Chapter 60……………….
“Our kid’s kind of amazing, isn’t he?”
“That wasn’t a compliment! Well… in a way, I suppose it was, but still… ugh…”
Theodora groaned, saying that Aslan’s extraordinary athleticism was used entirely for causing trouble.
It had been only a single day since we set off, but it hadn’t even taken her an hour to figure out his wild and reckless nature.
I patted Theodora on the shoulder, offering words of comfort that weren’t really comfort.
“Just give up. It’s easier that way.”
“Give up? He’s your daughter’s child, Your Highness!”
“At this point, he’s basically civilized.”
So much had happened just to get him this far.
Perhaps sensing my wistful tone, Theodora seemed to understand just how much grief the child must have caused me, and she nearly teared up.
“Urgh… Why did you ever leave home, to suffer like that on your own…”
“It wasn’t exactly suffering.”
Not when the suffering only began after Aslan learned how to be human.
Anyway, if we lingered here too long, we’d end up reaching the next town only after sunset.
This wasn’t some leisurely trip—we needed to reach safety as quickly as possible.
After enough rest, I approached Aslan with my arms open.
“Aslan, that’s enough. Come down now. Let’s ride the carriage together.”
“Eeehh… but I wanna ride the horse too.”
“I’ll let you ride as much as you want once we arrive. I’ll even teach you how to ride properly.”
“Really?”
As though he had never whined in the first place, Aslan immediately gave in, sliding obediently into my arms and climbing down from the horse.
He even remembered to pat the horse’s head in thanks.
“Heehee, it tickles!”
Snort.
The horse snorted softly, then licked Aslan’s cheek.
Come to think of it, horses and cats could actually become good friends.
Once we reach the Eckhart Duchy, maybe I should get him a pony.
Teaching Aslan how to ride was going to be essential anyway, especially in case of emergencies.
I set him into the carriage first and asked,
“Do you like horses that much? Should I buy you one?”
“Really?”
“Of course, really. What color horse would you like?”
Without a moment of hesitation, Aslan answered.
“A golden one!”
“Golden?”
“Yeah, like you, Mommy—shiny and golden!”
His eyes sparkled.
Golden, huh… One horse did come to mind.
My steed, left behind in the Imperial Palace.
When I was exiled, I couldn’t exactly bring a warhorse with me. I had no idea what had become of it now.
Still, I stroked Aslan’s head and promised,
“Alright, I’ll find you a golden horse.”
Thanks to Aslan being surprisingly cooperative, we managed to reach the village before sunset.
Though far from the capital, it was still a sizable town. With several knights escorting us, we didn’t stand out too much.
We rented out the entire inn and began unpacking.
“Aslan, are you hungry?”
“Super hungry.”
“Alright, let’s go eat. Ah—wait.”
I almost forgot.
I picked up the long sword Theodora had temporarily lent me.
It’s been so long, I feel awkward with this.
How was I supposed to wear it again?
Even as my head filled with question marks, my body instinctively fastened it around my waist with practiced ease.
Finally, I pulled up my hood, and just then, Aslan asked,
“Hey, Mommy.”
“Mm?”
“Do you think everyone’s okay?”
His little face was full of worry and unease.
He knew very well, after last night’s incident, what it was I carried on my hip.
Our servants had taken a different road toward the Duchy of Eckhart.
Though they were skilled enough to handle themselves, I’d still assigned a few knights to guard them. Even so, Aslan must have been fretting all day.
No wonder he kept staring off into the distance today. I thought it was just homesickness.
I was worried too, of course, but as his mother, I couldn’t let it show.
I knelt down to face him, stroked his soft cheek, and smiled.
“Of course they’re fine. They might even get there before us and be waiting already.”
“What? Already?”
“Maybe.”
“Then won’t their necks get all stiff from waiting too long? We gotta hurry!”
Where did he even learn expressions like that?
I burst out laughing and ruffled his hair.
“Alright, alright. Let’s eat plenty tonight so we’ll have energy to catch up with them tomorrow. Okay?”
“Yeah! I’ll eat a ton!”
As if declaring war, he clenched both fists and dragged me off toward the dining room.
Practically pulled along by him, I entered the inn’s restaurant, where the knights were already gathered.
“Ah, ma’am.”
Since entering the village, Theodora had been careful to call me that.
I looked at the still-empty tables and asked,
“Did everyone order?”
“The kitchen is short-staffed, so it may take a while.”
“Ah, right.”
When we rented the inn, I had set one condition: I’d pay triple the peak-season rate, but I wanted as few staff around as possible.
So now, it seemed only the innkeeper and one cook remained.
Looking at the menu the knights had shown him, Aslan tugged at my sleeve.
“Mommy, I want this one.”
“Roast chicken?”
“What will you have, ma’am?”
“I’ll take the same.”
Nothing else caught my eye, so I matched Aslan’s order. After all, there was no way he could finish a whole chicken by himself.
Theodora told the innkeeper,
“Innkeeper, serve their meals first.”
“Yes, yes, right away.”
Our order went straight to the kitchen, and a few simple snacks, like peanuts, were served first.
Of course, no one touched any alcohol.
Aslan sniffed at the small dishes curiously, then popped one into his mouth and flailed his arms.
“Mommy, this is yummy!”
“You like peanuts?”
“Yeah, they’re really… um… mm…”
“Nutty?”
“Yeah! Peanuts are nutty!”
He nodded eagerly, as if that was exactly what he’d wanted to say.
I wasn’t sure he fully understood what “nutty” meant, but the sight of him munching happily was adorable.
The knights even slid their own plates toward him.
“Wow, you’re giving me more?”
“If you’d like, take as many as you want.”
“Don’t give him too much—he won’t eat dinner.”
“No, Mommy, I can eat it all!”
I’d never starved him a day in his life, so where did he get such greed?
Enchanted by the taste of nuts, he stuffed his mouth like a hamster, cheeks bulging.
Alarmed, I snatched the plate away.
“No. Only a little at a time.”
“Why?”
“So you can still eat lots of the meat you love.”
“But I wanna eat lots of peanuts too…”
He pouted, but if he got sick here of all places, it would be a disaster.
“For now, one at a time. Here, ahh~.”
“Ahh…”
Though disappointed, he still accepted them obediently when I fed him.
As we waited for the food, I glanced out the window without thinking.
The sky was heavy with clouds.
“The weather looks gloomy.”
“It may rain tonight.”
“Hopefully it stops before we set out.”
Even if it cleared by morning, traveling in mud wouldn’t be easy.
The carriage wheels could sink, or the horses could slip—it was almost inevitable that some accident would happen.
Just imagining it gave me a headache.
CRACK-BOOM!
“Waaah!”
With a loud flash of lightning, Aslan shrieked and jumped into my arms.
Theodora glanced at me awkwardly and murmured,
“…It’s raining.”
“Sigh.”
I let out a long breath.
Even the move itself couldn’t go smoothly.
And sure enough, the rain came down in a torrential downpour.
If we got stuck in this village, it would be a serious problem.
Apparently, I wasn’t the only one concerned—the inn was getting noisy outside.
Likely more travelers seeking shelter from the storm.
The inn’s counter was separate from the dining area, and since I’d told them to accept no other guests, I assumed they’d be turned away.
But then—
“Please, can’t you make an exception? All the inns in town are full, we have nowhere else to stay.”
“I’m sorry, but someone has already rented out the entire building…”
…So much for soundproofing. Or maybe that man just had a very loud voice.
He sounded genuinely desperate, but the last thing we could afford was running into strangers.
Yet he was so persistent that the innkeeper eventually emerged from the counter and addressed us.
“Excuse me, but… the gentleman outside would like to speak with you.”
