EIITAB - Chapter 52 < Beyond The Wall >
Even If It Is Trampled And Broken
The temple's fault played a particularly large role in causing his notoriety to increase. This is because the priest who returned from dispatch spoke lightly.
"It was hell."
"I was frozen by the terrible scene unfolding before my eyes and could not take a single step. However, Duke Kalathi carelessly walked over the corpses of the beasts he had slaughtered."
"Everyone, just imagine. The appearance of a huge man covered in dark red blood, with only his two golden eyes shining menacingly! I still get goosebumps. Duke Kalathi was not a human being, but rather like a beast."
If they listen closely, they will see that Aslan saved the lives of the kingdom's soldiers and priests who were of little help. However, instead of praising and thanking him for his bravery and sacrifice, the socialites who liked to exaggerate things were busy belittling him.
The nobles responded to the priest's words.
"Still, he has respect as a noble, so how can he kill without maintaining his dignity?"
It was the core of the criticism.
"Why do tactics exist? It's not like he ignores it and just sweeps it away."
They spoke without hesitation, especially when it came to people they had never seen before in their lives. Hestia guessed they were able to say it so easily because they had absolutely no idea what the difference was between practice and theory.
Those people outside the carriage probably do the same.
Hestia sighed. She was so upset while riding in the carriage, but she was worried that Aslan, his lieutenants, and the knights who would hear the stories while driving the horses outside might be hurt.
Hestia gently pulled back the curtains with her fingers. However, Aslan was not seen, and instead, the appearance of his lieutenants was seen.
The moment her eyes met his, he immediately frowned as if he saw something the other person couldn't see. He was one of Aslan's lieutenants who showed cruelty towards her yesterday.
He rolled lightly in his stirrups and flew forward. Hestia weakly let go of the curtain she had pulled with a bitter smile.
'Now that I think about it, we haven't said goodbye yet.'
On the wedding day, the faces of the two lieutenants who stood guard to Aslan's left and right came to mind.
'I heard he has a total of three lieutenants... It seems that the remaining one did not follow to the capital, but remained in the duchy to manage the territory.'
Hestia thinks it would be a good idea to at least make a full statement before arriving at the Duke of Kalathi's Castle...
Maybe that's greed too?
Hestia rested her chin and was lost in thought. The lieutenants seemed to have no intention of getting along with her.
'Of course, I didn't plan on staying close either.'
The conclusion was to just stay still. If necessary, Aslan will introduce them to her, but if not, the lieutenants will speak to her first.
Hestia intended to fill the year as Duchess of Kalathi in name only, so she did not plan to exercise any authority. So, she didn't have any intention of doing something presumptuously.
So the carriage headed towards the castle wall at a slow speed. After a while, the carriage stopped and Angela spoke in a whisper. She said,
"I guess we've reached an insurmountable wall."
"I know."
It was then. A knock on the door was heard from outside. Angela hurriedly opened the window and Aslan said indifferently:
"We will soon cross the gate."
"...Is it so? All right."
Why is he warning her with such a serious expression?
'Do I seem to have regrets about monastic life?'
Hestia, unable to understand why Asian was speaking so seriously, tilted her head and looked up at him. Aslan, who narrowed his eyes and watched her do what she did, clicked his tongue roughly.
"Be prepared."
"....All right."
Because she immediately realized that he didn't understand her properly. He squeezed his lips and let out a sigh.
"What I mean is, there is no way with the clothes the Princess is wearing right now."
Only then did Hestia's eyebrows narrow slightly. Are they really telling her to go back?
Hestia seriously wondered why on earth Asian was so scary.
"Shit. You have to have experienced winter to know what I mean."
Aslan scratched the back of his head and moved with the feeling that he would rather die than get sick. He pulled out a large bag from his carriage. He rummaged through it and pulled something out. It was a large blanket covered in fur.
"Cover it...."
"Already?"
Since it was given to her, Hestia accepted it. It was so thick that as soon as she received the blanket, it felt like the inside of the carriage was full. Hestia placed the blanket only on her thighs and not all the way up to her neck.
Aslan looked at the sight disapprovingly for a moment, but he said nothing more. Once he took it out, he seemed to have done his job. Finally, he closed the carriage door without saying anything.
"Here we go again."
At Aslan's signal, the carriage started moving again.
"Why is he doing that?"
"I don't know either?'
Hestia exchanged an incomprehensible look with Angela.
"Open the door!"
The sound of the gate opening was heard along with a vibration that shook the ground. Just like that, Hestia's carriage slowly passed the gate of the 'impenetrable wall'.
'Come to think of it, this is my first time.'
Hestia swallowed dry saliva without realizing it. This was because she was outside the capital for the first time in her life. Until now, she was a canary in a cage.
Although she was in the most noble position in the world, she was lonely and could not do anything she wanted. The control and discipline always bound her.
The people did not show her even half the generosity they showed Anette. That made her feel more lonely.
'Probably, a not-so-different life will continue in Kalathi.'
Hestia chewed and swallowed her accusation. After a moment, she heard Angela groan.
"Wow...."
This was because, as soon as we crossed the gate of the 'impenetrable wall', the temperature dropped as rapidly as it seemed like a lie. Hestia's teeth naturally chattered as well. The temperature difference is this much with just one castle wall in between?
Only then did she understand why Aslan had stopped the carriage and taken out a fur blanket before she crossed the gate.
Hestia called Angela.
"Angela, come this way. It would be better to stick together."
"Yes, yes. Okay. Princess. It's really too cold so I don't think it will work."
The two women sat close together and pulled the fur blanket up to cover their necks. But even though she was covered in such a thick fur blanket, the cold did not go away. Her shoulders kept slumping and her body trembled. The situation was the same for Angela. The maid was even chatting her teeth and shaking.
Angela let out a long, worried sigh, her voice shaking like a goat's cry. She said,
"They say the further north you go, the colder it will be because the winters are more extreme... It's a big deal."
Hestia's face darkened at Angela's words. It's already so cold that her bones are aching, but it's getting even colder.
Her carriage ran for a week without stopping.
***
The carriage stopped. Angela threw her thick coat over her shoulders as if it were obvious and smiled at Hestia across from her.
"Princess, are you hungry? I'll bring the meal quickly."
Before we knew it, it was almost lunchtime. The knights and carriages stopped twice a day. It was time for a meal and rest. Hestia lowered her eyebrows as if feeling sorry.
"Angela, you are having a really hard time because of me. If only you hadn't followed me, you wouldn't have had to do this......."
"What a hardship! What are you saying?"
Angela hurriedly waved her hand and then stood up from her seat.
"Sit down and don't think about anything! I will quickly make delicious food and bring it to you."
"I'm not hungry because I barely moved. So take your time. Be careful with fire."
"Oh my, Princess! You have a lot to worry about! I'm twenty-three! I may be rude, but in terms of age, I'm older than the Princess."
Hestia laughed as if she couldn't stop her.
"Okay, yes."
Angela hurried out of the carriage. Left alone, Hestia sighed and pulled back the curtains on the carriage window. She felt as if the blue sky was particularly cold in her eyes. She and Angela usually ate their meals in the carriage. Actually, at first, she was planning to go out and eat with the knights. But it was so cold that it was difficult to even hold a spoon properly.
Because of that, she couldn't dare to eat outside, but Hestia went out every time she wanted to. As a result, she ate as little as birdseed, and Aslan, who could not bear to see her, said bluntly,
"Just eat inside. Don't lie down because you catch a cold after being exposed to the cold air. There is no doctor, so if one of you gets sick, the schedule will be disrupted."
"Don't worry. Because I'm a Saintess, I don't get sick."
Anyway, it was decided that Hestia and Angela would eat in the carriage. Angela was happy because she could eat without being hit by the cold wind, but Hestia felt a little uncomfortable. But she could no longer be stubborn.
Because when she ate among the knights, they just ate without saying a word, as if everyone was protesting.
Comments
Post a Comment