I walked for about half a day.

Gentle hills and mounds everywhere. Over the low, soft horizon, tiny buds could be seen beginning to bloom like a carpet.

Is the long winter coming to an end?

I marveled to myself.

‘It’s pretty. Beautiful.’

For the first time since gaining my new life, I felt at ease.

Just knowing that those leading the way are from the Northern Knights makes it easier to breathe.

The knights were all on horseback, but since I wasn’t a knight, I walked for a full half day. But I didn’t even feel my legs aching.

Freedom.

Because I had gained freedom.

At that moment, someone glanced back at me.

“How could she call such an unsightly thing ‘the one thing she wanted’?”

“I heard that girl informed them that the southerners would use poison.”

“Hmm, even so… if it were me, I would have asked for a pink diamond mine.”

The voices of two soldiers reached my ears.

It wasn’t just them. Even among those who were silent, there were people glancing at me.

‘They probably don’t approve of me.’

Why did the Grand Duke choose me when I wasn’t even an option?

In fact, that was a question for me as well.

The Grand Duke gave his own reasons about needing talent, but I couldn’t readily understand.

There were many other good options like asking for a diamond mine or a gold mine, or help in gaining the Emperor’s favor.

Choosing one of those would have been much more beneficial for the current Northern Grand Duke. Moreover, how could he know if I was talented or not?

‘Perhaps he took a special liking to me as a person?’

I shook my head vigorously.

No way, that couldn’t be.

It feels nice, but it’s just wishful thinking on my part.

The Grand Duke said he doesn’t trust me yet.

[This is the timeline separator]

Around midday, we arrived at the Ibeirne Plains.

A location from which one could reach the Southern Grand Duchy in a few hours on horseback. The Northern Knights’ camp was on that vast, green place.

About ten large white tents stood tall on the light green plain. People ran out towards the Grand Duke and Arcadia, who were at the front.

“Your Grace, we heard you were poisoned! Are you alright?!”

“We were about to charge in, but you told us not to come, so we couldn’t!”

The Grand Duke gave them a fleeting smile as they shouted.

“I was worried you might come. It would have been a civil war then.”

“Ugh, that’s too much.”

“You did give those southern bastards a good thrashing, right? If not, even now–!”

Men with bandit-like appearances were making whining noises.

Among them, a middle-aged man with a beard so thick it looked like a bush was particularly vocal.

It was both strange and amusing to see a man who looked like a brown bear, partly due to his beard color but mostly due to his rugged face, behaving this way.

Noticing me, he looked in my direction.

“Who’s that masked woman over there? Did she suffer burns?”

The man pointed at me.

The Grand Duke turned to look at me.

“…She’s the one who saved me.”

Our eyes met. I quickly bowed my head to show respect to the Grand Duke. Belfast spoke to me.

“Let’s send the friend who came with you to the medical tent. Arcadia, please take care of it.”

“What?”

Arcadia looked at me with a disgruntled face. No, it was more than disgruntled; it was full of suspicion and annoyance. He spoke with irritation.

“Your Grace, I don’t even know this woman’s name. She may have warned you about the poisoning attempt, but it’s unsettling. Especially since she was Medeia’s confidant.”

People started to stir at Arcadia’s words.

“She was Medeia’s confidant?”

“Why did you bring such a woman?”

‘Arcadia, does he dislike me?’

It might be natural, but I felt a little hurt.

But there’s nothing I can do. I can’t say that I’m the one who saved you from the black beetle.

If I did, it might reveal that I was an assassin and make me even more suspicious.

“Esther. This young lady’s name is Esther, Arcadia.”

Sion Belfast said.

The sound of my name spoken by him pierced a corner of my heart.

‘Esther, my real name.’

Arcadia made a pouty expression, unbefitting his noble platinum blonde hair, like a child.

“And Moby.”

The Grand Duke called out to the man with the bushy brown beard.

“The half of this young lady’s face that’s exposed… it’s just my guess, but I think it might not be a burn, but something caused by black magic. We’ll need to show it to Adrian when we return to the North to know for sure.”

“Black magic?”

The man called Moby asked in surprise.

“Yes. Probably something she suffered in the South? Perhaps that’s why this confidant helped me, Arcadia.”

The Grand Duke spoke in a light tone, like a spring breeze.

‘He’s covering for me, the Grand Duke.’

My heart felt tight. I was happy, but also a little surprised.

And for another reason, my heart started to pound.

‘Not a burn, but black magic?’

But Arcadia didn’t back down.

“Still, they say once a traitor, always a traitor. I’m very uneasy about this.”

“I understand, Arcadia. I’m not fully trusting this young lady yet either.”

The Grand Duke once again responded lightly, as if it were no big deal.

‘He officially says he doesn’t trust me. Yet he covers for me.’

It’s difficult.

I began to think that the Grand Duke I knew in my previous life might have been just a small part of who he really is.

In fact, I realize there’s a lot I don’t know about the Northern Grand Duke, this person.

As I was thinking this, did my expression become strange without me realizing it?

“What’s with that bizarre expression?”

Arcadia frowned.

I quickly lowered my head.

“I’m sorry. It’s just that everything is still unfamiliar to me. I’ll try to get used to it soon.”

Arcadia snorted.

‘He openly dislikes me.’

[This is the timeline separator]

We took the yellow caterpillar, who still hadn’t regained consciousness, to the medical tent.

In the tent were soldiers injured from battles with barbarians.

Somehow they had already heard rumors about me and the yellow caterpillar – rumors whose extent and nature I couldn’t know – and their gazes towards us were unsettling.

As I was asking the doctor to take good care of the caterpillar:

“Why did the Grand Duke bring in such a monster? And one that might be a southern spy at that.”

“Is this monster-like woman really the reward for our life-risking battles?”

I heard the soldiers’ voices from behind.

For a moment, my heart sank.

‘Is their antipathy towards me affecting the Grand Duke?’

That shouldn’t happen.

After politely entrusting the yellow caterpillar, I left the tent. As if snatching me, Arcadia called out.

He took me to a small tent.

“I set this up especially for you, with some effort. You’re the only woman here. Unlike the soft southern mansion, this is a field camp, so I hope you won’t be too picky.”

Arcadia put emphasis on the word ‘picky’.

I quietly smiled at him.

“This is much better than my underground room in the mansion anyway. Thank you.”

“Underground?”

“Yes, if I were a real confidant, they wouldn’t have treated me like that. My bed there was a pile of hay, but here there’s a real bed. It’s my first time in a room like this.”

I didn’t want to be hated by this person, at least. So I wanted to convey how grateful I was for this situation.

“The Grand Duke saved me from the South. So I’m truly grateful.”

Arcadia muttered.

“I don’t know how much to believe. Well, we’ll find out soon enough. I’ve sworn to dedicate my life to the Grand Duke. Whatever you try to do, I’ll catch you the moment you do it. You’d better be prepared.”

“I hope you’ll trust me.”

“I’ll decide whether to trust you or not.”

Arcadia gave me a cold look with his chilly green eyes.

He was like a sly puppy when joking with the Grand Duke in the blue annex, but now…

Are all northern men’s temperaments this diverse?

“And now that you’re here, you’re not thinking of freeloading, are you? You’ll have to show that you’re useful in some way. Since you came as the ‘one thing he wanted’.”

He spits out the words ‘one thing he wanted’ as if terribly wronged.

“…”

“What are you good at? What did you do in the South?”

What should I say?

Cooking? Cleaning stables? Laundry?

I’ve never done any of those. But I want to be useful.

I asked back.

“What skills would be considered useful in the North?”

At this, one of Arcadia’s eyebrows twitched. He sighed as if dismissing me.

“Ha, quite provocative. Well, the most useful thing is obvious. We share a border with the Sanctus Empire to the north, and there are monsters to the northwest. Our job is to fend them off. Fighting well, that’s the best skill.”

“Then… yes. I can fight well. That’s what I’m good at.”

For a moment, I felt the urge to be honest. The truth is, I’ve never done anything except wielding a ‘sword’.

Claiming to be good at cooking or laundry would quickly be exposed as a lie. I might just end up being labeled a liar.

So let’s just say I’m good with a ‘sword’.

I’ll demonstrate sword skills that are appropriate for my age, lacking but showing potential.

I managed to act that much even in front of the black beetle.

If I want to become someone the Northern Grand Duke can trust on the battlefield someday, I need to take this gamble. After that, I can pretend to have reached the level of a Sword Master through practice.

But.

Arcadia burst into laughter. He pointed at me.

“You? With a sword? With those thin arms? That scrawny body? Haha. Hey, even lies should have limits.”

“…”

“Hm, was pointing too much? Sorry.”

“It’s fine. But I want to be helpful to the North. It’s not a lie.”

Arcadia tilted his head.

“Why do you want to help the North?”

“Because the South is wrong. I grew up there, but I don’t like it. It’s the same for the yellow… ah, that friend doesn’t have a name yet. I heard that child’s homeland is the North. It will probably be the same for that child.”

I hope so.

“What’s this, I’m even more suspicious now.”

Arcadia said.

A long silence flowed between us.

I quietly removed the mask covering half of my face. The undistorted, original face of mine. I could feel the soft sunlight entering the tent touching that face with its sky-blue eyes.

Arcadia’s eyes widened as he saw my face.

“This is my true face. I don’t know why the left side of my face has collapsed. I have no memories from before I was five years old. But… the South probably knows the reason. I don’t like the South. That’s why I wanted to come to the North.”

“…”

“If I need to prove it, I’ll prove that I can be a useful person.”

Arcadia let out a low groan. He couldn’t take his eyes off my original face.

At that moment, the tent flap was lifted and a familiar voice was heard.

“That’s a good spirit. I think this is enough to give her a chance to prove herself, don’t you think, Arcadia?”

“Your Grace!”

Arcadia straightened up. It was the Northern Grand Duke.

I hurriedly bowed my head towards the Grand Duke.

“Raise your face.”

He said.

As I raised my face, I saw him looking into my sky-blue eyes. He didn’t take his eyes off me. His blue eyes were like a burning lake.

‘?’

“Arcadia, have this young lady serve as my close attendant. It’s an order.”