Chapter 2

“A brave and splendid mother-in-law like the hero standing before me!”

As I spoke with my cheeks flushed and cupped in both hands, Mother’s gaze dropped to the rings worn side by side on my hand and Demius’s.

“Ugh!”

At that very moment, Mother clutched her neck and collapsed.

“Your Grace!”

Linburton, who had been standing behind us, rushed forward and caught her just before she hit the floor.

He gently laid her down and examined her carefully. After letting out a quiet breath, he spun toward Demius and shouted.

“Do you see this! Now do you realize what you have done, what kind of mess you have caused!”

Demius stared at his mother in disbelief before finally murmuring.

“…Why has she become so frail?”

“Do you truly not know? Have you not once thought about what might have happened after you disappeared, not even for a moment?”

Linburton’s eyes reddened as he shouted at him, voice shaking with anger.

“Do you have any idea how desperately Her Grace and Lady Natalianne searched for you? After Young Master Asellion passed away, if something had happened to you as well…!”

“Linburton!”

I jumped in surprise.

Demius’s face twisted into something I had never seen before as he shouted fiercely.

“Who did you say has passed away? How dare you!”

The air turned deadly still, the tension thick enough that I had to hold my breath.

Then, from outside, we heard loud commotion. The main doors burst open, and a group of knights came rushing in.

Their faces were pale as they shouted in panic.

“A m-monster has appeared!”

“…A monster?”

Demius spoke in disbelief, his brows furrowing.

“At this time of year, a monster?”

“You truly have not cared for the territory at all, have you.”

Still supporting the Grand Duchess, Linburton glared sharply at Demius as he spoke again.

“Of course, you were always like this. You never once cared about what His Grace was doing, nor what burdens he bore. But His Grace was different. All this time, he alone has fought off the monsters that came attacking our lands. During the years you ran from your duties and abandoned your post!”

“…!”

Demius stiffened as Linburton’s voice grew even harsher.

“After he was gone, you… yes, I could understand your grief. The bond between the two of you was extraordinary. But even so, you are part of the grand ducal house. As a son of the only grand ducal family in this nation, having enjoyed such privileges, should you not also bear the responsibilities that come with them? That pride is what defines House Eisenhart! How could someone who knew that better than anyone become like this!”

Without pausing for breath, Linburton’s reddened eyes blazed as he spat out the final words.

“Now that you have returned, you must take back the duty you abandoned.”

“…”

Demius clenched his jaw with a tormented expression, then turned toward me slowly.

His eyes, clouded with sorrow, lowered slightly as he whispered.

“I am sorry, my lady. For showing you something like this from the very beginning.”

“It’s all right.”

I quickly shook my head.

“Please, go take care of the urgent matter first.”

“…Forgive me.”

When I smiled at him, Demius’s eyes softened with pain.

His hand rose slightly as if to brush my cheek, but it fell back down before even touching my hair.

Clenching his fist tightly, Demius turned, his cloak sweeping behind him.

“Let’s go.”

“Yes, sir!”

The knights answered in unison and followed his lead.

Their precise, disciplined movements showed no sign of hesitation, as if no time had passed at all. I couldn’t help but be impressed.

There was always something captivating about people skilled at what they did.

Just then, a cold voice sounded behind me.

“His Grace has collapsed, and the young master has urgent matters to handle. It seems we cannot properly receive guests at this time.”

When I turned, Linburton was holding the unconscious Grand Duchess carefully in both arms.

He shot me a frosty glare, then turned away sharply.

“Take her outside.”

“Yes, sir!”

Oh my. I widened my eyes as several knights approached.

Taller than me by a head, they looked down at me with intimidating expressions.

“Please come quietly.”

By the time I came to my senses, I was already outside the garden, watching as the massive iron gate closed before me.

Creak—

Clank!

The gates slammed shut with such force that I blinked in surprise, tilting my head slightly.

“…What should I do now.”

I murmured seriously to myself.

So they were too busy to welcome guests. In such a large castle, it was understandable that they might be short-handed.

And now Mother had collapsed as well.

‘If there aren’t enough people to look after her, that would be bad.’

Yes, clearly.

‘I’ll have to help them.’

Resolving myself, I knocked gently on the iron gate before me.

“Um, excuse me?”

But the guards standing behind the gate didn’t even flinch.

I took a deep breath and called out louder.

“Hello—?”

I knocked again, tapping the gate with both hands and even waving my arms to get their attention.

But the guards stood perfectly still, staring straight ahead as if I were invisible.

Oh, they must be focusing on their duty.

‘What outstanding knights.’

I couldn’t possibly interrupt such dedicated workers.

So to lighten their load, I decided to climb over the wall instead.

Nodding firmly, I began to walk along the outer wall of the castle.

Admiring the practical design and solid construction that seemed to stretch on endlessly, I finally spotted a small section that caught my eye.

A tiny protrusion jutted out from the wall, about one and a half times my height.

“This will do!”

I exclaimed happily, kicking out the hem of my long skirt and slipping one foot into the narrow gap.

Using the rebound, I pushed myself upward and grabbed hold of the first stone ledge I could find.

Then I placed my foot into another small groove higher up, trying to reach for the next jutting brick.

“Oh my!”

My hand nearly slipped, but I quickly found another crevice and hooked my fingers into it.

Hand over hand, foot over foot, I climbed with steady rhythm until old memories began to resurface.

My old home, the village at the end of the world.

It was deep within the mountains, surrounded on all sides by cliffs.

Even the rocky walls were covered in moss and poisonous plants, and wild beasts and snakes roamed the mid-slopes.

Because of that, no one ever came near, and even the villagers rarely left.

The hardest part about visiting the nearby city wasn’t the terrain or the beasts or the toxins. It was the barriers and traps my parents had placed.

The spell circles and wards they had engraved with their own hands were intricately woven together, so even if I managed to dispel one, the next became twice as hard.

Compared to those traps, climbing slippery cliffs covered in ice and moss was child’s play.

When I used to sneak out of the village alone as a child, I always struggled to get past them.

But now, sneaking someone out without my parents noticing was no big deal at all.

Every bit of it had become experience that made me stronger.

“My village really is amazing!”

Humming cheerfully, I scurried up the wall.

Finally, I reached the top. A cool breeze brushed across my bangs.

“Wow!”

What a beautiful garden.

Balancing my feet carefully between the sharp spires atop the wall, I admired the scenery. Suddenly, a booming voice rose from below, so loud it made my eardrums ring.

“I’m telling you, I’ve never seen a horse that fierce in my life!”

Startled, I looked down and saw a large wooden building below me, with two men engaged in an animated conversation in front of it.

The half-bald man flailed his arms dramatically as he spoke.

“That black beast turned the entire stable upside down, I swear!”

“But it’s calm now, isn’t it?”

“Calm? Nonsense!”

Snorting loudly, the half-bald man blew his nose with such force that I almost felt refreshed just watching.

“You didn’t see it! Do you have any idea how hard it was to calm that thing down? It ran around the whole training ground several times, still full of energy, then kicked poor Hans while he was trying to fit the bridle and broke his leg!”

“Ah, that explains why Hans has been walking with crutches lately. So that was the reason.”

“Exactly!”

The half-bald man nodded furiously, speaking with such passion that spittle flew from his lips.

Wow.

My eyes widened as I peered more closely at the wooden building below.

So that was the stable. How unexpected.

‘Everything in the Grand Duke’s castle really is huge.’

The castle, the garden, and even the people were all massive, and the stable was enormous as well.

‘I wonder if I could see the horses from here.’

Stretching my neck as far as I could, I tried to peek inside the stable.

“Oh?”

Something down there caught my eye.