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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 22
Chapter Title: Preparing for the North
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The carriage departed from the Imperial Palace.
The road was familiar to a certain extent, but once we passed the outer castle walls, it became completely foreign.
As I kept glancing out the window, Calius asked.
“Is there something you’re looking for?”
“Ah.”
Had I been too restless? Embarrassed, I gave an awkward smile.
“It’s just, this is my first time outside the outer walls, so I find it fascinating.”
Calius’s eyebrows lifted slightly.
“You’ve never been out this far? Not for a trip, or even for recuperation?”
“This is the first time.”
Because I’d lived my life virtually imprisoned in the palace.
Calius, unaware of such circumstances, seemed a bit taken aback but didn’t press me for details.
I had no intention of explaining the long and complicated story, so I turned my gaze back outside the window.
But then, Calius suddenly began to describe the route.
“If we continue down this road, we’ll come across vast farmlands stretching across the plains. We’ll pass through there and head to the river. Following the river will lead us to a small fortress.”
Hearing the word ‘fortress,’ I asked with a little excitement.
“Are we going to use a teleportation circle?”
Teleportation circles have the advantage of convenience, but they also have the disadvantage of potentially becoming an invasion route for enemies in an emergency.
I had read in a book that they were therefore installed on the outskirts of cities, in a strategic location that offered both convenience and security, and were protected by surrounding walls and military defenses.
As I expected, Calius nodded.
“Yes. We plan to use the teleportation circle to travel to Avene in the North. By land from the capital, it’s a journey that would take at least two months, even without rest.”
“Two months…”
It was a distance I could hardly fathom.
Seeing my dazed expression, Calius chuckled softly, pulled a piece of parchment from his coat, and spread it across my lap. It was a map of Arental.
He pointed to different spots on the map as he explained.
“Our current location is here. We’ll follow this road to the fortress, and then use the teleportation circle…”
His hand moved swiftly to the very top of the map.
“To go all the way here.”
My jaw dropped at the vast world spread out on my lap.
The Imperial Palace and the capital, where I had lived my entire life, were merely a small dot on the map.
Seeing that, the reality of leaving for a very distant place truly sank in.
“Where is Ronheim?”
Calius’s finger poked a spot on my knee, somewhere off the map. It seemed the map of Arental didn’t include Ronheim.
“Around here?”
“It seems quite far from Avene as well.”
“You’ll have to be well-prepared. The journey won’t be easy.”
He lifted his mesmerizingly bright golden eyes and looked directly at me.
“Once you enter, you may never be able to return. The journey there, and the journey back, will be a life-threatening endeavor.”
It was a grim warning.
But it didn’t seem like he was trying to scare me.
To show my resolve, I clenched my fists and answered firmly.
“Yes, I’ll do my best.”
Then I broke into a wide smile. I was relieved, thinking this was a place that the crybaby Andrea would never be able to reach.
“Thank you.”
For taking me to a safe place.
As Calius looked at me, his gaze was strangely enigmatic.
* * *
Before long, we arrived at the fortress where the teleportation circle was located.
It was a military fortress, not a place meant for habitation, but surprisingly, a bustling market was spread out inside.
Stalls were set up wherever there was space to stand—along the walls, and even on the narrow stairs.
The merchants eagerly hawked their wares to the travelers who entered the fortress, trying to catch their attention.
“Dried rations for sale!”
“Leather shoes, wooden shoes, flower-patterned shoes, we have them all!”
“Selling leather protectors! Plenty of leather pouches, too!”
Some people found the merchants bothersome, while others, as if they had just remembered they needed something, quickly followed a merchant.
I simply watched the chaotic scene with amusement.
It was fascinating to see all sorts of people mingling so quickly, chattering loudly, and haggling.
I was even secretly hoping that since our group was larger than the others, the merchants might flock to us.
But the merchants only glanced at our party before giving way for us to pass, not approaching at all.
“Why aren’t they approaching us?”
I asked Calius, a little disappointed. He calmly explained the reason.
“They can probably tell from our attire.”
“What about our attire?”
“They recognize that we’re from the North.”
“…And what if we are?”
“It’s because they have nothing to sell us. There are very few merchants here with goods that would appeal to Northerners. The things one can use in a land covered in snow are limited.”
“Is that so.”
I sort of understood, but not completely.
Still, I just nodded my head and pretended to get it.
I had already asked enough questions and felt that asking more would annoy Calius.
I was used to being rebuffed like that.
No one had ever answered my questions sincerely; everyone had always found me a nuisance.
But Calius seemed to notice my expression and, just as he had when explaining the route, began to explain things in detail.
“For example, in the North, there’s little use for leather pouches to carry water. The water would freeze, which is a problem, but more importantly, fresh, clean snow falls every day in the North, so there’s no need to carry water. If you need water, it’s better to carry a flint. We melt snow to get water.”
“Ah, I see…!”
“You also can’t wear shoes made of ordinary cloth or leather. They get soaked quickly when you trudge through the snow. Wet shoes pose a risk of frostbite. In the North, we only wear shoes made of a special leather that is waterproof and insulated.”
With a few examples, I understood clearly.
I listened intently to Calius’s passionate explanations, gazing at him quietly.
The way his eyes looked at me, the movement of his lips, the bob of his throat as he spoke, his torso leaning slightly toward me, the gestures of his hands in the air—I took in every detail.
Even as he explained at length, he showed no sign of annoyance.
If I seemed interested in something, he would elaborate on it even more.
Whenever I asked a question or showed curiosity, his voice would rise slightly, as if he enjoyed it.
*To think there’s someone other than Kal who would talk to me so enthusiastically.*
My heart fluttered. Just like on the day of the betrothal ceremony.
I liked that he was receptive to my questions, so I asked about every little thing that sparked my curiosity, no matter how trivial.
I was so engrossed in our conversation that I lost track of time, until at some point, he opened the carriage door.
“I can tell you more about anything you’re curious about on the way. For now, it seems we should get moving.”
Startled, my eyes widened. I had been so lost in conversation that I hadn’t even realized the carriage had stopped.
“Are we using the teleportation circle now?”
“There’s a place we need to stop by first.”
I followed Calius out of the carriage, where a merchant was waiting. She greeted us.
“It’s been a while, Marquis.”
She was a woman in her mid-to-late twenties and seemed to know Calius.
“You look well, Ronda. Where’s Poletto?”
“My husband went hunting in Avene with his companions. We were running low on Nyak hides. Anyway, I heard from Sir Brentian that you were looking for women’s clothing?”
“Do you have anything suitable?”
“Of course! I happen to have a few pieces I’ve just made. Who will be wearing them?”
“My wife will be wearing them.”
Calius turned and revealed me to her, as I had been half-hidden behind him.
Instantly, not only Ronda’s gaze but the eyes of our entire party fell upon me.
*My wife…*
We hadn’t had a wedding ceremony, but we were officially married, so ‘wife’ was correct. But why did that word make me feel so shy?
My face flushed, and I lowered my head slightly so others wouldn’t see.
Calius whispered to me.
“You wouldn’t last a minute in the North with the clothes you’re wearing now. Ronda is the only merchant here who sells goods from the North. Everything she sells is of the highest quality, so you can trust her.”
I looked down at the dress I was wearing.
*I thought I had chosen my thickest outfit.*
But compared to what Calius was wearing, it did look incredibly thin.
Perhaps thinking I was hesitating, the blue-haired man standing next to Calius spoke to me cautiously.
“I am Viscount Brentian Creep, the Marquis’s aide. Your Highness, I know this may be an imposition, but there are no places in the capital of Arental that make clothes suitable for the snowfields, so we had no choice but to bring you here. This is a merchant we have trusted and done business with for a long time.”
But his expression was tense, as if he were nervous.
I blinked and looked at the others.
Not just Brentian, but all of Calius’s knights, and even Calius himself, were staring at me with stiff faces.
*What’s going on? Why…?*
