The morning of departure for the North.

At dawn, while everyone was still asleep, I got up and went to the Grand Duke’s office.

Since the visit of Finance Minister Jardin, the Grand Duke had been spending more nights surrounded by piles of documents.

When I knocked, as expected, a voice from inside told me to enter.

After opening the door, I stood outside without going in. The Grand Duke rose from his seat upon seeing me standing at attention in uniform.

His eyes trembled as he looked at me.

But I no longer want to focus all my attention on examining his expressions and being swayed by guessing his emotions.

I won’t do that.

Whether he believes me or not, I must do what I need to do now.

If I fall and cry every time I waver, there’s no point in living this new life.

“Your Highness, thank you for giving me a good experience yesterday. Thanks to you, I realized how lax I had become. I learned from Your Highness that I need to be more alert in actual combat. Additionally, I apologize for foolishly crying.”

The Grand Duke replied with a sad face.

“I should be the one apologizing. I pushed you too hard yesterday. I hurt you······. I shouldn’t have treated you, my attendant, so carelessly.”

“I wasn’t particularly hurt. It was an honor just to have the opportunity to cross swords with Your Highness, the shield of the Empire.”

“······.”

“I received undeserved kindness from Your Highness in the fields, in the barracks, and here in the mansion. I am merely a knight-in-training. From now on, I will report directly to the Vice Commander, my immediate superior, when important matters arise, as befits my position.”

From now on, Northern Grand Duke, it would be better if I don’t come to you directly.

As a mere knight-in-training, coming directly to your office might seem presumptuous in people’s eyes.

Now, it’s truly time to go to the Northern Grand Duke’s castle, Belfast’s domain.

I bowed deeply to the Grand Duke, then closed the door and turned away.

I didn’t bother to check the Grand Duke’s reaction to my words.

[This is the timeline separator]

“Esther, this horse suits you.”

The horse Yora brought me was a beautiful gray mare with long silver-gray eyelashes and black eyes.

“Yora, it’s so beautiful. Is this really my horse? Can I really have this child?”

“Yes. It’s a five-month-old horse. Esther is now a knight, so you’re qualified.”

“Thank you, Yora. Really.”

I marveled at the extravagant gift given to a knight-in-training as I stroked the horse’s mane.

The mane, well-brushed and softly flowing.

The horse seemed pleased and nuzzled its neck against my hand.

“I want to give it a name. What would be good?”

At that moment, butler Hans, whose eyes were bloodshot from crying a lot, approached me.

“Young lady.”

“Butler······ please don’t be too sad. We’ll be back before long, you know.”

“For Northerners, there’s no such thing as ‘before long.’ Today’s battle could be the last of one’s life. That’s why the present is most important to us.”

“I will continue to live. I’ll make sure no one else, not anyone, gets hurt. I’m actually much stronger than I look.”

I smiled brightly to reassure him.

I wanted to reassure him.

I think I understand a little of his sorrowful heart, having to send the Grand Duke and Vice Commander, whom he practically raised, back to the North.

Hans said,

“I know. From the moment I first saw you, I felt your strength. At my age, there are things you can see without being shown.”

“······.”

“Esther, young lady, I’ll call you Sir Knight now. Please continue to help my young master, no, His Grace the Grand Duke, even in the harsh winter winds you’ll arrive in. Lord Nugent, who’s like a spirited colt, actually has a tender heart, so please support him well.”

“They are the ones I serve. I’m not sure if I’m worthy to help them, but I’ll do my best.”

Hans showed a faint smile at my words. Then he removed the green sapphire brooch attached to his coat and handed it to me.

A brooch that looked like a small basket or a vase.

“This is the emblem of our ‘Axel’ family, who have served the Belfast family for hundreds of years. It’s a basket that holds many things. When you go to the Grand Duke’s castle, you’ll meet the ‘head maid’ wearing this emblem, like me. She’s my only younger sister, Luwine Axel.”

“Head maid Luwine Axel.”

I unconsciously repeated the name I had just heard, as if memorizing it.

“The people at the Grand Duke’s castle don’t know His Grace as well as the people here at the island mansion. You’ll meet various people. If you have this emblem, even if someday no one else believes you, my sister Luwine will believe you. This is my seal of approval for you. Haha.”

“Butler.”

Seeing his pleasant smile, my nose tingled.

My heart, which had been cold just last night, is warmed by this one seal of approval Hans offered.

He also handed me a small letter.

“Please deliver this to my sister. Think of it as the stamp for my seal of approval.”

“Yes. I’ll make sure to take it and deliver it well.”

“Thank you.”

Hans added one more thing with a kindly smile.

“I’ve also packed all the dresses in your luggage, so please take care of them when you arrive. It seemed you had forgotten, so I loaded them for you.”

“······Ah, yes.”

It wasn’t that I’d forgotten, I was planning to leave them behind······ but oh well. The luggage will increase.

I briefly held his wrinkled hands.

“Don’t worry.”

The road to the North is long. It will take nearly a month of non-stop travel, day and night, to reach the Grand Duke’s castle.

As I mounted the horse, I saw dozens of knights, and at the very front, the Grand Duke and Arcadia.

I extended my hand to Yora.

“Ride behind me, Yora.”

“Huh? Uh······ I’m not a knight.”

“What does that matter? You’re the one who raised this horse. It’s a long way to the North.”

“!”

Yora, who had been hesitating, took my hand. I pulled him up and seated him behind me.

He carefully held onto my shoulders.

“Hold on tight, Yora. Let’s go!”

The figure of Hans waving at us grew more and more distant.

I watched him until he became a tiny dot and disappeared from view.

[This is the timeline separator]

It wasn’t easy for the entire knighthood to ride without rest.

After two days of riding, both people and horses needed about half a day’s rest.

[Build a rapport with Julia Nugent. I’ll send a letter later.]

Throughout the journey to the North, I mulled over and over those words Medeia had sent me through the red caterpillar.

Julia Nugent.

All I know about her is that in her previous life, she hated Sion Belfast, who was her fiancé.

The only daughter and youngest child of Count Herne Nugent, who was the acting Northern Grand Duke of the previous generation.

After the death of the previous Grand Duchess who had been taken to the islands, she became the highest-ranking woman in the Northern Grand Duke’s castle.

According to what Medeia said in passing in the previous life, Julia Nugent deeply loved her father, the acting Northern Grand Duke of the previous generation.

So when her father died, I heard she resented the real Grand Duke, Sion Belfast, who remained on the islands and couldn’t protect her father.

But when the previous acting Northern Grand Duke died, the Northern Grand Duke was only fifteen years old. He was a hostage forcibly held by the Emperor’s order.

Could she really hide fake secret letters from an enemy country in her fiancé’s bedroom and report it to the imperial family just because of resentment?

Perhaps in the previous life, in a place I didn’t know about, Medeia’s flickering tongue had reached Julia Nugent.

The two met on the day Julia first set foot on the island territory as the Northern Grand Duke’s fiancée. It was a few years later.

But in this life, Medeia is already eyeing Julia Nugent.

It’s early.

Medeia’s movements have become faster.

Is it because of the variable that is me, or is the failure that didn’t exist in the previous life urging Medeia on more?

Anyway, this is all I know about Julia Nugent.

− Bella, I’ll send a nice gift to the North, look forward to it. −

The note Medeia sent me.

A gift is surely delivered to someone.

Who will deliver that gift, how, and to whom?

At least one guess was possible.

The high possibility that the recipient of that gift would be ‘Julia Nugent’.

The fact that her name was mentioned in Medeia’s message means that Julia is currently the White Grand Duchess’s target.

‘I need to know more about Julia. There’s no guarantee we’ll arrive before Medeia’s gift.’

Where could I get information about her?

For now, only Arcadia Nugent, her second elder brother, comes to mind.

[This is the timeline separator]

I started hovering around Arcadia.

If I asked too seriously about her, he might find it strange.

As it was, Arcadia was already on edge because his younger sister had appeared in Medeia’s message.

I need to create a situation where I can bring up Julia’s story as naturally as possible.

So during the half-day breaks, I would pitch my tent next to Arcadia’s.

I also looked for opportunities to dine with him.

Each time, I often made eye contact with the Grand Duke, but I deliberately ignored those gazes. If I start being conscious of the Grand Duke, I won’t be able to do anything else.

Your Grace, Grand Duke.

In this life, I will make sure Julia Nugent is not deceived by lies, that she doesn’t hate you.

Whether you believe me or not, I want to atone to you.

[This is the timeline separator]

Arcadia was always busy.

He wasn’t often in his tent, sending advance messengers to the North, relaying news from Emils and Hans in the islands to the Grand Duke, and discussing matters.

On the day we were eating the delicious special meal prepared by Major Moby, I saw him entering his tent.

It was a week after we had left the islands.

“Major, I’ll take the Vice Commander’s food to him.”

“That would be helpful, thanks!”

Moby seemed to need twenty hands to prepare and deliver food for the mouths of dozens of men.

I picked up the steaming soup and quail stew and briskly walked to the entrance of his tent.

“Vice Commander!”

“?!”

Arcadia quickly grabbed the clothes he had just thrown on the bed to cover his bare upper body.

‘Oops, he was in the middle of changing.’

An unexpected situation. I was flustered and quickly turned my head away.

The sound of him hastily putting on clothes came from behind. He spoke in a grumbling voice.

“You startled me.”

“I’m sorry, Vice Commander. Please change quickly. See, I’m turning my back.”

“Esther.”

“Yes?”

“Could you······ leave? I’m not that easy of a man.”

‘Ah······ I can’t retreat like this. This is a chance I’ve managed to get.’

“I’m sorry. Then, Vice Commander, the soup seems to have cooled, so I’ll reheat it and bring it back.”

“Esther.”

“Yes?”

“Shouldn’t you be a bit more surprised in this situation? That would be the normal reaction.”

“Pardon?”

Arcadia threw out an unexpected remark.

I would have understood if he had told me to put down the food and leave quickly.

Well, I wasn’t very surprised.

I was used to seeing men’s naked bodies, having seen the bodies of the boys I trained with for assassination many times.

That’s why I was more perplexed by the time I was flustered seeing the Grand Duke’s naked body in the tent a month ago.

The memory of being flustered when there was no reason to be.

“I’m sorry. I was a bit surprised······ but still, I am the Vice Commander’s adjutant. I shouldn’t be overly surprised in the future, should I?”

Feeling awkward making such an uncharacteristic statement, I cleared my throat unnecessarily.

“That sounds like you’re saying you’ll barge in whenever I’m changing in the future?”

“That’s not what I mean!”

Arcadia let out a low sigh.

After a moment, he approached me from behind.

“Adjutant.”

“Yes!”

I turned around.

At that moment, he grabbed my nose and shook it slightly.

“Ah!?”

“I was embarrassed.”

“Don’t tease me.”

“I’m not teasing. You’re not going to cry, are you?”

The night before we left for the North, it was Arcadia who had helped me up when I was lying in the training grounds.

I was grateful that he noticed I had been crying but didn’t say anything, but of course he’s mentioning it now.

I said sulkily,

“I’m not crying.”

“Alright, what’s your business?”

“I brought your meal. I thought it would be lonely eating alone every time, so I wanted to eat with you, Vice Commander.”

“With me? Really?”

“Yes.”

Arcadia’s eyes widened slightly in surprise. I must have smiled unconsciously, finding his expression amusing.

“You must have really wanted to eat together. Well then, I’ll eat very well.”

Arcadia brought the table from the corner of the tent towards me. Then he took out a bottle of wine from under the bed.

“This is something I drink very occasionally on special occasions, it’s good for fatigue recovery.”

He smiled brightly, like white snow melting in the spring sunlight.