Chapter 54
After parting ways with Brentian, Granada summoned all the maids of Ronheim Castle who had been with Chloe while she was choosing clothes.
The maids, who had come without much thought at Granada’s call, quickly froze up when they saw the stern expression on her face.
“Y–You called for us?”
Granada scolded them harshly.
“Since when did you start running your mouths so carelessly?!”
The maids didn’t ask what she meant or try to deny their involvement.
They knew very well that denying fault would only make the punishment harsher.
And since Granada was truly angry, her wrath was terrifying—so the maids immediately begged for forgiveness.
“We’re sorry!”
“We misspoke!”
Granada’s eyes sharpened.
“It is none of your concern how much or what the Madam spends on. Matters of finance are for Mainz to handle. That’s the very reason he exists in this castle. Do you think Mainz is that incompetent in your eyes?”
“N–No, not at all!”
“Foolish girls. You are the face of His Highness. If you cannot conduct yourselves properly, you smear dirt on the prince’s face. As long as I live, I will never stand by and watch that happen.”
“We were wrong! We’ll be more careful!”
The loyal maids realized what they had done, blushed in shame, and lowered their heads.
“We didn’t think it through. We were shortsighted.”
“That wasn’t our intention. We were just worried… We’ll take it as a lesson.”
Seeing that they were genuinely reflecting, Granada nodded.
“Good. That’s how it should be. Never forget that His Highness is giving his all for our sake.”
While waiting for the maids to alter the clothes she had bought from the merchant to fit her body, I sat by the window sipping warm tea.
It was too cold to open the window, but I quite liked the view through the glass.
The Arental palace had low buildings spread out across wide grounds, so one could never see the commoners’ homes from there.
But Ronheim Castle stood tall like a fortress on high ground, so the houses beyond the inner walls were clearly visible.
Fascinated, I watched the streets and alleys closely, observing the passersby.
Then I noticed one alley that was unusually crowded.
People were rushing en masse toward one side.
When I squinted to see more clearly, I spotted two men on horseback.
‘That’s Callius and Sir Hawick!’
Even without seeing their faces clearly, I recognized them right away.
Strangely enough, Callius stood out no matter where he was.
‘How odd… even from this far away, my eyes go straight to him.’
As I expected, Callius was dearly loved by the people of his domain.
As he passed, the townsfolk hung garlands of paper flowers around his neck, handed him bags filled with who-knows-what, or pressed ripe apples into his hands. Some even stretched their arms above the crowd in an attempt to shake his hand.
Although Callius politely refused their gifts, the people insisted on giving him things or feeding him treats.
Thus, he was practically swallowed by the crowd, taking quite some time to cover even a short distance.
Even from afar, I could see him wearing that dazzlingly handsome smile that made my heart drop.
Setting down my teacup, I rested my chin on the windowsill and continued watching Callius.
Why was this so entertaining?
Then, suddenly, Callius looked this way.
It felt like our eyes met, and I jumped in shock, like a guilty child caught red-handed.
‘No, that can’t be. He must have been looking at the castle. Or maybe the sky.’
There was no way he could see me standing behind a window from this far away…
‘Wait—who is he waving to? …Surely not me?’
Callius was smiling brightly and waving in this direction.
While I stood there frozen, unsure, Lamia’s whisper came from right behind me. I hadn’t even noticed her arrival.
“He’s waving to you, Madam.”
“Gah! Lamia, you startled me! You should make some noise when you come in!”
“You were so absorbed in His Lordship that you wouldn’t have heard me even if I did.”
Her quick switch of tone—and even her form of address—was as sharp as ever.
“He called me?”
“Yes. Three times, actually.”
“No way.”
Lamia narrowed her eyes with a mischievous grin.
Even though the room was chilly, my face felt hot.
Unable to endure it, I gave Lamia a light smack on the shoulder.
“Don’t play such mean tricks!”
“Hehehe.”
She only shrugged, looking annoyingly pleased, her laughter growing louder.
“You’d better wave back, Madam. At this rate, His Lordship’s arm is going to fall off.”
When I turned back to the window, Callius was still waving.
Embarrassed, I tried to resist.
“Maybe it isn’t me he’s waving to. We’re so far apart. How could he even see me?”
“Madam, if you can see him, then of course he can see you. Northerners are known for their sharp eyesight, you know. I bet His Lordship can even see how red your face is right now.”
“No way!”
I cupped my cheeks with both hands in denial.
Lamia burst into laughter, clutching her stomach as she circled me.
In the end, I had no choice but to wave back at Callius.
Sure enough, as if confirming it had been meant for me, he lowered his arm with a satisfied smile.
“…What on earth.”
Why would he start greeting me like that from over there?
Because he waved, the people around him glanced up at my direction, making me all the more flustered.
I quickly ducked behind the curtain, unable to handle the embarrassment.
Of course, Lamia kept teasing me relentlessly, and I lost my composure, chasing her around the room to catch her.
“You’re insufferable! Why are you so annoying?!”
“Na-na-na-na-na~! Hahaha!”
Even though part of me was confused by my own actions, my heart was pounding too much to stop the silly chase.
I was never this kind of person—so why did Lamia make me act so foolishly?
‘Thank goodness the other maids aren’t here to see this…’
But just then, Granada entered and caught sight of us. Lamia was scolded soundly.
‘Serves her right. Hmph.’
When Callius returned to the castle after his short inspection of the territory, it was around midday.
As soon as he arrived, Mainz led him to a secluded part of the castle.
“I have brought the sorcerer you requested. He is quite renowned among the nomads.”
The sorcerer Mainz had brought was a middle-aged man with strange tattoos covering his hands and arms.
He was bald and plump, with sloping shoulders and a bent back that made him look shorter than he was.
In his hand he carried a wooden staff engraved with a serpent design—not for support, but seemingly for ritual use.
Gold trinkets dangled all over his body, clinking together whenever he moved.
At the sight of Callius, he bowed deeply.
His overly graceful movements seemed almost ridiculous.
“For the son of a Priestess to summon someone as lowly as myself… What matter requires me?”
The “Priestess” he referred to was the Saint.
To outsiders, priests and sorcerers might appear similar, but in truth they were entirely different.
Priests conveyed the will of God and performed miracles, while sorcerers used mysterious arts for their own desires and gain.
Priests sacrificed themselves for the sake of others, whereas sorcerers unhesitatingly sacrificed others for their own benefit.
For that reason, Callius normally avoided sorcerers—but this time, he had no choice.
“I called you because I wish to learn about curses. Curses fall under the domain of sorcerers.”
The sorcerer’s eyes gleamed with curiosity.
“The king who bears the blood of a Priestess could not possibly be cursed himself… Who is the afflicted one?”
“Is there no way for you to know without me saying it?”
The sorcerer grinned.
“Of course not. I must see and examine directly before I can provide answers.”
It was obvious he was fishing for information.
If he truly had great ability, even a single drop of Chloe’s blood would suffice to learn about the curse.
But obtaining her blood without her realizing was impossible.
Callius desperately hoped that until he could find a way to break it, Chloe would not discover that a vile curse had taken root in her body.
‘Fear only strengthens the power of a curse.’
He drew the sword from his hip.
The well-polished blade slid smoothly from its sheath with a sharp ring, pressing coldly against the sorcerer’s neck.
“If you play tricks or reveal this matter to anyone, I will not spare you.”
The sorcerer raised his hands casually, still holding his staff, in a gesture of surrender.
“Wouldn’t dream of it.”
