Chapter 13

It must have been about half a day's journey.

All around were gentle rolling hills and slopes. Tiny sprouts began to carpet the low and soft horizon like a tapestry.

Was the long winter passing?

I marveled to myself.

'Beautiful. So beautiful.'

For the first time since receiving a new life, I felt at peace.

Just knowing that those leading the way were from the Northern Knight Brigade eased my breathing.

The knights were all on horseback, but since I wasn't a knight, I had walked the entire half-day. Yet, I felt no pain in my legs.

Freedom.

I had gained my freedom.

Then, someone glanced back at me.

"How could he call such a hideous thing 'the only thing he wanted'?"

"That girl apparently tipped them off about the South using poison."

"Hmm, even so… If it were me, I would have asked for the pink diamond mine."

The voices of two soldiers discussing could be heard clearly by me.

And it wasn't just them. Among those who remained silent, there were those who glanced back at me now and then.

'They probably don't like me.'

Why had the Duke chosen me, who wasn't even an option?

It was a mystery to me too.

The Duke had his reasons for needing talent, but it wasn't quite convincing.

There were many better choices available, like asking for a diamond or gold mine, or seeking favor from the Emperor.

Choosing one of those would have been far more beneficial for the current Duke of the North. And how could he know if I would be an asset or not?

'Perhaps he took a special liking to me?'

I shook my head vigorously.

No way, that's impossible.

Although it's a pleasant thought, it's just wishful thinking.

The Duke had said he still didn't trust me.

By the time the sun was high in the sky, we arrived at the Ibeyern Plains.

A few hours' ride from the Southern Duke's castle, the Northern Knight Brigade's camp lay on the wide, green plain. About a dozen large white tents stood majestically on the verdant field. People rushed out towards the Duke and Arcadia, who were at the front.

"Your Grace, we heard you were poisoned, are you alright?!"

"We were about to storm in when you told us not to!"

Shouting their concerns, the Duke showed them a breezy smile.

"I was worried you'd come. It would've started a civil war."

"Oh, Your Grace, that's too much!"

"Did you give those Southerners a good beating? If not, let's go right now!"

Men with rugged appearances wailed.

Especially a middle-aged man with a thick beard that made him look like a brown bear seemed particularly distressed.

It was amusing to see such a man act this way, and perhaps he noticed me looking, as he turned my way.

"Who's that masked woman? Is she burnt?"

He pointed at me.

The Duke turned to look at me.

"...She's the person who saved me."

Our eyes met, and I quickly bowed to the Duke, who then said to me.

"Have your friend taken to the medical tent for treatment. Arcadia, please."

"Huh?"

Arcadia looked at me, not just reluctantly but with a face full of suspicion and annoyance. He grumbled.

"Your Grace, I don't even know this woman's name. Although she's said to have warned of the poisoning risk to Your Grace, I find it dubious. Especially since she was Medea's confidante."

Arcadia's words stirred unrest among the crowd.

"Medea's confidante?"

"Why bring such a woman?"

'Arcadia, do you dislike me?'

It was a logical conclusion, yet it felt a bit disheartening.

But there was nothing I could do. I couldn't say, 'I'm the person who saved you from the Black Worm.'

That would reveal my identity as an assassin and might lead to even greater suspicion.

"Her name is Estelle, Arcadia."

Sion Bellfast said.

The name he spoke aloud, Estelle, pierced my heart softly.

'Estelle, my real name.'

Arcadia wore a sulky expression, which didn't suit his proud platinum blond hair, resembling a petulant child.

"And Mobius."

The Duke called out to the man with the bushy brown beard.

"The half of her face that this lady revealed… it's just my guess, but it might not be a burn scar, rather something like black magic. We'll need to take her back to the North and have Adrian examine her for more details."

"Black magic?"

Mobius, the man, asked in surprise.

"Yes. Probably something she endured in the South. Considering her master did such a thing to her, it's likely she helped me, right, Arcadia?"

The Duke spoke in a light, spring-breeze tone.

'The Duke is protecting me.'

My heart felt tight, both happy and a bit startled.

'Black magic, not a burn?'

But Arcadia wasn't backing down.

"Still, a person who has betrayed once can betray again. I still feel uneasy about her."

"I understand, Arcadia. I don't trust her yet either."

The Duke nonchalantly replied.

'He openly says he doesn't trust me, yet he still protects me.'

Complicated.

The Duke I knew in my past life might have been just a fraction of who he really is.

In fact, I realized I didn't know much about the Duke of the North, this man.

Lost in thought, perhaps my expression became strange.

"What's with that bizarre face?"

Arcadia frowned at me.

I quickly bowed my head.

"I apologize. It's just that everything still feels new and unfamiliar. I'll try to adjust quickly."

Arcadia snorted dismissively.

'He's openly hostile.'

I took the still unconscious yellow caterpillar to the medical tent.

There were soldiers injured from battles with barbarians.

It seemed they had heard rumors about us – I couldn't tell how far or accurate they were – as their looks were unsettling.

As I asked the doctor to take care of the caterpillar, I heard whispers from behind.

"Why did the Duke bring in such a monster? And one that might even be a Southern spy."

"Is this what we get for risking our lives in battle? A monstrous woman like her?"

A pang of hurt settled in my chest.

'Is their dislike for me extending towards the Duke?'

That shouldn't happen.

After politely entrusting the caterpillar to the doctor, I left the tent. Arcadia called out to me, seemingly to catch me.

He led me to a small tent.

"I set this up just for you, though it was quite a bother. You're the only woman here. This isn't the soft Southern castle; it's a battlefield, so I hope there's no fuss."

Arcadia emphasized the word 'fuss.'

I quietly smiled.

"Anyway, this is much better than my underground room in the castle. Thank you. In that place, my bed was a pile of hay, but here there's a real bed. This is a first for me."

I didn't want to be disliked by him. So I wanted to convey how grateful I was for the situation.

"The Duke saved me from the South. I'm truly grateful for that."

Arcadia muttered.

"How much of this should I believe? Well, I'll find out soon enough. I've sworn my life to the Duke. Whatever you try, if you're up to something, I'll catch you in the act. Be prepared."

"I hope you will trust me."

"That's for me to decide."

Arcadia glanced at me with cold green eyes and an icy expression.

"In the Blue Star Castle, joking with the Duke, he seemed like a mischievous puppy."

Do all Northern men have such multifaceted temperaments?

"And since you're here, you're not planning to idle around for free, right? You'll need to prove your worth, being the 'one thing I wanted.'"

He almost spits out the words 'one thing I wanted' with a sense of injustice.

"...."

"What are you good at? What did you do in the South?"

What should I say?

Cooking? Cleaning stables? Laundry?

I've never done any of those. But I want to be useful.

I asked, "What skills are considered useful in the North?"

Arcadia's eyebrow twitched. He sighed as if dismissing me.

"Ha, quite provocative. Well, there's only one most useful thing. We're bordered by the Ssangtooth Empire to the north and plagued by monsters in the northwest. Our job is to fend them off. Being good at fighting, that's the best."

"Then… yes. I can fight well. That's what I'm good at."

A thought struck me to be honest. Without 'swordsmanship,' I had no experience.

Claiming to be good at cooking or laundry would quickly expose me as a liar. I might just gain a reputation as a deceiver.

So, I decided to simply say I was good with a 'sword.'

Just enough to seem capable for my age, not too skilled but with potential.

That much I had managed to fake in front of the Black Worm.

To someday become a person whom the Duke of the North could rely on in battle, I had to take this gamble. I could pretend to reach the level of a sword master with practice.

But then.

Arcadia burst out laughing, pointing at me.

"You? With a sword? With those thin arms? That scrawny body? Ha. Come on, don't exaggerate."

"...."

"Sorry, was pointing rude? My apologies."

"It's alright. But I do want to be useful to the North. I'm not lying."

Arcadia looked puzzled.

"Why do you want to be useful to the North?"

"Because the South is wrong. I may have grown up there, but I don't like it. The same goes for the yellow… ah, my friend, who still doesn't have a name. I heard he's from the North too. He probably feels the same."

I hoped so.

"That makes me more suspicious," Arcadia remarked.

A long silence flowed between us.

I quietly removed the mask covering half of my face, revealing my original, unmarred face with sky-blue eyes. The gentle sunlight entering the tent touched my face.

Arcadia's eyes widened upon seeing my real face.

"This is my real face. I don't know why the left side has collapsed. I have no memory before the age of five. But… the South must know why. I don't like the South. That's why I wanted to come to the North."

"…."

"I will prove it if I have to, that I can be a useful person."

Arcadia let out a low hum. He couldn't take his eyes off my original face.

Then, the tent flap was pushed aside, and a familiar voice spoke.

"Good spirit. With this, we can give her a chance to prove herself, right, Arcadia?"

"Your Grace!"

Arcadia straightened up. It was the Duke of the North.

I quickly bowed to the Duke.

"Lift your face," he said.

As I looked up, I saw him looking into my sky-blue eyes. He didn't avert his gaze. His blue eyes seemed like a burning lake.

'?'

"Arcadia, assign this lady to serve in my retinue. It's an order."

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This novel has been translated up to chapter 66.

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