“If I may be so bold, Your Highness. Winter hunting seems truly dangerous, perhaps you should take more guards with you?”

“Hmm.”

“……Or perhaps you might consider not leaving the palace with His Highness the Crown Prince. Winter is too cold, and also, because it’s cold……”

“It is cold indeed.”

“And please make sure to use silver utensils before meals. Be careful not to fall when riding horses. And be cautious of any snakes, scorpions, or spiders around you……”

What else is there? Be careful not to slip on ice on the ground. Watch where you step for slippery trash that might make you fall. Don’t pick and eat just any mushrooms, and, and……

“Pfft.”

Jeanne puffed her cheeks and burst out laughing.

“You sound just like my sister, Madam.”

“What? Oh, that’s, I was just worried……”

Did I meddle too much? My shoulders instinctively hunched as I worried whether I had spoken out of turn.

“You’re so thorough. The duchess is quite well-prepared.”

“Not at all, I’m just concerned about the dangers. Please be careful.”

“I will.”

Please let nothing happen until we meet again.

I dreaded the coming winter.

* * *

There was another reason to fear winter.

It was because the days I would spend in Camelli, the central city of the Penvernon duchy, were unknown to me. Since this was my first visit after marriage, Alisa had never been to that land. New people, new environment, new culture would bring both excitement and worry.

“Alisa, it’s time.”

“Yes, coming!”

I hurried with quick steps at Rashid’s call. He had already gone down to the basement to wait for me.

Since that day, Rashid had tried to kiss me at every opportunity, talking about goodnight kisses and whatnot.

Though I tried my best to avoid his lips, not all defenses were successful. Sometimes when kisses became unavoidable, I had to spend time calming my heart and strengthening my resolve once again.

The time I would spend alone with him was also one of my worries. No matter how developed it was, the territory’s city couldn’t be as bustling as the capital. Unlike Granrose, Camelli would give me long hours with him, and that frightened me.

‘I just need to not waver.’

I stood on the magic circle with Sylvester’s help.

“You said only Penvernon family members can use this magic circle, right?”

“Yes.”

“Am I recognized as a Penvernon too?”

“Probably.”

Probably, that’s just a guess. Well, I’ve never actually used this magic circle before.

‘So it might not work.’

That would be a bit embarrassing. What if it works for Priscilla but not for me? Then I’d have to travel by carriage with Macy, which sounds exhausting just thinking about it.

“It’s fascinating, I’m curious about how it recognizes people.”

“Because you swore by God Morea. Magic borrows the power of the gods.”

That makes me even more worried. If it’s this world’s god, they must know all the future. The original work’s title 《Unavoidable Fate》 made me anxious again. Based on that fate, I might be rejected while only Rashid gets transported, right?

Rashid, unaware of my inner thoughts, reached out his hand to me.

Oh well, whatever happens will happen.

As always, I placed my hand on his and stood beside him. He pulled my shoulder into his embrace. I suppose this is necessary for us to transport together.

“We’re going.”

“Yes!”

I answered with unexpected force. Finding it amusing, Rashid smiled.

But I’m really scared. Even if I can use this magic circle, I still am. Though I’ve seen many amazing things while staying in this world, seeing amazing objects and experiencing something directly with my body are completely different matters.

With a whirring sound, light rose up following the shape of the round magic circle. I tightly closed my eyes with trepidation. When would the transportation begin? Would it really work for me? What would it feel like to transport? I had so many questions.

As I waited like that for a moment, Rashid’s voice came from above my head.

“Open your eyes, Alisa.”

“Huh? What?”

What’s this? What’s happening? Does this mean it didn’t work for me?

I gently opened my eyes.

What spread before me was a completely different scene from moments ago. In the middle of a wide hall, with elaborate camellia flower patterns adorning each wall, this must be…

“This is Camelli Castle.”

“Already?”

I couldn’t help but let out an exclamation of amazement. I was startled. I never expected to move so instantly, without any sensation. Since it was much more convenient than taking a carriage for dozens of days, I felt relieved that the magic circle recognized me as a Penvernon.

Rashid went down the platform first to guide me. I obediently took his hand and stepped down from the magic circle.

“You must be tired.”

Benjamin, who had arrived ahead of us, greeted us.

What did I do to be tired? I just stood there. He must have had a harder time riding horses for dozens of days.

I looked around the inner chamber. The ceiling was high, and ancient flags and decorations lined the walls.

“It’s incredibly large and beautiful.”

“It’s larger than the mansion in the capital.”

That’s natural. Since the capital is where nobles from all over the country gather, it’s difficult to expand mansions indefinitely. Usually, residences in territories serving as their main base of power were larger.

While the Penvernon ducal residence looked as large as a small imperial palace, this castle was even more magnificent.

“May I look around the castle a bit?”

When Rashid nodded, a middle-aged maid who had been waiting stepped forward.

“I will accompany you.”

I walked around the castle with her. Walking through long corridors and ancient stairs, I breathed deeply into the western air.

Camelli Castle had similarities to the ducal residence in the capital before I made changes to it. The ancient castle that survived through long years exuded an elegant and classical atmosphere. It was clean and tidy in every corner and well-maintained. Though it looked simple for not following trends, it had a noble charm.

‘It would cost a fortune to decorate this place too.’

The broker Mark, the mine I bought through him, and the magic tower that I thought would keep me busy researching for ages—now that they had all strangely betrayed my expectations, spending money on others seemed pointless. I had hoped they would take and waste my money—or more precisely, the Penvernon family’s money.

In the end, the only thing that doesn’t betray my expectations is not people but the cost of materials.

“How long have you been here?”

I asked the maid following behind without looking back.

“It’s been 17 years.”

“That’s a long time. Are other servants the same?”

“About ten others are like that. The rest haven’t been here long.”

The maid’s words suggested that Rashid had replaced everyone except for a few trustworthy people. Or they might have left the castle on their own. These people remained even after seeing the camellias stained with blood, so one could gauge how deep their loyalty to Rashid must be.

“Until when did Rashid grow up here?”

“……He stayed in Camelli until he was ten years old, then afterward moved between the capital and Camelli.”

Ten years old. I could hardly imagine Rashid as a small child. What was his personality like? Now he seems mercilessly cold at times but then suddenly breaks through that—it’s quite unpredictable. Was he like that when he was young too?

While thinking about various things as I walked through the corridor, I noticed a crack in a wall decorated with green ornamental stones.

“Why hasn’t that been fixed?”

At my question, the maid let out a slight sigh. Then, realizing her mistake, she quickly added,

“It’s a mark from when the young master…… His Grace was playing during his childhood.”

“Is there a reason it wasn’t repaired even though it’s from long ago?”

“……The previous lady ordered us to leave it as is, so we kept it.”

Ah, I see. Just like keeping a child’s crayon drawing on the wall, the crack in the green stone was a memory of Rashid that Natalie had preserved.

I crouched down and ran my hand over the crack.

This is where Rashid was born and raised. Rashid’s childhood is contained here. Between the cold walls, I felt as if those memories had seeped in, and if I caressed them with warmth, I could recall those old memories again.

“Rashid……”

“……”

“He must have been quite a troublemaker.”

“……He was bright and energetic.”

A Rashid I didn’t know existed here. One that the original work didn’t tell about, perhaps one that even the original work didn’t know. The settings needed to shape the male protagonist of the novel were scattered throughout this castle.

As I walked around the castle, I asked the maid many questions. All were about Rashid. Whether he liked walking in the castle gardens, if he often climbed to the top of the pointed towers, where his favorite place was as a child…

The elderly maid answered what she knew, admitted what she didn’t know, and speculated along with me for the duke’s bride.

Based on this, I quietly pondered while measuring the history of the person called Rashid Penvernon.

Did the author of 《Unavoidable Fate》 think about what this castle would look like? Is the current appearance of Camelli Castle exactly as the author envisioned? Is Rashid’s past also as the author thought?

I was a stranger standing alone on a spine of a hard book. No matter how accustomed I became to this body, this life, I would ultimately remain an outsider who could never fully melt into this world.

‘Still, I am alive here now.’