As Nii-sama said, or rather, told me, âYou were the one who told us to trick them.â Nevertheless, everyone played the fool splendidly. Iâm sure Bart and the others felt something, but they dealt with it by asking Wester what had happened. Alistair was prone to worrying, so I thought he was going to burst into the room straight away, but apparently Gill had stopped him.
âAl should calm down a little.â
âYouâre the one who should calm down a little, right Gill?â They said to each other. Even so, they became friends overnight. Theyâre already calling each other by their nicknames. Iâll try it too.
âAw.â
âLei.ân/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
Alistair pitifully stared at me.
âIt feels strange when you call me that, Lei. Wonât you call me as you always have?â
âAwishthair.â
âYup, thatâs good.â
Alistair looked at me, smiled and took my hand like he always did and started walking. We had to attend our audience with the King now.
âWait.â
âHuh?â
Nii-sama quietly separated our linked hands.
âIâll take her.â
Honestly, I didnât care who took me, but sparks were flying above me. How troublesome, I thought, and Mill came and lifted me up.
âStop dawdling. Now, letâs go.â
This person really doesnât care about social status or the situation. But, we were finally able to move thanks to him.
âNow, weâve already finished our job at Wester, so letâs go back to Kingdom after we greet the King. We canât go back today, so letâs go tomorrow,â Nii-sama muttered next to me. I can meet Otou-sama if we return quickly. But...
âWhath abouth Awishthair?â
âMe? I...â
Alistair looked down.
âOh, yes. We took a lot of time to try to get along, that we didnât really talk about Alâs future.â
Gill put his hand to his forehead as if heâd made a blunder.
âI...!â
Alistair looked up at Gill and then looked at me in surprise.
âAwishthair, Leiâsh oway. Chu can do whath you wanth.â
âI... donât want to go to Kingdom. But, Lei...â Alistair said before looking down again, and I felt like I heard him mutter, âI donât want to be separated.â
I donât either. With Alistair, nor Bart and his crew. But, Bart and his crew live as hunters, and Alistair doesnât want to come to Kingdom. Even if he does come, Alistair will be in the Lisburn House, and I would only see him from time to time because he would need to attend the Academy.
âVishith Kingdom.â
Thatâs the best option.
âI want to visit.â
âMiww come.â
âHaha. But, we canât stay in Kingdom even if we visit. Right, Bart?â
âYeah,â Bart said as he scratched his head.
âLei, you might not know this, but you need a permit to stay in Kingdom.â
âDidnâth wnow.â
Is that why they donât interact much? Then, they canât even visit?
âThen, Lei wiww come vishith.â
âEh, you will?â Alistair was surprised, and he looked up at me, who was being held by Mill.
âAi. Withh Niini.â
âMe too?â Nii-sama, who was suddenly dragged into the conversation, looked at me in surprise. I want to visit on my own, but I definitely wonât be allowed. So, Iâll rely on people.
âGeth awong withh Awishthair, Barth, Miww, Cwyde and Kyaro. Donâth wanth tho sheparathe.â
âLei, you...â Bartâs voice trembled. Mill gently lifted me higher.
âThatâs right. We had a lot of fun together.â
The mood became solemn.
âDear me, itâs like weâre the bad guys because we didnât talk about this first.â
Nii-sama shrugged.
âItâs still too early for Lei to talk about the future.â
Gill shrugged.
âItâs not appropriate to say this out in the corridor, but I prepared a Kingdom stay permit for the Hunters and Alistair.â
âEh, weâre going to Kingdom?â As I thought, it was Mill who had said that.
âYes. This is a formal permit for entering and exiting Kingdom. This is one of the thank you gifts for looking after Lei.â
âThen, Bart, weâve saved enough money so letâs go if we have time.â
âMill, weâll talk about that later. We have to discuss this with everyone.â
Alistair looked up at me in happiness.
âMe too. Then Iâll go see you too.â
âAi!â
But, itâs much better than not being able to meet even though we feel lonely.
âNow, itâs time to meet the King.â
âWe havenât seen him since we arrived. And the nobles were all lined up.â
âNo way. All we have to do is show him Lei and bid him farewell.â
Yes way. Beyond the widely opened door, the King, Queen, and Princes were at the back in a slightly elevated position, and dressed up nobles were lined up in the room.
âWait, didnât we say that we didnât need this?â
Bart stepped back.
âThey told you guys to come with us, so itâs fine,â Nii-sama said as if heâd given up. I motioned for Mill to put me down.
âNow, Lei and Alistair. Iâm sure you donât want to do this, but you have to lead. Iâll walk next to you two, but you have to step forward first.â
I looked at Alistair and nodded. If this situation is sorted by us becoming exhibitions and getting food then itâs fine, isnât it? We stood next to each other and took a step forward. Nii-sama came up next to me, and Gill stood next to Alistair.
âOoh,â the nobles roared and applauded. I donât know what they were told, but it sounds as if theyâre impressed that the Westerâs royal family helped the Four Marquis find their missing relatives.
I walked as much as I could and stopped near the King. Huu was there too, and he looked at me gently. He raised his eyebrow a little when our eyes met. I felt a bit relieved.
However, I felt an uncomfortable feeling near where the nobles were standing for some reason. He was a noble, but he looked different. I suddenly looked at him and gulped.
He was watching us silently with his sly narrow yellow eyes, while everyone was clapping and sharing their excitement with the people next to them.