Chapter 34
Kavala sat in her office, reviewing the list of girls selected as new scholarship students at the National Academy.
Just then, a translucent red bird appeared before her.
It circled around her head once and landed on her finger. Upon closer inspection, it wasn’t a real bird but a lump of light shaped like one.
Kavala tilted her head in curiosity.
“It’s a bit early for them to have arrived in Ronheim.”
Clearing the documents on her desk to make space, she blew a gentle breath toward the light.
The bird-shaped lump instantly dispersed like powder, forming glowing letters above her desk.
– We were attacked by unknown assailants in Avene. Their identity is unclear. The Imperial Princess dismissed the royal knights for failing to stop the attack. We are now en route to Ronheim. We will begin the mission immediately upon arrival.
It was a brief report, void of any personal opinion.
It had come from the observer Kavala had assigned to Chloe.
With a second breath from Kavala, the glowing letters scattered into the air, vanishing without a trace.
“Assailants?”
Kavala furrowed her brows.
“Chloe used that as an excuse to dismiss the knights…?”
Who would go so far as to attack Chloe’s party and interfere with her plans?
She didn’t like it.
And the fact that Chloe had punished the knights was absurd.
Kavala didn’t believe that naive, frustratingly timid girl could have done such a thing on her own.
‘Was it Marquis Rodrian’s doing?’
That dark-hearted man must’ve manipulated Chloe.
Clicking her tongue in disapproval, Kavala muttered,
“What a foolish girl.”
She had sent Chloe under the pretense of monitoring Callias for suspicious activity, only to have the girl act like his puppet.
Kavala sighed in irritation, assuming Chloe had foolishly obeyed Callias and dismissed the royal knights.
As she pressed her fingers against her temples, someone knocked at the door.
“It’s Denev, sister.”
“Come in.”
Denev entered with a firm, battle-ready air, his gait familiar and sure.
Kavala leaned back deeply in her chair and asked,
“The relic? Did you find it?”
To her, retrieving the lost relic was far more urgent than whatever Chloe was doing.
Denev shook his head.
“My apologies.”
Kavala’s gaze sharpened.
Keeping his eyes downcast, Denev reported,
“It seems it may have been taken outside the palace. We suspect that gypsy girl stole it and ran. We should prioritize searching under that assumption.”
“Haa…”
Kavala sighed deeply and leaned her head back on the chair.
“Search every auction house and black market.”
If a thief had taken the relic, they’d try to convert it to cash quickly.
Since the item hadn’t been acquired through proper channels, it was most likely to appear in the black market.
Suppressing her anger, Kavala spoke in a deliberately graceful tone,
“If it ends up in someone’s private collection, it’ll be much harder to retrieve. We must find it before then.”
“Yes.”
“The proper response.”
Kavala gave Denev a sharp look with narrowed eyes, sighing softly.
“Don’t disappoint me again, Denev.”
Gracefully, she rose and walked toward him, the click of her heels echoing.
Her delicate hand stroked Denev’s scarred cheek gently.
“You were once a fugitive. Make sure I don’t regret bringing you back.”
Her soft, low voice brushed Denev’s ear.
He swallowed dryly and nodded.
“Yes, sister.”
Kavala smiled faintly and passed by him.
“I’m so very tired. What a tiresome day. I need something to soothe my mood.”
Denev knew exactly what that meant.
“I’ve arranged for a new woman in your chambers.”
Kavala smiled in satisfaction and leisurely exited the office.
The northern morning arrived earlier than in the south.
The snowstorm and strong winds that had violently rattled the window shutters all night had completely vanished, and the sky was now calm and clear.
Even before sunrise, the streets of Avene were bustling with people as if it were midday.
Still groggy, I had let Lamia dress me and bundle me up tightly before stepping outside. By then, the streets were already cleared of snow.
‘So diligent.’
In the south, people rarely wake early due to the late-night culture of banquets and parties.
So, seeing so many people already active under a still-dark sky made it hard to tell if it was dawn or dusk.
‘Ugh, it’s cold.’
As soon as I stepped out, the icy air brushed against my face, making me shiver.
Every breath came out in puffs of white.
I looked around, eager to get into the carriage, and my eyes met Callias’, who was checking a horse’s saddle.
“Good morning.”
“Yes, Marquis. Did you sleep well?”
We exchanged light pleasantries.
Having spent so much time together after leaving the palace, he was starting to feel more familiar.
When he smiled, I found myself smiling back.
‘He smiles more than I thought.’
At first, with his cold expression and sharp eyes, I’d assumed he was a stern and scary person, but the more I saw of him, the more that changed.
Especially after we arrived in the north.
He even laughed out loud while joking with his subordinates.
I stared at him without realizing it, and he caught me in the act.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Oh, it’s nothing.”
“Am I fascinating to you? That’s the expression you had.”
Flustered, I quickly apologized.
“Was I? Sorry. I didn’t mean anything by it. You just reminded me of someone I know…”
“Someone you know?”
“Yes, a friend.”
One of Callias’ eyebrows lifted slightly.
“The same friend you mentioned before? The one most important to you?”
I recalled the time in the carriage when I had absentmindedly mentioned something related to Kal and winced.
“Ah, well…”
I tried to change the subject, but Callias wasn’t letting it go.
“It’s surprising that I resemble your friend. I look quite different from southerners. Where is your friend from?”
That was something I was curious about, too.
“I’m not sure. I never asked.”
“I see.”
Callias tilted his head slightly.
It must’ve seemed strange that I claimed someone was a dear friend yet didn’t know where they were from.
‘I should reflect on my carelessness.’
Even after knowing Kal for decades through both lives, I didn’t know where he came from.
Even I found that strange—so how odd must it have sounded to Callias?
He didn’t stop there and continued to ask about Kal.
“What kind of person is this friend? If it’s not too much to ask, I’d like to know more.”
I couldn’t answer honestly, so I deliberately changed the subject.
“It’s freezing. Where’s the carriage? I’d like to get in quickly.”
It wasn’t just an excuse.
Yesterday, when I briefly got off the carriage, my nyak-leather coat had blocked the wind well enough, but standing out here for long was draining my body heat fast.
I was trembling.
Thankfully, Callias didn’t press further.
But then, he said something shocking.
“We can’t use the carriage from this point onward.”
“What? Then…?”
“We’ll have to ride horses.”
“What?! But I don’t know how to ride a horse!”
Unlike me, who was in a full panic, Callias looked completely unbothered.
As if he expected that, he nodded and reassured me.
“Then ride with me, Your Highness.”
“W-With you?”
I imagined myself sitting in front of Callias.
‘It’ll be really close… But I can do it!’
Clenching my fist, I braced myself.
“All right. Please take care of me.”
“Yes, then.”
I reached for his hand to mount the horse.
But instead of helping me up, he suddenly lifted me into his arms and gave a strange command to his subordinate.
“Tie her securely.”
‘Huh? Tie…?’
Before I could process it, his knight approached with a large cloth and—
Wrapped it tightly around us, binding our bodies together like a bundle.
‘What… is this…?’
