I heard Hawick's shout from downstairs.
“Injured?”
If anyone was injured during the time gap, it was definitely Lamia.
'She was pretending to be someone else, and then she became a target!'
Tears welled up in my eyes from the regret and worry.
Although I hadn't known Lamia for long, the pleasant conversations I had with her, her gentle care, and the gentle touch that comforted me when I was in a panic left a deep impression on me.
'I was trying to make sure you escaped safely!'
I pushed Callius away from the door, hoping she wasn't too badly hurt.
“I need to see if my maid is okay.”
But Callius was not pushed.
“There might be remnants, so it would be best to stay somewhere safe.”
“She got hurt because of me!”
“Your Highness’s safety is more important.”
“Will the Marquis turn a blind eye to the injury of one of his subordinates?”
"That."
I looked up at Callius pitifully.
Callius sighed softly.
“Then come with me.”
“Yes, I will!”
It wasn't a difficult condition at all.
I quickly put my arm around Callius's.
His arms were tall, thick, and very strong.
So I grabbed his arm with both hands.
“Let’s go!”
“Ah...? Oh, yes.”
As he was just looking down at me, I pulled on his arm and urged him on, and only then did he open the door and go out.
But my body couldn't keep up with my impatience.
“Ugh, yes, just a moment.”
I stopped him after a few steps.
His strides were so long that it was difficult to keep up, even if I ran.
This situation was very embarrassing.
When I walked arm in arm with Andrea or Pelsus, I never matched his stride.
It wasn't that they were particularly considerate of me, but rather that the men of Arrental were accustomed to slowing down when walking with women.
But it seemed that Callius was not like that.
“I feel like I’m going to fall.”
"Sorry."
After that, Callius started to pay attention to my pace, but as we both tried to match each other's pace, we ended up creaking and misaligning.
'Is there any etiquette in Ronheim where married couples or family members walk arm in arm?'
It occurred to me belatedly that such a possibility was possible, but I decided to pretend not to notice it, as it would be strange to just ignore it now.
It was also Arrental's etiquette to avoid awkwardness by pretending not to notice the situation.
Callius would slow down so much that it seemed like I was being pulled, then he would speed up again, and it seemed like I was being dragged.
So we went up to my room, pushing and pulling each other comically.
“Yes? Why is Your Highness the Princess...”
The maids were bewildered when they saw me coming up with Callius.
I walked past them and into the room.
“Lamia!”
Lamia was lying on the floor covered in blood, but thankfully, she was still conscious and talking to Hawick.
I was shocked by the gruesome sight, and I left Callius behind, running towards her with tears in my eyes.
"What happened? Are you badly hurt? Where's the doctor? Hey! Why aren't you bringing a doctor?"
“Oh, Your Highness!”
Lamia stopped me from shouting anxiously.
“I’m okay!”
“How can you be okay when you’re losing so much blood?”
Her hands were covered in blood.
But isn't Lamia laughing while doing that?
“Oh, it’s not my blood.”
"What?"
Hawick nodded.
"This person isn't injured. We were just checking anyway."
Lamia whispered.
“I was lying down on the bed as you told me, when some guy came creeping up on me, thinking I was asleep. So I stabbed him with a knife from the bowl!”
Lamia swung the knife she had been holding threateningly.
“Swoosh! Swoosh! I made a hole in it!”
“I would appreciate it if you could give it to me now.”
Hawick quickly snatched the knife from Lamia's hand.
I opened my eyes wide.
“But you screamed?”
“Oh, I was screaming to call the knights because the guy was startled and ran away.”
I was impressed by her wit and quick wit.
How could she have thought of picking up a knife and protecting herself at that moment?
'There was a reason why she wasn't captured by the soldiers at the palace.'
Anyway, it was fortunate.
Lamia suddenly poked her head in front of me, who was relieved.
“Your Highness, you cried...?”
“Well, I was worried that something might have gone wrong because of me.”
“You cried because you were worried about me?”
Lamia's eyes widened.
I felt burdened by her gaze and turned my head away.
“If you’re worried, you might cry.”
“You must have been very worried?”
Lamia playfully nudged my ribs with her elbow.
I slapped her like that.
Even though she wasn't a well-educated maid, it was truly absurd that she would act like this towards me, a Princess.
“What are you doing, you rude person?”
In fact, most of the rude behavior of the maids who served me in the palace was ridiculous.
However, I had a harder time accepting Lamia's behavior because I was used to her rude behavior and unfamiliar with her playful or friendly behavior.
Regardless, Lamia just laughed.
The stables in the North were characterized by being connected to the kitchen to protect the horses from the cold.
Callius was led by the innkeeper through the kitchen to the stables.
There was an outside passage for horses to come and go, but the way through the kitchen was much closer and more convenient.
The innkeeper kicked out all the people working in the kitchen.
Callius headed to the corner of the stable with Hawick.
Two subordinates were torturing an intruder who had hidden in Chloe's room.
As Chloe had said, the man with the peculiarly shaped eyebrows collapsed on the hay, bleeding and groaning.
“What did you say?”
The subordinates shook their heads at Callius' question.
“He won’t open his mouth.”
"That's enough. I'll take care of it now."
The subordinates put down the clubs they were holding and fell back.
Callius approached the intruder with an indifferent expression.
“Ugh...”
The intruder glared at Callius, groaning in pain.
Callius threw something in front of the intruder's face.
“Look.”
The intruder looked down helplessly at what Callius had thrown, then opened his eyes wide.
“...!”
It was a finger that had been severed not long ago.
There was a thick ring on that finger.
It had just come into Callius's hands through some means.
“Do you know this?”
“Huh, huh...”
The intruder's eyes trembled.
He shook his head, but Callius read the momentary bewilderment on the intruder's face.
Callius concluded simply:
“It seems like your mastermind is the same as the others.”
He didn't ask who was behind it.
He just wanted to make sure that this intruder had the same background as the assassin who came after him.
As Callius, having achieved his objective, turned around and left the stable, Hawick swung his sword and cut off the intruder's lifeline.
Callius, who came upstairs with a leisurely gait, found Chloe loitering in the hallway.
She was safely protected by Callius's men.
“Your Highness, the Princess.”
"Marquis!"
“Why are you here?”
"There's something the Marquis needs to know. It's about the intruder who disappeared earlier. I meant to tell you earlier, but the Marquis disappeared while I was talking to Lamia."
Chloe stamped her feet.
“He’s a subordinate of Viscount Pelsus! How could you not know that...?”
She rolled her eyes, wondering what to say.
Callius helped her ease her burden.
“I know.”
“Yes? You know?”
“Yes. It seems that Viscount Pelsus was waiting for his subordinates nearby.”
“Did you meet him...?”
Callius noticed Chloe shaking.
'The Viscount must have been the Princess's fiancé. Did he do something to her?'
Callius's eyes darkened.
'If I had known, I wouldn't have sent it so easily and so quickly.'
He reassured Chloe.
“I didn’t meet him, but I...”
Callius thought for a moment and then continued.
“...The subordinates met in my stead.”
Callius remembered how, before he came to the inn, he had sent the snow cats to chase down the assassin he had kept alive.
'Cats are more like friends than subordinates.'
Chloe asked urgently.
“What did Viscount Pelsus say? Was he acting like a scapegoat?”
Callius smiled broadly.
“He admitted his mistake, paid the price, and then he quickly returned.”
“Really...? He just went back?”
Callius' smile deepened.
“Yes. I’m sure he’s deeply regretted it, so he won’t come back again.”
He recalled that a little while ago, he had placed dried fish in front of his bedroom window.
The dried fish disappeared in the blink of an eye, leaving behind someone's severed finger.
It was a finger with the symbol of the House of Pelsus on it.
The snow cats followed the assassin, killed his mastermind, Viscount Pelsus, and took the spoils as a reward.
“He went back to where he came from.”
A place that existed before the beginning of time.
“Riding a moving magic circle?”
He nodded calmly.
“Well... it just magically came back.”
It wasn't a lie.
“Injured?”
If anyone was injured during the time gap, it was definitely Lamia.
'She was pretending to be someone else, and then she became a target!'
Tears welled up in my eyes from the regret and worry.
Although I hadn't known Lamia for long, the pleasant conversations I had with her, her gentle care, and the gentle touch that comforted me when I was in a panic left a deep impression on me.
'I was trying to make sure you escaped safely!'
I pushed Callius away from the door, hoping she wasn't too badly hurt.
“I need to see if my maid is okay.”
But Callius was not pushed.
“There might be remnants, so it would be best to stay somewhere safe.”
“She got hurt because of me!”
“Your Highness’s safety is more important.”
“Will the Marquis turn a blind eye to the injury of one of his subordinates?”
"That."
I looked up at Callius pitifully.
Callius sighed softly.
“Then come with me.”
“Yes, I will!”
It wasn't a difficult condition at all.
I quickly put my arm around Callius's.
His arms were tall, thick, and very strong.
So I grabbed his arm with both hands.
“Let’s go!”
“Ah...? Oh, yes.”
As he was just looking down at me, I pulled on his arm and urged him on, and only then did he open the door and go out.
But my body couldn't keep up with my impatience.
“Ugh, yes, just a moment.”
I stopped him after a few steps.
His strides were so long that it was difficult to keep up, even if I ran.
This situation was very embarrassing.
When I walked arm in arm with Andrea or Pelsus, I never matched his stride.
It wasn't that they were particularly considerate of me, but rather that the men of Arrental were accustomed to slowing down when walking with women.
But it seemed that Callius was not like that.
“I feel like I’m going to fall.”
"Sorry."
After that, Callius started to pay attention to my pace, but as we both tried to match each other's pace, we ended up creaking and misaligning.
'Is there any etiquette in Ronheim where married couples or family members walk arm in arm?'
It occurred to me belatedly that such a possibility was possible, but I decided to pretend not to notice it, as it would be strange to just ignore it now.
It was also Arrental's etiquette to avoid awkwardness by pretending not to notice the situation.
Callius would slow down so much that it seemed like I was being pulled, then he would speed up again, and it seemed like I was being dragged.
So we went up to my room, pushing and pulling each other comically.
“Yes? Why is Your Highness the Princess...”
The maids were bewildered when they saw me coming up with Callius.
I walked past them and into the room.
“Lamia!”
Lamia was lying on the floor covered in blood, but thankfully, she was still conscious and talking to Hawick.
I was shocked by the gruesome sight, and I left Callius behind, running towards her with tears in my eyes.
"What happened? Are you badly hurt? Where's the doctor? Hey! Why aren't you bringing a doctor?"
“Oh, Your Highness!”
Lamia stopped me from shouting anxiously.
“I’m okay!”
“How can you be okay when you’re losing so much blood?”
Her hands were covered in blood.
But isn't Lamia laughing while doing that?
“Oh, it’s not my blood.”
"What?"
Hawick nodded.
"This person isn't injured. We were just checking anyway."
Lamia whispered.
“I was lying down on the bed as you told me, when some guy came creeping up on me, thinking I was asleep. So I stabbed him with a knife from the bowl!”
Lamia swung the knife she had been holding threateningly.
“Swoosh! Swoosh! I made a hole in it!”
“I would appreciate it if you could give it to me now.”
Hawick quickly snatched the knife from Lamia's hand.
I opened my eyes wide.
“But you screamed?”
“Oh, I was screaming to call the knights because the guy was startled and ran away.”
I was impressed by her wit and quick wit.
How could she have thought of picking up a knife and protecting herself at that moment?
'There was a reason why she wasn't captured by the soldiers at the palace.'
Anyway, it was fortunate.
Lamia suddenly poked her head in front of me, who was relieved.
“Your Highness, you cried...?”
“Well, I was worried that something might have gone wrong because of me.”
“You cried because you were worried about me?”
Lamia's eyes widened.
I felt burdened by her gaze and turned my head away.
“If you’re worried, you might cry.”
“You must have been very worried?”
Lamia playfully nudged my ribs with her elbow.
I slapped her like that.
Even though she wasn't a well-educated maid, it was truly absurd that she would act like this towards me, a Princess.
“What are you doing, you rude person?”
In fact, most of the rude behavior of the maids who served me in the palace was ridiculous.
However, I had a harder time accepting Lamia's behavior because I was used to her rude behavior and unfamiliar with her playful or friendly behavior.
Regardless, Lamia just laughed.
***
The stables in the North were characterized by being connected to the kitchen to protect the horses from the cold.
Callius was led by the innkeeper through the kitchen to the stables.
There was an outside passage for horses to come and go, but the way through the kitchen was much closer and more convenient.
The innkeeper kicked out all the people working in the kitchen.
Callius headed to the corner of the stable with Hawick.
Two subordinates were torturing an intruder who had hidden in Chloe's room.
As Chloe had said, the man with the peculiarly shaped eyebrows collapsed on the hay, bleeding and groaning.
“What did you say?”
The subordinates shook their heads at Callius' question.
“He won’t open his mouth.”
"That's enough. I'll take care of it now."
The subordinates put down the clubs they were holding and fell back.
Callius approached the intruder with an indifferent expression.
“Ugh...”
The intruder glared at Callius, groaning in pain.
Callius threw something in front of the intruder's face.
“Look.”
The intruder looked down helplessly at what Callius had thrown, then opened his eyes wide.
“...!”
It was a finger that had been severed not long ago.
There was a thick ring on that finger.
It had just come into Callius's hands through some means.
“Do you know this?”
“Huh, huh...”
The intruder's eyes trembled.
He shook his head, but Callius read the momentary bewilderment on the intruder's face.
Callius concluded simply:
“It seems like your mastermind is the same as the others.”
He didn't ask who was behind it.
He just wanted to make sure that this intruder had the same background as the assassin who came after him.
As Callius, having achieved his objective, turned around and left the stable, Hawick swung his sword and cut off the intruder's lifeline.
***
Callius, who came upstairs with a leisurely gait, found Chloe loitering in the hallway.
She was safely protected by Callius's men.
“Your Highness, the Princess.”
"Marquis!"
“Why are you here?”
"There's something the Marquis needs to know. It's about the intruder who disappeared earlier. I meant to tell you earlier, but the Marquis disappeared while I was talking to Lamia."
Chloe stamped her feet.
“He’s a subordinate of Viscount Pelsus! How could you not know that...?”
She rolled her eyes, wondering what to say.
Callius helped her ease her burden.
“I know.”
“Yes? You know?”
“Yes. It seems that Viscount Pelsus was waiting for his subordinates nearby.”
“Did you meet him...?”
Callius noticed Chloe shaking.
'The Viscount must have been the Princess's fiancé. Did he do something to her?'
Callius's eyes darkened.
'If I had known, I wouldn't have sent it so easily and so quickly.'
He reassured Chloe.
“I didn’t meet him, but I...”
Callius thought for a moment and then continued.
“...The subordinates met in my stead.”
Callius remembered how, before he came to the inn, he had sent the snow cats to chase down the assassin he had kept alive.
'Cats are more like friends than subordinates.'
Chloe asked urgently.
“What did Viscount Pelsus say? Was he acting like a scapegoat?”
Callius smiled broadly.
“He admitted his mistake, paid the price, and then he quickly returned.”
“Really...? He just went back?”
Callius' smile deepened.
“Yes. I’m sure he’s deeply regretted it, so he won’t come back again.”
He recalled that a little while ago, he had placed dried fish in front of his bedroom window.
The dried fish disappeared in the blink of an eye, leaving behind someone's severed finger.
It was a finger with the symbol of the House of Pelsus on it.
The snow cats followed the assassin, killed his mastermind, Viscount Pelsus, and took the spoils as a reward.
“He went back to where he came from.”
A place that existed before the beginning of time.
“Riding a moving magic circle?”
He nodded calmly.
“Well... it just magically came back.”
It wasn't a lie.
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