Chapter 30
That afternoon, we finally had a chance to have a meal together after a long time. Knowing that I had been avoiding him, Dorian hadn’t called me recently, but it seemed this was for something quite important.
Could it be about the Academy, or something else entirely? I tried to suppress my tension and took a spoonful of the soup in front of me.
“I’m full.”
Lewin pouted, refusing to touch the soup in front of him. I probably gave him too many cookies earlier.
While I was feeling a bit defeated, Dorian called out to Lewin.
“Lewin.”
Dorian met his gaze steadily. Lewin stuck out his lower lip. Dorian spoke solemnly.
“You have to eat at least a little. Otherwise, there will be no more snacks.”
I thought the same thing. I quietly nodded. Lewin looked at me with pleading eyes, and when he saw me nod, he scrunched up his face.
“I’m full.”
“Then we can eat a little later.”
I said this and gave Dorian a look. He sighed and lightly waved a hand.
The servant who had been standing beside Dorian like a shadow quickly approached Lewin and removed the plate of soup.
The meal continued peacefully.
Under Dorian’s strict rule that Lewin had to eat some of the main dish if he wanted dessert, Lewin finally ate a piece of veal fillet.
Watching Lewin happily eat ice cream, Dorian continued.
“A letter has arrived from the Viscount of Huebner.”
His tone was so casual that I almost doubted whether I had heard correctly. I blinked and looked at Dorian.
“Excuse me?”
“It seems we’ll need to go to the viscountcy soon. I intended to handle it on my own, but the matter has grown bigger than expected…”
“Grown bigger?”
“There’s been a newspaper article.”
Dorian’s face flushed as he spoke. A newspaper article? I felt annoyed that I hadn’t known about it, even though it involved me.
“Please show me as well.”
“We contacted the newspaper to have it removed as soon as we discovered it, but it seems the viscount has already seen it.”
A neatly cut newspaper clipping was placed in front of me, as if prepared in advance.
Come to think of it, when I was running the Academy, I used to read the daily newspapers aimed at commoners diligently, but lately, I hadn’t done anything at all.
I carefully read the clipped article. Despite the aggressive tone, the content was ordinary.
It reported that two young ladies, whose existence had never been revealed, appeared at the recent ball.
Most of the attention was on Scarlett, but her existence had been publicly acknowledged by the Emperor, so her status wasn’t questioned.
The problem was the side mention of me.
I could guess why the Viscount of Huebner sent the letter. Since I, still a temporary adopted daughter, had drawn so much attention, he probably wanted to meet and discuss how to handle the situation going forward.
Perhaps Dorian had even stirred up the attention on purpose to ensure I would be brought into the viscountcy—though I could see how that might be misunderstood.
But where exactly was the viscountcy located? While I tried to recall its location, Dorian, seeming to misread my expression, babbled on.
“I’ll handle the negotiations, so you just need to go along with me. It’s not a big problem.”
“Oh, that’s fine. I’ll help with the persuasion too.”
I waved my hand. While I appreciated Dorian’s words, if I were to live as the viscount’s daughter, this was ultimately my responsibility.
We could maintain good relations as the heads of the Brecht Duke house and Huebner Viscount house, but he couldn’t assist me forever.
Unless he placed Lewin as a duke and descended to the Huebner viscountcy… then maybe it would help.
I handed the paper back to the servant and looked at Dorian.
“When will we leave?”
“Next week.”
“What about transportation?”
“We’ll use a carriage to travel to the mobile stone.”
The mobile stone. I’d heard they were hidden throughout the Empire, but would I really get to see one?
The mobile stone was essentially a magical teleportation platform, but in a rocky form instead of the common magical circles in other fantasy worlds.
It was a type of lost technology… roughly, a huge cube-shaped rock engraved with complex formulas, buried so that only the top surface was exposed.
There weren’t many of them, and the mana required to activate them made them impractical, so they were rarely used in real situations.
As a result, the only remaining ones were single-use stones, like the one Dorian had used to rescue me for short-distance travel.
I felt a slight thrill. Even the head of the Black Duke family would know such state secrets, and the enormous mana cost wouldn’t faze him.
“I… see.”
I almost asked carelessly why we weren’t taking the train. Naturally, a train would be useless. I quickly diverted my attention to Lewin, who hadn’t noticed anything.
“I’m excited. I knew they existed, but I had no idea where.”
“Is that so.”
Dorian wiped Lewin’s mouth directly with a napkin. His soft cheek squished like a plush doll, then returned to normal.
“Wuhhh…”
Lewin whined. I turned my gaze to Dorian. His lips curved upward in a smile.
“Will Lewin be coming too?”
“Of course.”
We couldn’t leave him behind for such a long trip. I asked further to confirm.
“What about Ivar and Hartman?”
“Originally, only Ivar was to come, but… Hartman should come too. He’s the only one at our duke house who can handle aura.”
If we encountered Hiram and had a confrontation, it would definitely be better to have Hartman there. I stirred the slowly melting ice cream in front of me.
“Preparing will take a long time.”
We couldn’t let it be known that all the key personnel would leave the duke house. Dorian nodded at my remark.
The meal ended. He rang the bell to signal the end.
The carriage consisted of three vehicles, including the luggage carriage. With Dorian and Hartman present, no additional guards were necessary. I remembered what Hartman had said while inspecting the carriages before departure.
<It’s easier to swing a sword with fewer people, right?>
I roughly understood what he meant.
Five hours had passed since we boarded. We even stopped briefly for lunch, but it wasn’t enough to relieve the stiffness in our bodies.
I rested my arm on the window and looked at the lush green trees. The carriage was comfortably cool inside.
However, the breeze coming through the window carried the humidity of early summer.
“The mobile stone should appear soon.”
Seeing my impatience, Dorian spoke softly in explanation. I smiled and closed my eyes.
Ivar had said our relationship had become awkward, but that wasn’t entirely accurate. After the ball, Dorian had been careful around me.
It wasn’t simply because I had refused to dance. Thinking carefully, I understood why, but I didn’t want to dwell on it.
I enjoyed the long-forgotten scent of summer—wet soil, leaves, and grass.
The carriage, without a single jolt, felt like it was floating in midair. Like me, it didn’t seem grounded, somehow separate from the land.
Even if my senses returned, the twenty-year gap of living detached from this world wasn’t instantly erased.
This world still felt unfamiliar.
The wind and familiar summer scent reminded me that this place was somewhat similar to the Earth I had lived on…
“Once we pass the downhill stretch, it will appear.”
As I felt the wind in my ears, a voice as soft as the breeze reached me. I opened my eyes and looked across.
Dorian pointed at the window and whispered gently to Lewin, who was growing restless.
“Just a little longer.”
“Whine…”
Lewin fussed, looking out the window. Clearly, both I and Dorian hadn’t moved or said anything, which disappointed him.
“Clap!”
I clapped to draw Lewin’s attention.
“Look, Lewin! See the tree outside? The broad leaves there? That’s my favorite tree…”
Even with the magical carriage, it was much slower than a car. This allowed the objects outside to be clearly visible.
I glanced at Dorian, who took a breath. I pointed to the window by Lewin and raised my voice.
“In autumn, the leaves turn a vivid red. Not brown, but a bright, beautiful red. Like…”
I inadvertently looked at Dorian. He smiled at me.
His eyes resembled maple leaves.
The carriage stopped somewhere that wasn’t a wide clearing or even flat land. When it halted, I thought an accident had occurred.
Who would expect a “portal,” like in typical fantasy worlds, to be on a narrow, tree-covered mountain slope?
“What’s happening? What did we hit?”
Lewin, who had dozed off, whimpered as the carriage jolted to a stop.
“We’ve arrived.”
“Here?”
I couldn’t believe it. Trees twisted in between rocks tapped the carriage exterior with their branches. I tried to open the window but pulled back as a branch threatened to poke inside.
“Isn’t it on top of the rocks?”
“It is on the rocks, yes.”
I peered through the closed glass, trying to see where the carriage was, but it was on a narrow dirt slope.
“…It’s buried, but it works perfectly.”
Dorian, sensing my doubt, offered an explanation. I moved away from the window.
“Then what now? I understand the mobile stone requires contact to use.”
Do we need to excavate the buried rock? As I pondered this, Dorian placed his hand on the carriage door.
“We’ll move shortly.”
A faint blue light began emanating from the carriage. It started from the door where Dorian’s hand rested and spread across the floor.
“Could it be… the carriage is connected?”
“Yes, it’s the mobile stone.”
His face, bathed in blue light, looked unfamiliar. It felt as though we were submerged underwater, with Dorian, Lewin, and I surrounded by the soft glow.
