* * *
After the trip was decided, most of the time was spent inspecting Nyx before their departure.
On the morning they set out, having made thorough preparations, the escort unit and two nannies were already waiting at the castle gate.
Though it was a somewhat modest entourage, they couldn’t exactly leave the castle empty.
Even so, because Lowell and Edwin were coming along, the escort unit was larger than usual.
“You said we have to ride the carriage for half a day?”
“Yes.”
During this season, there were many large-scale movements, so most nearby territories grouped together to use teleportation.
Since Nyx was particularly far from the capital, four territories moved as a group.
“Take my hand, Lowell.”
Felix, who had checked the interior of the carriage first, reached out his hand.
Grabbing that large hand, Lowell gave a wide smile.
Edwin, who had ridden ponies but never a carriage, was stomping his feet in excitement, but after half a day of traveling, he quickly grew tired and fell asleep.
Felix carefully placed the child’s head on his lap.
‘I’m glad Edwin doesn’t get motion sickness.’
Lowell suppressed the urge to rub the sleeping child’s cheeks and turned his head to look at the scenery outside.
Since it had been a long time since he’d left Nyx, Lowell felt his chest clear just watching the snowy mountain scenery change rapidly.
‘I never felt the castle was suffocating, but now that I’m out, it really is nice.’
Watching Lowell, who couldn’t take his eyes off the window, Felix’s lips tightened.
“Should we have come out sooner? I never intended to trap you in Nyx.”
In his honest heart, Felix wanted to keep Lowell safely in Nyx under the guise of protection, as long as Lowell didn’t hate being confined.
However, seeing Lowell and Edwin so happy just by riding in a carriage, he realized that was something he could never do.
He felt a bit disgusted with himself for finding that fact a pity.
“We were originally going to travel once the child was born, but it got delayed too much.”
Still wanting to hide his darker parts, Felix added those words while avoiding Lowell’s eyes.
“It’s just nice to be out after so long.”
Lowell read the dark impulse in Felix’s eyes without much difficulty but chose not to point it out and moved on gently. It was because he trusted that Felix was a man who could suppress his impulses with love.
As much time as they had spent together, his trust in him had grown deeper.
“Still, since Edwin likes it, let’s travel often. He might even go to the Academy later.”
Felix quietly watched Lowell’s soft hand cover the back of his own.
Before long, he relaxed his shoulders and gave a self-deprecating laugh.
“I suppose I’ll never be able to deceive you.”
“Isn’t that what being a married couple is all about?”
Lowell’s light yet meaningful words gently pushed away Felix’s faint self-loathing.
He could feel Lowell’s consideration, wanting to prevent him from falling into even a sliver of negative emotion.
“We have arrived.”
Just as the atmosphere in the carriage had softened, the coachman announced their arrival.
Perhaps because Nyx was the farthest away, several carriages had already arrived.
“Edwin, you have to wake up.”
“It’s fine.”
Felix stopped Lowell from waking Edwin and instead gently lifted the sleeping child.
Edwin whimpered for a moment but soon settled familiarly into Felix’s arms.
“It seems we are the last ones.”
As Felix said, people were gathered in moderate groups, conversing.
It wasn’t deep conversation, but rather social exchange that was closer to mere formality.
Felix, who had neither the talent nor the need for such things, kept his eyes fixed on Lowell.
‘What is it?’
But that was only for a moment; Lowell noticed a piercing gaze.
There were many people stealing glances, but what he felt was blatant and persistent.
Felix, like an angry wolf preparing to hunt, had spotted his prey.
Usually, that alone would make people tremble and pretend they weren’t looking at Lowell, but not this time.
‘Is he just incredibly oblivious, or does he have a lot of nerve?’
Lowell couldn’t stand it either and turned his head to check the face of the one staring.
The moment their eyes met, the man’s eyes crinkled as he looked delighted, as if he had seen an old acquaintance.
The man didn’t stop there; he excused himself to the person standing next to him and even started walking toward Lowell.
‘What on earth is this?’
Lowell’s mouth went dry.
A chilling premonition that something was about to happen ran down his spine.
Felix stood a step ahead as if to protect Lowell and met the approaching man.
“I am Digory, the eldest son of the Count Tian family. It is a pleasure to meet you, Grand Duke Felix. I have been holding a position as an Academy researcher for a while, so I haven’t had the chance to meet you.”
The Count Tian family was known for being good at playing both sides; even in the last incident, they were a family whose contributions were recognized while playing the role of a spy for the noble faction.
Even so, the eldest son’s face was unfamiliar, so Lowell knit his brows slightly and searched his memory.
‘I definitely don’t remember him. Given his strange attitude, did he know the original Lowell?’
A sense of crisis loomed and circled around Lowell.
There was the anxiety of someone knowing about him while he knew nothing, but Lowell was worried about something else entirely.
It was the fact that Digory’s attitude contained a subtle hint of seduction.
“What is it?”
Felix asked in a voice laced with coldness, making no effort to hide his displeasure, but Digory smugly crinkled his eyes and acted harmless.
“Since I had a connection with Lowell in the past, my joy got the better of me. May I have a moment to exchange greetings?”
At the word “connection,” Felix’s lips twisted mockingly.
On the other hand, Lowell, listening from behind, felt his head become a mess.
It was his first time meeting someone who unilaterally knew Lowell while he had zero information, so his fluster didn’t fade easily.
If he had met him in the beginning it would have been one thing, but an uninvited guest appearing after he had perfectly settled in was nothing but uncomfortable.
‘If it was a significant relationship, wouldn’t Lowell have told me?’
Lowell held onto hope for a moment but soon shook his head internally.
The Lowell he had met once wasn’t the type of personality to care about such details meticulously.
“It seems it wasn’t a significant connection or is one that has already ended; is there a need to greet him?”
Felix asked while glancing at Lowell, pretending to give him the choice.
“Isn’t even an insignificant connection still a connection?”
Even though he should have been intimidated, Digory remained oily without the slightest change in his expression.
Lowell thought he didn’t know what the man was counting on to act like that, but he had to admit the man was a formidable opponent.
‘Still, there’s no need to make the situation more complicated than this.’
Lowell decided to simplify the situation.
He judged that it would be better to speak honestly instead of telling a pointless lie or playing along.
“I’m sorry. My memory isn’t very good, so I can’t recall what kind of connection we had.”
* * *
