Kavala was sitting in her office, looking over the list of girls selected as new scholarship recipients for the National Academy.
A translucent red bird appeared in front of her.
The red bird circled around Kavala's head and landed on her finger, but upon closer inspection, it was not a bird, but a ball of light shaped like a bird.
Kavala tilted her head as if he found it strange.
“It’s still too early to arrive in Ronheim.”
She cleared the papers on her desk, made some space, and blew her breath toward the mass of light.
Then, the new shape scattered like dust and created shining letters on Kavala's desk.
We were attacked by an unknown assailant in Abene. Their identity was unknown. The Princess used the imperial knights' failure to repel the attack as an excuse to punish them and force them to abandon their mission. We are now departing for Ronheim. We will carry out our mission immediately upon arrival.
It was a brief report without any personal opinions.
It was sent by the Kavala Watcher who had accompanied Chloe.
The glowing letters dispersed into the air and vanished without a trace as Kavala breathed a second time.
“A stranger?”
Kavala frowned.
“Chloe used that as an excuse to make the knights fall behind...?”
Who, for what purpose, attacked Chloe and her group and caused disruption to my work?
She didn't like it.
And it was also absurd that Chloe punished the knights.
Kavala did not believe that such a weak and frustrated child would have done such a thing on her own.
'Is this the work of the Marquis of Rodrian?'
It was clear that the dark-hearted man had been manipulating Chloe.
Kavala clicked her tongue with a displeased expression.
“What a stuffy woman.”
She sent her there to keep an eye on Callius to make sure he wasn't up to any suspicious activity, but she was just foolishly acting like the man's puppet.
Kavala sighed in annoyance, guessing that Chloe had foolishly followed Callius's instructions and dismissed the royal knights.
As she was pressing her temples, someone knocked on the door.
“It’s Dnieper, Sister.”
“Come in.”
A rough-looking Dnieper, who looked like he could be deployed into battle at any moment, entered with a familiar gait.
Kavala asked, leaning back in his chair.
“What about the holy relic? Did you find it?”
For Kavala, the problem of recovering the lost relic was more urgent and important than what Chloe was doing now.
Dnieper shook his head.
"Sorry."
Kavala's eyes became sharp.
Dnieper reported with his gaze down.
"It seems like it was lost outside the palace. We should probably look for it, considering the possibility that the gypsy woman stole it and ran away."
"Ha."
Kavala sighed deeply and leaned her head back on the chair.
“Search the auction houses and the black market.”
If a thief steals treasure, she will try to cash it out as quickly as possible.
Since it was not an item obtained through normal channels, the relic was likely to be secretly traded on the black market.
Kavala tried to suppress her anger and spoke in an elegant voice.
"If it leaks into someone's warehouse, it won't be easy to find. We have to find it before that happens."
"Yes."
“The answer is.”
Kavala sighed softly and looked at Dnieper with narrowed eyes. Hee gaze was still sharp.
“Don’t disappoint me anymore, Dnieper.”
She rose with smooth, flowing movements and approached Dnieper.
Her delicate hands gently stroked Dnieper's cheek, which was covered with small scars.
“I must try not to regret finding you again when you were a fugitive.”
Her soft, low voice tickled Dnieper's ears.
Dnieper swallowed dryly and nodded.
“Yes, Sister.”
Kavala passed Dnieper with a small smile.
"I'm tired. It's been a very tiring day. I need to cheer myself up a bit."
Dnieper knew what that meant.
“I have prepared a new woman for you at your residence.”
Kavala smiled as if she was satisfied with the answer and leisurely left the office.
Morning came sooner in the north than in the south.
The strong wind and snowstorm that had been shaking the blinds and disturbing my sleep all morning had disappeared as if it had never happened, and the sky at dawn was clear.
Even before dawn, Abene Street was bustling with people as if it were broad daylight.
When I came out, tightly wrapped in the clothes Lamia had given me, unable to even open my eyes, all the snow on the road had already been cleared away.
'They are hard-working people.'
In the South, people do not wake up early in the morning because of the developed social culture of banquets and parties that last late into the night.
So I was looking at the many people moving around under the still dark sky, and I was confused as to whether it was dawn or evening.
'Ugh, it's cold.'
As I left the room, the cold air blew sharply across my face, making me shiver.
Every time I breathed, white vapor flew out.
As I was looking around, eager to get on the carriage, my eyes met with Callius's, who was checking the horse's saddle.
"Good morning."
“Yes, Marquis. Did you have a comfortable night?”
We exchanged light greetings.
He had been with me the whole time I was leaving the palace, and now he felt a little familiar.
I smiled back at him, who was smiling brightly.
'I think he's a person who smiles more than I thought.'
When I first met him, I thought he was a tough and scary person because of his expressionless face and sharp eyes, but the more I got to know him, the more I realized he wasn't.
It was even worse after I came to the North.
He even joked with his subordinates and laughed out loud.
I was staring at him intently when he caught me.
“Why do you look at me like that?”
“Oh, no.”
“Are you surprised by me? That’s the look on your face.”
I was startled and apologized.
"Is that so? Excuse me. I didn't mean anything by it, I just thought you looked a lot like someone I know..."
"Someone you know?"
“Yes, my friend.”
One of Callius' eyebrows rose slightly.
“Are you talking about that most precious friend you mentioned last time?”
I remembered the story I had casually told him about Karl in the carriage and felt a pang of regret.
“Ah, what...”
I tried to brush it off, but Callius kept nagging me.
"It's fascinating that Your Highness's friend resembles me. I look quite different from Southerners. Where is your friend from?"
That was something I was curious about, too.
“Well, I haven’t asked him specifically.”
"Yes."
Callius tilted his head slightly.
It seemed strange that I said he was a dear friend, and yet I didn't even know where he was from.
'I need to reflect on my indifference.'
I don't even know the origins of a friend I've known for decades, including my past life.
It's strange even to me, so how strange would it be to Callius?
Callius didn't stop there, asking more about Karl.
"Who is that friend? If you don't mind, I'd like to hear more details."
I couldn't tell him straight up about Karl, so I deliberately changed the subject.
“It’s cold. Where’s the carriage? I want to get on it.”
It wasn't just empty talk.
Yesterday, when I got off the carriage for a moment, the nyak leather jacket blocked the wind, so it was bearable, but standing outside like this, exposed to the cold air, the nyak leather jacket was of no use.
My body temperature dropped by the minute. I was shivering.
Fortunately, Callius didn't persist any longer.
But he brought out a shocking story.
“You can’t take a carriage from here on out.”
“Yes? Then...?”
“You have to go by horseback.”
“Yes? But I don’t know how to ride a horse.”
Unlike me, who was greatly embarrassed, Callius was not that embarrassed.
He nodded as if he knew it would happen and said it was okay.
“Your Highness, please ride with me.”
“Ha, together?”
I imagined myself sitting in front of Callius.
'It's too close, but it's okay! I can do that much!'
I clenched my fist and steeled my resolve.
“Yes, please.”
“Yes, then.”
I took Callius's outstretched hand and tried to climb onto the horse.
But instead of putting me on the horse, he lifted me up and hugged me, then gave a strange order to his subordinate.
“Tie it up tightly.”
'Huh? Tie it up?'
While I was panicking, Callius's knight approached us with a large cloth.
Then, he suddenly came out and tied up Callius' body so tightly that it became one lump.
'What...?'
A translucent red bird appeared in front of her.
The red bird circled around Kavala's head and landed on her finger, but upon closer inspection, it was not a bird, but a ball of light shaped like a bird.
Kavala tilted her head as if he found it strange.
“It’s still too early to arrive in Ronheim.”
She cleared the papers on her desk, made some space, and blew her breath toward the mass of light.
Then, the new shape scattered like dust and created shining letters on Kavala's desk.
We were attacked by an unknown assailant in Abene. Their identity was unknown. The Princess used the imperial knights' failure to repel the attack as an excuse to punish them and force them to abandon their mission. We are now departing for Ronheim. We will carry out our mission immediately upon arrival.
It was a brief report without any personal opinions.
It was sent by the Kavala Watcher who had accompanied Chloe.
The glowing letters dispersed into the air and vanished without a trace as Kavala breathed a second time.
“A stranger?”
Kavala frowned.
“Chloe used that as an excuse to make the knights fall behind...?”
Who, for what purpose, attacked Chloe and her group and caused disruption to my work?
She didn't like it.
And it was also absurd that Chloe punished the knights.
Kavala did not believe that such a weak and frustrated child would have done such a thing on her own.
'Is this the work of the Marquis of Rodrian?'
It was clear that the dark-hearted man had been manipulating Chloe.
Kavala clicked her tongue with a displeased expression.
“What a stuffy woman.”
She sent her there to keep an eye on Callius to make sure he wasn't up to any suspicious activity, but she was just foolishly acting like the man's puppet.
Kavala sighed in annoyance, guessing that Chloe had foolishly followed Callius's instructions and dismissed the royal knights.
As she was pressing her temples, someone knocked on the door.
“It’s Dnieper, Sister.”
“Come in.”
A rough-looking Dnieper, who looked like he could be deployed into battle at any moment, entered with a familiar gait.
Kavala asked, leaning back in his chair.
“What about the holy relic? Did you find it?”
For Kavala, the problem of recovering the lost relic was more urgent and important than what Chloe was doing now.
Dnieper shook his head.
"Sorry."
Kavala's eyes became sharp.
Dnieper reported with his gaze down.
"It seems like it was lost outside the palace. We should probably look for it, considering the possibility that the gypsy woman stole it and ran away."
"Ha."
Kavala sighed deeply and leaned her head back on the chair.
“Search the auction houses and the black market.”
If a thief steals treasure, she will try to cash it out as quickly as possible.
Since it was not an item obtained through normal channels, the relic was likely to be secretly traded on the black market.
Kavala tried to suppress her anger and spoke in an elegant voice.
"If it leaks into someone's warehouse, it won't be easy to find. We have to find it before that happens."
"Yes."
“The answer is.”
Kavala sighed softly and looked at Dnieper with narrowed eyes. Hee gaze was still sharp.
“Don’t disappoint me anymore, Dnieper.”
She rose with smooth, flowing movements and approached Dnieper.
Her delicate hands gently stroked Dnieper's cheek, which was covered with small scars.
“I must try not to regret finding you again when you were a fugitive.”
Her soft, low voice tickled Dnieper's ears.
Dnieper swallowed dryly and nodded.
“Yes, Sister.”
Kavala passed Dnieper with a small smile.
"I'm tired. It's been a very tiring day. I need to cheer myself up a bit."
Dnieper knew what that meant.
“I have prepared a new woman for you at your residence.”
Kavala smiled as if she was satisfied with the answer and leisurely left the office.
***
Morning came sooner in the north than in the south.
The strong wind and snowstorm that had been shaking the blinds and disturbing my sleep all morning had disappeared as if it had never happened, and the sky at dawn was clear.
Even before dawn, Abene Street was bustling with people as if it were broad daylight.
When I came out, tightly wrapped in the clothes Lamia had given me, unable to even open my eyes, all the snow on the road had already been cleared away.
'They are hard-working people.'
In the South, people do not wake up early in the morning because of the developed social culture of banquets and parties that last late into the night.
So I was looking at the many people moving around under the still dark sky, and I was confused as to whether it was dawn or evening.
'Ugh, it's cold.'
As I left the room, the cold air blew sharply across my face, making me shiver.
Every time I breathed, white vapor flew out.
As I was looking around, eager to get on the carriage, my eyes met with Callius's, who was checking the horse's saddle.
"Good morning."
“Yes, Marquis. Did you have a comfortable night?”
We exchanged light greetings.
He had been with me the whole time I was leaving the palace, and now he felt a little familiar.
I smiled back at him, who was smiling brightly.
'I think he's a person who smiles more than I thought.'
When I first met him, I thought he was a tough and scary person because of his expressionless face and sharp eyes, but the more I got to know him, the more I realized he wasn't.
It was even worse after I came to the North.
He even joked with his subordinates and laughed out loud.
I was staring at him intently when he caught me.
“Why do you look at me like that?”
“Oh, no.”
“Are you surprised by me? That’s the look on your face.”
I was startled and apologized.
"Is that so? Excuse me. I didn't mean anything by it, I just thought you looked a lot like someone I know..."
"Someone you know?"
“Yes, my friend.”
One of Callius' eyebrows rose slightly.
“Are you talking about that most precious friend you mentioned last time?”
I remembered the story I had casually told him about Karl in the carriage and felt a pang of regret.
“Ah, what...”
I tried to brush it off, but Callius kept nagging me.
"It's fascinating that Your Highness's friend resembles me. I look quite different from Southerners. Where is your friend from?"
That was something I was curious about, too.
“Well, I haven’t asked him specifically.”
"Yes."
Callius tilted his head slightly.
It seemed strange that I said he was a dear friend, and yet I didn't even know where he was from.
'I need to reflect on my indifference.'
I don't even know the origins of a friend I've known for decades, including my past life.
It's strange even to me, so how strange would it be to Callius?
Callius didn't stop there, asking more about Karl.
"Who is that friend? If you don't mind, I'd like to hear more details."
I couldn't tell him straight up about Karl, so I deliberately changed the subject.
“It’s cold. Where’s the carriage? I want to get on it.”
It wasn't just empty talk.
Yesterday, when I got off the carriage for a moment, the nyak leather jacket blocked the wind, so it was bearable, but standing outside like this, exposed to the cold air, the nyak leather jacket was of no use.
My body temperature dropped by the minute. I was shivering.
Fortunately, Callius didn't persist any longer.
But he brought out a shocking story.
“You can’t take a carriage from here on out.”
“Yes? Then...?”
“You have to go by horseback.”
“Yes? But I don’t know how to ride a horse.”
Unlike me, who was greatly embarrassed, Callius was not that embarrassed.
He nodded as if he knew it would happen and said it was okay.
“Your Highness, please ride with me.”
“Ha, together?”
I imagined myself sitting in front of Callius.
'It's too close, but it's okay! I can do that much!'
I clenched my fist and steeled my resolve.
“Yes, please.”
“Yes, then.”
I took Callius's outstretched hand and tried to climb onto the horse.
But instead of putting me on the horse, he lifted me up and hugged me, then gave a strange order to his subordinate.
“Tie it up tightly.”
'Huh? Tie it up?'
While I was panicking, Callius's knight approached us with a large cloth.
Then, he suddenly came out and tied up Callius' body so tightly that it became one lump.
'What...?'
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