The source of the rumors were the people who stubbornly remained in the forest village, unwilling to leave their hometown. People who waited for the day when the village would flourish again in the forest where nothing remained.

That day, those who remained in the forest village felt the anomaly when Roxiana used the power of the spirits.

The vibration of the earth, a moist wind pushing away the dry air.

Frightened yet unable to contain their curiosity, they came out of the village and clearly witnessed the scene of the dead black forest coming back to life and a woman standing in the center of it.

Since the Princess of the Lily Palace was only a topic of discussion among the Grand Duke’s Palace and some nobles, and of no concern to commoners, they did not know who the woman was, standing with her platinum blonde hair fluttering in the wind. But they could tell that the miraculous event happening in the forest originated from that woman.

Afterwards, Floyd and the knights, busy taking care of Roxiana, returned to the Grand Duke’s Palace without knowing there were witnesses. By the time they learned about the witnesses, the rumors had already spread too far.

People called the woman who healed the forest surrounded by wind the ‘Goddess of the Forest’, ‘Fairy of the Trees’, ‘Legendary Elf’. Especially among the people of the forest village who had lost their homes but could now return, she was treated almost like a ‘god’.

It was a troublesome issue. The priests greatly disliked any mention of ‘gods’ other than Weden.

Arsen said.

“It’s impossible to completely silence people. Soon, this matter will reach the ears of the Empire and the Temple. We must prepare for when they send holy knights and priests for investigation.”

Now Arsen no longer said that Roxiana should be sent away from the Grand Duke’s Palace. And no one pointed out that fact.

Adrian leaned his upper body forward.

“My lord, I’ve been thinking. How about we gather the monsters coming out of the northwest rift without killing them, and when the Temple sends people, we guide the monsters to their path? If they’re holy knights coming for investigation, they won’t be particularly strong, and at most there will be 2 or 3 of them, so they won’t be able to handle multiple monsters at once.”

Hexten put down his beer with a thud and exclaimed boisterously.

“That’s a great idea! If we’re lucky, those holy knight bastards will all die, and even if we’re unlucky, they’ll barely escape with their lives and run away with their tails between their legs. Just imagining it is thrilling, isn’t it?”

The knights of Torkan greatly disliked the holy knights who acted arrogantly and rudely under the pretext of being God’s knights.

Arsen said.

“Containing monsters is risky, but it’s worth trying if we’re careful. If we use this method, even the Temple won’t rashly send people to Torkan.”

Floyd didn’t respond, but he was listening carefully to the knight commanders’ words. Roxiana’s power would become known sooner or later, the only difference being how quickly.

When the Temple learns of this strange power, they will go crazy trying to capture Roxiana, and if their own strength is insufficient, they will surely seek help from the Empire.

‘Just try to come. I’ll wipe them all out.’

Floyd had no intention of letting them take Roxiana away. Even if it meant becoming an enemy of the Great Temple and the Empire, he intended to protect Roxiana.

‘Those bastards.’

Floyd kept cursing in his mind without knowing who he was cursing. The Empire, the Temple, and Lucas and the Kingdom of Gania. He was furious at everything surrounding Roxiana.

Also, whenever he recalled the memory of seeking refuge in the Ider Royal Palace of Kanta long ago, an unpleasant pain arose in his chest.

The king’s illegitimate child. The trash of Robua Palace. The cursed brat.

In those days when he was called by nicknames more often than his name, only the Ider Royal Palace was warm. Only those with the surname Franche called him by his exact name.

And now that warm royal palace had fallen into Gania’s hands, and those with the surname Franche were killed and thrown into wells.

‘Lucas, what grudge could you possibly have against the princess to do such a cruel thing?’

He couldn’t understand at all. He wanted to rush over right now, grab the bastard by the collar, and ask. After doing such a horrific thing to those who were supposed to become family, did he sleep well, was he not worried about falling into the fires of hell after death?

His jaw clenched as he tried to suppress the rising anger.

The knight commanders’ conversation continued. Adrian held a fork in his hand and said with a grin.

“Then, my lord, if you’ll entrust it to me, I’ll sneak into Gania and snap Lucas’s neck. That bastard, killing people and throwing them into wells. Just snapping his neck would be too easy.”

“He’s someone who shouldn’t be alive.”

When Arsen, who should have objected the most in this situation, agreed with Adrian, the other knight commanders also eagerly offered opinions on how to torture Lucas so that he would die in the most painful way.

Suddenly, the noisy training ground fell silent. The knights who had been drinking noisily all turned to look in one direction. The knight commanders also stopped discussing various torture methods and turned to look where the knights were gazing.

Roxiana was walking towards them.

She was never excessively adorned. The light green dress prepared by the head maid Eledrun was a simple dress with no decorations except for the lace at the hem of the skirt. A dress prepared for everyday wear, not for parties.

That simplicity made her beauty shine even more.

Without wearing a single piece of jewelry and with her hair neatly combed down, she walked slowly through the center of the training ground with her back straight. Moving with almost no sway, she looked like the forest goddess, tree fairy, or legendary elf as the rumors circulating in Selshar City, the capital of Torkan, suggested.

Her gaze, fixed straight ahead even as she received everyone’s attention, did not waver.

The knights, who rarely had the chance to properly see a noblewoman except at parties, felt awe at her elegant and dignified demeanor.

It was the same for Floyd and the knight commanders. Floyd, almost losing himself watching Roxiana, suddenly came to his senses and ran towards her.

“You’ve come.”

“Of course. Thank you for inviting me.”

“It’s nothing.”

When Floyd held out his hand, she naturally placed her hand on top of his.

Floyd thought her hand was so small and thin that it might break, and carefully grasped it.

As Floyd headed towards where the knight commanders were with her, Kirshan, who had been sitting next to Floyd, gave up his seat. Roxiana nodded a greeting to Kirshan and sat down in her seat, looking around at the knight commanders and the knights beyond them.

‘So they’re holding a banquet in the training ground.’

This was Roxiana’s first time at such a banquet.

A banquet where everyone sits together with the knights and eats and drinks in the undecorated training ground. It was outrageously boisterous.

Although they had lit the place with magic stones, they hadn’t completely driven away the darkness, so she couldn’t tell what expressions the knights looking at her were making.

‘Still, since I revived the forest, they probably won’t look at me with disapproval like before.’

As Roxiana took a slow deep breath, trying not to show her nervousness, Adrian called an employee and ordered them to bring out good wine.

Meanwhile, the knights were still motionless, staring at Roxiana. Floyd shouted.

“What are you doing! The night is short! Drink!”

“Yes, sir!”

At their lord’s command, the knights responded loudly and turned their gazes away from Roxiana.

When a servant brought wine in an elegant bottle, Adrian received it. Roxiana glanced at the man with a captivating appearance who came to her side to pour the wine himself.

Dull silver hair and green eyes, eyes half-closed as if sleepy, and red around the eyes. She had heard he was Cain’s twin, but they didn’t look alike at all. If others hadn’t told her, she wouldn’t have known they were brothers.

Adrian smiled gently when their eyes met.

“Princess, you’ve done something truly amazing. Do you know what everyone outside is calling you?”

Adrian’s voice was husky, making the listener’s ears comfortable. Roxiana realized there was no longer any sharp hostility in his voice and inwardly felt relieved as she asked.

“What do they call me?”

“Goddess of the Forest, Fairy of the Trees, Legendary Elf. There are even minstrels already making songs about you and singing them.”

“…How did what I did become known?”

Adrian sat down in his seat with a thud and answered.

“There were witnesses. People who remained in the nearby forest villages. Stubborn people who stayed to protect their villages. Those people saw you, Princess.”

Roxiana was bewildered.

She had never dreamed there would be people remaining in such a blackened, dead forest. If rumors had spread enough for people in the capital to be talking about Roxiana, then the Temple and the Empire would surely learn about this amazing miracle.

Roxiana wasn’t sure if Floyd could fight the Temple for her sake.

‘It’s not enough yet. Reviving one forest isn’t enough to ask these people to protect me.’

She covered her mouth with the wine glass to hide her anxious feelings. The wine aroma rising to her nose was very rich and sweet even in that moment. Surprised by the strong scent she had never smelled during her time in Kanta, she looked down at the glass, and Adrian said.