CWEGDH - Chapter 7

7. Old Memories

A long-ago memory suddenly surfaced from beyond Herian's consciousness. 

Last winter. The winds in the north were biting, and the sky had remained gray for days. At that time, a grim atmosphere hung over Rubern. As the war dragged on, the number of wounded soldiers soared endlessly, and food and supplies were running dry. It was a time when people were dying as naturally as breathing. 

While Kaion was bogged down on the front lines, Herian was in charge of the supplies to be sent up to the North. That day, too, was a hectic one. Alone, he went back and forth through the Grand Duke's warehouse, checking for shortages and organizing the ledgers. Moving ceaselessly, he was only able to catch his breath once the sun had completely set.

"... The sun has already gone down." 

He muttered as he looked out the window. He hadn't had a moment to breathe since lunch. 

Herian put down the stack of ledgers. He intended to get some fresh air. He headed toward the garden behind the mansion. It was the only space he liked in this chilly Grand Duke's mansion. As he stepped out of the hallway, the cold winter air brushed against his skin instead of the stifling heat. The garden was silent. The only sign of life was the rustling sound beneath his feet. 

He walked slowly, without any particular purpose. As he looked around and passed about halfway through the garden, something caught his eye. In the snow-white winter garden, a woman with a slender frame sat far away. Perched on the edge of a chair, her toes lightly brushed the empty air. Her lifeless red hair fluttered limply in the wind. 

Herian stopped in his tracks. The atmosphere was strangely quiet. The woman's attire was excessively shabby, yet she did not appear to be a servant. She hung her head as if cut off from the world. She looked ill. Or perhaps she had faced very sad news. 

He moved his feet without realizing it. By the time he came to his senses, he was already standing before her. Seen up close, she was much smaller than he had imagined.

"...Are you alright?" 

At that moment, the woman slowly lifted her head. Their eyes met 

"..."

A pure white, bloodless face. Eyes as hazy as glass. She looked so wretched that it was hard to believe she was alive. 

Thump.

 A tear that had welled up in the corner of her eye trickled down her cheek. A transparent, bead-like liquid flowed down in an instant and settled on her chin.

"...Uh." 

A dazed sound involuntarily escaped his lips. 

"Uh, uh..." 

Herian was flustered by this situation, which he was experiencing for the first time in his life. He had never comforted a crying woman before, and while he couldn't determine her age, he had never faced a young lady this youthful alone. On the other hand, she did not blink a single eye. She simply wiped the corner of her eye with the back of her hand. Then, with reddened eyes, she looked up at him. Her gaze was coldly emotionless. 

Soon, the woman turned her back without hesitation. It was only after she had taken a few steps away that he realized he had been ignored. 

"J-just a moment." 

Herian grabbed her in a daze. 

"Are you really alright?" 

"..."

The woman nodded slowly. However, she did not look fine at all. Her face was pale, with only the corners of her eyes red and wet. Soon, she tried to walk away again. This time, Herian did not let her go. 

"I am Herian Sinoas, Commander of the Northern Knights." 

He paused, even to himself, only after saying it. Even he thought it was incredibly random. Why did I suddenly introduce myself? He hurriedly added.

"I, I am not a strange person."

"...Yes." 

A small, weak voice. 

"This is His Excellency the Grand Duke's mansion, since you are a new face..." 

The woman's shoulders twitched. Ah, did I make a mistake? But her condition was too serious to just let it pass. Her expression was blank, and her eyes were empty. As if she were about to collapse at any moment... 

After a brief silence, she opened her mouth.

"...Sienna." 

Sienna? The moment he ruminated on that name, Herian's eyes widened. Sienna Bercian?? The bride who had kept her face hidden behind a veil throughout the wedding ceremony. The young lady of a family many found unsettling, a woman said to rarely show herself due to her frail health. 

When the news of the Grand Duke's marriage reached him, he hadn't even heard her name. Surely not. The light red hair he had seen behind the veil seemed to overlap with her current hair.

"...Are you perhaps Her Highness the Grand Duchess?" 

The woman remained silent for a moment, then slowly nodded. For a moment, Herian's mind went blank. 

"But why here..." 

Herian closed his mouth only after the words had escaped his lips. It was excessive interference. Yet, he truly couldn't understand it. A Grand Duchess is supposed to wear splendid dresses and be served by attendants. He had never seen a Grand Duchess like this, no, not even a woman in this state. She looked exactly like someone abandoned. 

"...Don't worry about it." 

The woman said calmly and turned away. Her retreating figure slowly crossed the snow-covered garden. She acted as if she needed no help, but that attitude made her look even lonelier. 

He stared at her until she disappeared from his sight. He hadn't seen her since that day. 

"...Ah." 

Herian let out a small sigh as he emerged from his old memories. On the other hand, the woman standing before him wore an expression devoid of emotion at his introduction. Rather, she looked quite bored. 

"Aha." 

A single brief reaction. 

"Well then, goodbye." 

She brushed past Herian without stopping. A faint scent tickled his nose. 

"..."

Herian watched her retreating figure and smiled faintly. Really. How could she change this much? 

'I'm dying of a rush, and now who is she?' 

Sienna grumbled inwardly as she quickened her pace. There was a mountain of work to do today, you know. A moment later, Nia came running in breathless, catching her breath. Only then did Sienna's pace slow.

"You're here?" 

"Yes! They say those things have arrived!" 

Sienna's blue eyes sparkled. 

"Where?" 

"Towards the warehouse!"

"The fabrics should all have arrived by now!" 

The warehouse was much larger than expected. Large boxes were stacked like walls, and the scent of old wood filled the air. Sienna opened the nearest box. As the lid opened, white dust scattered. Neatly arranged fabrics were revealed. She picked one up. 

Oh. The touch on her fingertips was quite nice. No, it was much better than she had anticipated. 

"It's soft." 

She touched the fabric here and there, smiling with satisfaction. 

"This is it. This is what I was looking for." 

Most of the fabrics here were excessively thin and soft. They looked luxurious on the outside, but were terrible in terms of practicality. However, the fabrics she truly needed were something else entirely. Thick, durable, and highly absorbent. 

After personally visiting the shopping district for several days to check, she found that such fabrics were, without exception, pushed to one side. Treated as cheap, lower-class junk simply because they were rough and coarse. Sienna had ordered those fabrics to be gathered by type. 

"Shall we proceed with this one?" 

Nia's eyes sparkled. 

"Wait. Let's take a look at this too." 

She opened another box placed a short distance away. Her expression froze. 

"...Huh?" 

It wasn't various fabrics. The box was packed tightly with swords and spears. The problem was their condition. The blades were dull, and dark red bloodstains were stuck here and there. There were only one or two clean-looking ones, barely visible at all. They were unsightly items that looked like they had been carelessly shoved in without even being properly cleaned. They should be discarded items, so why are they here? Sienna's face turned to disgust. 

"What on earth is this?" 

Nia peeked her head out. 

"Ah, the expedition is coming up soon, you know. It's the time for supplies to arrive. I must have opened the wrong box." 

"Supplies?" 

Sienna looked down at the box again, as if she couldn't believe it.

"...You use things like that?" 

"Ah, you must be seeing them for the first time? They are high-quality items preciously bestowed upon us by the Imperial Family."

"...This?" 

Sienna picked up a sword. It was heavy. At the same time, an indescribable, unpleasant sensation brushed against her fingertips. No matter how she looked at it, it was far from being in good condition.

"...It's just a lump of germs..." 

You're actually going to take this out? To war with this? You'll get infected and die before the war even starts...

"... Are you really going to take something like this?" 

She confirmed again. Nia nodded without a shred of doubt. She had a confident, dignified expression.

"Of course!" 

Sienna squeezed her eyes shut. It seemed she was facing a new predicament.

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