“So far, I couldn’t find anything special about Baron. The investigation on Violet’s family was the same. It’s true that Teresa Violet briefly left, but I still need to look into whether she contacted anyone-”
“Phew.”
With one hand on the ground, I slowly lowered my body. Sweat flowed down my body and dripped down. The muscles supporting my weight swelled, and descending towards the ground completed one repetition.
It has already been three days since I unwrapped the bandages. My balance and stamina returned to a decent level, so now doing this kind of exercise wasn’t too much of a strain anymore.
The letter was from Renold yesterday. I didn’t read it but kept it in my mind, thinking I should ponder over Teresa’s absence a bit. If it was Teresa who revealed Miragen’s position… she certainly wouldn’t leave it clean as before.
Ending the relationship by conversing with Teresa instead of Violet was my own form of consideration. I hadn’t thought much of the Violet family, and I also didn’t believe Teresa would mess things up all on her own.
However, this time, the situation was different. Since I touched the princess, I couldn’t avoid the responsibility, and it also stirred my personal emotions.
Each time my arm bent, my mind grew cooler. My time remaining in the North wasn’t much. There were also words I needed to pass on to Adele. The betrayal, and the time when her life would be in danger was a truth only I knew.
As the sweat continued to fall towards the ground, my thoughts scattered with a voice that suddenly reached my ears.
“Wow…”
But the gaze of Miragen, who was staring blankly at me, felt quite burdensome. I told her not to worry, yet she kept staring at me since earlier. At this point, I couldn’t ignore her.
I thought she was about to return to the Imperial Palace soon. How long was she planning to stay in the North?
As I relaxed my posture, Miragen approached and handed me a towel. I wiped the sweat off while pushing my hair back. While cleaning my body, I wondered if it was really okay for Miragen to be here. After all, I was wearing nothing above my waist. Was she completely unfazed by it?
“You seem to exercise like this often. Your movements look quite familiar,” she said.
“My stamina isn’t fully back yet. I’ll know once I swing the sword,” I replied.
“So this isn’t fully back yet?”
With a seriously nodded expression, Miragen seemed to recall something and lightly clapped her palms together.
“By the way, the Grand Duke called for you. I came to inform you, but I forgot for a moment.”
“…You sure are quick to say that.”
She arrived 30 minutes ago, and it wouldn’t be strange for Adele to show up angry any moment now. What was I supposed to do now that she mentioned it?
If Adele got mad, it would be directed at me. When I stared at Miragen, she smiled awkwardly and mumbled as if making an excuse.
“I forgot because it was the first thing I saw when I came in. Shouldn’t we go now?”
“No, I don’t think that’s necessary. She’ll probably come here.”
Suddenly—
Right as I said that, the door swung open.
A door opens.
For a moment, my eyes met Adele’s, who was staring at Miragen and me with a grim expression.
With both of us flustered, silence fell until Adele broke it with a voice that was blunt, as if she was displeased.
“It’s been ages since I called for you, and here you are having fun.”
“I just heard you call. You seem to have forgotten for a while, Your Highness.”
“…Is that so?”
As Adele’s gaze shifted, Miragen, who flinched for a moment, nodded her head with difficulty.
Adele let out a deep sigh and pinched her brow.
What she overlooked was Miragen’s memory.
Surprisingly, she tended to forget things often, so it was better for her to take notes.
“It’s my fault. I asked to have you go, Your Highness, but I should have gone myself.”
“Um, sorry?”
“Well then, could you please step away from Robert? If you’re so close to a man who isn’t even properly dressed, it might become a scandal.”
At those words, Miragen stepped back, and Adele, striding forward, grabbed my wrist to pull me along.
I was still bare, but Adele draped her cloak over my body and tried to head outside.
It was then that Miragen, who had been hesitating, finally spoke up.
“Hold on a minute. Isn’t the Grand Duke someone we need to be careful about?”
That made sense.
Since Adele was also a Grand Duke, I looked at her with an expression that asked if that was right, and she let out a chuckle as she tapped the medal hanging on her chest.
“We’re in the North. Your Highness, I’m the one governing this place.”
“That’s true…?”
“I’m fine with it regardless.”
If rumors spread, all she had to do was find the source. With that added, Adele turned to move forward again, holding my wrist, insistent that there wouldn’t be any more arguments.
When Miragen couldn’t say anything, Adele moved ahead without hesitation.
In the meantime, wasn’t my doctor supposed to check up on me?
With a sigh, I tried to pull my wrist away, and Adele turned her head towards me as she walked.
In the center of the corridor, I was already quite far from Miragen.
“Why?”
“I need to get dressed too, you know. Besides, I haven’t washed yet; I smell.”
“Ah…”
It was painfully obvious, but only then did Adele appear to remember, biting her lips slightly.
That was her habit whenever she was flustered. What on earth was she so distracted by that she forgot I hadn’t washed?
Noticing my gaze, Adele cleared her throat softly.
Seemingly aware of how embarrassing it was, a small voice came from her slightly trembling lips.
“Then go wash up. I have something to discuss.”
“Are you uncomfortable with me being here with Her Highness?”
Adele seemed to be more concerned about that side of things.
She didn’t look happy when I was with Miragen, so I directly asked, and Adele’s brow furrowed.
Even with a brief silence, I continued to look at her.
I waited for her answer, for quite a while.
After some more moments passed, Adele shook her head and responded.
“…I’m not uncomfortable.”
“Then—”
“I’m just irritated.”
Adele, with a rather complicated expression, let out a sigh.
It was a heavy and dull breath, unlike her usual self, as she simply waited for the words to follow without answering.
The response that she was annoyed was quite peculiar.
It didn’t just seem to be about Mira-jen and me; it sounded like annoyance towards herself.
“I’ll take the rest of the questions when I come back. I need to go first.”
Not wanting to say more, Adele turned her back and started to walk away.
However, her steps were not as light as before.
Whether it was a concern about something, it was probably certain that she had worries.
And I wasn’t a fool enough to not realize that those worries were about me.
#
This isn’t the first time Adele and I have met.
To be precise, we had met in a previous round.
Though I hadn’t come to her with Taylor’s name this time, we likely went through a similar process of meeting.
Coming to the North to meet Adele, becoming her lieutenant and subduing the Immigrant Tribe, all of it.
We had been together until her death, so perhaps our current relationship was even a bit deeper.
Adele Igrit is a free woman.
She always moved according to her heart, going wherever the wind took her.
Perhaps that’s why I have a particular fondness for the North.
Adele’s North was special; here, I could enjoy a unique freedom away from my family.
Even if I made mistakes, we were able to laugh it off, considering and respecting each other.
People who remember me as Robert, not Taylor.
That’s why Adele has been special among the few people I’ve met.
She made me forget the name Taylor and was the first to regard me simply as Robert.
If Mira-jen’s death was my first regret, then Adele would become the second.
“Betrayal.”
A fate that constrains me, but it was not limited to just me.
There were others who died from betrayal as well.
The nameless substitute died from betrayal, and so did Adele.
I already knew well that she had no interest in such betrayals.
Adele’s home was this North, and it was only this snowy land that she cherished.
Even if the Emperor from the Center told her to become one, she would remain here.
That was Adele, and that was the meaning behind the name Igrit.
Igrit, the name of the god known as the highest mountain range in the North and the guardian deity of the North.
Could she even think of betrayal? I could certainly deny it after having watched over her for so long.
However, I could not.
I put on a shirt and draped Adele’s cloak over it.
It was as if her warmth seeped into me, something that didn’t match this cold snowy landscape. I closed my eyes for a moment, then opened them and moved my steps.
The main purpose of my journey to the North was to solidify my support and to warn Adele about the Crown Prince.
I had gained some support through subduing the Immigrant Tribe, but I hadn’t warned her about the Crown Prince.
There was a need to carefully consider when to bring up such matters.
I thought I might be able to say it right before leaving, but whether she would believe me was still uncertain.
But isn’t it questionable whether she will believe it or not?
Knock, knock—
“Come in.”
As I gently knocked on the door, Adele’s voice came through. Unlike her low tone earlier, it sounded normal, giving me a bit of relief as I stepped inside.
Adele was alone in the room. I had expected other lieutenants to be there, but no one was around, so it was quite surprising.
As I stared vacantly around, Adele opened her mouth to speak.
“I said I wanted to talk to you. It’s not like I’m planning another expedition, so what would I call all the lieutenants for?”
“If it’s something you want to say…”
“First, sit down. There’s no need to talk while standing.”
I moved closer to Adele and took a seat. I tried to guess what this was about by looking at her expression, but it wasn’t easy to think of something we would discuss alone at a time like this.
Just when I was deep in thought, Adele, who was watching my complexion, slowly began to speak.
“Thanks to your help, the originally planned expedition ended sooner than expected. Because of that, the schedule has been pushed forward quite a bit, allowing us to start various things a little quicker.”
“Is that so?”
“After the expedition, I had something on my mind and was able to do some research. About that name you mentioned last time, Teresa.”
My eyes narrowed at the name Teresa. Perhaps expecting this reaction, Adele pushed something across the table, continuing. What lay on the table was a familiar emblem.
“It’s the crest of the Violet family.”
“Right, it must have belonged to the woman who was your fiancée. If that Teresa you mentioned is really involved in this, then I suppose it’s possible.”
“Was it possessed by the immigrant tribe?”
“It was something given to me by the guy leading the immigrant tribe during the expedition.”
It was the moment when a thought I had only speculated about became a certainty. The name Teresa Violet, once split into two, was now combined.
Staring at the emblem with a cold expression, Adele once again parted her lips.
“The woman who left this emblem told me to go to the South and find her. And I think you’re planning to head South, am I mistaken?”
“…That’s correct.”
I viewed this as a task to resolve alongside my journey with Adrian. I needed to figure out how Teresa learned about the princess’s position and how she made contact with Temujin outside the capital. To uncover these questions, heading South was necessary.
Adele nodded as if she expected this and then, with a serious expression, continued speaking.
“I knew you and the woman Teresa were engaged. Also, that you broke off the engagement, and though this is my assumption, it’s clear that this incident isn’t unrelated to you. So now, I need to know.”
Her gaze turned toward me. Between her cold eyes, a faint warmth seemed to rise, as if asking me for an answer.
“…Can you tell me about what happened between you and Teresa?”
Support me by donating at least $10, and you'll have the right to request any novel from Novelpia (excluding 19+ content) using a newly developed tool.
