Actually, she was skeptical at first. When he asked her to look into the possibility that his lost daughter might be among Byron, Cloud, and their group.
And he strongly urged her to keep it a secret because his daughter could be in danger.
'...I had no idea that the informant His Highness the Crown Prince had met would be Aila.'
Alexia, who was escorting the Crown Prince's carriage on a stately warhorse, clicked her tongue as she looked at Winfred, who was hanging out the window and looking outside.
It was because she felt regretful that if Winfred had not revealed the identity of the informant to her, action could have been taken much sooner.
For Ophelia and Roderick, who had been waiting for news of their daughter for ten years, the news of their daughter could have been delivered sooner.
“...Why, why is that, Sir Dexen?”
Winfred, who was under Alexia's glare, asked with a frightened expression.
“No, Your Highness. It’s dangerous, so don’t stick your head out the window.”
Alexia spoke in a gentle voice, as if to ask when she had ever looked at him so harshly. Winfred, with a deadpan expression, replied, "Yes," and sat back down quietly in the carriage.
Anyway, it wasn't that Winfred hid it with bad intentions, but rather that he did it to keep Ayla's secret.
The Crown Prince's carriage, slowly cruising through the city, arrived at the Duke of Weishaffen's residence. He had visited not long ago and had returned just a few weeks later.
Alexia had come with him as an escort because she had something to tell Roderick, but Winfred couldn't figure out why she was so anxious that she got out of the carriage and ran into the building as soon as she left.
“...Oh. That’s right!”
After running so hurriedly, Winfred, as if he'd left something behind in the carriage, quickly sprinted back to it. He quickly retrieved something from the carriage, carefully cradled it in his arms, and headed back into the mansion.
“I will listen, Your Highness.”
“No. I’ll take it.”
Even though the attendant was reaching out to him, he stubbornly held it in his arms, as if it were a very precious object.
She wondered what it was that he was hiding so desperately, but she couldn't bring herself to ask because Winfred kept his mouth shut.
And a little later.
“Wow, your belly is quite protruding now!”
Winfred exclaimed in wonder at Ophelia's bulging belly, wearing comfortable maternity clothes.
For Winfred, who had no siblings or cousins, it was a new and novel experience for him.
Of course, when he was very young, he saw Ailana Bradley being born, but he was too young to remember it.
Since his hair started to thicken, no one around him had been pregnant or given birth, so this was his first time.
There's a child inside this.
Winfred's eyes sparkled as he had learned from books how humans are born, but seeing it in person for the first time was a sight he had never seen before.
Isn't it true that Aila's younger brother is in Ophelia's stomach?
Is it a girl or a boy who resembles Aila?
As he was looking at Ophelia's plump belly with a fluttering face, he heard an unfamiliar woman's voice from behind him.
“Is this His Highness the Crown Prince of the Empire?”
Winfred turned his gaze towards the sound and saw a tall woman standing there wearing a plain white shirt and cotton pants.
At first, Winfred was confused, not knowing who it was, but soon remembered that a guest from Tamora was staying at the Duke's residence.
"Nice to meet you, Your Highness the Crown Prince. I am Candice Eposher from the Republic of Tamora."
"Greetings. I understand you are the Chairman of the Magic Council of the Republic of Tamora. My name is Winfred Ulysses Vito Peles."
He just came to see Ophelia and Roderick for a lighthearted visit.
Suddenly, it became a summit meeting between the Crown Prince of the Peles Empire and the chairman of the neighboring Republic of Tamora, so Winfred accepted the handshake offered by Candice with a stiff face.
Of course, since Emperor Hiram was still alive, Winfred could not be said to represent the Peles Empire, but in any case, the meeting between the Crown Prince of a great nation and the head of a nation still carried a heavy weight.
But his tension was shattered in less than a minute. Candice was truly... so familiar, so familiar.
No, it wasn't something hr saw often, but it was very similar to someone he saw every day.
It was none other than his father, Hiram.
‘...This is worse than my father.’
There was not a single gram of the weight of a leader ruling a country in the way she giggled with her arm around Ophelia's shoulder.
It's not that he didn't like it. It was just unexpected.
Seeing them joking around so friendly with Ophelia, Winfred felt strangely like he was about to laugh, too.
“So, what brings you here today?”
Ophelia asked kindly.
It wasn't a place he couldn't come to just because he had no business, but since he had just been there and was in a hurry again, he thought there might be some business.
“...Ah. That’s it.”
And her thoughts were right, and Winfred looked around as if he had something to say.
It seemed like it was a story that had to be passed down to those around him.
Ophelia, noticing this, quickly dismissed the servants. Now, only the Duke and Duchess, Winfred, Alexia, and Candice remained in the drawing room.
But Winfred remained tight-lipped. Apparently, he was bothered by Alexia and Candice's presence.
Then Roderick opened his mouth in a serious voice.
"If it's Aila's story, then you can tell her. Everyone here knows about her existence."
Winfred's eyes widened, as if he hadn't noticed. Soon, the surprised expression disappeared, replaced by worry.
Aila had told him to keep it a secret from everyone else, but he was worried that it would be okay for so many people to know.
“Don’t worry. They’re both trustworthy people.”
Ophelia spoke to Winfred, trying to calm him down.
Candice was Ophelia's best friend, and Alexia was Roderick's trusted confidant.
“Oh, I see. Actually, I came here because I wanted to give you something.”
Winfred held out a picture frame covered in paper. It was something he stubbornly held to his chest, even when the attendant offered to take it.
“What is this?”
Even though he'd already given her all the congratulatory gifts for her pregnancy, Roderick asked in a puzzled voice at the sudden gift.
But Winfred didn't answer the question and just blushed.
“...You will know when you open it.”
Why was she so embarrassed? Unable to understand, Roderick and Ophelia carefully unwrapped the paper wrapping around the frame.
“...This is.”
The couple stared at the picture frame Winfred held out to them as if in a trance.
“Are she Aila?”
Roderick's gruff voice sounded somehow muffled, as if water had soaked through it. Winfred nodded, his gaze wandering, feeling a strange sense of awkwardness.
Under the dark night sky, white hair as bright as moonlight. And eyes the color of the deep sea, seemingly cold yet containing warmth within.
It was a picture of Aila wearing a fluttering lace nightgown.
'... I heard you've been holed up in your room drawing pictures in secret these days. So this is what you were drawing.'
While the couple gazed at the painting with watery eyes, Alexia was alone, rubbing her chin as if her question had finally been answered, lost in thought.
She was wondering what he was doing when he said he was busy with the education and work of the Crown Prince, but he would draw pictures at night, cutting down on sleep.
It was truly wonderful that he had prepared such a delicate surprise gift.
Everyone's eyes looking at Winfred were incredibly warm.
"You two haven't seen how Aila grew up, have you? I think you only remember what she looked like when she was two years old..."
They'll be able to meet her in person someday when she returns. Until then, he hopes to at least soothe their longing through drawings.
It was a picture that he had been drawing little by little for several weeks, avoiding the eyes of others.
Despite the cold winter, warm air filled the living room, as if spring had arrived. Roderick and Ophelia's eyes were tearful, as if ready to burst into tears at any moment.
"Wow! Your Highness, the Crown Prince. You really are a good painter. You still have a long way to go before you can catch up to me!"
But the mood was shattered by Candice's playful words.
In fact, Candice had done it on purpose to change the mood because she thought Rodrick and Ophelia were about to cry, but Winfred, who had no idea who he was, just stuck out his lips.
He was quite proud of his drawing skills, but was offended by the remark that he had a long way to go to catch up.
"Does Director Eposher draw, too? Let's see how well you draw."
“Look at this. Isn’t it cool?”
“Hey. Is this a drawing too? It looks like a child’s doodle.”
“Isn’t it because Your Highness is still young and doesn’t know anything about art?”
The exchange was so much like a comical talk show that even Roderick and Ophelia, who had been shedding tears while looking at the painting, ended up bursting into laughter.
Although Candice and Winfred had quite a large age gap, they became close friends in no time.
Before they knew it, they were sitting facing each other in front of the easel, offering to draw each other.
The sight of them leaning over each other's easels, giving and receiving, was so delightful that Ophelia and Roderick watched the scene with delight.
It had been a long time since they felt this comfortable.
They were happy to find evidence that Aila was alive, but their heart were heavy because they couldn't figure out exactly where she was.
They were able to put down, for a moment, the worries and concerns that were weighing heavily on their chest.
It was when they were having such a pleasant time.
“Your Excellency, I have something very important to tell you.”
Alexia tapped Roderick on the shoulder and whispered secretly in his ear.
And he strongly urged her to keep it a secret because his daughter could be in danger.
'...I had no idea that the informant His Highness the Crown Prince had met would be Aila.'
Alexia, who was escorting the Crown Prince's carriage on a stately warhorse, clicked her tongue as she looked at Winfred, who was hanging out the window and looking outside.
It was because she felt regretful that if Winfred had not revealed the identity of the informant to her, action could have been taken much sooner.
For Ophelia and Roderick, who had been waiting for news of their daughter for ten years, the news of their daughter could have been delivered sooner.
“...Why, why is that, Sir Dexen?”
Winfred, who was under Alexia's glare, asked with a frightened expression.
“No, Your Highness. It’s dangerous, so don’t stick your head out the window.”
Alexia spoke in a gentle voice, as if to ask when she had ever looked at him so harshly. Winfred, with a deadpan expression, replied, "Yes," and sat back down quietly in the carriage.
Anyway, it wasn't that Winfred hid it with bad intentions, but rather that he did it to keep Ayla's secret.
The Crown Prince's carriage, slowly cruising through the city, arrived at the Duke of Weishaffen's residence. He had visited not long ago and had returned just a few weeks later.
Alexia had come with him as an escort because she had something to tell Roderick, but Winfred couldn't figure out why she was so anxious that she got out of the carriage and ran into the building as soon as she left.
“...Oh. That’s right!”
After running so hurriedly, Winfred, as if he'd left something behind in the carriage, quickly sprinted back to it. He quickly retrieved something from the carriage, carefully cradled it in his arms, and headed back into the mansion.
“I will listen, Your Highness.”
“No. I’ll take it.”
Even though the attendant was reaching out to him, he stubbornly held it in his arms, as if it were a very precious object.
She wondered what it was that he was hiding so desperately, but she couldn't bring herself to ask because Winfred kept his mouth shut.
And a little later.
“Wow, your belly is quite protruding now!”
Winfred exclaimed in wonder at Ophelia's bulging belly, wearing comfortable maternity clothes.
For Winfred, who had no siblings or cousins, it was a new and novel experience for him.
Of course, when he was very young, he saw Ailana Bradley being born, but he was too young to remember it.
Since his hair started to thicken, no one around him had been pregnant or given birth, so this was his first time.
There's a child inside this.
Winfred's eyes sparkled as he had learned from books how humans are born, but seeing it in person for the first time was a sight he had never seen before.
Isn't it true that Aila's younger brother is in Ophelia's stomach?
Is it a girl or a boy who resembles Aila?
As he was looking at Ophelia's plump belly with a fluttering face, he heard an unfamiliar woman's voice from behind him.
“Is this His Highness the Crown Prince of the Empire?”
Winfred turned his gaze towards the sound and saw a tall woman standing there wearing a plain white shirt and cotton pants.
At first, Winfred was confused, not knowing who it was, but soon remembered that a guest from Tamora was staying at the Duke's residence.
"Nice to meet you, Your Highness the Crown Prince. I am Candice Eposher from the Republic of Tamora."
"Greetings. I understand you are the Chairman of the Magic Council of the Republic of Tamora. My name is Winfred Ulysses Vito Peles."
He just came to see Ophelia and Roderick for a lighthearted visit.
Suddenly, it became a summit meeting between the Crown Prince of the Peles Empire and the chairman of the neighboring Republic of Tamora, so Winfred accepted the handshake offered by Candice with a stiff face.
Of course, since Emperor Hiram was still alive, Winfred could not be said to represent the Peles Empire, but in any case, the meeting between the Crown Prince of a great nation and the head of a nation still carried a heavy weight.
But his tension was shattered in less than a minute. Candice was truly... so familiar, so familiar.
No, it wasn't something hr saw often, but it was very similar to someone he saw every day.
It was none other than his father, Hiram.
‘...This is worse than my father.’
There was not a single gram of the weight of a leader ruling a country in the way she giggled with her arm around Ophelia's shoulder.
It's not that he didn't like it. It was just unexpected.
Seeing them joking around so friendly with Ophelia, Winfred felt strangely like he was about to laugh, too.
“So, what brings you here today?”
Ophelia asked kindly.
It wasn't a place he couldn't come to just because he had no business, but since he had just been there and was in a hurry again, he thought there might be some business.
“...Ah. That’s it.”
And her thoughts were right, and Winfred looked around as if he had something to say.
It seemed like it was a story that had to be passed down to those around him.
Ophelia, noticing this, quickly dismissed the servants. Now, only the Duke and Duchess, Winfred, Alexia, and Candice remained in the drawing room.
But Winfred remained tight-lipped. Apparently, he was bothered by Alexia and Candice's presence.
Then Roderick opened his mouth in a serious voice.
"If it's Aila's story, then you can tell her. Everyone here knows about her existence."
Winfred's eyes widened, as if he hadn't noticed. Soon, the surprised expression disappeared, replaced by worry.
Aila had told him to keep it a secret from everyone else, but he was worried that it would be okay for so many people to know.
“Don’t worry. They’re both trustworthy people.”
Ophelia spoke to Winfred, trying to calm him down.
Candice was Ophelia's best friend, and Alexia was Roderick's trusted confidant.
“Oh, I see. Actually, I came here because I wanted to give you something.”
Winfred held out a picture frame covered in paper. It was something he stubbornly held to his chest, even when the attendant offered to take it.
“What is this?”
Even though he'd already given her all the congratulatory gifts for her pregnancy, Roderick asked in a puzzled voice at the sudden gift.
But Winfred didn't answer the question and just blushed.
“...You will know when you open it.”
Why was she so embarrassed? Unable to understand, Roderick and Ophelia carefully unwrapped the paper wrapping around the frame.
“...This is.”
The couple stared at the picture frame Winfred held out to them as if in a trance.
“Are she Aila?”
Roderick's gruff voice sounded somehow muffled, as if water had soaked through it. Winfred nodded, his gaze wandering, feeling a strange sense of awkwardness.
Under the dark night sky, white hair as bright as moonlight. And eyes the color of the deep sea, seemingly cold yet containing warmth within.
It was a picture of Aila wearing a fluttering lace nightgown.
'... I heard you've been holed up in your room drawing pictures in secret these days. So this is what you were drawing.'
While the couple gazed at the painting with watery eyes, Alexia was alone, rubbing her chin as if her question had finally been answered, lost in thought.
She was wondering what he was doing when he said he was busy with the education and work of the Crown Prince, but he would draw pictures at night, cutting down on sleep.
It was truly wonderful that he had prepared such a delicate surprise gift.
Everyone's eyes looking at Winfred were incredibly warm.
"You two haven't seen how Aila grew up, have you? I think you only remember what she looked like when she was two years old..."
They'll be able to meet her in person someday when she returns. Until then, he hopes to at least soothe their longing through drawings.
It was a picture that he had been drawing little by little for several weeks, avoiding the eyes of others.
Despite the cold winter, warm air filled the living room, as if spring had arrived. Roderick and Ophelia's eyes were tearful, as if ready to burst into tears at any moment.
"Wow! Your Highness, the Crown Prince. You really are a good painter. You still have a long way to go before you can catch up to me!"
But the mood was shattered by Candice's playful words.
In fact, Candice had done it on purpose to change the mood because she thought Rodrick and Ophelia were about to cry, but Winfred, who had no idea who he was, just stuck out his lips.
He was quite proud of his drawing skills, but was offended by the remark that he had a long way to go to catch up.
"Does Director Eposher draw, too? Let's see how well you draw."
“Look at this. Isn’t it cool?”
“Hey. Is this a drawing too? It looks like a child’s doodle.”
“Isn’t it because Your Highness is still young and doesn’t know anything about art?”
The exchange was so much like a comical talk show that even Roderick and Ophelia, who had been shedding tears while looking at the painting, ended up bursting into laughter.
Although Candice and Winfred had quite a large age gap, they became close friends in no time.
Before they knew it, they were sitting facing each other in front of the easel, offering to draw each other.
The sight of them leaning over each other's easels, giving and receiving, was so delightful that Ophelia and Roderick watched the scene with delight.
It had been a long time since they felt this comfortable.
They were happy to find evidence that Aila was alive, but their heart were heavy because they couldn't figure out exactly where she was.
They were able to put down, for a moment, the worries and concerns that were weighing heavily on their chest.
It was when they were having such a pleasant time.
“Your Excellency, I have something very important to tell you.”
Alexia tapped Roderick on the shoulder and whispered secretly in his ear.
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