Axel raised the king’s blood pressure to the very end.

Duke Brahe could not have been unaware that the body was not his son’s. Yet he said nothing.

That silence was the most certain answer for Axel.

“So now you’re saying that those who killed Sir Brahe and those who killed Viscount Lore—”

“It’s Duke Brahe.”

“Even if we assume it was Viscount Lore, Sir Brahe is the duke’s son. Are you saying he killed his own son with his own hands?”

“I’m not saying it; it’s the truth. After the war, Henrick Brahe planned to strip the duke of his title. He said he had found a way to oust the duke.”

“The duke must have realized that.”

“Probably. Also, burning to death in the snow is a very rare and dangerous black magic.”

The king was speechless.

Killing one’s own child. Whether he loved him or not, it’s still one’s child. Herne III already felt uneasy about sending Axel off, and now burning to death?

The king took a moment to catch his breath as a headache surged.

“I will ensure that he is brought to the guillotine.”

“……”

“I will not return here until then. So please stay safe, both of you.”

Axel, giving his final respectful bow as an Oterre, smiled as he raised his head.

Anais was stunned by his somewhat relieved and almost evil-looking face.

To change the mood, Queen Madeleine had Khalid call in the court painter waiting outside.

“I should have called earlier, but I was too busy to think of it. If you felt neglected, forgive me. Even if you leave the palace, you are still family.”

“I didn’t feel neglected at all, Your Majesty.”

“Especially this little cutie’s face. How could I not leave it behind to cherish?”

At the queen’s suggestion, the royal family gathered together. The court painter began to paint.

Although the three would not see the finished painting, their family appearance would remain there.

Hailey felt a lump in her throat at the queen’s consideration and kindness.

Dressed cuter than ever, Theo sat between Hailey and Axel.

But for a five-year-old, sitting still until the painting was done was too boring, so Hailey gave him grape-flavored candy to keep him occupied.

Imagining Theo’s cheeks puffed out from the candy in the finished painting, everyone couldn’t help but chuckle throughout the session.

“Until the day we meet again, please take care, Winchesters.”

Anais left a meaningful last word, as if they would remain tied to Winchester.

Hailey, busy comforting the tearful Theo, didn’t catch the nuance.

“……Well done.”

The king, after staring at Axel for a long time, finally extended his hand.

When Axel just looked at the hand, Hailey worried he might refuse, but thankfully, he took the king’s hand.

“Go, and don’t cause any trouble! Ahem.”

The king, feeling a bit embarrassed, added a final reproach to hide his tearful eyes.

Finally, it was the queen’s turn.

The young lady who had left Winchester now had wrinkles around her eyes and had to send her son back to the place she had left. She felt a mix of emotions.

“Can I have a hug?”

Axel hesitated for a moment. His mother’s eyes were red.

Hailey gently pushed Axel, who was just staring blankly.

Axel awkwardly hugged the queen.

“Take care. And please, I ask of you.”

“……”

“Support the Grand Duke well. Please, for the sake of this unworthy daughter.”

She sent her son back to her beloved Winchester.

At that moment,

“Waaaah.”

Someone started crying from below. It was Theo, who had been on the verge of tears for a while. He had grown quite attached in that short time.

Flustered, Hailey tried to comfort him, but Theo wouldn’t stop crying.

Theo rubbed his eyes with his small hands and mumbled.

“G-Grandma. I’ll write to you. Theo will send letters.”

“Yes. I’ll be waiting, dear.”

“I’ll send to Grandpa the King and Auntie too.”

As Theo cried, the king’s eyes grew wetter, and he looked up at the sky, saying, ‘This kid, really.’ Anais gave Theo a final hug, full of regret.

Axel picked up the still-crying Theo. Hailey bowed her head on behalf of the two.

“I will take good care of them. I will never forget the kindness you have shown us. Please stay healthy and well. Thank you.”

The king silently patted Hailey on the shoulder, and the queen and Anais sent them off with smiles.

The three made their final farewell and turned around. As they left the palace, Axel extended his hand to Hailey.

“Shall we go?”

Hailey looked up at him briefly, then smiled and took Axel’s hand willingly.

The three headed to the mysterious island, Winchester.

Chapter 3. The Mysterious Island, Winchester

Hailey, wondering why they had to leave so dangerously at dawn, was taken aback when she heard about the upcoming schedule.

The distance between the mainland of Zenovia to Winchester Island was quite far, making her question if it was even the same country.

It took more than half a day just to get to the port to board the ship to Winchester, and even after boarding, two meals were served.

Hailey could hardly eat. She had never traveled such a long distance by ship before and suffered from seasickness, sleeping most of the time.

Theo, whom she had been worried about, didn’t get seasick at all. He slept soundly, ate delicious food, and ran around excitedly inside the large ship for the first time.

Thanks to the Eligos Knight Order playing well with Theo, Hailey could rest comfortably in the cabin.

“Achoo!”

Unlike the capital, where it was already early winter as Khalid had said, the air was distinctly different when they arrived in Winchester.

Theo sneezed as soon as he stepped onto Winchester, experiencing a level of cold wind he had never felt in the capital.

Whoosh—

The wind blew, making Theo cling to Hailey’s skirt as his eyes stung. Despite wrapping him up warmly with a scarf, Theo shivered.

Hailey finally put a fur hat on Theo, who complained about the discomfort.

“No one came to greet us? What’s going on?”

“This shouldn’t be happening… We informed them of our arrival time and received a response saying they would send a carriage.”

“It’s that old man’s doing.”

Khalid, who rarely showed signs of panic, was flustered and stammered like a broken toy.

Despite receiving confirmation from the Grand Duke’s butler to send a carriage on time, there was no one at the port.

Axel, worried about Hailey who had suffered from seasickness, wanted to get to the Grand Duke’s castle quickly so she could rest, and was irritated.

‘That old man is playing childish games.’

It seemed the initiation had already begun.

Feeling frustrated, Axel ran his hand through his hair and looked around.

He immediately noticed something off about the place.

“Khalid.”

“Yes?”

“Isn’t this strange?”

“…Yes?”

“Have you ever seen Winchester’s busiest port this quiet?”

Only then did Khalid look around.

It was past 2 PM, yet the island’s only port was eerily quiet and deserted?

There was even a spooky atmosphere. The visibility was poor, and the area was shrouded in thick fog.

As they sensed the oddity and looked around, the fog quickly rose from Theo’s height to Axel’s waist.

Axel drew his sword and pushed Hailey behind him.

“Hold Theo.”

Hailey hurriedly picked up Theo and stepped back behind Axel.

As Axel drew his sword, Khalid and the entire Eligos Knights quickly formed a combat stance. However, the fog was so dense it was hard to tell where the enemy might come from.

At that moment, something small and insignificant bumped into Axel’s foot.

A strange liquid touched Axel’s sock with a ‘squelch’ sound. Axel quickly stomped down with his sword.

‘I definitely killed something just now.’

“Squeak!”

Squeak?

A strange sound came from Axel’s foot, and the fog that had risen to his chest disappeared.

When Axel looked down, he discovered the creature making the squeaking noise.

When Axel lowered his head, he discovered the ‘squeaking’ creature.

Hailey, who was behind Axel, murmured.

“A fluffball?”

It really looked like a little bundle of dust just crumpled up, or perhaps a small, furry puppy toy that had tragically met its end by being stabbed with Axel’s sword.

“What on earth is this?”

What kind of absurd trick is this?