Since he happened to be serving as the commander of the guard, he was even wearing a uniform bearing House Keilos’ crest. It was perfect publicity.
And it actually worked on Hedmilton.
“That’s incredible. Can just anyone use it?”
“You do have to register your name when using it, but if you want, you can use it anytime. All food supplies are delivered with them as well, and when the subjugation force moves, teleportation magic stones are assigned by knight order.”
“Then would it be possible to use it when I go to see my grandmother?”
“Of course. That is the North.”
At the firm nod and trust-inspiring smile that accompanied the answer, Hedmilton was completely won over.
“I want to be buried in the North.”
Moved by Ail’s North-loving speech that one could not hear without shedding tears, Liselotte applauded in admiration.
Clap, clap, clap. Only the sound of her applause filled the room.
Meanwhile, Eren, who held full authority over the teleportation magic stones, merely watched the scene with an expressionless, bleak face.
There was a reason Hedmilton reacted this way.
Outside, those magic stones were extremely expensive and rare, so in most cases only family Heads or merchant guild leaders possessed them.
Magic stones also differed drastically in duration depending on their grade.
Basically, teleportation magic stones allowed travel to locations where other teleportation magic stones were installed.
All the ones placed across the Perida Empire by the Imperial Family operated on the same principle.
However, a first-grade teleportation magic stone could take you to a desired location even if the destination did not have one.
According to Marsha’s explanation, first-grade teleportation magic stones were rare even within the North.
As such, most of the expensive ones in circulation were second-grade or lower, and those were fairly easy to use within House Keilos.
For Hedmilton, who was from the East, not only first-grade teleportation magic stones but even second-grade ones would have been rare.
The very fact that permission was granted for servants to use them could not help but feel revolutionary.
Checking the time, Liselotte asked again,
“Did you find the magic stone closest to the Rovans estate?”
“Of course. By my calculations, if we travel from the mansion to the teleportation magic stone in the Capital, we can arrive a little before five.”
“Then that gives us enough time to arrive early and inform Lady Rovans so she will not be startled. Let’s go.”
“Yes. I will have the carriage prepared.”
Before Eren could even speak, Ail hurried out of the room.
Liselotte rose from her seat and confidently looped her arm through his, smiling.
“Shall we go, Your Highness?”
When a brief look of displeasure toward Hedmilton flickered across his face, Liselotte smiled brightly and asked again,
“Or would you like me to persuade you?”
If a long explanation was needed, she was more than willing to provide it.
Instead of answering, Eren responded by simply moving his feet.
As Liselotte hurried out of the mansion, she suddenly swallowed an internal gasp of admiration at the small garden visible through the window.
Perhaps because the townhouse was smaller than the Keilos estate in the North, the scenery that fit neatly into view was rather pleasing.
Only then did she recall what Marsha had casually mentioned earlier, and she offered her thanks belatedly.
“Ah, I was told this mansion is not normally used and that we were staying here because of me. Thank you.”
“If you wish, we can keep it as a vacation villa and use it periodically. In any case, it was a place left unattended even during the previous generation.”
It was true that there were still spots here and there that had not been fully tidied.
But perhaps because it was not as vast as their residence in the North, it had a warmth of its own, which she liked.
“Isn’t this decent enough to live alone?”
Since it was a place not originally used, it did not seem like a bad idea to take this one mansion during the division of assets.
Like someone inspecting a property, Liselotte carefully surveyed her surroundings and asked,
“How much would a mansion like this cost?”
Since she needed to assume the amount for asset division, it was a suitable benchmark.
Eren frowned slightly. After a long pause, the answer that came out of his mouth was somewhat amusing.
“I have never thought about it. I would have to look up the recent market price.”
Hedmilton, who had been diligently following behind, suddenly spoke up in a small, out-of-place voice.
“The average market price in the Capital starts at around 130,000 gold. If you go farther out, you can find places that are a bit cheaper, or even larger mansions in good condition.”
When she stared at him wide-eyed at the information he produced so easily, Hedmilton blinked.
“It’s because of my grandmother’s estate. I have kept up with recent real estate prices.”
Ah, right. He had been struggling because of his grandmother’s estate auction.
Was this something to praise him for, or something to feel sorry about?
Perhaps misunderstanding her casual question, Eren glanced around and replied,
“If the banquet had not been scheduled so suddenly, I would have looked for a larger mansion. I will look into it in advance next time.”
‘Larger? This was small?’
The only thing that could be called small was the garden.
Considering the empty lot at the Keilos ducal estate, which could hardly be called a proper garden due to the cold, this place was actually more substantial.
She could not understand why Marsha and the others considered this residence small.
Perhaps because Ail had given advance notice, a carriage was already prepared at the lobby entrance.
After opening the lobby doors, he stepped aside as if to let them pass and asked,
“Since we did not expect to be using the townhouse, we installed a teleportation magic stone temporarily, so it may look a bit out of place.”
“As long as there is no problem with transportation, that is fine.”
“A second-grade one is difficult to move immediately, so we installed a third-grade one for now. Soon, we will find and install a second-grade teleportation magic stone of an appropriate size.”
When they stepped into the lobby, in the center of the path crossing the garden floated a massive magic stone, hovering like a fountain.
It looked nearly three times Liselotte’s height.
But its overwhelming size was enough to make one recognize it as a teleportation magic stone.
The garden itself also looked hastily arranged, and with nothing around the magic stone, it felt rather bare.
It suited the idea of a temporary residence.
Hedmilton, who had been trailing along behind, openly exclaimed in admiration at the sight.
“Wow, I have never used a magic stone that large before.”
“Are there no teleportation magic stones in the East?”
“There are, but they are only about the size of a fist. And even then, the Duke makes a huge show of it every single time because they are expensive.”
Seeing Liselotte board the carriage under Eren’s escort, Hedmilton bowed lightly in courtesy.
He headed toward the carriage prepared for the servants behind.
Eren naturally followed her into the carriage, and for some reason took a seat beside her.
Startled, Liselotte pointed to the empty seat across from them.
“There is an empty seat.”
“I know.”
‘Then what is the point of knowing…?’
He stubbornly remained seated beside her without moving.
Even though it was not such a narrow space, once Eren sat down, the carriage felt cramped.
At that moment, oblivious to the situation, the carriage headed toward the magic stone emitting a blue light.
When she nudged his side with her elbow, Eren extended his arm and firmly grasped her waist.
With his other arm, he firmly grabbed the window ledge, leaving Liselotte looking as though she were wrapped in his embrace.
‘Ah, no. Wait. What is this?’
“Y-Your Highness?”
“It is a third-grade magic stone.”
‘What does that have to do with anything?’
Just as she was about to protest the overly abbreviated explanation, the horses entered the light opened by the teleportation magic stone.
The blue light pouring out of it rippled even more intensely.
It strangely resembled flames.
The moment the front of the carriage was swallowed by the light, Eren pulled her tightly into his arms.
With their bodies pressed together without a gap, Liselotte had nowhere to direct her eyes and could only stare blankly at the floor.
If she moved even slightly, it felt as though she could sense the very structure of his muscles.
‘If I pay attention to it, I lose. If I pay attention, I lose!’
Just as Liselotte desperately tried to recall Jeyord Seten’s technique for moving chest muscles independently.
Thump. The carriage began to shake violently.
It was far beyond the level of simply hitting a stone.
Thump, thump. Thump-thump.
The carriage rocked fiercely, as if caught in a tidal wave.
As the windows resonated with a deep hum, as though they might shatter, he held Liselotte tightly and murmured in a low voice,
“Protect the area around the carriage.”
