Chapter 15
It was the morning of the next day. The snowfall, which had lessened since the outing was permitted, had completely stopped by morning. Looking at the accumulated snow, it seemed that carriages would have no trouble passing through.
Ninia looked outside and felt a strange sensation, thinking that even the weather seemed to have been predicted by Tarahan. She deliberately turned away from the window. Then, she turned her gaze to the mirror and straightened her clothes.
Ninia was wearing a navy-blue dress for the outing. She had chosen the smallest one among the fur dresses, but even that was a little big. It was natural for it to feel awkward since it wasn’t tailored, but in this case, the main reason was her petite frame.
‘Northerners were a bit bigger.’
From Rosa, the maid assigned to her, to the servants of the castle, those born and raised here were subtly larger in build than those from the capital, regardless of gender.
The dress being a bit large was a problem, but its thick material also made it heavy, making her feel as if she were buried in clothes.
Severus’s surveillance continued. The butler, who had come to her door to pick her up, guided her past the entrance to where the carriage was waiting.
‘The crest… has appeared.’
The door of the carriage, drawn by six horses, was engraved with the emblem of a black lion. It was the new crest of the Grand Ducal family, bestowed by the Emperor.
Ninia saw the Grand Ducal crest for the first time. When she first came to the castle and signed the marriage certificate, there was no crest, but it seemed to have been made while she was cooped up in her room.
Ninia was seized by a strange feeling as she looked at the fiercely roaring lion. Nobles did not use black in their family crests. In the Empire, black was a symbol of misfortune and corruption.
The Emperor had delayed and passed the work to the crest maker, who then went to the Empress, not Tarahan, to discuss what kind of crest to create. The crest that was made held an excessively blatant meaning.
‘I shouldn’t be thinking this, but.’
Ninia met the black lion’s eyes. Regardless of its meaning, the roaring black beast suited the man named Tarahan perfectly.
“Please, get in.”
When she didn’t get into the carriage, Severus’s gaze sharpened. With a regretful glance, Ninia turned her head from the crest and boarded the carriage.
The destination of the carriage was the village of Seshan. Lentus Castle, which Tarahan currently used as his base, originally belonged to Count Troyd.
He owned several other mansions besides the castle, but most of them were either burned down during the war or became Tarahan’s property, so he was currently staying at the mansion of the Lord of Seshan.
When she drew back the curtains, a rapidly scattering scenery came into view. The Empire called the entire North ‘Danteor,’ and the large territory where Lentus Castle was located was named ‘Pavrod.’
‘It’s different from when I first saw it.’
Ninia was now so close to the window that her nose was almost touching the cold glass. It was difficult to see everything with the naked eye as the carriage was moving, but the state of the territory was clearly different from when she had first arrived.
Collapsed buildings were being re-erected, and roads that had been unrecognizable were being restored. Beyond the roads, here and there, workers and laborers were busy stacking up broken walls and roofs.
The territory was being rebuilt at a rapid pace. It was a war between empires. She had never seen a residential area recover so quickly after being swept by such a great war.
Soon, as the carriage left the territory and entered a forest path, the village and people were no longer visible. Only then did Ninia move away from the window.
War takes many things from everyone, but from those who had nothing to begin with, it extorted more than just their lives. Even after the war ended, people were lined up on the streets, but they were nowhere to be seen in the scenery just a moment ago.
The only person who could do such a thing was Tarahan, the Grand Duke who ruled Pavrod. The fierce face that had reproached her for her uselessness shimmered like an illusion.
He was a man who had no hesitation in killing people, but he was not a man who possessed only a heartless side. However, he was a man who could be endlessly cold and cruel to Ninia alone.
Ninia placed a hand over her chest. The inside was churning strangely. She had to steel her heart. She clasped her hands in prayer as was her habit. But her thoughts kept scattering. It was the same even after she placed her hands on her knees and clenched them into fists.
The snow-covered forest path was only white, so there was nothing more to see, but the colors of the territory she had just passed through continued to flicker over it like afterimages.
The carriage, which had been running on the white snowy road, finally stopped. Ninia got off the carriage with the help of a knight who was escorting it. In front of the gate leading to the garden, Count Troyd and the Lord of Seshan were already waiting for her.
“Saintess. You must have had a very hard time coming all this way.”
Count Troyd greeted Ninia with a smile so bright it couldn’t possibly be brighter. Ninia, following Count Troyd’s words of blessing, absentmindedly made the sign of the cross back at him.
“May the goddess’s blessing be with you.”
“And with you, Count.”
It felt strange to perform the informal greeting after a long time, but what was even more so was what the Count was wearing.
‘A temple robe…’
Count Troyd was wearing a white robe with the goddess’s emblem. The robe, made of an unusually thin fabric for the North and embroidered with sparkling gold thread, was one of the gifts given only to believers who had donated a certain amount to the temple.
It was the first trace of the goddess she had encountered since coming to the North. Things that had once been so natural they didn’t even need to be mentioned had now been transformed into a very unfamiliar and awkward sensation.
Ninia suppressed the uncomfortable feeling rising in her and put a smile on her face. It was the benevolent smile of a perfect saintess.
Ninia had learned how to manage her expressions like other nobles since she was a child. She was always smiling when she stood in official settings.
It wasn’t so bright as to be uncomfortable, and there was no hint of darkness, making it as warm as gentle music. This was also one of the reasons why the noble ladies and young misses called her a doll.
It was the first mask she had worn since anticipating her own death. The corners of her mouth, which should have been difficult to raise, were smooth as if from years of habit. It was clearly the one aspect that the High Priest had never found fault with in Ninia.
The Count’s gaze was stolen by the smile, which was like dust glittering in the softly flowing sunlight. Ninia spoke in a calm voice.
“I thank you for the welcome, but I am no longer a saintess.”
The Count, who had been standing as if mesmerized by her calm tone, blinked belatedly. Then, he burst into a hearty laugh and quickly put on a friendly face.
“Are you not the former saintess? You are still no different from a saintess even now.”
Count Troyd slithered over Ninia’s words like a snake over a wall.
Most people tended to change their beliefs according to their own benefit. The Count also moved according to his convenience.
To him, Ninia was still a holy woman, and he believed she occupied one of the positions in the temple’s power structure.
‘He’s no different.’
Ninia quickly saw through the Count’s intentions. A bitter taste filled her mouth. No matter how much she denied it, they were people who had no need for her opinion at all. Ninia hid her bitter feelings with a faint smile and let him call her whatever he pleased.
“It’s cold outside. Please, come in.”
Suddenly, Count Troyd’s eyes rested on Ninia’s dress. He gave an enigmatic smile and welcomed Ninia, pretending not to notice. She also noticed the Count’s glance, but she couldn’t tell what he was thinking.
While the Count guided Ninia into the mansion, the Lord of Seshan, the owner of the mansion, followed behind them like a servant. The Count found fault with this and that, saying the mansion was chilly, that it was dusty, and so on, to the Lord of Seshan.
“Where else would you have been able to see the Saintess in person? It’s all thanks to me, a fellow believer, so be grateful.”
“Indeed. I too must be embraced by the goddess as soon as possible. It would be quick if you helped me, my lord Count. Hasn’t the Saintess also come in person?”
They were forming a master-servant relationship where they exchanged favors. To them, Ninia was a precious tool to get to higher power. Ninia simply wore the smile that everyone liked and lowered her eyes, not giving an answer to the two nobles’ conversation.
The lord’s mansion was warm even in the hallways, so much so that one wondered how much firewood and charcoal they were using. Ninia was guided to a reception room with a large fireplace. Sparks flew from the burning pile of logs. On the frozen ground, even embers were money.
“You may leave now.”
At the Count’s command, the Lord of Seshan stood up with a regretful look on his face. The lord’s gaze clung tenaciously to Ninia. It was a familiar gaze. She avoided making eye contact and only stared at the steaming teacup until the lord left.
Soon, the lord left, and only Ninia and Troyd remained in the warm reception room. There was no time for silence to settle in. Count Troyd leaned his body close over the table and reached his hand out towards Ninia.
