Leopold and Ariel, along with five others, finished all preparations and stepped outside.

The clear sky and the radiant sunlight sparkled brilliantly. The clear and cloudless sky comforted those who were reluctant to leave.

“Is everything loaded?”

Ariel was wearing a chiffon dress. The silhouette, which didn’t tighten at the waist and generously wrapped her body, seemed perfect for her long carriage ride.

As the light dress fluttered in the humid breeze full of summer air, her feet, adorned with flower-decorated slippers, were revealed.

“Yes, Your Majesty. It seems we have everything. Are you going to carry that yourself?”

“Yes. I’m afraid it might break if the carriage shakes.”

In response to May’s question, Ariel tightly hugged the music box she had bought at the antique shop.

A neat smile formed on her lips as she thought about listening to it with Leopold in the carriage.

“Then, let’s go.”

“Is it okay to leave without informing Kaiser and Celine?”

Ariel looked up at Leopold, who was standing beside her.

She was worried that they might be surprised if they suddenly disappeared. But Leopold thought differently.

“We don’t need to report every little thing to them.”

“That’s true, but…”

It was not proper for the Emperor of Atlan to report every little thing to the King of Macglier, which was practically a vassal state.

While the two were conversing, a large blue vortex appeared in front of the mansion, and Kaiser and Celine emerged from the portal.

Ariel’s eyes widened at their sudden appearance.

“Oh, how did you…!”

“I sent a message this morning.”

Richard said as he raised his hand.

After all, it was true that the Macglier royal family had treated them generously. Informing them of the Emperor’s departure directly could undermine the Emperor’s dignity, but it was a different matter for the chamberlain to do so.

Richard did what he was supposed to do as the Emperor’s closest aide.

“Yes. We came after receiving the chamberlain’s message. Fortunately, we are not late.”

Said Kaiser, the King of Macglier.

Ariel noticed a small figure clinging to his leg.

It was Zayd.

“Um. Who is this child?”

Ariel pointed at Zayd with her finger.

‘I feel like I’ve met him before. Is it just my imagination?’

She tilted her head in confusion.

“Oh, I heard from his nanny that he bumped into you in front of the restroom yesterday. Are you alright?”

“Oh, yes… Of course.”

Celine asked, but Ariel, not remembering, answered vaguely.

The child’s big eyes were looking at her.

Ariel found his sparkling eyes beautiful and patted his head. Zayd did not avoid her hand and received her attention fully.

Zayd’s reaction, who was enjoying her touch, irritated Leopold.

“I’m very sad that you are leaving sooner than expected.”

Kaiser said to Leopold. Leopold looked at him without affirmation or denial.

During the war, when Kaiser came to declare surrender, he never imagined their relationship would turn out like this.

Leopold felt the mystery of fate and spoke to Kaiser belatedly.

“Thanks to you, we had a good time.”

“I’m worried you might be leaving after only hardships. Please visit Macglier again soon.”

Celine smiled warmly.

“We did have some hardships… But it was also our duty.”

They thought they had wiped out all the remaining enemies, but it turned out not to be the case.

“Please come again. Play with me then…”

Zayd said earnestly with his big, cat-like eyes shining. Ariel laughed out loud at how cute he was.

If they had met in front of the restroom, that would have been their first and last encounter.

‘What did he like about me?’

She was curious, but thought it might just be that the child liked people in general.

“Alright, then-”

Leopold pulled Ariel into his arms as she was about to respond to Zayd.

“Just as on this trip, she will play with me on the next trip too, so don’t even dream about it.”

“Why are you being like that to a child?”

Ariel turned her head to look at Zayd, even as she was pushed forward by Leopold. She waved to Zayd.

“I didn’t want to raise false hopes. Let’s go. We need to get to Kolnman.”

Leopold eventually put Ariel in the carriage.

Kaiser and Celine smiled awkwardly.

***

The cityscape of Macglier passed quickly beyond the carriage window.

Even though they couldn’t go to the sea, it was okay. They could come again.

The beautiful scenery of the streets, which had made her exclaim in admiration, filled her heart with satisfaction. The colorful roofs and the walls filled with various shapes of windows.

A smile spread across Ariel’s face as she looked at them.

“This is the music box I bought at the antique shop.”

Ariel wound the spring of the music box she was holding. The sweet melody filled the carriage. Leopold closed his eyes and listened quietly to the music box.

“Every time I hear this song, I’ll think of this trip.”

Though the words that there was no point in remembering a trip where they couldn’t even be at ease came to his throat, Leopold suppressed them and gently embraced her head.

But that peace was short-lived.

As the carriage left the city and started down an unpaved road, the wheels began to rattle. It was a shaking so severe that it wouldn’t be surprising if the wheels fell off at any moment.

Ariel felt queasy from the alcohol she drank the previous day, and her face gradually lost its color.

“Ariel, what’s wrong?”

Ariel shook her head in response to Leopold’s question.

If she spoke even a word, it felt like everything inside her would spill out.

‘Maybe if I sleep, I’ll feel better…’

Ariel closed her eyes tightly, trying to calm her queasy stomach.

***

Throughout the journey to Kolnman, Ariel struggled with nausea and vomiting. Eventually, they had to stop the carriage by the roadside so she could vomit under a tree.

Leopold patted her back gently and spoke kindly.

“If only Liese Clark were here, you could have been healed with holy power. But they went straight to Atlan…”

“I felt fine after eating the soup you made, so I thought I was okay too.”

Ariel, jokingly, had said that they should ask the chief mage of Macglier to cast a spell to keep the carriage from shaking. In reality, she wished she had asked him.

Eventually, Ariel arrived in Kolnman with a pale face.

“Why have you returned so early, Ariel? You don’t look well. Did you come back early because you’re sick?”

“Master… It’s not that…”

Hyle, who was concerned about his disciple’s health, clicked his tongue after hearing Ariel’s explanation.

“So, are you coming with me? Or will you stay longer?”

“I realized how lonely it is here. I had forgotten how lonely it was in Kolnman. It must have been a kind of nostalgic illusion.”

While staying in Atlan, he could only recall memories of Kolnman.

Cursed by dark mages to live an immortal life, he had forgotten that he had lost everyone he loved.

He had forgotten how lonely he was before meeting Ariel.

But upon returning to Kolnman, he found that no one remembered him. Moreover, there was no one left in his memories.

“Yesterday, I thought about returning to Atlan.”

“Really?”

“Yes. It might be hard to believe, but it’s true. I will return with you.”

With Hyle’s firm decision, they each boarded their carriages and returned to Atlan together.

“Leo, did you hear what Master said earlier? About feeling lonely?”

“I heard. It’s a good thing we came to get him. If I had assumed he wanted to enjoy his travels more, it would have been a disaster.”

“Indeed… I never expected that Master would feel that way.”

Ariel spoke with a relaxed expression.

“Is your stomach feeling better?”

“Hmm, it’s better. But if we go over dirt roads or mountain paths, it’ll probably get upset again.”

“I want to do whatever you wish and tell you to do what you want, but… I hope you avoid anything that harms your health. I regret not stopping you yesterday; I regretted it the entire ride.”

Ariel leaned on his shoulder and nodded.

“I’ve reflected on it too… But Leo, what will you do about Noah Diaz?”

“I’ll interrogate him tomorrow…”

Suddenly, Leopold’s expression grew heavy.

Would he tell the truth under interrogation?

What if he doesn’t answer?

He couldn’t just kill a Duke of the Atlan Empire, especially one who was also an imperial family member, without any reason…

In the carriage racing through the dark night, Leopold’s sighs deepened.