Nightfall had arrived, but the study room was lively, filled with chatter as everyone discussed Lucas's trip to Pentos City.
Since Lucas was setting off on another long journey the next day—one even longer than his previous trip to Sakura City—there was much debate. Last time, he had only been away for a week, but this time, just the round trip alone would take fourteen days, not even counting the time spent in Pentos City.
It would take at least seventeen or eighteen days in total, making the choice of who would accompany Lucas on this journey a hot topic of discussion.
Sitting at his desk, Lucas rested his chin on his hand, gazing at the row of beast-eared girls before him. Their animated argument was quite adorable.
"Young Master, I think Freya should go with you," Annie said, crossing her arms and shaking her fox ears. "If there's an emergency, she can be of great help."
The fox-eared girl wasn't even a candidate to go—she couldn't leave. At this point, she was more familiar with the finer details of Sedona City than Lucas himself. She had become increasingly skilled and efficient in handling all kinds of governmental affairs, both big and small.
"No," Lucas rejected the idea outright. Looking at the fox-eared girl pouting in dissatisfaction, he reached out and tugged gently on Annie's ears, speaking softly, "She has to stay here to protect all of you. Besides, I have Mina with me—there won't be any problems."
The beast-eared girls always seemed to ignore his combat abilities, using various excuses to brush it aside. They'd say things like nobles shouldn't fight so easily—it's beneath their status…
"Right, right, right," The wolf-eared girl nodded repeatedly in agreement. She thought Lucas was absolutely right—there was no way she could feel at ease leaving the princess for so many days.
"…" Annie glared at Freya and pouted, falling into silence. In her opinion, it was the Young Master who needed protection while traveling. Meanwhile, they would be perfectly safe in the castle.
Freya blinked her eyes innocently, pretending not to understand. Her wolf ears drooped slightly as she rested her hands on the table, tilting her head in a look of pure, clueless innocence.
"Alright, Annie, stop making things difficult for Freya." Lucas said, poking the puffed-up cheeks of the fox-eared girl until they dented under his finger.
The usually cold and aloof wolf-eared girl now looked so pitiful. If she stuck out her tongue, too… No, Lucas didn't dare imagine it any further—it would be too cute, dangerously so.
"Oh." Annie sighed, grabbing the mischievous hand still poking her face and obediently sitting down.
"I think Nicole should accompany the Master," Helen said, her rabbit ears twitching. "This trip is going to last quite a while—he'll need someone to take care of him."
"That's true," Annie nodded in agreement. On the topic of attentiveness and taking care of others, Nicole was undoubtedly number one in the entire castle.
And most importantly—Nicole was human. They couldn't let the Young Master be surrounded only by beastkin, right? Attending the auction required a female companion; they couldn't allow those nobles to look down on him!
"…" Lucas frowned slightly in thought before turning to look at Nicole—only to meet her nervous gaze. Her eyes were filled with anticipation and tenderness.
"Alright, Nicole will come along too." Lucas said with a soft chuckle, nodding. This girl had unconditionally supported him from the moment she arrived at the castle, never competing for anything, and taking care of him better than a prince.
Since Helen was just as meticulous and would be staying behind, he figured it wouldn't be a problem to bring Nicole along. Besides, by now, he was already used to her care.
"Really? Young Master, I can really go with you?" Nicole clasped her hands together so tightly that her knuckles turned white, staring at Lucas anxiously, afraid he was just teasing her.
"Really." Lucas gave her a gentle smile. "It'll be a bit of hard work for you, though."
"No, not at all!" Nicole beamed, shaking her head. "For you, Young Master, no amount of work is too much."
"Clothes and other necessities—I'll leave it to you to prepare." Lucas said softly. These days, Nicole was the one managing his wardrobe. He often had to search just to find where things were kept.
"This is my duty," Nicole replied gently, shaking her head. "I'll take care of it right away."
With that, she pinched the hem of her dress, gave a playful curtsy, and then walked out with light, cheerful steps. She needed to head to the inner storeroom to pick out what to bring for the trip—and, of course, organize the Young Master's clothes.
"Ayesha can go too. She's really strong," Helen suggested with a wry smile, turning her head. "She… she could help carry things."
Lucas was momentarily stunned by the suggestion. Turning his head toward the horned girl, he noticed she was tugging at Helen's sleeve. With an amused smile, he said, "Ayesha, if you keep pulling, Helen's clothes are going to come off."
Everyone turned to look, only to see the rabbit-eared girl with a helpless expression. Her clothes had already been pulled askew, revealing her slender, fair neck.
"Uh…" Ayesha froze, her hands stiffening as she realized all eyes were on her. Awkwardly, she let go of Helen's sleeve. Truthfully, she just really wanted to go out and explore a bit.
"Next time," Lucas said gently. "For this trip, Mina and Nicole will be enough."
He would love to take everyone out for a bit of fun, but Sedona City still needed people to stay behind. Annie handled governmental affairs, Helen had to teach, and Freya was responsible for security.
And as for Ayesha—her presence was just as necessary. The horned girl was already quite famous in Sedona City. Whenever trouble arose, she was usually the first to charge in and knock out the troublemakers with a single swing of her club.
"Alright." Ayesha obediently agreed. Since Lucas said next time, she believed him. The horned girl was just that straightforward and trusting when it came to people she was familiar with.
"I want to go." Amelia suddenly appeared beside Lucas, staring at him coldly. Her face was so close that it was nearly pressed against his.
"No, you have school." Lucas shook his head and reached out to press his hand against her forehead.
"I'm not going." Amelia said flatly.
"You are going," Lucas insisted. He stared into her green eyes for a moment before lowering his head and placing a light kiss on her forehead. His voice softened. "Be good. When I get back, I'll take you to the skies."
Amelia's green eyes flickered for a moment as she gazed at Lucas's gentle smile. She lowered her head, replying in a voice as soft as a mosquito's whisper, "Mm."
She realized she was becoming more and more helpless against Lucas's tactics—his warm smile, his affectionate gestures, and most importantly, the irresistible promise of flying.
Seeing Amelia finally relent, Lucas let out a quiet sigh of relief. The hardest-to-persuade, emotionally guarded girl had been convinced.
With the final arrangements settled, he turned his thoughts toward the journey ahead. They would be setting out for Pentos City tomorrow, a place he was quite curious about.
How would it compare to Sedona City? What kind of presence did Pentos City hold in the grand scheme of things? This trip would also mark his first real interaction with the high-ranking nobles. What kind of reactions would he provoke?
Everything was still a mystery.
Morning arrived in a quiet hush, the kind that settled over Sedona Castle like a warm blanket. The sun had barely begun to peek over the horizon, but the castle was already alive with movement.
Lucas stood in the courtyard, adjusting the gloves on his hands while Mina, his ever-diligent knight, went over their supplies one last time. The crisp morning air carried the scent of damp stone and fresh earth, a gentle reminder of the long journey ahead.
Nicole had already packed everything the night before—Lucas barely had to lift a finger. Standing beside the carriage now, she double-checked the neatly arranged crates and bags, making sure nothing had been forgotten. She had even packed extra scarves and a set of warm cloaks, despite Lucas reminding her that Pentos City's climate was much milder than Sedona's.
"You don't know how the weather might change," Nicole had argued, puffing her cheeks. "And besides, it's always better to be prepared."
Lucas simply let her have her way.
A faint sigh escaped his lips as he turned to glance at the castle one last time. It was still early—too early for a proper farewell—but despite that, a small group had gathered at the main steps.
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