The Crown Prince, who had arrived in the northern territory, stayed busy every day.
Not only did he visit the busiest square and the most sparsely populated village in the northern territory, but he also ventured to the monster-filled mountains and personally hunted monsters alongside the knights.
“Truly a remarkable individual.”
The Crown Prince was someone devoid of arrogance.
He mingled well with commoners, was not choosy about his environment, and treated everyone with kindness.
He showed interest in even the smallest matters and was polite to all.
If the Crown Prince continued to grow like this, he seemed destined to become a great Emperor.
“I think so too,”
Fred agreed, appearing to be quite fond of the Crown Prince.
“He’s still far from it,”
Edelmar countered coldly.
As Ian flipped through his paperwork, he commented,
“He’s your nephew. Would it hurt to give him some praise?”
“It would hurt.”
Ian smirked and let out a small laugh before signing the last document and sending Fred away.
“Any news from the annex?”
“None.”
“Hmm.”
Just as Edelmar monitored the annex through Yan, Ian also kept tabs on the occupants through the maids stationed there.
Other than Yekhaterina requesting a pillow replacement on the first day due to a burst pillow, neither of them had made any notable moves.
The Crown Prince left early each morning to tour the northern territory and returned in the evening, while Yekhaterina merely followed him wherever he went.
To ensure nothing suspicious occurred during their outings, Ian had assigned knights to discreetly monitor their movements. However, as of now, nothing had been reported.
“Don’t worry too much. There are still two days left, aren’t there?”
Ian sighed deeply as he spoke.
“Honestly, I’d prefer it if neither of them knew anything about the ‘Flow.'”
“Why?”
“Because they’re pivotal figures in the ‘Flow.'”
Instead of saying ‘male and female leads,’ Ian referred to them as ‘pivotal figures’ while tapping the desk lightly with his fingers.
At that moment, a knock came at the door, followed by Sebastian’s voice.
“May I enter?”
“Come in.”
Sebastian entered the study, bowed lightly, and spoke.
“Lady Yekhaterina has expressed her wish to go on a picnic to the northern mountains with the Crown Prince tomorrow. She also mentioned that it would be nice if Lady Rose could join them.”
Ian and Edelmar exchanged glances, both raising the corner of their lips slightly.
Without taking his eyes off Edelmar, Ian replied,
“Tell her Lady Rose will be busy tomorrow and cannot join the picnic. Also, inform them that preparations for the picnic in the northern mountains will be made.”
“Understood.”
Once Sebastian left, Ian chuckled.
“They’re moving as expected.”
“With two days left, they’ll need to act decisively since they’ll have to leave on the final morning.”
“That’s true. But why send Rose away?”
“If she stays here, they might cause trouble, insisting she should come along.”
“Where do you plan to send Rose?”
“Lord Bernaba will take her wherever he sees fit.”
Since Bernaba was a dragon capable of teleportation, there was no place he couldn’t reach.
Moreover, since Bernaba had been complaining about being cooped up with Rose indoors, he would gladly take her somewhere enjoyable if Ian suggested they leave for the day and return by evening.
“What about the mine? How will you make it disappear?”
“How else?”
Ian called for Ermenia.
With an elegant landing accompanied by a light chirp, Ermenia appeared.
“Ermenia, the mine is located where I told you. Can you conceal it with an illusion?”
– Chirp!
“Then tomorrow morning, create an illusion to hide the entrance. Make sure the illusion is fully realistic, just in case.”
– Chiiirp?
Although Ermenia didn’t speak, Ian understood what it was concerned about.
Ian retrieved a fist-sized magical stone from his inventory and handed it to Ermenia.
“You mentioned you can absorb the spirit energy from magical stones, right?”
– Chirp!
Ermenia hugged the magical stone with its small, glowing paws and rolled over like a cat with catnip.
Despite usually being wary of Edelmar, Ermenia paid him no attention this time.
“Get to work quickly. If it’s not done properly, I’ll take it away.”
– Hiss!
For the first time, Ermenia hissed at Ian before vanishing while clutching the magical stone.
“Why wait until tomorrow morning?”
Ian smiled.
“The knights will bring stones just as large as the original ones tomorrow morning to place at the site. We’ll let their hopes rise to the highest level before plunging them into despair.”
Resting his elbows on the desk and his chin on his clasped hands, Ian added,
“Tomorrow will be quite amusing.”
Edelmar smirked.
***
The white parasol adorned with lace, a pastel off-shoulder dress, and matching lightweight ballet shoes made Yekhaterina look adorable. Her hair was tied into two braids, enhancing her charm.
“What lovely weather we’re having today.”
Her radiant smile made the maids nod their heads in agreement.
However, neither the Crown Prince, the Duke, nor the Grand Duke responded to her comment.
“Please travel safely.”
“Of course. Uncle, I’ll be back soon.”
“Alright,”
Edelmar replied indifferently, waving his hand as if to dismiss them.
The Crown Prince mistook Edelmar’s gesture as a farewell and waved back brightly.
As a courtesy, the Crown Prince escorted Yekhaterina to the carriage. Once he climbed aboard, the knights surrounded the carriage.
“Move out,”
The captain of the knights shouted after completing the safety checks, and the carriage began to move slowly.
Ian watched the carriage leave before turning to walk away, but Edelmar grabbed his arm.
“Grand Duke?”
“Let’s go watch.”
“…What?”
Despite Ian’s questioning tone, Edelmar said nothing and instead dragged Ian to his own room.
Without warning, Edelmar threw a servant’s outfit at Ian.
“Go to the bathroom and change into this.”
“Your Grace, surely you’re not saying we should go to the mountains dressed like this?”
“Yes, that’s exactly what I’m saying.”
Ian sighed heavily.
“What’s the point of doing this?”
“Certainty is best. Even if that person realizes the mine has disappeared, what if they manage to keep a neutral expression?”
“The Crown Prince is nine years old, and Yekhaterina is five.”
Edelmar clicked his tongue in disapproval.
“You said the ‘Flow’ doesn’t change people, but I think differently. The mere act of reversing the ‘Flow’ means that person has changed. Do you really believe someone who has changed won’t be able to control their expression just because they’re young? I think they’d manage just fine. When they arrived at the annex, they both smiled despite failing to secure any mines. Could someone of their original age manage that?”
Ian’s face hardened.
“That’s why we need to confirm this ourselves. If they’re not involved, that’s a relief. But if they are, we need to identify our enemy.”
Ian nodded reluctantly.
“Understood. But…”
“But?”
“I refuse to wear this.”
Edelmar frowned.
“Did you not understand what I said?”
Ian sighed again.
“Your Grace, do you not realize who you are?”
This time, Edelmar looked genuinely confused.
‘Does he really think wearing a servant’s outfit would make him look like a servant?’
Even if it was because of the void in his heart, Edelmar’s indifference to his own identity left Ian exasperated.
“Never mind. Isn’t there a way to approach without wearing a servant’s outfit?”
“And what might that be?”
“Like when we disguised Rose, we can use an illusion.”
“Ah.”
Edelmar smiled brightly.
“In that case, why walk when we can fly?”
“Why?”
“Because I want to.”
At Edelmar’s bold declaration, Ian closed his eyes tightly and then opened them again.
“Fine. Let’s go. Ermenia!”
Ian jumped out of the window first, wings sprouting from his back as he did so.
These wings were larger than before.
Ian extended his hand, and Edelmar grabbed it.
“This feels great.”
‘It doesn’t feel great for me.’
Holding Edelmar’s hand, Ian soared high into the sky.
As they flew, Ian spotted the Crown Prince’s carriage moving below.
Instead of matching the carriage’s speed, they flew quickly and arrived at their destination—the mine.
“So this is how birds feel when they fly.”
Edelmar seemed to be enjoying himself, even with his hair all disheveled from the wind.
Ignoring him, Ian inspected the tent that had been set up for the Crown Prince.
“Where will we hide?”
“Wouldn’t it be better to watch from a tree?”
Edelmar smirked.
“Not a bad idea.”
Ian and Edelmar climbed up the tree with the best vantage point of the mine entrance.
Using Ermenia’s illusion, they concealed themselves completely.
Not long after, the Crown Prince’s party arrived.
“Perfect timing.”
“Shh. If you speak, they might hear us.”
Ian and Edelmar focused their attention on the Crown Prince and Yekhaterina.
The Crown Prince seemed to enjoy the mountain scenery, turning his head this way and that as he took in his surroundings. Meanwhile, Yekhaterina couldn’t take her eyes off the Crown Prince.
Knights stood guard around the tent.
Despite the effort that had gone into setting it up, the Crown Prince showed no interest in entering the tent. Instead, he remained absorbed in his surroundings.
“The weather is nice, and the air is clean. The north truly is wonderful.”
“It’s because it’s spring. If you enjoy being outside, why not lay out a carpet and relax? Eating outdoors can be fun too.”
The Crown Prince nodded at Yekhaterina’s suggestion.
However, the head of the Imperial Knights, standing behind the Crown Prince, spoke firmly.
“That is not possible. Remaining in one spot for an extended time could expose you to potential attacks.”
Yekhaterina responded irritably.
“Isn’t preventing such attacks your duty?”
“I am giving this advice precisely to fulfill that duty.”
“Are you saying His Highness cannot even eat outdoors?!”
The head of the Imperial Knights knelt on one knee.
“I do not mean to be disrespectful, but please do not doubt my loyalty and concern for His Highness’s safety.”
The Crown Prince waved his hand.
“That’s enough. How could I doubt your loyalty? Yekhaterina, let’s drop this. Eating inside the tent isn’t so bad.”
“But……”
Yekhaterina hesitated, her gaze shifting briefly toward something before returning.
“Alright. His Highness’s safety is of utmost importance.”
As the Crown Prince entered the tent, Yekhaterina followed close behind.
Watching the scene unfold, Edelmar lowered his voice and remarked,
“That girl is suspicious.”
Ian nodded in agreement.
