Chapter : 46
While I was tilting my head in thought, Harton spoke first.
“Shall we head back now? If we stay here too long, it’ll affect your health.”
I stared at Harton for a moment before shrugging my shoulders.
He seemed slightly suspicious, but his obsession with me didn’t seem to have disappeared.
Besides, if I want to use this mana core properly, I need to start accumulating mana as soon as possible.
I could ask about this later.
Surely, Harton Seind wouldn’t be hiding something from Aeni Nasel, would he?
With that thought, we left the cave on good terms, mounted the horses we had tied up, and returned to the inn.
The inn we stayed at during this trip was the nearby “Quind Hotel.”
It was even a Gold grade, which Bellin and Celine hadn’t been able to stay at previously.
As befits the prestige of the Seind Duke family, I could rent the top-class suite.
As rumored, the Quind Hotel’s condition was excellent.
Even compared to the ultra-luxurious hotels in major overseas cities I had visited for business, it was impressive enough to inspire awe.
The classic and formal ambiance is perfectly preserved.
The interior and facilities were also modern and well-equipped, allowing me to rest comfortably after locating the mana core.
By around lunchtime, having lounged in the suite, I deliberately headed to the café on the first floor.
Although the suite was wonderful, I wanted to check the hotel’s facilities, services, and food quality.
I originally planned to come with Harton…
But he couldn’t always be with me, could he?
Perhaps overwhelmed by tasks without him, his aides arrived early in the morning and took him away.
Was it just coincidence that he had business nearby?
Well, what could I do? I had obtained everything Harton needed, so I handed him over to the aides.
Harton seemed aware of his own responsibility and left for work, seeing me off.
I couldn’t help but smile at the memory of his disappointed face as he looked back at me before leaving.
Let’s see… When I return to Tadibna, I’ll be buried in work anyway, so I might as well enjoy this last bit of leisure~
Clack.
Sitting in the sunlit café, sipping coffee, I leisurely observed the inside of the Quind Hotel.
A man was approaching me from the other side.
“Pleased to meet you, Lady Nasel.”
A middle-aged man, neatly dressed, greeted me briefly.
“I’m Panes Quind. I heard you would be staying at our hotel, so I wanted to introduce myself.”
“Oh, how kind of you~”
“Ahem… but may I ask, where is your fiancé, the Viscount Seind?”
“Harton had urgent business, so he isn’t at the hotel right now~”
Upon my reply, a shadow of disappointment crossed the man’s face.
He adjusted his expression while stroking his mustache, then bowed slightly.
“I see. If you encounter any inconvenience, please do not hesitate to inform our staff. I hope you have a comfortable stay at Quind.”
“Thank you for your concern~”
Without another word, the man walked away.
I narrowed my eyes, watching his back.
That man… he’s under a magic of obedience.
Seeing him up close confirmed it.
The magic I had previously cast on Elin, binding her loyalty, was fully in effect on him.
Hmm~ interesting.
Quind, huh…
I had a feeling something intriguing would happen with them.
Believing the moment was near, I leisurely finished my coffee.
“Aeni, welcome back!”
“Did you enjoy your trip?!”
At Tadibna Island’s pier, the three sisters and the servants came to greet me.
They greeted me politely and quickly unloaded the luggage from the ship.
Seeing that there was also a male servant among them, I smiled.
Things have changed slightly while I was away.
The pier had changed as well.
It used to be small, suitable only for a few people to come and go, but now it could accommodate even a significant number of tourists.
I leisurely replied while observing the pier.
“Yes~. It was a satisfying trip~.”
Elin, the eldest sister, naturally opened her parasol to shield me from the sun.
I walked leisurely under the shade she provided.
The path to the villa was decorated with the splendid flowers and plants of the southern region.
It was certainly enough to satisfy the expectations of those excited by the trip.
“I heard a direct railway connecting the capital and Weina has opened—is that true?”
“Yes! I heard that too! Did the Viscount make it happen? Where is he?”
Bellin and Celine asked while pulling the cart with my luggage.
Without looking at them, I inspected the decorated path and replied.
“Harton had to return to work. After parting in the west, he went straight back to the capital.”
“Wow, I thought he would escort you all the way here. That’s a bit surprising…”
I slowly blinked.
That’s true.
No matter how urgent the work, I expected him to accompany me to Tadibna Island.
Before parting, Harton, who seemed to be awkwardly making excuses, had sent me alone on the steam locomotive.
His behavior bothered me slightly, but there wasn’t enough time to observe his condition.
I have a mountain of work to do anyway.
Above all, I didn’t want to question him about something he had done admirably.
Specifically:
“It’s true that a direct line connecting the capital and Weina exists~”
I had just traveled here on it.
Originally, traveling from the capital to Weina took two whole days, but the new railway drastically reduced the travel time.
From two days to six hours! That’s incredible!
Harton, who had come to Tadibna Island to meet me after I lost my memory, discussed this on the return ship with his aide.
- I want a new railway line.
- Pardon?
- Build a direct line to reduce travel time from the capital to Tadibna Island to less than a day. The current ship is too slow; create a faster one.
- Vi-Viscount!
- Make sure the ship is safe enough for Aeni to use and fast. Cost doesn’t matter, just make it happen.
He actually did what he said.
The new line even passed through major nearby cities including the capital, which was a huge advantage for Tadibna.
How could I possibly scold Harton now!
I should praise him highly—he really is the best~
Bellin sighed in relief at my words.
“It’s really fortunate. Our resort’s biggest issue was accessibility, but the new line solved a major problem!”
“Wow, the Viscount’s execution is no joke. A powerful, wealthy partner really is the best…”
Celine, murmuring beside me, glanced at the cart she was pulling and spoke up.
“But Aeni, what’s this cage here?”
Her gaze was fixed on the birdcage on top of the cart.
Inside the cage were a perch and a small wooden house.
I smiled and looked at the cage.
“Come out.”
At my words, the canary inside peeked its head out.
Celine’s eyes sparkled.
“So cute!”
Fwoosh!
Startled by her reaction, the canary went back inside and didn’t come out again.
Celine looked at me in concern.
I reassured her.
“It’s very shy around strangers. It’s not your fault, so don’t worry.”
The canary had obediently followed me from the canyon.
When Harton first bought the cage, it had no house inside, and the bird was furious about it.
I guess it had intended to follow me from the start.
It made things convenient, but I couldn’t deny a slight unease.
The bird was smart, could understand human speech, and express its opinion.
On top of sensing mana more acutely than me, it even knew the location of the Sun Mage’s hut…
