“It’s Hans and Peter, the stable boys. They say they saw her getting on the carriage of a merchant who came from Schlenburg in Bavaria.”

“Is it reliable information? Could they have mistaken someone or…”

“Anyone can recognize Grita’s figure. Both of them were sure.”

Adel let out a long sigh of relief. If Grita had left from the night before the snowfall heading south, she would have arrived in a place unaffected by this heavy snow. At least until the third day, there wasn’t much snow, and the temperature would have become warmer as they moved south.

Some of her worries were alleviated. Adel smiled faintly.

“That’s a bit of relief.”

“Yes. It seems to involve someone’s life, after all…”

Adel looked at Herman with surprised eyes.

Since Grita’s disappearance, it was confirmed that some of the gold coins in the chest had disappeared. Therefore, there were rumors circulating initially that Grita might have been threatened or become a scapegoat for a crime.

However, as testimonies from people who witnessed Grita leaving the castle voluntarily began to pour in, the situation rapidly changed.

Even though Herman didn’t explicitly show it in front of Adel, the atmosphere labeling Grita as a ‘traitor’ became prevalent. Amidst this, it was quite surprising that Herman acknowledged her reverse attitude, even if it was just words.

“…Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it. If there’s nothing else you need, then I’ll be going.”

“Okay. Oh, is the Duke still in the dining room?”

“Yes. He’s been in the study so far.”

The study had recently become the place where Valentin stayed the longest. Due to the snow piling up in the training ground, making it impossible for the knights to train and spar, it seemed he decided to bury himself in books. Thanks to that, his vocabulary was rapidly expanding.

Adel considered going to see Valentin immediately but soon changed her mind.

“Has His Grace been skipping lunch as usual? It might be good to prepare some simple food and send it.”

“…I will do that.”

Herman hesitated with a face that seemed to want to ask something but soon politely bowed.

Adel passed him and descended quickly to the lower floor. It was around the time when the kitchen was bustling with maids going back and forth, and she turned into the corridor leading to the banquet hall.

“Highness!”

Yannick, whose face had turned entirely red, spotted her and shook her hand. It seemed like he had just come inside from the cold wind. Adel could read the excitement on his face.

“What’s the matter?”

“The knights have returned. They say they’ve cleared the way to the river. They brought back two big deer!”

He clenched his fist and raised his voice. Adel widened her eyes.

“Is that really true?”

“Yes. We piled up firewood in the backyard and set up several pots. It seems like they’re going to make stew, and they’re smoking the remaining meat to make jerky. How about Your Highness goes to see too?
For some reason, they said the castle seemed bustling, and it seemed that everyone was moving enthusiastically due to the rare good news.

Above all, the fact that new supplies were procured instead of just consuming the stored food seemed to have sprouted hope in people’s hearts. The cheerful laughter of maids, which hadn’t been heard for a long time, brought a warm feeling to Adel’s heart as well.

“I… I’m fine.”

Although she felt like going right away to lift her spirits with the joyful atmosphere, Adel shook her head, refusing. The recently amiable atmosphere had strangely frozen since Adel decided to accept the wanderers. Also, Adel, who was accustomed to being cautious and avoiding people’s eyes, habitually became frightened and started avoiding people.

Yannick, who was quick-witted, seemed to notice why she hesitated.

“Don’t withdraw like that. Especially at times like this, you should show yourself boldly instead of shrinking away.”

Encouraging her fervently, even clenching his fist, Adel nodded hesitantly.

“You’re right. Come this way.”

Following Yannick down to the backyard, they could see boiling pots and an improvised oven made with bricks for baking bread. The servants were hastily removing the blood from the deer, and they could see them separating the meat from the bones.

It was not a pleasant sight at all. Startled, Adel covered her mouth with a pale face, and someone approached her.

“Your Highness.”