BGFV 132

Chapter 132

“It’s a shame. It would’ve been more fun if everyone came,”
Leonhard pouted, leaning against the carriage window, watching the scenery go by.

“If you wanted to stay with Eric and the others, you could have. The Viscount and the Count are still there,” Luciard said.
“But I wanted to be with Uncle, Tia, and His Majesty,” Leonhard replied.

Leonhard looked grumpy, but the others in the carriage—Hestia and Sylvester—smiled quietly.
They were traveling with their guards, leaving Noveli Town and heading to a newly completed resort called Sunset Vale.

The trip was mainly for work, to tour the southern region, and it was Sylvester who suggested going together.

“Still, it’s sad. Couldn’t we all have gone together?”
“Like I said before, this isn’t a vacation. It’s a work trip,” Luciard reminded him.
“We’re not even entering the resort,” Hestia added.

“You seem bored. Do you want to go back? We haven’t gone far yet, so we can take you back to Noveli Town.”
“What about you all?”
“We have to continue to the destination.”

Leonhard turned his head sharply, sulking even more.
“Then I’ll go too!”

Seeing how upset he was, the three tried hard not to laugh.

“Your Majesty, you can still enter the resort if you’d like. We’re going for work, but didn’t you want to see how the Florence family is doing?”

“You don’t have to be so formal. You can call me casually like in Noveli Town.”

“Back then, it was to hide your identity. But now, since it’s just us, we should be respectful.”

Sylvester thought about it and nodded.
“I heard only nobles are allowed there.”
“Yes, it’s still in pre-opening, but once officially open, it’ll only accept nobles,” Luciard explained.

“Then I won’t go in. I’d have to reveal my identity or go in with you, and you said you’re not entering. I’m fine just watching from afar,” Sylvester said, jokingly.

Luciard and Hestia exchanged glances and agreed.
“Alright. We’ll find a spot where you can get a view of Sunset Vale.”

“Are you going in disguise again?”
“Of course! Who knows when I’ll get another chance like this!” Sylvester said excitedly.

Hestia chuckled.
“You don’t talk in that weird formal way anymore.”
“You mean when you called me ‘old man’?” he replied with a smirk.

After a moment of thought, Sylvester said,
“I became Emperor at a young age. I don’t even remember a time when I wasn’t. At first, I didn’t understand how heavy the role was.”

“But once I started learning to rule and think for myself, I realized how big the responsibility was.”

“That’s when I started speaking more maturely. I didn’t want to be looked down on for being young.”

“You were looked down on?” Hestia asked, surprised.
“Not to my face. But I could tell. Even during diplomacy, people might not respect the Empire if its Emperor is just a kid.”

“Back in the palace, I have to talk formally again. So I want to enjoy speaking normally while I’m with you. Being with you feels like hanging out with friends.”

With wealth, power, and prestige that others could only imagine, Sylvester was destined to rule over everyone.
But ironically, he couldn’t have the most basic things: a normal home, a normal love, a normal friendship, a normal future.

This secret trip was his first taste of freedom, his first time doing something out of the ordinary.
How strange it is that the Emperor of such a vast empire had never truly seen his people with his own eyes.

“You can experience much more from now on! Let’s do it together!” Leonhard cheered.
“I’m honored you see us as friends. I’ll do my best to be someone you can rely on,” Luciard added.

Hestia only smiled faintly, though her lips seemed a bit stiff. But the atmosphere was cheerful, and no one noticed.

“Attention! Presenting the Duke of the Winston family! I’m Colonel Max, in charge of the 6th Navy Base!”

A tanned, well-groomed man with a strong voice stood in front of the neatly lined-up navy soldiers.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Luciard Winston.”
“Leonhard Winston! Let’s work well together!”

“If I had known everyone would be waiting like this, we would’ve come tomorrow morning instead. Sorry to keep you late,” Hestia said.

“No, ma’am! It’s a great honor to welcome the mighty Winston family of the South!” Max replied loudly.

Hestia smiled awkwardly and looked back.
Sylvester, now in disguise again, stood among the guards, eyes sparkling with curiosity.

“I’ll guide you through the base this way—”
“Wait a moment.”

As Max was about to lead them, Hestia stopped him.
“If we tour the base now, it’ll take a while. We’d like to do something else first.”

“Of course, just let us know what you need.”
“You know the new Sunset Vale resort nearby? Is there a spot where we can get a distant view of it? We don’t want to go in—just take a quick look.”

It was Hestia’s thoughtful gesture for Sylvester.

Max thought for a moment and whispered to one of his men. Soon after, he turned back.

“Would you like to ride a warship?”
“A warship?”
“Yes. It’s about time for a routine patrol. We can get near Sunset Vale during that.”

When he said they could see it more closely that way, both Leonhard and Sylvester’s eyes sparkled.

“Is it safe?”
“Absolutely. The sea is calm right now. No danger at all.”

As soon as they decided, the group boarded the warship.

“Wow! It’s huge!”
Leonhard ran excitedly across the wide deck.
“Be careful, young master!”

Sylvester, still disguised, chased after him—not to stop him, but looking like he wanted to run around too.

To Hestia, it seemed like Sylvester was just as eager to explore the ship.

“You’re still young and small, so don’t play too rough. You might get hurt.”
“Did you hear that, Leon? No roughhousing!”
“Okay!”
“At least he always answers nicely,” Luciard muttered, smiling.

“His Majesty looks like he’s having fun, doesn’t he?”
Hestia nodded.
“Yeah. He’s almost an adult, but still acts like a kid.”
“That’s because he’s been stuck in the palace too long.”

“Ah, Sir Karl.”
Karl, the captain of Sylvester’s royal guard, approached the two who were whispering.
“He’s left the palace a few times before, but only for official duties. This is the first time he’s gone out freely like this, so everything must feel new to him.”
Karl’s face, as he looked at Sylvester, was filled with warmth.

Hestia suddenly felt curious. Whose side was this man really on?
“Sir Karl, how long have you been by His Majesty’s side?”
“Since he was born.”
“Really?”
“Yes. Before that, I served as the empress’s personal guard.”
“The empress… Was she from the North?”
“Yes, that’s right. I came to the capital with her.”

Sylvester’s mother, the former empress, was from a northern duchy.
‘Then he’s probably not a spy for the Duke of Florence.’
She had briefly wondered if Karl might betray Sylvester, but now it didn’t seem likely.
People from the North were known for their loyalty. If anything, he would protect Sylvester, not betray him.

“Lately, His Majesty seemed very down, but he seems much better now. That’s a relief.”
“He was feeling down?”
“I’m not sure why, but he looked depressed at times. That’s why I didn’t try to stop him when he suddenly wanted to go out.”

No wonder it felt strange. Karl wasn’t the type to easily allow something like this.
“Especially after meeting the Winstons, he hasn’t stopped smiling.”

Luciard and Hestia both looked at Sylvester. Just like Karl said, he was smiling brightly.
“He might truly see you both as friends. Even though you’re older, you’re close in age, and Lord Winston had a similar upbringing.”
When Karl said he hoped they would continue looking after Sylvester, Luciard nodded.

But Hestia only gave a faint smile.
She remembered how she had kept her distance from Sylvester, treating him formally because she didn’t want to get involved.
Her conscience pricked at her.
She felt like an ally to a villain. The ship hadn’t even started moving yet, but her stomach already felt queasy.

“The sea breeze is stronger than I expected. I might catch a cold.”
“Your Majes–I mean, Sly! Look over there! Dolphins!”

As the ship moved, just like Max said, they began patrolling the nearby waters.
Sylvester and Hestia had spent so much time enjoying the view from the deck that they didn’t even realize how cold they’d gotten.
When they turned their heads, blankets were suddenly wrapped around their shoulders — by Lucarid and Leonhard.

“You’ll catch a cold like this.”
“Leon, sightseeing is great, but maybe it’s time to go inside?”
“Uncle! Tia!”

Luciard and Leon were also wrapped in blankets given by the marines.
Sylvester’s nose had turned red from the cold, but he smiled.

“We’re okay now that we have blankets. I want to look a little longer.”
“Me too! I haven’t seen all 10 dolphins yet!”
Leonhard proudly announced that he had seen five so far.

“Lady Frost!”
At that moment, Max came over.
“What is it?”
“We’ll soon reach the Sunset Vale area. I was worried we’d miss it if the sun set too quickly, but it looks like the timing is just right.”

The sun was setting, but the sky wasn’t dark yet.
Instead, the orange light of the sunset made the sea glow like gold, as if it had swallowed the sky’s color.

“There it is — that’s Sunset Vale.”
When they turned their heads in the direction Max pointed, a gasp of awe escaped.
An incredible view was unfolding with the evening glow.