Beeeee—
I plug my ears against the deafening noise.
All around are broken teacups and plates, and I briefly glance at my hands, dripping with blood.
The palm I swore upon feels no pain at all.
What truly stings is my chest, stained with shame. Yuria lets out a small laugh and sheathes her sword.
“L-Lady of the House.”
Ah. Now that I think about it, I wasn’t alone.
My gaze turns to the maid collapsed on the floor.
I had told her to keep watch, yet she couldn’t even do that properly.
Surveillance only matters if it’s done unnoticed, and if she was aware of everything long ago, then she hadn’t done her job at all.
Contemplating for a moment, I rang the bell on the dining table.
As the maids hurried in and were shocked by the sight, I commanded them.
“Clean this up. And this as well.”
“…Yes?”
“I said to clean it up. Hide it somewhere suitable, or divide it and throw it away.”
I was dazed by their fluid response, but the maid whose arm I seized finally realized that was an answer regarding her treatment.
They say when you’re too flustered, you can’t even speak.
Ignoring the vacant looks directed at me, I scanned the surroundings before sitting down.
The maid being dragged away was wailing.
But I couldn’t hear it.
The ringing in my ears drowned out the sound; I merely stared into space with an impassive face.
The intensity from just moments ago had completely vanished.
Though I briefly lost control of my emotions, that was all.
The swiftness with which I regained my composure was quite chilling, but it was a familiar reaction for me.
Hiding emotions was rather easy.
Did I have to reveal my fury and passions to just anyone?
Taking a moment to sigh, I rubbed my temples.
Once the maid being dragged away disappeared, it felt as if the ringing in my ears faded too.
And the thought that lingered in my mind was, of course, Robert Taylor.
Last time, I had overlooked his behavior just because he was my younger sibling, but I couldn’t ignore his arrogance any longer.
Did he ask if I lacked confidence? Ha, Yuria scoffed and chuckled.
I was already the Lady of the House. If I wished to become the head of the family, there was nothing preventing me from doing so.
Whether I went North or South, nothing changed.
I had lived my life for the family.
If I had to stain my hands with blood to become the head of the family, I wouldn’t hesitate.
In situations like this, to provoke me…
Even if he gained the support of the Imperial Family, thinking that would change anything was truly a miscalculation.
…Before the head of the family leaves a will, everyone is qualified.
Recalling that family motto, I smiled faintly.
Depending on the timing and circumstances, I could even use that motto to make myself the head of the family first.
A will… the mention of my father coldly hardened my expression.
I had lived for the family. I was taught that way since childhood.
The “teachings” I had imparted to Robert were the same lessons I had learned, and the ambition I held was to become the head of the family.
I had no intention of letting anyone who got in my way go unpunished.
Even if that someone were family.
If the family remained, what did it matter about the rest?
Yuria, thinking that way, gave a cold smile.
The eyes, which radiated an icy light, soon turned dim and empty.
#
Autumn, which was expected to be long, has ended, and winter, with its northern winds, has arrived.
The crimson leaves fall to the ground and wither away, leaving only the bare trees shivering in the cold season.
However, this season could be deemed more important than anything else for me, as this winter could determine much of my current life.
The first place to go is the North, and I think I’ll have to stay there for about a month or two.
At least, I must return to the South before the sun passes, so that I can time it right.
I swallowed hard, recalling the message I received from Adrian a few days ago.
I think there’s a high chance the two of us will be on the move while I’m in the South.
She was happy, saying it was fortunate, but I found myself questioning whether I should feel the same.
Time is tight. I need at least a little more time to move personally.
If push comes to shove, it might be better to use the dawn to move alone.
“It’s a month in the South.”
Excluding the time it takes to travel back and forth between the South and here, that’s a month.
Given that I also have the goal of finding and securing information about the relic within that timeframe, I must act urgently.
All information about the relic is managed by the Imperial Family and the Order.
However, the relics in the South are out of the Order’s reach, and the information is scant, making it quite difficult to find them unless I have direct connections to the Imperial Family or the Order.
It could be said that obtaining the Moon Stone was pure luck.
Of course, I had already managed to gather some information about the relic through Arwen.
While I’m in the North, I’ll continue asking for investigations, but that’s a matter for later.
What I really need to consider is purely how to act while in the North.
Joining the group is an easy task.
I already have experiences working with them several times, and Adele tends to be generous to those she likes.
The real issue is how to warn them about the betrayal.
If they sense any signs, that’s fine, but if not, I’m quite fearful of how they might view me.
It’s inevitable that Adele will be accused of treason.
If I can prevent this and turn her to my side, at least I could pull the North, which accounts for 30% of the Empire, into my influence.
It could be a bit optimistic, but I believe I can stop it.
If it’s the Adele I know, she won’t just brush off my words.
I wonder if I should have warned her a bit more strongly in the past.
If I had truly warned her that it was dangerous, rather than just saying it in passing, would she have heard the news about the Crown Prince’s death instead of the news about her own demise?
…
But that’s an utterly meaningless hypothesis.
In the end, what matters is this life, so I let out a bitter smile and checked the sword at my waist.
It was a sword I had asked the blacksmith to make sturdy enough to withstand considerable magic power.
While it’s not as good as the sword I borrowed from Adele last time, I think it will serve me well enough.
As I was inspecting the sword, Renold, who had loaded all the luggage onto my carriage, approached.
He came.
It seemed quite strange that I was packing my sword.
Of course, it was natural.
In front of Renold, I’d never even held a sword, so I thought it would be better to have something else for self-defense.
“I don’t think you’ll need to use a sword, but aren’t you going to meet Prince Adele?”
“Well, that’s true, but who knows? I might have to wield it at some point.”
“North protected by Prince Adele isn’t likely to be that dangerous. Please take care and come back safely.”
“…Well, I hope you don’t forget what I asked of you.”
At those words, Renold’s expression became more serious.
While I was away, Renold’s role was simple.
To keep an eye on everything, suspecting that Yuria might stray off course.
Rather than closely monitoring her, he was to inform me of any suspicious behavior, but considering Yuria’s current mindset, she was likely to veer in a rather twisted direction.
Honestly, I thought it would be better if she moved more towards that direction.
That would make her self-destruct more easily, so I hoped he’d take a stronger approach.
Renold had now become the only reliable person at the Ducal Residence.
Having observed him consistently, I had concluded that he hadn’t done anything particularly bothersome and could trust him moving forward.
I lightly tapped Renold on the shoulder and quietly spoke.
“I trust you. While I’m gone, you must do well.”
“…Understood.”
After taking a deep breath, Renold nodded with a more solemn look in his eyes.
Sometimes, wouldn’t it be okay to express that I trust him?
If this made his job cleaner, there was nothing but benefit for me.
When I boarded the carriage, Renold bowed respectfully.
Seeing that made me smile slightly before turning to look ahead.
The wind that scattered my hair was cold.
For the time being, I would have to live within this source of wind.
However, that didn’t bother me. The North was the place where I had felt most at ease.
The wind blows.
The carriage began to gallop away, defying the wind.
Soon enough, a white snowy field should come into view.
A place where fierce wolves live, where the blood of many immigrant tribes flows.
That pure white hell was, above all, the warmest place for me, causing my uniquely brilliant eyes to gently close.
My mind was already reaching the North.
#
“Starting now, we declare a critical alert for wartime.”
Not long after the news that Robert Taylor was coming to the North arrived, Lothos took advantage of Adele’s absence to summon the defense forces.
In the absence of Adele, Lothos being the highest-ranking official made this possible.
Upon hearing the news of the wartime alert being issued, the soldiers began to murmur amongst themselves.
With the expedition against the immigrant tribes drawing near, it was puzzling to have an alert, especially when no one seemed to invade the territory, and before anyone could ponder further, Lothos spoke.
“You all have heard the news that Duke Robert Taylor is coming to the North. And I believe you’ve also heard that our Grand Duke is preparing to go meet him.”
“M-meet him?”
At the mention of “meet”, there was a momentary uproar, prompting Lothos to raise his hand to calm the soldiers.
Of course, it would be a shock; he himself was momentarily stunned upon hearing that the Grand Duke was preparing to go out in person.
It must be surprising, even he briefly froze at the news that the Grand Duke is preparing to go out himself.
However, making a judgment quicker than anyone else is part of his duty.
The eyes of Lothos, who had placed a hand on his temple, narrowed.
He already thought that the relationship between Robert and the Grand Duke was unusual.
Whatever the reason for their meeting, it was extremely rare for the Grand Duke to easily let go of his anger.
He had mentioned a few times that he found it appealing, and even expressed concern.
If the Grand Duke is… a man worthy of concern, isn’t that obvious?
Swallowing his breath, Lothos surveyed the crowd.
Now realizing the seriousness of the situation, everyone’s expression was dead serious.
“Do you understand a little why I said the situation is critical?”
“Yes-!”
Lothos nodded at the enthusiastic response with a satisfied smile.
Although it couldn’t be termed a wartime situation, they must not show even a slight rudeness to the guests coming to the North.
If the Grand Duke started nitpicking about it, he could order an expedition against the Immigrant Tribe.
What if they refused? They might have to fight the Grand Duke one-on-one.
Since the days when she led the Mercenary Group, Adele’s prowess was seen as extraordinary.
The girl who single-handedly broke the neck of a troll,
that girl’s Mercenary Group had grown strong and occupied the North, gaining recognition to rise to the position of Grand Duke.
No one here could underestimate Adele after witnessing her legendary feats, so everyone had their own thoughts about the man named Robert Taylor.
When a brief silence fell, a soldier cautiously opened his mouth.
“Is it correct to assume, Your Excellency, that she would become your beloved?”
“…Yes, I suspected someone would ask that.”
With a somewhat somber expression, but then a serious one as he looked ahead, Lothos replied.
“I think so. It seems that… the Grand Duke is about to bring in a beloved. So we should be careful about our actions going forward.”
Huff—
The soldiers who had swallowed loudly became noisy again, but Lothos thought it was about time for that to happen.
The Grand Duke is now 24 years old, and at that age, it wouldn’t be strange to take in a beloved.
However, her situation was quite harsh, and she had never formed a romantic bond with any man.
The men who approached were often killed, so it was rather miraculous that she had maintained such a connection with Robert for this long.
So Lothos thought.
Perhaps Robert doesn’t think badly of the Grand Duke either.
Although it seems he has many secrets, aside from that, doesn’t he seem extraordinary?
He recalls the swordsmanship he saw last night.
And the gaze of Adele, who was blankly staring at Robert.
Lothos chuckled. After all, feelings of love bloom unnoticed.
His own wife had also formed a connection through such meetings, so now it seemed it was the Grand Duke’s time as well.
Suddenly, the cool wind brushed against Lothos’s cheek.
It had always been a cold breeze, but today, it felt unusually warm — could it just be an illusion?
As Lothos looked at the lined-up troops, he finally began to explain how they should move forward.
It was solely about stories regarding Adele and her beloved…
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