Ch#90
The list had been brought up immediately after he gave the order.
However, he still hadn't been able to decide after scrutinizing each one.
‘First, somewhere easy to reach by carriage would be good.’
Even though all were within a day's travel from the capital, the surrounding environments varied.
Some were villas located deep in high mountains.
Such places could be reached by carriage, but the rough roads might cause severe motion sickness for a young child.
‘Besides, those places are dangerous.’
It was horrifying just to imagine, but what if she fell from a high place while out playing?
Clois first excluded villas near hazardous areas.
Next, he checked if they had been properly maintained.
Even the Main Palace of the imperial palace still bore scars from the war.
Unused villas certainly wouldn't have received ample funding for repairs.
Fortunately, many local lords had voluntarily restored them to curry favor with the new emperor or erase ties to the previous one.
Otherwise, most villas would still be abandoned.
‘The reports say they're fine, but I should check in person just to be sure.’
Clois narrowed down the options one by one.
Then, one caught his eye.
“This place……”
It was somewhere he had frequented as a child.
While attending Yeongjae Academy, he hadn't wanted to return to the Main Palace.
His father, who had chosen him as successor yet showed no parental affection.
His siblings who envied and resented him, and the ministers who approached to gain his favor.
The Main Palace was filled with nothing but annoyances and irritations.
So even though it was within commuting distance, he stayed in the Yeongjae Academy dormitory.
During Yeongjae Academy breaks, he would head to an imperial villa.
Among them, there was one he visited particularly often.
It was a villa nestled in expansive rolling hills. The gentle slopes cradled numerous large and small lakes.
An old village rich in history, quaint little houses bearing the passage of time, fields where sheep frolicked.
The lakes were shallow enough for even young children to swim safely, and the surrounding area teemed with waterfowl that would take flight en masse at night in a spectacular display.
‘I always wanted to bring Lilian here someday.’
During sleepless nights on the battlefield, he had often imagined life after the war.
Lilian would reside in the imperial palace as empress, but he doubted she would enjoy it much.
He had thought it would be nice to come here with her.
A natural setting reminiscent of her homeland, always beautiful, clean, and serene.
Spending time here with Lilian and their future children would make his busy life as emperor bearable.
Those occasional sweet respites would make him feel even happier.
Clois examined the documents related to the villa for a long while.
Fortunately, it had sustained no war damage, and its contents were well-preserved.
Since he had stayed there often as a child, it had more child-friendly features than others.
Moreover, at his request for a quiet study space, his father had even built a library there comparable to a proper one.
And nearby was a fairly sizable village.
‘Ibi would love this.’
He recalled how absorbed she had been watching street vendors during the festival.
If the timing worked, they could visit the village's weekend market together.
‘Let me check my schedule first…….’
In Clois's mind, Ibi was already set to visit.
In that case, he would naturally have to join her.
He tried to recall what he had done there as a child, thinking Ibi might enjoy the same things.
Just then, a knock sounded, and the chief attendant entered.
“Your Majesty.”
“I'm busy right now.”
It was code for reporting anything trivial later.
“Ibi Alden requests an audience with Your Majesty.”
“What?”
At Ibi's name, Clois shot up from his seat.
He brushed past the chief attendant and peered into the corridor.
“Ibi?”
She had requested to see him, yet Ibi was nowhere in sight.
“Where's the child?”
“She's at Yeongjae Academy. She contacted us first to ask if it was alright to visit……”
“What kind of talk is that? I clearly told her to come anytime she wanted.”
“Perhaps because she left without seeing you last time.”
“What do you mean? Without seeing me?”
When Clois pressed, the chief attendant hesitated before speaking.
“Actually, Ibi Alden came here twice last week.”
“What……?”
Clois's eyes widened. He had spent the entire previous week waiting for Ibi to visit.
He worried about her injury and, though Seraphina had submitted reports, wanted to hear directly from Ibi how she was recovering.
He was curious about her exams too.
Her silence had left him inwardly worried and a bit hurt, yet she had come—twice?
“Then why did she leave without meeting me?”
“Both times, your meetings ran long, so she waited and then returned.”
“Meetings? Ah……”
Urgent meetings had been called due to reports about Siren, who had escaped near the border.
The Prime Minister, Foreign Minister, Rommel of the Imperial Knight Order, and the Minister of Defense.
Issues concerning Siren took absolute priority, so they had gathered and deliberated late into the night.
“She came during the Siren meetings. Still, if you'd told me, I would have stepped out to see her.”
Clois eyed the chief attendant reproachfully.
No matter how important the meetings, he could have spared a moment to check on the child.
The discussions dragged on anyway, often pausing for thought.
Besides, Siren-related matters always frustrated him.
‘He showed interest in the Imperial Crest.’
He didn't know why Siren was fixating on it now, but the words lingered in his mind.
“I tried to inform you, but Ibi stopped me. She said she'd wait quietly. She worried excessively about disturbing Your Majesty. Then she sat outside for three hours, solving problems from a book.”
As he listened, Clois noticed the chief attendant now referred to her simply as Ibi, not Ibi Alden.
They had apparently grown close in his absence.
‘Well, who wouldn't like such a child?’
Anyone except those who looked down on her for being from the Orphanage would adore a sweet, kind child who smiled easily.
Then Clois caught something odd in the attendant's words.
“A book? Solving problems?”
“Yes. Advanced Math Volume 2. She seemed quite enjoying it.”
“……”
Clois was momentarily speechless. Solving math problems while waiting? Enjoying it? For three hours?
“When curfew approached at the dormitory, she said she'd head back and asked me to keep her visit a secret.”
“You broke your promise.”
“Duty comes first.”
The chief attendant spoke shamelessly, a soft smile on his face. He clearly liked Ibi a great deal too.
“So on her second visit, I suggested she contact us through staff first. We'd let her know if Your Majesty could meet. That way, she wouldn't have to come and wait……”
“Well done. Making her wait too long isn't good for a child. Now, send the reply quickly.”
“Understood.”
After the chief attendant left, he swiftly cleared his desk.
‘She'll be happy for sure.’
During the festival, hadn't she said going out like that was a first for her?
She had never even left the city while living at the Orphanage.
‘I hope she has a wonderful summer break.’
As he thought that, Clois reviewed his own schedule.
There were regular meetings and events, but nothing else major. He could spare a few days, even if not a full long stay.
Moments later, footsteps echoed in the corridor, and Ibi entered with the chief attendant.
“You're here.”
Clois approached with a delighted face and opened his arms. Ibi hesitated briefly before breaking into a wide smile, spreading her arms and hugging him.
The warm child scent made Clois smile unwittingly.
Then Ibi said to him.
“Your Majesty, could you sign this for me, please?”
