<h4>Chapter 60: Room to Breathe</h4>
We finally departed. <i>It’s been a while since I’ve gone on a journey on a Rug Dragon, but unlike when I came to Lentforce, I had room to breathe because I had more strength and I understood life in Frontier more. </i>
“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 ying innocent over there.”
<i>Oh? There’s only one person who calls me like this. </i>The Prince’s Rug Dragon started walking beside mine before I knew it.
“Ith’sh Lei.”
<i>My name is not the toddler who’s ying innocent. </i>
“Le.”
<i>Well, Le’s fine too.</i>
“Whath?”
“Stop your weird humming.”
“Bufu.” <i>That’s definitely Kyaro.</i>
“Why?”
“The Rug Dragons are running faster. They’re going to ruin the schedule.”
<i>I guess I have to stop.</i>
“Ai.”
“Good.”
The Prince went back to the vanguard when he heard my honest answer. <i>But I was finally having fun humming. Wouldn’t this make me miss my tune? </i>I stopped humming and sung in my head instead while waving my hands around. <i>Hmm, hmmmm. </i>My hands are conducting, and my legs are swaying.
“Kyee.”
“Kyee.”
“Kyee.”
“Hey.”
<i>Hmm, hmmmm.</i>
“Hey, ying innocent.”
“Ith’sh Lei.”
“... Le.”
“Ai.”
<i>Hmm.</i>
“Stop that.”
“Why?”
“Can’t you see that the Rug Dragons are excited?”
“I shee.”
<i>Then I guess I have to stop. </i>The Prince nced at me a few times before going back to the front. <i>I won’t do anything even if you don’t look at me so much. Well, I have nothing to do now. </i>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.”
<i>I feel like he had just said, “Then that’s fine.” </i>The sweets in my pocket were wrapped in paper. It was unexpectedly difficult to unwrap it. <i>Twisty, twisty. Just a little more.</i>
“Ah.”
“Buufuu.”
“Argh.”
“Kyee.”
<i>It fell. Well, I can pick it up and eat itter. And I’m confident that Kyaro is the one who’sughing. Oh, bother. </i>I also heard other noises, but I ignored them. <i>I should still have another one in my pocket. </i>*RUSTLE*
The dragon stopped while I was doing this. Everyone got off their dragons as if they were annoyed. <i>Is it time for a break? They should be letting me down soon too. </i>Clyde wasughing for some reason as he walked towards me and took off my belt.
“Lei, you did great.”
“Why?”
“It’s nothing.”
Heughed while picking up the sweet I had dropped and gave it to me. <i>Hrm. It’s still wrapped in paper so it should be alright. </i>I unwrapped thest bit and was about to put the sweet in my mouth when I was stopped, “You can’t, Ojou-sama!”
It was Dory. <i>She’s probably going to say that I can’t eat it because it dropped or something like that. </i>I quickly put the sweet into my mouth before she could say it.
“Ah.”
*CHEW CHEW* <i>It’s a cookie.</i><i>Yummy. </i>Then, I asked the guard near me, “Wather pweashe.” I put the sk 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 wee.”
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>She’s funny.</i>
“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. <i>I already ate cookies before, so I’m fine now. </i>
“Shall we y 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 ying in a ce 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 copse. <i>I’m going to y. </i>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 ying. <i>Next will be lunch break? </i>
“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 y before summer, was bing 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.”
<i>Hrm, it makes a beautiful sound. Now, again.</i>
“Hey.”
“Puu.”
“Hey, -.”
“Ith’sh Lei.”
“... Le.”
“Ai.”
<i>The Prince again? I probably look fed up with him.</i>
“You, are you that fed up with me?”
“Puu.”
“St... op-.”
“Puu?”
“Th... at.”
<i>The Rug Dragons look fine?</i>
“Thatid-back sound is annoying.”
“Nu fweedom.”
“What did you say?”
The Prince stopped his dragon, opened the basket and took my whistle. <i>He’s a tyrant! </i>The group began moving again.
<i>Fine. If you don’t likeid-back sounds, then it would be fine if it’s notid-back, right? </i>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.”
<i>This doesn’t soundid-back, does it?</i>
“Piii, ah.”
“Get out the rest.”
“...”
“You can blow on it during break time.”
“Bufuu.”
<i>I feel like that’s not Kyaro. </i>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. <i>You can be moreid back. </i>