The road to Artigrado’s palace was completely cut off and ruined, so we couldn’t take a carriage or train. That’s why everyone had to ride horses, naturally reducing the luggage we carried. It was going to be quite a challenging journey since it was midwinter.

I also prepared firmly. I wore padded trousers under a dark brown thick woolen dress to prepare for the cold, and I brought the bow and arrows that Terminos had given me before. I hoped there wouldn’t be a need to use them.
I braided my hair into two neat strands, covered my neck, head, and hair with a warm hat to avoid the chilly air.

At least for this journey, I planned not to catch a cold alone!

Even after getting ready and having some time left, I wandered around. I approached the place where people were moving luggage and picked up a bundle of blankets, carrying it on horseback.

“Do I put this on this side?”

“Oh, give it to me. Lady Cecilia, take a break.”

A knight tried to take what I was holding from my hand.

“No, it’s okay. I’m secretly strong. Watch this. Lift! Up! Get on, up!”

But all three attempts failed. The horse was higher than I thought.

“Haha, thanks for the thought. But Lady Cecilia’s good health is more helpful to us.”

“That’s true, but…”

Even if I knew that I had to accompany Idrish because of his curse, others didn’t. They might curse behind my back, wondering why a woman burdening the journey with luggage was following along. They might say I fell for Idrish, who was captivated by a woman because of his curse.

So, I had to be as helpful as possible on this journey.

With renewed determination, I smiled broadly.

“Well, if you ever need my help, be sure to call me. Whether you need a needle for sewing or not. You know, needles naturally grow from my body, right?”

I proudly winked at him.

“Haha, understood. If I need a needle, I’ll be sure to find Lady Cecilia.”

Leaving the cheerful knight behind, I quietly stepped back, passing through the knights and exchanging greetings one by one.

“Oh, be careful with your back!”

“You dropped this.”

“Aren’t you cold? Shall I get you a scarf?”

Each one received my greetings and chit-chat with a cheerful attitude.

When I returned to my place, Idrish was already there.

“Where were you going?”

“I was saying hello. We’ll be spending the next few days together, after all.”

“It seems the greeting didn’t go well.”

Saying that, Idrish effortlessly lifted me onto the horse.

“Are you okay?”

“Oh, it’s higher than I thought, but it’s okay. It even adds some thrill.”

“Besides that.”

Idrish touched my calf. It didn’t feel bad, the sensation of it crumbling over the thick clothes.

“What is it?”

“You’ve been through a lot these past few days.”

“Oh, yes.”

After the incident with the followers of Artigrado, I suffered from trauma for quite a while.

The image of corpses in front of me and the sight of explosives thrown at me were not easily forgotten. Although I was heading to the now-ruined palace of Artigrado to overcome such opposition, I was still anxious about whether I could handle it.

Maybe I worried for nothing.

“Well, the worry period is over now. It’s time to move forward courageously towards our goal.”

Intentionally, I smiled even wider.

“Yeah, now there won’t be such incidents anymore.”
Our group soon finished preparations and departed from the mansion.

I thought no one would see us off, but surprisingly, many people came out and shook hands with us. Faces of those who had called Idrish’s name last time were occasionally visible.

They hadn’t completely turned their hearts away from us.

Feeling somewhat relieved, I shook hands with them as well.

Among them, Heron and Rodrigo were also present.

“Cecilia! Come back safely!”

Their support was reassuring.

“Do well and come back! You’ll definitely find evidence that clears Artigrado’s innocence!”

I confidently shouted.

The sky was high and clear, and the sunlight was pleasantly warm. Thanks to that, the snow had melted, making the ground a bit soggy. Still, the horses seemed happy in the long-awaited clear weather.

Following Idrish’s teachings, I also stretched my body to match the horse’s stride, and it wasn’t that difficult. Perhaps it was because Idrish was behind me, providing strong support for my back.

Then, Terminus, who was riding a horse behind us, accelerated and caught up with us.

“Isn’t it a bit too much for you two?”

“What do you mean?”

“Among these knights, some haven’t even been in a relationship, let alone marriage. You’re always sticking together at the front, it looks like a wedding march.”

Terminus joked, chuckling. Thanks to him, the drowsiness that was about to come over me disappeared instantly. Instead, my face became unbearably hot.

“Terneya! It’s not like that. It’s just that I can’t ride a horse…”

“Yes, yes, I understand. But do you know what Idrish Artigrado told the knights just before we left a while ago?”

“What did he say?”

“It’s too noisy.”

Interrupting Terminus, Idrish tapped the horse’s flank with his heel. There was an expression that clearly indicated he didn’t want to hear Terminus’s next words.