IDGM 37

Chapter 37

We pushed forward with only the bare minimum of rest.

We passed along narrow cliffside paths and ran across snowy fields for quite some time.

Even though all I did was sit quietly in his arms on horseback, I quickly grew exhausted.

My head hurt, and I felt nauseated.

Despite gasping for breath, I couldn’t fight off the sudden drowsiness and nodded off, leaning against Callias’s chest.

Callias shook me gently to wake me.

“Chloe, are you out of breath?”

I forced my heavy eyelids open and looked up at him with difficulty.

“Huh…? Why?”

“You’re breathing hard.”

“Am I…?”

My breath caught, making it hard to speak. Only then did I realize I was panting.

“Oh… I guess I am.”

“Do you have a headache? Nausea, perhaps?”

“A little…? I think I’m getting… haah… motion sickness again.”

At those words, Callias’s expression turned serious.

He suddenly brought the horse to a stop.

“We need to take a break.”

“Why?”

“It looks like you’re experiencing symptoms of altitude sickness. It’s common when reaching high elevations.”

“I’m fine…! I can bear it.”

It didn’t seem like a big deal—just a bit of a headache and shortness of breath.

But Callias didn’t take it lightly. He insisted the group come to a halt.

“Looks like someone’s here to greet us.”

He pointed to a nearby hill.

Someone was waving in our direction.

“Your Majesty! You’ve returned!”

A boy with striking features—skin as dark as melted chocolate, deep black hair, and sparkling dark eyes—called out brightly.

He dashed down the hill as if sliding on air.

In his hand was a rope tied to a black lamb, which leapt and bounded behind him across the grass, careful to step only on spots where the snow had melted. It looked surprisingly clever.

“Bihar. Take it slow.”

Callias waved back at the boy.

Then he explained who the boy was.

“Bihar is a child of the Uttar tribe. They’re nomads. There are many nomadic tribes living around Ronhaim.”

Bihar ignored the request to slow down and ran straight up to us.

“You always seem to be the one to greet me when I return to Ronhaim, Bihar.”

The boy beamed with pride.

“We set up camp here this morning! Lady Rassa urged the chief to prepare for your arrival tonight!”

Callias whispered in my ear.

“Rassa is an elder and a prophet of the Uttar tribe. Seems she knew we’d be stopping here tonight.”

Then, perhaps noticing the way Bihar called him “Your Majesty,” Callias added:

“Many of the nomads still haven’t accepted that Ronhaim is now under Arental’s rule, so they continue to call me ‘king.’ Please understand—they struggle with accepting change.”

He turned to Bihar and asked,

“Did Rassa not tell you who I would be bringing with me?”

“She did! She said you’d come with someone incredibly beautiful!”

Bihar’s eyes sparkled as he looked at me nestled in Callias’s arms.

“She said she would bring flowers and prosperity to Ronhaim!”

I felt strange hearing that. It was the kind of compliment usually given to newlywed brides, but still—

“Flowers and prosperity…”

Callias looked down at Bihar and said in a stern voice,

“This lady is a princess of Arental.”

“Wh-what…?”

The light in Bihar’s sparkling eyes faded in an instant.

It was clear he couldn’t believe that the woman their prophet had spoken of—Callias’s bride, praised for bringing beauty and abundance—was an Arental princess.

I could clearly see the wariness creeping over the boy’s face.

It wasn’t hard to guess how deeply this region resented Arental—his expression said it all.

Callias had probably revealed my identity in front of me and my maids so that Bihar wouldn’t end up in trouble for a careless remark.

“To call the governor of Arental a king in front of a princess—how insolent. Apologize at once.”

Callias’s cold tone made Bihar go pale. He dropped to the ground in a full bow and pleaded for forgiveness.

“I-I’m sorry! I was ignorant! I didn’t know it was wrong!”

It hurt to see Bihar, who had been smiling like a spring bud moments before, now trembling in fear.

It doesn’t matter to me what the nomads call Callias.

But my maids were spies from Kabala. They might take this as evidence of rebellion and report it.

Kabala seemed eager to find a justification to cut off Callias’s head—so it would be best not to give them any.

Instead of stopping Callias, I gently changed the subject.

“Bihar, the black lamb behind you is adorable. Is it yours?”

With his face still pressed to the ground, Bihar looked up at me awkwardly with just his eyes.

Callias nudged him.

“Her Highness asked you a question.”

Flustered, the boy hurried to respond.

“Ah! I was raising this lamb, but Lady Rassa said the king—ah, I mean…”

Seeing the boy about to cry, Callias calmly offered the correct title:

“Marquis Rodrian.”

“Yes! Right, Marquis Rodrian. She told me to bring it to you, since you’d need a guide…”

As the boy stammered, Callias explained more clearly.

“She sent it as a gift to serve as a guide.”

“A guide?”

“From here onward, the road is riddled with hidden ice paths called crevasses. It means ‘cracks of death.’”

“Cracks of death?”

“They’re deep fissures caused by splitting glaciers—so deep that some have no visible bottom. If you fall in, you never come out. They’re usually covered by snow, and they constantly shift—appearing and disappearing—so even locals fear them.”

It was a chilling thought.

We were already struggling, and now there was an even more treacherous path ahead.

Callias, noticing the shadow on my face, tried to reassure me by pointing to the black lamb.

“The mountain goats raised by the Uttar tribe are clever. They can detect hidden crevasses beneath the snow. That’s probably why Rassa gifted us this one—for our safety.”

“That’s very thoughtful.”

Callias murmured almost to himself,

“She usually sends old, experienced goats… but this time, it’s a young one. I wonder what that means.”

“Hmm? What was that?”

“Oh, nothing.”

He smiled faintly and then said to Bihar,

“Take us to Rassa, Bihar. Our group will need a place to rest for the night.”

Bihar nodded uncertainly, glancing my way.

Callias followed him on horseback.

The boy climbed the hill with surprising agility, his legs slim but sturdy.

Callias whispered to me,

“Nomads have a tradition of warmly welcoming any traveler seeking rest.”

He seemed quite proud as he introduced me to the Uttar tribe—his people.

Soon, we reached the top of the hill.

And just beyond, a stunning turquoise lake appeared as if by magic.

Its color shimmered so vividly that it looked like the valley was filled with giant gemstones.

“Wow…”

Everything we’d passed so far had been breathtaking, but this view was truly beyond words.

“This lake was formed from melted glaciers. Its color changes several times a day—it’s quite mystical.”

“The color changes?”

“Yes. Depending on the height of the sun, it turns turquoise, deep blue, or even jade green.”

At that moment, I felt sorry for my past self—who had lived confined within the capital.

Of course, it was tragic to have been killed by my own half-brother in my past life… but even more disheartening was never having known that such a vast and wondrous world existed.

People praise the opulent Arental palace as the most beautiful place on earth.

But to me, the natural splendor of Ronhaim was far more beautiful—beyond comparison.

My heart swelled like rising bread dough, and I felt like I might cry. What should I call this overwhelming feeling?

Excited, I wrapped my arms around Callias’s neck.

“Thank you.”

The words came out naturally.

“For what?” he asked.

“Just… for everything. All of it.”

My nose tingled. My eyes turned red.

He wouldn’t know.

That in just a few days of following him to the North, I’d seen and learned more than I had in decades across both this life and the last.

That I’d gained more through him than from everything I had ever been taught in the imperial palace.