“Ah, it’s progressing well. Over the past two days, the snowfall has decreased, and there have been surprisingly no monster attacks, so the work is going very smoothly. By today, the path should be sufficiently cleared up to the river on the outskirts of Regenbach Forest.”

“That’s fortunate at least.”

Adelheit, who had flinched at the mention of ‘no monster attacks’, was genuinely relieved by the time Hermann finished speaking. Although she had been boasting loudly, she could feel the castle’s atmosphere gradually sinking due to dwindling supplies.

She continued hopefully.

“The forest is so dense with trees that snow might not have accumulated much on the inside. If we can hunt animals, it would help with food supplies. Also, we should check if we can break the ice on the river and fish.”

“I’ll relay that to the knights as soon as they return.”

“Is that all you have to report?”

“Yes… No, actually, if it’s not impertinent, there’s something I’d like to ask.”

“Go ahead.”

Adelheit closed her ledger and looked at Hermann. He seemed to hesitate on how to begin. But once he started speaking, he poured out his opinion without the slightest hesitation.

“Setting aside other matters, is there a reason why you insist on caring for the vagrants? Most of them are drifters from who knows where. There was even someone who tried to sneak into the kitchen, disgruntled with the food distribution, and fights break out almost daily.”

He paused, took a deep breath, and exhaled sharply.

“In my opinion, these are not people Your Highness needs to care for.”

Hermann openly expressed his antipathy towards the vagrants. Furthermore, he was burning with the desire to drive them out.

But for Adelheit, it was an unavoidable choice. She hadn’t had a single day of peace since Grita’s disappearance.

When rumors started circulating that Ansgar Castle was taking in people with nowhere else to go, vagrants from nearby villages flocked like bees before the roads were cut off. If Grita had left Ansgar Castle on foot, she couldn’t have gone far, and Adelheit thought she might have hidden among the vagrants after hearing the rumors. Given Grita’s personality, she would find it hard to endure hunger and cold.

But it wasn’t solely because of Grita.

“You said we were short on soldiers to defend the castle, didn’t you? How about training those who are young, in good shape, and seem trustworthy among those who have come in?”

“…I’m not sure if they’re the type to diligently commit to training in the first place. If they were, they wouldn’t have become vagrants.”

Adelheit shook her head at Hermann’s disapproving attitude.

“Hermann. You must keep in mind that it hasn’t been long since the war ended. Even I, who know nothing, am aware that Ansgar was staggering under the burden of war expenses.”

“That is…”

“If even I, living in the castle, felt it, how much worse must it have been for the commoners? Many people must have lost their homes or fled due to unbearable taxes. We can’t drive them all out into this cold.”

“…”

“If you think it would be better to have bandits swarming around Ansgar, I won’t stop you from driving them out right now.”

Hermann stared at Adelheit as if at a loss for words. She was right. When people are driven into a corner, they first try to take from others.

Especially in such extreme situations, those who survive ruthlessly were likely to turn into bandits later. If the war refugees, who had increased significantly over the past few years, were to join the bandits, their forces might grow enormously, unlike before.

Hermann stuttered as he asked.

“…Did you have that situation in mind from the beginning?”

“It would be more accurate to say I found a good excuse not to have to close the castle gates.”

Adelheit sheepishly replied while rubbing the back of her neck. Then, looking out the window where the snowfall was gradually subsiding, she continued.

“For now, please make a list focusing on people who don’t cause trouble, and carefully examine if their character is trustworthy. It might be good to give them work while they stay in the castle. Like clearing snow or cleaning.”

“…And how will you deal with those who do cause trouble?”

“If we drive them all out in this cold for causing trouble, they’ll freeze to death. Wouldn’t it be enough warning to separate them from the others and reduce their rations a bit?”

“I’ll do that.”

“For now, let’s hold out a bit longer since our current situation is still manageable.”

Hermann’s face didn’t look completely convinced, but he seemed to like the idea of training them as soldiers. He took a step closer to Adelheit, as if he had made up his mind about something. When Adelheit looked at him quizzically, he lowered his voice and whispered.

“I’ve obtained the information you asked me to look into. It’s about Grita.”

“Co-could it be… Is there any news since then?”

“It doesn’t seem like she was kidnapped or threatened by anyone. At least, it looks like she left the castle of her own accord. There are people who witnessed Grita getting into a carriage the night before it started snowing.”

Adelheit took a short breath.

“Who are they?”

“Hans and Peter, the stable hand’s assistants. They say they saw her getting into a merchant’s carriage from Schulenburg in Bayern.”

“Is this information reliable? Could they have mistaken someone else…”

“No one could mistake Grita’s figure. They were both certain.”

Adelheit let out a long sigh of relief. If she had left for the south the night before it started snowing, she would have long since arrived somewhere unaffected by this heavy snowfall. At least until the third day, it hadn’t snowed much, and it would have gotten warmer towards the south.

It was a load off her mind. Adelheit smiled faintly.

“That’s a relief at least.”

“Yes. After all, it’s a matter of human life…”

Adelheit looked at Hermann with surprised eyes.

After Grita disappeared, it was confirmed that some of the gold coins from the chest were missing. Because of this, rumors initially circulated that Grita might have been threatened or fallen victim to a crime.

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

Even if they didn’t openly show it in front of Adelheit, an atmosphere of considering Grita a ‘traitor’ became prevalent. In this context, it was surprising that Hermann spoke up for her, even if it was just lip service.

“…Thank you.”

“It’s nothing. If there’s nothing else you need, I’ll take my leave now.”

“Very well. Ah, is His Grace the Grand Duke still before breakfast?”

“Yes. He’s still in the library.”

The library was where Valentin had been spending most of his time recently. With the training grounds covered in deep snow, making it impossible to spar with the knights, he seemed to have decided to bury himself in books. Thanks to this, his vocabulary was said to be improving rapidly.

Adelheit considered going to see Valentin right away, but then changed her mind.

“His Grace has probably skipped lunch as usual, so it might be good to send him some light refreshments.”

“…I’ll do that.”

Hermann looked like he wanted to ask something, but soon bowed politely.

Adelheit passed by him and quickly went downstairs. As she was turning into the corridor leading to the grand banquet hall, past the busy kitchen where maids were hurrying back and forth.

“Your Highness!”

Yannik, his face flushed red all over, waved at her as he spotted her. He seemed to have just come in from the cold wind. Adelheit read excitement in his face.

“What’s the matter?”

“The knights have returned. They say they’ve cleared a path to the river. And they’ve caught two large deer!”

He raised his voice, clenching his fist. Adelheit’s eyes widened.

“Is that true?”

“Yes. They’ve stacked firewood in the backyard and hung several cauldrons. It looks like they’re going to make stew and smoke the remaining meat to make jerky. Why don’t you go take a look, Your Highness?”

No wonder the castle seemed busy; everyone was moving enthusiastically at this long-awaited good news.

Above all, the fact that new supplies had been procured, instead of just consuming stored food, seemed to have sprouted hope in people’s hearts. The sound of maids’ joyful laughter, heard after who knows how long, infused warmth into Adelheit’s heart as well.

“I… I’m fine.”

As much as she wanted to go right away and enjoy the cheerful mood, Adelheit shook her head and declined. The atmosphere that had recently become friendly had frozen over in a strange way since Adelheit decided to take in the vagrants. And Adelheit, accustomed to being mindful of others, habitually became timid and started avoiding people.

The perceptive Yannik seemed to have realized why she was hesitating.

“Don’t shy away like that. At times like these, you should show yourself confidently moving about rather than shrinking back.”

Urged on enthusiastically, with his fist clenched, Adelheit nodded in a daze.

“You’ve thought well. Come this way.”

Following Yannik down to the backyard, she saw cauldrons of boiling water and makeshift hearths. They seemed to have piled bricks to temporarily make bread ovens. She could see servants hurriedly draining blood from the deer and separating meat from bones.

It wasn’t exactly a pleasant sight. As a startled Adelheit covered her mouth with a pale face, someone approached her side.

“Your Highness.”