Chapter 6. Northern Martial Arts Tournament Part 1

I crossed my arms gravely.

Before my eyes, the maids had divided into two camps and were quarreling.

“Of course we must use white chiffon! Our lady is the ‘Knight of White’!”

“But where would we ever find satin this beautiful again? Gold embroidery will suit our lady’s eyes perfectly!”

The maids argued fiercely. I truly was fine with anything. But if I said that, I felt I would be torn to shreds by these young ladies on the spot.

I stood awkwardly and called out softly for Meori.

“Meori… Please do something about this.”

I called out earnestly, but Meori, having already wedged herself among the maids, was busy arguing more passionately than anyone.

“I think chiffon looks better too. Since our lady is tall, they should make it a dress with a voluminous skirt hem.”

“Right? Chiffon is perfect for our lady.”

“What are you talking about! Of course it’s satin!”

“Sigh…”

In the end, I took a step back to escape this war zone. The tailors and assistants summoned to the castle rolled their eyes, looking bewildered.

A week had already passed since I returned to the Mort keep.

During that brief period, I had spent dreamlike days. The road back from Fidelburg was quite different from when we had set out. Everyone welcomed us, and the lords had looked upon me with favorable gazes.

It was the same at the keep. Not only the people living near the keep, but even the retainers who had always kept their distance welcomed me. Word of me and the subjugation army had spread through the minstrels, so the people at the keep spoke of it every day as well. Everyone said they had eagerly awaited our return.

I was… happy. It was still all a blur, but receiving so much love and gratitude from so many people could not help but make me happy.

For a while, I met with retainers, caught up with the people of the keep, and spent peaceful days cooped up in the study reading books—days I had dreamed of throughout the campaign.

And at night, together with Victor….

“…My lady! My lady!”

“Hmm?”

Meori’s voice woke me from my thoughts. Meori looked up at me worriedly.

“Your face is red. Do you have a fever?”

“Ah, no. Have you settled on the fabric?”

“You must choose, my lady!”

Meori pulled me close, her eyes sparkling.

“Which do you prefer?”

After much deliberation, I answered honestly.

“…Must we really have a new dress made? I already have so many…”

“What are you saying, my lady!”

The maids objected fiercely.

“This ball is your debut into Northern high society! Everything must be new and sparkling!”

“But…”

“Of course the clothes you have now are beautiful too, but you need something newer and more season-appropriate.”

“The interior decorations, the orchestra, the food—everything must be perfect! The chef has already developed six new desserts.”

“You can choose curtains after the dress and flower orders are finished. After that, the curtain merchant will come, and you’ll need to choose paintings and carpets too.”

“You’ll have to keep meeting with people until tonight.”

It can’t be.

I couldn’t help but make a tearful face.

Right now, I—that is, I was preparing for a ball. The one promised in Norbant, the one rumored to be “the most splendid and unprecedentedly large in the North.” I had followed Meori’s advice that we must get it done before the weather grew colder.

And as expected, holding a ball was far more difficult than I had imagined. Though Diderrick and Meori helped a great deal, there were too many things I had to decide personally.

I couldn’t believe it was already like this on the very first day. I groaned, looking down at the fabrics. My imagination wasn’t even enough to picture what kind of dress these would become.

Just then, the door burst open.

“My, are you ordering a dress?”

“Katarina!”

Katarina Cataleang entered cheerfully, her sleek blue-black hair and gorgeous house dress catching the eye. She looked at me and smiled brightly.

In my absence, Katarina’s wounds had completely healed. I would have understood if she had simply returned home, but she said she waited for me while even helping with the keep’s affairs. I was grateful. Even Kalts grudgingly acknowledged that her help had been immense. She had even signed contracts with several merchants in Mort and resumed trade. It was an incredible adaptability, befitting the head of a great merchant company.

She welcomed my return more than anyone, and as promised, we shared delicious honey wine and aired our grievances. When I asked her to help with the ball preparations, she readily agreed, saying it sounded fun.

I urgently asked for her help.

“I can’t decide which fabric to choose. Both look pretty to my eyes…”

“Then buy both.”

Katarina replied as if nothing could be simpler. The fabric merchant’s face lit up. These fabrics were as expensive as their weight in gold.

Regardless of how pale my face turned, Katarina continued.

“A slightly unusual design would be nice. How about wrapping the body snugly in satin and attaching plenty of chiffon from below the knees so it spreads out like a fishtail?”

“A style that was all the rage in the Kingdom! It will surely suit Your Highness.”

“What? But such a figure-revealing outfit…”

Wouldn’t that be too daring?

I fidgeted, looking between the tailor and Katarina.

Normally in the Empire, dresses with skirts voluminously puffed with lace and frills were worn. I wondered if it was alright to wear such a dress that didn’t even need a petticoat.

But Katarina only smiled.

“Don’t worry, Amarion. You are the lady of Mort; here, you may truly wear whatever you wish. Moreover, it is the fashion of your homeland; who would dare say a word?”

“Even so…”

“Such a dress is comfortable for the wearer too. It will certainly become popular in an instant. Trust me.”

Katarina spoke with confidence.

I looked at the maids, but they too were only nodding with bright eyes, intrigued by the unusual dress.

After hesitating for quite some time, I eventually agreed.

“…Very well. I’m counting on you.”

“We shall begin production at once, Your Highness!”

The tailor withdrew, brimming with excitement.

Katarina surveyed the room and clapped her hands together enthusiastically.

“Now then, what shall we do about the flowers? A ball must, by its very nature, have an abundance of flowers.”

“I, actually, have an idea about that.”

Meori quickly interjected.

“The glassworks below the keep is in chaos from lack of work. Because of monsters, they can’t transport glass and orders have dried up. So what if we order flowers made of crystal and glass to decorate, like in the lady’s sitting room? It would surely help the craftsmen working there as well.”

“How truly thoughtful of you.”

Meori flushed at Katarina’s praise. The other maids squealed and made a fuss, imagining the dazzlingly beautiful sight.

I seemed to be the only one horrified.

Even though Mort is a mining city, glass and crafted crystal were extremely expensive luxury goods.

“But wouldn’t that be incredibly expensive? I already spent so much on the dress…”

“When you spend money, you must spend it properly, Amarion.”

Katarina pointed out.

Come to think of it, Katarina always hosted ridiculously lavish banquets.

As if reading my thoughts, she gently explained.

“When I host a ball, I spend nearly as much as the imperial court. Because the returns are equally great.”

“What kind of…?”

“The family’s prestige rises, and since many people come, you can expand your connections. Investors see that and invest in my company. Of course, I do have a taste for the extravagant.”

She playfully winked.

“This ball is no different. It is the first banquet hosted by the Grand Duchess, and rumors have already spread far and wide; you must hold a truly magnificent banquet to show the people your dignity.”

“…”

“If you hold a grand banquet, money will naturally circulate throughout the territory. Nobles flocking in from other regions will spend money freely in Mort. All of that becomes wealth for the people of the territory and tax revenue for the Lord of Mort. Just imagine, all that gold!”

Katarina spoke passionately. Her eyes sparkled as she spoke of money.

So Katarina seemed to be telling me to hold the victory commemoration banquet I had hosted for the people of Fidelburg on an even larger scale. Large enough to encompass the entire North…

I was so overwhelmed that I sank onto the sofa.

I’ve never even hosted a tea party before. Thinking of how much gold and how many merchants would come and go made my head spin.

Meori encouraged me.

“Don’t worry, my lady. The Grand Duke will be pleased no matter how much you spend.”

“That’s what scares me… I’m not used to spending money either.”

I’d rather fight three hundred griffins again. When I muttered softly, the girl spoke sternly.

“A lady of the house must not seek only easy tasks.”

My face promptly crumpled, on the verge of tears. Meori guided me, saying we should meet the next merchant. I was dragged out of the room by Katarina and the maids.

❖ ❖ ❖

And so, the full-scale banquet preparations began.

Invitations bearing the Grand Duchess’s signature flew to nearly all the nobles of the North. All the important facilities of the keep were renovated. The keep was half a construction site due to the scale of the ball. The lobby, the staircases, the ballroom, the guest rooms, the salon… Countless laborers and merchants came and went without rest.

I met with people frantically alongside Katarina, decided the banquet menu in the kitchen, and inspected the bedding in the guest rooms. After working all day, I reviewed etiquette and rhetoric again. From the way to hold a fan that I had never properly learned, to the posture and way of walking befitting a Grand Duchess.

Literally, every day was so busy it made my head spin.

I grew a little sad. The knights all received leave after the campaign, so why was I the only one in this state? I thought I could finally be lazy after returning to the keep…

But there was no use in anguishing over it. After all, I was the one who promised the ball.

Leaving the maids to admire the newly installed chandelier, I staggered to the window and sat down. I raised my tired eyes and looked outside to find the leaves already turning.

Autumn had already arrived. The cloudless, clear sky was high, and the territory’s people were busy moving about, planting wheat in the fields. Some were already seen doing roof repairs in preparation for winter. The sight of them wrapping roofs in straw and wood looked just like dressing them in clothes; it was fascinating.

I stared blankly out the window. I wanted to read a book even now, but I had no energy whatsoever. It was such an interesting part too. Dordophin had finally begun to suspect the true identity of the Flamberge…

A familiar arm embraced me from behind as I groaned.

“Our lady is slacking off.”

“Victor!”

I jumped in surprise and turned around.

Victor, who had approached as silently as a dark wolf, was looking at me with greatly amused eyes. He, dressed in a light shirt, briefly pressed his lips to my cheek.

“What were you thinking so deeply about that you couldn’t even sense my approach?”

“…Just, I’m a little tired.”

“I thought as much, so I came.”

Looking around, the maids had already left the room at some point. They must have taken the hint and left upon seeing Victor. I smiled faintly.

“I feel sorry for those girls, but I’m grateful. There’s so much work I haven’t had a chance to rest.”

“Is it so very hard?”

Victor asked worriedly.

It hadn’t even been a week since the banquet preparations began, but even I could see I was completely exhausted. To a degree incomparable to preparing for the social season in the capital. And Victor was deeply worried about me in that state. It felt as if our positions from when he had been busy had been completely reversed.

He said what he always did.

“If it’s too hard, you may stop. What is the point of holding a banquet?”

“I said I would do this.”

“If it’s hard, just leave it to me and Diderrick.”

Victor stroked my hair regretfully. I smiled and shook my head.

It was a conversation we had had before. Banquet preparations are originally the lady’s duty. For the lord to take over the preparations for such a large ball would tarnish the honor of us both. It was also my debut in the North, and I wanted to properly carry out a lady’s duties this time.

I smiled quietly.

“I want to take responsibility for my place. You know that.”

“You always say that.”

Victor pressed his lips firmly shut. Still dignified, but with a subtly sulky expression. Whenever he showed me that expression he reserved only for me, I felt incredibly happy. I asked playfully.

“Are you lonely because I’m busy?”

“Yes. I’m so lonely I could cry. How can you neglect your husband so?”

He said shamelessly, with a sly face. I laughed softly.

“We meet every night.”

“The night alone is not enough.”

He pulled my waist close and embraced me. His breath touched the nape of my neck right away. A shiver ran down my spine.

“…I want to make your days mine too. Always, always…”

I barely held back a sigh. Victor’s low voice and musky scent always made me dizzy. So were the memories of the nights that had been passionate enough to redden my cheeks. Victor, rubbing his cheek against my white hair, murmured.

“Marion, my Grand Duchess.”

The strength of his embrace around my waist grew stronger. He whispered.

“…I had never felt glad to hold the seat of Grand Duke, but lately my thoughts have changed.”

“How so?”

“Because I am the Grand Duke, I was able to give you the seat of Grand Duchess. The title of the highest lady in the North, which my mother held. You suit that position more than anyone.”

I couldn’t help but laugh.

“Are you teasing me for not even being able to choose a carpet properly?”

“How could I?”

He smiled gently.

“You are already the best with the sword alone. You don’t need to be good at anything else. And yet you are learning the lady’s duties as well. It is that sense of responsibility that suits this position.”

I averted my gaze for no reason. It was not something to be praised so grandly for. Victor truly had a tendency to see everything I did in a positive light.

Victor’s golden eyes curved captivatingly.

“Honestly, I want to tell you to forget it all and go on a picnic instead… But you wouldn’t listen, would you?”

“If you persuaded me a little more, I might just give in?”

“Oh? How should I persuade you?”

He pressed kisses on my neck, smack, smack. His smiling face was filled with delight. An expression so happy it was impossible to imagine the dark expression he once had. Just seeing that look warmed my heart. Laughing, I pushed away Victor, who was tickling my nape.

“Stop. If you keep this up, Meori will get angry.”

“Once again, that girl hates me.”

“She is merely strict. By that logic, does Leonard hate you too?”

“Didn’t you know? That fellow has hated me for ten years now.”

I finally burst into laughter. Victor, leaning on my shoulder, began to recount in gentle tones how Leonard had scolded him.

Until the maids came rushing in with curtain samples, we stayed embraced like that.

❖ ❖ ❖

And so a week sped by like an arrow.

And finally, all interior repairs of the keep were completed.

“We shall take our leave now, Your Highness.”

“Yes, thank you for your hard work.”

I handed the laborers plump pouches of gold coins and looked around the newly decorated lobby.

The lobby was literally dazzlingly beautiful. A chandelier adorned with opals and crystals—one of Mort’s specialties—gleamed brilliantly alongside white curtains with golden tassels and exotic tapestries. The deep blue carpet, changed to be easy to clean, rippled like the night sky.

Hadn’t we aimed to create a lobby that would make guests’ jaws drop the moment they walked in?

We had spent so much money, and I had no sense for these things, so I had worried the result would be strange. I felt I had done well to follow Katarina and the maids’ advice.

Diderrick, who had watched over this keep for a long time, also looked pleased.

“Your taste is excellent, my lady.”

“I only followed everyone’s recommendations… But don’t you think I spent too much money, even so?”

“Mort is one of the wealthiest houses in the Empire. You could spend twice this much without issue, so do not worry.”

Twice as much?

For a moment I grew dizzy and pressed my hand to my forehead.

With the money spent so far, I could buy tens of thousands of skewers. The thought of spending any more was terrifying.

The butler, maids, and even housemaids seemed accustomed to such spending, but I was not. A child of the North born and bred in poverty, I had carried chimera teeth around until the very end of the campaign just to avoid wasting my sword.

I must not have any construction for the next ten years. And I’ll only hold tiny tea parties.

It was then that I made a resolution the maids would hate if they found out.

“Amarion?”

Katarina appeared and called out to me. I quickly smiled.

“Katarina! What brings you here?”

“…Um, no reason. I was wondering if the ball preparations were going well.”

She smiled awkwardly.

My eyes went wide.

Today’s Katarina was a little strange. Seeing her hair pinned up and wearing glasses, she seemed to be in the middle of company work; it was suspicious that she had come down to ask such a trivial question. Wasn’t she someone who valued time more than gold?

But she quickly changed to a lively expression and asked.

“The ball schedule starts in two days, right? Has the dress you ordered arrived?”

“They say it will arrive tomorrow. They said they’d bring your outfit then too.”

“My, I look forward to it.”

She smiled brightly.

Puzzled, I exchanged a few more light words with her. About the ingredients for the day of the ball, the servants’ uniforms, and the flag emblems.

As the conversation was ending, hesitation hovered on Katarina’s face again.

“Um… Amarion.”

“Yes?”

“…Never mind, I’ve taken up too much of your time. See you at dinner.”

She smiled and headed for the stairs.

What was that?

Diderrick called to me as I tilted my head in confusion.

“My lady, Miss Meori is looking for you.”

“Ah, yes! I’m coming!”

I quickly shook off my thoughts and followed the butler.

❖ ❖ ❖

Katarina did not appear for some time after that. I heard the company work had suddenly become terribly busy.

What could it be? I hope it’s nothing bad…

But I no longer had time to worry about it. The ball had finally drawn near.

Lanterns expressing welcome hung in the square before the keep. The entire keep, from the ballroom to the stables, shone brilliantly. Nobles living in distant places also arrived near the keep one by one. The glass flowers decorating the walls of the ballroom were like ice sculptures, dazzling to behold. Food preparations, guest rooms, bedding, and servant placements—everything was perfectly finished.

But the real work as lady of the house was only beginning.

On the day before the main ball, I entered the audience chamber with my maids, extremely tense.

“Now, it begins.”

Meori said seriously. She looked unfamiliar in a dress instead of the uniform she always wore. The other maids were the same. In their various colorful dresses, they looked just like a little bouquet.

But their attitude rivaled that of knights. Meori clenched her fist.

“All other preparations are perfect. So you just need to properly seize the initiative, my lady.”

“Seize the initiative?”

“Yes. From now on, nobles arriving from various places will request audiences with you…”

Meori furrowed her brow.

“I know that status or birth is no longer very important, but there are still many such people in high society, aren’t there? Since so many people are coming from outside Mort this time, there might be those who act rudely toward you!”

“Mm…”

I just nodded.

Could she have heard stories about the capital from Katarina? I’m really fine now…

But the maids were serious. High society was a battlefield that could not be solved with a sword; it seemed they were trying to protect me in their own way.

I eventually accepted the maids’ advice and sat rigidly.

The maids around me fanned themselves with extreme affectation, turned pages of books, or stroked a cat kept in the kitchen. They seemed to be doing their best to create the appearance of a dignified Grand Duchess.

Will this really work? Won’t it look even more awkward instead?

It was while I was worrying about this that—

“We shall now begin the audiences!”

The chamberlain announced.

I nodded, stiff as a wooden post with tension. The chamberlain, standing ramrod straight, read the list.

“The first visitor is Juliana Fidelburg, second daughter of Count Fidelburg!”

Meori, who had been fluttering her feather fan, dropped her jaw. At the same time, the door to the audience chamber opened.

A familiar face in an elegant ivory dress approached and knelt.

“I greet the lady of Mort.”

“Juliana!”

Overjoyed, I jumped up, forgetting all etiquette.

Juliana, whom I hadn’t seen in a long time, looked different. I had only ever seen her in plain dresses and dirty aprons, so she looked incredibly beautiful with her long blonde hair pinned up and wearing a ruffled dress with many ornaments that suited her slender arms.

I quickly called her closer.

“I’m so happy to see you again! When did you arrive?”

“I arrived this morning with Father. Father is meeting with His Highness the Grand Duke.”

“How are things in Fidelburg?”

“Thanks to you both, recovery is almost complete. Count Ulran and others asked me to convey their gratitude to Your Highness.”

I smiled brightly and nodded. Victor told me news of the villages I had passed through every day, but hearing it directly from the person involved gave me more relief.

When the conversation ended, Meori quickly stepped forward. Perhaps because they had worked together in the same quarters for so long, they looked quite close.

“Long time no see, Miss Meori. Your dress is splendid.”

“Thank you! You are beautiful too, Miss Juliana.”

“We always only saw each other in shabby appearances.”

“I know, right!”

The two women laughed joyfully. Juliana smiled kindly.

“Ah, I brought the herbalism book you said you wanted. A trading company that stopped by the territory had it.”

“Really!? Heavens, I searched and searched for it at the keep and couldn’t find it!”

Meori shouted, extremely excited. Juliana nodded seriously.

“I read it a bit; it organizes herbs by their efficacy rather than geographical features…”

“Amazing! Then if we apply that to the North’s herbal dictionary…”

Hm.

I exchanged blank stares with the other maids. Meori, who had been ready to chew up anyone who entered, was already completely absorbed in chatter.

Somehow, my tension completely melted away. I lightly signaled to the chamberlain.

“Please bring in the next person.”

The chamberlain began reading the list again.

The subsequent audiences ended even more peacefully than I had expected.

The visiting nobles were all courteous, and many regarded the invitation itself as an honor, like the Lord and Lady of Norvant. Those meeting after a long time gathered on one side of the audience chamber, chatting in groups of threes and fives.

One elderly noblewoman even had tears in her eyes.

“I wondered if I would live to see the lights of the Starlight Salon lit again, and here I am seeing it. Thank you, Your Highness.”

I held the lady’s hand tightly and smiled.

“Don’t worry. I will continue to hold such gatherings in the future.”

The lights of the salon will not go out. Because I will continue to be the lady of this keep. It won’t be easy, but I suppose I must lead the social season’s banquets every year and hold charity events for the territory’s people. And during campaigns, I can help with the sword again.

Just as people have loved me, I, too, will stay in Mort and do my best. Wielding the sword only a little, peacefully and happily.

I made that resolution.

Without knowing what the future held.

❖ ❖ ❖

And finally, the day of the ball dawned.

I calmed my churning stomach with a cold drink, then tried on the new dress that had arrived for the first time.

Surprisingly, the dress was truly comfortable. Though the fitted material revealed quite a bit of my figure, it was also very elegant, and since I didn’t have to wear a corset, my body felt light.

When I spun around, lace and decorative cloth spread out elegantly below my knees. The maids exclaimed from beside me.

“You are so beautiful, my lady!”

“You look just like a mermaid!”

A mermaid? Unlike in novels, mermaids are actually quite cruel monsters… fiends that enjoy drowning people in the sea despite their harmless appearance…

I fiercely distracted myself with other thoughts to combat my embarrassment. While I did so, the maids skillfully combed my hair and twisted it up into a round bun. Around my neck hung a dazzlingly splendid diamond necklace, and upon my head, they placed a tiara said to have been passed down through generations of Grand Duchesses. Once I had pulled on the long white silk gloves, my preparations were complete.

I looked at my reflection in the mirror.

“……I think it’s still too daring…….”

“Absolutely not!”

The maids exclaimed in protest.

“My Lady, you shall certainly be the most beautiful woman at the ball today.”

“By tomorrow, everyone will be frantic to find the tailor who made this dress, won’t they?”

“I knew they would.”

One maid lifted her chin.

“I’ve already ordered a dress in the same design.”

“What? How underhanded!”

The girls began bickering again. I smiled awkwardly and left the lady’s chamber.

❖ ❖ ❖

The entire way to Victor’s room, I kept my eyes on the floor. Somehow, I felt as though everyone was staring at me.

Even the servants I saw every day were gazing at me like that. Was it really so strange?

During the subjugation, I hadn’t even cared when my clothes were torn and ragged, yet now that a social gathering was upon me, I was unbearably anxious. I still lacked confidence when it came to high society culture. Wearing such a tradition-breaking outfit was quite a frightening thing for a beginner like me.

I wanted to believe the maids when they said I was beautiful, but…

Full of worry, I stood before my husband’s door. Just as I hesitated over whether to knock, the door burst open.

“……We’ll handle that tomorrow. For now, Marion comes fir—……”

My eyes went wide as I looked up at Victor.

No matter how much time passed, I would likely never grow accustomed to his appearance. Dressed in the black and elegant formal attire of a Grand Duke, he looked truly like a painting. With one strand of hair swept back and his shirt buttoned up to his neck, heat still rose to my cheeks.

Was it because I had only seen him in comfortable clothes lately?

I gazed up at him as if entranced, then suddenly realized Victor had fallen silent as well.

“Victor?”

At my call, he finally blinked. As if waking from a dream.

“Ah…… forgive me. I was momentarily…….”

His eyes looked at me quietly. Then he suddenly burst into laughter.

“You truly dazzle me no matter when I look at you. To think I am married to a woman like you—could there be another soul as fortunate as I?”

He pressed his lips courteously to the back of my gloved hand. But the gaze with which he looked at me was scorching, as though he would devour me. In an instant, the bridge of my nose turned red. I quickly covered my face with a fan and looked up at him.

From beyond the fan, Victor smiled bewitchingly.

“Shall we go down now? I must boast of your beauty to all of the North.”

I nodded.

Suddenly, all the worries I had been harboring until just now vanished. If Victor thought I was beautiful, it didn’t matter how others judged my appearance. The only person I wanted to look beautiful for was Victor.

I gripped Victor’s hand tightly.

The noise of the banquet hall gradually drew nearer.

❖ ❖ ❖

“His Excellency Victor Mort, Grand Duke of Mort, and Her Excellency Amarion Mort, Grand Duchess of Mort!”

I slowly stepped into the banquet hall.

The first-floor ballroom, which I had thought excessively large when I first saw it, was now packed full of people.

They had said far more people would arrive on the day itself. There were more unfamiliar faces than those who had come for the audience. The endlessly lavish dresses, jewels, and cufflinks made my eyes swim.

In the past, I would have frozen stiff, but I held my head high and descended the stairs with Victor.

I could hear the people’s whispers clearly.

“……She is truly remarkable, as rumored. To think she stands out so boldly even beside His Excellency the Grand Duke…….”

“After all, she is a formidable knight, is she not? I heard she was the greatest swordmaster in the kingdom…….”

“……That dress is…… beautiful as well. Where might she have ordered it?”

“I heard such clothes are in fashion in the Kingdom. I wonder if one can order them in Mort as well?”

I bit the inside of my mouth desperately. The praise was so embarrassing. For the first time, I resented my sharp senses.

Then, a soft laugh sounded from above me.

“See? I told you that you were beautiful.”

I looked up at Victor with a flushed face.

I wished he hadn’t heard that. This infamous knight possessed ears every bit as sharp as mine.

“……You seem to be enjoying yourself.”

“Of course. How could I not be joyful when you are in my arms?”

He smiled and pulled me into his embrace.

Once we took our position at the center, the music soon began. The new dress was comfortable to dance in as well. However the tailor had sewn it, the lower part of the skirt parted slightly whenever I moved my legs. Entrusting my body to Victor, I spun round and round, savoring my husband’s beautiful face to my heart’s content.

Soon the first dance ended. Yet he did not release my hand. I raised an eyebrow and asked,

“Shall we dance more?”

“No. As hosts of the banquet, it is proper to dance the first dance and then rest briefly.”

“Then why are you……?”

Victor answered with a genial smile.

“I am guarding you so that no other man may ask you to dance.”

My cheeks flushed with fluster.

No matter how much we had decided to be honest with each other, wasn’t this too honest? Even so, dancing with only one person all night was against etiquette…….

“Surely you don’t intend to keep dancing only with me?”

“If you wish it. Is there a dance you would like to perform?”

“No, that’s not what I meant……”

With a continued bright smile, Victor swept his gaze across the hall. Most were paired up and dancing, but even those who were not dancing dared not look this way.

Surely he wasn’t thinking of driving people away all night? No, could he possibly intend to do this for all three days of the ball?

I did enjoy dancing with him, but this was truly too embarrassing!

Then, familiar footsteps approached.

“Oh my, are you not dancing, my Lady?”

I turned my head and broke into a wide smile.

“Catarina.”

“Lady Catarina smiled and curtsied.”

As she had been in the capital, her attire was dazzlingly splendid enough to blind one’s eyes. Despite days of work, she was shining brilliantly.

To think she was this perfect even when tired. This aspect was subtly similar to Victor. Was that why the two of them got along so well?

Before me, Victor and Catarina exchanged greetings with bright smiles.

“It seems it has been a while, Lady Catarina. I heard you have been terribly busy.”

“Even so, I must naturally attend the first banquet hosted by a close friend. However, Your Excellency is clinging like a cicada to an elm tree, so I find it quite reassuring.”

“Would a cuckoo that has flown to a tree with an owner do nothing but cry like a cicada?”

“Oh my? A cuckoo would at least leave when the tree shakes its body.”

I frowned at a conversation I could not understand at all.

Cuckoo…… what?

Someone muttered blankly from behind me.

“You need not understand it, my Lady.”

I turned my head in surprise. Eyes burning red hair, rare in the North, came into view. The man clicked his tongue.

“That is top-tier rhetoric, even in high society. What business would someone like you have participating in such a wicked exchange?”

“Lord Kalts!”

I welcomed the knight with a bright smile. He had not accompanied the subjugation and had left on vacation immediately after my return, so it had been a very long time since I had seen his face. He used to attend every banquet with me.

I asked my first escort knight, who was well-versed in social etiquette.

“Is that a wicked exchange?”

“Yes. It is a conversation so dark-hearted it would make even a dragon’s tongue wag.”

Kalts declared.

Still unable to understand well, I set aside my questions out of delight and asked after his well-being first.

“When did you return to the castle? Your vacation period should still be ongoing.”

“I arrived just today.”

“Did you visit your hometown?”

“No? Why would I go there?”

He grimaced and waved his hands.

“I had business and was away from Mort for a while. It was something I had been working on since the subjugation force departed……”

Kalts’s blue eyes turned toward Victor and Catarina, who were still conversing with smiles. He wasn’t even drinking the champagne he held, so the conversation seemed to be quite entertaining.

Kalts let out a deep sigh.

“Well, never mind. If she hasn’t told you, there must be a reason.”

“……?”

“Would you care for a dance? Let’s leave those two to their own devices.”

Kalts playfully extended his hand to me with my head tilted.

I shook off my questions and took his hand.

❖ ❖ ❖

We melted into the waves of dresses. Facing each other again, I saw that Kalts was dressed not in a knight’s armor but in the formal attire of a nobleman.

Was this the first time I had seen him like this?

After exchanging greetings quite like a lady and a gentleman, we began to spin among the people.

Kalts, politely taking my arm and leading the dance, asked,

“That dress is unique. Whose work is it?”

“I don’t know the tailor well, but Catarina recommended the design.”

“I had a feeling.”

Kalts clicked his tongue.

“She has detested suffocating dresses since she was young. She said she’d die of breathlessness if she wore corsets and petticoats. I suppose she’s using this chance to change fashion entirely.”

“…….”

“Why do you look at me like that?”

Hmm.

I was dense when it came to such things, but if they had talked about such things, didn’t that mean they were quite close? Then why did they keep pretending to be on bad terms?

I barely shook off the question that had arisen and stepped to the music. After spinning around briskly once, I gripped Kalts’s hand and stepped back, then drew one step closer again.

Kalts burst into a short laugh.

“In the capital, my Lady was always listless.”

I smiled back bitterly.

“I didn’t adapt well there.”

“How could that possibly be your fault?”

Kalts took my hand and spun me around, then let out a deep sigh.

“Those who uttered rude words are the problem. You have no idea how much His Excellency scolded me for not noticing something was amiss until the duel.”

“I still feel sorry for you when I think of that time.”

“No, I should have taken better care of you. At the very least, I should have been the one to duel.”

“Why? Because I am a delicate noblewoman?”

At my little joke, Kalts let out a deep sigh.

“Because I am tired of the flood of requests for swordsmanship demonstrations rushing to Mort from every knight order.”

“What? Surely not to me?”

“Of course. You have even earned the nickname Dragon Slayer after this subjugation, so it will only get worse. Everyone will be desperate to catch even a glimpse of your sword, will they not?”

My ears burned as I stepped back.

“……Please spread the rumor properly that it was a basilisk.”

“My Lady, if a basilisk is that size, it is a dragon. I nearly fainted reading the report.”

Kalts pointed out bluntly.

Really, it wasn’t like I had hunted it alone.

I ended the dance feeling needlessly embarrassed.

It was time to change partners, but Kalts and I naturally slipped away from the crowd. We drank a honey-infused beverage from the table and caught our breath.

Kalts looked around leisurely.

“All in all, it is a splendid banquet, my Lady. I thought I would never see such a thing in the North.”

“Thank you, Kalts.”

“You have no idea how happy I am to see you grow so splendidly, my Lady.”

He made an exaggerated show of wiping away tears. The sight was so quintessentially Kalts that I burst out laughing. The knight spoke in a sincere tone.

“I hope that you and His Excellency continue on just like this in the future. Without a worry, happily, for a long, long time.”

I looked at him quietly.

I was about to answer, “Of course we will,” when Kalts suddenly flinched in surprise and hunched his neck.

“Eek, well then, I shall take my leave now. Please put in a good word for me, my Lady!”

I watched Kalts vanish in a flash, then turned my head. In the distance, Victor was approaching with a thoroughly annoyed expression.

I finally burst into laughter.

❖ ❖ ❖

And so, the first ball ended in great success.

After Kalts, numerous nobles came to greet me, but Mary appeared out of nowhere and recited their names from behind me, so I was able to avoid embarrassment.

Victor stayed thoroughly by my side, but he nevertheless kindly received those who approached as a lord should.

Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves. It was rewarding to see them praise the banquet I had prepared with such care and acknowledge me as the lady of the house. Since it was a ball, it was a bit difficult to have deep conversations or memorize faces, but I could slowly become familiar with those things over the remaining days of the banquet.

For my part, I was simply happy to have successfully completed my debut into Northern high society.

After the guests left one by one, I went up to the bedroom. After washing up leisurely and lying in bed, Victor entered wearing a nightgown.

“Why do you keep making me want to cut off Kalts’s nose?”

He asked in a tone that made it impossible to tell if he was joking or serious.

I shot him a sidelong glance.

“Where has my gentlemanly husband gone?”

“Any gentleman who saw you earlier would have wanted to keep you locked in his arms.”

He smiled and kissed the tip of my nose. His soft nightclothes rustled.

I lay down in bed. Victor naturally pulled me into his arms and lay down beside me.

I gently caressed the back of his hand.

“Lord Kalts was wishing for your happiness and mine.”

“……Because he is a good friend.”

“It must be nice to have a childhood friend by your side.”

I felt Victor’s gaze turn toward me.

I quietly closed my eyes.

Was it because the first banquet had ended safely? Strangely, sentimentality washed over me.

I had never imagined I would host such a banquet and mingle naturally with other nobles. As I exchanged proper conversation and received greetings from young ladies, I kept thinking of the people of Amari.

Victor asked,

“……What were your friends like?”

I answered quietly.

“They were all cheerful, and young.”

As was the case for everyone, I had childhood friends too. Even though I was the child of a lord, I had learned the sword and was practically raised by the village people, so it was even more so.

I had run around with wooden swords with children my age, picked small flowers, and played at making fire with flint. They were the ones who had first made the promise that when we grew up and I became the lord, I would feed them stew to their hearts’ content.

But Amari was a land where children could not easily survive.

I changed the subject.

“How was the ball? Did you enjoy it?”

Victor asked no more. Instead, he half-raised himself and looked down at me.

“Yes. Because you were there.”

He softly kissed my forehead. Seeing his warm smile, my sinking heart eased slightly.

“I’m glad. I wanted you to enjoy it.”

“I?”

“Yes.”

“I told you, anything you give me is wonderful.”

He spouted sweet words once again. But I pulled Victor close and burst into laughter.

“Don’t lie, you picky eater.”

Victor smiled broadly.

Giggling, I pulled him into a kiss.

❖ ❖ ❖

But happiness did not last long. From the next morning, I had to sit in the bathtub as soon as the sun rose.

“You must hurry, my Lady!”

Mary nagged at me as she woke me up, drowsy and yawning.

“There is a salon party in the morning, so you must receive a massage with fragrant oils, choose your dress and jewels, and pick out what you will wear in the afternoon as well!”

I let out a deep sigh. That’s right. The ball was not truly an event that ended in a single night.

The official events themselves consisted only of three balls held over three nights and four days, but during these consecutive days of social banquets, countless social gatherings were held in between. And the flower of all these gatherings was, of course, the salon party hosted by the lady of the house.

It remained open throughout the banquet period, a place where all ladies could gather. Depending on the hostess’s disposition, it could become a venue for exchanging music, art, and the like.

Honestly speaking, I was more nervous than at the ball.

The ball was very loud and there were many people, but the party was not. Only a limited number of women could enter the “White Starlight Salon.” Guests were invited in turns after carefully considering status and familial connections several times over, and only after that did it become a space left freely open.

Thus, here I inevitably had to converse closely with people I did not know.

In fact, I did not even know exactly who had been invited. Dietrich and Mary had taken charge of compiling the list.

They would not have invited anyone I disliked…… but there were bound to be some they had no choice but to invite because of their position…… Honestly, if there was a woman like Nanell Welch, they would have had no choice but to invite her, wouldn’t they?

What if someone else hated me?

Mary pressed me as I shrank further and further.

“Oh come now, my Lady! You handled the audience perfectly, so why are you like this?”

“That wasn’t a place where everyone conversed together. They might think I’m boring……”

“You do not need to be entertaining at all, my Lady! You are the mistress of the salon. Naturally, it is the guests who should bring interesting stories!”

“But……”

Mary cut off my mumbling like a knife.

“Hold out your hands. I will apply the fragrant oil.”

“Yes……”

In the end, I resignedly entrusted my arms to the girls.

After the massage was finished, I put on new clothes. Today’s outfit was less elegant than yesterday’s but was an even more splendid dress. The light blue dress had semi-transparent chiffon around the shoulders, and the hem of the widely flared skirt was full of lace. However, the distinctive mermaid-like silhouette remained the same.

The maids curled my hair into ringlets and let them fall long, then placed a sapphire-studded circlet and a small tiara upon my head.

According to the maids’ explanation, the theme was a mermaid that had just emerged above the water.

A mermaid coming above the water—shouldn’t that be killed immediately then……?

A familiar voice roused me from my serious contemplation.

“—Indeed, the Grand Duchess’s maids have excellent taste.”

I checked my opponent in the mirror and smiled brightly.

“Good morning, Catarina.”

“Good morning, Amarion. The weather is perfectly suited to the day after a magnificent ball.”

She gestured toward the cloudless, clear sky beyond the window.

From outside, the murmuring voices of male nobles could already be heard. Catarina looked down at them with apparent regret.

“The gentlemen are having boat races, are they not? I enjoy them too, so it is a pity I cannot join.”

“Is the separation between men and women so severe even outside the capital?”

“Of course. It is even worse here, they say.”

Catarina shook her head.

Today as well, she was dressed exorbitantly enough to take one’s breath away. The unusual thing was that she wore a stiff red velvet dress and classical black pearl accessories.

Catarina usually wore dresses that were just as comfortable and unique as the one I now wore, so today it was strange to see her in such a stiff, uncomfortable outfit that did not suit her tastes.

When I sent her a questioning look, she gave a bitter smile.

“I have to do this so I won’t be ignored.”

What did she mean?

Before I could ask, the maids fastened a bracelet around my wrist and finished my face makeup.

As I rose from my seat, Catarina made a suggestion.

“Shall we walk to the salon together? The weather is lovely.”

She smiled softly.

I smiled back brightly and nodded.

“Very well. You girls go on ahead.”

“Yes, my Lady!”

The excited maids rushed out in a group.

Would they enjoy themselves so much? I smiled and left the room with Catarina.

❖ ❖ ❖

The corridors of Mort Castle were resplendent. The newly replaced blue carpet, and even the suits of armor that had stood for decades, shone with a splendid luster. It was all thanks to the servants who had devoted themselves to preparing for the banquet with tremendous passion, sweeping and polishing the castle.

“As I thought, I must give rewards to everyone when the ball ends.”

Catarina laughed at my words.

“Amarion, you truly are too kind a mistress.”

“Am I?”

“Ordinary ladies of the house do not give bonuses to servants every time there is a banquet.”

I tilted my head.

If they do more work than usual, isn’t it natural to give them more money? Mercenaries receive additional pay when a hunt drags on; wouldn’t it be unfair for servants to receive less simply because they are employed by the estate and receive a salary? A mercenary can at least terminate their contract, but it is difficult for servants to quit.

So there are truly petty people out there, I thought quietly, then looked at Catarina again. She was still smiling gently.

“I saw yesterday that you and His Excellency the Grand Duke are quite close.”

“Yes…….”

My cheeks flushed red.

Had we really looked so intimate as to be embarrassing?

But she did not seem to be teasing. Catarina, holding a fan to her lips, looked serious.

“Before, you both somehow seemed tense. These days, you look comfortable.”

“We talked a lot during the subjugation.”

I smiled shyly.

The subjugation expedition had ultimately been an event where I came to understand myself and Victor better.

Both he and I had matured little by little, and our relationship had grown healthier than before. I could hardly remember the times when I had been afraid of him, when we had harbored guilt toward each other, when we had argued.

Catarina smiled quietly.

“That is good. So, are you happy?”

“Happy…… yes. These days, every day feels like a dream.”

“I see…….”

She lowered her long eyelashes.

Strangely, she seemed lost in thought. She was someone who always stated her opinions firmly, yet she somehow looked hesitant.

What was it?

A question arose. Lately, she had truly been acting strangely. But Catarina soon smiled brightly.

“Then let us go look around the garden. When I was working this morning and looked down, I saw the gardener had put up splendid decorations.”

She linked her arm through mine and led me.

After looking around the garden with her a bit more, I headed toward the salon.

❖ ❖ ❖

The “White Starlight Salon” was already a sea of people. Although it was not yet time for the party to begin, the ladies had all come out early to claim their spots. My maids had already slipped on pretty dresses and inserted themselves among the women.

Lacking the courage to enter, I observed the situation from outside the door for a moment.

Young girls who had likely not even debuted were asking the maids excitedly.

“Is Her Excellency’s swordsmanship truly that incredible?”

“Of course. Haven’t you heard the story that she hunted a dragon in Fidelburg? The giant hide is still preserved there in Fidelburg!”

It wasn’t a dragon…….

Mary, who knew the truth, did not correct them for some reason. She simply listened with a genteel smile.

‘Mary, why aren’t you correcting them?’

Just as I was feeling embarrassed, another young lady asked.

“But how did His Excellency the Grand Duke meet Her Excellency? The rumors say you married after meeting at a swordsmanship tournament……”

“I heard they met on a battlefield? That His Excellency went all the way to the Kingdom in search of an outstanding knight and met her.”

“That rumor is somewhat mistaken.”

This time, Mary quickly cut in. The girl held her fan rather primly.

“Naturally, she was brought here after formal marriage negotiations. It was a marriage arranged by the King of the Kingdom himself, no less.”

“Oh my, is that true?”

“Of course. Her Excellency was born to a Count’s family, a proper lady accomplished in both harp playing and embroidery. How could such a lady have been brought here in such a hasty manner?”

Wait, that’s far too blatant a lie.

Catarina stopped me as I turned pale and tried to intervene. She giggled and said,

“Your maids are truly loyal.”

“I-is it really okay for her to do that?”

“What does it matter? It’s not entirely wrong.”

Even though she’d heard the entire story of how I met Victor from me!

Catarina said this shamelessly and tugged at my sleeve.

“Come, let us enter now, Amarion. All the ladies are waiting for you.”

I gulped and mustered my courage to step into the salon.

❖ ❖ ❖

The sight of all the women in the salon curtsying to me was not something I saw for the first time. My station was high enough that I had seen such sights everywhere during the social season.

However, the expressions were different. Here, everyone looked at me as a lady who belonged in this place.

“We greet Your Excellency.”

I smiled at them as they greeted me and took the seat of honor.

Soon the musicians began to play soft music. Attendants brought out tea and light refreshments. It was a classical Imperial-style tea party.

Fortunately, my maids, Catarina, and Lady Yulianna were all seated nearby. Catarina was the heir to a Count, and Yulianna was the daughter of a Count and the fiancée of the next Knight Commander, so they were of appropriately matching rank, but it was undoubtedly Dietrich who had deliberately seated them near me as a consideration.

But I would not be able to talk only to them throughout the party.

As expected, it wasn't long before the crowd parted and a middle-aged noblewoman approached. She was impossible to mistake. After all, she had been the first to greet me at yesterday's ball as well.

The greatest figure in the northern social circle. Recalling what I had heard from Mary and Leonard during the subjugation campaign, I addressed her.

"Countess Oxburg."

"I greet Your Highness."

Countess Oxburg greeted me elegantly.

Diana Oxburg. She was a woman who had practically led the northern social circles for decades. Famous since her youth for her refinement and wealth, she wore a comparatively modest-looking dress, but her hands and wrists were laden with jeweled accessories.

The Oxburg family owned several mines and was said to be one of the wealthiest families in the north. Recalling Mary's words, I smiled kindly.

"Thank you for coming to my party, Countess."

"The honor is mine, Your Highness. I am deeply moved to set foot in the Starlight Salon again, which I last visited when I first debuted in society."

The Countess replied with a warm smile. It was perfect etiquette without a single flaw.

But Katarina and Mary whispered behind their fans.

"How brazen."

"Reminding everyone that she debuted here first—truly acting like the woman who rules society."

Was that what it was? I had simply thought it was a polite greeting.

While I was bewildered, another woman appeared. She was a gorgeous beauty in a rose-colored dress with exposed shoulders. Her lips, painted with bright red rouge, stood out starkly. Naturally, I knew her too.

The second greatest figure in high society,

"Countess Helvant?"

"I am delighted to see you again, Your Highness!"

The woman broke into a wide, toothy grin. Unlike Countess Oxburg, her demeanor was exceedingly lively.

The young Countess Helena Helvant was a new flower who had bloomed in society a few years ago. The northern nobles, accustomed only to Countess Oxburg's elegant banquets, had found the countess's candid and provocative attitude refreshing. Moreover, since her mother, the previous countess, had passed down the title early, she appeared at every gathering in the north with followers in tow, making a splendid entrance.

She approached with an excited air. A thick scent of perfume wafted strongly. The Countess spoke to me passionately.

"Please, call me Helena, Your Highness. If you host a ball as wonderful as yesterday's, I would be your friend anytime!"

"—Still as ill-mannered as ever, Helena."

An elegant voice cut in. Countess Helvant's eyes turned icy in an instant. She whipped her head around and donned an exceedingly artificial smile.

"Why, Diana! I didn't see you there."

Countess Oxburg smiled serenely. But her voice was colder than the frozen plains of Amari.

"I do wonder when exactly the Countess will conduct herself in a manner befitting that name."

"Oh my? You are still in your prime to call yourself an old matron. Why, you look younger than my etiquette teacher."

"Helena had an etiquette teacher? That is a surprise. She seems quite incompetent at her job; perhaps you should dismiss her?"

"Thank you for your concern! But my teacher is a wonderful person. She says that artificial attitudes are poison."

Sparks flew between the two women.

I let out a secret sigh.

Unfortunately, these two great figures who divided the northern social circle were on extremely bad terms. Countess Helvant's provocative style of speech clashed with Countess Oxburg, who valued decorum. Because of this, it was said that the social circle was embroiled in endless conflict these days.

'Then which one is the good side?'

When I had asked, Mary cut in with an incredulous expression.

'Both of them are the bad side!'

'Really?'

'Because those two fight all the time, northern banquets are always treading on thin ice. If you don't join a faction, it's hard to even get invited to banquets.'

Mary rattled on.

'That's why you must speak firmly to them now, my lady! Only then will the mood change!'

I was sure I had nodded in agreement to that passionate plea......

I looked desperately at Katarina and Yulianna with pleading eyes.

No matter how I thought about it, I was ill-suited for this sort of thing. I would gladly fight with a sword, but this place, where people fought with words and feathered fans, was practically an unknown world to me.

Surprisingly, Yulianna stepped forward. She clasped her slender hands and rose from her seat.

"Countess Oxburg, Countess Helvant. Though it may breach etiquette, might I greet you first?"

The two women, who had been glaring at each other, turned to Yulianna simultaneously. Their eyes softened upon recognizing her. Countess Oxburg asked kindly.

"It's been a while, Yulianna. Has your fever subsided?"

"Thanks to your concern, Countess, I have fully recovered. Thank you for the medicine you sent last time."

"Has Leonard Odo proposed to you? Surely he hasn't failed to do so by now?"

"Helena!"

Countess Oxburg cried out sharply. But Yulianna merely lowered her eyes shyly.

"Not yet. But he said he will send a formal letter requesting marriage soon."

"What is that man dragging his feet for? Leaving such a fine bride-to-be alone like this."

"You flatter me, Countess."

Yulianna bowed respectfully.

I looked back and forth between the three in surprise.

The two noblewomen who had been growling at each other like chimeras fighting over territory had quietly subsided.

Mary explained in a low voice.

"Young Lady Yulianna is one of the few ladies who is close to nearly every woman without joining a faction. She is intelligent and beautiful, her house and manners are flawless......"

"—Because she is frail, and has a fiancé who wanders the battlefield."

Yulianna, who had returned before we knew it, finished the sentence. We looked at her with surprised eyes. Countess Oxburg and Countess Helvant had already returned to the noblewomen they were close with.

Yulianna picked up her teacup with pale hands. Then she explained calmly.

"I have been weak since childhood, so I was the object of many noblewomen's worries. Because I lost my mother when I was young, I received help from many ladies at my debutante ball. In that sense, Countess Oxburg is no different from a godmother to me."

"......"

"Moreover, I have never received courtship from any noble young lord. Because I had a beloved fiancé since childhood. Therefore, the young noblewomen who seek the admiration of men pity me, but do not see me as a rival."

Yulianna smiled.

"That is how I have been able to maintain a neutral position in society."

I inwardly admired her.

Normally, such things would be considered weaknesses in society, but Yulianna used them all as a shield to protect herself.

She asked me.

"You wish to stabilize the situation in society, do you not, Your Highness?"

"Yes, that's right."

"I can be of help. Please use me as you see fit."

"Use you, Yulianna?"

But she remained composed.

"Fidelburg has received your help, so I will support you unconditionally, Your Highness. Furthermore, you are my fiancé's liege lord."

She smiled brightly.

"You saved Leonard. So please, allow me to help you this time."

"Yulianna......"

"Now, Your Highness. Won't you offer some tea?"

Yulianna raised her teacup. Katarina also smiled and lifted her cup.

Rising amidst a swirling mixture of gratitude and embarrassment, I stood up. The ladies' gazes turned toward me simultaneously. The first cup offered after all guests have assembled need not be raised depending on one's closeness to the host. But the noblewomen looked at me and those beside me, and soon all raised their teacups.

Looking around at the women, I spoke.

"Thank you for attending and gracing the occasion with your presence today. I hope you all have a pleasant time at my salon."

The women nodded amicably. The sound of teacups being set down was followed by warm laughter spreading through the room.

I sat down, letting out a sigh of relief.

The salon atmosphere flowed along peacefully. Thanks to Countess Oxburg and Countess Helvant no longer clashing. While Katarina and Yulianna conversed with others, I also spoke with several people.

Some young ladies nearly fainted simply because I addressed them, but still, everyone was kind, and I could tell they were enjoying their time here.

After making a circuit of the salon, I looked for Katarina. At a glance, Katarina was standing in a corner of the salon with noblewomen I did not recognize.

As I tried to approach, I heard a voice.

"...Hmm, it has been quite some time since I heard such a direct remark."

It was Katarina.

But her tone was unusual. She was smiling, but it was a rather threatening smile, unlike her usual self.

She slowly repeated the question.

"You asked me why I vulgarly wander the continent making money?"

My mouth fell open.

Who in the world would dare say such a thing to Katarina Cataleion? To the greatest merchant on the continent, the head of the Cataleion Company?

A passage from an etiquette book I had read in the capital suddenly flitted through my mind.

In the old days, nobles had looked unfavorably upon working and earning money themselves. There had been the belief that one should live solely on the taxes collected from one's estate, though this notion was gradually fading now.

No way.

Katarina continued softly.

"Those with old-fashioned thoughts still consider it vulgar for a noble to earn money directly. But without money, how could my family have bought the position of count?"

"Young Lady Katarina!"

The noblewoman across from her cried out in shock. The lady trembled and pressed her fan to her lips.

"A title is a sacred thing granted by His Imperial Majesty! To speak of it in such a manner is......"

"Lese-majesté, you mean?"

The lady's body shook as if she were about to faint. She looked fit to collapse simply from hearing the words "lese-majesté."

But Katarina was smiling.

"No, my lady. My family received the title because we offered sufficient gold to the Imperial family. That is what merchants call a purchase."

"Vulgar...... Such vulgar words!"

"Realistic ones."

Katarina snorted coldly.

"How worthless is rank? A bankrupt noble must grovel upon the ground and beg, becoming worse off than an honest farmer. Meanwhile, a commoner, if clever or wealthy enough, can obtain a title. And yet nobles think labor is vulgar."

"Young lady, you......!"

"I hope you will change your thinking as well, my lady. Rather than marrying the heir of a count's family to become a countess, is it not far better to work for yourself and become a count?"

She broke into a radiant smile and turned away. It was an attitude without a moment's hesitation.

I stood holding my fan, gazing at her retreating figure for quite some time.

❖ ❖ ❖

The salon party did not end until late afternoon.

I returned to my room, took a brief bath, and let my maids rest.

"Won't you need time to prepare as well, if you're going to the ball later?"

At my words, the maids chorused excitedly.

"Then we'll see you later, my lady!"

Smiling, I sent the girls out and sat on the sofa.

The Adventures of the Wandering Knight Dordophin, which I had opened for the first time in a while, was showing the rather tedious process of Dordophin returning to the tower of the Grand Duchess Flamberge. As I turned the pages with my hand, my mind wandered.

It felt as though I was seeing the true nature of the people around me, which I had only vaguely known, for the first time.

Yulianna was a strategist. I had known she was an outstanding administrator, but I hadn't realized she was someone who could turn even her own weaknesses into weapons. She was even fulfilling the role of a Knight Commander's wife, who must maintain political neutrality.

Katarina, on the other hand, was a revolutionary. She had worn a classical gown to give no one cause to fault her, yet she would not forgive anyone who insulted her family's work. Even after nearly dying from an injury, she hadn't stopped trading. She was someone who overturned the world's prejudices and obtained whatever she desired.

Though their positions differed, they were women who knew exactly what they had to do. The responsibilities and rights that came with their stations. Unlike me, who had always failed despite being the successor of a lord......

Just then, the door opened.

"Marion, may I enter?"

I quickly lifted my head and smiled.

"Of course, Victor."

Soon, Victor entered the room. He appeared to have finished his schedule and changed his clothes, for he was wearing a comfortable shirt.

He pressed his lips affectionately to my forehead.

"I missed you."

Even his whispered words were different.

I shook off my worries and smiled.

"Did you enjoy the boating?"

"It was not bad. But Kalz and I do not particularly enjoy being on boats."

Victor shrugged his shoulders deliberately.

It was a story from the War of the Southern Kingdom. That war must have been a terrible memory for him. Even so, he had overcome it enough to finally speak of it aloud.

I wished I could do the same.

Perhaps because I was tense from the social banquet, more negative thoughts crept in today than usual. I squeezed my eyes shut and pulled Victor close. With my face buried in his shirt, I murmured.

"You smell of roses."

"I added rose fragrance to my bathwater."

"I see......"

He made a nonchalant proposal.

"Come watch next time. I would even open the bathroom to you."

"What?!"

I snapped to attention. I quickly lifted my head and stared at Victor.

How could he...... how could he say such embarrassing things so shamelessly? Without so much as changing his expression.

I rebuked him with a flushed face.

"Is teasing me that amusing?"

"Teasing? I am quite serious."

He chuckled and cupped my cheek.

"When I decided to keep you by my side, that was my first resolve. To stop at nothing."

"......"

"If I can captivate you with my own body, what reason is there to hesitate?"

He laughed, low and dangerous, and traced my lips. The finger that touched them was hot.

I averted my gaze.

"...I truly cannot believe you've never met another woman."

"Oh, that wounds me. I have simply tried my utmost."

"If that is something one can achieve through effort, I would have become a far more alluring noblewoman than I am now."

"But you are alluring enough as it is?"

We were not communicating. I let out a deep sigh. I recalled the words of the women of Amari. They said that newlywed men all lost their senses completely. That they would brag about their plainly ordinary spouse as if she were the greatest beauty on the continent.

I shook my head in embarrassment. Victor looked down at me as if I were endearing. He cupped my cheek with his hand.

"That is why you are so cute."

"Victor, ah!"

He lifted me as if we were dancing. I quickly clung to him, and Victor gently set me down in the bedroom connected to the lady's chamber. I looked up at him with wide eyes. He climbed onto the bed after me and looked down at me quietly. Smiling thinly, he whispered.

"There is some time before dinner. What do you say?"

The touch against my cheek was seductive beyond compare.

This man, really. I shouldn't......

But in the end, I lost to his temptation once again.

"...Lock the door when you come in."

Victor smiled broadly and pressed his hot lips to mine.

❖ ❖ ❖

In the end, we were unable to attend the ball that night.

Since it was not the final ball, it was not absolutely necessary for the lord and lady of the house to attend, and perhaps everyone would understand but...... it was still unspeakably embarrassing. To spend the night in bed with my husband and end up sleeping until the next day.

I blinked at the morning sun rising outside the window. Because it was autumn, the slowly rising sun shone brilliantly. Turning to the side, I saw Victor sleeping peacefully. His black hair was spread out like silk.

I buried my face in my knees alone and stifled a sigh.

As expected, he was too beautiful. Enough to blow away any sense of reality in an instant.

The cold of Amari, which had lingered around my neck all my life; the countless worries and resolutions from before coming to the Empire; even the wounds I had thought would be lodged in my soul forever—they all felt cleanly forgotten.

If only every day could be like today. As I thought this, a voice called from outside.

"Your Highnesses, it is time to wake up."

It was the servants, their voices anxious.

Today as well, we had to hold banquets and gatherings from early in the morning; it seemed they had come to check on us because we had not risen.

Victor, who had woken up at some point, murmured with his eyes still closed.

"What do you think about using illness as an excuse to not leave the room?"

"Mary would burst in here with an armful of medicinal herbs."

"I suppose so......"

He opened his eyes with a sigh. The sight of his disheveled hair and golden irises brimming with dissatisfaction made a laugh burst out of me.

Just like a puppy waking from sleep.

I playfully kissed his cheek.

"You must be patient, Victor. In any case, the official schedule ends today."

He let out an exaggerated sigh and raised himself up.

The third day of the four-day, three-night ball was dawning.

❖ ❖ ❖

Today's afternoon salon party was held as a concert. Of course, it was still an atmosphere where one could freely drink tea and converse. Thanks to the music, conversation topics never ran dry; it was said to be a consistently popular style of party in the Empire.

The atmosphere was naturally lighter than yesterday. The Empire and its social circles had been at constant war, so there were many northern ladies who had been unable to meet one another and did not know each other well. Over the past two days, as they grew acquainted, the mood had improved as well.

I observed the women conversing peacefully and lost myself in the instrumental performance.

The orchestra Diederik had invited was indeed skilled. Though the melodies were exceedingly beautiful to listen to, what I found most amazing was how freely they handled such difficult instruments.

If I practiced hard too...... No, no matter how hard I tried, that level would likely be impossible. But perhaps I could manage a performance that wouldn't torment the listeners?

I was thinking so hard that I missed the conversation going around the table.

"......Your Highness? Your Highness?"

"What?"

I quickly turned my head.

Yulianna wore an apologetic expression.

"Did I disturb your appreciation of the music?"

"No! What was your question?"

"I asked what type of man you prefer."

Across the table, Katarina grinned.

It took me a very long time to understand the question, and then my face turned bright red.

This was indeed a topic that came up quite often among unmarried young ladies.

"I am already married, you know."

"That doesn't mean you can't talk about your ideal type, does it? Tell us, Marion. We won't tell the Grand Duke."

Katarina coaxed me with mischievous eyes. Yulianna and Mary, seated opposite, also looked brimming with interest.

In the end, I answered with a flushed face.

"I...... I think I like men who are stronger than me."

Silence flowed over the table for a moment. The three women exchanged glances I couldn't understand.

Mary assessed the situation.

"The Grand Duke and my lady were truly destined."

Is that so? Even if men stronger than me are not common, there should be more out there.

But I did not feel like denying it. Victor was perfect in every way—skill, appearance, and the passion he held for me. I furiously stirred my black tea in embarrassment, then quickly changed the subject.

"Then what about the three of you? What is your ideal type?"

Yulianna smiled quietly.

"I have been with one person for so long that I do not have a separate ideal."

"But an ideal type and a fiancé are different! Is there nothing you dreamed of in your girlhood?"

"All those dreams reside with Leonard as well."

Mary let out a soft gasp and covered her mouth. Katarina shuddered.

"Lovers!"

Mary made a strange sound and turned her head away.

"It was my fault for asking someone who has a lover...... What about you, Miss Katarina?"

"I have no intention of marrying for the time being, so I have no ideal type."

"You're even worse than Miss Yulianna?! Still, if you *must* marry, you'd marry this kind of person! ......Don't you even have that?"

"Hmm, well......"

Katarina stroked her chin.

"If I had to say, I would like a southern man who hates the south. One who understands my upbringing, yet also hates being cooped up in a territory."

"......"

"He would need to be reasonably intelligent so we can communicate, moderately handsome, and from a house friendly to my own. I can't stand narrow-minded men who ask why a woman must involve herself in trade."

It was quite...... a demanding set of conditions.

But none of us three pointed that out. By coincidence, we all knew one man who fit those conditions perfectly.

Yulianna slowly opened her mouth.

"......I heard you conducted a trade rights investigation in Mort with Count Kalz this time?"

"Ah, yes. His intelligence network is quite useful. Our company is about to begin trade with Mort as well, so I also extracted some information about popular goods."

"......"

"Why bring up *that man* here of all places?"

Katarina furrowed her brow. As if we had made a promise, we closed our mouths.

I quickly changed the subject.

"What about you, Mary? Do you have an ideal type?"

"Hmm, well."

After a moment's thought, the girl freely confessed.

"I just think I like men who are rich and handsome."

Laughter burst out around the table.

"How wise you are, Miss Mary."

"I used to dream of marrying any gentleman of high rank, but I realized that even if I did, I wouldn't be happy."

At Mary's words, Katarina smiled.

"Indeed. Status may betray a person, but money never does."

"Appearance is important too. It is no easy thing to be with a man whose face displeases you."

Even Yulianna asserted firmly. Mary's eyes sparkled.

"Then surely, Young Lady Yulianna, Sir Leonard's appearance is the one you like best?"

"Hmm. To be precise, I actually prefer a face more like Sir Jean's......"

"Oh my, who might that be?"

The three women continued their conversation enjoyably for a while. I listened to their talk with a smile the entire time.

Being here, I felt I could understand why other noblewomen so enjoyed social gatherings. If they were all like yesterday and today, I would gladly hold them every day.

Perhaps it would be better to hold banquets more often?

While I was thinking, the orchestra finished their performance and stood up. I greeted each of them individually, then had the servants bring fresh tea. The salon became momentarily chaotic as empty plates were cleared.

Just then, I heard someone whispering from afar.

"......Can I touch it?"

"No! This belongs to the Grand Ducal house."

"But such a fine instrument is hard to even play once......"

Young ladies were conversing in front of the instruments the orchestra had left behind—instruments owned by the Grand Ducal house.

Though I didn't know much about it, I had heard that each instrument of the Grand Ducal house was tremendously valuable. Instrumental performance was a basic accomplishment for noble young ladies, but it was said that young ladies from less affluent houses had no choice but to use inherited instruments of poor quality.

Suddenly, their figures overlapped with my own self from long ago, watching fine swords from afar. The only thing I had ever coveted in my life was a sword, but as a poor country knight who barely had enough money to buy bread, I had no right to examine one up close.

I had thought, if only I could swing one just once......

I slowly rose and approached them.

"Are you interested in instruments?"

"Y-Your Highness!"

"If you would like, wouldn't you play these instruments for us?"

I asked with a smile.

But contrary to my expectations, the girls' faces paled in an instant. They bowed their heads deeply.

"I-It is presumptuous of us, Your Highness. Our skills are still lacking......"

"We do not have the ability to perform before so many noblewomen......"

Ah.

Only after hearing those words did I belatedly realize.

This place was filled with powerful northern noblewomen, including Countess Oxburg and Countess Helvant. Were they to perform here, they would undoubtedly receive countless judgments; that was why these girls were hesitant.

If they showed such interest in instruments, they must certainly have skill and passion.

Because I understood their hearts, I tilted my head.

And then, I simply laid it bare honestly.

"Well, the truth is, my instrumental skills are quite atrocious."

"W-what? Your Highness could not possibly......"

"It is true. At best, I can only pluck a few strings. It is my wish to practice hard and someday perform at least one song."

The girls looked at me with startled rabbit eyes.

I smiled brightly.

"If the hostess herself is so inept, how could we speak of skill in this salon?"

"Your Highness......"

“I merely wish for everyone to do as they please. A banquet is, after all, an occasion where all who attend should enjoy themselves.”

I, who had been speaking, suddenly turned my head.

The surroundings had gone quiet. The ladies in the salon had all stopped speaking and were looking at me.

Had my voice been that loud?

Worried that I had needlessly burdened the young ladies, my heart suddenly grew anxious. I was about to soothe the girls when, all of a sudden, Countess Oxburg rose from her seat.

“Wise words, Your Highness.”

She smiled with dignity.

“Those are words that make this old woman want to pick up an instrument for the first time in a long while.”

She went and sat in the musician’s seat. Then, astonishingly, she picked up the violin that no one else had dared to touch.

Count Helvant, standing behind me, pursed her lips.

“Oh, Diana. Always so sophisticated.”

But a clear smile hung upon those alluring red lips. She gestured playfully toward the fidgeting young ladies.

“What are you doing? The Countess of Oxburg is offering to play with you. That means you girls could sound like pigs being slaughtered all afternoon and no one could utter a word of criticism.”

“Pardon?”

“Then hurry up and sit down!”

She commanded, waving her feathered fan.

The young ladies started in surprise, then soon picked up their chosen instruments one by one. The empty seats were filled by noblewomen who volunteered, and the performance began at once.

Naturally, it was a creaking performance with no harmony at all. Yet everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves. There was a young lady who burst into laughter after making a mistake while playing a simple piece. There were noblewomen clapping as they watched. My friends, too, were all laughing and enjoying this raucous party.

So many wished to play instruments that the Countess of Oxburg soon set down her violin and stepped away. I expressed my sincere gratitude to her.

“Thank you for your help, my lady.”

“Thank you? It is I who should be thanking you.”

Countess Oxburg smiled gently.

“I cannot remember the last time we had such a lively banquet. Helena and I have grown so narrow-minded and set in our ways that we could not even host a proper feast….”

She frowned as she looked at Count Helvant, who was making strange sounds with a flute. But a smile still lingered on her lips.

“Looking back over the course of the banquet, the maids of this castle and even the merchants in the square all follow you, Your Highness. It is a remarkable thing. In Mort, the divide between noble and commoner runs deep; it is difficult for them to share the same thoughts.”

“….”

“You seem to know how to make people follow you.”

“You flatter me. I still have much to learn.”

“Oh my, for the lady of the house to say such a thing….”

The Countess opened her fan fully and bowed to me gracefully.

“I look forward to seeing what you will make of this land.”

I opened my mouth.

I had heard such words many times before, but coming from Diana, Countess Oxburg, it felt different. The rigorous etiquette lessons, the salon decorations, the hours spent worrying over the banquet—they all felt worthwhile once more. It felt as though I had truly been accepted as a qualified noblewoman.

I smiled broadly and nodded.

“Thank you, my lady.”

The Countess smiled benevolently.

The rest of the time passed enjoyably as well.

The gentlemen who returned from a simple ball game with leather balls and wooden sticks unbuttoned their shirts, providing a pleasing sight for the many noblewomen.

When the elderly ladies told me that Victor had been the handsomest man in Mort since he turned twenty, I was so embarrassed I could barely lift my head.

And before long, the sun had set.

❖ ❖ ❖

The final evening ball was held more gloriously than ever. In the square before the castle, the territory’s people danced joyfully with the orchestra and food I had sent.

The nobles’ ballroom was no less splendid. Count Helvant appeared in a dress similar in shape to mine for the first time, drawing attention, while Countess Oxburg gifted silk ribbons signifying congratulations to all the young ladies preparing for their debut, earning admiration.

Even the knights had returned after finishing their leave, so the hall was bustling.

As I exchanged greetings with knights I had not seen in a while, I could not help but feel regret. Because once the banquet ended, Yulianna and Katarina were scheduled to leave the castle.

Still, Yulianna would stay a few more days because of Leonard, but Katarina was busy with merchant guild affairs and said she would depart tomorrow at once. Having grown closer over the past few weeks, I truly felt saddened.

I glanced at Leonard, his face red as he danced with Yulianna in the distance, and at Katarina having what looked to be a serious conversation with Kalts. It was just like those two to not be dancing even now.

Soon, Maeri approached with flushed cheeks, having finished her dance.

“My Lady, will you not dance?”

“Mm. Watching everyone is enjoyable enough.”

“Did His Highness forbid you?”

Maeri looked toward Victor in the distance with suspicious eyes. I laughed and shook my head.

“No. I told him I wished to rest and pushed him away to be with others.”

Victor had only let me go after dancing with me three times today. He had insisted on staying by my side, but I had used the excuse of wanting to bid farewell to my friends to push him among the crowd.

It was his duty as Grand Duke, and honestly, I enjoyed watching him maintain propriety among the people.

Though the knights would faint if they heard it, I secretly found his resentful glances sent my way rather cute.

I sat with Maeri in chairs arranged around the ballroom. Before long, Yulianna and Katarina also approached.

“Thinking that we part tomorrow makes me sad.”

At my words, Katarina let out a sigh as well.

“I feel the same, Amarion. I truly enjoyed the time we spent together.”

“I know you must go…. Then, what are your plans for the future?”

“First, I must return to the capital and settle the merchant guild affairs that have piled up. Inform investors that my injuries have fully healed, report to my father… In any case, I will be busy with guild work as always.”

She smiled brightly. It was so like her to always do her best in her work.

Katarina turned to Yulianna.

“What of you? Will you return to Fidelburg?”

“No. I shall remain in the main castle a while longer before stopping by the House of Odo. We must discuss the wedding, after all.”

“What?!”

Maeri and I cried out simultaneously. Katarina’s eyes went wide as she asked.

“Marriage… you are getting married?”

“Yes.”

Yulianna’s face flushed slightly.

“He proposed this afternoon.”

“Congratulations, Yulianna!”

“Thank you, everyone.”

After a moment of shyness, she quickly continued with composure.

“But we plan to hold the ceremony next spring. I cannot leave Fidelburg until the situation there has fully stabilized.”

“Ah, so you will remain near the main castle after the wedding?”

“Yes. The knightly order’s headquarters is here, after all.”

I nodded.

Neither Leonard nor Yulianna were heirs to their houses, so they would not be inheriting territory or business. But if Leonard became the Knight Commander, Yulianna would undertake corresponding activities and oversee the order’s household.

“Will it not be difficult?”

When I asked worriedly, looking at her slender wrists, Yulianna shook her head.

“I have waited for this day for a long time. If Miss Katarina’s dream was to become a merchant guild master, my dream was to be an excellent lady of the house.”

Though it is not such a grand dream, she added with a shy smile.

I shook my head. I had learned all too well through this recent experience how difficult a lady’s work was. Though every woman was expected to do it naturally, caring for home and children and managing the household’s wealth was no easy task.

But Yulianna would do well. She was an outstanding administrator, and she loved Leonard deeply.

After a brief conversation, the same question was turned to Maeri.

“What will you do, Miss Maeri?”

“Me?”

“Yes. You once said your dream was to marry, but not anymore. You must have something you wish to do.”

At Yulianna’s words, Maeri reddened and clenched her fist. Then she spoke as if having made up her mind.

“I wish to write a book on herbalism.”

I looked at the girl in surprise.

Since the subjugation had ended, Maeri had not performed any healer’s work at all. She had read books more often than before, but otherwise remained the same maid as always. To think she had been harboring such thoughts. Surely she did not mean to leave the castle’s service and become a proper scholar?

Seeing my expression, Maeri quickly said.

“Of course, I shall continue my maid duties. Life in the castle is truly enjoyable. But I realized during the subjugation that I love helping people.”

Maeri smiled shyly.

“I wish to continue helping people, and to use my knowledge beneficially.”

“Maeri….”

“So I wish to do something my parents would be proud of, using what they taught me. After all, everything I know was passed down by them.”

The girl smiled radiantly.

I blinked in surprise. Maeri, who had always seemed so young, now felt like a proper young lady. I felt admiration, and perhaps a hint of envy.

Everyone else was planning their futures so clearly. Yet I was still so clumsy and unfamiliar with so many things. Neither what I had inherited nor what I had newly gained was perfect….

Katarina looked at me as if reading my thoughts.

“Amarion, what of you?”

After a moment’s thought, I answered slowly.

“…As you know, I was born a lord. Thus, the reason behind every choice I made was my homeland. Coming here, even marrying Victor.”

“….”

“But thanks to that, I was able to fulfill my duty to that land.”

The dowry paid by the Grand Ducal family for our marriage had been five hundred old gold coins. An enormous sum, fitting for a princess of any kingdom. If used well, it was an amount that could sustain the entire territory for over ten years.

An amount that would leave much to spare even after thickly rebuilding the walls surrounding Amari.

If we built walls as high and secure as Fidelburg’s, monsters would be unable to enter the village and fewer people would be hurt. Then farming and mining could be done more safely as well. I had desperately needed that starting capital at the time.

And my marriage to Victor had made it possible.

I smiled broadly.

“My land must be safe now, so I intend to live here as a lord’s wife.”

At my words, Maeri and Yulianna nodded.

They were the ones who would always remain by my side in Mort. Katarina would travel the entire continent, but precisely because of that, she would be able to visit Mort more often. I smiled and looked at my first friend.

But then,

“…Katarina?”

“Ah, yes.”

Katarina suddenly came to her senses.

Her expression was very strange. As if something were weighing on her chest.

Unable to understand, I asked.

“Is something wrong?”

“…No. It is nothing. Just…”

She closed her eyes for a moment, then raised her head again.

All of a sudden, her gaze grew resolute. In a tone incomparably firm to before, Katarina spoke.

“Amarion, could I have a moment alone with you? There is something I must tell you.”

I nodded, my eyes wide.

❖ ❖ ❖

Following Katarina’s words, I went out onto the terrace. It was a secluded spot typically used for secret conversations.

Why had she called me to such a place?

I waited anxiously. Before long, Katarina entered with Lord Kalts.

“Lord Kalts?”

Why was he here? I grew increasingly puzzled. I had occasionally thought Katarina seemed a bit strange these days, but had dismissed it as my imagination.

Could it be that she and Lord Kalts had become lovers? Was she telling me this fact?

I shook my head inwardly. Katarina was not someone who would make such a fuss over something like that.

“What is the matter?”

At my question, the two exchanged glances. Kalts, his expression dark, spoke first.

“I hesitated greatly over whether to tell you.”

“Because the information was not exact. We did not wish to worry you needlessly when you had just returned from an expedition.”

“You two are frightening me.”

I gripped my skirt tightly. Anxiety washed over me.

After biting her lip briefly, Katarina slowly opened her mouth.

“…As you know, I conducted investigations throughout Mort with Lord Kalts this time. Not merely searching for goods that might sell well, but also investigating monster movements and the situations of neighboring nations.”

I nodded. It was only natural for her, as a merchant and one who had suffered grave injuries.

But then. Katarina bit her lip.

“A week ago, mercenaries dispatched to the border returned with a strange report. They said monsters were spilling out of the Kingdom and crossing even into the Empire. And according to rumors, the reason…”

She swallowed dryly.

“…is that the Kingdom’s northern defense line has fallen.”

“The north, you say.”

“Your thought is correct.”

Katarina looked straight at me.

“Amari, Myul, Silland. Rumors say those three regions have fallen.”

“…!”

Strength drained from my legs instantly. Kalts quickly caught me as I barely grabbed the balcony railing.

“My Lady, are you well?”

“Y-yes…”

I answered instinctively. But in truth, I was not well at all. My heart was beating madly.

Amari was, that place was.

Where I had been fated to protect since birth. The goal of my life and the reason I had lived until now. The reason I could smile here now was because I believed the people of Amari were safe.

I felt as if I had suddenly been dropped into the middle of a battlefield. Without realizing it, I must have gripped his hand too hard, for Kalts’s face twisted.

“Ah, sorry.”

I quickly apologized and withdrew my hand from him. But my head was spinning.

What did that mean? Truly, had Amari been destroyed by monsters in just three seasons? No, perhaps the monsters that had been unable to attack Amari because of the newly built walls had simply moved down? In the first place, how reliable was that rumor?

Kalts and Katarina waited a moment for my confused state to settle. Katarina comforted me.

“Please calm yourself first, Amarion. For now, these are only rumors, nothing certain.”

“But the two of you would not speak of mere idle gossip.”

“…True. In fact, it is a rather credible story.”

Kalts let out a short sigh. His blue eyes looked directly at me.

“Are you aware that recently, monsters have been swarming the border between the Kingdom and the Empire, and the Emperor has ordered the border closed?”

I shook my head frantically.

I had spent all my time since entering the Empire in spring until autumn in the capital and Mort. Thus I knew nothing of outside news. Even during the subjugation, I had been too busy to learn anything more than the internal situation of Mort.

“It is a policy enacted very recently. Trade routes have grown quite difficult because of it, and I grew curious while reading the subjugation force’s reports, so I asked Katarina to conduct some investigations. Because the monsters’ movements were so strange.”

I furrowed my brow.

Of course, monsters were strange. But that was because the threatening Basilisk had established itself at the eastern edge of Mort, was it not? And after the Basilisk was killed, nearly all problems had disappeared.

“But the excessive increase in monsters was because they felt threatened for their survival, and the strange behaviors were resolved once the Basilisk died, were they not?”

“Yes. But I was curious about a different matter. During the subjugation, you encountered several demonic beasts, did you not? Sphinxes, Salamanders, Sunflower Drakes.”

“Yes.”

Kalts explained calmly.

“The Sphinx is a demonic beast that lives only in the desert regions of the Eastern Kingdom. The Salamander lives only at the southern tip of the continent. The Sunflower Drake has never been found outside the south. They are not native to Mort in the first place, and thus unrelated to the Basilisk’s influence.”

If such creatures were roaming the north, there was only one reason.

“We can only view them as ‘originals’ born from the Black Mountains.”

Ah.

I bit my lip until it bled. Forgotten knowledge surged back in an instant.

All monsters are basically born in the Black Mountains. The creatures born there travel along the mountain range that traverses the continent vertically, moving to find climates suitable for them to live in.

Rougher, stronger monsters in the north; relatively weaker demonic beasts in the south. After coming down from the mountains, they settle somewhere and multiply.

That is why monsters never went extinct. Even if the Kingdom spent decades exterminating Ice Wolves, they never completely disappeared because new ones continued to be born from the Black Mountains. This was the basic ecology of the continent’s monsters.

And had not my people and I been driven to fight until we died in that frozen land to hunt those ‘originals’ coming down from the Black Mountains?

I tightly closed my eyes and asked.

“Then you two are speculating that the appearance of originals here is due to some anomaly in the Black Mountains and the north.”

“For now, yes. At first, we thought they were monsters that had flowed in from the Eastern Kingdom, but upon closer inspection, they were not solely from there. But when Miss Katarina investigated, she found that the primary source of monster outflow was the north.”

The Grand Duke’s chief of staff let out a short sigh.

“Thus, we judged it to be a rather credible rumor.”

I pressed my gloved hand firmly against my chest.

Their words made sense. The Black Mountains were an unknown land that humans had not fully explored, but only the northerners constantly fought against the range and lived near it. Thus, if an anomaly had occurred in the mountains, it was most likely a northern problem.

Kalts quietly reminded me.

“But as I said, rumors are merely rumors. As you well know, the north is so cold that even carrier pigeons cannot travel there, and it is difficult for people to reach. Therefore, we could not obtain any further information. It is possible that all of this is nothing but baseless rumor.”

“Even so, because you cherish your homeland so, we could not keep it from you. I am sorry I could not tell you sooner.”

Katarina finished with sad eyes.

I barely managed to nod. I understood why they had hesitated for days. No matter how much they had investigated using mercenaries, this was still only at the level of rumor.

But I could not dismiss this tale as mere idle gossip. Amari was my land. The identity that made me who I was.

I forced a smile.

“Thank you for telling me, both of you. Have you told Victor?”

“No. We thought you should know first.”

Following Kalts, Katarina added without hesitation.

“And honestly, I believe it best that His Highness never knows.”

At her words, Kalts looked down at her. But Katarina continued coldly.

“Even if the rumors are true, he will never let you go to your homeland.”

“…My lord is not such an obstinate man, Miss.”

“Your sense of reality fades at times like these, my lord.”

The two glared at each other.

“Have you forgotten what His Highness did before Amarion left for the subjugation? He locked her in the castle and prevented her from meeting anyone. You likely have not even heard of the Welch family affair.”

“The Grand Duchess had been ill for a long time. She had only recently recovered, so it was natural for him to be anxious.”

“No matter what, is imprisoning one’s wife normal? I cannot believe you condoned such a thing.”

“…Victor is my lord, my friend. How could I oppose him when he can only endure if she remains by his side?”

“A retainer who does not offer frank counsel is a sycophant, Kalts Denion.”

“Loyalty without friendship is mere transaction, Katarina Kataleang.”

Their expressions grew colder still. It was a conversation I could hardly follow. When I made a sound with anxious eyes, the two turned to me. Kalts immediately bowed his head.

“My apologies, my lady. We have shown you an unsightly display.”

Katarina also let out a deep sigh.

“Please forget it, Amarion. We have argued over this topic more than once.”

“It is fine. And in truth, I too…”

Because I think Victor should not know. I swallowed the words that tried to escape.

It was not that I did not trust Victor. His words and gaze, promising to give me anything I wished, were truly sincere.

But he feared sending me out into the world as much as he cherished me. He had been so anxious when I went on the subjugation within Mort; if I said I was going to the dangerous northern end of the continent, he would certainly oppose it with all his might.

To me, who kept my mouth closed, Kalts spoke.

“If you wish it, my lady, I will not tell him.”

“…There is no need to go that far. Do you not have a duty to report to your lord?”

“But that land is your land, my lady.”

The knight let out a deep breath.

“Amari is your homeland, and caring for it is your right. We merely borrowed you for a time with the dowry. My lord may not know, but Leonard and I have always thought so.”

“Kalts…”

“So decide for yourself.”

“Yes. Whatever decision you make, I shall help you.”

I silently looked at Kalts and Katarina.

Joyful music could be heard from within the ballroom, but this place was merely silent. Leaving behind the fluttering noise of the banquet like butterflies, I closed my eyes alone and fell into thought.

❖ ❖ ❖

I could not even remember how the ball had ended. When I came to my senses, I found myself already lying in the bedroom wearing a négligée.

“What happened?”

Victor’s firm arms embraced me from behind. In his embrace, I silently surveyed the room.

The weapons in the bedroom had now almost all disappeared. Where weapons had hung, beautiful tapestries now covered the walls, and flower vases that had once been stored away for fear of breakage were placed here and there. The bedding was soft, and my body, massaged with perfumed oil, was comfortably languid. It was a picture of peace.

I closed my eyes and lied.

“…I was simply sad the banquet was ending.”

“Did you not say you wished to end it quickly and rest?”

“My friends are leaving as well. Katarina too…”

Victor silently held me close. Though I was not short for a woman, his embrace was always generous enough to hold me completely. He whispered as if to console me.

“Miss Katarina travels the entire continent; she will come north again before long.”

“….”

“Or we could go down to the capital together to meet her. Whatever you wish, I shall do.”

He held me tight.

Without knowing exactly what was happening. Yet because he comforted me so, my heart grew heavy. I burrowed into his embrace.

This moment was too perfect. There was no distrust or suffering, no one was hurt or unable to sleep. My beautiful husband cherished me, and both nobles and commoners showed me an overwhelming respect that made my heart flutter.

So now I could truly forget everything and remain in the castle.

With Victor, without a care in the world. Eating what I wanted, going where I pleased. He might even be able to retire from knighthood a bit early.

That was what I wanted, and yet….

I repeatedly swallowed something clawing at the inside of my chest and with difficulty sought sleep.

❖ ❖ ❖

In the end, I could not sleep a wink through the night.

Early in the morning, I finally gave up on sleep and slipped out of the bedroom without Victor’s knowledge. I carefully made my way to the pigeon loft and wrote a letter on rough paper.

After tying the note to a bronze pigeon’s leg, I held the map the mercenaries had previously brought before the pigeon’s beak.

“Find these people.”

The pigeon bobbed its head as if smelling something, then soon flew out the window.

If they were not far, a reply would likely arrive by tomorrow.

I quietly stepped out into the corridor.

Morning sunlight streamed through the windows. It was time for the servants to awaken one by one. Passing maids in the corridor bowed their heads upon seeing me. They looked visibly exhausted from the continuous guest duties.

Truly, once all the guests have departed, I must give them leave. If I distribute gifts and wages, everyone will be able to rest comfortably.

Thinking so, I softly opened the bedroom door again.

Surprisingly, Victor was already awake.

“Marion, where have you been?”

“I went for a short walk.”

He blinked his sleepy eyes slowly and pulled at my wrist. His warm body felt pleasant, so I willingly nestled against him.

Victor stroked my cold arm.

“Your body is cold.”

“Have you forgotten that I come from a place twice as cold as Mort?”

“Still, cold is cold.”

He mumbled and pulled me under the blanket. He covered me up to my neck as one would a child, layered another cotton comforter on top, and smiled in satisfaction.

Buried in the blankets, I muttered.

“I’m not a child, Victor.”

“I know. But caring for you is my joy.”

He kissed my forehead. His face, bathed in the blue morning sunlight, looked unreal. Golden eyes held me in a single glance.

“How happy I am that you stay in my castle. Every day feels like a dream.”

“…….”

“We’ll continue living like this from now on. Foolish, isn’t it?”

He smiled brightly.

My heart ached.

I liked him. His skilled parts, his clumsy parts, even his heart that wanted to protect me—I liked them all. My desire to keep him always by my side and care for him was not so very different.

That was why I kept hesitating. It was a decision I would have made without a moment’s hesitation before, but because of him, who couldn’t bear to not keep me by his side…

“Sleep a while longer. It is still early.”

Victor gently kissed my forehead.

I calmed my swelling emotions and closed my eyes for a moment in his embrace.

＊ ＊ ＊

Once the sun had fully risen, the castle’s day began. Victor and I, having changed our clothes, saw off the departing guests.

Most of them said they were going to manor houses near Mort to attend a new social ball starting in a few days. Those who had first become acquainted at this ball were holding another because they were reluctant to part ways so soon. It felt as though the North’s very own social season had begun anew.

The noble ladies all asked me to visit them as well, but I declined with an awkward smile. Fortunately, they did not seem disappointed.

“We have asked too much, Your Highness. You two are still newlyweds; you must wish to be alone.”

“But you must make time for us next spring, yes?”

The noblewomen, including Countess Helvant, laughed aloud. Countess Oxsburg shook her head and left after bidding farewell, and Count Fidelburg also took his leave after greeting me. I smiled wryly and nodded.

Countless carriages exited the castle. Among them, I finally spotted the person I had been looking for.

“Are you leaving now?”

Katarina, who had been giving instructions to workers, turned to me. Her blue-black hair tied up high, she was dressed once again in a shirt and leather pants—merchant’s attire.

She nodded.

“Yes. I plan to return to the capital as quickly as possible.”

“I see…”

I trailed off. I was so disappointed that I didn’t know what to say.

There were still so many stories I wanted to hear. If she left like this, I didn’t know when we could meet again.

Reading my expression, she spoke thoughtfully.

“We’ll see each other soon. There’s Lady Yulianna’s wedding soon, isn’t there?”

I nodded. If Leonard and Yulianna married, Katarina would come too. I would surely see her again by next spring at the latest.

But would I still be in Mort by then?

As if reading my thoughts, Katarina asked quietly.

“Have you decided what to do about Amari?”

“……Yes, more or less.”

“Is there anything I can do to help?”

“I don’t think so yet. It’s just… everything is so confusing…”

Katarina grasped my hand, which had been clutching my skirt for no reason.

She said seriously.

“I truly like you, Amarion.”

“…….”

“Your disposition and sense of responsibility, your spirit of sacrifice and righteous heart. All of those are precious in this day and age. So…”

Katarina looked straight into my eyes.

“Do not doubt your decision. If it is what you truly wish, then that is likely the answer.”

“……Yes.”

I nodded quietly.

She added, deliberately lightheartedly.

“If you go to Amari, contact me. Whether it’s money or people, I will help no matter the cost.”

My eyes widened.

“You needn’t do that! I’m already indebted to you. The North is a difficult place for people to travel to, and who knows how much it would cost…”

“Cataleon does not owe debts, Amarion.”

She said softly. Suddenly, the family motto she had mentioned before came to mind. Cataleon repays both grace and grudge tenfold. It was the family’s principle to leave no debts unpaid.

“You are the benefactor who cared for and healed our merchant company. And I am someone who cannot rest until a debt is repaid immediately.”

Katarina smiled. The head of the richest family on the continent spoke seriously.

“Give me a chance to repay my debt. Do you understand?”

I finally bit my lip and nodded.

“……Yes. I will ask it of you.”

I saw off the merchant caravan from afar.

❖ ❖ ❖

Once the guests had gone, the castle fell rapidly silent. The maids, noticing my fatigue, left me alone. I sank onto the sofa in the lady’s chamber.

What I truly wished for.

Truthfully, what I really wanted was simply to live comfortably in Mort like this. To celebrate the successful ball with tea time among the servants, to spar with the knights as promised. To tease Leonard, who hadn’t shown his face in the castle lately because he was with Yulianna; to help the family of Lord Raul, who would soon move to Mort; to ask Mary and the other maids what they wished to do, and live like that.

As Victor said, it would be nice to go to the capital together. My stepmother and the other ladies were waiting for me. Spending my first winter in the South, surrounded by Victor and countless servants, would not be as cold as Amari.

But.

I bit my lip.

Something kept scratching at my insides like a thorn in my throat. No matter how terrible the severe cold there was, no matter how painful a life of swinging a sword while starving every day, Amari was my land. My beloved, resented land.

Life here was so beautiful that I had hesitated until the last moment, but…

I had finally made up my mind.

I let out a deep breath and rang the bell for Mary.

“Could you call Diderik?”

“Yes, Madam.”

Mary readily bowed her head and disappeared beyond the stairs.

Diderik arrived shortly. As always, his appearance was perfect, but fatigue peeked through around his eyes. No matter how capable he was, dealing with hundreds of guests for several days must have been difficult.

My heart grew heavy thinking that I would burden him with yet another anguish. But…

I let out a short sigh and spoke.

“Diderik, there is something I must ask of you.”

“Command me, Madam.”

Diderik bowed his head without surprise. I clenched my fist and asked.

“Would you help me leave the castle secretly, without Victor knowing?”

Diderik’s hand twitched, ever so slightly. It was an agitation unbecoming of the ever-perfect butler. Without raising his head, he politely asked back.

“Forgive my impertinence, but may I ask the reason?”

I swallowed dryly.

It was natural that Diderik would ask such a question. He had previously offered to help me leave the castle, but at that time I had been in a state of confinement in all but name. Everyone in the castle, even Katarina, had firmly believed I was imprisoned, so surely Diderik had thought so too. So he must have said he would help me escape even if it meant evading his master’s eyes.

But now there was no reason for that. My relationship with Victor was better than ever, and I could go outside whenever I wished. I had even declared that I would travel with him. So for me to say I wanted to sneak out, he couldn’t help but find it strange.

In the end, I confessed honestly.

“I want to go to Amari.”

“……Amari, you say…”

“It is my homeland. There are rumors that it has been occupied by monsters. I don’t know for certain if it’s true yet, but…”

I bit my lip.

“I am its successor. I have a responsibility to that land. The North is an absurdly dangerous place; I cannot leave it to others.”

“…….”

“So I want to go and see for myself.”

I declared, gazing silently at the butler.

“And Victor would never permit such a dangerous journey.”

Diderik was silent. A faint shadow of worry crossed the butler’s face. He and I both knew the feelings with which Victor held me close. That made my heart ache even more.

“I… don’t want to sadden him either. But I have no choice but to go. Even if he comes to resent me.”

Speaking the words alone was sad.

But it couldn’t be helped. I had a duty to protect Amari, and it took precedence over all my other rights and duties. If I didn’t run out right now, I felt I wouldn’t be able to erase the something boiling up within me.

But the journey would be very long and dangerous. I had no confidence whatsoever that I could persuade Victor.

Diderik thought for a long time before nodding.

“……Understood. The border between the Empire and the Kingdom is currently closed by Imperial decree; do you have a way to cross the closed border?”

“Yes. I have made separate preparations.”

“Then, please come to the back door at dawn tomorrow. I will have your luggage and horse ready.”

The butler spoke faithfully. I suppressed my surging emotions and nodded.

“Thank you, Diderik.”

❖ ❖ ❖

The evening was quiet for the first time in a while. Because it was just Victor and me, with no guests at all.

Normally I would have been happy, but I ate listlessly, weighed down by worry and fatigue. I could feel Victor’s concern for me, but I couldn’t even lift my head. It hurt just to look at him. Guilt churned in my stomach.

In the end, I finished my meal quickly and headed to the bedroom before Victor. When I had finished preparing for bed, Mary brought me a letter.

“Madam, a letter has arrived for you.”

I had thought it would take at least a day for a reply to come?

Thinking this, I hastily opened the letter. On the crudely written letter, only one line was written.

[Understood. I will wait at the promised place.]

I pressed my lips tightly together and threw the paper into the bedroom fireplace to burn it. Then I forced a smile for Mary.

“Thank you. Go and rest.”

“Yes. Have a good night, Madam.”

Mary smiled brightly and left the room. My heart grew heavier.

That child would surely be greatly surprised when I disappeared. I hoped Diderik would tell her well so she wouldn’t be too shocked…

I sat on the bed with a short sigh. Then, sitting on the bed, I opened the third volume of *The Adventures of Wandering Knight Dordorphin*, of which very little remained. From tomorrow, I truly wouldn’t be able to read books, so I intended to finish this novel today.

Dordorphin, who had finally begun to doubt his lady, and the suspicious Grand Duchess Flamberge had finally reunited in the tower.

[And so, Wandering Knight Dordorphin arrived at Grand Duchess Flamberge’s tower.]

I turned the page to the illustration and was startled. Unlike the consistently comical and crude illustrations before, this one was exceedingly delicate. Dordorphin, too, wore a very serious expression rather than his usual foolish face.

Even the writing style had grown heavier.

[Dordorphin climbed the tower lost in thought. He knew his lady was excessively cruel. She demanded terrifying things that could not be obtained without staking one’s life. Dordorphin had followed all her orders because of the knightly code rooted in him.

If the lady commands, the knight obeys. That was the first principle of knighthood.]

I quietly turned the page.

[But Flamberge gave an order that directly opposed the knightly code. Asking him to kill her father was an order that would have sobered even a knight blinded by love.

Moreover, Flamberge’s father was an exceedingly good man. He was a respected lord and an honorable noble, a father who loved his daughter dearly. He had asked Dordorphin countless times after Flamberge’s well-being. Though she was a mage who could kill a person in an instant, to him his daughter seemed but a delicate, fragile flower.

Tears of relief had streamed down the Grand Duke’s face when told she was doing well. Dordorphin could find no reason to kill him.

So he decided to ask Flamberge directly.]

Just then, the bedroom door opened.

“Marion?”

Victor entered in a black gown and smiled at me.

I smiled back quietly.

He approached and looked down at the page I was reading. He smiled, narrowing his eyes.

“Finally the last one, eh?”

“Yes.”

“Finish reading. I have some documents to look over as well.”

He waved the thin documents he had brought.

I nodded and looked back down at the book.

[“I did not kill the lady’s father.”

Flamberge stared intently at the knight.

“Then why have you returned?”

“I wished to know why you gave such an order. If your father’s words are true that he did not imprison you, why did you ask me to kill him?”

“I coveted the Grand Duke’s seat.”

“That is a lie.”

Flamberge set down her teacup. It was black tea that undoubtedly contained Gorgon’s poison.

“How does a knight know that?”

“Because if you wished it, you could kill your father yourself at any time. The Grand Duke said you were a powerful mage, and I think so as well. This tower being overgrown with thorny vines all year round is surely due to a mage’s magic.”

Flamberge scrunched up her lovely face, as if she couldn’t believe this foolish knight had noticed such facts.

Dordorphin continued.

“The guards you said were killed were merely sleeping off their drink. So I shall not believe rumors that my lady is cruel. Please tell me. What is the Grand Duke’s crime?”

At those words, Flamberge suddenly burst into laughter.]

I looked at the next page’s illustration and my eyes widened. In the bright and meticulous drawing like a flower, beautiful Flamberge was crying as she laughed.

[“Ah, Dordorphin. Kind, foolish Dordorphin. What crime could he possibly have committed? He who cannot even meet his only daughter.”

Flamberge rose from her seat. Wherever she walked, vicious thorny vines grew and climbed the walls. Flamberge whispered.

“I am a terribly awful witch. Look. See how thorn bushes grow wherever I walk. Fearing that I might harm someone, I came up here and have strived endlessly to suppress this magic.”

But I cannot do it anymore. Flamberge smiled widely. Tears fell drop by drop from her eyes.

“Drinking Gorgon’s poison to calm my magic, cutting down thorn bushes with a dragon’s blade—I’m sick of it all. So I made that request. If it is you, Sir Knight, you would gladly pass judgment on this witch who violates the knightly code.”

Dordorphin was at a loss for words. His beloved lady’s tears stole his breath. He had parted thorn forests and swum through lava to make Flamberge laugh. Yet now that woman was begging him.

“Please, kill me, Dordorphin.”

He, he simply could not.]

My vision blurred. I didn’t know exactly why, but I was so deeply immersed in his emotions.

Even though Victor knew I was sniffling, he pretended not to notice.

I turned the page again.

[Dordorphin is the knight of Princess Leipher. He possessed the greatest swordsmanship in the kingdom and had saved countless lives. He was the friend of all races and the guardian of mankind.

He knew what he had to do now. He had to slay the witch who created the thorn forest and burn her corpse. He had to finish it before she took her own breath and an evil curse spread.

But Dordorphin was human. Merely human.

“My lady, have you been outside recently?”

Dordorphin asked.

“It is strawberry season now. Mountains are full of them, so even dragons wander the forests licking their lips. In the markets, they sell pies stacked high with strawberry jam.”

“That is meaningless to me.”

“Why is it meaningless?”

Dordorphin asked back. The end of his voice was wet.

“You like strawberry pie. I shall buy you some.”

So let us go out together. Together. I shall cut down all the vines and brew the poisoned tea every morning.

“Leave this place with me.”

Dordorphin reached out his hand, weeping.

Flamberge hung her head and sobbed. Flowers bloomed in the thorn bushes.]

Sniffling, I turned the last page.

Dordorphin and Flamberge were descending the tower hand in hand. The thorn bushes parted to open a path for them, and the guards clapped beside them. Dordorphin helped Flamberge, who had exited the tower, into the carriage. Sunlight poured down upon the backs of their necks.

[Now Dordorphin returns to Princess Leipher. To report his adventure. And to announce that he has found the lady he wishes to marry. He had no doubt that his liege would bless him.

Well, and if not? He is Wandering Knight Dordorphin. Dordorphin who laughs even after falling into a dung heap while fighting a frog. With the woman he loves, he will smile for the rest of his life. Though life may cover you like thorny vines.

—*The Tale of Wandering Knight Dordorphin*, Fin.]

I closed the book.

I set the book on the side table and lay down; Victor embraced me. His fingers gently brushed my cheek where tear tracks remained.

I asked Victor.

“Why did you like this story?”

“Was it not entertaining?”

“It was entertaining. But I just… I wondered why you liked this book so much.”

Victor’s hand slowly caressed my hair.

“I always wanted someone to take me out.”

I looked up at Victor. The story of his childhood that I had heard from him came to mind.

Victor had said he was lonely. That there was no family in this vast castle, that every day here was sad and painful. That it had always been so until his brother returned.

“Was Lord Mortheon your Dordorphin?”

At my question, Victor laughed softly.

“My Dordorphin is you.”

Suddenly my throat constricted. The emotions I had felt throughout dinner surfaced again. I barely managed to ask back.

“……Me?”

“Yes. You.”

Victor smiled.

“You could have killed me, yet you saved me. You made me do things I never did, feel emotions I had never felt. You gifted me the life I had longed for all my life.”

“…….”

“You took me out of the tower.”

The ‘Walking Death’ smiled brightly.

I looked at Victor through emotions I could not describe. Guilt made it hard to even breathe.

How betrayed would he feel when he learned I had disappeared? To think of his cruel wife leaving him after hearing all of this.

I had written a letter and hidden it away, saying that the journey was too dangerous to know how long I would be gone, but that I would return as quickly as possible. Yet he might not even want to read it. Disappointed in me, resenting me, he might not want to see me anymore.

Negative thoughts crawled up from my belly again. The warmer his embrace, the greater my anguish.

And I didn’t even have the confidence to persuade him now.

I curled up as small as I could and whispered.

“Victor.”

“Hmm?”

“I’m sorry.”

Victor paused, then asked quietly.

“What for?”

“Just… everything.”

He didn’t ask more. Instead, he held me more tightly.

“It’s alright, Marion. Everything is alright…”

I couldn’t bear to look at him and buried my face in his embrace, hoping that his clothes would not get wet.

—To be continued in the next volume.