Whose fault is this? It wasn’t someone else who tormented me until the day of departure.

I pouted and pinched Hadel’s side.

“Did someone you know torment people like that?”

“I couldn’t help it.”

I noticed the tips of Hadel’s ears turning red. His voice remained calm, making the contrast even more adorable.

“When you’re near, I can’t control myself.”

“Sure, sure.”

If only we weren’t riding, I would pat Hadel’s head. I buried my face in his broad back. I wasn’t entirely innocent to blame only Hadel.

‘Well, I was the one who provoked him first. Ho-honestly, it was a little… no, quite enjoyable.’

Remembering last night, my face flushed hot this time. We rode in silence for a while. After some time, when my cheeks had cooled and my ears felt numb, I carefully called his name.

“Hadel.”

“Yes?”

Though my voice was soft, Hadel responded immediately. It meant he was constantly listening for my voice.

Kind and gentle Hadel.

The people we were going to meet were those who had isolated and tormented such a Hadel in the North. I urged him in a heavy voice.

“In the capital, think only of your safety. If it seems dangerous, flee quickly. Understood?”

Hadel chuckled softly after a moment.

“That sounds like something I should be saying.”

But I couldn’t laugh. I spoke again in a serious tone.

“I’m not joking. At worst, they might try to kill you and take your heart. So make sure to run away.”

“I wanted to ask you too, Marian.”

Instead of answering, Hadel questioned me.

“What do you plan to do when you meet that person in the capital?”

“What do you mean… by that?”

I was dumbfounded by that question. Meeting Espen. Then what?

“You’ve learned that he’s been repeating terrible experiments to save you all this time. Then what? What do you intend to do?”

“Tell him to stop…”

“What if he says he can’t stop?”

“That…”

I was at a loss for words. As Hadel said, I hadn’t thought about what came next. I was just shocked to hear about what Espen had done and thought I should stop him somehow.

No, maybe I deliberately avoided looking into it. Because no matter what, it wouldn’t be a happy ending.

Hadel continued in a bitter tone.

“I’m just as anxious, Marian. You say you were nothing to each other, but that obsession for 100 years can’t be nothing. I’m afraid he’ll take you away from me.”

“Hadel.”

I hugged Hadel’s waist tightly. Not facing each other allowed us to be more honest.

“He couldn’t take me even if he tried. You’re the only one in this world who can make me Marian. Without you, I’m just an ordinary ferret kyu-kyu.”

Hadel bit his lip hard and didn’t answer. I rested my forehead on his back.

Yes, if Espen won’t stop.

“I’ve already tried to kill Espen once before.”

Hadel’s back flinched at my confession. I continued. My eyes inevitably turned cold.

“It’ll be the same this time. If he does something wrong, I won’t forgive him.”

I might even be more ruthless than that day in the past. Back then, he was my comrade, but now he’s an enemy.

Still, it wasn’t pleasant to have a former comrade return like this. I added one more thing in a dejected tone.

“I just hope he’s not such a bad person.”

In the past, he was cold and cynical, but not someone who would conduct cruel experiments.

‘But too much time has passed to rely on the past.’

I gazed blankly at the passing scenery.

So much has changed, and so much time has passed.

It was sad to realize this through someone else.

I faced Nella again when we stopped briefly for lunch.

I lit a fire as usual and poured the ingredients from the inn into the pot to make stew. It was bound to be delicious.

‘Ah, it feels good to be warm.’

My frozen fingertips and ear tips seemed to thaw comfortably after riding for so long without much preparation. As I slurped the broth, Nella, sitting across from me, asked with narrowed eyes.

“What’s your secret?”

Blinking, I frowned looking down at the bowl of stew.

“Isn’t the secret the big chunks of beef? But I’m not good at cooking, so I can’t really answer…”

“I’m not interested in that! Not that secret!”

“Then what?”

“How did you conquer Prince Hadel!”

At her words, I burst out laughing.

“Are you still on about that?”

What conquest. I’m good at attack magic, swordsmanship, and horseback riding, but hopeless at romance.

‘Besides, I think I’m the one who was conquered.’

When Hadel droops his eyes like a wet puppy, I want to agree to anything he says. That’s me being conquered, isn’t it?

‘On the contrary, Hadel seems to be nagging more and more.’

As I wrinkled my nose recalling our usual behavior, Nella hugged her knees and said in a dejected tone.

“I’m a fallen noble, you know. You said the position of Northern Grand Duchess is just for show, but even that is desperate for me. At least I wouldn’t have to work, right?”

Work?

Tilting my head, I replied in an indifferent tone.

“I am working. Very hard.”

“What?”

Nella’s eyes widened in genuine surprise. I slurped the remaining stew broth, thinking to myself.

‘I even caught those who were spreading ice demons in the North. I taught them how to make white bread, and came up with the hot spring business idea.’

I worked extremely diligently.

Clearly, at first I just followed Hadel occasionally because I wanted to eat white bread, but I don’t know how it turned out like this. I gave Nella some very practical advice.

“If you don’t want to work, you should become the second or third wife of some wealthy high noble, not the poor Northern Grand Duchess. Preferably one with children around the same age as the princess.”

This formula worked perfectly even 100 years ago. There must already be an heir to the family, so you won’t be pressured to have a son, and the heir’s wife takes care of internal affairs.

At my answer, Nella’s face crumpled.

“Don’t say such horrible things.”

I shrugged.

“In the end, it means nothing comes for free without working. Anyone can live idly. That also means it’s easy to replace.”

There’s only one thing a person can receive for free in their lifetime. That’s parents’ wealth. But I knew well that even that isn’t a cure-all.

‘Even though I was born a princess, I died on the battlefield.’

No, wait. This doesn’t seem right. At this point, haven’t I been born with some strange fate that can’t bear not working?

‘Am I the problem?’

While suddenly reflecting on my life, the bowl showed its bottom. Out of battlefield habit, I was about to get up to hand the bowl to the dishwashing duty when a large hand snatched it away. It was Hadel.

“Don’t get up, just call me.”

“Thank you.”

It was timing that couldn’t happen unless he was watching when I would finish eating.

‘Aww, how thoughtful.’

I don’t usually feel this way, but when I receive such consideration, I tend to feel especially grandmotherly. It must be because I called the aloof Hadel ‘my baby, my baby’ when I was in ferret form.

As I smiled contentedly, Nella pursed her lips and said.

“You two are strange.”

“What now?”

“The prince seems to be head over heels for you, but you give off the vibe of a couple married for 20 years.”

Her analysis was quite accurate despite not having seen us many times.

‘She’s sharper than I thought.’

Then she must know a lot of things I don’t know? Thinking I should dig for information, I sat up straight and asked her.

“Since we’re on the topic, tell me about the capital. To adjust the situation as favorably as possible for you, I need to know the current palace situation well, don’t I?”

“The palace situation…”

Nella made a face as if she had nothing to say. I tried to guide her.

“Have you met His Majesty the King? You must have met him to be engaged as Grand Duchess, right?”

“I did meet him, but he didn’t say a word. The orders were given entirely by Prince Saedel, while His Majesty and the Queen just sat in their chairs.”

“They just sat there?”

How could that be? It’s an unnatural situation no matter how you look at it.

‘Prince Saedel is definitely taking the lead.’

He looks like Espen and has the same mana attribute. It felt ominous in many ways. Nella, who had difficulty starting at first, began to talk fluently about the capital once she started.

“The two of them are frugal, and apart from hosting balls on national holidays, they don’t hold any other events. The Queen’s salon is maintained, but the Queen rarely shows her face, and it’s managed by Lady Cecil, Prince Saedel’s fiancée.”

I exclaimed loudly at the unexpected news.

“Fiancée? Prince Saedel has a fiancée?”

No way, even someone with such a bad personality like him is engaged?