Chapter 90

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Translated by Sylph

Read only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net.

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It was a list that had come up immediately after he gave the order.

However, until now, he hadn’t been able to decide, as he was weighing each one.

‘First of all, a place that is easy to reach by carriage would be good.’

Even if they were all places that could be reached within a day from the capital, the surrounding environments were different.

Among them, there were also villas located deep in high mountains.

While one could go to such places by carriage, the roads were rough, so a young child might suffer severely from motion sickness.

‘Besides, such places are dangerous.’

It was terrible just to imagine, but what if she went out to play and fell from a high place?

Clois first excluded villas that had dangerous places nearby.

Next, he checked whether the places were properly maintained.

Even the main palace of the Imperial Palace still had scars from the war.

Naturally, the budget would not have been abundantly allocated to villas that were not in use.

Fortunately, there were many places that regional lords had repaired voluntarily, partly to look good to the new Emperor and partly to erase their friendship with the previous Emperor.

If it weren’t for that, most of the villas would still be abandoned.

‘It’s reported as fine, but it would be better to check in person after all.’

Clois narrowed down the villas while checking them one by one.

Meanwhile, one place caught his eye.

“This is…”

It was a place he had frequented as a child.

While attending the Gifted Center, he hadn’t wanted to return to the main palace.

His father, who had made him the successor but showed no affection for his child.

Other siblings who envied and were jealous of him, and ministers who approached to look good to him.

The main palace was full of nothing but annoying and irritating things.

So, even though it was a distance he could travel to and from the main palace, he stayed in the dormitory of the Gifted Center.

When the Gifted Center went on vacation, he left for the Imperial villas.

Among those villas, there was a place he especially sought out.

It was a villa located in a wide hilly area. The land where soft ridges continued embraced large and small lakes here and there.

A village with a long history, small houses keeping the flow of time, and fields where sheep gamboled.

The lakes were not deep, so even for a young child, there were no big problems with swimming and playing, and various water birds flew in nearby, creating a spectacle as they took flight all at once when night fell.

‘I had planned to go there with Lilian someday.’

When he spent nights on the battlefield, he used to imagine things after the war.

Lilian would stay in the Imperial Palace as the Empress, but he didn’t think she would like that place very much.

At that time, he thought it would be good to go here with Lilian.

A natural environment similar to Lilian’s hometown, always beautiful, clean, and quiet.

If he spent time in a place like this with Lilian and the child to be born, it wouldn’t be too bad even if he lived as a busy Emperor normally.

Because he would be able to feel even happier in those honey-like breaks that would occur occasionally.

Clois examined the documents related to that place for a long time.

Fortunately, it was written that this place had not suffered damage during the war and that the things inside were well preserved.

Since he had stayed there often in his childhood, this place had relatively more things for young children to enjoy compared to other places.

Furthermore, thanks to his saying he wanted to study quietly, his father had even separately decorated a study comparable to an average library.

Furthermore, there was a village of considerable size nearby.

‘At this rate, Evi will probably like it very much.’

He remembered the sight of her being engrossed in watching street vendors during the festival.

If the timing was right, it would be fine to go and see the weekend market of this city together.

‘First, let me check my schedule as well…’

In Clois’s mind, it was already confirmed that Evi was going there.

In that case, shouldn’t he also naturally drop by together?

He tried to remember what he had spent his time doing here during his childhood. Thinking that perhaps Evi would also like those things quite a bit.

Just then, a knock was heard, and the Chief Chamberlain entered.

“Your Majesty.”

“I’m busy now.”

It was a way of saying to report unimportant things later.

“Evi Alden is requesting to see Your Majesty.”

“What?”

At Evi’s name, Clois jumped up from his seat.

Then he passed the Chief Chamberlain, went outside, and looked down the hallway.

“Evi?”

He said she requested to see him, but Evi was nowhere to be seen.

“Where is the child?”

“She is at the Gifted Center. Since she contacted first to ask if she could visit…”

“What does that mean? I surely told her to come whenever she wants if she wishes.”

“I suspect it’s because she couldn’t see you and had to leave before.”

“What do you mean? Couldn’t meet?”

When Clois asked back, the Chief Chamberlain hesitated a bit before opening his mouth.

“In fact, Evi Alden visited here twice last week.”

“What…?”

Clois’s eyes widened. Even without that, he had been waiting all last week for Evi to visit.

He was worried about her being hurt, and although Seraphina had submitted a report, he still wanted to hear directly from Evi whether everything was well resolved.

He was also curious if she had taken her exams well.

But since there was no contact, he was honestly in a state of being worried and disappointed inwardly, but she had visited him?

Twice, at that?

“But why did she leave without meeting me?”

“Both times, because the meetings grew long, she waited and then just went back.”

“Meetings? Ah…”

Because reports about Siren, whom they had missed at the border, came up, emergency meetings had been hastily scheduled.

From the Minister of State and Minister of Foreign Affairs, to Rommel of the Imperial Knights and the Minister of Defense.

Since the matter regarding Siren was more serious and prioritized than anything else, everyone gathered and continued the meeting until late at night.

“Did she come during the meeting about Siren? Even so, if you had told me, I would have come out to meet her.”

Clois looked at the Chief Chamberlain reproachfully.

Even if it was an important meeting, it was enough to come out for a moment to see the child’s face and hear her story.

It was a meeting that proceeded for a long time anyway, and the flow often stopped because there were many things to think about.

Furthermore, the problem concerning Siren always made Clois feel frustrated.

‘He was showing interest in the Imperial family crest.’

He didn’t know why that guy was paying attention to it only now, but that phrase continued to haunt his mind without leaving.

“I also intended to tell you, but Evi stopped me. While doing so, she said she would just wait. She was very worried that she might perhaps interfere with Your Majesty. Then she sat quietly outside for three hours, solving problems in a book while waiting.”

While listening to the Chief Chamberlain’s words, Clois suddenly noticed the fact that he was calling Evi by name only, not Evi Alden.

It seemed they had become quite intimate during the time he was away.

‘Well, she’s a child anyone would like.’

Unless they were those who looked down on others because they were from an orphanage or whatever, who would dislike a well-smiling and kind child?

Then Clois realized something strange in the Chief Chamberlain’s words.

“A book? Solving problems?”

“Yes. It was Advanced Math Volume 2. She looked quite happy.”

“…”

Clois lost his words for a moment. Solving math problems while waiting? And looking happy? For three hours at that?

“Then, as the curfew for the dormitory approached, she said she would be going, and she surely asked me to keep it a secret that she had come and gone.”

“You broke your promise.”

“What else could I do? Loyalty comes first.”

A gentle smile hung on the face of the Chief Chamberlain as he spoke nonchalantly. It seemed he also liked Evi very much.

“So, on the day of the second visit, I suggested. I told her that if she gave notice through a staff member, I would let her know whether Your Majesty could meet her or not. Thinking that in that way, the instances of Evi coming here and waiting could be reduced…”

“Well done. Waiting too much is also something that shouldn’t be done to a child. More importantly, send an answer quickly.”

“Understood.”

After the Chief Chamberlain went out, he quickly tidied up his desk.

‘She will surely like it.’

Had she not said it was her first time going out and sight-seeing like this when they went together during the festival?

Furthermore, she said she had never gone outside that city even when she lived in the orphanage.

‘I hope it becomes a pleasant summer vacation.’

While doing so, Clois recalled his future schedule.

There were meetings and events scheduled periodically, but there was no other particular schedule. In that case, although it might be difficult for a long time, he would be able to make time for a few days.

A moment later, a sound was heard from the hallway, and Evi entered along with the Chief Chamberlain.

“You’ve come.”

Clois approached with a welcome face and spread his arms. Then Evi hesitated for a moment but eventually smiled broadly, spread her arms, and came to be embraced by him.

At the cozy scent of a child, Clois unknowingly smiled.

At that time, Evi said to him.

“Your Majesty, please sign this.”