We finally departed.

  “Hmmm, hmmm.”


  “Kyee.”


  “Hmm, hmmm.”


  “Kyee.”


  It was fun to hum. There’s nothing I can do about being interrupted when I stop.

  “Hey.”


  “Hmm, hmm.”


  “Hey, the toddler who’s playing innocent over there.”


  The Prince’s Rug Dragon started walking beside mine before I knew it.

  “Ith’sh Lei.”


  “Leila.”


  “Whath?”


  “Stop your weird humming.”


  “Bufu.”

  “Why?”


  “The Rug Dragons are running faster. They’re going to ruin the schedule.”


  “Ai.”


  “Good.”


  The Prince went back to the vanguard when he heard my honest answer.

  I stopped humming and sung in my head instead while waving my hands around.

  My hands are conducting, and my legs are swaying.

  “Kyee.”


  “Kyee.”


  “Kyee.”


  “Hey.”


  “Hey, playing innocent.”


  “Ith’sh Lei.”


  “.…… Leila.”


  “Ai.”


  “Stop that.”


  “Why?”


  “Can’t you see that the Rug Dragons are excited?”


  “I shee.”


  The Prince glanced at me a few times before going back to the front.

  I fidgeted and felt the sweets in my pocket.

  “Shweethsh.”


  I had put the sweets I’d received from the townspeople in my luggage, but I kept a few in my pocket. I took the sweets out with a rustle.

  “Kyee,” the dragon I was riding out let out a small cry.

  “Ith’sh fine. Thhey’re shweethsh.”


  “Kyee.”


  The sweets in my pocket were wrapped in paper. It was unexpectedly difficult to unwrap it.

  “Ah.”


  “Buufuu.”


  “Argh.”


  “Kyee.”


  I also heard other noises, but I ignored them.

  *RUSTLE*

  The dragon stopped while I was doing this. Everyone got off their dragons as if they were annoyed.

  Clyde was laughing for some reason as he walked towards me and took off my belt.

  “Lei, you did great.”


  “Why?”


  “It’s nothing.”


  He laughed while picking up the sweet I had dropped and gave it to me.

  I unwrapped the last bit and was about to put the sweet in my mouth when I was stopped, “You can’t, Ojou-sama!”


  It was Dory.

  I quickly put the sweet into my mouth before she could say it.

  “Ah.”


  *CHEW CHEW*

  Then, I asked the guard near me, “Wather pweashe.” I put the flask that had been opened for me on my mouth and gulped the water down.

  “Ah, you didn’t even pour it into a cup!” I heard Dory’s shriek from over there.

  “Thanwsh.”


  “You’re welcome.”


  The guard smiled when I thanked him.

  I dashed towards Alistair and the others since I was satisfied.

  “We’re taking a little break,” Alistair told me.

  “Ai.”


  I sat down next to Alistair.

  “Ojou-sama is. Sitting on the ground! Oh, my goodness!”


  “I’ve prepared a seat for you here, so please sit on it.”


  When I turned towards Dory, I saw that she had prepared a simple chair and table with tea and snacks on top of the table. I was impressed that she could prepare these things in such a short amount of time. But I didn’t feel like drinking tea.

  “I don’th need thhoshe. Wather’sh fine.”


  “Here, water.”


  I got water from Alistair.

  “Shall we play a little while we’re resting?”


  “Ai. Fuu, bwow.”


  “Oh, the whistle?”


  “Ai.”


  I stood up with Alistair, and we went to look for grass.

  “Ojou-sama! It’s dangerous!”


  “Kyee.”


  Even the Rug Dragon wanted to say something.

  “Oba-san, it’s fine. We’re playing in a place where everyone could see us. Dragon, it’s fine.”


  “Kyee.” The dragon seemed to have understood.

  “O-oba-san……”


  Dory looked like she was going to collapse.

  We stayed where everyone could see us. Alistair removed the grass, peeled off the leaves and made some whistles.

  Our break finished while we were playing.

  “Go!” The Rug Dragons started moving when the Prince said this. The wind blowing across the prairie was a sign of autumn, and the grass which fluttered in the wind was a little yellow. The stem of the grass whistle, which I’d been taught to play before summer, was becoming somewhat harder than before.

  I took out the whistle, which had been cut into a perfect size, out of my pocket.

  “Puu.”


  “Kyee.”


  “Puu, puu.”


  “Kyee.”


  “Hey.”


  “Puu.”


  “Hey, pla.”


  “Ith’sh Lei.”


  “.…… Leila.”


  “Ai.”


  “You, are you that fed up with me?”


  “Puu.”


  “St…… op.”


  “Puu?”


  “Th…… at.”


  “That laid-back sound is annoying.”


  “Nu fweedom.”


  “What did you say?”


  The Prince stopped his dragon, opened the basket and took my whistle.

  The group began moving again.

  I took a different grass whistle out from my pocket. I had this one made a little bit shorter. I also have longer ones than the one the Prince took.

  “Piii.”


  “Kyee.”


  “Pii, pii.”


  “Kyee.”


  “Piii, ah.”


  “Get out the rest.”


  “.……”


  “You can blow on it during break time.”


  “Bufuu.”


  I reluctantly handed him the whistle.

  “Will I make it back to the capital safely?” The Prince muttered as he went back to the front.