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As soon as he issued his order, he received the list immediately. But, until that moment, he had been examining every option very carefully, unable to make a final decision.
“First, the place has to be easily accessible by car,” Clowes thought.
It is true that all the places listed are within reach of the capital within a day, but the circumstances surrounding each place were different.
Some of them were summer palaces located high in the mountains, and although they were suitable for reaching by car, their rugged roads could cause a young child to suffer from severe motion sickness.
“Besides, places like this can be dangerous,” he added to himself.
Just thinking about it was horrifying: what if they went out for a walk and someone fell from a high place?
Cloyce first excluded all palaces surrounded by dangerous places.
Then move on to checking the maintenance status everywhere. Didn't the Imperial Palace itself still bear the scars of war? How can one expect to allocate a generous budget for abandoned summer palaces that are not being used?
Fortunately, some local nobles, seeking to curry favor with the new emperor or erase any connection to the previous emperor, volunteered to restore some of these palaces. Otherwise, most of them would still be in ruins.
“Even if the reports seem encouraging, I might as well check it out myself,” Cloyce decided.
He began carefully reviewing the list, eliminating one option after another, until a certain place caught his eye.
“This place...”
It was a place he had frequented often as a child. During his days at the academy, he hated returning to the main palace.
His father, who had chosen him as heir but showed him no paternal affection, his brothers who were jealous and envious of him, the ministers who approached him only to gain his favor—everything in the palace was a source of nuisance and discontent.
So, even though the academy was close to the palace, he preferred to stay in its dormitories. During vacations, he would escape to one of the imperial summer palaces. And among them all, there was one place that he greatly preferred.
It was a summer palace located in a vast hilly area, where soft hills flowed harmoniously, embracing scattered small and large lakes.
An old village carrying the scent of history, small houses that preserve the stamp of time, and fields where herds of sheep frolic.
The lakes were not deep, making them safe for children to swim and play, and waterfowl would congregate around them, filling the sky with a majestic spectacle as they flew together at night.
“I was planning to take Lillian there one day,” Cloyce recalled. On the nights he spent on the battlefields, he dreamed of what would come after the war.
Lillian, as Empress, would have stayed in the Imperial Palace, but she would not have liked that place very much.
He imagined that this palace would be a perfect retreat for her—its nature is similar to her birthplace, always beautiful, clean, and peaceful.
If he spent time here with Lillian, and with their baby girl, it would be enough to make his life as a busy emperor more bearable. Those rare moments of comfort would fill his heart with happiness.
Cloyce looked at the papers relating to this palace for a long time.
Fortunately, it was not damaged during the war, and its contents were well preserved, the report states.
Since he spent much of his childhood there, the palace was equipped with items more suitable for children than other palaces.
In fact, his father, based on his desire for a quiet place to study, ordered the construction of a library equal to the finest libraries. Above that, there was a lively village nearby.
“Evie looks like she's going to like this place a lot,” Cloyce thought. Remember how Evie was busy exploring the street vendors during the seasonal festival.
If circumstances permitted, perhaps he could take her to visit the weekend market in that village.
“But first, I have to review my schedule.”
In his mind, he had made up his mind that Evie would go there. And if Eppie was going, it would be natural for him to accompany her, right?
He began to reminisce about what he used to do there as a child, imagining that Evie might enjoy those activities as well.
Suddenly, he heard a knock on the door, and the butler entered.
“Your Majesty.”
“I'm busy right now,” Cloyce said, suggesting that he put off any non-urgent matter.
“Yvette Alden requests an audience with you, Your Majesty.”
"What?"
Cloyce jumped from his seat at Evie's name, and passed the butler to look into the hallway.
“Evie?”
But Evie wasn't there, even though she had requested the interview.
“Where is the baby?”
“She's at the academy. She sent a message asking if she could visit you first...”
“What does this mean? Didn’t I say she can come whenever she wants?”
“Maybe because she couldn't see you last time,” the butler answered cautiously.
“What do you mean she couldn't see me?”
The butler hesitated for a moment before answering:
“In fact, Evie Alden visited the mansion twice last week.”
"What…?"
Cloyce's eyes widened. For the past week, he had been eagerly awaiting Evie's visit.
He was worried about her injury, and even though Seraphina had filed a report, he wanted to hear from Evie herself that everything was okay.
He was also wondering about her performance in the exams.
But when he did not hear from her, he felt anxious and frustrated. And now they say she visited him? twice?
“Why didn't you meet me then?”
“Both times, I was engaged in long meetings, waited and then returned.”
“Meetings? Ah…”
Cloyce mentions that a report about Ceren, who went missing in the border area, caused an emergency meeting.
The meeting included the Minister of State, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Rommel of the Palace Knights, and the Minister of Defence. Sirin's case was a top priority, which made everyone continue discussions until late into the night.
“Did she come during Seirin’s meetings? You should have at least told me, I would have gone out to meet her.”
Cloyce looked at the butler with a look of reproach. Even if the meeting was important, he could take a short break to see Evie and talk to her.
The meetings were interspersed with pauses for thought, and the Sirin case always frustrated him.
“Cerin was interested in the coat of arms of the imperial family,”
Remember Cloyce. He didn't understand why Sirin suddenly started to care about this, but that thought stuck in his mind.
“I tried to tell you, but Evie stopped me,” the butler explained.
“She said she would wait, and she was very worried about disturbing you. She sat outside for three hours, reading a book and doing problems, very quietly.”
As the butler spoke, Cloyce noticed that he had begun referring to Effie by her name only, not “Effie Alden.”
They seem to have become closer during his absence.
“Well, who doesn't love Evie?” Cloyce thought.
Except for those who despise others based on their humble origin, who could hate a sweet and smiling child like her?
Then Cloyce noticed something strange in the butler's words.
“A book? You solve problems?”
“Yes, it was Advanced Mathematics, Part 2. She seemed very amused.”
“…”
Cloyes was lost for a moment. Solve math problems while waiting? And she was enjoying it? For three hours?
“Then, as the academy’s curfew approached, she said she would be back, and insisted that I keep her visit a secret.”
“You broke your promise,” Cloyce said.
"What should I do? Loyalty comes first," the butler replied with a calm smile, clearly having great affection for Evie.
“On the second visit, I suggested she send a message through one of the employees to check your availability. That way you wouldn’t have to wait here long.”
“Well done. A long wait is not good for the baby. Now, send a reply quickly.”
“Okay, Your Majesty.”
After the butler left, Cloyce quickly began to tidy up his office.
“You will absolutely love this place,” he thought. Remember how Evie said during the seasonal festival that she had never gone out for a walk before, and even when she was living in the orphanage, she had never left the city limits.
“I hope you have a pleasant summer vacation,” he muttered, reviewing his upcoming agenda.
There were regular meetings and events, but nothing else would stop him from setting aside a few days.
After a while, he heard a noise in the hallway, and then Evie entered with the butler.
“You have come!”
Cloyce approached her with a welcoming face, extending his arms. Evie hesitated for a moment, then smiled shyly and rushed towards him, hugging him.
Cloyce felt the warm smell of childhood, and smiled without realizing it.
Suddenly, Evie said:
“Your Majesty, can you sign here?”
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