Though he seemed calm, the Grand Duke somehow didn’t look calm.

What was it? What made him uncomfortable?

It was embarrassing that the soldiers whistled, but it wasn’t an attitude bad enough to be offended by. Rather, it felt like they were deliberately raising the mood to encourage me, who was nervous about revealing my real face.

I’ve been mocked and teased for a very long time, so if there was such meaning in the soldiers’ whistles, I would have noticed it first.

But it wasn’t like that…

At the Grand Duke’s words about it being vulgar, the knights looked at each other awkwardly.

“Anyway, gentlemen, you’ve really had a hard time coming all the way to this distant south and fighting life-threatening battles. But above all, I’m truly glad that you survived. I sincerely thank you all.”

“Not at all, Your Grace! We are the ones who are truly grateful!”

“Bran is right, Your Grace!”

The knights all spoke up one after another. The Grand Duke rubbed his face with his large hand and said with a worried expression.

“The whistling… I… It seems my ears have become sensitive since I was poisoned. Let’s pretend I didn’t hear it.”

At this, some knights looked worried, while some soldiers smiled brightly again.

But Arcadia looked at the Grand Duke with an expression like he had seen something he shouldn’t have.

“Well, we’ll set out again tomorrow, so everyone get plenty of rest.”

The Grand Duke left the place somewhat hurriedly.

As the Grand Duke left, Arcadia grumbled, seemingly forgetting I was still beside him.

“What’s that, why is he acting like that?”

When Arcadia asked, Moby answered.

“I wonder. I’ve seen His Grace make that expression once when he was very young.”

“When he was very young?”

“Yes. It was before the vice-captain started serving His Grace. After the three of them – His Grace, the late Grand Duke and Grand Duchess – went somewhere together, he was like that for days… looking as if he was jealous of something, just like then.”

“Jealous? Come on, Commander Moby, you must be losing your touch. From what I saw, it just seems like he’s sulking because I pushed this young lady too hard?”

“Hmm. Well, His Grace is a gentleman anyway, haha.”

“Commander, I’m a gentleman too.”

Arcadia narrowed his eyes.

Arcadia, cold as a blizzard, is like a loyal puppy only when dealing with the Grand Duke. Even the Grand Duke, whom I thought was perfect and noble in my previous life, has such an unknown side.

‘People are really diverse, aren’t they.’

Things I wouldn’t have known if I hadn’t come back.

They warmly soaked my heart.

[This is the timeline separator]

My tent was modest and cozy. A relatively comfortable bed, a small wooden table, a single-tier drawer for luggage, and a small stove.

But there was no mirror.

Usually, I didn’t miss not having a mirror because there was nothing to look at. But now that I had a new mask, I wanted to see my reflection.

Ergo gave me that mask from earlier to wear until the final one was completed. He said he had already made two molds, so he could finish the final work with another one.

I was grateful.

My heart pounded with anticipation for my changed appearance.

An unfamiliar emotion I was feeling for almost the first time.

‘My appearance with my original face revealed. Will it be okay?’

Suddenly, I remembered the small spring I saw yesterday when I went to fetch water for laundry. It seemed clear enough there to see my face reflected.

While I’m at it, I should wash off the dust I got covered in from sparring.

I put on the incomplete half-mask, grabbed a small towel, and went up to the forest behind the tent.

But after walking a few steps, I ran into Arcadia.

I greeted him with a somewhat embarrassed feeling, thinking I had made things difficult for him in various ways, including deliberately losing. But as I was about to pass by, he called out to me.

“Esther.”

“Yes?”

Now he’s calling me by my name.

He looked at me hesitantly with a somewhat unfamiliar face. But his eyes were serious.

“Are you feeling alright?”

“Ah, yes. I’m fine.”

Was he near my tent because he was curious about my condition?

As I was thinking that, he opened his mouth.

“That’s good. There’s something I want to ask.”

“Yes, please go ahead.”

After hesitating, he spoke.

“…Have you ever fought an assassin?”

For a moment, my whole body tensed.

Has what I feared happened?

My fingertips grew cold with tension.

Just earlier, while sparring with Arcadia, there were two moments when I thought, ‘Oops.’

Once was when I pressed my body close to his shoulder to avoid his sword. It’s my reflexive action utilizing the fact that it’s harder to be attacked when inside the sword’s radius.

When the black bug attacked Arcadia, I had pressed my body against his shoulder to stop the bug’s attack.

The second time was when I lowered my body to avoid Arcadia’s sword, then pushed the hilt, not the blade, towards his abdomen.

This too was a reflexive action from fighting the black bug, as I didn’t want to kill.

‘Maybe he’s recalling the black bug attack?’

As I stood there without responding, he scratched his head.

“No need to open your eyes so wide.”

“…”

“You’re hiding something from me, aren’t you? That seems certain now.”

“What do you mean? Why, why do you keep saying that?”

“…Huh.”

As I became flustered, he let out a small laugh.

“Your movements. When you received an attack you thought you couldn’t avoid, you pressed your body towards my shoulder. That seemed familiar.”

As I thought.

“Is there really nothing you haven’t told me?”

Trying not to appear flustered, I replied.

“Something I haven’t told you? I don’t know what you mean.”

“You… you’re like an onion, peeling away layer after layer.”

“Pardon?”

“Never mind.”

What keeps being ‘never mind’, even more scarily.

I don’t want him to find out it was me who saved you from the black bug.

Because if that happens, various things will become complicated. Because that fact is tied to my past.

Fortunately, Arcadia turned away.

As I let out a small sigh of relief, he said.

“Thank you.”

“What?”

“Do you want to hear it twice?”

“…”

“Well, you’ll know with time. Just don’t commit treason. As long as it’s not that, I won’t ask anymore. Top disciple.”

“Pardon?”

“I said top disciple.”

Leaving those words, Arcadia walked away without further comment.

What does he mean by thank you?

…Is he saying he knows everything but won’t confirm it?

I was grateful.

‘Thank you, Arcadia.’

But top disciple…

Ah… Arcadia. You difficult vice-captain, layer upon layer.

[This is the timeline separator]

Walking weakly made even a short distance feel far.

As I trudged along with my complicated thoughts, I soon arrived at the spring.

Unlike my mind, the spring was infinitely clear and clean.

The early spring’s green moss that had bloomed here and there lay like a soft carpet on the rocks surrounding the spring. The old trees of the near-primeval forest cast green shadows over the spring water.

The scene was truly quiet and peaceful.

I sat on a flat rock with little moss. Then I took off my shoes and dipped my bare feet into the spring.

“Whew…”

As I let out a long breath, I finally felt like I would live.

The water was cold and the air was clean, making me feel refreshed to my core.

I playfully moved my feet in the water for no reason. Small cool droplets splashed up, creating gentle ripples on the surface.

As the ripples faded and the water became flat again, I saw my face.

A woman who had just become an adult, with white cheeks and crimson cheeks, was in the spring water.

Slightly upturned, plump crescent moon-like eyes. Sky-blue pupils nestled within, long silver eyelashes. A straight nose bridge, only half intact, with small nostrils. Also only half revealed, crimson lips neither too thin nor too plump.

‘This is me.’

For some reason, the bridge of my nose tingled.

I scooped up cold spring water with both hands and washed my face. Then, after rolling up my pants to my knees to keep them from getting wet, I carefully entered the spring.

I confirmed that no one was around.

Even if just for a moment, I wanted to shake off the dust I had accumulated in the south before leaving tomorrow.

I want to wash clean. The sweat, the dust. My stained heart too.

I took off my mask and loosened the collar of the shirt I was wearing on top so it wouldn’t get wet. Then I bent down and submerged my head and face in the spring water.

‘My hair has grown quite long. Should I tie it up…’

Ah, so refreshing.

After running my hands through my hair to clean it thoroughly, I raised my head.

That’s when it happened.

I made eye contact with the Grand Duke sitting in an awkward posture on a large tree right next to the spring.

“Eek!”

“So-sorry!!!”

The Grand Duke, flustered, hurriedly jumped down from the tree.

“Wha-what is this, Your Grace!!!”

Too surprised, I unconsciously closed my front collar.

“Ah, that, well! Whatever you’re thinking, it’s all a misunderstanding.”

“What misunderstanding do you mean…”

I was too flustered to speak properly.

The face of the Grand Duke, always calm, twisted strangely. From the mouth of the man who was like a cool north wind came stammering excuses.

“I wasn’t trying to look, I just missed the timing to come down. I saw you coming and was wondering what to do, but if I tried to go down I thought I might startle you…”

Only then could I understand the situation.

“I was going to let you know I was here before coming down, but you seemed to be looking at something intently. I tried to go down quietly, but I thought it would be stranger if I was caught doing that…”

“…?”

I understood.

Swallowing his words as if frustrated, he covered his face with his hands and muttered lowly.

“How pathetic. Really.”

“…”

“I was going to call your name, but you seemed to be enjoying the water so much. I thought about calling out anyway, but then.”

Our eyes met. He lowered his head.

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s alright, Your Grace.”

At my calm voice, he looked at me like a cowed puppy.

“I didn’t realize Your Grace was here first, and I failed to notice my surroundings because I was lost in thought about various things.”

It was true.

Normally, I should have sensed his presence, but I didn’t.

The conversation I just had with Arcadia, seeing my face properly for the first time, and other thoughts were mixed up in my head, preventing me from properly sensing my surroundings.

I was too relaxed, wasn’t I.

I felt sorry for the Grand Duke who had probably been resting here before me.

“But Your Grace, how did you know about this spring?”

The Grand Duke spoke, somewhat flustered.

“Ah, well. I like taking walks at sunset. I discovered this spring while walking here the day before yesterday.”

“A walk?”

“Yes. Walking helps clear my troubled mind and complicated thoughts a bit.”

Troubled mind. Complicated thoughts.

I could roughly understand his situation without him saying it.

“I see… Then I was indeed the one who disturbed Your Grace’s rest. I’m sorry.”

“It’s not like that.”

The Grand Duke answered slowly.

A moment of silence passed.

The loosely breaking red sunlight began to cast a slanted sunset over the spring.

I looked at the Grand Duke, Sion Belfast, reflected in that sunset for a moment. Between an inexplicable embarrassment and lingering bewilderment.

His jet-black hair fluttered in the crimson wind.

A feeling like being caught in a very long, fleeting moment.

I spoke up in an unnecessarily spirited voice.

“Um, Your Grace. I agreed to help the Commander prepare dinner shortly. He said we’d have a special meal for our last night in the south.”

“…”

“Then I’ll be going now.”

“Wait.”

“Yes?”

The Grand Duke bent down and picked up my towel placed on the rock.

“Dry yourself and come slowly. You’ll easily catch a cold if you stay wet.”

He turned around and left the forest before me.

I blankly watched him walk away, holding the towel in my hand.

The first sunset of spring shattered like gold and settled on his shoulders.

Not knowing that the Emperor’s flag embroidered with golden Lucella would arrive here soon after… I carefully dried my silver hair with the towel he had handed me.