Initially, she is skeptical when asked to investigate Byron, Cloud, and their group as there is a possibility that her lost daughter might be associated with them.
And since her daughter could be in danger, she asked her to keep it a secret.
‘… … I even had no idea that the informant that His Majesty the Crown Prince met was Ayla.‘
Alexia, who was escorting the Crown Prince’s carriage on a majestic war horse, clicked her tongue as she looked at Winfred, who was hanging from the window and looking outside.
This was because she regretted not having taken action sooner if Winfred had revealed the informant’s identity to her rather than keeping it a secret.
Ophelia and Roderick, who have been waiting for news about their daughter for 10 years, would have been able to deliver the news about their daughter sooner.
“… … Why, why is that so? Sir Dexen?”
Winfred received Alexia’s glare and asked with a frightened expression.
“No, Your Highness. “It’s dangerous, so don’t stick your head out the window,”
Alexia said in a friendly voice as if asking when she had looked at him so harshly. Winfred then answered with a downcast expression that he understood and then sat quietly in the carriage again.
In any case, Winfred didn’t hide it with bad intentions, and he said he did it to protect Ayla’s secret.
The Crown Prince’s carriage drove slowly through the city and soon arrived at the Duke of Weishafen’s residence. He had visited it not long ago and came back to visit again in less than a few weeks.
As an escort, Alexia came along since she had something to tell Rodrick, but Winfred couldn’t understand why she was so anxious that she hurried into the building as soon as she got off the carriage.
“… … Oh. that’s right!”
After running in such a hurry, Winfred quickly ran back to the carriage as if he had left something in it. He quickly took something out of the carriage, held it carefully in his arms, and headed back into the mansion.
“I will take it, Your Highness.”
“No. I will lift it.”
It seemed like it was a very precious item that he stubbornly held in his arms, even though the servant next to him held out his hand.
He was curious as to why he was hiding it so desperately, but he couldn’t ask because Winfred kept his mouth shut.
And after a while.
“Wow, my stomach has grown quite a bit now!”
Winfred exclaimed in amazement as he looked at Ophelia’s bulging lower abdomen wearing comfortable maternity clothes.
This was because it was an amazing experience for Winfred, who had no biological brothers or cousins and was seeing everyone for the first time.
Of course, he saw Ayla and Bradley being born when he was very young but he was too young to remember.
Since his hair grew thick, no one around him had experienced pregnancy or childbirth, so this was his first time.
There’s a child inside this.
Winfred knew how humans are born from books, but Winfred’s eyes sparkled because it was his first time seeing it in person.
Doesn’t this mean that Ayla’s younger brother is inside Ophelia’s stomach?
Is it a girl who looks like Ayla, or is it a boy?
As he was just looking at Ophelia’s bulging belly with excitement, he heard an unfamiliar female voice from behind.
“Is this His Royal Highness the Crown Prince of the Empire?”
When he turned his gaze towards the sound, there was a tall woman standing there wearing a plain white shirt and cotton pants.
At first, Winfred felt confused as he didn’t know who she was, but then he remembered that a guest from Tamora was staying at the Duke’s house.
“This is my first time meeting you, Your Highness the Crown Prince. My name is Candice Epocher from the Republic of Tamora.”
“Hello. I heard that you are the Chairman of the Wizard Council of the Republic of Tamora. My name is Winfred Ulysses Vito Pheles.”
He just came to have fun with a light heart and saw Ophelia and Roderick.
Suddenly, it became a summit meeting between the Crown Prince of the Peles Empire and the Chairman of the neighboring Republic of Tamora, so Winfred accepted Candice’s handshake with a stern expression.
Since Emperor Hiram was alive and well, Winfred could not be said to represent the Pheles Empire, but in any case, it still felt heavy as it was a meeting between the crown prince of a great country and the leader of a country.
However, his tension was broken in less than a minute. Candice was indeed… …. It was because he had a familiar atmosphere as if he had seen her many times before.
No, it wasn’t something he saw a lot, but it was very similar to what people he saw every day.
It was his father, Hiram.
‘… … ‘This is worse than my father.’
In the way he put his arm around Ophelia’s shoulder and giggled, not a single gram of the weight of the leader ruling a country could be seen.
It wasn’t that he didn’t like it. It was just unexpected.
Winfred seemed to laugh as he watched the friendly exchange of jokes with Ophelia.
“So what brought you here today?”
Ophelia asked kindly.
It wasn’t a place he couldn’t come to just because he didn’t have a business, but he thought there might be some business since he came here in a hurry because it hadn’t been long since he had been there.
“… … ah. that is.”
And her thoughts were correct, and Winfred looked around with an expression that seemed to have something to say.
It seemed like it was a story that could be heard around.
Ophelia noticed this, and hurriedly sent the employees out. Now, the Duke and Winfred, as well as Alexia and Candice, were the only people in the drawing room.
However, Winfred still kept his mouth shut. It seemed like he was worried about the presence of Alexia and Candice.
At this, Roderick opened his mouth in a serious voice.
“If it’s about Ayla, it’s okay. Everyone here knows that she exists.”
Winfred’s eyes widened as if he didn’t know that. Eventually, the surprised expression disappeared and worry took its place.
Ayla had told him to keep it a secret from others, but he was worried whether it would be okay for so many people to know.
“Don’t worry. They are both trustworthy people.”
Ophelia said, soothing Winfred.
Candice was Ophelia’s best friend, and Alexia was Roderick’s trustworthy colleague.
“I see. Actually, I came here because I wanted to give you something.”
Winfred held out a picture frame made of paper. It was an item that he stubbornly kept in his arms even though he held out his hand to take it.
“What is this?”
He already gave her all the pregnancy congratulatory gifts. Roderick asked in a puzzled voice about the sudden gift.
However, Winfred did not answer that question and only blushed.
“… … Open it and you will find out.”
Why is he so embarrassed? Roderick, who couldn’t understand the meaning, carefully opened the paper packaging that wrapped the picture frame with Ophelia.
and.
“… … This.”
The couple looked at the picture frame Winfred held out as if fascinated.
“Are we Ayla?”
Roderick’s blunt voice was somehow wet and submerged. Winfred nodded, looking around in an embarrassed mood.
Under the dark night sky, white hair shines as bright as the moonlight. And deep sea-colored eyes that seem cold but contain warmth inside.
It was a picture of Ayla wearing a fluttering lace nightgown.
‘… … They say you’ve been locking yourself in your room these days and drawing without others knowing. You were drawing this.’
While the couple was looking at the picture with watery eyes, Alexia was alone in thought, rubbing her chin as if her doubts had finally been resolved.
Although she is busy with the crown prince’s education and work, she spends most of his sleep at night drawing pictures, so she wonders what he was doing.
It was truly wonderful to have prepared such a delicate surprise gift.
Everyone’s eyes looking at Winfred were extremely warm.
“You two haven’t seen how Ayla grew up. I think they only remember what she looked like when she was two… … .”
He’ll be able to meet in person when he comes back someday, but until then, he hopes to soothe his longing through pictures.
It was a picture that he had been drawing little by little for several weeks, avoiding the eyes of others.
Despite the chilly weather, the living room exuded warmth, thanks to his kind heart, making it feel like spring had come. Roderick and Ophelia’s eyes twinkled with tears.
“Wow! “Your Majesty the Crown Prince. You are really good at drawing. You still have a long way to go before you can follow me!”
However, that atmosphere was completely broken by Candice’s playful words.
In fact, Candice did it on purpose to change the mood because she thought Roderick and Ophelia were going to cry, but Winfred, who had no way of knowing him, stuck out his lips.
He was quite proud of his drawing skills but was offended by the remark that he had a long way to go to catch up.
“Does Director Epochere also draw? Let’s see. How good is she at drawing?”
“Look at this. “Isn’t it cool?”
“no way. “Is this a painting too? It looks like children’s doodles?”
“Isn’t it true that Your Highness is still young and doesn’t know art?”
The exchange was so comical that even Roderick and Ophelia, who were in tears while looking at the picture, ended up bursting into laughter.
Although Candice and Winfred had a significant age difference, they became close friends in an instant.
Before they knew it, they were sitting in front of the easel facing each other, saying they would draw each other.
The sight of them peeking over each other’s easels, giving and receiving, was so enjoyable that Ophelia and Roderick were watching the scene in a happy mood.
She hadn’t felt this comfortable in a very long time.
He was happy to find evidence that Ayla was alive, but he felt frustrated because he couldn’t tell where the child was exactly.
He was able to let go of the worries and worries that were weighing heavily on his heart, even if only for a moment.
It was a time when he was having such a good time.
“Your Excellency the Duke. I have something important to tell you.”
Alexia tapped Rodrick on the shoulder and whispered secretly in his ear.
