Any doctor who examined her, even for a brief moment, would have the same thought.

While the doctor dispelled his doubts and walked further away from the castle, a second visitor faced Iren in the reception room.

“You want to go to the ‘Forest that Never Cries’ right away?”

“Is it difficult?”

Startled, Brown unintentionally let out a sigh. Jane, who was standing guard at the door, glared at him.

“I, I apologize! You said something unexpected and I was surprised… Please forgive my rudeness!”

“I understand. It must be an absurd request. I know it’s a difficult favor. But if it’s not you, Brown, then there’s no one else I can ask.”

“W-well… Thank you for trusting me. I don’t know what to say… Are you going because of the flowers?”

Iren nodded. This was her chance to find the Irelaide flower in the ‘Forest that Never Cries.’ Now, while Lahart’s castle was empty. If not now, she would have to wait until winter.

I wanted to create an antidote as quickly as possible to liberate Lahart, and… now I just wanted to free myself as well.

In truth, she couldn’t endure until the next winter. It was evident that as she continued to experiment with the antidote, her mental state would reach its limit even before her worn-out body.

Then what would happen? If I, too, give up, Lahart… You will…

You will sink into the dark and viscous poison and die, while cursing and resenting me for pushing you into the pit of poison, holding onto my hand. It will be an unfitting end for Lahart. That’s why I have to go.

There were many skilled knights in the Duchy of Cardius. But they were Lahart’s people, not Iren’s.

Even as the acting duke, the moment they hear her say that it was to the ‘Forest that Never Cries’, they might tie her up and take her to Lahart.

“I don’t have time to wait until winter. I will pay you as much as you want. I’m not forcing you. If you don’t want to, you don’t have to go. Just tell me honestly.”

“…If I say I won’t go, what will you do?”

“I’ll try my best to gather some people. But if even that doesn’t work… I don’t know what to do.”

Although she thought of going alone, Iren held back her words. Brown wouldn’t simply let it slide if he heard such words with his stubborn personality.

True to her expectations, Brown pulled his hair out in frustration.

After a long period of agonizing, Brown raised his head from his knees, then spoke.

“Not many people know the restricted area called the ‘Forest that Never Cries.’ I’ve been there three times myself…”

“I will find a map. Though I can’t guarantee that.”

“Haa, you’ve truly made up your mind. Fine. Let’s just go once! It’s for you, Madam, who has saved my life once. Well, not my life, but my wife’s life. But a married couple is one entity, isn’t it?”

Brown stood up and thumped his chest. Iren felt thankful and sorry for his efforts to appear cheery.

Iren spoke sincerely.

“I’m sorry and thank you. I’ll compensate you as much as you want.”

“Madam! If you say that, I’ll feel really… but I’ll accept it gratefully! Hilda’s been giving me a hard time about needing more money… Oh well, thanks to you, I’ll straighten my shoulders a bit and live better.”

“Is there anything else we should prepare besides the map?”

“I’ll take care of the equipment since it’s more convenient to use what I’ve been using. If there are any other hunters who have been to the forest, is it okay to bring them along?”

“Of course. I’ll entrust it to someone reliable. It would be better if you could keep it a secret that I asked you.”

“There won’t be a chance! I’ll tell them to keep their mouth shut.”

After arranging the meeting time and place, Brown disappeared like the wind.

Iren looked at her watch and headed straight to Lahart’s office.

* * *

A few hours later, a maid dressed in outdoor attire arrived at Hilda and Brown’s farm.

“Jane? Where is the madam? You’re alone?”

“It’s me, Hilda.”

“M-Madam?”

Hilda blinked. Iren, disguised as Jane, smiled.

“May I come in?”

“Oh, for heaven’s sake! How could I leave the madam outside. Please, come in!”

Hilda seated Iren on the couch. Even though she’s dressed in a maid’s outing attire, Iren couldn’t conceal the elegance ingrained in her posture and attitude.

Hilda sighed as she served warm tea.

“It turns out Lonia next door was right about me having bad judgment. How could I not recognize you? Why did you change your clothes?”

“It seemed more convenient this way. What about Mr. Brown?”

The door creaked open at that moment. Brown entered, supporting a frail old man. The old man, who was a seasoned hunter himself, had a trained physique and carried a bow on his back.

“Huh? It’s not Jane?”

“You have no manners towards the nobility. Come here for a moment.”

Hilda took Brown to the kitchen. Her conversation partner suddenly vanished, leaving behind an awkward silence in the air.

Iren tilted her teacup, sipping quietly. It was at that moment the slumbering old man licked his lips.

“That damn Brown, he brought upon unnecessary trouble. Anyway, you have someone with a broad sense of responsibility. Eh.”

“Old man, what’s with that disapproving expression? Right, let me introduce her. This person will go with us…”

“Probably a fake name and a fake identity anyway! No need to match up the length. Hurry up and leave. Take the lead!”

The old man seemed to have roughly guessed Iren’s true identity.

After being seen off by Hilda and Michel, the three of them boarded the shabby carriage Iren had prepared. They would have to ride the carriage for about 30 minutes to reach the forest. Brown drove the carriage.

“Why are you looking for the irelaide flower?”

The old man lying on the seat asked. It was the first thing he said to Iren, just 10 minutes after getting on the carriage.

There was no reason to hide her purpose after her true identity was revealed. Iren honestly replied.

“I’m researching an antidote. It’s a material I’ve never used before, and I happened to come across it.”

“Irelaide flowers are easy to find. Especially in winter. You’ve tried almost everything else, so why did you just start looking for this flower?”

“As I mentioned, I’ve only recently discovered it…”

“It’s not that you didn’t want to know, right?”

The old man’s words struck hard. His dismissive tone that seemed to throw his words thoughtlessly made Iren’s heart turn cold. They pointed to a truth she did not want to face.

Iren feared the flower that shared her name. The radiant memories that the flower brought were agonizing. The reality remained cold, yet the warm moments from the past were unbearably missed and dear.

That’s why she avoided knowing, even though she could have known if she wanted to.

“Ugh, It’s annoying. I’m annoyed to death.”

The old man pulled his tongue and lay back on the backrest. Iren glanced beyond the dusty window.

In the distance, she could see a forest.

There was only one path that led to the ‘Forest that Never Cries,’ which was guarded by the knights of the Duchy of Cardius.

When Iren saw the armor adorned with snowflakes, Lahart naturally came to her mind. It was quite impressive, even his voice was cold and grumpy.

“Halt! The place beyond this point is a restricted area. No one can enter without Duke Cardius’s permission.”

“I have the Duke’s permission. Here are my identification card and permit.”

“I will verify them.”

The knight spoke in a stern voice as he took Iren’s presented identification card and permit. The identification card belonged to Jane, while the permit was written by Iren in Lahart’s office.

The documents she handled on behalf of Lahart would easily surpass a few thousand. However, she couldn’t help but worry if anything went wrong.

Iren’s worry was unfounded.

“Access granted. It’s best to come out before sunset. If something happens, send a signal by emitting smoke.”

“Thank you.”

“And you two, don’t do anything unnecessary. The forest is not a hunting ground.”

“Ugh, just a bunch of cowards…”

“Haha! Of course, we will keep that in mind!”

Brown covered the old man’s mouth. The knights blinked their eyes and cleared the way.

The forest was silent. And it was terribly cold. The bone-chilling cold, as though they were standing in the middle of winter, permeated deeply through her bones.

If Brown hadn’t given advice, Iren likely would have died before finding the flowers. She tightened her coat and adjusted her scarf firmly.

“This forest, you see, it’s not a forest created on the ground.”

“Huh? What do you mean? It’s so lush with trees and grass.”

“You foolish idiot. Have you forgotten again? I’ve told you countless times that the roots grow through the ice and snow instead of the ground. How many more times should I tell you before you remember?”

“Oh! Come to think of it, Grandpa mentioned that before. I only remember now.”

“Can plants really grow on ice and snow?”

Both of them turned to look at Iren at the same time. Iren’s eyes were shining with curiosity. The old man stood still for a moment, looking around. Then, he plucked a blade of grass.

“Touch the roots.”

“It’s warm.”

“This is how the plants in this forest are. They have roots like this, which absorb moisture by melting the ice with their warmth. That’s why the roots are more effective than the plants outside, or so they say, who knows.”

The old man’s tone didn’t carry the certainty of someone who had heard the information directly. Nevertheless, Iren felt a glimmer of hope.

Despite gathering and combining all the available herbs, their results were unsuccessful. But just the discovery of new ingredients brought a small spark of hope.

They’ve lost track of time, wandering in the forest looking for flowers.

“It’s irelaide.”

Iren, who was carefully surveying her surroundings, glanced at the old man. The old man wasn’t looking at Iren. Where his finger pointed, purple dots were gradually appearing on the white snowfield.

Brown, who had run ahead, waved his hand to the two people.

“Flowers! These are irelaide flowers!”

They were quite lovely flowers, with small overlapping petals.

Iren cautiously grabbed the stem. The stem was particularly thin, and it felt like it would break if she touched it, but it turned out to be sturdier than expected.

The roots were even more impressive than she expected. They were about three times the size of the small flower bud. She could feel a distinct warmth emanating from the roots spreading in all directions.

Such vibrant flowers with such vitality were rare.

Iren had a feeling.

This flower will complete the antidote.

“Please collect as many as possible before the sun sets. Be careful not to damage the roots.”

While cautioning Brown and the old man, Iren’s hands did not rest. The two also took their places and began gathering the flowers.
The sack Iren brought was filled with purple.

* * *