Claude, lying between the two of them, smiled mischievously and closed his eyes. The sound of their hearts beating from either side of him cald his heart and gave him a sense of security.
'I'll ask them to do this every day when they get back from Alton Estate.'
Claude exhaled evenly, determined to do so. The warm body temperature surrounding him, the gentle laughter, and the gently patting hands eased the tension all over his body, making him feel drowsy in an instant.
"......Hi."
Thus, Claude slowly fell asleep with a faint laugh leaking through his lips. As the loose corners of the mouth and the trembling eyelashes soon cald down, Sarah raised her hand and put her finger under Claude's nose.
"I think he fell asleep."
Sarah, who confird Claude was asleep, smiled and slightly raised her upper body. Then, in an instant, she stared at the face of the child who was fast asleep.
"How can children be so lovely?"
To Sarah's words, Ethan, who closed his eyes with Claude, answered without opening his closed eyes.
"Our Claude is especially lovely."
Sarah said with a small laugh, in response to the secretive pride of the child.
"That's true. Who can catch up with our Claude-nim's cuteness?"
Sarah was also proud of Claude, so when Ethan responded, she agreed imdiately. Ethan slowly lifted his closed eyelids and made eye contact with Sarah. So Ethan and Sarah looked at each other and laughed for a while.
"Did you finish everything you had to do before going to Alton Estate?"
After returning from the Imperial Palace, the schedule to go to Alton Estate was very tight. Because the Emperor was more impatient than expected, Ethan and Sarah, who used to have conversations with each other leisurely, missed many opportunities to talk like this. In fact, if they left for Alton Estate, he would have stayed with her for the entire ti, but nevertheless, Sarah felt a new sense of disappointnt. Sarah was grateful to Claude because she had ti to talk to Ethan for the first ti in a while before leaving.
"For now, I roughly handled the urgent things. Sarah, are you done talking to your disciples?"
"Yes, I told them everything I needed. I want them to do well."
Saying so, Sarah stared intently at Claude's sleeping face.
"I hope Claude-nim will endure the ti without and Duke-nim."
"......After this process, he will beco a little more firm."
"I know. I know, but Claude-nim is still too young to be strong, so I'm worried."
Sarah's voice was bitterly cracked. It was not an easy decision to leave the child alone at ho and go to the Alton Estate. All the more so, considering the threat of her and Ethan being exposed after they left the mansion.
"Didn't Sarah leave your disciples in the mansion for Claude? They will take good care of him."
"I guess so. I'm glad Duke-nim believed in them. Those children are as good as their skills."
Sarah's face, which slightly raised the tip of her chin, sared a subtle pride in her disciples. Ethan looked at her and said with a smile, curling the corners of his eyes.
"Since Sarah taught them, isn't it natural?"
"Oh my. Absolutely."
Sarah covered her lips and smiled at Ethan's complints pouring out so naturally. Ethan was a man who knew how to adjust to her mood in moderation, and the conversation with him flowed happily without interruption. Sarah knew that this seemingly natural situation was due to Ethan's kindness.
"We will be leaving early tomorrow, but there will be a lot of nobles and people of the Empire. So let's get so rest, Sarah."
"Yes, I will. Duke-nim is not sleeping here?"
To Sarah's question, Ethan opened his eyes wide for a mont and then answered with a smile.
"I'm not shaless enough to sleep in a lady's room."
Sarah thought implicitly, listening to Ethan's plain voice.
'It would be nice to be a little shaless.'
But she said with a smile, pretending it was nothing, lest Ethan found out about it.
"You have very good manners, Duke-nim."
It was a little disappointing to hear Ethan leaving.
"......Well then, I'll leave now."
Ethan swallowed a sigh of regret and tried to carefully pull out his arm under Claude's head.
"Hmm, umm."
Then, a whimper leaked from between Claude's lips, whom he had only thought of as deeply asleep.
"......!"
"Heok, I guess he hasn't slept deeply yet."
Ethan's body stiffened as he tried to pull out his arm. Sarah also lowered her voice extrely in a mont of nervousness.
"Huuu......"
However, Claude, who had already woken up a little, began to complain in tears.
"Our dear Claude-nim, please sleep well again."
Sarah laid her upper body down again. Then she placed her hand on Claude's chest and patted him gently, whispering in a low, caring voice.
"That's good, my baby."
"......Uh um."
Claude's face loosened again as he tried to open his eyes, shaking his eyelids for a mont. Sarah looked up at the mont, and her eyes t Ethan. And the sa thought popped into their heads.
'It looks like we're going to sleep together here.'
As the two of them looked at each other with that thought in mind, a burst of unbearable laughter erupted at that mont.
"Pft."
"Haha."
Claude, who was about to fall asleep again at the sound of laughter that burst out helplessly, opened his eyes.
"Huaaaaang!!"
At the sa ti, the irritable cry of a sleepy child rang out loudly.
* * *
From early morning, in front of Duke Ambrosia's mansion, there were crowds of people who couldn't miss the sights. There seed to be no room for people and vendors gathered from all over the capital, not to ntion from all over the country.
"You an there really were magicians in the world?"
"That's not true! The Emperor himself negotiated with the magic tower and invited them."
"Is it Alton this ti? There's a big deal going on there. People die before they can even co close."
"The bodies piled up like mountains and blood beca rivers, right? I don't know if it'll work out even if the magcian goes......"
"Man, this ti the one who is working with Duke Ambrosia-nim is a magician, a magician! There's nothing a magician can't do, right?"
People were busy chatting with each other and exchanging opinions about the widely publicized situation. This was the situation outside the Ambrosia mansion, and beyond the inner garden, another kind of crowd had gathered in front of the mansion's main gate.
"It would be nice if we could just say hello this ti."
"Hmm, how did he call out the sassy magician of the magic tower...... His Majesty is still in good order."
"In any case, one thing is for sure, this ti the Duke of Ambrosia had a connection with the magician. So the magician will accompany him."
"That's right. I heard the two princes leave late?"
"That's too bad, yes. If either of them had accompanied the magician this ti, they would have strengthened their right to succeed to the throne a little more."
"Maybe that's why the Duke of Ambrosia took over?"
The aristocrats who had co inside the Ambrosia mansion in the na of seeing off were also chattering as if they were no different from the people who were gossiping outside. There were only a handful of those who knew the details, but they too were confused by the question of how the existence of a magician could have been revealed.
"How the hell did the Emperor convince the magician?"
"If the Emperor had that much power......, isn't it too early to discuss the succession of the throne?"
With the advent of the magician, a new wind began to blow in the aristocratic society. Now, they focused their attention on the case of Alton Estate, feeling both jealousy and awe at the Imperial family and Duke Ambrosia's family, who would have a relationship with the magician.
"Duke Ambrosia-nim and the guest of the magic tower are coming out."
At that ti, Veron, the butler of Ambrosia, ca out with the front door of the mansion wide open. Behind him were Ethan holding Claude in his arms, Sarah following him quietly, and the servants.
"The magician?"
"Why can't I see them?"
The nobles looked around when they could not see the appearance of the magician they had been waiting for. Their eyes wandered aimlessly beyond Sarah to her back. And a faint smile ca to Sarah's mouth, who was watching them closely. It was the sa with Ethan. Ethan spoke in a low voice when it was so clear who the nobles were looking for.
"Everyone seems to be looking for a new face."
Then the startled nobles shook their heads and hurriedly opened their mouths.
"That's impossible, Duke Ambrosia-nim."
"All we wanted was peace on your way to Alton Estate."
No matter who heard it, it was just an outward appearance. But Ethan didn't care. He put Claude down in his arms and gently stroked the child's head.
"You don't have to look so obvious because you'll see the person you're expecting soon."
While the nobles were coughing at Ethan's words, a cool breeze began to blow from sowhere. It was Claude who first noticed it. The child's hair began to gently flutter in the wind.
"Ah!"
Claude shouted, pointing a finger sowhere. Then people's eyes all gathered there. At the tip of the child's finger, the wind that had been fluttering slowly gathered together and swirled.
"Heok!"
"Heaven!"
"What, what's that......!"
A startled exclamation began to erupt from the mouths of the nobles. It was because the whirlpool glead with an azure light, and it was slowly taking the form of a human from the feet.
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