“Ugh…… Urgh……”

Aeli sensed it as the child dry heaved several times while supported on the ground.

Similarly, voices could be heard from where the knights had gathered.

“It seems to be…… gate sickness?”

It was a term used to describe the rare cases when those sensitive to mana had an adverse reaction.

Though described as ‘rare’, in reality there were only a handful of such people in the entire empire. Hence, warp gates were considered to have virtually no side effects.

‘Of all things…… It seems he has both motion sickness and gate sickness.’

Aeli, who hadn’t known her child would be one of those ‘few’, slightly opened her mouth and blinked.

‘There’s no medicine for warp sickness, unlike carriage motion sickness…..’

It was clear that from now on, the child would suffer every time they had to travel somewhere.

Lutis seemed to have the same thought, as he picked up the child who was still sprawled on the ground looking miserable, and patted his back.

“No…… No, elder brother. Don’t pat me, urk…… If you do that I’ll really throw up……”

The child who had experienced the agony of motion sickness twice in a short time weakly clutched Lutis’s collar.

At that, Lutis stopped patting the small back reluctantly and asked the child.

“We need to take the gate once more to get to Rattliff territory. Can you do it?”

“……”

“If it’s difficult, we can wait a bit until you feel better before going again.”

“Just abandon me and go……”

It was no different from saying he’d rather become a lost child than ride that thing again.

Thinking he must have had a really hard time, Aeli sighed and gently stroked the child’s hair.

It was closer to just lightly placing her hand on his head rather than stroking, so that Lutis wouldn’t notice.

Just then, the child deliberately moved his head to nuzzle against her hand, acting spoiled.

Lutis, adjusting his hold on the child, asked the knight commander without even turning his head.

“If we don’t take the warp gate, how long is the remaining journey?”

“The distance we just crossed was the longest part, so it should take about two days by carriage.”

“It’s dangerous to camp with a child without attendants. Are there any stopover points?”

“Since we’ve never made a stopover in this area…… we’ll need to check the map.”

“Find out.”

As soon as Lutis gave the order, several knights left to obtain a map.

As it happened, map placement was essential since location designation was necessary for gate travel. They could probably easily get one from a staff member.

Sure enough, after just a few minutes the knight commander quietly approached and spoke.

“Your Grace, I’ve completed the check. However……”

“Speak.”

The knight commander hesitated as if pondering something, then lowered his voice and said.

“The only territory within traveling distance before sunset today is Viscount Duran’s domain.”

“Duran?”

“Yes.”

“If it’s there, surely……”

“It’s one of the branch families of Marquis Alvarez.”

The Alvarez family was the Empress’s natal family.

Even Aeli knew that after the Empress gave birth to the Imperial Princess and was diagnosed as infertile, the Emperor took several concubines. If even Aeli, who had little interest in gossip, remembered this, it must have caused quite a stir in social circles at the time.

‘I’m sure that’s when Marquis Alvarez gathered his close associates and submitted a petition.’

Because of that, it was said they stamped their attendance cards at the Imperial Palace almost daily for a while, wearing out the threshold.

She hadn’t seen it directly, but had heard bits and pieces through the grapevine. After all, when the Empress gave birth to the Imperial Princess, Aeli was in early pregnancy.

It was when Lutis wouldn’t even let her walk on her own.

‘…… So what if they’re an Alvarez branch family?’

Even if the Empress became infertile, there was no problem since there was an heir. It was only natural for the legitimate Imperial Princess to inherit the throne, as there had been female emperors in the empire before.

Meanwhile, the Emperor’s statement about taking new concubines was blatantly intentional, wasn’t it?

It meant that even if not legitimate, he would put a male child on the throne in the next generation if one was born.

‘If Alvarez stayed quiet after hearing that, they’d be fools.’

It was a very normal and rational action, but Aeli’s eyes narrowed as she couldn’t understand why Lutis was hesitating.

Lutis sighed and said to the knight commander.

“What about other places.”

“There are Count Clair and Baron Hernandez, but in Clair’s case we’d have to take a detour, so it would take a full 3 days to reach the duchy. We’d have to camp at least one night even if we avoid it today.”

“…… And Hernandez?”

“It’s adjacent to Duran so there’s not much difference in distance. It’s a bit farther so we’d arrive after sunset, but we should get there before midnight so the gates won’t be closed.”

“Then let’s go to Hernandez.”

“That……”

As the knight commander trailed off, looking hesitant, Lutis frowned and turned his head. As if to ask what the problem was now.

“That place had its lord replaced a few years ago due to an uprising by the residents over excessive tax collection. It’s not fully recovered yet so public safety isn’t good, and the lord probably isn’t in a position to receive guests.”

“First those guys I sent to trial before departing, now this. Everyone’s got guts these days.”

With discovery meaning execution at the very least, they must have quite an inflated ego to do such things. Lutis muttered while rubbing his brow as if he had a headache.

The knight commander paused for a moment before speaking.

“They are correct.”

“What?”

“Hernandez is a newly ennobled family that was appointed to the territory in place of the executed family after that incident.”

“……”

With those words, Lutis fell silent.

It had been a single choice from the start.

[This is the timeline separator]

“Elder brother! I want this!”

“Don’t run, you might get hurt in the crowd.”

In the end, they arrived at Viscount Duran’s domain just as the sky was starting to darken.

After visiting the viscount’s residence, exchanging brief greetings and enjoying a banquet, what was the reason Lutis was now walking the streets after sunset with the child?

[Your Grace, as you’re probably already aware, agriculture is our territory’s main source of income.] [……]

[And it just so happens that the harvest ended last week, doesn’t it?]

It was simple. Because it was currently festival season.

When Viscount Duran suggested they take a look at the festival that had been going on since last week and was ending today, the child’s eyes sparkled.

He hadn’t even been out, let alone to a festival, so of course he was curious.

So Lutis, unable to resist the child’s pleading, had come out for an evening stroll now.

−That aside, the decisive reason was probably that he didn’t want to stay at the viscount’s castle.

Seeing Lutis nod with a disgruntled look, the answer was clear.

The child, who had been walking beside Lutis at first, was visibly unable to contain his excitement. Lutis stopped the child and said:

“I told you not to run because there are a lot of people. If you disobey one more time, I’ll make sure you can’t walk on your own from then on.”

“But elder brother…… There are so many people, don’t I need to move quickly to see a lot?”

“It’s chaotic during festival season, and crimes happen taking advantage of this. You don’t have the strength to fight back yet, so you need a guardian by your side.”

Thanks to the child’s strong insistence that they’d stand out if seen, making it impossible to properly enjoy the festival, Lutis was now the only one who could be called the child’s guardian.

Lutis retied the thin cloak draped over the child’s shoulders, which reached down to his waist, and spoke. He himself was dressed simply in a light shirt and pants.

“If you don’t promise now, today’s outing ends here. I’ll respect your opinion, so choose.”

“…… Choosing between what elder brother wants and what elder brother wants isn’t respecting my opinion……”

“……”

“R-really……”

“It’s almost bedtime, so let’s go back—”

“I’ll do it! I’ll do it! I won’t let go!”

The child panicked and hit Lutis’s arm as Lutis picked him up.

But it only made a couple of cute patting sounds, so Lutis just looked down at the child quietly.

However the child interpreted that gaze, he glanced at Lutis nervously and gently rubbed the spot he had just hit while blowing on it.

“Hoo…… Hooo……”

“……”

Lutis lowered himself to put the child back on the ground and held out his hand. The child, who had been pouting for a moment, took that hand.

Though they had dressed simply intending not to look like nobles, there was still something a bit awkward about both of them, and Aeli thought as she gently rubbed her chin:

‘At that level, they could easily pass for poor lower nobility or wealthy commoners who could afford to hire a guard.’

As evidence, most of the people passing by the two were trying to sneak glances while pretending not to.

Unaware that the extremely friendly attitudes were due to this, the child and Lutis just wandered around here and there.

After enjoying a few games and street performances, the child’s attention turned to various festival foods and he pointed somewhere. The child looked up at Lutis and said:

“I, I want to try that.”

“Aren’t you already holding food in both hands?”

“…… That melts in your mouth so it doesn’t fill up my stomach!”

“You had dinner and dessert before coming out, and you’re still not satisfied after eating this many snacks?”

It seems I’ve raised a pig. Lutis met the child’s eyes as he spoke words clearly meant to tease for once.

This too was a situation she had experienced before.

[Lutis, look at that! They’re making cotton candy in the shape of a rabbit?] […… In the end, cotton candy is still cotton candy.] [It’s different! You have to taste it to understand, they crystallize honey from Mason territory and mix just a tiny bit into the sugar.] [……] [That honey is expensive so it’s on the pricier side for festival food…… but you absolutely have to try this! I’m telling you, the cotton candy tastes like fruit?]

She had made a big fuss and practically forced the cotton candy into Lutis’s hand.

He didn’t particularly enjoy sweet foods then or now, so it didn’t get much of a reaction.

‘But it was fun.’

Aeli looked up at the child and Lutis. She could no longer join in between them.

“Elder brother……”

The child clutched Lutis’s pant leg and tilted his head back.

Since there was a big height difference, Lutis supported the child’s body as he leaned back and spoke.

He was smiling so faintly it was barely noticeable unless you looked closely.

“This is the last one, promise.”

“Mmm…… promise.”

That’s when it happened.

Thud!

“Ahh!”

The child collided with someone who came running out of a side alley and tumbled to the ground.