[TKOSINM] 158 – Field Trip or Honeymoon?

When Irene returned, the Grand Duke gave her a puzzled look. Irene hesitated for a moment before her lips parted.

“Please do not be too worried.”

“…darling…”

“Both I and Noel know that this is what you consider as the best option for us…that is why…”

Neither Irene nor Noel resented the situation or felt that they had been wronged in any way. Rather, she liked to think of it as a good sign of Noel’s succession to the Grand Duchy. So Irene hoped that the Great Kristen would no longer suffer from guilt. However, once she had brought it up, she could not figure out how to end it.

So she paused momentarily before continuing.

“I will be back.”

The Grand Duke was a bit stunned before her greeting as his eyes slightly widened. Soon enough, a much more relaxed smile was seen on the Grand Duke’s face as he replied.

“Alright, you can go now, sweetheart.”

“Yes.”

When Irene returned with a gait in her step, Noel could not help but look at her curiously as he opened the door of the carriage.

“After you.”

“Thank you.”

Irene climbed into the carriage with Noel’s escort. Promptly, Noel followed her into the carriage. Louiselle and Mulliman’s assistant were on either side on the outside of the carriage, as they would be riding parallel to escort them. And within their vicinity, the Duchy’s guards and the Ram mercenaries were adjusting their positions to maintain the barrier formation around the carriage.

Finally, Noel and Irene bid the Grand Duke farewell once again through the carriage’s window, then set off. As the coachman gave the signal to depart, the huge front gate swung open. Several carts, horses and carriages passed by quickly between them.

As the figure of the Grand Duke grew distant, Irene inhaled deeply. Witnessing that, Noel asked.

“You’re not afraid?”

“Pardon?”

“The place we are heading to. You are used to living in a safe place that is not plagued by evilness, but this is a place where monsters appear. Are you not afraid of monsters?”

“Well, you are not wrong.”

At Noel’s words, Irene nodded in acceptance. Surely, even if the place where she would be staying for the next couple of days was safe, a creature of such terror, could appear at any time. Of course for an ordinary person, being anxious was an expected reaction but...

“I have never been out like this before, so I am more excited than scared. Of course, I should not feel this way once I arrive there, but right now I feel like I am going on a field trip.”

“...”

“Oh, that does not mean I am going to let my guard down or do whatever I want.”

“That was not what I was worried about.”

Noel paused for a moment and looked at Irene with complex eyes.

“Certainly, as you said, it would be a good idea to create an exciting travelling atmosphere until we return. Then this trip will be our honeymoon.”

“P-pardon me? Honeymoon?”

Irene was bewildered at the unexpected remark. Upon seeing her surprised appearance, Noel chuckled then nodded calmly.

“Yes, it is our first trip together since we were married, so is it not counted as our honeymoon? There is a mysterious kind of tree called ‘the Snow Tree’ in Kreisen, so I think it would be a good idea to stop by on the way back from work.”

“Wow, that would be great!”

Irene’s expression brightened up at Noel’s recommendation. She stared out the window, looking at the surrounding landscape with a smile hung on her face. Noel was also smiling happily as he observed her on the side, but it did not last long. The smile gradually faded as he recalled some unsettling thing she had just mentioned.

‘I have never been out like this before.’

If she had been an ordinary woman, one would just have thought that she was being overprotected as she stayed home a lot, but Noel, who knew Irene’s circumstance clearly, could not take it lightly.

She meant it literally.

His fist tightened as he thought about her being trapped inside that suffocating mansion, not even being able to get the permission to go outside properly. But he did not want to be seen exasperated while she was enjoying herself this much.

To ease his anger, Noel thought of something else as a distraction. For instance, the picture of two people watching the snow together...

And with that in mind, his frustration slowly faded away.

Not bad for a honeymoon.

The Western Dukedom, Kreisen, was a region where the temperature was unusually warm all year round and did not even snow once during the winter. It was thanks to the hemisphere’s large mountain range that blocked the cold wind, but the outstanding landmark was something called the ‘Snow Tree’.

‘Snow Tree’ was a one-of-a-kind tree, and literally meant ‘a tree upon which snow falls’. Though the reason was unknown, it had been snowing constantly on that very spot for over a thousand years, regardless of the season. Nevertheless, the climate was warm, so it was by all means bizarre.

Numerous researchers and wizards had tried to uncover the principles of the land in which the Snow Tree was situated, but all of their effort was futile as no useful data could be collected. As the mysterious nature of the snow tree became more and more well-known publicly, people gradually regarded the snow tree as ‘the sacred tree’ to prevent Kreisen from disasters.

Therefore, ordinary visitors could not even go near the Snow Forest, but since it belonged to the Grand Duchy, Duke Noel and the Duchess were exceptions, and could access it.

It was so beautiful that it was exceptionally memorable.

In his younger self’s eyes, the Snow Forest was dreamy and enchanted just like that in a fairy tale. So there were times when he stayed around the Snow Forest all day long. It snowed but the temperature was mild, so there were times when he felt as if he was in someone’s arms, soft and warm . Noel wanted to show Irene the place where his precious memories were stored. As the image of her admiring the magnificent sight with her joyfully glistening eyes came to mind, a smile naturally crept on his face.

♔♔♔

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