Chapter 8

Grace felt a strange sensation stir within her. The care and concern from a girl she had just met today—it was unfamiliar.

Of course, Annie only thought of her as a noble lady, so she was probably just doing her duty. But still, to Grace, it was something she wasn’t used to.

“Are you already cold? Or is there something you’d like to say…?”

“Ah, no…”

As Grace stared at her, Annie seemed to think she had something to say. Grace slowly shook her head.

“C-continue…”

Show me around the garden.

Grace pointed forward with her finger. She didn’t dare speak more, afraid it would reveal her lack of speaking skills, so she used gestures instead.

“That’s the flowerbed over there. It’s empty now, but in the spring, it’ll be full of blooms. It takes a bit longer to blossom here because the region is so cold, but once it does… it’s really beautiful.”

Annie gave a full tour of the garden, explaining everything. Grace took in all of her words, absorbing every detail. Just like Annie said, once the flowers bloomed in every color, it would be truly beautiful.

“There’s a really old tree near the main gate. Did you see it?”

“Ah… no…”

A tree? Nothing came to mind. She had entered through the main gate, but she had been so tense that she hadn’t noticed anything along the way.

“It’s a cedar tree. According to the locals, it’s over five hundred years old. They say it brings good energy to the area and consider it sacred. Let’s go take a look.”

“Aha…”

Grace followed Annie’s lead. When the main gate came back into view, Annie stopped.

“There it is. Do you see it?”

Annie pointed to a massive tree standing tall in the distance. Its trunk was so thick that it could fit ten grown men standing side by side, and its height seemed to pierce the sky—it was impossible to estimate.

“A former lord of this region used to come here to pray whenever there was heavy snow. They hoped the spirit of the tree would hear the prayer and calm nature.”

“Ahh…”

This tree is lucky.

Even without doing anything, it was considered a source of good energy. In contrast, Grace had always been seen as an ominous, unsettling presence—just because she existed.

“Shall we go now?”

“Y-yes!”

Annie led Grace eastward. The area now was much denser with trees than before—thickly wooded and shadowed.

“Wh-what’s that?”

“That’s the forest.”

Grace gazed at the forest with wide, curious eyes. She had never once stepped outside the duke’s mansion in her life—this was her first time seeing a forest in real life.

Grace slowly walked in the direction of the forest, and Annie explained from beside her.

“This is the entrance to the woods. If you go in here, the forest spreads out.”

“Ah…”

Grace slowly nodded. The forest, blanketed in pure white snow, was so beautiful she couldn’t take her eyes off it.

“Huh…? Oh no!”

Annie stumbled and let out a soft yelp, flailing her arms. She momentarily lost her balance, and her eyes darted between the ground and Grace.

But Grace didn’t hear her. She was too mesmerized by the forest and continued walking forward as if hypnotized. Step by step, she entered the woods until her figure disappeared among the trees.

“Ah…”

Dry leaves and twigs rustled beneath her feet. Each step made a curious crunching sound, and Grace looked down at the ground with fascination. She walked along, enjoying the sound, and only after a while did she look up again.

“Ah…”

A gasp escaped her lips. It was even more beautiful than she had imagined from the entrance. The trees were much taller than those in the garden, and between them were oddly shaped rocks. Grace walked up to the nearest one and ran her fingers over it. It was icy cold and solid like a frozen wall.

Grace wandered through the forest, admiring it for quite some time. Her breath came out in puffs of white, but she didn’t feel cold at all.

“Huh…?”

Between the densely packed trees, she spotted a single flower she had never seen before.

Curious, she pushed past the trees and approached it. Standing alone in the middle of the snowy field, the flower looked noble and proud. So beautiful. A small smile appeared on Grace’s lips. Just as she bent down to pick the flower—

Growwwl…

A low growl made her lift her head. Not far away, a large, unfamiliar beast bared its fangs and glared at her. Its body was covered in thick black fur, and it was at least twice the size of a regular human.

“…!”

Growwwl…

Grace froze and began to slowly back away. The beast let out a low snarl as it stepped closer, one paw at a time.

“…Ha… Haa…”

Her breathing quickened, and her heart began to pound violently. The beast steadily approached.

Finally, it bent its hind legs, ready to pounce. Sensing danger, Grace turned and ran.

Growwwl! Bark!

Grace sprinted with all her strength, the beast chasing after her with fierce barks.

Ha… haa… haaa…

She was gasping for air. She glanced back—the distance between her and the beast was closing fast.

Panicked, she kept checking the gap, failing to notice the rock right in front of her.

“…Ah, aaah!”

With a sharp cry, Grace fell to the ground. She didn’t even have time to feel pain before her terrified eyes landed on the beast now right in front of her.

Growwwl…

Knowing its prey could no longer run, the beast crept closer. Saliva dripped from its open mouth.

I’m going to die.

Grace shut her eyes tightly, trembling with fear. But the pain never came.

Kiieeeeh!

A shrill, piercing cry tore through the air. Startled, Grace opened her eyes—and they widened in shock.

“…?”

Growwwl…

The beast that had been about to attack her now lay on the ground with an arrow in its neck. Bright red blood spread quickly over the snow.

Grace slowly turned her head. A group of people on horseback were approaching her. They were all armed with swords or bows. Confused, Grace stood frozen as they drew near.

And the moment her eyes met the man at the front, she turned to stone.

He had jet-black hair and eyes of the same dark hue. His sharply defined features and shadowed gaze radiated the intensity of a wild beast.

“Who is she?”

He asked. But the pressure from his presence was so overwhelming that Grace could only move her lips—no sound came out.

“I asked who you are.”

“I… I…”

Pressed by his commanding tone, Grace forced a sound from her throat. But no coherent words came out.

“Th-the…”

“She seems unable to speak properly, Your Grace,” said a knight behind him. The man raised an eyebrow.

“She came from the castle?”

“……”

“Doesn’t look familiar. A new maid, maybe? But she’s not dressed like one. How did she end up here?”

Grace didn’t know how to introduce herself to this man.

“Perhaps she’s a local, my lord.”

“We’ll take her to the castle for now. We’ll confirm her identity and send her home.”

The man turned to another knight on his left—the only woman among them.

“Lisetta.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Let her ride with you.”