* * *
After much deliberation, they decided on Kania.
The island would have been nice anytime, but Kania was at its most beautiful during this season.
“We’ll take care of packing your things.”
“I want to carry a few things myself.”
Clothes could be chosen from whatever was prepared, but there were certain items he wanted to keep on hand.
Ignoring the servants’ protests, Lowell packed a few essentials and then started gathering information about Kania.
The trip was already just a day away.
‘Well, since there are no smartphones here, I’ll have to settle for reading pamphlets.’
As a famous travel destination, there were plenty of guides available.
Though this world didn’t have travel books or promotional videos like in Eunoh’s world, there were plenty of travelogues, which were just as enjoyable to read and imagine.
‘Looks like street food is a big thing here. I guess tourist spots are the same everywhere.’
Lying on the bed, Lowell flipped through the most recent travelogue he could find.
Even if “recent” in this world meant two years ago, that was still fairly up-to-date.
“Looking forward to the trip?”
Felix had just returned and sat beside him with a gentle smile.
He had expected Lowell to be happy, but seeing him this excited was even more satisfying.
“Of course! It’s been so long since I last traveled.”
Nix had been nice, but after staying there for so long, it had become too familiar.
The snow-covered mountains had been breathtaking at first, but seeing them every day made them feel like just another backdrop.
‘They say humans adapt to anything, after all.’
Lowell found it amusing how he had grown used to such beauty, but that didn’t change how thrilled he was now.
“We can teleport part of the way, but from there, we’ll have to take a carriage to Kania. Will that be alright?”
Since this was a last-minute plan, it wasn’t perfect.
But even that sounded fun to Lowell.
With teleportation, you could only see the space you arrived in.
raveling by carriage, on the other hand, meant seeing everything along the way.
‘Besides, the last carriage I rode in wasn’t bad at all. It barely shook—it almost felt like riding a train.’
Felix still seemed uneasy, but Lowell reassured him once again.
Still, Felix’s gaze kept drifting toward his belly, as if he couldn’t shake off his concerns.
“Everyone already said it would be fine.”
Felix had relentlessly questioned servants and priests who had experience with pregnancy, making sure a carriage ride at this stage wouldn’t be a problem.
Judging by the exhausted expressions they had worn last night, it seemed they had been interrogated quite thoroughly even outside Lowell’s presence.
“I know, but… your body is weaker than most.”
“Let’s just think about the good things. What we’ll eat when we get there, what we should do first—things like that.”
Cheerfully, Lowell handed Felix one of the travel guides.
Felix sighed in resignation before taking it.
“Is there anything in particular you want to do?”
“Well, there’s a boat ride, apparently. You can sail down a river full of blooming flowers. It’s beautiful in the daytime, but at night, the magic orbs light up, and it looks just as stunning.”
Lowell started chattering enthusiastically.
He was more interested in the food, but since Felix still hadn’t regained his appetite, focusing on sightseeing seemed like a better idea.
“What if the boat flips over and you fall into the water?”
Felix, who had been nodding, suddenly muttered a new worry.
Lowell chuckled internally at how overprotective he was getting.
“Then you’ll save me, of course. Thinking about that, it’d be better to go during the day. The water would be too cold at night.”
And so, the two of them continued their strange exchange—Lowell suggesting something, Felix worrying about it, and Lowell coming up with a solution—until they finally drifted off to sleep.
But, as always, things never go exactly as planned.
Lowell realized this the moment the next morning arrived.
The journey had gone awry from the very start.
A problem arose with the reins of the carriage, which had just been inspected the day before, causing a delay in their departure.
Still, it was a plausible mishap, so both Lowell and Felix simply accepted it as one of those things.
“Better than encountering an issue after we set off.”
But when the reins were fixed, and yet the teleportation mages failed to arrive, a bad feeling started creeping in.
That was when they began to sense something was off.
“Ah, we sincerely apologize. The path we usually take was blocked, and we had to take a detour, which made us late.”
The mages finally arrived, drenched in sweat and repeatedly offering their apologies.
Since neither Felix nor the knights were familiar with the usual route the mages took, they couldn’t reprimand them too harshly.
Instead, they simply ordered the available knights to clean up the situation and moved on.
“Then, since we’re behind schedule, let’s depart quickly.”
Because the carriage and the knights also needed to be teleported, quite a few mages had to assist.
Lowell had experienced teleportation once before when he came to Nix, but it was still fascinating.
Sitting in the carriage, their knees occasionally bumping as they waited for departure, Lowell watched as Felix chuckled softly.
“We’ve been delayed.”
“It’s alright. They say we’ll still arrive before sunset.”
As the scenery outside the window changed rapidly, Lowell grinned.
‘Surely, nothing else will go wrong now, right?’
Suppressing their lingering concerns, the two engaged in conversation, fueled by excitement for the journey ahead.
Lowell suggested slightly adjusting their schedule so they could drop off their luggage and head straight for the ship.
Felix simply responded that they could do whatever Lowell wanted.
On the surface, Felix’s nonchalant agreement might have made it seem like he wasn’t particularly interested, but in reality, that was far from the truth.
His gaze barely left Lowell’s lips, and his hands were constantly toying with Lowell’s fingers.
Despite that, he never failed to respond to even the smallest remarks.
Through these little actions, it was clear that Felix was entirely absorbed in Lowell.
“Felix, is there anywhere you’d like to visit? I feel like I’ve been the only one talking about places since yesterday.”
Lowell asked, not expecting much.
Felix hadn’t been particularly proactive about suggesting plans.
“Tonight, I was thinking we could go out for a bit.”
Lowell was caught off guard by Felix’s proposal.
“Where to?”
“I heard there’s a beautiful place near our lodgings that looks stunning at night. We’ll have to walk a bit, but if you get tired, I can carry you.”
Lowell knew better than anyone that Felix wasn’t saying that just for show.
Felix had a habit of picking him up the moment his breathing became the slightest bit labored, even on flat ground.
‘Being carried still feels a bit awkward…’
Felix always held him securely, making sure he wouldn’t be jostled, but the sensation of his feet not touching the ground remained unsettling.
Still, since Felix had taken the initiative to suggest an outing, Lowell had no intention of refusing.
“That sounds great. They say there are many mana stones there, so the night view must be breathtaking.”
At Lowell’s agreement, Felix visibly relaxed.
“Your Grace, once we complete one more teleportation, we’ll continue by carriage.”
The mages knocked and provided guidance just in time.
“Understood.”
“That was fast.”
“Yes. It’s not too far for a magical transfer. But from here, we’ll need to travel by carriage for about three hours.”
Felix answered the mage briefly before turning his attention back to Lowell, explaining things step by step.
The stark difference in how he treated them made Lowell feel simultaneously exasperated and absurdly pleased.
“So, we’re switching to the carriage now.”
* * *
