He took me to the largest tent in this place. As soon as I sat down, he asked me what my purpose was.

“There is no purpose. Seeing someone bleeding profusely and knowing how to treat them, and then pretending not to know and turning away isn’t something a person does, right?”

“Did you ask for a space just to say that?”

Hardly.

I handed him the document I had prepared in advance.

“I’ll give you the first chance to purchase the herbs.”

For the first time, the man’s eyebrows twitched. He looked as if he had heard some absurd story.

“Do Kursians need dried grass?”

“Seems like they do?”

I defiantly pushed on.

“In such a border area, it’s almost impossible to find a temple every day. Even if an immediate treatment is needed, there’s no way to do it.”

“Funny. Even so, we are an empire with a thousandyear history, without any particular herbs. Do you think we need it?”

“Yes, in a few months, it’ll be hard to buy even with money.”

“How can I believe the words of a village woman living in the corner of a mountain?”

There was not a hint of trust in the man’s eyes. Unlike other soldiers, he was more hostile towards me.

“Believing or not is up to your judgment. There won’t be any temples in Kursia in the future. There won’t be any Pater supplies. What do you think would be most needed by thousands of people who have lost their temples?”

I pointed to the pile of herbs I had brought with my eyes. His eyes followed my gaze.

“By now, the royalty should have noticed. It will take some time for there to be an official announcement as it is a big issue. If you come looking for me then, I’ll charge ten times the current price.”

The commander’s lips tightened stiffly. On the other hand, I offered a soft smile.

“I’ll give you a generous one week.”

If someone stays quiet even after hearing this, they weren’t worth trading with.

I was changing my clothes in the carriage, just about to step into the mansion.

“Where have you been?”

Hertian was waiting for me at the door. Thanks to the unusually heavy weather today, the castle was dark even though sunset was yet to come.

“I was touring the territory. There’s so much to see that I didn’t even realize the time.”

I avoided Hertian’s gaze, my eyes folded into halfmoons, smiling. Having a secret from him made it hard to act casually as I used to.

Hertian silently watched me come in.

In the suffocating silence, I blurted out anything.

“Have you eaten? Ah, it’s almost three, so of course, you have.”

“Madam.”

The heavy sound of Hertian’s voice halted my steps. I stopped in place and turned to look at him.

When I made eye contact, he smiled as warmly as he always did, as if nothing was amiss.

“Going out is fine, but if you go out every day, something is bound to happen.”

Then he handed something to my cold hand. It was a black pebble. It was as warm as his hand.

“What is this?”
“I made it because your hands seemed to be going numb. It’s a hand warmer enchanted with magic. Please use it when you go out.”

Hand warmer.

It had been a long time since she encountered such an object.

It didn’t look like modern ones, but a hand warmer that warms up in the palm of her hand.

Her frozen hands thawed out in an instant.

“Thank you. I really like it.”

Guilt washed over her at his smile. She was wandering outside fearlessly due to the business he had told her not to get involved in, yet he worried about her and made a hand warmer for her amidst his busy schedule.

But being honest at this moment was not the best way for him.

Retaking the territory was a very important mission for Hertian as well.

She had to finish the deal as soon as possible and apologize to him.

“Have you eaten, Madam?”

“Oh. I’ve just realized I skipped lunch.”

She rubbed her flat stomach. She had a packed lunch prepared by Bonisa, but she had shared it all because there were children crying from hunger in the winter. But if Hertian knew that she even skipped a meal, he would dislike it, so she pretended to forget.

“I will prepare a meal for you.”

“Hertian, you will do it yourself?”

“I don’t only brandish a sword.”

His calm remark of such an eerie thing made her burst into laughter.

He made her sit down and disappeared, only to reappear shortly holding a tray.

“Wow, did you make this yourself?”

What he made was pasta.

Creambased pasta made with chicken breast. Chopped button mushrooms made it look appetizing. She wrapped noodles on her fork and took a big bite.

The taste of the thick cream filling her mouth and the faint smell of pepper spreading was perfect.

It was the taste of the pasta Rian made when she was young.

She was so absorbed in her memories that she quickly emptied a bowl. It had been a long time since she had eaten a meal this satisfying that wasn’t a dessert. Her stomach was bulging.

“It was really delicious.”

“I’m glad you liked it.”

Hertian, who had been watching her eat all along, let out a sigh of relief. He also had a lot of work and was probably exhausted, but he was always trying his best for her.

Though he was her contractual partner, she didn’t want to burden him any further.

She wiped her mouth and spoke quietly.

“Hertian. You don’t have to look after me all the time. After all, we’re in a contract, aren’t we? Our relationship already seems good among the servants, you don’t have to care even behind the scenes.”