(85) The trigger was pulled (1)
It was met with fierce opposition.
When Ariana said she would go to the North, Russell said he had nothing more to say.
“No.”
Geor raised his eyebrows as if to say, "Look at this." Ariana clasped her hands together and spoke.
“Father, it is a great help to the Northern Lord...”
"No."
"But..."
"The North is so cold. They'll be leaving in a few days, and if you take a carriage, it'll take almost three weeks. By then, it'll be so cold that even a coat alone won't be enough."
“I can go by horseback.”
"That won't do. There might be dangers on the way to the North, and I can't expose you to the enemy."
“I learned swordsmanship from the little Lord, Father.”
“Can you compete with me and win?”
Ariana pursed her lips.
How can I defeat the world's greatest feudal lord with only a few months of swordsmanship?
Russell hesitated for a moment at the sight of his daughter, who seemed to have lost her temper, before speaking.
"Ariana. You haven't been in the East for long. Your body is still weak, so it'll be difficult to endure the cold of the North."
"Isaac is coming with me, so I won't get sick. Besides, I've received a great deal of help from the Northern Lord, and I'd like to thank him. If I've received help, wouldn't it be right to pay my respects in person?"
"I will uphold that duty. Since he helped my daughter, it is only natural that I repay the favor."
“I can pay him back, Father.”
“Don’t worry about it. I’ll take care of it. Just go.”
Russell's voice was gentle, yet firm enough to leave no room for intrusion. Ariana stood there for a moment, then turned to Geor.
Geor chuckled and whispered in Ariana's ear.
“If you admit you lost the bet, I might be able to help you.”
“...I admit it.”
“A handful of hair?”
“I’ll give you two handfuls.”
Geor straightened his back again and spoke to Russell.
“Father, have you heard that the antlers of the white deer occasionally seen on Mount Graten in the North are good for your health?”
Russell's eyes fluttered.
“Wouldn’t the Northern Lord catch a white deer for the Princess?”
“...I have already received so much grace, so I cannot just keep receiving more.”
"The Princess won't go empty-handed, will she? We can load a wagon with specialty products that are hard to find in the North and send them. A while ago, we received a shipment of fine silk from the city of South Bank down there. I'll send them a box of that too."
Listening to Geor's words, Russell stared at Ariana.
Ariana stood with her hands clasped in front of her, looking fresh and new.
As the days spent in the East grew longer, Ariana became more and more beautiful. Her once emaciated, bony body gained some weight, and her once gaunt cheeks became plump.
Thanks to learning swordsmanship from Geor every morning and building up basic physical strength, she had become much healthier, but in Russell's eyes, she still looked so fragile that she looked like she would shatter if he touched her.
The longer they were apart, the more intense the affection. Now that Ariana was White, not Bronte, he was anxious that she might fly away, that he might lose her if he wasn't careful.
Russel vividly remembers the day when his little child, whom he was so afraid of breaking that he was even careful to hold, was taken away by Rachel without him even being able to hold her again.
He was afraid that if he sent Ariana away, they wouldn't be able to meet again like that time.
"Father, the Princess will return after about a month of rest. Including the time it takes to get there and back, she'll be back in a generous three months."
“Three months! This is not going to work.”
“Oh my... You’re going to such lengths to interfere with what the Princess wants to do. I should pray to God that my father won’t be hated by the Princess.”
When the idea that Ariana might hate him came up, Russell flinched and studied Ariana's expression.
Ariana wasn't particularly upset by Russell's objections, but she pretended to be angry, pursed her lips, and looked away.
But he was still curious.
"Why did I go to all this trouble to go to the North? Isaac would understand if I said I couldn't overcome my father's opposition."
Russell, who mistook Ariana's expression of worry for genuine anger, was at a loss and barely managed to open his mouth.
"Yes, then... try to get back as quickly as possible. Understood? I'll assign several knights to escort you, so don't go anywhere dangerous. If anything happens, send a telegram immediately, and take Lanster with you wherever you go. And since riding a horse is dangerous, take a carriage wherever you go. If you must ride a horse..."
Russell's nagging continued for a long time after that.
Geor shrugged his shoulders in disbelief, but Ariana gladly listened to her father's nagging.
Until now, all the nagging Ariana had heard from Rachel had started with, "You're like that," and ended with, "You're useless." This was the first time she'd heard such nagging, and it was so worrying.
Ariana was delighted that a normal child could hear the normal nagging from normal parents.
With Ariana's trip to the North decided, Geor put one of his worries aside.
'If the Princess goes to the North, even Duke Obelius won't be able to do anything about it.'
Duke Obelius had been quiet so far, but it was unclear what his next move would be. It was hard to bear the trembling he felt every time he saw Ariana, and worrying about her safety was a headache. Ariana's trip to the North was a breath of fresh air.
Geor asked as he walked down the hallway with Ariana.
“Princess, have you thought about who you will take to the North?”
"Yes. Sini, Catherine, and Lanster will go together. The rest can be decided by the little Lord."
“Yes, then keep the Princess’s trip to the North a secret from everyone else.”
“Is there a reason?”
“A carriage carrying the Princess of the North. And a wagon laden with valuable local specialties.”
“We have to watch out for thieves.”
"Any thieves would be dealt with by the knights, but just in case. It's hunting season, so we can just bury them there. Let's prepare quietly and leave quietly."
"Yes, I will. Thank you for your help, little lord."
“Then you should give it to me now.”
Geor held out his hand. Ariana looked up at him as if to ask what he meant.
"The bet."
“Ah. Is that really... what you asked for?”
“I don’t lie.”
“But what are you going to do with my hair?”
“I guess I can use it anywhere.”
Ariana frowned.
“Is there a place where you can use my hair?”
“Yes. Even if there isn’t, a promise is a promise.”
“The little lord is really...”
“Isn’t it amazing?”
“...”
Ariana sighed softly.
She had no idea what Geor was thinking.
But a promise is a promise, so there's nothing she can do.
Ariana took out the dagger she always carried, grabbed a handful of her hair, and cut off the end with a wicked slash.
Geor said in surprise at Ariana's unstoppable touch.
“No, I don’t need that much.”
“I am a kind-hearted person, little lord.”
Ariana handed Geor a handful of her hair. Instead of accepting the cut strands, Geor reached out to touch Ariana's shorter hair.
His long fingers lightly brushed the tips of her sky-blue hair.
“What a shame. I’ll gladly accept the hair.”
“You won a bet, so there’s no need to feel grateful. Yes.”
Ariana handed the hair to Geor and turned around as if she had no regrets and walked down the hallway.
Geor watched her back as she walked like a butterfly, her skirt barely moving. Even though half of her hair was a mess, swaying gently, it was beautiful enough to make you want to grab it.
Only after her figure had completely disappeared did Geor look down at the hair he was holding in his hand.
Soft hair that sparkles like the sky.
Suddenly, he thought to himself that he was crazy.
'Did you turn around because you had a lot on your mind?'
Geor grabbed his hair tightly and put it in his pocket.
'I think I need the antlers of a white deer.'
The confusion started from a small thing.
Those who caused it may not have even known that they were pulling the trigger of the chaos.
Cyrus, driven by Marquis Hymel Brown's betrayal, singled out and purged those involved. Marquis Brown tried to leave no trace, but it was the Black Knights' job to uncover any traces.
Among the traitors who were singled out one by one, there were some he had guessed and some he hadn't.
They pleaded, begged, cursed, raged, and pleaded again, begging for their lives, but the cold eyes of the Northern Lord who executed them never lost their light for even a moment.
After months of harsh purges, when Cyrus was finally able to catch his breath, someone came to see him.
Cyrus stared at the man sitting in front of him in bewilderment.
“So... you ran away to the North with your lover, Chloe Spencer?”
“Yes, Northern Lord. Northern Lord, please help me.”
“Oh, my... Crown Prince, I don't have the strength to stand against His Majesty the Emperor. You know that very well.”
Cyrus said, hiding his annoyance.
Crown Prince David Blenwit was 22 years old this year and should have had a Crown Princess by his side, but he was putting off looking at numerous candidates for the position.
It was because of his lover, Chloe Spencer.
The Count of Spencer was a local nobleman, not a family of great power. Hoping to get some of the palace's favor, he sent his daughter to the palace as a maid and struck gold. The Crown Prince fell head over heels in love with Chloe.
However, there was no way the Emperor would allow a daughter from a rural noble family to become Crown Princess.
Crown Prince David had been in a public relationship with Chloe since he was 16 until he turned 22.
"Please help me, Northern Feudal Lord. The Emperor has begun to pressure me, saying he can no longer stand by and watch. If I return to the empire like this, I'll have to choose a Crown Princess within this year, and we'll have to get married within the next year."
“You can do it, Crown Prince.”
“How can that be! There’s only one woman I care about.”
Cyrus was dumbfounded.
Born the son of an Emperor, yet dreaming of marrying only for love until this age.
They say that love makes you a fool, and Crown Prince David was exactly like that.
It was annoying and gave him a headache when the Crown Prince came asking for help, talking about love, when he already had so many things to think about.
“Northern feudal lord, isn’t our relationship deep?”
“...It’s deep.”
"Let me ask you a favor. I'm not asking you to fight the Emperor. I don't even dream of becoming Emperor. I just need Chloe by my side."
Cyrus barely managed to suppress his laughter.
It was met with fierce opposition.
When Ariana said she would go to the North, Russell said he had nothing more to say.
“No.”
Geor raised his eyebrows as if to say, "Look at this." Ariana clasped her hands together and spoke.
“Father, it is a great help to the Northern Lord...”
"No."
"But..."
"The North is so cold. They'll be leaving in a few days, and if you take a carriage, it'll take almost three weeks. By then, it'll be so cold that even a coat alone won't be enough."
“I can go by horseback.”
"That won't do. There might be dangers on the way to the North, and I can't expose you to the enemy."
“I learned swordsmanship from the little Lord, Father.”
“Can you compete with me and win?”
Ariana pursed her lips.
How can I defeat the world's greatest feudal lord with only a few months of swordsmanship?
Russell hesitated for a moment at the sight of his daughter, who seemed to have lost her temper, before speaking.
"Ariana. You haven't been in the East for long. Your body is still weak, so it'll be difficult to endure the cold of the North."
"Isaac is coming with me, so I won't get sick. Besides, I've received a great deal of help from the Northern Lord, and I'd like to thank him. If I've received help, wouldn't it be right to pay my respects in person?"
"I will uphold that duty. Since he helped my daughter, it is only natural that I repay the favor."
“I can pay him back, Father.”
“Don’t worry about it. I’ll take care of it. Just go.”
Russell's voice was gentle, yet firm enough to leave no room for intrusion. Ariana stood there for a moment, then turned to Geor.
Geor chuckled and whispered in Ariana's ear.
“If you admit you lost the bet, I might be able to help you.”
“...I admit it.”
“A handful of hair?”
“I’ll give you two handfuls.”
Geor straightened his back again and spoke to Russell.
“Father, have you heard that the antlers of the white deer occasionally seen on Mount Graten in the North are good for your health?”
Russell's eyes fluttered.
“Wouldn’t the Northern Lord catch a white deer for the Princess?”
“...I have already received so much grace, so I cannot just keep receiving more.”
"The Princess won't go empty-handed, will she? We can load a wagon with specialty products that are hard to find in the North and send them. A while ago, we received a shipment of fine silk from the city of South Bank down there. I'll send them a box of that too."
Listening to Geor's words, Russell stared at Ariana.
Ariana stood with her hands clasped in front of her, looking fresh and new.
As the days spent in the East grew longer, Ariana became more and more beautiful. Her once emaciated, bony body gained some weight, and her once gaunt cheeks became plump.
Thanks to learning swordsmanship from Geor every morning and building up basic physical strength, she had become much healthier, but in Russell's eyes, she still looked so fragile that she looked like she would shatter if he touched her.
The longer they were apart, the more intense the affection. Now that Ariana was White, not Bronte, he was anxious that she might fly away, that he might lose her if he wasn't careful.
Russel vividly remembers the day when his little child, whom he was so afraid of breaking that he was even careful to hold, was taken away by Rachel without him even being able to hold her again.
He was afraid that if he sent Ariana away, they wouldn't be able to meet again like that time.
"Father, the Princess will return after about a month of rest. Including the time it takes to get there and back, she'll be back in a generous three months."
“Three months! This is not going to work.”
“Oh my... You’re going to such lengths to interfere with what the Princess wants to do. I should pray to God that my father won’t be hated by the Princess.”
When the idea that Ariana might hate him came up, Russell flinched and studied Ariana's expression.
Ariana wasn't particularly upset by Russell's objections, but she pretended to be angry, pursed her lips, and looked away.
But he was still curious.
"Why did I go to all this trouble to go to the North? Isaac would understand if I said I couldn't overcome my father's opposition."
Russell, who mistook Ariana's expression of worry for genuine anger, was at a loss and barely managed to open his mouth.
"Yes, then... try to get back as quickly as possible. Understood? I'll assign several knights to escort you, so don't go anywhere dangerous. If anything happens, send a telegram immediately, and take Lanster with you wherever you go. And since riding a horse is dangerous, take a carriage wherever you go. If you must ride a horse..."
Russell's nagging continued for a long time after that.
Geor shrugged his shoulders in disbelief, but Ariana gladly listened to her father's nagging.
Until now, all the nagging Ariana had heard from Rachel had started with, "You're like that," and ended with, "You're useless." This was the first time she'd heard such nagging, and it was so worrying.
Ariana was delighted that a normal child could hear the normal nagging from normal parents.
***
With Ariana's trip to the North decided, Geor put one of his worries aside.
'If the Princess goes to the North, even Duke Obelius won't be able to do anything about it.'
Duke Obelius had been quiet so far, but it was unclear what his next move would be. It was hard to bear the trembling he felt every time he saw Ariana, and worrying about her safety was a headache. Ariana's trip to the North was a breath of fresh air.
Geor asked as he walked down the hallway with Ariana.
“Princess, have you thought about who you will take to the North?”
"Yes. Sini, Catherine, and Lanster will go together. The rest can be decided by the little Lord."
“Yes, then keep the Princess’s trip to the North a secret from everyone else.”
“Is there a reason?”
“A carriage carrying the Princess of the North. And a wagon laden with valuable local specialties.”
“We have to watch out for thieves.”
"Any thieves would be dealt with by the knights, but just in case. It's hunting season, so we can just bury them there. Let's prepare quietly and leave quietly."
"Yes, I will. Thank you for your help, little lord."
“Then you should give it to me now.”
Geor held out his hand. Ariana looked up at him as if to ask what he meant.
"The bet."
“Ah. Is that really... what you asked for?”
“I don’t lie.”
“But what are you going to do with my hair?”
“I guess I can use it anywhere.”
Ariana frowned.
“Is there a place where you can use my hair?”
“Yes. Even if there isn’t, a promise is a promise.”
“The little lord is really...”
“Isn’t it amazing?”
“...”
Ariana sighed softly.
She had no idea what Geor was thinking.
But a promise is a promise, so there's nothing she can do.
Ariana took out the dagger she always carried, grabbed a handful of her hair, and cut off the end with a wicked slash.
Geor said in surprise at Ariana's unstoppable touch.
“No, I don’t need that much.”
“I am a kind-hearted person, little lord.”
Ariana handed Geor a handful of her hair. Instead of accepting the cut strands, Geor reached out to touch Ariana's shorter hair.
His long fingers lightly brushed the tips of her sky-blue hair.
“What a shame. I’ll gladly accept the hair.”
“You won a bet, so there’s no need to feel grateful. Yes.”
Ariana handed the hair to Geor and turned around as if she had no regrets and walked down the hallway.
Geor watched her back as she walked like a butterfly, her skirt barely moving. Even though half of her hair was a mess, swaying gently, it was beautiful enough to make you want to grab it.
Only after her figure had completely disappeared did Geor look down at the hair he was holding in his hand.
Soft hair that sparkles like the sky.
Suddenly, he thought to himself that he was crazy.
'Did you turn around because you had a lot on your mind?'
Geor grabbed his hair tightly and put it in his pocket.
'I think I need the antlers of a white deer.'
***
The confusion started from a small thing.
Those who caused it may not have even known that they were pulling the trigger of the chaos.
Cyrus, driven by Marquis Hymel Brown's betrayal, singled out and purged those involved. Marquis Brown tried to leave no trace, but it was the Black Knights' job to uncover any traces.
Among the traitors who were singled out one by one, there were some he had guessed and some he hadn't.
They pleaded, begged, cursed, raged, and pleaded again, begging for their lives, but the cold eyes of the Northern Lord who executed them never lost their light for even a moment.
After months of harsh purges, when Cyrus was finally able to catch his breath, someone came to see him.
Cyrus stared at the man sitting in front of him in bewilderment.
“So... you ran away to the North with your lover, Chloe Spencer?”
“Yes, Northern Lord. Northern Lord, please help me.”
“Oh, my... Crown Prince, I don't have the strength to stand against His Majesty the Emperor. You know that very well.”
Cyrus said, hiding his annoyance.
Crown Prince David Blenwit was 22 years old this year and should have had a Crown Princess by his side, but he was putting off looking at numerous candidates for the position.
It was because of his lover, Chloe Spencer.
The Count of Spencer was a local nobleman, not a family of great power. Hoping to get some of the palace's favor, he sent his daughter to the palace as a maid and struck gold. The Crown Prince fell head over heels in love with Chloe.
However, there was no way the Emperor would allow a daughter from a rural noble family to become Crown Princess.
Crown Prince David had been in a public relationship with Chloe since he was 16 until he turned 22.
"Please help me, Northern Feudal Lord. The Emperor has begun to pressure me, saying he can no longer stand by and watch. If I return to the empire like this, I'll have to choose a Crown Princess within this year, and we'll have to get married within the next year."
“You can do it, Crown Prince.”
“How can that be! There’s only one woman I care about.”
Cyrus was dumbfounded.
Born the son of an Emperor, yet dreaming of marrying only for love until this age.
They say that love makes you a fool, and Crown Prince David was exactly like that.
It was annoying and gave him a headache when the Crown Prince came asking for help, talking about love, when he already had so many things to think about.
“Northern feudal lord, isn’t our relationship deep?”
“...It’s deep.”
"Let me ask you a favor. I'm not asking you to fight the Emperor. I don't even dream of becoming Emperor. I just need Chloe by my side."
Cyrus barely managed to suppress his laughter.
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