Chapter 81:
“How is it?”
“You’re that happy?”
“Yeah. Because my brother is coming.”
At Tinya’s question, Evelyn gave a shy smile. Her brother was finally coming tomorrow.
The decision for him to head to the North from the capital had been made swiftly.
There had been a delay in the arrival of reinforcements due to the construction of new buildings for knights, mages, and other personnel.
Only after the wedding did the discussed plans finally begin to unfold.
“I’ve never seen buildings that beautiful before. You’d have a hard time finding ones like that even in the capital.”
“They say it’s modeled after the Academy’s dorms. It was truly magnificent.”
Yesterday, before receiving guests, Evelyn went out for a final inspection.
Since the maids had been curious too, Evelyn took all four of them along and toured the estate with Elliot, inspecting every corner.
Seeing the once quiet estate now bustling with people and filled with new buildings brought a deep sense of emotion.
“But is the princess really coming too?”
“Yeah…”
“Do you think the princess might… like Young Master Leonel?”
Tinya asked in a worried voice.
“Even if that’s not the case, it’s still concerning, right?”
Nod.
Wasn’t the princess the one who used to like the Archduke?
“Surely she’s not trying to get revenge on my brother because of me, right?”
“But Leonel doesn’t know anything! That’d be way too unfair!”
Tinya became indignant at Evelyn’s worried words.
“No way, come on.”
Anna, who was fixing Evelyn’s hair from behind, tried to soothe them.
“She doesn’t seem like someone who’d do that. Maybe she’s helping with the ceremonial duties for another reason?”
“Another reason?”
Evelyn began to ponder why the princess had attached herself to her brother.
‘If it’s not because of me…’
Then she must be investigating the North.
The marriage had happened far too suddenly. It was very likely that the emperor, sensing some issue in the North, had moved the princess.
If the crown prince had gone, it would have caused a stir. So sending the princess, who had been involved in past scandals with the archduke, seemed like a strategic move.
Thinking of it that way, it made sense why the princess was constantly sticking to her brother.
“She must be trying to keep the North in check.”
“Ugh. That’s even worse.”
Anna sighed faintly. The North was now moving faster and more busily than ever.
Even the staff had started to notice subtle changes in the archducal household.
Out of love for the North, everyone kept quiet, but they could feel that something was coming—and that people were rallying.
Anna and a few trusted staff members played the role of keeping people grounded, to prevent rumors or unrest.
“The northern nobles are arriving one after another, so I’m sure a lot of interesting things will happen.”
No matter how many people came from the capital, Anna wasn’t worried. The seasoned northern nobles would deal with them well.
The North doesn’t give up what’s theirs.
But… it was taken away?!
“Ah, Lady Evelyn!”
Anna and the maids hurriedly followed after Evelyn. The princess was striding away, practically dragging the duchess behind her.
“I’m just trying to have a brief conversation—what are you all so worried about? You’re looking at me like I’m a criminal.”
Princess Isabel, who had arrived early that morning via magic circle, looked visibly annoyed.
Just as she had heard, the North was cold.
She had expected to arrive directly at the duchy via its magic circle, but instead, she had to use the large-scale transport circle located elsewhere on the estate and then take a carriage to the main castle.
To make matters worse, Leonel was so preoccupied with exploring the archduchy that he hardly paid her any attention.
The nobles from the capital, visiting the North for the first time, were so mesmerized by the snowy scenery that they seemed to forget about the princess entirely.
“Your Highness, allow me to guide you.”
Evelyn, who had been welcoming the guests at the castle, barely managed to calm the princess and lead her to a drawing room.
“What on earth have you done?!”
“Pardon?”
Done… what?
Evelyn blinked in confusion.
“Me?”
“Yes. I can accept that you’re a Swordmaster. But what are you planning to do in the North?”
She was trying to defeat the evil god, but couldn’t understand why it had to be misunderstood this badly.
Seeing the princess’s sharp gaze, Evelyn lowered the hand that was about to scratch her cheek.
“May I ask why you think that?”
“Why are you gathering troops in the North?! And earlier, I even saw a mage from the Tower inspecting the estate.”
You certainly didn’t miss anything, Evelyn thought, smiling a little at the anxious expression on the princess’s face.
The princess was clearly looking for an alternate explanation because she didn’t want to accept the truth.
It was obvious.
“Your Highness. Would we dare to prepare a rebellion?”
“When did I say anything about rebellion?”
“Isn’t that what your question implies?”
Evelyn calmly waited for her response. The princess bit her lip.
“No. I simply meant— is the North in such danger that you need this many forces? I’m concerned!”
“Stay in the North for a while and see for yourself.”
The princess grew even more irritated by the implication that Evelyn wouldn’t say anything more.
Could it really be true, as Father said, that something terrifying might be revived in the North?
“If you’re not too tired, I hope you’ll attend the welcome party tonight. It’s for the northern nobles and reinforcements.”
“You really won’t say anything, will you?”
Isabel thought both her father, who wasn’t stopping the buildup of forces in the North, and the archduke, who treated it all so casually, were acting strangely.
Especially Leonel Barrett’s behavior had made her suspicious. At every party, he boasted about how happy his sister was in her marriage.
At first, he seemed to mention the curse, but then he changed his tune.
Soon people began to grow curious about the woman he praised and started taking interest in the North.
It felt like an elaborate plan.
Isabel had grumbled many times to her father and brother, but they just clicked their tongues knowingly.
‘So annoying.’
She hated that she was the only one out of the loop.
“Fine. Then I trust you won’t stand in my way.”
“I only hope Your Highness will make the right choice.”
The duchess’s eyes no longer held their former timidity. Instead, they carried a powerful presence that made Isabel straighten her back instinctively.
“I really get to use this place?!”
Before Leonel could even feel down about the princess dragging his sister away, he was dragged off to the ruins.
“Um, Your Grace?”
“Young lord. You must become stronger as well.”
Knights and mages, battered like crops after a hailstorm, staggered around the training ground.
It was true that they came to grow stronger, but this felt a bit extreme.
“Hyahhh!”
“Wahaha! Bring it on, you punks!!”
On one side, mages in robes wobbled around wielding wooden swords.
He should probably run.
Leonel’s eyes darted around. It really felt like he was the only one dragged into this.
“Won’t it look weird if I’m training separately?”
“Don’t worry. The Barrett knights will be joining soon.”
A familiar voice came from behind.
“Evelyn!”
Spinning around, Leonel finally had the chance to share what he couldn’t say earlier.
“We can’t show this training ground to the other nobles yet. So the Barrett knights will enter under the pretext of doing practical training in the snowfields.”
“Then that’s perfect!”
Better to suffer together than die alone.
‘I’ll be staggering around just like them soon enough.’
“We’ll say you’ve gone out for subjugation training, so once you’re inside, you won’t be able to come out for at least a week.”
Leonel froze at his sister’s explanation.
“I’ll do my best.”
Was this the duty of someone who holds a secret? Though it felt like his shoulders were growing heavier, he decided to focus on the chance to improve.
“What about the princess?”
“She suspects something’s up in the North.”
Evelyn looked him over from head to toe.
“She’s been sticking close to you this whole time. She didn’t do anything weird to you, did she?”
He might not know since he’d been unconscious for so long, but the princess wasn’t exactly known for her pleasant personality.
Just look at the tantrums she threw at those who liked Elliot.
“She’s a bit headstrong, but not a bad person.”
She even checked in from time to time to see if he was feeling unwell.
At Leonel’s attempt to explain her as someone just a bit sensitive and misunderstood, Evelyn’s eyes widened.
Don’t tell me… he’s starting to like the princess?
That wouldn’t be a good choice—not even for her brother’s sake.
“You’ll have to be apart from her for a week. Is that okay?”
“Of course. She knows I came to the North to train.”
At his confident reply, Evelyn gave him a suspicious glance.
