We proceeded with minimal rest.
We passed a narrow cliff path and ran for a long time through a snow-covered field.
Even though I was just riding along, holding him still, I quickly became tired.
My head hurt and I felt nauseous.
I was panting for breath, but I couldn't stand the sudden drowsiness that came over me, so I leaned against Callius' chest and dozed off.
Callius shook me awake.
“Chloe, are you out of breath?”
I looked up at him with difficulty, my eyes struggling to shake off the sleepiness.
“Yes...? Why?”
“You're having trouble breathing.”
“Did I do that?”
My breathing was ragged, and my words trailed off. Only then did I realize I was panting.
“That’s right.”
“Do you have a headache? Or do you feel nauseous?”
“A little...? I feel motion sickness again, haa, I think I’m getting it.”
At those words, Callius' expression became serious.
He suddenly stopped talking.
“I need to take a break.”
"Why?"
“You appear to be showing symptoms of altitude sickness. It’s a common symptom when you climb to high altitudes.”
“I’m okay...! I can endure it.”
I wondered what the big deal was about having a slight headache and shortness of breath.
However, Callius insisted that it was not an easy problem to solve and stopped the group.
“It seems there are people here to welcome us.”
He pointed to a nearby hill.
Someone was waving at our group.
“Your Excellency, you have returned!”
A boy with dark hair, sparkling black eyes, and a face as dark as melted chocolate shouted brightly.
The boy ran down the hill, sliding.
He held a rope tied to a black sheep in his hand. The young lamb, still young, hopped down the lawn, determined not to lose sight of the boy. It seemed clever, as it trod only on the melted snow, like a ghost.
“Bihar. Come slowly.”
Callius waved at the boy.
Then he told me the boy's identity.
"Bihar is the child of the Uttar tribe. They are nomadic. Many tribes in Ronheim live a nomadic life."
Bihar didn't listen to our instructions to come slowly and came running at full speed in front of us.
“It always seems like you’re there to greet me when I return to Ronheim, Bihar.”
The boy chattered with a proud face.
“We unpacked here this morning. Lhasa urged the chieftain that the King would return and stay here tonight!”
Callius whispered in my ear.
"The old man named Lhasa is a prophet of the Uttar tribe. He must have known we would stay here today."
Then he added, perhaps bothered by the title 'Ming' coming out of Bihar's mouth.
"Many nomads still can't accept that Ronheim has been subjugated to Arrental, so they call me King. They find it difficult to accept new things, so please understand."
Then he asked Bihar.
“Didn’t Lhasa tell you who I’m coming with?”
“The bride! I heard you’re coming with a very beautiful person!”
Bihar looked at me in Callius's arms with sparkling eyes.
“You are the one who will bring flowers and abundance to Ronheim!”
It felt strange to hear him speak of me like that. It's something he often says to newlyweds, though.
'It makes flowers bloom and brings abundance.'
Callius looked down at Bihar, who was standing below him, and spoke in a stern voice.
“This is the Princess of Arrental.”
"Yes...?"
Bihar's sparkling eyes suddenly lost their vitality.
He seemed unable to believe that the bride of Callius, whom the prophet Lhasa had praised with flowers and abundance, was the Princess of Arrental.
I could clearly see the wariness on the boy's face as he praised me.
Just by looking at the boy's expression, you could tell how much the people here hated Arrental.
It seemed that Callius had revealed his identity in front of me and the maids, hoping that Bihar would not get into trouble for making a slip of the tongue.
"You call the governor of Arrental 'King' in front of Her Highness the Princess. How impertinent. Apologize quickly."
At Callius's cold voice, Bihar's face turned pale, and he fell flat on the floor, begging for forgiveness.
"I'm sorry! I was ignorant! I didn't realize it was wrong!"
I felt bad seeing Bihar, who used to smile brightly like a spring bud, trembling with anxiety.
'I don't care what the nomads call Callius.'
But my maids, who were spies of Kavala, might find fault with it, considering it as evidence of preparations for rebellion.
Kavala seems to be looking for a plausible excuse to cut off Callius's head, so it would be better if no one got caught.
So instead of trying to stop Callius, I gently changed the subject.
“Bihar, the black sheep behind you is cute. Is it yours?”
Bihar looked up at me hesitantly, his face on the floor, his eyes only slightly raised.
Callius comforted the boy.
“Her Highness the Princess asked.”
Only then did the boy begin to explain in a flustered manner.
“Oh, this sheep is the one I was looking after, and Lord Lhasa said, “King, ah, no, uh...”
Callius gave the crying boy an appropriate title.
“Marquis Rodrian.”
“Yes! Yes, so he asked me to take ot to Marquis Rodrian, and he said you’d need a guide...”
As the boy began to ramble, Callius tried to explain it in a way that was easy to understand.
“They said it was a gift to be used as a guide.”
“A guide?”
"If you go further, you'll soon reach an ice path dotted with crevasses. Crevasse means "gap of death."
“The gap of death?”
"These are fissures formed by glaciers breaking apart. Some are so deep that you can't see the bottom, and once you fall in, you can never escape. They're usually hidden by snow, and because they're constantly forming and disappearing, even those who know the paths well fear them."
It was a creepy story.
It's already hard, but an even harder journey awaits us.
Callius, seeing my darkened expression, looked at the black sheep of Bihar as if to tell me not to worry.
"These mountain goats, raised by the Utar people, are clever and can easily find crevasses hidden beneath the snow. So, Lhasa seems to have sent them as a gift to ensure our safety."
“Thank you.”
Callius muttered to himself, barely audible.
“He always gave me an experienced old sheep as a guide, but this time he gave me a young lamb... What does that mean?”
“Huh? What did you say?”
“Oh, it’s nothing.”
He smiled slightly and said to Bihar.
"Take us to Lhasa, Bihar. We need a place to rest tonight."
Bihar glanced at me and nodded uncertainly.
Callius rode along Bihar.
The boy climbed the hill without hesitation, his thin but very strong legs.
Callius whispered to me.
“Nomads have a culture of welcoming any guest who wants to rest.”
He seemed quite proud to introduce me to his people, the Uttar tribe.
We soon reached the top of the hill.
Then, as if by magic, a beautiful turquoise lake hidden on the other side of the hill appeared.
The colors were so beautiful that it looked like a giant turquoise had filled the valley.
"Ah..."
The natural scenery I had seen so far had been breathtakingly beautiful, but the scenery I was seeing now was truly indescribably beautiful.
"This lake was formed by melting glaciers. It's a mystical place, changing color several times a day."
“The color changes?”
“Yes. Depending on the height of the sun, it can be turquoise, deep blue, or jade green.”
At this point, I felt so sorry for myself in my past life, confined to the capital.
It was certainly regrettable that I died at the hands of my trusted stepbrother, but it was also disheartening that I died without knowing about this vast and mysterious world.
People praise the luxurious and splendid palace of Arrental as the most beautiful place in the world.
However, I felt that the natural scenery of Ronheim was incomparably more beautiful than that of the Arrental Palace.
What should I say about this feeling of elation, where my heart swells like bread and tears well up in my eyes?
Excited, I hugged Callius' neck tightly, my heart so full of excitement.
"Thank you."
Those words just came out naturally.
“What do you mean?”
“Just, just everything. Everything.”
My nose felt tingly. My eyes turned red.
He won't know.
I've seen and heard far more in the few days I've followed him north than in all the decades I've lived, past and present.
What I have learned and heard through him is more than what I have learned in the palace.
During the time I spent with him, I felt as if the terrible emptiness in my heart that had never been filled before was being filled.
It was the first time I felt a sense of spiritual fulfillment.
We passed a narrow cliff path and ran for a long time through a snow-covered field.
Even though I was just riding along, holding him still, I quickly became tired.
My head hurt and I felt nauseous.
I was panting for breath, but I couldn't stand the sudden drowsiness that came over me, so I leaned against Callius' chest and dozed off.
Callius shook me awake.
“Chloe, are you out of breath?”
I looked up at him with difficulty, my eyes struggling to shake off the sleepiness.
“Yes...? Why?”
“You're having trouble breathing.”
“Did I do that?”
My breathing was ragged, and my words trailed off. Only then did I realize I was panting.
“That’s right.”
“Do you have a headache? Or do you feel nauseous?”
“A little...? I feel motion sickness again, haa, I think I’m getting it.”
At those words, Callius' expression became serious.
He suddenly stopped talking.
“I need to take a break.”
"Why?"
“You appear to be showing symptoms of altitude sickness. It’s a common symptom when you climb to high altitudes.”
“I’m okay...! I can endure it.”
I wondered what the big deal was about having a slight headache and shortness of breath.
However, Callius insisted that it was not an easy problem to solve and stopped the group.
“It seems there are people here to welcome us.”
He pointed to a nearby hill.
Someone was waving at our group.
***
“Your Excellency, you have returned!”
A boy with dark hair, sparkling black eyes, and a face as dark as melted chocolate shouted brightly.
The boy ran down the hill, sliding.
He held a rope tied to a black sheep in his hand. The young lamb, still young, hopped down the lawn, determined not to lose sight of the boy. It seemed clever, as it trod only on the melted snow, like a ghost.
“Bihar. Come slowly.”
Callius waved at the boy.
Then he told me the boy's identity.
"Bihar is the child of the Uttar tribe. They are nomadic. Many tribes in Ronheim live a nomadic life."
Bihar didn't listen to our instructions to come slowly and came running at full speed in front of us.
“It always seems like you’re there to greet me when I return to Ronheim, Bihar.”
The boy chattered with a proud face.
“We unpacked here this morning. Lhasa urged the chieftain that the King would return and stay here tonight!”
Callius whispered in my ear.
"The old man named Lhasa is a prophet of the Uttar tribe. He must have known we would stay here today."
Then he added, perhaps bothered by the title 'Ming' coming out of Bihar's mouth.
"Many nomads still can't accept that Ronheim has been subjugated to Arrental, so they call me King. They find it difficult to accept new things, so please understand."
Then he asked Bihar.
“Didn’t Lhasa tell you who I’m coming with?”
“The bride! I heard you’re coming with a very beautiful person!”
Bihar looked at me in Callius's arms with sparkling eyes.
“You are the one who will bring flowers and abundance to Ronheim!”
It felt strange to hear him speak of me like that. It's something he often says to newlyweds, though.
'It makes flowers bloom and brings abundance.'
Callius looked down at Bihar, who was standing below him, and spoke in a stern voice.
“This is the Princess of Arrental.”
"Yes...?"
Bihar's sparkling eyes suddenly lost their vitality.
He seemed unable to believe that the bride of Callius, whom the prophet Lhasa had praised with flowers and abundance, was the Princess of Arrental.
I could clearly see the wariness on the boy's face as he praised me.
Just by looking at the boy's expression, you could tell how much the people here hated Arrental.
It seemed that Callius had revealed his identity in front of me and the maids, hoping that Bihar would not get into trouble for making a slip of the tongue.
"You call the governor of Arrental 'King' in front of Her Highness the Princess. How impertinent. Apologize quickly."
At Callius's cold voice, Bihar's face turned pale, and he fell flat on the floor, begging for forgiveness.
"I'm sorry! I was ignorant! I didn't realize it was wrong!"
I felt bad seeing Bihar, who used to smile brightly like a spring bud, trembling with anxiety.
'I don't care what the nomads call Callius.'
But my maids, who were spies of Kavala, might find fault with it, considering it as evidence of preparations for rebellion.
Kavala seems to be looking for a plausible excuse to cut off Callius's head, so it would be better if no one got caught.
So instead of trying to stop Callius, I gently changed the subject.
“Bihar, the black sheep behind you is cute. Is it yours?”
Bihar looked up at me hesitantly, his face on the floor, his eyes only slightly raised.
Callius comforted the boy.
“Her Highness the Princess asked.”
Only then did the boy begin to explain in a flustered manner.
“Oh, this sheep is the one I was looking after, and Lord Lhasa said, “King, ah, no, uh...”
Callius gave the crying boy an appropriate title.
“Marquis Rodrian.”
“Yes! Yes, so he asked me to take ot to Marquis Rodrian, and he said you’d need a guide...”
As the boy began to ramble, Callius tried to explain it in a way that was easy to understand.
“They said it was a gift to be used as a guide.”
“A guide?”
"If you go further, you'll soon reach an ice path dotted with crevasses. Crevasse means "gap of death."
“The gap of death?”
"These are fissures formed by glaciers breaking apart. Some are so deep that you can't see the bottom, and once you fall in, you can never escape. They're usually hidden by snow, and because they're constantly forming and disappearing, even those who know the paths well fear them."
It was a creepy story.
It's already hard, but an even harder journey awaits us.
Callius, seeing my darkened expression, looked at the black sheep of Bihar as if to tell me not to worry.
"These mountain goats, raised by the Utar people, are clever and can easily find crevasses hidden beneath the snow. So, Lhasa seems to have sent them as a gift to ensure our safety."
“Thank you.”
Callius muttered to himself, barely audible.
“He always gave me an experienced old sheep as a guide, but this time he gave me a young lamb... What does that mean?”
“Huh? What did you say?”
“Oh, it’s nothing.”
He smiled slightly and said to Bihar.
"Take us to Lhasa, Bihar. We need a place to rest tonight."
Bihar glanced at me and nodded uncertainly.
Callius rode along Bihar.
The boy climbed the hill without hesitation, his thin but very strong legs.
Callius whispered to me.
“Nomads have a culture of welcoming any guest who wants to rest.”
He seemed quite proud to introduce me to his people, the Uttar tribe.
We soon reached the top of the hill.
Then, as if by magic, a beautiful turquoise lake hidden on the other side of the hill appeared.
The colors were so beautiful that it looked like a giant turquoise had filled the valley.
"Ah..."
The natural scenery I had seen so far had been breathtakingly beautiful, but the scenery I was seeing now was truly indescribably beautiful.
"This lake was formed by melting glaciers. It's a mystical place, changing color several times a day."
“The color changes?”
“Yes. Depending on the height of the sun, it can be turquoise, deep blue, or jade green.”
At this point, I felt so sorry for myself in my past life, confined to the capital.
It was certainly regrettable that I died at the hands of my trusted stepbrother, but it was also disheartening that I died without knowing about this vast and mysterious world.
People praise the luxurious and splendid palace of Arrental as the most beautiful place in the world.
However, I felt that the natural scenery of Ronheim was incomparably more beautiful than that of the Arrental Palace.
What should I say about this feeling of elation, where my heart swells like bread and tears well up in my eyes?
Excited, I hugged Callius' neck tightly, my heart so full of excitement.
"Thank you."
Those words just came out naturally.
“What do you mean?”
“Just, just everything. Everything.”
My nose felt tingly. My eyes turned red.
He won't know.
I've seen and heard far more in the few days I've followed him north than in all the decades I've lived, past and present.
What I have learned and heard through him is more than what I have learned in the palace.
During the time I spent with him, I felt as if the terrible emptiness in my heart that had never been filled before was being filled.
It was the first time I felt a sense of spiritual fulfillment.
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