3: The Beasts’ Summer Vacation

Episode 22

Aiden glared at Vitrain as if he had already committed treason, shrugging his shoulders fiercely.

Thinking that this was more of a provocation than a warning, I saw Vitrain completely ignore Aiden and extend his hand to me.

“Your Majesty, shall we go?”

The dog, who had been utterly ignored, was on the verge of baring his teeth.

Vitrain seemed to enjoy Aiden’s reaction, raising the corners of his lips as he looked at me with affectionate eyes.

Worried that this might lead to a biting incident, I extended my left hand, which was not holding Lothania’s, to Vitrain.

With a graceful motion that seemed well-practiced, Vitrain opened the carriage door with one hand and kissed the back of my left hand.

“Your Majesty!”

“Mother!”

Aiden and Lothania shouted simultaneously.

Startled by Vitrain’s lips touching the back of my hand, I turned my head to see both the large and small dogs glaring at Vitrain with similar expressions.

“Why, Lottie?”

Unable to find a reason for Lothania’s spirited call, I hesitated, and Aiden answered in her stead.

“The weather is hot. Please get into the carriage.”

“That’s right, Mother. The sun is scorching.”

Lothania, who hadn’t been bothered by the sunlight until just now, frowned at the hot sun and led me into the carriage.

As I followed the child into the carriage, I noticed Lothania and Aiden exchanging some kind of look.

Those two, they always seem to get along in strange ways.

After Lothania and I got in, Vitrain also entered the carriage, and the door closed.

Suddenly, I saw Aiden’s face through the carriage window, looking like an abandoned dog.

Is this necessary? Once again, I reminded myself that he wasn’t really a dog and that I wasn’t his owner, nor was I abandoning him.

As the carriage started moving and Aiden’s dejected face receded, I found myself unable to take my eyes off him and continued looking out the window.

“The weather is indeed hot today. It’s a good day to start a vacation.”

Vitrain’s voice drew my attention back.

As I turned away from the window to look at him, he closed the carriage window, saying that the hot wind was blowing in.

Then, he handed a brown box, which seemed to have been placed in the carriage beforehand, to Lothania.

Without making a sound, Lothania, who had been warily watching Vitrain, just stared at the box and asked,

“What is that?”

“It’s a gift, Your Highness the Crown Princess. I think you’ll like it.”

“Hmph. I don’t need any gifts.”

Lothania turned her head sharply, hiding behind the arm she was hugging.

Even though she didn’t like the eagle, it didn’t seem right to ignore his gesture, so I gently encouraged her.

“Aren’t you curious what’s inside? Don’t you want to see, Lottie?”

Hearing my words, Lothania slowly turned her head to look at the brown box.

Despite trying to maintain an aloof demeanor, it seemed Lothania was curious about the box.

“What is it?”

“Open it and see, Your Highness.”

With a calm and gentle demeanor, Vitrain pushed the box a little closer to Lothania.

Reluctantly, Lothania accepted the box and opened the lid, revealing clothes of an unknown purpose inside.

A summer dress? The material and design were a bit unusual for a dress, but it was definitely clothing.

It looked like a tiny outfit suitable for a newborn. What could it be?

“What is this?”

Lothania asked, tilting her head in confusion.

Vitrain leaned forward to meet Lothania’s eye level and answered with a smile.

“It’s a swimsuit for Mr. Rabbit. You brought him along this time, didn’t you?”

“Mr. Rabbit?”

Wondering what he meant by a rabbit, I turned to see Lothania’s face turning bright red with embarrassment.

Judging by her reaction, it seemed Vitrain’s gift was well-received, but had Lothania been raising a rabbit?

Can a rabbit even wear a swimsuit?

While I was still puzzled, Vitrain chuckled and answered in Lothania’s stead.

“It’s the Crown Princess’s beloved stuffed toy.”

“Don’t say that!”

Lothania, holding the swimsuit for Mr. Rabbit dearly, shouted urgently.

“Lottie, do you have a beloved stuffed toy? Is it a rabbit toy?”

“Well… uh… I don’t play with it anymore. Lottie has grown up! I don’t need such things.”

Despite her claim, Lothania was still clutching the swimsuit tightly.

Realizing she was embarrassed to admit that she still played with toys, likely because of her determination to grow up quickly and protect me as she always said, I gently stroked Lothania’s now-red face and said,

“Really? I slept with my beloved stuffed toy until I was seventeen.”

“Really? Until seventeen?”

“Yes. I couldn’t fall asleep without it. I sleep well on my own now, though.”

“Mother, you did that too?”

“Absolutely.”

Seeing me smile widely, Lothania finally looked relieved.

Then, in a low voice, so Vitrain couldn’t hear, she confessed that she still slept with Mr. Rabbit. She said it was probably following us, tucked in Anna’s arms, in the carriage behind ours.

When I asked her to introduce it to me, she smiled and promised to show it to me tonight.

Holding the swimsuit tightly, she chatted away and eventually fell asleep with her head on my lap.

“She must not have slept well last night.”

I fanned Lothania and murmured to myself.

She had been so excited that she probably couldn’t sleep properly.

Vitrain took the fan from my hand and fanned both Lothania and me as he spoke.

“Did you sleep well, Your Majesty?”

“I always sleep well.”

“Even without a beloved stuffed toy.”

Watching Lothania’s face, I lifted my gaze to Vitrain.

A pleasant smile was on his face.

Though I had a beloved stuffed toy as a child, I didn’t sleep with it until I was seventeen.

I had said it to comfort Lothania, who was embarrassed, but now Vitrain was smiling so much that even his eyes crinkled.

“You have a surprisingly cute side.”

Unable to admit that I had lied in front of the child, I glared at Vitrain and changed the subject.

“You’ve brought an unexpected gift. A swimsuit for a stuffed toy is quite surprising.”

“My niece gets new outfits for her stuffed toys every season, so I thought of it.”

“You’re more considerate than you seem.”

“I am.”

Half-jokingly, I had said it, but Vitrain answered without changing his expression.

The eagle was more shameless than he seemed.

While the shameless eagle fanned us, the carriage left Brincia.

It would take about seven hours to reach Lingrove, the small village where the summer palace was located.

Since it was impossible to stay cooped up in the carriage for seven hours straight, we planned to stop for lunch and a short rest at Alpow, the midpoint.

As the sun climbed high and we began to feel hungry, we entered Alpow.

For our safety, the royal family had pre-booked a restaurant.

While Vitrain and the guards inspected the restaurant, Lothania and I chatted after she woke from her nap. The carriage door then opened.

Vitrain, with a grim expression, extended his hand to me, prompting me to ask what was wrong.

“An uninvited guest has appeared.”

“An uninvited guest?”

I asked, taking Vitrain’s hand to step down. He sighed and looked towards a certain direction.

Following his gaze, I saw a handsome horse that seemed vaguely familiar.

And atop the horse was a boy, even more handsome than the horse, smiling awkwardly.

“Master Melbrid?”

“Melbrid?”

Lothania quickly descended from the carriage, looking around until her eyes met Melbrid’s.

Melbrid dismounted awkwardly and approached us, saying,

“Wow. Your Majesty the Empress, Your Highness Lothania. To meet you here. What a coincidence. Ha. Ha. Ha.”

Unlike his brother, who could fabricate stories without batting an eye, Melbrid Zernia was a terrible actor.

“What are you doing here?”

“Just, passing by. Saw people gathered. Came to see. And found Your Highness here.”

“Passing by? Where exactly would you be going to pass by here?”

“Well, that is…”

“Mel, are you going to lie?”

Lothania crossed her arms and sternly questioned him, causing the gentle-looking boy to hang his head in apology.

“I’m sorry, Your Highness the Crown Princess. I just wanted to join you for the summer festival again…”

Hearing Melbrid’s confession that he wanted to go to the summer festival with us, Lothania’s stern expression softened.