Chapter 23
The winter land greeted the full summer. Lentus Castle, which had seemed haunted, now looked quite like a place where people lived after passing through the dark season.
The first step was removing the thick, drab-colored winter curtains. Broken windows and walls were all repaired, and the outer castle, where soot stains had remained on the walls, had all traces of war erased, so the castle’s appearance in the sun established it as the heart of Danteorre.
‘Fast.’
Ninia also clearly felt the change in the castle. It wasn’t visible from inside her room, but it was a different story if she went up to the top of the tower in Lentus Castle.
At dawn, before sunrise. Ninia left her room at a time that still held a faint darkness.
The place she headed for was the tallest tower within the castle. She unlocked the firmly shut door, which was secured with a large padlock, using a key.
‘At first, I wondered why he gave me something like this.’
Ninia was lost in thought as she climbed the mossy tower stairs endlessly.
The reward she had received a while ago was a key with two purposes. Access to the library had become a sanctuary of knowledge for her. In the middle of reading a book, she had turned her gaze and stared blankly at the other key.
‘A tower.’
She had been so absorbed in books for a while that she hadn’t thought of visiting the tower.
She was prepared to accept anything he gave her. So this was a matter of understanding.
She could easily guess his intention with the library access, but she didn’t know the reason for giving her the tower key as well. However, the question was resolved by visiting the tower in person.
Creek. Ninia, having reached the top, opened the old door. The cold, damp air clung to her skin. A sense of anticipation blooming at her fingertips made her heart pound.
Ninia approached the wide, glassless window. A pale dawn. Far below, the low buildings and garden of Lentus Castle looked like an old painting.
Ninia sank into the blue canvas.
‘It’s beautiful.’
Directly below was the castle where she lived, and if she raised her gaze, she could see the entire inner castle and the outer castle with the town in one view.
Most of the time it was foggy or appeared completely white, but sometimes, when the weather was good, she could even see the forest beyond with her naked eye.
She liked the view from the tower. The town’s shape changed every time she visited.
Watching the desolate private houses being rebuilt at a rapid pace, they sometimes looked like children’s wooden toys, and a small gasp would escape her.
All those scenes blended with the ever-changing weather and transformed into a mystical painting. She let out a small sigh as she watched the scenery grow brighter and brighter.
‘I won’t be able to come for a while, though.’
A sense of disappointment washed over her at the thought of not being able to see the changing summer. She fiddled with the key she had placed in her inner pocket.
This very day, guests were scheduled to arrive at Lentus Castle. They were esteemed guests from the capital, which was the reason Ninia was refraining from going out here.
‘I can’t give them anything to criticize…….’
While they stayed at the castle, she planned to refrain from visiting the library as well. If the central nobles saw what was inside, it would surely become a source of gossip.
‘I thought I wouldn’t have to see central nobles anymore.’
Ninia realized she had been thinking complacently. Recalling the place she had originally been, her mood naturally sank.
They were scheduled to visit the Danteorre territory as a delegation to congratulate the Grand Duke on his accession. But throughout the capital and the north, there was no one who sincerely congratulated him on his accession.
‘Is it surveillance, after all?’
Ninia thought about the reason they had come here. If it wasn’t for congratulations, the only other guess was that they came under the pretext of surveillance.
The capital was watching Danteorre and the new Grand Duke, and not content with the ears and eyes they had planted, they wanted to inspect this place themselves.
They were unpleasant guests, but if rejections piled up, that too would become a pretext. Ninia recalled Tarahan, who had called the central nobles uninvited guests.
‘Get ready.’
The preparations Tarahan spoke of were for receiving guests. In a short while, she would have to greet the esteemed guests alone. It felt like her insides were hardening with tension.
In the past, she had lived doing similar things every day, but it felt as if she had forgotten everything in just a few months.
Moreover, he hadn’t told Ninia exactly who was visiting.
The only fortunate thing was that if they were nobles of a rank to be chosen for a delegation, they probably wouldn’t be people Ninia didn’t know at all.
‘It will be okay.’
Once her anxiety subsided just a little, her emotions gave birth to a new question. Before she knew it, Tarahan’s feet were shimmering in her view of the landscape.
‘What did he mean?’
There were many times Ninia had knelt. Mostly in front of the statue of the goddess, or before the pontiff and high priests, and other times to meet the eyes of the weak or young children.
So kneeling itself was not a big deal for her. But in front of Tarahan, it was different.
Her bent knees ached. The temperature inside was on the verge of being cold rather than warm. But the part of her inside, where Tarahan’s gaze touched, was boiling as if it would burn.
‘Should I pick it up? Or not.’
Tarahan’s gaze had said as much. Perhaps he knew Ninia better than she had expected.
‘You act like a dog that doesn’t know what to do unless it’s serving someone.’
At those words, strength entered her hands, which rested on her knees, at her toes, where Tarahan’s gaze did not reach.
Cold sweat was about to form from the anxiety of having shown her inner thoughts. But Ninia did not move from her spot. Instead, she obediently lowered her eyes.
‘Why isn’t he angry?’
It was only natural to be cast out immediately upon having one’s gloomy inner thoughts seen. But he didn’t show any disgust; instead, he left a trailing remark as if to say he would watch.
There was no way of knowing what he was thinking as he observed Ninia.
But strangely, she was happy. That Tarahan, who loathed her so much, had left room for her. Even if it was a very small gap.
Ninia looked at the sky, which was just about to break into dawn. A red light was dyeing the dark blue curtain with indigo.
It was time to go back now. She turned her back on the open wall.
‘For now…… I should only focus on greeting the guests.’
It didn’t seem good to think any more deeply. In any case, mistakes would not be tolerated. She pushed her anxious heart down to the floor.
Ninia returned to her room before the day had fully brightened. She took the key out of her pocket altogether and put it deep inside a drawer.
Knock knock.
The moment she closed the drawer, a knock was heard. It was the maids who would help with Ninia’s grooming.
“Excuse us.”
Behind Rosa, who entered, other maids were holding a dress. They helped Ninia undress and put on the dress they had brought.
‘It fits perfectly.’
She could feel it without even looking in the mirror. The blue crinoline dress, unlike the clothes she had worn so far, fit Ninia’s body perfectly.
A tailor had visited the castle the day after Ninia was summoned to the office. The tailor had checked all her measurements and asked questions such as if she had a preferred color and fabric.
Since she didn’t have any particular preferences, she had only said that anything suitable for formal occasions would be fine. Two weeks after the tailor left, over ten dresses were delivered to Ninia.
At first, she was flustered seeing the large quantity of clothes, and next, she was doubtful that such dresses could be made in a period close to just a fortnight.
But on second thought, money had always created miracles that humans could produce. She touched the luxurious fabric and had this thought.
‘I really must have looked like I was in rags.’
The only one who could pull off something like this was Tarahan. His aesthetic sense must have been quite bothered by facing rags.
She thought she didn’t look that shabby, so she felt a little ashamed. Ninia accepted this as the reason for the commotion.
After putting on the dress, hairstyling and makeup followed. Before leaving the room, Ninia lingered in front of the mirror for a moment.
She had once again become a noble lady. This should be enough not to look like rags. She briefly recalled Tarahan’s words.
While Ninia was receiving the busy ministrations, the butler’s voice was heard from beyond the door.
“The esteemed guests have entered the outer castle.”
The knights of The North would have greeted the central nobles first and would now be moving into the inner castle under escort.
“It’s done now.”
It was time to greet the guests. Ninia, her makeup finished, rose from the stool.
Guided by the butler, Ninia arrived at the lobby, followed by a line of maids.
For how long had she been staring straight ahead with a calm face? A noise that even the thick door could not block began to be heard. At length, the door opened.
