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nVellian thought he was loyal in his own way.

nHe always had the heart to advise His Majesty the Emperor whenever necessary.

n‘But if you inherit the pension like that, it would be against the equity… It’s better to think again.’

nBut in this situation, he prefers to be silent.

n‘Well, I can’t help it. Anyway, no one can object to His Majesty. However, if there is a problem… is that Lady Astelle, the person concerned, will never accept it.’

nAnd there was another problem.

nThe appearance of Astelle running through the rain kept coming to his mind.

nThe expression in the cold rain kept on his mind.

n‘No matter how much I think about it, there seems to be something wrong with the child. Is he really sick?’

nIt doesn’t matter if it’s simply a chronic disease that can’t be spoken, but if it is a contagious disease, there is a problem.

nHe continues to go with His Majesty the Emperor, but what if there ia a suspiciously ill child near the emperor?

n‘I don’t know what it is, but I suspect she’s hiding something.’

nVellian thought as he watched the fast passing landscape.

nIt seems like it would be good to take a chance and find out properly.

n* * *

nThe scene of a peaceful forest quickly passed through the window.

nThe party was running along the forest road.

nIt was a little late than expected, but now it is said that it will arrive at the destination in three more days.

nAstelle sighed, leaning against the back of the chair.

nAfter being nervous for several days, she was tired and her head was heavy.

n‘But it’s all done now.’

nA lot has happened in a short time, but this hardship is over in just a few days.

nEven in the midst of tiredness, a sense of relief came.

nThe dog lying on the floor raised its head when it heard Astelle move.

nThe bead-like clear eyes stared at her.

nAstelle smiled bitterly at that cute appearance.

nIt was good to use her grandfather to get the emperor’s permission.

nIt was a little off the plan that Kaizen and everyone else went together, but it was better than spending time together in the rain and stuck in the Maern Castle.

nAnyway, she’ll be able to send Theor back as long as she gets to Denz Castle.

nBut as soon as she started preparing for the departure, a small obstacle arose.

nJust before the departure, Astelle cautiously soothed Theor, who was holding his cry.

n“We have to go a long way, but wouldn’t it be hard for a dog? And this dog’s hometown is here.”

n“……”

nTears filled in Theor’s blue eyes.

n“His Majesty said it was a gift…”

nTheor was not a stubborn child.

nHe usually quiet and listened well.

nHe was always convinced if she explained carefully why he shouldn’t even be stubborn.

nBut this time he didn’t give up so easily.

nTheor cried and hugged the dog’s neck with his arms.

nHe felt a strong will to never fall.

nThe dog was sitting far, and Theor dragged it, so it waved its tail.

nThe appearance of a small child holding a dog was quite cute.

nBoth were like dolls.

nThe attendants who were preparing for departure glanced past this side.

nThere were some people who noticed what was happening and shed bitter smiles.

n‘How is this…’

nIt was when Astelle was thinking so much.

nKaizen who came out of the castle found two people and stopped.

nIt seemed that he easily grasped the situation by looking at Theor hanging the dog with a teary face.

nKaizen came to the place where the two were without hesitation.

n“Why? I gave this dog as a gift.”

nAstelle was stunned by the appearance of Kaizen asking what was the problem.

nShe explained to Kaizen the difficulty of raising a dog.

n“Because the child is young, I am worried that he will treat the dog by mistake. Then both could be dangerous…”

nHowever, Kaizen did not listen to everything and steadfastly stopped her speech.

n“It’ll be fine because it’s a well-trained dog. Take it and let it grow. When you are five years old, it is okay to have a dog or so.”

n“……”

nAstelle realized that she couldn’t convince Kaizen.

nHe is the one who gives a hunting dog as a gift to a five-year-old child.

nWhen she tried to explain to this person why she couldn’t have a small child and a big dog alone, she couldn’t convince him.

nStill, Astelle tried to refute more.

nAs Astelle continued to object, Kaizen said, with bitter ridicule.

n“Are you going to refuse the gift I gave to the child too?”

n“……”

nAstelle, who had endlessly refused the gift he gave, missed the chance to refute it momentarily.

nKaizen turned and stroked Theor’s well-arranged hair.

n“It’s okay. You can take it and raise it.”

n“Your Majesty, thank you!”

nTheor laughed with joy and then looked back at Astelle.

nAstelle also nodded without much help.

n“… Okay. Instead, you must be nice and good. You must never treat badly or harass the dog.”

n“Yes, I will take good care of it!”

nTheor hugged the dog with joy.

nThe dog, who became friendly then, shook its fluffy tail.

n‘Yeah, well, now there will be a pension, so I can raise one dog.’

nIf she doesn’t take her eyes off and teach Theor well, it will be fine.

nAs it became irreversible anyway, Astelle decided to think as positively as possible.

n‘Now there is a more important problem than that.’

nAstelle took the medicine bottle out of her arms.

nThere was about half full of blue potion in a small glass bottle.

nWhen she saw the remaining potion as much as her nails, she sighed.

nWhen she first followed Kaizen, it was full.

n‘I stayed too long at the castle I stopped by before.’

nShe was planning to get some herbs in the forest, but from the first day, she didn’t have time to say that she had to go to the forest.

nAfter that, it rained. So she couldn’t go outside.

n‘And Kaizen suddenly took Theor to the hunting lodge…’

nAstelle sighs and counts her finger to figure out how many more times to put the medicine in until she reaches the destination.

n‘Somehow… it seems to be insufficient.’

nThe remaining time is three days.

nIt means that she has to put the medicine at least six or seven times, but this amount will be close or a little short.

n‘It is easy to make medicine if I have the ingredients.’

nThe problem was the material.

nMaterials that are difficult to obtain are all contained in the medicine.

nBut on the contrary, there is no material that is easy to obtain.

nThe scarce ingredients were herbs that could easily be obtained anywhere in the forest, but now Astelle was moving with the emperor’s party.

nAt this point, there was no way to say that she would go to the medicinal store to get medicinal herbs.

nEven if she get herbs, she won’t be able to make medicine in the carriage.

nAstelle went through the medicine box to check the ingredients and then threw her gaze through the window.

nA flat forest road was seen through the clear glass.

nWith a flat road in the middle, there were dark green trees on each side.

n‘When will I arrive at the next destination…’

nAt that time, she has no choice but to go out to the forest for a while and then come to see the opportunity.

nFortunately, the place to stay this evening was a castle in the woods.

nShe heard that a small town is also attached to it.

nThe lodging she stopped by last night was a narrow city, and as soon as the sun rose, there was no time to leave.

nHowever, if it is a castle in a village, it will be possible to go out for a while.

n‘I have to tell Theor to see the village and go outside.’

nTheor fell asleep on Astelle’s knee.

nAstelle looked at the window and pulled up a blanket that had spilled over Theor’s shoulder.

nThree days were still left until arriving at Denz Castle, where her maternal grandfather was.

n* * *

nThe party arrived at the destination village until sunset.

nA castle built of gray stone stood tall with the setting sky and dark forest in the background.

nIt was an old and shabby castle that reveals the passage of time.

nThe old man who seemed to be the manager of the castle was so embarrassed that he greeted the emperor with sweat-like rain.

nThe waiting servants came out and helped the party to arrive.

nThe narrow front yard was busy with attendants and servants carrying luggage.

nAstelle got out of the carriage and took the child’s hand and went into the castle.

nVellian, who confirmed it, grabbed the old man and asked.

n“Is there a pharmacist around here…? Is there anyone who knows medicinal herbs well?”

n* * *

nAstelle took Theor’s hand and climbed the winding stairs.

nAfter going up the stairs for a long time, a narrow corridor came out, and at the end, there was a way to the bedroom.

n“This way, Lady.”

nThe attendant who guided the room opened the wooden door.

nA large room with a high ceiling came out.

nThere were walls made of dark gray stones on all sides, and old tapestries were hung on one side.

nA large bed in the center, a small wooden table, chairs, and a mirror on the wall are all of the furniture.

nIt was neatly trimmed, but it was something that might have been popular about a hundred years ago.

nIt was a little shabby for the room to be handed over to the customer.

n‘It was the castle where the lords live, but it is a small village in the corner of the country, so it looks like it’s not in good condition.’

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