BGFV 130

Chapter 130

“Of course, I know you and Count Oklin did a lot to make this happen. I’m truly grateful.”

Even now, some people still had negative opinions about the refugees. At first, when they suggested accepting them, there was a lot of resistance.

Everyone was against it—even Acid. If the two of them hadn’t stood firm and led the way, the refugees might never have been accepted. And even if they were, their living conditions wouldn’t have been this good.

“I only stayed here for a day, but this place is so peaceful and nice. I never imagined a refugee camp could be this good.”

Normally, when people think of refugee camps, they imagine dirty, crowded, and prison-like conditions. In fact, in other countries, refugee camps like Noveli’s were said to be worse than war zones.

“If we decided to accept them, then we should at least make sure it’s a place people can live in.”

“That’s true. But there are still people who complain that we’re wasting taxes on places like this.”

“Well, they waste more money on entertainment anyway.”

“What? Hahaha! That’s not wrong.”

Sylvester laughed heartily at Hestia’s blunt comment.

“So, how long are you two staying here?”

“About two days. What about you, Sly?”

“Hm… I haven’t really planned it out. I’ll only be doing this journey for ten days, so I can’t go too far. This is day three.”

“Hmmm…”

“Where are you going next? Straight to the Duke’s estate?”

“No, we’re going to explore more of the southern region.”

“We plan to look around other areas too and see how people are doing. Our next stop is the resort where the Grand Duke visited.”

“Oh, really?”

Sylvester’s eyes lit up with interest. After thinking for a moment, he spoke decisively.

“If it’s okay with you, can I join you?”

“You? Your Majesty—I mean… you?”

“Why? Don’t want me there? Or is it uncomfortable?”

“It’s not that…”

It was just so sudden, they didn’t know how to react.

“Actually, I’m curious how the Florence family is doing without me.”

The Florence Grand Duke’s family was like real family to Sylvester. He always felt bad that Acid spent so much time caring for him instead of with his own family.

“While I knew that will disturb them…”

Hestia flinched at his words.
Does he know about the Florence family possibly plotting rebellion…?

“I mean, Chloe doesn’t really like me joining their family events.”

Ah—he meant that.

“Because Acid took care of me like his own child, Chloe feels like I stole her father away.”

“Ah, I see…”

“Yeah, I was upset as a kid, but now I understand. What would someone like who seems to take their parent away, even if it’s to care for a cousin?”

That’s why Sylvester had recently given Acid some vacation time, using the resort inspection as an excuse—so he could spend time with his real family.

“But still, I just want to see how they’re doing. If you’re going there just to check it out, I’ll come with you, and I won’t bother anyone. Just watching from afar is fine.”

“In that case, it’s not a big deal.”

“We’re not going to relax or anything. Only Luciard and I are going.”

“Huh? Why? Why not spend time with the family while you’re there?”

“Like I said, we’re touring the southern region. There’s no time to relax.”

“Also, we haven’t been officially invited, so we’ll just quietly check things out without telling anyone.”

“Wait—they didn’t send you an invitation?”

It was strange that they hadn’t sent an invite to them.

“We didn’t invest in the resort. It’s still in the soft opening phase, and they’ve only invited investors.”

“Ah, that makes sense.”

“Anyway, how about we leave together tomorrow evening? Where are you staying?”

“At an inn in Noveli Town.”

“…An inn?”

A regular inn for the emperor? Hestia and Luciard couldn’t hide their shocked expressions.

Sylvester just laughed.

“It’s supposed to be a secret trip, right? So it has to be perfect from start to finish.”

“…Didn’t Sir Karl try to stop you?”

“He did. But I didn’t listen. I wanted to sleep at an inn, so what could he do?”

His cheerful face made the two feel sorry for Karl.

“At least you have someone guarding you while you sleep, right?”

“Yeah. I share a room with Karl. I wanted my own room, but he refused to compromise on that.”

They could almost hear Karl sighing in frustration from afar.

Sylvester could be stubborn, so caring for him must be tough.

“Anyway, I’m glad to have companions now! Even with guards, I felt a little lonely.”

It’s not the same traveling with subordinates as it is with friends—even if they weren’t quite his “friends.”

“Oh, right. I’ve been meaning to ask—when are you two getting married?”

“Cough!”

“Huh? M-Married?!”

Luciard choked on water and Hestia stuttered in surprise.

Sylvester tilted his head, confused by their strong reaction.

“You’ve been engaged for two years now. Isn’t it time? There were even rumors that you two might break up. But after watching you just now, I figured that was nonsense.”

So, they’re getting along well. Guess those rumors were false, huh?

Wait—rumors about a breakup?

“Where did you hear that?”

“Everyone was saying it. Since you’re both great marriage prospects, people wondered why there hadn’t been any wedding plans. That’s how the rumors started.”

“So, when are you planning to marry?”

Hestia and Luciard exchanged awkward looks.

They weren’t even sure if they’d stay engaged—Hestia had recently said she wanted to stop being his guardian.

But saying they were going to break off the engagement now would just feel like giving the topic to gossip.

Still, they couldn’t just say yes, since marriage wasn’t even on the table.

Though maybe it’s different for Luciard?
He had once joked—maybe seriously—that he wouldn’t mind getting married.

“That’s still undecided. We have a few things to sort out, so we’ll let you know when we know.”

Luciard answered calmly while Hestia hesitated.

It was unclear but left room for interpretation.

Sylvester assumed they were still going to marry and asked them to let him know when a date was set.

“Well then, since we’ve decided to travel together, shall we get going?”

Hestia stood up from the bench and put her hands on her hips.

The two men looked up at her.

“Do you already have a plan?”

“Not exactly…”

Luciard looked confused.

“We didn’t come here to play. We’ve got things to check out around Noveli Town. And you didn’t come just to have fun either, right?”

“That’s true.”

“We’ll take you to places you can’t get to on a secret trip. Come on—doesn’t that sound interesting?”

Sylvester’s eyes sparkled.

“That sounds amazing! I’m in!”

Hestia and Luciard shared a smile and began walking with their new travel companion, Sylvester.

“Welcome, Lady Frost.”

“Hi everyone, long time no see. How have you been?”

The first place Hestia visited was where the new refugees were being kept for initial screening.

Refugees had to stay in quarantine for two weeks before they could enter Noveli Town.

The main reason for this was to prevent the spread of any diseases they might have brought with them.

This system was set up by Hestia to prevent future epidemics and to avoid refugees being blamed if one ever occurred.

That’s why there are many doctors stationed here.

“How many people arrived last month?”
“Twenty-two, my lady. About three of them had colds, but the symptoms were mild. After they recovered, they moved into Noveli Town.”
“Good, good. If any issues come up, let me know right away, okay?”
“Yes, Lady Frost.”

Silvester watched from a few steps behind as Hestia spoke with the staff.

“She really seems to understand everything going on, doesn’t she?”
He was impressed that she could follow the conversation so easily and respond without anyone having to explain things.

“Every two weeks, reports from various areas are sent to Winston,” Luciard explained. “And Hestia pays special attention to the ones from Noveli Town.”

“Reports, huh? It must be a lot of work to go through them all. And for the people who have to write them too.”

“That’s true,” Luciard agreed. “But Hestia insists on this system because it allows for a quick response if anything happens.”

And thanks to this system, they’d already managed several difficult situations well.

While still amazed at how different this was from the palace systems he knew, Silvester looked around and suddenly realized something.

“Wait… are all the workers here from Noveli?”

“That’s right,” Luciard replied.

Silvester was surprised. It made sense that staff in Noveli Town were from there, but this facility was a bit different—it was more specialized and needed medical professionals.

“Most refugees came here to escape war, and among them are people from all sorts of professions—including doctors and pharmacists.”

“If it’s an illness not found in the Empire, the Noveli doctors might actually know it better. And since the people arriving are their neighbors and fellow countrymen, they naturally work very hard. Though not everyone here is from Noveli—some Imperial citizens work here too,” Hestia added, joining the conversation.

She had finished her tasks and returned.

“If you’re curious about anything else, feel free to ask,” she said with a confident smile.

That confidence came from knowing every detail of what was happening in Noveli Town.

“…Wow,” Silvester murmured with a short laugh.
“Looks like I’m unintentionally learning a lot from you two.”

Hestia and Luciard looked puzzled.

“What’s there to learn?”
“This is just basic stuff. Isn’t everyone doing this?”

To Hestia, a perfectionist, and Luciard, who had learned from her, their current way of working was simply normal.

But to Silvester, it was far from ordinary.

‘Do they not realize how amazing what they’re doing is?’

Whether it was true humility or just their natural attitude, Silvester found himself quietly laughing again in admiration.