”

“What is it, Duke?”

“It’s nothing.”

It didn’t seem like nothing.

Sensing that he was hiding something, I stared at him. After a brief cough, Euclid finally spoke.

“Since this is a magic-powered carriage with multiple layers of enchantments, it wouldn’t be surprising if it had a storage spell applied as well. For example, under the seats…”

Was that possible? I wasn’t sure.

But since I always paid close attention to my favorite person’s words, I pondered his theory and suddenly recalled something.

“Now that you mention it, when I was riding in it, my seat felt a bit—”

“Yes?”

“No, I mean, it felt a bit uncomfortable.”

At my words, Delano immediately pressed down on the seat cushion with his hand.

“It’s well-padded and quite soft, though?”

Indeed, the material was top-quality, and nothing stood out as odd.

However, given the slight discomfort I had felt and Marianne’s keen sense of smell, I figured it was best to check thoroughly.

“Could you see if there’s a storage compartment under the seat?”

“I’ll do it!”

Perhaps grateful that I believed her, or maybe just determined to find the money, Marianne quickly reached for the seat.

“I’ll handle it.”

Before she could, Richard, ever the diligent escort knight, swiftly climbed into the carriage, gently pulling Marianne and Dior back. Then, with a firm grip, he lifted the seat.

In that instant, a golden glow filled my vision.

And it wasn’t just a metaphor—the entire carriage was suddenly bathed in the brilliance of gold.

“G-Gold coins?”

Marianne whispered in a trembling voice as she gazed at the pile of gold packed beneath the seat.

Just as she reached out to touch them, as if to confirm they were real, the gold coins suddenly burst upward like popcorn, shooting toward the ceiling of the carriage.

And just before they hit the roof—

For a brief moment, instead of the ceiling, a clear blue sky appeared.

And it wasn’t just the roof.

The entire carriage began to fade, becoming transparent, while the countless gold coins, having soared high, started raining down around us.

I had witnessed many magical phenomena, but never anything so whimsical and enchanting.

Not only me but also Marianne, Dior, and even Richard stood frozen, mouths slightly agape at the dazzling sight.

Among us, the most overwhelmed seemed to be Delano, who, with tears welling in his eyes, reached out as if spellbound and whispered,

“My god… now even a golden rain…”

As Delano had described, the gold coins that had rained down moments ago were now neatly piled beneath the seat once more.

In other words, the sudden burst of coins and the disappearing carriage had all been an illusion spell.

“Could it be… that the Tower Master prepared this as a wedding gift for the Duke?”

Still wiping at his teary eyes, Delano asked with a doubtful expression.

Euclid chuckled softly.

“If that were the case, he wouldn’t have asked for the carriage back in exchange for a new one.”

“Oh, that’s right! The Tower Master isn’t the type to be so generous with money—it was odd from the start. This is definitely suspicious!”

I clearly remembered how reluctant the Tower Master had looked when I refused the new carriage.

Watching Delano’s sudden shift in attitude, I said,

“Then it must have been the Tower’s mages who set up this event without the Tower Master’s knowledge.”

And once he found out, he quietly tried to undo it.

Hearing my words, Delano clapped his hands.

“Wow, if that’s the case, I wouldn’t be able to sleep from the regret! The Tower Master might even be bedridden with grief. How tragic!”

…If you’re going to say that, at least wipe that ridiculously gleeful grin off your face first.