TRAVEL THE WORLD

"IS IT just me, or did it really get cold here?"

Gypsy wanted to agree with Prince Cyrus who hugged himself and rubbed his arms. But the serious look in Yvo's eyes scared her a little. And she didn't even know why the young master was acting like she had committed a crime.

"You're not going to stay in the duchy after I inherited the grand duke title?" Yvo asked coldly. "Why, Noonim? Are you going to marry Winston Volk?"

"Is that the only option I have after I fulfilled my duties as the temporary head?" Gypsy asked, and she did her best to sound as calm as possible. "Yvo, haven't you thought that I wanted to do something else once you become the grand duke?"

Of course, her number one goal was to come home for her Baek Si-woo, her younger brother.

But she also entertained the idea that she would get stuck here longer than expected.

She hoped that she would be able to protect her position for the next two years and safely give it back to Yvo– the rightful heir. After that, she wished to leave the duchy.

"What does Noonim want to do then?" Yvo asked. "I will support you."

"I want to travel," she said with confidence. "I want to see the world outside the duchy. Plus, I'm not good with the cold. I want to experience the other seasons outside."

She was really interested in seeing the rest of this world before she returned home.

It was a world with magic and mythical beasts, so she would like to travel and see more of it. When else would she get the chance to do so? Moreover, she worked hard to save money all these years. She wanted to use it to splurge on herself.

"Noona, you should visit the palace during spring and summer," Prince Cyrus said brightly, then he put a hand over his chest. "I have a lot of villas that I can lend to you."

She smiled at the Crown Prince. "That would be nice, Your Royal Highness."

"I'll come with Noonim then," Yvo declared. "I don't understand why you have to leave the duchy if you just want to travel, Noonim."

The Crown Prince looked at the young master in disbelief. "This kid has no sense, really."

Yvo turned to Prince Cyrus with an irritated look on his face. "How do I not have sense?"

"Isn't it obvious that Noonim wants to travel alone?" Prince Cyrus asked while shaking his head. "Why would you accompany her, hyung? Moreover, once you become the grand duke, do you think you will have the time to travel?"

"Who decided that? I can make time for my noonim."

Prince Cyrus shook his head at him, then he turned to her. "Noona, it must have been hard for you to raise Yvo hyung."

She wanted to nod and agree with the Crown Prince, but Yvo turned to her so she smiled at the young master. "It won't happen anytime soon, so let's not talk about it for now," she said, changing the topic. "We're here to loot Count Woolsey's treasure, aren't we?"

Yvo looked like he didn't want to let go of the topic yet, but he nodded in the end. "Noonim is right. We must focus on our mission for now," he said, but his gaze became sharp. "However, we'll talk about this again once we return to the duchy."

Gypsy could only smile awkwardly.

[Aigoo, why is Yvo being so pushy?]

***

"I DIDN'T know that Prince Cyrus is a great mage," Gypsy, who was sitting on a large rock, said while watching the Crown Prince create a magic circle in the flat and smooth ground that they found in the middle of the forest. Of course, the ground was covered with snow earlier. But Pierce Willard cleared it for the Crown Prince. "Isn't it amazing that he can create a magic circle that can teleport us directly to Count Woolsey's mansion?"

"Not really," Yvo, who was standing beside her as if he was her bodyguard, said bluntly. "If the Crown Prince is truly great, he could have cast a teleportation spell without creating a magic circle."

Pierce Willard, who obviously heard the young master, turned to them and glared at Yvo.

She gently smacked Yvo in the arm to stop him from glaring back at the knight.

"Hyung, we can hear you. You're hurting my feelings," Prince Cyrus, who was squatting down while writing strange characters inside the magic circle using his index finger covered with a golden light, whined. "I have to create a magic circle because my Mana is sealed. I have to seal it in order to hide my identity as the Crown Prince." He raised his head to meet their gaze. "But I assure you. Once the seal is lifted, I can use the teleportation spell without a magic circle."

"Sure," Yvo said, obviously disinterested. "Whatever makes you sleep at night, Your Royal Highness."

"You're so mean to me, hyung," the Crown Prince whined again, then he looked up at Pierce Willard. "But I'm really a great mage. Right?"

"Of course," Pierce Willard answered without missing a heartbeat. "Your Royal Highness is the greatest mage on the entire continent."

Prince Cyrus, who looked satisfied, smiled and continued drawing his magic circle.

Gypsy couldn't help but smile while watching Prince Cyrus and Pierce Willard's adorable interaction. "Those kids are cute."

"Is that Noonim's type?" Yvo asked. This time, he whispered as if he didn't want the Crown Prince and the knight to hear him. "The cute ones?"

"No," she whispered, laughing softly while shaking her head. "I feel like I'll act like a mother hen if my partner is the cute type."

"Then how about Winston Volk? He looks like the dependable type."

Hmm.

It wasn't like the thought never crossed her mind.

"There was a time that I felt like Count Eugenio Woolsey wanted to marry me off to Ethan Woolsey," she said carefully. "I got nervous then, so I thought of proposing to Sir Winston to avoid marrying Ethan Woolsey." She tilted her head to one side. "I'm not sure if Sir Winston is my type, but since I entertained the idea of marrying him, then maybe I really see him as a man."

"But Sir Winston is too old for Noonim--- he's already thirty years old."

She bit back her laughter.

[I was twenty-five years old when I got here, and five years have already passed since then. So, Sir Winston and I are just the same age.]

But it wasn't like she could say it to Yvo.

"I don't mind," she said, shrugging. "I'm already twenty-years-old--- an adult. A ten-year gap is nothing if the people trying to get into a relationship are both consenting adults."

Yvo frowned as if he wasn't happy with her answer. "What about me then?"

Gypsy's eyes went wide. "Huh?"

***

NOTE: Hi! Please consider ADDING 'Butter Up the Crown Wolf' to your LIBRARY. Thank you! <3