TED 04

Chapter 4

The coral hidden inside the dagger left behind by her mother—Adriana had thought it was a poison meant to grant a peaceful death. But it seemed it had actually been a sacred relic capable of sending her back to the past.

If that was true, then this was reality.

And without realizing it, she had already spoken of divorce aloud.

“What exactly have I done?”

Adriana stopped in place, momentarily dazed.

The arena had emptied after the competition ended, and the knights heading toward the exits cast furtive glances at her.

Soon, Adriana regained her senses.

Come to think of it, even if this truly was reality, nothing changed.

If she were given another life, she had wanted to divorce Dietrich—and she had already laid the foundation for it.

In that case?

This time, she would simply go through with the divorce for real. There was no reason to take back the refreshing words she had already spoken.

Just as Adriana finished strengthening her resolve and the members of the Gluck Knights gradually dispersed—

“Your Grace!”

“My lady!”

“Young Lord!”

Three knights ran toward Adriana against the flow of the crowd.

Lysandro, Julio, and Ijan!

Adriana’s lips trembled as the familiar names surfaced in her mind.

The three knights had originally belonged to the Isla Knights of Thracia.

However, when Adriana married, they had been transferred north as proof of the marriage alliance and now belonged to the Gluck Knights.

In other words, the three of them had effectively been part of Adriana’s dowry.

Knights were not ordinary people. Each one was military power and an institution unto themselves.

Sending three elite warriors to the North—forces that took immense effort to raise—had been Thracia’s highest gesture of goodwill, symbolizing a desire to bury the long-standing hostility between Thracia and Hielo and establish friendly relations.

At the same time, it had also served as a warning from Hielo’s lord, Diego, demonstrating just how dearly he treasured his younger sister Adriana: do not dare mistreat her.

As fellow southerners who had come to a foreign land together, the bond between them was special.

But the northerners failed to understand that friendship and instead spread vicious rumors that the three handsome knights were Adriana’s lovers.

To avoid scandal, Adriana had been forced to distance herself even from the only three people she could truly speak with.

“Ijan, Julio, Lysandro!”

Unable to restrain herself, Adriana called out the names of her living comrades.

Living comrades.

Only hours ago, these men had died trying to save her during the rebellion—and now they were running toward her.

Overwhelmed with joy she could hardly believe, Adriana instinctively moved to embrace them, only to hesitate when she felt Dietrich’s gaze upon her.

The memories of the past resurfaced—how even exchanging greetings with them had once sparked malicious rumors.

But then she realized that now that she had already decided on divorce, there was no reason she could not greet her friends openly.

“Y-Your Grace?”

“I missed you so much.”

Adriana pulled the round-faced knight standing closest to her into a tight embrace.

Lysandro still retained traces of boyishness. He was the youngest son of Adriana’s nursemaid, Isabel, and since the two were only two years apart in age, they had grown up almost like real siblings.

And Lysandro had died swinging his sword against dozens of enemies while trying to protect Adriana.

My lady. I’ll hold them here, so please run.

The image of Lysandro—like a younger brother to her—blocking the enemy’s path so she could escape resurfaced in her mind, and she could not bear not to hold him.

“Did something happen? Normally, you do not even let us approach you. No, more importantly, what is this sudden talk of divorce? And what do you mean by joining the knight order?”

Lysandro bombarded her with questions, his face full of concern. Ijan and Julio looked no different.

“I can’t explain everything right now, but I’ll tell you slowly.”

If this was not a dream, then I intend to live my second life properly.

Adriana swallowed the words she truly wanted to say.

“Then… does this really mean you intend to leave Hielo?”

The tall, agile knight with brown hair asked urgently.

His name was Ijan—the man Adriana had once picked up off the streets and personally raised into a knight.

Ijan regarded her as both his lord and savior and showed unwavering loyalty.

Enough loyalty to remain by her side until the very end during the rebellion.

“Yes. I stayed too long in a place that was never my home. I miss the baths of Isla Castle—I should return soon.”

Adriana smiled brightly as memories of her beloved homeland filled her mind.

“Your Grace. No… Young Lord.”

“Young Lord” was the nickname Adriana had been called since birth.

Back in Thracia, everyone had naturally assumed that after the former marquis couple, she would become the ruler of the South. Thus, they called her “Young Lord,” meaning the future ruler.

“No matter what path you choose, Young Lord, we will follow you.”

Led by Julio, who came from a prestigious southern family, the three knights knelt and placed their right hands over their hearts.

It was the Thracian gesture of pledging loyalty.

“If you’ve decided to divorce him, then you should do it immediately. Why would you even want to join the Hielo Knights?”

The hot-tempered Julio sprang back to his feet and shouted.

“You already belong to the Gluck Knights. The moment I abandon the title of Duchess, our ties will be severed.”

“Surely… you don’t mean to take us with you…?”

The three knights froze as they realized Adriana’s intentions.

“Did I ever teach you to abandon your comrades?”

“We are your retainers, Young Lord. That means our lord may abandon us if necessary.”

Knights were not merely individuals—they were organizations in themselves. Since they had already transferred allegiance, the three of them were officially valuable assets of the North.

If they were to follow Adriana back south after her divorce of their own accord, it would effectively mean breaking the alliance and declaring war. She could not simply take them away recklessly.

But Adriana could not leave behind comrades who had willingly died for her.

That was why she needed a legitimate reason to reclaim the three knights, who had originally been part of her marriage dowry, as divorce compensation.

For example, becoming a hero who saved the North and then demanding them as a reward—a justification no one could refuse.

As Adriana calmly explained her plans, the three knights listened seriously.

“Young Lord. I understand your intentions, but there’s no need to worry about us as well. Considering everything unfair you’ve suffered here, I only wish for you to return home as soon as possible.”

“For once, I agree with Lysandro.”

Julio nodded in agreement.

“Thank you. But this divorce is not only about the three of you. It’s something that must be resolved properly.”

“That may be true, but…”

Lysandro’s youthful face crumpled miserably.

“The worries and burdens are mine to carry. So instead, help me with what I’m about to do. That alone is enough for me.”

Adriana clasped Lysandro’s hand and smiled gently, just as she had when they were children.

If she truly had returned to the past, then she intended to do everything she had wanted before she died.

And the first of those things was sending home the people who had suffered alongside her in this harsh land because of her.

She had regained the three dear friends who had died before her.

She was happy—truly happy—and she would protect them this time.

“You really are going to divorce him, right? Right? You really are coming back South with us?”

Lysandro quickly returned to his usual energetic self.

Seeing him exactly as she remembered brought Adriana an unexpected sense of relief, and she laughed softly.

“My comrades. You’ve suffered enough enduring the northerners’ hostility these past two years. From now on, it’s our turn to leave them behind.”

“As you command.”

The three knights bowed their heads after receiving the thrilling order.

Dietrich could not bear to watch Adriana reunite with the knights any longer and instead headed toward his office.

“Are you serious? You truly intend to accept that woman into the knight order?”

“Oscar Griff.”

“…My apologies.”

Oscar, the commander of the Gluck Knights, bit his lip and lowered his head.

He knew that, whatever else happened, his lord would never tolerate anyone speaking disrespectfully of the Duchess.

Even if she was a Duchess in name only, she still carried the name Brecht.

Many people had already been punished for insulting Adriana in front of Dietrich. Because of that, the people of Hielo refrained from openly disrespecting her whenever the Grand Duke was present.

Instead, they tormented her subtly behind his back.

“The moment I declared that anyone who captured a spy could become a knight, the Duchess achieved exactly that. Am I supposed to make myself into a pathetic lord who speaks with two tongues?”

“But how can we know that spy was genuine? Perhaps Her Grace the Duchess was working together with—”

“You keep repeating the same nonsense. If that is all you have to say, then leave.”

Having already guessed where Oscar was heading with his words, Dietrich cut him off harshly.

Though he spoke indirectly, Oscar clearly wanted to accuse Adriana of being a real spy collaborating with the northern tribes.

Otherwise, he claimed, there was no explanation for how the Duchess alone had detected a spy none of the knights had noticed.

It was true that Adriana had displayed archery skills so absurd they invited suspicion.

But a woman who had failed even to befriend the people of Hielo having contact with northern tribes was nearly impossible to believe.

At least, Dietrich wanted to believe that.

Bang.

As soon as Oscar left, the secretary who had silently observed the situation from the side stepped forward.