—————————————————————–
Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
—————————————————————–
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
“… Something doesn’t seem right about this.”
It was the cloak she always wore, but for some reason, it looked awkward on her today.
Adele frowned with a dissatisfied expression.
After flapping the cloak several times, she eventually sighed and fiddled with the fur attached to her shoulders.
The letter that had arrived earlier was from Robert Taylor, saying that he would soon arrive in the North.
Although she found it irksome that he came in winter when she had told him to come in summer, she didn’t think too badly of it.
After all, there wasn’t much to do this winter anyway.
Using that as an excuse to keep him here would suffice.
The reason for keeping him? Adele smiled slightly.
She liked him, but she also knew that he was hiding many things.
She had no intention of letting him go until she heard those things, so it could be said that he was walking into the wolf’s mouth of his own accord.
Woof-
When the wolf beside her barked, Adele patted its head, saying she understood, and took a step forward.
It wasn’t often that she personally went out to greet someone like this.
Lothos had disappeared, saying he had something to take care of alone, so she ended up going out by herself, but it shouldn’t matter.
Rather, it was something Robert should be grateful for.
For her, the Grand Duchess, to personally move, wasn’t it something she rarely did?
Just as she was about to go outside, a sudden question occurred to her, and Adele showed a strange expression.
… Come to think of it, there was no need to go out to greet him, was there?
Why was she preparing to go out?
Whenever she got involved with Robert Taylor, she felt like she was being swayed.
The same went for his secret, and there were too many things she didn’t know about him.
Feeling annoyed, she tried not to go, but in the end, she sighed and took a step.
She thought this winter would be busy, and it would be better to be busy.
That way, she wouldn’t have these pointless thoughts.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
It was better not to ride a carriage in the North.
Knowing this early on, he didn’t bring much luggage, but even that was barely enough for the sled pulled by wolves.
Would they be able to reach their destination before sunset at this slow speed?
Recalling the contents of the letter he had sent earlier, he slowly began to worry.
Although he had said he would arrive soon, it seemed like it would take a bit longer, didn’t it?
Knowing Adele’s personality, there was a high possibility she would send someone to wait for him in advance.
Surely he wouldn’t be late.
With that thought, he traveled for a long time, and before he knew it, the sun was beginning to set.
In the distance, he could see a procession waiting for them, so he stopped the sled and began approaching them.
Just as he was about to bow his head slightly, apologizing for being late, he noticed a familiar face.
For a moment, his footsteps stopped with a thud.
The woman waiting on a wolf in the distance was indeed a very familiar face.
As he stared blankly for a moment, the woman riding the wolf approached, opening her mouth.
A slightly angry, sharp gaze fell upon him.
“You have some nerve. I always thought you weren’t ordinary, but to make me wait like this.”
“… I had no idea you would come out personally.”
“I came out for a change. I was bored.”
Adele, who replied nonchalantly, shook her head as if dumbfounded.
He wondered how long she had been waiting.
As he smiled awkwardly and looked at her, Adele tapped the wolf’s back and opened her mouth.
“You’ll have to take responsibility for making me wait. So, I’m curious, how long are you planning to stay?”
“I’ll probably stay for about a month. Although it’s an informal visit, as a member of the Taylors, there are things I need to tell you.”
“A member of the Taylors, that’s none of my business though.”
If the Grand Duchess said she had no interest in such things, what would become of my words?
As if finding my words uninteresting, Adele clicked her tongue and glanced at the sword on my waist, her eyes sparkling.
As expected, she would be interested in this.
Since I had shown her last time, I thought there would be at least one occasion to fight, but her reaction came faster than anticipated.
“You brought a sword this time. Do you think you’ll have a chance to use it?”
“It’s for self-defense. You never know when it might come in handy.”
“You’re not going to run away this time, saying you can’t handle it? Good, then get on. We can talk after we arrive.”
Saying that, Adele tapped her saddle and gestured to me, turning her back.
Did she want me to ride behind her?
As I looked at her puzzled, Adele replied curtly as if frustrated.
“What are you doing, get on behind me. If I keep riding that sled, I feel like I’ll die of suffocation first.”
“… Should I ride it?”
“Then are you telling me to let someone else ride? Don’t make me say it twice, just get on.”
Then she tapped the saddle again, making me smile bitterly.
I didn’t expect her to tell me to ride behind her, so I got on and settled into place.
Adele, holding the reins, signaled to depart.
I had ridden a wolf many times, but riding behind Adele was quite a peculiar experience.
The swirling snow didn’t touch me at all, so I absentmindedly felt the wind while looking at the fluttering cloak.
Soon, we would enter Adele’s territory, and sure enough, the huge winter castle was soon revealed before our eyes.
The castle, built with ice magic, would always regenerate on its own no matter how much it was destroyed.
The walls of the North that had blocked foreign enemies for over a thousand years, wasn’t it one of the reasons the North wasn’t frequently invaded by other races?
Indeed, its majesty was considerable, making even the attendants, including myself, widen our eyes.
“These days, there aren’t many instances of our territory being invaded, so those walls aren’t being properly used. I don’t think there will be such occurrences while you’re here either.”
“If that’s the case, it’s fortunate.”
There was another reason I had deliberately prepared a sword.
Since she wouldn’t postpone the subjugation of the tribes scheduled for winter just because I had come, I thought she would probably force it through.
I planned to accompany them.
And in that process, my original plan was to belong to this group in the North.
Although Adele was the leader of the North, it was better to have an appropriate friendship with the likes of Lothos and other executives.
If not Lothos, then Toby.
If those who had been with Adele since her mercenary days acknowledged me, establishing my position in the North afterward would be a piece of cake.
In fact, it was easiest to showcase my martial prowess.
I still couldn’t use mana for a long time, but I thought I could at least finish off a decent opponent in a few exchanges.
If necessary, it shouldn’t be a problem to demonstrate my skills to a certain extent.
Moreover…
Glancing at Adele, she didn’t say anything further, concentrating on holding the reins.
I thought Adele must have also considered my martial abilities to some extent.
It was already thankful that she didn’t pry into it, but someday, I would have to explain it to her.
I believed there were no eternal secrets.
Once I had made up my mind to save a woman named Adele Igrit, I believed it was right to tell her a bit about the secrets I held.
Whether she believed in regression or not.
Even if Adele’s personality made it highly likely for her to dismiss it as nonsense, I thought it would be better to speak about it to feel a little more at ease being with her.
Of course, there was no need to say it right away.
After some time had passed, when she finally sensed the danger of treason.
I would be able to talk about it only after that time came.
The snowflakes falling from the gloomy sky touched my forehead.
Frowning at the sudden chill, I quietly looked at the sky with a small smile that had inadvertently escaped.
Now I felt that I had arrived in the North.
Realizing that my fur-clad body was shivering from the cold, I smiled slightly at the faint scent of blood in my nose.
A place where I could feel most at ease, at least for a while, a place where I had escaped from my family and barely reached to meet a woman named Adele.
– This is unexpected, to think that Lord Robert Taylor would be here.
– … Please spare my life.
I couldn’t even remember how many times it had been, but I had definitely been here.
Quietly looking at the snow falling on my palm, I clenched my fist.
I had come here again.
This time, not to run away, but to return to that place again and change everything.
And for my eternal rest.
The North was cold and desolate.
Corpses wandered around, unable to find their place to die, and wolves dug through the snow piled up to their necks in search of prey.
Blood always flowed between people, but such things were quite familiar to me.
Buuu-
Along with the sound of trumpets, the people welcoming me were all familiar faces.
Adele’s subordinates who had been with her since her mercenary days, and those who had subjugated the tribes with me.
However, to them now, I was just a stranger.
Briefly swallowing the bitter taste in my mouth, I got off the wolf and extended my hand for a handshake.
Lothos, who was standing at the very front, looked slightly surprised when I offered my hand and grasped it.
The greeting of clasping each other’s hands rather than bowing, this was one thing I clearly remembered.
“Oh, are you familiar with the greeting of the North?”
When Lothos asked, I smiled and answered.
“I know it well. Very well.”
This was probably the third time, Lothos’ hand was still soft.
A humane hand that didn’t suit the North at all, but would be missed if absent.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
“This is where you’ll be staying. You won’t complain about being disappointed, will you?”
“… Can I be honest?”
“As much as you want.”
“I didn’t think I was such an important guest, but…”
The room Adele showed me was more luxurious than I had imagined.
I had been to Adele’s room a few times before, so I knew, but it wasn’t as extravagant as the room I would be staying in.
The fur laid out everywhere, and even the bedding on the bed was of a high-quality material that could only be seen in the capital.
Adele also seemed slightly surprised as she pressed down on the bed I would be sleeping on and opened her mouth.
“Actually, I didn’t prepare it myself. Lothos said he would take care of it. I let him do it since he was working hard for a change, but what on earth is he thinking?”
Lothos always had a tendency to misunderstand in strange ways.
I thought this case would be the same, but I couldn’t easily guess what he was thinking.
I had expected he would have felt something when he saw me last time, but I didn’t know he would prepare so diligently.
“It shouldn’t be a big problem.”
After thinking for a moment, Adele shrugged her shoulders, saying it didn’t really matter.
In fact, it wasn’t a big deal.
It was just burdensome, but if Adele said it was fine, that was the end of it.
Adele, who seemed to be leaving now, strode towards the door and turned her head to me, opening her mouth.
“Come to think of it, there’s something I didn’t mention.”
“What is it?”
“… You must have had a hard time coming all the way here, Lord Taylor. It’s been a long time since a guest has come, so I forgot for a moment.”
Perhaps she had recalled that I had come from the capital.
After all, most people found it quite difficult to come to the North, so it was understandable for her to say that.
However, what was awkward was the title she used to address me.
I didn’t want to be called ‘Lord’ here, even if it was fine in the capital.
Gazing at Adele, who had turned her back, I quietly added.
“You can call me Robert. Aren’t you the highest-ranking person here, Grand Duchess?”
Although Adele might not remember, she had always called me Robert.
I liked that she had called me that, considering me who disliked the name Taylor.
Adele, who had been staring at me intently, smiled and nodded.
“Alright, Robert. I’ll see you in a bit.”
With those words, Adele, who had been leaning against the door, closed it and disappeared.
I quietly looked at the gently closing door.
For some reason, my heart fluttered at that name I hadn’t been called in a long time.
Blinking for a moment, I stood up and quietly looked around the room.
Unlike the humble room in my memory, this room could be considered the epitome of luxury.
A sight rarely seen in the impoverished North, it was quite enjoyable to imagine what Lothos had been thinking.
Even though many things had changed from the room I had stayed in before, I felt strangely comfortable being here.
Hanging the sword on the wall, a faint smile appeared on my lips as I looked around.
… To be honest, I preferred this place to home.
Much, incomparably more.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
