(96) Reason for coming to the North (1)
“The eyes of the Northern Feudal Lords cannot be fooled.”
"I heard a rumor about a child being taken in from a slave market. There's a lot of praise for the Princess who took in an abandoned child from a small tribe in the southeast."
“My father helped me.”
"If it's discovered that the Princess has conspired with the Eastern Lord to deceive the people, and even if it's revealed that the target is Paganus, it will be dangerous in many ways. Is it worth risking all that?"
“I have it.”
“I see.”
Cyrus stopped talking and fell silent. Ariana, observing Cyrus' expression, asked.
“Would it be okay if I kept Shini by my side while I was staying at Maho Castle?”
"If the Princess decided to keep her by your side, you would have prepared a plan to deal with any problems that might arise. I don't care."
Cyrus couldn't figure out what she was saying.
There were good Pagans in the world, but to Cyrus, Pagans were a people whose bones he could grind down and drink without feeling any relief. Any Pagans who had sneaked into the northern lands were killed without reason.
But Paganus entered Maho Castle.
But Ariana cared enough for Shini to ask Isaac for treatment. Knowing Ariana's situation, where she had nowhere to turn, Cyrus understood why she had taken Shini in.
It's probably just a rag.
A rag that appears before your eyes when you are drowning in water and have nothing to hold on to.
If that rag mutated and tried to burn down the castle, he could deal with it then. There was no problem, so he didn't want to berate Ariana harshly and separate her from Shini.
“Why did you come to the North?”
"Isaac said the North is a truly beautiful place. I wanted to capture its beauty with my own eyes."
Cyrus smiled at Ariana's calm answer.
“Both the Princess and I know that that’s not the reason.”
Ariana sighed, shifting her shoulders slightly, and locked eyes with Cyrus.
“I’m worried.”
“What?”
“The Northern Lord.”
Cyrus narrowed his eyes.
“I heard that someone you trusted betrayed you.”
“Isaac is a man of few words.”
“I was worried that the Northern Lord’s feelings might have been greatly hurt.”
Unwavering blue eyes gazed serenely at Cyrus. A small ripple ran through Cyrus' heart.
Cyrus frowned, annoyed by the unidentifiable commotion.
"It seems you've been living in the peaceful East, so you have nothing to worry about and have a lot of free time. It's amazing to see you even worrying about such useless things."
"That's right, Northern Lord. The East is a safe and friendly place, so I have no reason to worry, and I end up worrying needlessly. If my visit has hurt your feelings, Northern Lord, then I will return now."
Ariana's cold words made Cyrus realize he'd slipped. The cold, downcast gaze, unlike just moments ago, brought back memories of a few months ago.
"I need the power of the Eastern Lord. So, Ariana, if you want to repay my debt, you must establish yourself properly in the East. Thoroughly capture their hearts and become their beloved Princess. Only then will you repay my debt."
Even when he said those words, Ariana had that same cool gaze and perfect smile. The moment he saw her, he knew he was wrong, but he couldn't figure out what he had done wrong, and that was frustrating.
It was the same even then.
Ariana's worries were truly unfounded.
Anyone who held power lived in constant danger of being betrayed by those below them. This was an unavoidable fate for even the peers, the vassals, and the emperor.
Ariana, who had yet to establish herself in the East, was foolish to bring several of her valuable knights to the North. It was a better time to win over at least one more person in the East.
Even though he knew that was the way for Ariana.
"No."
He didn't want to send her back.
"Since you're here, you might as well stay. If you leave like this, Duke Hern will be upset."
Ariana, who was guided to her room by Duke Hern, even dutifully thanked him for preparing her such a wonderful room.
The moment Duke Hern left, the smile disappeared from Ariana's lips.
While she wasn't seeing Cyrus, she forgotten what kind of person he was. He's not the type of person who needs other people's worries, but she was so worried that he might be hurt that she ran all the way to the North, risking her life.
-“It seems you have a lot of free time to spare, having spent so much time in the East. It’s even worth worrying about such useless things.”
When Ariana heard those mocking words, her face burned red.
Who came all this way to worry about whom now?
She sat down on the sofa, overcome with emotion. Shini looked at her anxiously. It was the first time she'd seen Ariana express her emotions, and she seemed flustered.
Only then did Ariana realize she was being too emotional and took a deep breath.
Strangely enough, it's hard to control your emotions when you're in front of Cyrus. If you think about it, it's not even a bad thing to say.
Still, seeing Cyrus as he was before, she felt relieved that his heart hadn't been hurt enough to warrant running all the way to the North.
Now that she's confirmed that Cyrus is okay, she needs to make the most of her time in the North.
'The first thing to do is...'
Select the messenger who will deliver Ariana's whereabouts to Duke Obelius.
Ariana beckoned Shini over and had her sit next to her.
“Shini, from now on, there’s something you have to do for me.”
“I can even give my life for you, Master.”
Ariana smiled slightly at Shini's words, mixed with determination.
“It’s not that big of a deal.”
Ariana spoke in a small voice into Shini's ear.
"Become friends with Catherine and Langster. Be close enough to talk about anything. Can you do that?"
Shini nodded, clenching her fists.
“Leave it to me, Master! Shall we begin right now?”
“Yes, please.”
Ariana accelerated her journey to the North and arrived at Dragon City ahead of schedule. The fact that Duke Obelius was aware of this meant that Ariana was surrounded by his men.
The only people who knew about the schedule change were the Eastern Lord, Isaac, her maid Catherine, and Langster. Since it couldn't be the Eastern Lord and Isaac, it had to be either Catherine or Langster, but Ariana was certain it was Catherine.
"That day, as soon as Catherine heard about the schedule change, she went out, saying she needed to get my coat, and then came back. Even in Dragon City, Langster stayed by my side the whole time, but Catherine stayed at the inn."
While Catherine was alone, she would have had the opportunity to meet someone arranged by Duke Obelius. The knights were only concerned with Ariana and paid little attention to Catherine, her maid, so she could move freely.
'Catherine won't reveal her identity to Shini, though.'
If the two become friendly, he could use Catherine to make Duke Obelius trip himself up.
Even after Ariana went to her room with Duke Hern, Cyrus remained in the drawing room.
He still couldn't believe she'd just been sitting on the sofa opposite him. Was it a dream so real, a hallucination so real?
Only her scent lingering in the living room told him this was not a dream.
Knock knock.
With a knock.
“Your Excellency, may I come in?”
Isaac's bright voice was heard.
“Come in.”
As soon as he answered, the door burst open, Isaac rushed in, and sat down on the sofa without permission. It was the same spot where Ariana had been sitting.
Andrei, who followed Isaac in, also sat down next to Isaac.
The two young men, who were old friends, smiled at Cyrus, but Cyrus did not like the look on their faces.
“Why are you all laughing like that?”
“Cyrus, thank you to me?”
“Why should I thank you?”
“I brought the Princess Consort to this far northern region! Isn’t this an achievement worthy of the title of Duke?”
“It seems that your mind has become quite relaxed after spending time with such a generous fellow lord.”
"You're getting lax. I was so nervous while bringing the Princess Consort back. Something bad almost happened to her."
Even though Isaac was used to exaggerating, he couldn't help but frown when he said Ariana had almost been in trouble.
“What’s the big deal?”
"There's someone in the East who's after the Princess's life. If I had returned to the North alone, the Princess would be..."
“Who would dare to take the life of the Princess of the East?”
Cyrus interrupted Isaac's self-praise with a sharp question. Isaac pursed his lips and glanced at Andrei. Andrei smiled silently at the look in his eyes that seemed to imply, "Look, when it comes to the Princess, you're going crazy."
But Cyrus didn't have time to pay attention to the two friends exchanging glances.
The East thought it would be a very safe place for Ariana. Of course, some would be upset by the Princess's sudden appearance, but he didn't think anyone would risk their lives.
Ariana is at least seemingly harmless.
“Duke Ceodis Obelius.”
As soon as the other person's name came out of Isaac's mouth, Cyrus could guess what was going on.
“Is it because of the position of the successor?”
"I think so. He must be seething with fear of losing his son's place. He's made several assassination attempts. During hunting season, he summoned the Princess Consort by name and tried to kill her. The Princess only mentioned it on her way here, so I was completely unaware and hung out with Duke Obelius."
His mouth was completely dry.
Of course, Ariana would have avoided that situation. So she would have arrived safely in the North.
But he was still worried enough to make his heart pound.
"On the way here, we almost had a disaster. The Princess Consort was kidnapped, and Shini was hit in the head and passed out... It was chaos."
Andrei said, clicking his tongue.
“The Duke is acting so erratically, so what is the Eastern Lord doing? The Princess must know who is after her, but didn’t she tell the Eastern Lord?”
"I'm sure the Princess Consort has a lot on her mind. Duke Obelius moves without leaving any evidence. If we rashly reveal the truth to the Eastern Lord, their relationship could worsen, putting the entire kingdom in danger. With the remnants of Paganus still around, they can't afford to have internal troubles arise."
Cyrus rubbed his face with both hands as he listened to Isaac and Andrei's conversation.
-“It seems like you have a lot of time to spare since you live in the peaceful East and have nothing to worry about.”
The words he had said earlier came back to him and pierced his heart like an arrow.
The East was a peaceful place, but Ariana was not. She still lived on guard, surrounded by the threat of death.
Still, she was worried about Cyrus, so he ended up saying something harsh to Ariana, who had come all the way to the North. Now he understands why her eyes had turned cold.
“The eyes of the Northern Feudal Lords cannot be fooled.”
"I heard a rumor about a child being taken in from a slave market. There's a lot of praise for the Princess who took in an abandoned child from a small tribe in the southeast."
“My father helped me.”
"If it's discovered that the Princess has conspired with the Eastern Lord to deceive the people, and even if it's revealed that the target is Paganus, it will be dangerous in many ways. Is it worth risking all that?"
“I have it.”
“I see.”
Cyrus stopped talking and fell silent. Ariana, observing Cyrus' expression, asked.
“Would it be okay if I kept Shini by my side while I was staying at Maho Castle?”
"If the Princess decided to keep her by your side, you would have prepared a plan to deal with any problems that might arise. I don't care."
Cyrus couldn't figure out what she was saying.
There were good Pagans in the world, but to Cyrus, Pagans were a people whose bones he could grind down and drink without feeling any relief. Any Pagans who had sneaked into the northern lands were killed without reason.
But Paganus entered Maho Castle.
But Ariana cared enough for Shini to ask Isaac for treatment. Knowing Ariana's situation, where she had nowhere to turn, Cyrus understood why she had taken Shini in.
It's probably just a rag.
A rag that appears before your eyes when you are drowning in water and have nothing to hold on to.
If that rag mutated and tried to burn down the castle, he could deal with it then. There was no problem, so he didn't want to berate Ariana harshly and separate her from Shini.
“Why did you come to the North?”
"Isaac said the North is a truly beautiful place. I wanted to capture its beauty with my own eyes."
Cyrus smiled at Ariana's calm answer.
“Both the Princess and I know that that’s not the reason.”
Ariana sighed, shifting her shoulders slightly, and locked eyes with Cyrus.
“I’m worried.”
“What?”
“The Northern Lord.”
Cyrus narrowed his eyes.
“I heard that someone you trusted betrayed you.”
“Isaac is a man of few words.”
“I was worried that the Northern Lord’s feelings might have been greatly hurt.”
Unwavering blue eyes gazed serenely at Cyrus. A small ripple ran through Cyrus' heart.
Cyrus frowned, annoyed by the unidentifiable commotion.
"It seems you've been living in the peaceful East, so you have nothing to worry about and have a lot of free time. It's amazing to see you even worrying about such useless things."
"That's right, Northern Lord. The East is a safe and friendly place, so I have no reason to worry, and I end up worrying needlessly. If my visit has hurt your feelings, Northern Lord, then I will return now."
Ariana's cold words made Cyrus realize he'd slipped. The cold, downcast gaze, unlike just moments ago, brought back memories of a few months ago.
"I need the power of the Eastern Lord. So, Ariana, if you want to repay my debt, you must establish yourself properly in the East. Thoroughly capture their hearts and become their beloved Princess. Only then will you repay my debt."
Even when he said those words, Ariana had that same cool gaze and perfect smile. The moment he saw her, he knew he was wrong, but he couldn't figure out what he had done wrong, and that was frustrating.
It was the same even then.
Ariana's worries were truly unfounded.
Anyone who held power lived in constant danger of being betrayed by those below them. This was an unavoidable fate for even the peers, the vassals, and the emperor.
Ariana, who had yet to establish herself in the East, was foolish to bring several of her valuable knights to the North. It was a better time to win over at least one more person in the East.
Even though he knew that was the way for Ariana.
"No."
He didn't want to send her back.
"Since you're here, you might as well stay. If you leave like this, Duke Hern will be upset."
***
Ariana, who was guided to her room by Duke Hern, even dutifully thanked him for preparing her such a wonderful room.
The moment Duke Hern left, the smile disappeared from Ariana's lips.
While she wasn't seeing Cyrus, she forgotten what kind of person he was. He's not the type of person who needs other people's worries, but she was so worried that he might be hurt that she ran all the way to the North, risking her life.
-“It seems you have a lot of free time to spare, having spent so much time in the East. It’s even worth worrying about such useless things.”
When Ariana heard those mocking words, her face burned red.
Who came all this way to worry about whom now?
She sat down on the sofa, overcome with emotion. Shini looked at her anxiously. It was the first time she'd seen Ariana express her emotions, and she seemed flustered.
Only then did Ariana realize she was being too emotional and took a deep breath.
Strangely enough, it's hard to control your emotions when you're in front of Cyrus. If you think about it, it's not even a bad thing to say.
Still, seeing Cyrus as he was before, she felt relieved that his heart hadn't been hurt enough to warrant running all the way to the North.
Now that she's confirmed that Cyrus is okay, she needs to make the most of her time in the North.
'The first thing to do is...'
Select the messenger who will deliver Ariana's whereabouts to Duke Obelius.
Ariana beckoned Shini over and had her sit next to her.
“Shini, from now on, there’s something you have to do for me.”
“I can even give my life for you, Master.”
Ariana smiled slightly at Shini's words, mixed with determination.
“It’s not that big of a deal.”
Ariana spoke in a small voice into Shini's ear.
"Become friends with Catherine and Langster. Be close enough to talk about anything. Can you do that?"
Shini nodded, clenching her fists.
“Leave it to me, Master! Shall we begin right now?”
“Yes, please.”
Ariana accelerated her journey to the North and arrived at Dragon City ahead of schedule. The fact that Duke Obelius was aware of this meant that Ariana was surrounded by his men.
The only people who knew about the schedule change were the Eastern Lord, Isaac, her maid Catherine, and Langster. Since it couldn't be the Eastern Lord and Isaac, it had to be either Catherine or Langster, but Ariana was certain it was Catherine.
"That day, as soon as Catherine heard about the schedule change, she went out, saying she needed to get my coat, and then came back. Even in Dragon City, Langster stayed by my side the whole time, but Catherine stayed at the inn."
While Catherine was alone, she would have had the opportunity to meet someone arranged by Duke Obelius. The knights were only concerned with Ariana and paid little attention to Catherine, her maid, so she could move freely.
'Catherine won't reveal her identity to Shini, though.'
If the two become friendly, he could use Catherine to make Duke Obelius trip himself up.
***
Even after Ariana went to her room with Duke Hern, Cyrus remained in the drawing room.
He still couldn't believe she'd just been sitting on the sofa opposite him. Was it a dream so real, a hallucination so real?
Only her scent lingering in the living room told him this was not a dream.
Knock knock.
With a knock.
“Your Excellency, may I come in?”
Isaac's bright voice was heard.
“Come in.”
As soon as he answered, the door burst open, Isaac rushed in, and sat down on the sofa without permission. It was the same spot where Ariana had been sitting.
Andrei, who followed Isaac in, also sat down next to Isaac.
The two young men, who were old friends, smiled at Cyrus, but Cyrus did not like the look on their faces.
“Why are you all laughing like that?”
“Cyrus, thank you to me?”
“Why should I thank you?”
“I brought the Princess Consort to this far northern region! Isn’t this an achievement worthy of the title of Duke?”
“It seems that your mind has become quite relaxed after spending time with such a generous fellow lord.”
"You're getting lax. I was so nervous while bringing the Princess Consort back. Something bad almost happened to her."
Even though Isaac was used to exaggerating, he couldn't help but frown when he said Ariana had almost been in trouble.
“What’s the big deal?”
"There's someone in the East who's after the Princess's life. If I had returned to the North alone, the Princess would be..."
“Who would dare to take the life of the Princess of the East?”
Cyrus interrupted Isaac's self-praise with a sharp question. Isaac pursed his lips and glanced at Andrei. Andrei smiled silently at the look in his eyes that seemed to imply, "Look, when it comes to the Princess, you're going crazy."
But Cyrus didn't have time to pay attention to the two friends exchanging glances.
The East thought it would be a very safe place for Ariana. Of course, some would be upset by the Princess's sudden appearance, but he didn't think anyone would risk their lives.
Ariana is at least seemingly harmless.
“Duke Ceodis Obelius.”
As soon as the other person's name came out of Isaac's mouth, Cyrus could guess what was going on.
“Is it because of the position of the successor?”
"I think so. He must be seething with fear of losing his son's place. He's made several assassination attempts. During hunting season, he summoned the Princess Consort by name and tried to kill her. The Princess only mentioned it on her way here, so I was completely unaware and hung out with Duke Obelius."
His mouth was completely dry.
Of course, Ariana would have avoided that situation. So she would have arrived safely in the North.
But he was still worried enough to make his heart pound.
"On the way here, we almost had a disaster. The Princess Consort was kidnapped, and Shini was hit in the head and passed out... It was chaos."
Andrei said, clicking his tongue.
“The Duke is acting so erratically, so what is the Eastern Lord doing? The Princess must know who is after her, but didn’t she tell the Eastern Lord?”
"I'm sure the Princess Consort has a lot on her mind. Duke Obelius moves without leaving any evidence. If we rashly reveal the truth to the Eastern Lord, their relationship could worsen, putting the entire kingdom in danger. With the remnants of Paganus still around, they can't afford to have internal troubles arise."
Cyrus rubbed his face with both hands as he listened to Isaac and Andrei's conversation.
-“It seems like you have a lot of time to spare since you live in the peaceful East and have nothing to worry about.”
The words he had said earlier came back to him and pierced his heart like an arrow.
The East was a peaceful place, but Ariana was not. She still lived on guard, surrounded by the threat of death.
Still, she was worried about Cyrus, so he ended up saying something harsh to Ariana, who had come all the way to the North. Now he understands why her eyes had turned cold.
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