* * *
The carriage, having rushed through the capital, stopped one by one at the entrance near Lyos Square, where the bustling plaza could be seen.
Once all the carriages had come to a halt, the knights hurriedly disembarked to inspect the horses and the carriages.
The horses were to be left at the stables of the Ludvis estate, so they would rest here briefly before heading back up to the mansion.
“Ah, finally, I can breathe a little,” Enoch muttered, stretching his arms.
“Indeed,” Chaeyi replied.
After briefly stepping down from the carriage, Enoch stretched energetically.
Meanwhile, Leonard and Lawrence were deep in conversation, likely about a report.
At that moment, Delion, who had just gotten off the carriage and was overseeing the knights, looked over and spoke.
“We’ll depart in an hour, so feel free to take a look around the plaza before then.”
For Chaeyi, who had been growing bored, this was a welcome suggestion.
Chaeyi, along with Leonard, Enoch, and their bodyguard Lawrence, headed toward Lyos Square.
Lawrence, who had become more distinguished in his time away, caught Chaeyi’s attention.
As Chaeyi looked at him, he noticed a brooch pinned to Lawrence’s chest.
It was the same brooch that Chaeyi had given him as a gift.
“I’m glad to see you’re using it,” Chaeyi said with a smile.
Lawrence glanced down at the brooch, then scratched his head awkwardly and chuckled, his huge bear-like frame making his shy smile even more endearing.
To Chaeyi, he still appeared charmingly childish, despite his imposing stature.
“I treasure it, since it was a gift from you, Chaeyi.”
“Well, I appreciate the kind words.”
“It’s true! And if I didn’t cherish it, I might find myself on the wrong side of the Young Master’s wrath!”
…Some things never change, Chaeyi thought, smiling at the exaggerated response.
At that moment, Enoch, who had been walking ahead with Leonard, turned to Chaeyi and pointed.
“Come see this!” Enoch called out excitedly.
Chaeyi turned to see a group of people performing a puppet show near the clock tower in the plaza.
“A puppet show?”
“Yes! Have you ever seen one, Chaeyi?”
“No, this is my first time too.”
Curious, Chaeyi walked over to where Enoch and Leonard had gathered, watching the performance where several men and women manipulated puppets to tell a story.
The puppets included human figures, monsters, elves, dwarves, and dragons, with occasional appearances by animal-headed puppets.
As Chaeyi focused on the story, it became clear that the show was educational—aimed at teaching the different races of the world, such as Alpha, Omega, and others, about each other.
While it was clearly a source of entertainment for noble children, it also served an important role in educating commoners, especially those in the Beta class, who were often less informed about the world.
It was a good cause, Chaeyi thought.
Unconsciously, a warm expression spread across his face, and Leonard, who had always been observant of Chaeyi’s subtle shifts in mood, noticed that Chaeyi was enjoying the puppet show.
As the performance ended, the puppeteers lowered their hats in a familiar gesture.
A few of the audience members tossed coins into the collection hat with cheerful faces before walking away.
It seemed the puppeteers relied on donations as their income.
‘Not much, but…’ Chaeyi thought, reaching for the coins in his wallet.
At that moment, Leonard gave Lawrence a quick nod.
“Make sure it’s enough to cover the cost. ‘Generously,’ if you will.”
Understanding the intent immediately, Lawrence nodded and swiftly approached the performers.
He spoke with them, mentioning how much Leonard had enjoyed the show and that he would pay accordingly.
After handing over a piece of paper, Lawrence received startled, grateful looks from the puppeteers, who repeatedly bowed in thanks.
Chaeyi couldn’t tell exactly what the paper was, but he could sense that Leonard was looking out for him.
A bit embarrassed, Chaeyi glanced at Leonard.
“Did you pay for me? You didn’t have to do that.”
“No, I enjoyed it too. I paid because I wanted to,” Leonard replied casually.
“Really?”
“Yes. By the way, Chaeyi, how about we head over there?” Leonard suggested, smoothly leading Chaeyi in another direction.
Chaeyi, along with Enoch, followed without hesitation, and Lawrence, after a brief moment of hesitation with the grateful puppeteers, trailed behind.
“Wow. This is unexpected. I never thought I’d see the great Young Master Leonard interested in something so cute as a puppet show.”
A voice interrupted the moment, laced with mock surprise.
Chaeyi turned around to see a man leaning with his hand in his pocket, standing at a tilt.
He recognized the face immediately—it was Clemant Rolaise, whom he hadn’t seen in a long time.
“Clemant?”
Chaeyi blinked, surprised.
Clemant flashed a grin and waved his hand.
Behind him, Selion appeared, carrying a small cloth pouch filled with something.
He looked somewhat upset but softened when He spotted Chaeyi and his group.
“I didn’t expect to see you both here… It’s been a while.”
It seemed Clemant and Selion had also been invited to the Ludvis estate.
“Exactly! Leonard, this is your first time attending, isn’t it? What brings you here?” Clemant clapped his hands, laughing teasingly.
Chaeyi only then learned the truth behind Leonard’s presence.
Leonard, however, didn’t look amused by Clemant’s words. He frowned slightly.
“Don’t you know that sometimes unnecessary attention can be rude?”
“Oh, come on. We’re close enough for this kind of talk, aren’t we?”
“There’s a wall as wide as the Empire itself between us. Stop pretending we’re close.”
“Ow, Clemant’s feelings are hurt. How could you be so cold? Right, Chaeyi?”
Clemant grinned, slyly placing his arm around Chaeyi’s shoulder, his eyes sparkling as Leonard’s glare deepened.
Chaeyi, however, wasn’t thrown off balance.
He calmly looked at Clemant and replied, matter-of-factly.
“I don’t think Leonard’s wrong.”
His words were delivered with the utmost sincerity, as though he hadn’t even considered any other response.
And with Chaeyi staying so unperturbed, Clemant’s face fell a little, his playful mood cooling down.
Clemant had tried to rile him up, but Chaeyi was not the type to be easily provoked.
“You’re really no fun,” Clemant pouted.
“Funny, that’s exactly what I was about to say.”
Chaeyi chuckled lightly, and Clemant sighed, shrugging his shoulders in defeat.
Not wanting to lose to Chaeyi’s composure, he finally backed off.
As Clemant stepped away, Leonard quietly drew Chaeyi closer.
At that moment, Enoch, who had been quietly observing, spoke up.
“By the way, what brings you two down here? I notice you didn’t bring any knights with you.”
Just as if waiting for the question, Selion responded immediately.
“We arrived last night, so we had a lot of time to spare. That guy suggested we visit the square for a change of pace. And by the way, all these ridiculous luxury items were bought by him.”
Selion abruptly thrust out the sacks hanging heavily from both his hands, glaring at Clemant with wide, sharp eyes.
“I told him we should at least bring a knight along, but he wouldn’t listen.”
So, in other words, Clemant bought a mountain of things and dumped the task of carrying them all onto Selion.
That seemed to be the situation.
No wonder.
The reason for his goblin-like expression earlier was finally clear.
Chaeyi and Enoch exchanged knowing nods, their expressions saying they completely understood.
Despite all that, Clemant, standing before Selion, continued to play the role of the frail, teasing one.
But still… if Clemant always acted like this, you’d think Selion would’ve lost his temper for real at least once.
Yet, despite the constant bickering, Selion tolerated far more from Clemant than anyone else.
Chaeyi found this peculiar.
Was there some reason for it?
Or perhaps their bond ran far deeper and closer than what met the eye.
In any case, meeting the two here was fate of sorts, so Chaeyi’s group decided to join them.
Not that they had much choice—Clemant blended in so naturally, as if he had always been part of their group, that they had no choice but to tag along.
After a light tour around the square, the group made their way back to the carriage.
Clemant and Selion joined them, as their destinations aligned.
Of course, Leonard made no effort to hide his displeasure, his mood sour after losing yet another chance to be alone with Chaeyi.
His annoyance was short-lived.
The ride from the square to the Ludvis estate wasn’t far, and soon the carriage arrived at the estate’s grand gates.
As the gates swung open, the carriage entered, and Chaeyi stepped out alongside the others.
The knights bustled about, moving the horses and carriage to the designated storage area.
“So this is Fer’s place.”
Chaeyi gazed around the vast inner park of the estate.
Judging by the number of parked carriages, quite a few nobles had already arrived ahead of them.
“Chaeyi.”
A familiar and cheerful voice called out his name.
Turning to look, Chaeyi saw Ferdinand, dressed neatly for once.
His hair was loosely tied to one side, adding a casual yet polished touch.
* * *
