CICN 90

CICN

Posted by Ali, Released on September 4, 2025

Chapter 90

As soon as he gave the order, the list was brought to him.

But up until now, he hadn’t been able to make a decision, caught up in considering each one carefully.

‘First of all, it should be somewhere easy to reach by carriage.’

Even though all the locations were within a day’s travel from the capital, their surroundings were quite different.

Some of them were villas tucked away in the high mountains.

Technically, they could be reached by carriage, but the rough roads meant a child might suffer terribly from motion sickness.

‘Besides, such places are dangerous.’

Just the thought was horrifying—what if they went for an outing and someone fell from a high place?

So Clois first eliminated the villas that had hazardous surroundings.

Next, he considered whether the villas had been properly maintained.

After all, even the main palace still bore scars of the war.

Unused villas would hardly have received a generous budget for upkeep.

Fortunately, many local lords had repaired their villas voluntarily—partly to curry favor with the new Emperor, and partly to erase their ties to the former ruler.

If not for that, most of the villas would still have been abandoned.

‘It’s said they’re in good condition, but it would be best to check for myself.’

Clois went through the documents one by one, narrowing down the choices.

And then, one place caught his eye.

“This one…”

It was a villa he had often visited as a child.

When he had attended the Imperial Academy for gifted heirs, he hadn’t wanted to return to the main palace.

A father who had named him heir, yet showed no trace of paternal affection.

Brothers who envied and resented him. Ministers who approached only to gain his favor.

The main palace was filled with nothing but things that annoyed and wearied him.

So, even though it was close enough to commute, he chose to live in the Academy’s dormitory.

When the Academy was on break, he would head to one of the Imperial villas.

And among them, there was one he visited particularly often.

It was nestled in a wide, rolling landscape, gentle hills stretching out, dotted with large and small lakes.

An old village steeped in history, humble houses that had weathered the flow of time, and fields where flocks of sheep grazed.

The lakes weren’t deep, so even a child could swim there without much risk, and flocks of waterfowl would gather—at nightfall they would rise all at once, a breathtaking sight.

‘I always thought I’d bring Lillian here someday.’

On nights at the battlefield, he would imagine life after the war.

Lillian, as Empress, would have to live in the main palace, but he doubted she’d be fond of it.

That was when he thought how wonderful it would be to bring her here instead.

The environment resembled her hometown—beautiful, clean, and peaceful.

Spending time here with Lillian, and with the child they would one day have… even as a busy Emperor, it would not seem so bad.

Those sweet, occasional respites would only make happiness feel greater.

Clois carefully read through all the documents concerning the villa.

Fortunately, it had been untouched during the war, and everything inside had been well-preserved.

Since he had stayed there often as a boy, the place had many features suitable for children.

At his request, his father had even set up a study there, large enough to rival a small library.

And nearby was a town of respectable size.

‘Ibi would really love this.’

He recalled how excited the boy had been at the seasonal festival, running from one street vendor to another.

If the timing was right, they could even go together to the weekend market in that town.

‘I just need to review my schedule…’

In Clois’s mind, it was already certain—Ibi would be going there.

And of course, that meant Clois himself would go along.

He tried to remember what he had done there as a child, imagining Ibi enjoying those same things.

Just then, a knock came at the door, and the chief attendant stepped inside.

“Your Majesty.”

“I’m busy right now.”

It meant he was not to be disturbed unless it was important.

“Ibi Alden requests an audience.”

“What?”

At the sound of Ibi’s name, Clois shot to his feet.

He hurried past the attendant and into the corridor, looking around.

“Ibi?”

But though the boy had supposedly requested to see him, Ibi wasn’t there.

“Where is he?”

“He is at the Academy. He first sent a message to ask if he might be allowed to visit…”

“What does that mean? I clearly told him he could come to me anytime he wished.”

“I believe it was because of the last time, when he couldn’t see you.”

“What do you mean? Couldn’t see me?”

When Clois pressed him, the attendant hesitated, then spoke.

“In fact, Ibi Alden came here twice last week.”

“What…?”

Clois’s eyes widened. He had spent the whole previous week waiting, wondering when Ibi would appear.

He had worried about the boy’s injury, wanted to hear from Ibi himself whether he had recovered well, regardless of Seraphina’s reports.

He had also been curious about how Ibi had done on his exams.

And when no word came, he had been both worried and—if he admitted it—just a little hurt.

But the boy had come. Twice, even!

“Then why didn’t I see him?”

“Both times, Your Majesty’s meetings ran long. After waiting a while, he went back.”

“Meetings? Ah…”

There had been an urgent council, reports arriving about Siren at the border.

The Minister of State, the Foreign Minister, the Captain of the Imperial Knights, and the Minister of Defense had all gathered.

The matter of Siren was of the utmost seriousness, so they had deliberated late into the night.

“So he came during those meetings. Still, had you told me, I would have stepped out to see him.”

Clois gave the attendant a reproachful look.

Even if the meeting was important, he could have taken a moment to meet the boy. The discussions had been lengthy anyway, with frequent pauses.

And besides, the very issue of Siren always left him feeling stifled.

‘He showed interest in the royal crest, didn’t he.’

He didn’t know why the man had suddenly fixated on it, but the words lingered endlessly in his mind.

“I was going to inform you, but Ibi stopped me. He insisted on just waiting quietly, worried he might be a disturbance to Your Majesty. He sat outside for three hours, calmly working through problems in a book.”

Listening, Clois realized the attendant was no longer calling him Ibi Alden, but simply Ibi. Evidently, they had grown closer in his absence.

‘Well, it’s only natural. Anyone would like him.’

Unless someone was prejudiced about his origins at the orphanage, how could they dislike such a bright and kind child?

Then Clois caught something odd in the attendant’s words.

“A book? He was solving problems?”

“Yes. Advanced Mathematics, Volume Two. He seemed to enjoy it.”

“…”

Clois was struck speechless. The boy had sat for three hours doing math problems—and enjoyed it?

“And when curfew at the dormitory drew near, he said he would head back. But before leaving, he asked me to keep his visits a secret.”

“You broke your promise.”

“What else could I do? My duty to Your Majesty comes first.”

The attendant replied lightly, a gentle smile on his face. He, too, clearly had a fondness for Ibi.

“So when he came the second time, I suggested he send word through the staff first. That way we could confirm whether Your Majesty was available, and he wouldn’t have to wait in vain.”

“Well done. It isn’t right for a child to wait so long. Send word at once.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Once the attendant left, Clois quickly tidied his desk.

‘He’ll like it, I’m sure.’

At the festival, hadn’t the boy said it was his first time going out to see such things?

And at the orphanage, he’d never even been beyond the city.

‘I want him to have a joyful summer holiday.’

Clois reviewed his schedule.

There were some regular councils and ceremonies, but otherwise, nothing that couldn’t be rearranged. A few days away would be possible.

Before long, footsteps sounded in the hall, and the attendant entered with Ibi.

“You’ve come.”

Clois’s face lit up as he spread his arms.