And Winfred couldn’t turn down that offer.
From what he heard at first glance, he knew that commoners were free to date and had a lot to see and hear. It seemed like it would be helpful if Binka could give him some advice.
“Really? Please! ah! Not now, later. It’s time for economics class soon.”
He accepted her offer with a bright voice, feeling reassured as if he had won a thousand battles. Then, he found his assignment among the documents piled up on his desk, held it in his arms, and left the room.
The steps were light as if walking on clouds.
And Binka, who was left alone, looked at Winfred’s back and smiled with satisfaction. However, that smile was a little different from the innocent smile she showed in front of the crown prince.
It was a sinister smile as if there was something else going on.
* * *
Ophelia was looking at a picture in the dark, relying on a small lamp. It was a portrait of her daughter drawn by Winfred.
The secret space hidden behind the alcove in the duke and duchess’s bedroom was good for not being exposed to light, but it wasn’t a good place to store paintings as it wasn’t well-ventilated.
However, this painting should not be seen by others.
For the safety of her daughter, who could only see the picture then, she had no choice but to hang it in this narrow and humid space and enjoy it.
‘Our beautiful daughter… … .’
She looked at the painting with tearful eyes and carefully stretched out her hand. It was a gentle movement as if she was caressing her daughter’s cheek.
However, she could not feel Ayla’s soft skin or its warmth in the picture. She could only feel the rough texture of the canvas.
At that unfamiliar feeling, tears eventually fell from Ophelia’s eyes.
The reason she was crying in this small space right now was because her daughter appeared in her dream last night.
It was not unusual for Ayla to appear in her dreams. After she had lost that child, the child appeared in her dreams every night.
But yesterday’s dream was a little different.
Ayla always appears as if time has stopped, just as she was when she lost it.
Yesterday, it appeared as if it had grown up like this picture.
No, she appeared as if she had grown up a little more than in this picture, that is, looked similar to the current child, and she silently looked at Ophelia with sad eyes as if she wanted to say something, and then quietly walked away.
There must have been a reason why her daughter appeared in the dream like that.
After staring at the portrait of her daughter, whom she missed even in her dreams, she took out something that looked like a small hand mirror from her pocket.
It was a magic tool that allowed communication with Candace, a grateful friend who had traveled to a faraway country to track Ayla’s whereabouts.
When she activated the communication port, there was a signal for a while and Candace’s face appeared in the area where her face was reflected.
“Yo, buddy! Why did you contact me?”
The happy friend grinned, showing her teeth, and then widened her eyes when she saw the sadness on her face.
“Did you cry? What’s wrong with your face?”
“No, I didn’t cry.”
Ophelia spat out a simple lie. Her red eyes, nose, and hushed voice were those of someone who had cried a lot.
And her sweet friend fell for her lies. No matter how close they were, there were times when she didn’t want to show her sadness.
“Anyway, why?”
“Where are you now? Is it still the Kingdom of Inselkob ?”
“Oh, yes. When I looked at the map, I thought it was just a small country, but when I looked around, it was bigger than I thought.”
Candace frowned, saying she didn’t know it would be this hard. Then she heard an unfamiliar male voice next to her.
“Ah, sister! What a booger! “I feel sad for the residents of a country where only snot is heard!”
“Bernie, go away. We’re talking now!”
And at that sight, Ophelia burst into laughter. Whenever she shed tears thinking of Ayla, strangely enough, she kept smiling, thanks to Candace.
“Who is this?”
“There you are, a subordinate I just happened to find.”
Candace grumbled with a sad expression.
“Your subordinate? what on earth happened?” Ophelia smiled slightly and told her about the purpose of the contact.
“Candace, that’s right. Now… I think I can stop looking.”
“What? What are you talking about?”
She hadn’t been able to meet Ayla yet, let alone go near her, so she could stop looking for her. It was an incomprehensible statement.
“Have you already found it?”
“No, that’s not it.”
In response to her friend’s question, Ophelia quietly gathered her thoughts. It was because she didn’t know how to explain this.
“Somehow… I don’t think it’s there.”
Strangely enough, From the moment she woke up, Ophelia had this feeling. It seemed like Ayla had already returned to the Empire.
She sometimes had this clear premonition.
It was like that a long time ago when she was dispatched to the Empire as a researcher at the Magic Academy. As she was leaving her beloved hometown, she had a feeling that she would never go back there again.
That premonition was exactly right, and it turned out that way.
Now that she had reconciled with her family, she would be able to visit her hometown someday, but it would never be the same.
Now, the Peles Empire is her home.
“Is it that ‘premonition’ again?”
Candace, who knew that Ophelia’s premonitions were sometimes surprisingly accurate, sighed in a steamy voice.
The fact that she had come to this faraway country and had to return without being able to find Ayla made her feel discouraged.
Although Ophelia didn’t always get everything right, she did get it right when she talked about things related to herself with such confidence.
“Your premonition is also a premonition… … because it’s the perfect time for her to return to the Empire.”
Candace sighed and nodded.
A while ago, when Bernie heard from a fellow intelligence dealer that the Sekim tribe had invaded the Empire and war broke out, that was the first thing she thought of.
This means that Byron may take advantage of this opportunity to enter the Empire.
“Okay, if that’s what you mean…” … Well, now is the time to come back.”
Since her home country was already clamoring for her to return quickly, she was thinking about going back soon.
When Candace responded that she would do so, Ophelia hung up after thanking her numerous times.
If she stayed in the secret space for too long, she would get suspicious, so she thought she should go out then.
Ophelia looked at her daughter’s portrait again. Like when she woke up in the morning, then she again had a strong premonition.
She had a feeling that there would not be much time left until she would be reunited with Ayla.
* * *
“Uh… … Did you hear that? That’s how it happened.”
Candace, who put a hand mirror-shaped communication device in her pocket, looked at Bernie. He was looking at her with his eyebrows drooped in the shape of an eight and a sad expression.
“Are you going, sister?”
While traveling throughout the Inselkob Kingdom in search of Candace, their relationship became quite close, and they seemed very disappointed to be parting ways like this.
“Yes, because I also have a full-time job.”
She had been away for too long.
“Is it your main job? Now that I think about it, I don’t even know what my sister does.”
Bernie’s expression, which was already glum, became even sadder. He looked like a puppy that had lost its owner.
“Um, that’s right, haha.”
Candace smiled awkwardly and scratched her head. At first, she didn’t say anything because she thought it would be dangerous to reveal her identity to a stranger, but after becoming friends, she never found the right time to talk.
She didn’t know for sure but Bernie seemed to believe that Candace was working in a similar industry to him. If she told him, ‘Actually, I am the Chairman of the Wizard Council of the Republic of Tamora,’ wouldn’t it be clear that he would move on?
“Hey, sister. if… … Can I come along too?”
However, Bernie suddenly made this suggestion with sparkling eyes.
“Are you going to follow me? me? Arthur, Arthur…. They knew what kind of person I was and would turn their backs on my hometown.”
When Candace, who had never imagined that he would go so far as to leave Inselkob with her, tried to comfort him. Bernie stuck out his mouth and mumbled dissatisfied.
“Is there anything that a wanderer like me can call home? I have no family and although the Inselkob Kingdom is my hometown, I have no place to attach it to.”
“… … Hmm.”
At that answer, Candace was lost in thought for a moment.
In fact, during the time they spent together, she received a lot of help from his friendliness and intelligence. She thought it wouldn’t be a bad idea if she could borrow his power even when she returned to the Republic of Tamora.
Of course, unlike before, she will have to collect information only in legal areas, and she will have to start from zero in an unfamiliar country without any acquaintances or informants.
Looking at his experiences so far, he appears to be a talented person with the ability to gather information among monkeys even if thrown on a deserted island.
So, wouldn’t it be possible to adapt well to a foreign country that he was unfamiliar with?
“Okay? Well, I guess so, then?”
When Candace said that while adjusting her glasses, Bernie looked very moved.
He said he has finally met a superior who truly recognizes his abilities.
Candace smirked sinisterly as she stared at the Bernie-like method. She told herself she would gather as much information as possible from him.
