「Then, shall we take a quick trip to the royal capital?」
「The royal capital… Huh? Wait, eh?」
With a mischievous smile, Mother suddenly dropped that suggestion, leaving me utterly bewildered.
「Shaps and Fauntia aren’t hosting any banquets or gatherings tonight. I just checked.」
「You checked…」
「Since you’ve gotten close to not just Noapp and the others, but also Yunia and Eidel, I thought this might be a good opportunity.」
「A good opportunity…」
「So, I’ll get in touch with Ji Liz now and have him come pick us up… Then, once night falls, we’ll head out.」
「Once night falls…」
I see.
…Do I?
So, after the sun sets, we’ll ride on the back of a dragon…
All the way to the royal capital.
And who’s going? …Me.
「Ehto… Well, I mean…」
What in the world is Mother suddenly talking about?
With that thought, I turned to Karen. In times like these, she was my go-to. She would surely talk some sense into my absurdly impulsive mother. She’d give her a stern look and say something like, 『Viole-sama, this is far too sudden.』
「Viole-sama, I think that’s a great idea.」
…That was not the response I expected.
「Right? Karen, what about you?」
「Hmm… I’ll sit this one out. I think it’s better if it’s just you and Viole-sama this time. If I, as a Quioy, go along, it might cause trouble.」
「Ah… That’s true. Alfheim and Sorx Kingdom are still in the middle of negotiations. Alright, then I’ll leave you in charge of the house. Keep Mint company.」
「Got it. Give my regards to Fauntia-sama and the others.」
「Bark! Bark bark!」
「Ara? You want to come too, Chocola?」
「Bark!」
「Alright, then. You are Sui-kun’s big brother, after all.」
「Bark!」
While I stood there in stunned silence, the conversation continued to unfold.
Not only had Karen seamlessly joined in, but even Chocola had gotten involved.
The plan was moving forward before I could even react!
Judging from how Mother and Karen were talking, it seemed like they wanted me to meet the royal family—the king and queen.
Not that I minded. I did want to personally thank them for officially allowing me to inherit my father’s viscountcy.
But still.
Did it really have to be right now?
And on top of that, we were taking Ji Liz?
「Ji Liz… Right, Ji Liz! Look, the royal capital is pretty far, and we’re leaving from the village on top of that. Wouldn’t that be a bother?」
「It’s fine. Once the rainy season comes, the Mud Boars (Calydons) will be in season. Their meat is delicious. If we give Ji Liz two or three, he’ll be more than happy to take us.」
「No, this isn’t about giving him something in return. I’m talking about…what he thinks」
「He said he had a great time last time he flew to the royal capital. He even mentioned he wouldn’t mind doing it again, so why not make today that ‘one more time’?」
「…So that excuse won’t work either, huh. I mean, we just saw Yuni-san and the others off, right? They’re still on their way to the royal capital, and we’d be flying past them and meeting the king and queen first? Isn’t that weird?」
「Imagine their faces when they get back and find out their parents have already met you. I can already picture their exasperation.」
「You’re way too into this!」
Seeing how Mother had been fiddling with the communication crystal earlier, it was clear she had already gotten Queen Fauntia’s approval.
I didn’t know much about Her Majesty, but if this had been a problem, she would have turned Mother down outright. And if she had, Mother wouldn’t have insisted.
That meant… there was no way out of this.
—There was no helping it.
I let out a long sigh before turning to Mother and asking,
「How long will it take to reach the royal capital on dragon wings?」
「Let’s see… Based on last time, it shouldn’t be much different from the trip between our home and Sidera. Though, back then, we were in a hurry and had Ji Liz fly at full speed…」
「So we’ll definitely be back by tonight, right?」
「Of course. We don’t plan on staying long. Even if we’re going to the royal capital, it’s only to visit the palace. If you want to go sightseeing, it would be better to take our time on another occasion.」
「Yeah… When I think about it that way, it might not be such a bad idea.」
If we ever traveled to the royal capital for sightseeing in the future, meeting Their Majesties properly as a family would probably be difficult.
I was a viscount. If I were to visit formally, it would inevitably turn into an official audience between a noble and a king. There would be too many eyes on us, and I wouldn’t have much freedom.
In that case, wouldn’t it be best for just the two of us—Mother and me—to make use of the『Heavenly Bell Witch’s』authority, slip in discreetly, meet them in secret, and return quickly?
That way, we wouldn’t be speaking as the royal family and a noble house, but simply as the Sorx and Hatano families.
「Alright. Let’s go today, then.」
I said with a wry smile.
Mother returned my smile with a「Thank you.」
※※※
After relaxing with some tea at Noah’s mansion, we returned to the inn as the sun began to set.
We cooked, ate, and spent a peaceful time together as a family.
By the time the sun had fully set—Ji Liz arrived.
「Oh, so it’s just you and『Heavenly Bell』-dono this time?」
「Bark!」
「Ah, and Chocola too.」
Landing in the garden of the inn, Ji Liz looked relaxed—or perhaps even a little amused.
「Sorry to make you come all this way… Or should I say, ‘fly all this way’?」
「Hmph, think nothing of it. The reward is quite generous, and flying at night has its own charm.」
「Come to think of it, we don’t ask you to fly at night very often.」
I looked up at the sky.
The last light of dusk lingered faintly in the west, but the darkness would soon deepen, and the stars would begin to shine.
Flying through this sky on a dragon’s back would surely be a wonderful experience.
As we climbed onto Ji Liz’s back, our family saw us off.
「Mother, Sui, Shokora, Take care!」
「Hmm, be careful.」
「Please give Their Majesties my regards.」
「Kyururu…?」
Mint waved.
Karen nodded.
Grandma smiled, while Pochi tilted his head in confusion.
「Alright, we’re off.」
With the beat of great wings—but no wind.
We floated straight up, lifted by magic.
And so, with our family seeing us off—we departed for the royal capital.
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