Lucia, with a piercing glare, swiftly entered an empty classroom like a pied piper, carefully selecting only the necessary personnel.

Observing the children following her into the room, Lucia whispered to the two men.

“What on earth were you thinking, doing that in front of everyone?”

The sinners remained silent.

They exchanged glances, hesitating to answer as if delaying the inevitable.

Frustrated, Lucia whispered again.

“Master, did you really have to make such a fuss when it would be revealed anyway? And why did Commander Leon hand it over in that situation?”

Hubert, with a nonchalant expression.

Of course, he only intended to deliver the pledge.

He hadn’t come with the intention of using it for this purpose.

“I apologize. Lucia-nim, since there are children, let’s stop for now and discuss it later…”

“Enough. Commander Leon, no need for apologies. So, how do you endure that situation? You’re going anyway, as you said, so why not a bit earlier…”

When Herbert tried to help the cowering Leon,

“Master!”

“Huh! Didn’t you also stuff that piece of apple pie into Baroness Terrin’s daughter’s mouth? If it’s such a distinguished family, they might make a big deal out of it. It won’t just be overlooked!”

At Herbert’s words, Lucia’s patience reached its limit, and she unexpectedly raised her voice.

“That’s going to be revealed anyway, it’s okay…!”

“There you go. It’s the same.”

The eye contact between Herbert and Leon.

Unable to find words under that gaze, she sighed heavily and turned her head towards the children.

The children, who had been talkative since earlier, seemed more curious than the adults’ rough whispering.

“Are you a queen? Then, Nia is a princess?”

“Wow, Nia, you’re a princess?!”

Ivannu and Roy’s excited voices.

Nia shook her head quickly, saying it was absurd.

The child looked at her mother, but her mother’s eyes were on Leon again.

A very dissatisfied look.

Under that look, Leon, who felt defeated, bowed his head.

“I was wrong. Lucia-nim, I’m sorry. But how could we endure that humiliation! And Leon Commander, why did you give it to her in that situation?!”

Feeling sorry for the cowering Leon who tried to help, Ivannu pulled back.

“Hey, what’s going on? Really, what happened!”

Ivannu, who instinctively noticed the tension between the two adults, pulled back and said.

However,

“Is that important? Whether she’s a princess or a queen. What matters is that Nia is leaving! Even if she’s far away! What should we do!”

Shaal’s small lips, quick in assessing the situation, trembled.

And adults who regretted their actions.

“…”

“…”

The two who were having a glaring match, both coughed lightly, tacitly agreeing to another ceasefire.

And observing this, Caesar, who had been watching, said with a spiritless tone.

“…We failed. It seems that only Commander Leon can have a splendid farewell.”

Although he had decided with words from someone he admired, it was still challenging to overcome the lingering sadness.

However, Leon shook his head.
“…Feel free to be disappointed in me. There’s no such thing as a splendid farewell. If you truly don’t want to part ways, there’s no other way. Just do your best until the end.”

As Leon was gently patting the child’s head, he somehow looked at Hubert with determination.

When Hubert nodded, he said, “Would you take a look at this?”

“…?”

It was a special pass for the Archeis Kingdom.

Before Lucia went to the kingdom, Hubert had deliberately asked the governor for permission on her behalf.

And then, as he began to lie as instructed,

“I’ve dreamed of crossing the continent since I was a child. Of course, the workplace is a bit far, so I’ll be Nia’s knight on the way to and from work.”

“…What? What does that mean now…?”

Nonsense?

Lucia didn’t say anything more behind the children. If it were her, she wouldn’t have expected to obtain that permit so easily, considering her situation, but what was even more suspicious was his last words.

“Oh my! It’s wonderful for our granddaughter! This handsome brother here will take her to kindergarten in that distant place in an instant, so she can easily go to kindergarten!”

“Grandfather?”

Lucia looked at the two with a bewildered expression.

Then she remembered.

Construction that started near the accommodation.

“No way…”

“Recently, magic stones have become cheaper, so I was thinking of building a personal Stonehenge. It turns out it’ll be completed during the winter vacation. Hahaha!”

Lucia was at a loss for words.

And in this awkward situation, Roy pointed his finger at Leon.

“Knight! A chauffeur knight!”

With that word, smiles spread across the faces of the children.

“Now, can Nia go to kindergarten?”

“Really!? Can we keep playing with Nia!?”

“Nia! That’s great!”

From Shaal to Ivannu, even Caesar.

Smiles filled their faces.

Seeing the faces of her friends, Nia, too, looked up at her mother with expectant eyes.

And the children all clung to Lucia with that hopeful gaze.

“Nia’s mom, please allow it! Ivannu said he’d do anything! Yeah!?”