#113. Relief
After finishing the chaotic schedule at the Mage Tower, Belia returned to the palace, where Rachel, who had stayed behind to handle paperwork, hurriedly came looking for her.
Her cheeks were flushed as she called out to Belia:
“News has arrived from Lisetun!”
It was the message Belia had been anxiously waiting for.
The northeastern region of Lisetun—the area she had worried about the most. In her previous life, it had also been the hardest hit during this harsh winter. The thought of losing contact with them had filled her with worry.
And now, news had come…!
Belia hurried toward her office, asking Rachel as she walked:
“What did the message say? Is everyone safe?”
Her heart raced with anticipation.
As she ascended the stairs, the back of her dress, which she hadn’t properly secured, dragged along the floor, picking up dirt—but she ignored it, quickening her pace.
Despite all the preparations she had made for this winter, Belia couldn’t help but fear that some tragic news might come. Following closely behind, Rachel replied in a bright voice:
“They said that most of the residents evacuated as soon as the snow began to fall. Even people from distant villages had come to Lisetun in advance. Right now, everyone is staying in the underground part of the clinic.”
“Ah…”
Belia’s steps gradually slowed.
They were alive.
Gathered in the clinic she had prepared for this very day, they were doing their best to endure.
A sudden shiver ran through her, like goosebumps sweeping over her entire body. It wasn’t exactly joy, satisfaction, or pride—she couldn’t define it. She wasn’t swept up in the euphoria of having saved people.
It was simply the fact that life, in the face of such overwhelming nature, had endured.
And that she had been even a small part of that endurance.
It overwhelmed her in a way that was impossible to put into words.
“Your Highness… everyone is safe.”
Rachel’s voice trembled, apparently catching some of Belia’s emotion.
“And the supplies? If even people from nearby villages gathered there, could they be running low?”
“They’ll manage until we finish clearing and maintaining the roads. Your Highness’s insistence on increasing stockpiles was a stroke of genius.”
Belia nodded.
But there was still much to do. Now that she knew everyone was safe, the next steps needed to be discussed.
“Call a meeting. Gather all the responsible parties, Rachel.”
Belia’s eyes hardened with determination.
One by one, the responsible officials gathered in the conference room.
Belia laid a map of the empire across the large table and began to speak:
“The roads that have been cleared—does this cover from here to here?”
“Yes. We’ve continued additional work even at night. We should be able to reach Lake Sarion by the end of this week.”
Lake Sarion.
The largest and widest lake in the northeast. Beyond it lay Lisetun and the rest of the northeastern territories.
“With the help of various trade guilds, we’ve secured ample supplies. There’s enough to provide for the workers and soldiers as well.”
“Good. Make sure the workers are not neglected either. They are also acting with goodwill for the empire’s people.”
Although they were using magical tools to fend off the cold while working, moments of exhaustion were inevitable for humans. They needed encouragement to keep moving forward.
“Of course. And here…”
An official pointed to Lake Sarion.
“This area is really the problem. The mountains in the northeast are treacherous. If we go around the lake, it will take too long. Normally, we would have traveled by boat, but that’s impossible now.”
Khalid, after pondering, spoke up.
“Then we’ll cross the lake. With this severe cold, it should already be frozen solid.”
But the ice is thickest at the edges and thinnest at the center. If they crossed over a weak spot…
No. Unnecessary thoughts.
Belia shook her head slightly, forcing out the negative thoughts, and turned back to the map to reassess the situation. Khalid continued:
“I should go along this time to see the situation firsthand.”
Belia turned to him, eyes wide with surprise.
Khalid had just returned not long ago, and the thought of him leaving again made her instinctively want to stop him.
But she knew she couldn’t act on her emotions—this was a national emergency. She closed her eyes briefly, then opened them, steadying herself, and asked with concern:
“Alright. The people in the northeast will certainly be relieved if you go. But wouldn’t it be better to think of a way that doesn’t require crossing the lake? Lake Sarion is too wide. Once you enter, it would be difficult to come back…”
Khalid smiled warmly, as if to reassure her.
“Don’t worry, Belia. With all this snow, the lake should have a thick layer of ice covered in snow. If we travel by sled, we can move quickly. The Mage Tower will help again, lending magical assistance to the sled. That way, we can handle any dangerous moments.”
Belia let out a small sigh.
But then, her eyes brightened with resolve. This was a moment to turn crisis into opportunity.
“Understood. Win the hearts of the people in the northeast. No one will fail to welcome the Second Prince who has traveled such a long distance with relief supplies, even under these harsh conditions.”
Khalid pointed to Lisetun on the map, drawing a line southward as he moved. Starting from the northern Lisetun, then across the northeast to the east, he looked thoroughly excited.
“I plan to start in the north and work my way to the east.”
Belia realized something from his words.
From the beginning, his true aim had been to inspect the eastern nobles. Amid the unprecedented snowfall and crisis, the imperial prince himself would visit the affected regions to win the support of the northeastern populace, then move southward from the north to destabilize the eastern nobles aligned with Raul.
Belia nodded with satisfaction at Khalid’s plan to achieve two goals in a single move.
With the data collected through Lunes and Khalid’s secret investigations, they could effectively restrain the eastern nobles.
“This trip will take longer than expected.”
Belia addressed Asid, who was attending the meeting.
“Sir Asid, I’m counting on you again. Be a reliable sword by His Highness’s side.”
“Of course!”
Her heart eased slightly at his confident response.
Belia stood up. The meeting was over.
“Rachel, let’s quickly prepare the relief supplies. It will be tight to have everything ready within this week.”
“Leave it to me!”
“And notify the Mage Tower. Have Habisa check if there’s any magic to lighten the sled, so we can enchant it for crossing the lake.”
The participants’ faces brightened. Their prince and princess were actively involved in all aspects of the work, which gave them confidence that everything would be handled well.
At that moment, Khalid, looking slightly concerned, held Belia’s hand.
“I’m a little worried that you won’t have an escort.”
“Sir Locus of the Central Knights visits often, and Duke Errington is in the capital, so don’t worry, Khalid.”
Belia smiled brightly, and Khalid closed his eyes, letting out a quiet laugh.
“Good. Your courage reassures me.”
He released her hand and stood up, addressing the knights present.
“Let’s finish preparations quickly and head to the work site first!”
“Yes!”
The knights’ hearty response echoed through the room.
“Send the supplies as soon as they’re ready, Belia. Once they arrive, we’ll cross the lake immediately.”
Belia nodded.
“It doesn’t feel good that we’re apart for so long.”
“We’ve been too close together for too long, anyway.”
“Haha, true.”
Khalid smiled lightly and pressed a kiss to Belia’s cheek, whispering:
“I’ll be back soon, Belia.”
After Khalid left for the northeast, letters arrived from previously unreachable areas, reporting the current situation.
Contrary to fears, most had survived the winter safely.
Healers had treated patients for free, plowing through snow as high as a person, bringing those in poor living conditions to the clinics.
The supplies stored in the underground clinics were used for the evacuees. Wealthy residents could endure in their homes, but for others, the clinic was their only beacon of hope.
The large common spaces created in every clinic’s underground were now invaluable for storing supplies and providing shelter.
People barely endured the winter with the food, blankets, and firewood gathered, praying that it would pass quickly.
“…Thank goodness.”
News came that Khalid had crossed Lake Sarion. Crossing the lake allowed him to shorten the journey far more than going around the mountains.
They cleared the roads as they moved through the northeast and soon arrived in Lisetun.
Thousands of residents were in the evacuation spaces, and the stockpiled food was nearly gone due to the unexpectedly high number of evacuees.
In this situation, Khalid and his soldiers were like saviors to them.
Relief supplies were quickly distributed, and the soldiers and knights checked if any villages had been left isolated. Khalid actively calmed the worried populace.
Lisetun, a small rural village rather than a major city, had already gained much goodwill for the Second Prince and Princess simply by having a clinic, and the fact that the imperial prince himself came so far impressed most of the residents.
Thanks to the preparations for this winter, few deaths occurred even in isolated regions, unlike in her previous life. The situation was far better than expected.
And finally…
The harsh winter was beginning to come to an end.
