The captain approached the cheerful woman with short hair and thanked her.
“Thank you so much. Thanks to you, I survived.”
"No, it's nothing. We're all on the same trading ship, helping each other. And, it's thanks to that young lady that I saved my life."
She scratched the back of her head awkwardly and spoke humbly.
It wasn't that Aila didn't save her, but in fact, if she hadn't stepped forward to help this ship, such a dangerous situation wouldn't have happened.
But the captain and the woman's conversation couldn't continue any longer. A shabby-looking man came over from the woman's boat, making a fuss and calling out to her.
“Natalia, honey...! Are you okay? Are you hurt?”
The man, with his long brown hair neatly tied up in a ponytail, rushed to her and began checking her from side to side to see if she was hurt.
"Hey, why are you here? I told you to hide in the cabin because it's dangerous."
“But I’m so worried about Natalia...”
As Aila watched the scene, she felt a warm feeling in her heart.
“Miss, please go down now.”
Cloud whispered in her ear.
"... Yes."
In fact, there was no reason for Aila to stay here any longer. No, it would be more accurate to say she shouldn't be there.
She couldn't stand to be exposed to that unknown woman named Natalia and her crew.
She had no choice but to quietly follow Cloud down to the cabin.
Aila descended into the cabin, and the ship, which had been at a standstill for a while, began to move again. It seemed Natalia and her companions had all returned to their own ships.
After such a brief incident, the ship returned to its daily routine and began sailing powerfully towards the Kingdom of Inselkov.
And a few days later, deep in the night.
Just as they had secretly boarded the ship, they also quietly left in the middle of the night when they got off.
As they descended the rope ladder to the small boat, a man sent by Count Cenospon greeted them politely.
“The carriage the Count sent is waiting on the shore. This way.”
Byron, whose face was half-blind from seasickness on the seagoing bird, nodded, as if he had no strength to reply, and the small boat carrying them set off for the shore.
After moving for a while, land soon appeared. Escorted by Cloud, Aila disembarked from the ship and looked around the dark surroundings.
'Is this the Inselkov Kingdom?'
It was her first time setting foot on a foreign land, so it was a refreshing experience, but perhaps because it was a pitch-black night, she couldn't really tell much of a difference from the Peles Empire.
As they followed their guide up the steep rock, they soon came across a shabby cart parked there.
“...Are you telling me to ride this now?”
Byron, who seemed too exhausted from seasickness to even think about it, seemed to regain his original temper as soon as he stepped onto land.
He seemed to be very upset, as if his pride had been hurt by the thought of being forced into such a shabby carriage.
“Oh, I’m sorry. I guess I was trying to avoid the security checkpoint...”
The servant sent by the Count bowed his head and apologized, and Byron got into the carriage with a look on his face that said he would let it slide just this once.
The carriage they rode in had a double-panel design, with the seating compartment and the luggage compartment separated by thin planks. The cargo compartment was laden with carrots, pumpkins, and other vegetables, which rattled as the carriage moved.
How far had we gone? The carriage, which had been running smoothly, stopped, and the sound of horses could be heard from outside.
“Where are you going in such a hurry at this early hour?”
"Ah, these are the groceries that Count Cenospon needs in the morning. Here, here are the supporting documents."
It seemed like they were stuck at the checkpoint in front of the gate. There was a brief fluttering sound of paper, followed by the annoyed voice of a guard.
“It seems like there’s no problem. Please pass through.”
It passed quickly.
In fact, even if they had opened it, the only thing the guards would have seen would have been a mountain of vegetables, so there was no problem. However, since the documents were complete, they were able to pass through the gate without even having to open the carriage.
If there were windows in the carriage, she would have been able to enjoy the foreign scenery, but unfortunately, Aila was confined to a small space without windows and had to see the faces of her enemies.
After running for a long time, the carriage arrived at its destination, Count Cenospon's estate.
As soon as she got out of the carriage, she took a deep breath of the cool air. She finally felt a little better.
"Welcome, Your Highness. I've been looking forward to meeting you in person."
As Byron got out of the carriage with a scowl on his face, a middle-aged man with bright blond hair greeted him.
“I am Count Ernes Cenospon.”
Count Cenospon had dark skin and bright emerald eyes, like the people he had met on the ship on his way here.
He bowed to Byron and offered a handshake, but Byron looked down at his hand with cold eyes.
“...Are you trying to tease me?”
Byron snorted, lifting his empty right sleeve. Only then did Count Cenospon realize his mistake, his face turning pale. He quickly withdrew his right hand and extended his left.
“Ah, no... how could that be? I, I’m sorry.”
Byron, still looking offended, reached out his left hand and took the Count's.
"This is my only son. Gerald, you must greet them."
The Count introduced Byron to his son, who looked like a miniature version of himself.
Although his face resembled his father's, making one wonder if he had been born alone by the Count, Gerald Cenospon had a rather handsome face, perhaps because he didn't have the grumpiness that had plagued his father.
Perhaps because the Count hadn't explained the guest's identity in advance, Gerald, with a dull expression, gave a half-hearted greeting and tried to leave.
Because of that, the Count's face, which had already made a mistake once, only turned even paler.
“...Gerald, I’ll see you later.”
The Count gritted his teeth and scolded his son, but Gerald was not listening to his father's story.
His gaze was fixed on Aila, who was standing there with a fresh face.
Gerald stared at her with a blank expression. Perhaps it was because she was a girl his age that he was interested, but it was also because Aila had such a striking appearance that he felt a certain attraction.
“Oh, those people over there...?”
The Count, sensing his son's gaze, looked at Byron while waiting for the introduction of the rest of the group.
He didn't know how long he would be staying here, but he couldn't help but introduce her, so he gently placed a hand on Aila's shoulder and said,
“She is my daughter.”
“Ah, I see...! The young lady is so elegant and graceful. I guess she takes after the Duke.”
Count Cenospon looked ready to give Byron a shovel, and Gerald couldn't take his eyes off Aila even while his father was sulking.
That gaze followed her the entire time she moved to the annex, guided by the Count.
The room in the annex prepared by Count Cenospon was quite splendid.
Of course, it was nothing compared to the imperial palace of the Peles Empire or the Duke of Weishaffen's residence, but compared to the crumbling old fortresses, mountain houses, and ruins where she had been hiding and hiding, this place was nothing short of heaven.
Aila, too, was delighted with her new home. She was assigned a room on the second floor of the annex, and the open window afforded a stunning view of the garden, making it a truly beautiful room.
It wasn't quite as free, with Laura and her mother's room across the narrow hallway, but it was still a pretty decent place to live.
While those tired from their long journey were taking a long rest in their rooms, Count Cenospon called his son and scolded him.
"Gerald, you. What was that attitude you had earlier? They're an honored guest. Don't do anything that will make you look bad. Be polite, as polite as possible. Do you understand?"
As a Count, he was a precious guest who had to look his best.
Even without that, his position within the Inselkov kingdom had recently been weakened, and he was deeply regretting whether he had chosen the wrong path. The person he had openly supported in the struggle for the throne had fallen out of favor with the King and was now estranged from the throne.
He had started helping him little by little, thinking that it was insurance in case Byron's rebellion succeeded, but looking at the current situation, it could be the last lifeline that could save him.
So, he had to try his best to please Byron, but his only son was acting so annoyingly that he couldn't even greet him. It was driving the Count crazy.
‘Why am I bowing down like this! Don’t you know that I’m doing this so that you can all live comfortably...!’
He thought this and beat his chest in frustration.
But Gerald also had his own set of grievances.
He had never heard anything about the name of the "guest" or what exactly he did. In that situation, how many people would consider Byron, worn and worn from a long journey, a "honored guest"?
Of course, the Count kept his mouth shut because he didn't want his sixteen-year-old son to know that he was involved in a foreign treason, but Gerald pouted in displeasure anyway.
"I'll be careful from now on," he'd say. The Count, staring at his son, who kept his mouth shut, wondering why that was so difficult, felt frustrated. Then, a brilliant idea suddenly struck him, and he grabbed his son's shoulder.
"Gerald, you. You have to look good in front of that girl, yes? You know that young lady you saw during the day, the guest in the annex."
If she were Byron's daughter, she might one day become a Princess of the empire. And with Gerald's age difference not too far behind, she seemed like a perfect fit for a daughter-in-law.
“Thank you so much. Thanks to you, I survived.”
"No, it's nothing. We're all on the same trading ship, helping each other. And, it's thanks to that young lady that I saved my life."
She scratched the back of her head awkwardly and spoke humbly.
It wasn't that Aila didn't save her, but in fact, if she hadn't stepped forward to help this ship, such a dangerous situation wouldn't have happened.
But the captain and the woman's conversation couldn't continue any longer. A shabby-looking man came over from the woman's boat, making a fuss and calling out to her.
“Natalia, honey...! Are you okay? Are you hurt?”
The man, with his long brown hair neatly tied up in a ponytail, rushed to her and began checking her from side to side to see if she was hurt.
"Hey, why are you here? I told you to hide in the cabin because it's dangerous."
“But I’m so worried about Natalia...”
As Aila watched the scene, she felt a warm feeling in her heart.
“Miss, please go down now.”
Cloud whispered in her ear.
"... Yes."
In fact, there was no reason for Aila to stay here any longer. No, it would be more accurate to say she shouldn't be there.
She couldn't stand to be exposed to that unknown woman named Natalia and her crew.
She had no choice but to quietly follow Cloud down to the cabin.
***
Aila descended into the cabin, and the ship, which had been at a standstill for a while, began to move again. It seemed Natalia and her companions had all returned to their own ships.
After such a brief incident, the ship returned to its daily routine and began sailing powerfully towards the Kingdom of Inselkov.
And a few days later, deep in the night.
Just as they had secretly boarded the ship, they also quietly left in the middle of the night when they got off.
As they descended the rope ladder to the small boat, a man sent by Count Cenospon greeted them politely.
“The carriage the Count sent is waiting on the shore. This way.”
Byron, whose face was half-blind from seasickness on the seagoing bird, nodded, as if he had no strength to reply, and the small boat carrying them set off for the shore.
After moving for a while, land soon appeared. Escorted by Cloud, Aila disembarked from the ship and looked around the dark surroundings.
'Is this the Inselkov Kingdom?'
It was her first time setting foot on a foreign land, so it was a refreshing experience, but perhaps because it was a pitch-black night, she couldn't really tell much of a difference from the Peles Empire.
As they followed their guide up the steep rock, they soon came across a shabby cart parked there.
“...Are you telling me to ride this now?”
Byron, who seemed too exhausted from seasickness to even think about it, seemed to regain his original temper as soon as he stepped onto land.
He seemed to be very upset, as if his pride had been hurt by the thought of being forced into such a shabby carriage.
“Oh, I’m sorry. I guess I was trying to avoid the security checkpoint...”
The servant sent by the Count bowed his head and apologized, and Byron got into the carriage with a look on his face that said he would let it slide just this once.
The carriage they rode in had a double-panel design, with the seating compartment and the luggage compartment separated by thin planks. The cargo compartment was laden with carrots, pumpkins, and other vegetables, which rattled as the carriage moved.
How far had we gone? The carriage, which had been running smoothly, stopped, and the sound of horses could be heard from outside.
“Where are you going in such a hurry at this early hour?”
"Ah, these are the groceries that Count Cenospon needs in the morning. Here, here are the supporting documents."
It seemed like they were stuck at the checkpoint in front of the gate. There was a brief fluttering sound of paper, followed by the annoyed voice of a guard.
“It seems like there’s no problem. Please pass through.”
It passed quickly.
In fact, even if they had opened it, the only thing the guards would have seen would have been a mountain of vegetables, so there was no problem. However, since the documents were complete, they were able to pass through the gate without even having to open the carriage.
If there were windows in the carriage, she would have been able to enjoy the foreign scenery, but unfortunately, Aila was confined to a small space without windows and had to see the faces of her enemies.
After running for a long time, the carriage arrived at its destination, Count Cenospon's estate.
As soon as she got out of the carriage, she took a deep breath of the cool air. She finally felt a little better.
"Welcome, Your Highness. I've been looking forward to meeting you in person."
As Byron got out of the carriage with a scowl on his face, a middle-aged man with bright blond hair greeted him.
“I am Count Ernes Cenospon.”
Count Cenospon had dark skin and bright emerald eyes, like the people he had met on the ship on his way here.
He bowed to Byron and offered a handshake, but Byron looked down at his hand with cold eyes.
“...Are you trying to tease me?”
Byron snorted, lifting his empty right sleeve. Only then did Count Cenospon realize his mistake, his face turning pale. He quickly withdrew his right hand and extended his left.
“Ah, no... how could that be? I, I’m sorry.”
Byron, still looking offended, reached out his left hand and took the Count's.
"This is my only son. Gerald, you must greet them."
The Count introduced Byron to his son, who looked like a miniature version of himself.
Although his face resembled his father's, making one wonder if he had been born alone by the Count, Gerald Cenospon had a rather handsome face, perhaps because he didn't have the grumpiness that had plagued his father.
Perhaps because the Count hadn't explained the guest's identity in advance, Gerald, with a dull expression, gave a half-hearted greeting and tried to leave.
Because of that, the Count's face, which had already made a mistake once, only turned even paler.
“...Gerald, I’ll see you later.”
The Count gritted his teeth and scolded his son, but Gerald was not listening to his father's story.
His gaze was fixed on Aila, who was standing there with a fresh face.
Gerald stared at her with a blank expression. Perhaps it was because she was a girl his age that he was interested, but it was also because Aila had such a striking appearance that he felt a certain attraction.
“Oh, those people over there...?”
The Count, sensing his son's gaze, looked at Byron while waiting for the introduction of the rest of the group.
He didn't know how long he would be staying here, but he couldn't help but introduce her, so he gently placed a hand on Aila's shoulder and said,
“She is my daughter.”
“Ah, I see...! The young lady is so elegant and graceful. I guess she takes after the Duke.”
Count Cenospon looked ready to give Byron a shovel, and Gerald couldn't take his eyes off Aila even while his father was sulking.
That gaze followed her the entire time she moved to the annex, guided by the Count.
***
The room in the annex prepared by Count Cenospon was quite splendid.
Of course, it was nothing compared to the imperial palace of the Peles Empire or the Duke of Weishaffen's residence, but compared to the crumbling old fortresses, mountain houses, and ruins where she had been hiding and hiding, this place was nothing short of heaven.
Aila, too, was delighted with her new home. She was assigned a room on the second floor of the annex, and the open window afforded a stunning view of the garden, making it a truly beautiful room.
It wasn't quite as free, with Laura and her mother's room across the narrow hallway, but it was still a pretty decent place to live.
While those tired from their long journey were taking a long rest in their rooms, Count Cenospon called his son and scolded him.
"Gerald, you. What was that attitude you had earlier? They're an honored guest. Don't do anything that will make you look bad. Be polite, as polite as possible. Do you understand?"
As a Count, he was a precious guest who had to look his best.
Even without that, his position within the Inselkov kingdom had recently been weakened, and he was deeply regretting whether he had chosen the wrong path. The person he had openly supported in the struggle for the throne had fallen out of favor with the King and was now estranged from the throne.
He had started helping him little by little, thinking that it was insurance in case Byron's rebellion succeeded, but looking at the current situation, it could be the last lifeline that could save him.
So, he had to try his best to please Byron, but his only son was acting so annoyingly that he couldn't even greet him. It was driving the Count crazy.
‘Why am I bowing down like this! Don’t you know that I’m doing this so that you can all live comfortably...!’
He thought this and beat his chest in frustration.
But Gerald also had his own set of grievances.
He had never heard anything about the name of the "guest" or what exactly he did. In that situation, how many people would consider Byron, worn and worn from a long journey, a "honored guest"?
Of course, the Count kept his mouth shut because he didn't want his sixteen-year-old son to know that he was involved in a foreign treason, but Gerald pouted in displeasure anyway.
"I'll be careful from now on," he'd say. The Count, staring at his son, who kept his mouth shut, wondering why that was so difficult, felt frustrated. Then, a brilliant idea suddenly struck him, and he grabbed his son's shoulder.
"Gerald, you. You have to look good in front of that girl, yes? You know that young lady you saw during the day, the guest in the annex."
If she were Byron's daughter, she might one day become a Princess of the empire. And with Gerald's age difference not too far behind, she seemed like a perfect fit for a daughter-in-law.
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