episode_0078

There are three weeks left until the academy opens.

The engagement ceremony was held quite well considering the preparation time of only 3 days.

The number of people invited was small, including the royal family and the duke’s engagement, but there were not many people who had to be invited, so there were no complaints.

And on the engagement day, I was able to meet my brothers and sisters for the first time in a long time.

The look in his eyes was as disdainful as before, but since he was still outside the mansion, I could see that he was holding back that look.

Of course, when there were no others around, it always returned to its original state.

I didn’t really want to have anything to do with them anyway, so I treated them like they didn’t exist.

Except for just one person.

“.. Congratulations Berador.”

“Thank you.”

Among his four older brothers and sisters, Justia is the only one he considers family.

After the engagement ceremony, the only person who came up and congratulated me was Justia.

My sister seemed to have concerns about something in her vague eyes as she looked at me, so I noticed it once in a while, but she never revealed her concerns.

After that, the engagement ceremony passed without much incident, and the day after the engagement ceremony, we headed north.

“.. It’s cold..”

“Eudadadada.”

Bea and Agnes’ bodies began to tremble slightly due to the cold that grew as they got closer to the north.

This is despite the carriage being enchanted to prevent cold weather.

Of course, since I have the water and ice spirit, Terdo, the cold doesn’t really bother me.

The people leaving for the north are the three of us and Knight Commander Martina.

There are only three of us in this carriage, but Martina is in the carriage following behind.

My parents tried to follow me, but they gave up their intention to follow the Empress’ suggestion.

It was decided that I would go north alone, but there were two girls who opposed that decision.

“Us too!”

“I will follow Vera!”

Bea’s mother, Sylvia, whom she had not seen in a long time, looked quite embarrassed.

Looking at my daughter’s determined face, I nodded.

However, the Empress did not nod her head so easily.

“Are you thinking of going on a picnic to a place where you have to engage in bloody battles with demons every day?”

“Then why send only Vera and Bea to such a place! What should I do if something goes wrong with Berador?”

“.. That’s a pity. If he was that kind of man to begin with, he wouldn’t have been fit to be the princess’ fiancé.”

“Oh my god!!”

Agnes, startled by the Empress’s aggressive tone, looked around. Fortunately, it was after Berador’s parents had left by then.

Agnes sighs in relief and glares at the Empress again.

The Empress turned her head slightly, probably because she didn’t like the fight with her daughter.

“Profit..! I don’t know! I will follow too!”

“.. There is only one carriage.”

“Hmph! Then I’ll follow you, even if it’s on foot!”

The Empress and Agnes ran parallel to each other without giving in to each other.

On the day of her departure, Agnes seemed as if she would leave on foot, so the empress ended up consecrating herself as empress.

“Be, Vera..”

“I’m cold..”

That’s why I’m shaking with Bea sitting next to me right now.

“.. How much is left over there?”

Because Bea and Agnes did not usually express whether they were cold or hot.

Thinking about how difficult it would be to get down like that right now, I opened the window in front and asked the coachman.

Today is the third day I’ve been running almost non-stop, and it’s starting to resemble the northern part my mother described, so I guess there won’t be much left.

“It will arrive in about two hours.”

My expectations were not wrong.

“Guys, let’s just hang on for two hours.”

“.. Yes..”

“.. Okay..”

‘what..?’

The expressions of the two people, who were clearly expected to be happy, changed to look like they were regretful, and now they were managing their expressions as if they were happy.

When I witnessed that fleeting moment, I was momentarily dumbfounded.

‘Could it be… there was a different meaning…?’

That expression remained in my mind too intensely to be passed off as a guess.

I was confused about what I wanted, but arriving at the northern territory was faster than finding the answer.

*

Even in the vicinity of the imperial capital, it was not that hot compared to summer, but here it was covered with pure white snow.

The carriage, moving forward with a creaking sound, stopped in front of the castle gate.

“We will conduct a brief inspection!”

“The imperial family.”

The sentry guarding the castle walls approached the coachman, and the coachman showed him the imperial badge he had in his arms.

The sentry must have guessed the size of the carriage in advance, bowing his head and ordering the door to be opened.

“Excuse me.”

“Good luck.”

By the time the conversation between the coachman and the guard came to an end.

We wiped the frost off the carriage window and looked outside.

Agnes, who had already been here once, also joined us to see if it would be nice to see snow.

I was a little nervous because I was going to war with demons every day, but it seems okay right now.

After stopping for a moment, the carriage rolled forward again and passed through the huge castle gate. At the same time, villages in the northern territory began to appear.

Perhaps because of the demons or the endless snow, it was not as crowded as our territory, but the village atmosphere did not feel cold.

“It’s a nice town.”

As I was looking at the village, forgetting to blink, I started talking to myself.

Just by looking at the atmosphere of the village, I was able to recall what kind of person the Count I would be joining was like.

“By the way, Agnes.”

“Huh?”

Agnes, who had been looking at the village, turned her head at my call.

As if I wasn’t lying when I said it was cold, my cheeks were bright red.

Sure enough, when I touched it, a cold sensation ran through my hand.

Agnes was startled, but after a moment she smiled, closed her eyes, and stuck out her mouth.

However, unfortunately, that was not the reason for calling me, so I tapped my outstretched mouth with my finger and spoke.

“What is the Count’s name?”

“.. What.. was that what you were trying to ask..?”

I sighed as I smiled and looked at Agnes, who was openly expressing her disappointment.

“Tess von Kurtreau..”

“.. Sounds like a man’s name..”

“It’s a man.”

I was a little surprised by Agnes’ words.

Usually, the gender of the head of the household is female.

Unless something special happens.

“The head of the Kurto family died while trying to stop the demons. Now, Tess von Curtreau, who was the vice-matriarch, is taking her place.”

“.. Something like that happened..”

“And despite the courtship of many women, he loved only one woman, unlike ‘anyone else.’ ”

“…”

When Bea, who had been listening quietly, joined in, the only sound in the carriage was the sound of the cold wind.

Bea, who changed the mood to a cold one, stuck out her tongue slightly and nuzzled her head.

“It’s a joke~”

‘.. This guy is so..’

When you go out with other people, the atmosphere is so different from when you’re alone.

Rather, it’s Tess von Curtreau… It’s a name I think I’ve heard before somewhere.

I was troubled by a name that seemed like something I had heard of in another world, not Earth.

That question could be answered right away when we arrived at the count’s castle.

That’s probably true…

“Hello. Thank you for visiting our estate. My name is… Sola von Curtro.”

Tess von Kurtreau is my third father-in-law.

*

After asking her father for permission to guide her, Sola walked ahead with her hands clasped together.

As I walked along with Sola’s guidance, I could see that the people I encountered in the mansion were basically slightly armed.

One or two thought, ‘Oh, it’s a passing knight.’ You might wonder, but when the number exceeded two digits, I felt something was strange.

“There are many particularly dangerous things in the North compared to other places. Even if they are the same person, they can all be deceived by demons, so everyone is slightly armed.”

When I mentioned that question to Solar, she slowed down a bit and explained it.

The moment the explanation ended, her slowly moving words stopped.

“This is it.”

As I opened the closed door and entered, a warm feeling lingered in the place.

It is not as fancy as the rooms seen in the imperial family, but rather a villa-like room suitable for relaxing.

As I entered the room, which felt cozy just looking at it, I wondered if I was on vacation.

Well, those thoughts will disappear tomorrow, but wouldn’t it be better to enjoy what you can now?

While I was lying on my bed with that thought in mind, I heard a knock on the door.

“Keuhm.. Can I come in for a moment? ”

The deep, low-pitched voice that was pleasant to hear was the same as the one I heard when I arrived at the mansion.

We, who had been lying down at the count’s sudden visit, jumped up and quickly organized our clothes.

“You are welcome to come in.”

After finishing arranging my clothes, I sat down on a chair and saw the Count through the slowly opening door.

One could tell that he was Solar’s father by his white hair, which was the opposite color of Solar’s, and his black eyes.

The Count, who came in with a solemn expression, sat on the chair opposite me and looked at me, Bea, and Agnes in turn without saying a word.

The Count repeated the action for a while, then opened his mouth, glaring at me fiercely.

“It was called Berador von Amorae.. I heard a lot about it from my daughter..”

“…”

After hearing the count’s words, I felt my body stiffen.

What would Solar have said about me?

And what will the Count think of me when he hears that explanation?

The reason my hands are shaking right now isn’t because of my mood or because I’m cold.