Knock, knock — the sound of knocking echoed through the room.
Without waiting for a response, Cedric opened the door and entered.
He immediately noticed his son browsing a picture book, not reading but simply looking at the illustrations.
"I came because you wanted to visit me before your journey. But since I'm leaving earlier, I came to you instead," Cedric said.
"Good," Aiden replied. "I would have been upset if you'd left without saying anything."
Cedric gave his true smile—the one he reserved for his little boy. "Did you want something in particular?"
Aiden shook his head sweetly. "I just wanted to tell you that I'm going, and if I come back… um… then I'd tell you what the city was like."
Cedric sat beside his son, moving aside some picture books and a few toys.
"I won't be back tonight. I'll only return tomorrow, maybe even in the evening. Let's agree that in two days, you'll tell me everything."
He saw a small opportunity to help with his son's slow and late development.
"I have a mission for you."
Aiden's eyes lit up at the word. "What kind?"
Cedric answered with a slight seriousness,
"Listen. When you come back, I want you to ask someone—anyone—to help you write down everything you saw and thought was cool and important. Then, think very hard about what from that list was even more important than the rest, and tell me about it.
And I want you to learn how to explain it without stuttering, speaking smoothly."
Aiden made a little grimace. That wasn't what he had expected.
"But… that's not a mission. That's just a task."
Chuckling softly, Cedric answered quickly,
"You're not wrong."
He acknowledged it to avoid demotivating him.
"But it's more than that. If you can tell me everything nicely, it'll be easier for me to imagine what you saw.
It'll also help you learn — and for that, I'll reward you."
Cedric cleverly used his son's excitement about telling him stories to sneak in some learning, and it would also save Cedric the time he desperately needed.
Even though he loved spending time with his son, he couldn't afford to waste it right now.
Thinking everything made perfect sense, Aiden couldn't understand why he would refuse.
"…Okay, but what do I get in return?"
Cedric knew that for children, surprises were often better rewards than known gifts.
Children simply loved mysteries.
"A secret," he said, placing his finger over his lips.
He stood up, ruffled Aiden's hair, and said,
"I have to leave now. Remember our deal," then started heading toward the door.
"Deal!" Aiden shouted after him, then began gathering his toys and books.
After a moment, he also left the room.
As they walked down the corridor, Walter followed behind Aiden, accompanied by a young woman, probably in her early twenties.
She had black hair, blue eyes, and a fair complexion.
Her outfit was elegant yet allowed a full range of movement.
They reached a large wooden door adorned with carvings of flowers and foxes.
Aiden knocked three quick times and once slowly, with as much strength as his small body could manage.
He waited briefly. Hearing no answer, he entered.
This was a signal: his specific knock announced his identity, and no reply meant he was allowed inside.
If there had been a problem, Vivienne—or her servant—would have answered.
Aiden entered the room with the woman, while Walter went to fetch something sweet.
Vivienne was seated at her vanity, attended by several maids.
They were braiding her hair into two plaits starting above her ears, joining neatly at the back into one thick braid that cascaded gracefully down her neck.
The rest of her hair was left loose, slightly curled thanks to a crystal-heated device crafted by artisans.
They were also applying light makeup to her face—not that she needed it.
Her beauty was already beyond exceptional, but makeup was a sign of elegance and status.
Aiden simply greeted her and ran off to jump on the large bed, using it as a trampoline.
Unable to move freely at the moment, Vivienne said,
"Give me a little while. I'll be ready in fifteen minutes."
Aiden nodded enthusiastically while still bouncing on the bed. "Okay!"
Hearing the strain the bed made under the boy's energetic jumps, Vivienne added,
"You know it's not very proper to jump on someone's bed — especially when that someone is a lady."
"A lady?" Aiden said, confused. "But you're just Vivienne."
At that, Vivienne burst out laughing.
With a hand gesture, she asked the maid to pause her work and turned her head toward the boy.
He should have already known what she meant, but she also knew that Aiden sometimes struggled to absorb certain teachings, even if they were repeated dozens of times.
Curiously, other lessons he could grasp after hearing them only once.
"A lady is an older—or sometimes younger—elegant woman of higher social standing," Vivienne explained calmly, without irritation.
"You need to remember that," she said gently.
"It's important. In the future, you'll often hear and use this word."
By then, Aiden had stopped jumping and was sitting on the bed.
"I'll try to remember," he answered, before lying back and staring up at the high ceiling.
He was nearly asleep when the sound of knocking woke him.
Vivienne allowed Walter to enter, who brought tea for her, berry juice for the young master, and various cakes and sweets.
Aiden, remembering his father's lessons, chewed and swallowed a cookie properly before running over to a small shelf, pulling out a random book without even looking.
Vivienne had set up a bookshelf and toy collection for him in her room since she spent the most time with him.
Aiden walked over to the woman who currently had no task and, without saying a word, handed her the book.
He sat back on the bed while Walter moved a wheeled table with sweets and juice closer to them.
The woman sat next to Aiden, holding the book so he could see the pictures, and began to read.
After a pleasant time spent listening to the story and snacking on sweets, Vivienne finished her preparations.
She then sent someone to fetch Lucian and Tobias.
Together, they all went outside, where two large four-wheeled carriages waited, each pulled by two horses.
Both carriages had a natural wooden color, though one had accents of green and floral designs.
Each carriage bore the family crest of Alveron: two ravens—one black, facing right, and one white, facing left