“What?”

“So… Before uncle left for the capital to become a royal guard when he was young, they were, well, in a relationship…”

The young lad’s face flushed red, seemingly knowing little. Noah and Amy’s eyes sparkled. To think they had such a story. As always, other people’s love stories were hard not to be interesting.

Ethan clenched his fist, looking upset.

“Uncle foolishly didn’t ask her to come along or to wait for him… So in the end, she married Mr. Weaver.”

Seeing his gloomy expression, one could roughly imagine what kind of person this Weaver was.

“He died early after slipping while drunk, but since Mrs. Weaver was the head maid at the lord’s manor, there was no problem with her and her son making a living. But recently, she lost her job…”

This time, Amy snorted like an excited bull. Noah glanced at her suspiciously from the side. Regardless, Amy was inwardly jumping for joy.

‘How could I be this lucky!’

If done right, she might be able to take them all with one stone! But this was about the Second Prince, so she had to be careful. Amy tried hard to calm herself.

“You said there’s a son? How old is he?”

At Amy’s cautious question, Ethan’s face brightened.

“His name is James, and he’s nineteen. He’s very smart. Smart enough to help Mrs. Weaver with bookkeeping. But he had an accident when he was young, so his body is a bit impaired.”

“An accident?”

The once gentle child suddenly looked indignant.

“When Mr. Weaver was alive, they went somewhere together… and James was trampled by the horse Mr. Weaver was riding. If he had been treated immediately, it might have been okay, but Mr. Weaver neglected it… Later, when they returned to the lord’s manor, Mrs. Weaver sought out doctors everywhere for treatment, but they said it was already too late.”

“…”

Noah and Amy’s expressions darkened. How must the mother have felt when her perfectly healthy son suffered a permanent disability, and by his own father no less? Not to mention how difficult life suddenly became for the son himself.

“When his condition is good, he can stand or take a few steps, but on bad days, he’s bedridden and suffering.”

Amy bit her lip. Apart from feeling sorry for the mother and son, her expectations ebbed like the tide.

‘The North is a cold place, so it would be useless to ask them to come.’

Ethan seemed to have realized this fact as he spoke. The boy asked worriedly.

“Um, is the weather in the North very bad?”

“It snows for all but three months of the year. For half of that, you’re buried in snow and can’t move an inch.”

“Ah…”

As expected, he thought Vernon would go with them. Ethan’s face darkened. Amy, who had been thinking for a moment, raised her head. She couldn’t give up here.

“Let’s go to your house.”

“Pardon?”

Ethan was bewildered but gladly guided them to the house where he and Vernon lived. It was a hut located on a hill a little away from the village. As they entered the courtyard, Vernon, sensing their presence, came out.

He frowned upon seeing Amy and Noah. Before he could open his mouth, Amy strode over, grabbed his arm, and dragged him behind the house.

“Let’s talk for a moment.”

“Huh?”

Dumbfounded, Vernon was pulled along and spoke in hushed tones with Amy. Noah, seemingly worried about Amy, didn’t take his eyes off them for a moment. Seeing Noah’s mood worsen, Dwayne, Jack, and Bradley, who were standing nearby, kept glancing at him nervously.

The conversation between the two ended quickly. Vernon, with a complicated expression, approached Noah and bowed politely.

“I look forward to working with you from now on.”

“!”

Noah’s eyes widened, and Ethan and the three knights cheered. Noah stared expressionlessly at Amy as she approached. She simply shrugged without a word.

Vernon went inside the house with Ethan to pack their belongings. The three knights came out in the blink of an eye, carrying their own luggage. It seemed quite modest, as if they didn’t have many precious possessions.

Amy asked Dwayne, Jack, and Bradley point-blank.

“How skilled are you?”

Jack swallowed and answered.

“Well, the least skilled among us would be about Martin’s level.”

Noah tilted his head and asked.

“Martin? You mean Captain Martin of the Royal Guard?”

He was the one who brought the Emperor’s decree before Noah and Amy left the Second Prince’s palace. Jack looked dumbfounded at his words.

“What? Did that bastard actually become the captain?”

Living in the countryside, they seemed to be late on information. Dwayne and Bradley also rushed in, indignant.

“Wow, the vice-captain, that’s really terrible.”

“He finally succeeded, huh.”

They had already ridiculed him for being in the vice-captain position despite having less experience and skill than them, but to think he not only pinned his own misdeeds on Captain Vernon but also succeeded in taking that position… The three put their heads together and enthusiastically badmouthed Martin.

What to shove where, how to wring his neck and throw it to the dogs, and so on. Amy learned for the first time that the Imperial language had such a diverse array of curses.

She cut off their words and asked again.

“So, how skilled are you exactly?”

No matter how much he rose with the Empress’s backing, Captain Martin wasn’t completely without skill. Dwayne said proudly.

“We’d be considered among the best in the Empire.”

“…”

As Amy stared at them with a coldly composed face, Jack grimaced.

“Well, if there were about thirty fingers to count on, we’d be included.”

“I see.”

So their skills were within the top thirty in the Empire… Amy coldly looked them over and then turned to go to a corner of the yard. She stopped Noah from following and called for the mercenary. The mercenary captain, who had been following them like a shadow, appeared.

“I’d like to modify the contract.”

“…”

At Amy’s following words, the mercenary captain raised an eyebrow and then quietly nodded.

Vernon came out carrying a large bag with Ethan. The knights divided the luggage among themselves and followed behind Amy and Noah, arriving at an inn outside the village.

“You’re a bit late.”

Joseph, who had been waiting for them at the inn, came out and greeted Noah.

Then he exchanged greetings with Vernon’s group who would be joining their journey anew and supervised the loading of pre-prepared necessary items onto the horses and wagons. Amy and Noah boarded the carriage and took their seats.

Just then, Bradley tilted his head.

“What’s this? The presence has decreased?”

“Yeah.”

Their gazes turned towards the mercenaries. Noah, seeming to have an idea, looked at Amy sitting across from him. Amy, without even looking up, unfolded some documents and said quietly.

“I had them stay to protect Mrs. Weaver and her son. Since we’ve gained unexpected forces, I thought it would be okay.”

“…”

Noah realized with his sharp mind that this must have been the condition that allowed them to bring Captain Vernon along. Also, the fact that she hadn’t given up on Mrs. Weaver.

Amy quickly checked the documents and sent off a letter attached to a carrier pigeon, handling overdue work. And finally, when preparations to depart were complete, she smiled at Noah.

“Shall we go back to Your Highness’s land then?”

***

At Noidelman Castle in the North. Melvin, who has been serving as a butler here for three generations, swallowed hard as he looked at the carrier pigeon that had been giving him headaches lately.

“It’s here again? What’s it about this time?”

Rita, Melvin’s distant relative and a maid at Noidelman Castle, asked while giving dry grass to the carrier pigeon. Only then did Melvin reluctantly untie the letter from the pigeon’s leg and unfold it. His eyebrows twitched as he quickly scanned the contents.

“…It says a carpenter is coming.”

As Melvin fell into thought, Rita observed him and ventured a comment.

“Hmm. Isn’t that good?”

“What?”

Melvin was puzzled. Rita stroked the carrier pigeon and said firmly.

“Think about it. Has the capital been looking down on the North a bit because it’s harsh and produces little? All the Grand Dukes who came before stayed in the warm south, close to the capital, and only ruled half-heartedly…”

Rita pursed her lips and scanned the interior of the castle.

“But this Grand Duke is sending people for repairs before he even arrives. Just recently, he sent stonemasons to fix not only the inner and outer castle but also the annexes, guard posts, and training grounds…”

“Hmm.”

“The kids are so happy that the wind doesn’t come through the walls anymore. And now he’s sending carpenters too, so it seems he’s planning to properly renovate the castle.”

“That’s true.”

The condition of the Grand Duke’s castle where he was born and raised had never been this good. Although the exterior was still gloomy, the interior had been completely renovated, improving heating efficiency by blocking the bone-chilling cold wind of the North. It was clear that the essential costs for surviving the winter would decrease.

“Everyone’s already clamoring about being loyal to the Grand Duke. Well, even so, I’m sure he won’t actually live here.”

Unlike her previous sarcastic remarks about former Grand Dukes not staying in their domain, her tone was noticeably softened. It couldn’t be helped, as the weather in the North was beyond harsh for someone from the capital, it could only be described as a natural disaster.

But unlike previous Grand Dukes, this Second Prince was at least showing some effort, wasn’t he? Moreover, while ordinary lords would start renovations from the inner castle where they stay, the Second Prince began with the outer castle, training grounds, and annexes where the servants live. He prioritized the people currently residing there. So they couldn’t help but see him differently.

‘Unless there’s some treasure hidden under the ice that’s been maintained for hundreds of years, there’s no way this North will become warm and prosperous.’

Rita thought absent-mindedly. She had no idea that her thoughts perfectly aligned with those of the head maid who would soon arrive here.