Behind the Grand Duke’s mansion.

Yuriella, with her arms resting on the long, oval-shaped white wooden fence, stared without blinking at her horse Blanca surrounded by priests and wizards.

As soon as they returned from the Star Forest Stellata, Frost ordered to immediately summon trusted priests and wizards from the north.

Blanca, perhaps uncomfortable and anxious with the touch of strangers, kept swishing her tail from side to side but remained obedient to the priests and wizards, aware of Yuriella’s gaze watching over her.

This encounter was too precious. She feared losing her temper and being separated again.

Instead, the sound of Mars fiercely neighing could be heard from her private stable.

Neigh! Neigh!

Mars, who had to be separated from Blanca upon arrival, kicked the stable door with his hooves and headbutted it, pleading to be let out.

But they couldn’t keep the two together in a situation where it was uncertain what tricks the Emperor might have played on Blanca.

At first, the priests and wizards were afraid that this white horse might have some terrible explosion magic engraved in her. But when no traces of black magic were found, they directly touched Blanca and observed her at ease, discussing with Commander Leo.

“Is there really nothing? There has to be something. There must be something?”

High Priest Daycola, the highest-ranking priest in the north who prided himself on having the greatest spiritual power, waved his skinny arms in annoyance at the suspicious Leo.

“No. This horse is fine! There’s nothing!”

“Not that there’s nothing, but you couldn’t find it? It could be the latest black magic that you elders are unaware of.”

“What did you say?”

“It could be that the one who cast the black magic is of a higher level than you, so you can’t detect it−.”

“Then why did you call us if you don’t even believe us?”

This time, Sagredo, the greatest wizard in the north, trembled his white beard that reached his chest.

“Do you think we flew all this way to be treated like this?”

“Let’s go! We tried to do a good deed but might get slapped in the face!”

The proud priests and wizards angrily rushed out of the fence.

Leo had to break a sweat trying to chase the angry old men and drive them back inside the fence.

Watching the scene, Yuriella let out a shallow sigh and a soft shawl was draped over her bare shoulders.

Yuriella’s eyes gently curved as she slowly turned around.

“Is the meeting over already?”

It was supposed to be a meeting where the imperial family’s compensation for the damage from the northern conquest would be finalized with the northern nobles, so she thought it would last from night until dawn.

“No. It’s just beginning.”

A gentle smile lingered on Frost’s lips as he tightly wrapped the shawl around her.

“But why aren’t you working and just staying here?”

“Because not doing anything is what I do best.”

“Pardon?”

“The wisdom of a monarch is to allow his subjects to do what they are good at and step back himself. Those skilled in complex calculations were assigned to do the math. Those well-versed in the troublesome imperial law were tasked with writing a compensation claim that the Emperor’s cronies could never escape from.”

“Ah. As expected, Your Grace is so smart.”

Frost burst into laughter upon seeing his wife nodding in admiration.

“I’m joking. I just pushed all the bothersome tasks onto others and ran away. Because I wanted to see you.”

“Ah.”

Yuriella bit her lips that were about to spill laughter and blushed.

“I thought you would scold me?”

“Professional matters should be left to professionals. You did well. As expected, Your Highness is wise.”

“Right? Since you are my specialty, coming here is the right answer, isn’t it?”

Frost cleverly turned her body and held her tightly in his arms.

Closing his eyes and savoring his wife’s scent, the whole world felt full and complete as if it were all his.

Whether Leo glared at him with narrowed eyes or not, Frost caressed his wife’s beautifully curved eyes with his thumb. His gaze, looking down intently, swept across her face like a warm spring breeze.

“Your Grace.”

“Yes.”

“Why……”

“Yes?”

Yuriella hesitated as if choosing her words, then opened her mouth with difficulty.

“Since when did you know?”

“Know what?”

“Who I am…… You knew, didn’t you?”

Frost quietly looked at Yuriella.

Her thick strawberry blonde lashes that seemed to tremble with hesitation were fully raised, and Frost’s beloved clear and red eyes were filled only with him.

“Earlier. In the Star Forest. Even when the Emperor called me Solas…… you weren’t surprised at all.”

Frost cupped Yuriella’s stiffened cheeks with both hands.

“Yuriella.”

“Yes……”

“Do you know what really surprises me?”

“……”

Yuriella shook her head.

Although her upward gaze was steady and unwavering, her delicate body in his arms was shaking slightly like a sinner awaiting the judge’s verdict.

As Frost entangled his fingers in her lush, curly hair and kissed the strands in his hand, Yuriella only slowly blinked her eyes. Her body was frozen stiff, unable to move an inch.

“That you smile at me, talk to me, and stay in my arms like this.”

Frost pulled Yuriella into his arms again. His blue eyes flickered deeply.

Yuriella unknowingly swallowed and tried to wriggle out of his embrace, but Frost held her even more tightly without any gaps.

“I heard what the Emperor said at the War Memorial.”

Ah. Yuriella let out a shallow sigh.

“I was surprised, but I wasn’t surprised. Perhaps I knew from the beginning that you were Solas herself. That day when you secretly snuck into my room to give me acupuncture. The moment I saw your clear eyes resembling flames.”

“Your Highness, I……”

“When I found out that you were Solas, everything made sense. Why you tried to heal me. Why you pledged loyalty as a subject, not as a spouse. And why you were trying to leave me.”

“I…… I have no right to be by your side, Your Highness. How could I…”

“If I give up my position as the lord of the North, could you comfortably stay by my side?”

“Your Highness……!”

Frost buried his head in Yuriella’s shoulder.

“It’s not something I can’t do. Without you, my life has no meaning.”

“No. You have saved so many lives and rescued so many beings, Your Highness.”

“Then can’t I save just one life now, yours? You’ve worked hard all this time, so can’t I do that now?”

“Your Highness.”

“What’s the point of saving the world if one can’t protect the person next to them? A world without that person is no longer the world I wanted to protect.”

If his wife tries to run away, he will chase after her and hold onto her. He will chase and chase until he can fully embrace her.

If he thinks about how his own greed is any different from the Emperor’s…

The answer would be her heart alone.

Even if her toes are only looking for a chance to escape, her gaze alone fills him completely, and that heart of hers is the only lifeline he can hold onto.

If he loses her in the end… he’s not confident he won’t go mad like Justin. He probably won’t be able to go mad gracefully.

As Yuriella raised her moist eyes, the Grand Duke kissed her as if he had been waiting.

Yuriella obediently closed her eyes. Today, right now, it should be okay to cross the line, shouldn’t it?

Yuriella quickly found an excuse for why it was okay. Because the large hands cupping her cheeks were trembling with anxiety, unlike his calm expression. Because I am the Grand Duke’s one and only healer.

Yuriella stood on tiptoe and tightly wrapped her slender arms around Frost’s neck.

Beyond the fence, the priests and wizards of the North stopped what they were doing and gaped at the Grand Duke and Duchess with jaws dropped.

Only Commander Leo was busy inspecting the glossy skin, mane, and tail of the horse Blanca with fire in his eyes.

While inwardly pouring out a bucket of curses at the shameless lord who spends a wonderful time alone while overworking his subordinates.

*

A remote temple site in the East.

In the barren site where only occasional fragments of the goddess statue and stone pillar ruins indicated that this was once a temple…

The only living creatures were one tired horse, a former elite imperial knight sprawled on the ground, and the spirit of a sacred sword that had lost its main body.

“You lived here with Priest Angelo Roinas?”

[Yeah. This is the sanctuary. Over there is the prayer room. And there is the dining hall.]

“Now that I’m here, I can tell that you are truly an ancient being, Airy. Even for an abandoned temple, it’s completely ruined with nothing left.”

Nycon sighed heavily, looking at the orb in his hand.

The green, shimmering orb given by Yuriella showed no reaction since arriving here.

The main body of the Wind Sword didn’t seem to be here.

[You’re looking down on me just because you see my small and cute appearance right now. Once I find my sword, you’ll see my original gigantic form. You won’t even be able to make eye contact out of awe, will you?]

“Airy. But why did you get amnesia?”

[……]

“You remember the name and face of Priest Angelo, your master from 500 years ago. But why can’t you remember where you lost your sacred sword?”

[I don’t know. I can’t remember.]

“Do you remember flying beyond the Glacial Sea to Aurora?”

[When I woke up from the cold, I was on an iceberg floating in the Glacial Sea.]

“And you have no memory until you woke up on the iceberg?”

[Yeah. None.]

“Then, what is your last memory before losing it? Where were you and what were you doing?”

[Hey, dirty bum! How dare you interrogate me?]

“Your last memory is most important to find your sword, Airy.”

Nycon, the former elite imperial knight, asked with sharp eyes glinting.

“Think carefully. Where were you and what were you doing?”

[I don’t know! I can’t remember! That’s why it’s called amnesia!]

Airy flew away and turned her back, sitting with a thud.

Nycon placed his right hand on his chin and tilted his head slightly.

‘This smells fishy.’

It smelled of perjury. Very strongly at that.

When Commander Solas sent half of the elite academy members to prison, Nikon had also participated in interrogating those intellectual criminals. Compared to them, Airy was transparently revealing her inner thoughts.

‘You didn’t lose your memory. You’re pretending to have lost it. But why?’

Nikon’s curiosity was resolved when he visited the newly dedicated temple of Goddess Yustera.

[Oh! Angelo!]

Shortly after entering the temple, Airy, who was hiding in Nikon’s cloak, tried to rush out upon seeing a priest, but Nikon quickly stopped her.

“Shh. Shush.”

The East was governed by the Emperor’s uncle, Duke Figuera. It was safe to say that most of the priests were also Figuera’s cronies.

[It’s Angelo! He looks just like Angelo.]

“Please, shush. I’ll talk to him, so please stay still, Airy.”

Nikon whispered to Airy and approached the priest.

Of course, the priest was not Angelo who had died 500 years ago.

Clemens Mazella. That was the priest’s name.

Nikon pretended to be a devout pilgrim and gained Priest Clemens’ favor. He even got a room to stay for a few days at the temple and received a gift of wine that Clemens had diligently made.

“My father’s father, his father’s father, his father’s father…… Anyway! 500 years ago, Priest Angelo Roinas, the owner of the sacred sword Airy, was my ancestor. Shh. Shush. Hehehe.”

Clemens shrugged his shoulders and gulped down the remaining wine in the bottle.

It was also a secret that Angelo Roinas had fallen in love with a village girl and had a child that the temple would not accept, the priest blurted out, saying it was his first drink in 10 years.

“That’s why I quit drinking. When I drink, my mouth gets itchy to talk.”

Nikon smiled amiably while spilling all the wine under the table.

Of course, his memory was strong even after drinking, and he had only one drinking habit. To curse out his lion-like commander who beat him senselessly under the pretext of sparring.

“Ah! I remembered a fun story. It’s about the wind spirit.”

Nikon’s ears perked up.

“Oh. You mean Airy?”

“Yes. My ancestor said this. ‘Never go near the vineyard with Airy! Even a sip of wine makes her dead drunk and lose her memory.’ Hahaha.”

“Oho. Airy had such a drinking habit?”

“Yes! Airy becomes incoherent with just a drop of alcohol and cries profusely. She rambles about being tired of farewells and begs to never die. But when she wakes up, she has completely forgotten everything. Did she really forget? She’s probably pretending to forget out of embarrassment.”

Nikon’s eyes rolled towards the slightly open drawer.

Thud!

Airy, who was hiding from the priest’s eyes, closed the drawer.

“Aha! So the cause of the amnesia was just a drop of alcohol.”

Nikon inwardly cheered for obtaining a great secret that wouldn’t make Airy pluck his precious hair. And he continued his questions.

“Is there a place that Airy and your ancestor, the priest, frequently visited? I’d like to stop by on my pilgrimage.”

There was a high probability that she had lost her main body while drunk in one of those places.