After escaping the monastery safely, the first person Astrid encountered was Caleb’s subordinate, Cradoc.

“Please, call me Cradoc, my lady.”

“……I’m Astrid Bowell.”

Astrid shyly accepted his greeting. It had been so long since she engaged in formal etiquette that she found it awkward.

“Hmm. Lord Caleb, about the lady’s attire. Shouldn’t we provide her with proper clothing first?”

Cradoc’s not-so-subtle remark made Astrid’s face flush.

Having shed her priestly robes, her current appearance was far from that of a noblewoman. With short hair barely reaching her neck and her shabby attire, she looked like a poor commoner boy at best.

No one would ever guess she was to become the Grand Duchess of Cliff.

“What’s wrong with it? It’s far more practical than a cumbersome dress.”

“Ha! How can you be so oblivious to a lady’s feelings? Once we return to Cliff, you won’t even get to see dresses trending in the capital. At least here in Hestian—”

“Um…….”

Cradoc, who had been passionately lamenting while clutching his chest, turned to Astrid.

“Yes?”

“If my shabby attire doesn’t make you uncomfortable, I think it’s fine as it is.”

“But, my lady!”

“Traveling to Croatan on horseback will take at least three days. We can’t afford to carry unnecessary baggage. For the journey, this attire is far more practical.”

“……If you say so.”

Caleb shrugged as he looked at Cradoc, as if to say, Told you so.

“Ha, but Matilda did insist on ensuring the lady’s comfort…….”

“I appreciate your consideration. But this is sufficient for me. I want to leave Hestian as quickly as possible.”

“But…….”

“The position of Grand Duke cannot remain vacant for even a moment.”

“……!”

Her young voice was soft and modest, yet her words carried no hesitation. Moved by her resolve, Cradoc nodded deeply. Astrid blushed shyly and lowered her head.

Caleb’s dark, deep eyes sparkled as he watched her, as though stars had scattered across the night sky.

‘Interesting.’

He had thought she was merely running away from her circumstances, but it seemed she was already considering her future as the Grand Duchess.

“If that’s what you wish…….”

Just as Cradoc was about to concede to Astrid’s persuasion, Matilda’s words suddenly flashed through his mind.

“As you know, Lord Caleb isn’t someone who cares about such things. I’ve heard that the ladies of Hestian are raised gently, like flowers in a greenhouse.”

“R-Really?”

“If you handle such a person roughly, you might face another broken engagement. So, Cradoc, you must take good care of her! Ah, this is exactly why I should’ve gone with you….”

Matilda, the Lionel family’s head maid, had been managing the estate’s affairs for several years. Her master, the Grand Duchess of Cliff, spent much of the year away from the estate on monster subjugations and external affairs.

Since there was no one else to fulfill the role of mistress, Matilda was often overwhelmed. She eagerly awaited the arrival of a new Grand Duchess more than anyone.

‘A flower in a greenhouse? She doesn’t seem like one, though….’

Cradoc narrowed his eyes as he stole a glance at Astrid’s flushed profile.

She had a radiant, youthful face and a small frame that looked as if she might topple over with a mere push. Yet, her sharp eyes brimmed with intelligence, and her words carried a firm conviction.

Cradoc found himself instantly liking Astrid. It was hard to believe that this poised and mature young woman was the same person he had mistaken for a boy three years ago.

“Riding a horse, you say? While it would certainly shorten the journey, it’s not something a delicate lady could endure. Wouldn’t you agree, Lord Caleb?”

“…Hmm.”

Since they were escorting the future Grand Duchess, traveling by carriage was the obvious choice. Cradoc felt both admiration and pity for Astrid, who insisted on taking the grueling journey on horseback. Hoping to persuade her, he sought Caleb’s support, only to receive a lukewarm response.

“Lord Caleb, surely not…!”

No matter what, she was the future Grand Duchess. He couldn’t possibly expect her to endure such harsh conditions on horseback—could he?

“Why not?”

“…What?”

Cradoc’s assumptions were promptly proven wrong.

“…!”

Caleb suddenly approached Astrid and grabbed her hand. Startled, she instinctively recoiled, but Caleb paid no attention to her reaction. He seemed entirely focused on inspecting her hand, flipping it over and examining it closely.

Astrid was the only one visibly tense. Her heart pounded so fiercely it felt as if it might leap out of her chest. Oblivious to her nervousness, Caleb thoroughly examined her trembling hand before finally letting it go.

It was a casual, nonchalant gesture.

Caleb then spoke to Astrid, though it was more of a statement than a question.

“Your hands show some calluses. You don’t seem incapable of riding. Am I wrong?”

“N-No, I can ride! I’m good at it! Really!”

Astrid stammered, her words tumbling out in a jumbled rush. With her flushed face and tightly clenched fists, she looked as though she was trying to convince him with sheer determination. Caleb couldn’t help but laugh.

“No need to emphasize it so much. I heard you. You won’t back out, will you?”

“O-Of course not, Lord Caleb.”

“Good. In three days, we’ll arrive at the Cliff estate. To do that, we’ll take the shortcut, and we’ll have to camp outdoors. Are you up for it, my lady?”

“I can do it, Lord Caleb!”

Her stiff, formal tone resembled that of a newly recruited knight. Despite her visible nerves, she tried hard to appear unfazed, which Caleb found rather endearing.

“How long do you plan on calling me that? Just call me Caleb. I’ll call you Astrid.”

“…Ah.”

Thud. Caleb placed his large hand on Astrid’s stiffly tensed head. Then, as if petting a beloved puppy, he gently ruffled her hair. Her face flushed crimson once more.

Thump, thump.

After experiencing so much in a single night, Astrid began to wonder if something was wrong with her heart. The sound of her own heartbeat seemed unbearably loud in her ears. Then, a sense of déjà vu struck her.

‘This happened before….’

It was a sensation she had experienced occasionally since reuniting with Caleb. The pounding in her chest was still a mystery to her at the time.

***

It felt as if she were clutching a piece of searing-hot iron.

After nearly three years without riding a horse, she had now been riding non-stop for hours. The burning pain in her hands was perhaps an inevitable result.

‘…Just a little more, just a little more.’

Gritting her teeth, Astrid endured the pain that felt as though her palms were on fire. Cradoc checked on her condition periodically, but she couldn’t bring herself to show weakness.

After all, it was her decision to ride a horse instead of traveling in a carriage. She didn’t want to burden anyone.

Suddenly, she recalled the familiar scolding of her old nanny whenever she was unwell.

“My lady, you must tell someone if you’re in pain! How could you endure such a high fever until it got this bad? You have no idea how worried I was. Just like when you were little, holding it in until you faint—what will I do with you? Even the Duke was beside himself with worry. Please, promise me you won’t do this again, for my sake.”

Astrid had always endured pain silently, a habit her nanny claimed she had since infancy.

Even as a baby, she wouldn’t cry when hungry or in pain. She was a quiet, gentle child who never complained. That unyielding endurance often led to serious consequences when her discomfort went unnoticed for too long.

The Bowell family’s servants adored the bright and gentle-spirited young lady. Unlike the demanding noble children they were used to, she neither complained nor made unreasonable demands. However, her nanny was always dissatisfied with this.

“Look at Lady Fabiola! She snatched away your Blissan doll, the rare one that the Duke went to such lengths to acquire for you! People tend to give crying children what they want. So, my lady, if you’re in pain, you must say so. If something’s hard for you, let us know. Enduring everything in silence isn’t always the right answer.”

Astrid had only ever endured because she could manage. But her nanny constantly worried about her. Astrid, however, didn’t take those concerns seriously.

She simply believed she was less sensitive to pain than others, with a bit more strength to push through her limits.

“Let’s rest here,” Caleb said.

Yet the sigh of relief that escaped her lips showed that riding for hours on horseback had indeed been too much.

“Come down, my lady,” said Cradoc.

“Thank you, Sir Cradoc.”

Astrid didn’t refuse Cradoc’s offer of help. She was so exhausted that his outstretched hand felt like a blessing.

“…Ah.”

The moment their hands touched, a sharp pain shot through her overworked palms. She almost let out a loud gasp but bit her lip to suppress the sound.

Fortunately, Cradoc didn’t seem to notice and walked away. Only then did she exhale a quiet sigh of relief through her tightly clenched lips.

‘I’m glad we made it safely.’

As she dismounted, Astrid steadied her trembling legs and cautiously surveyed her dark surroundings. The eerie mountain scenery, the cold night air, and the two men accompanying her—everything was unfamiliar. Everything felt new.

For Astrid, whose world had been confined to the Bowell family’s estate and the monastery, even the wildflowers by the roadside, the pebbles beneath her feet, and the dirt road she stood on were novel.

Preoccupied with taking in her surroundings, Astrid failed to notice the persistent gaze following her from the moment she dismounted.

“…Lord Caleb?”

Caleb didn’t respond to Cradoc’s call.

‘What’s wrong with him now?’

With arms crossed and a furrowed brow, Caleb seemed deeply displeased. Cradoc, wary of being caught in the crossfire, discreetly widened the distance between them. Caleb didn’t spare him a glance.

His attention was entirely focused on the girl before him, Astrid.

‘So, she really held out until the end.’

Even while looking around, her occasional grimace suggested that the pain in her palms was severe. And it wasn’t just her hands. She had pushed her fragile, almost feather-light body through the grueling journey without a word of complaint. It was obvious that she’d be tossing and turning all night from the discomfort.

When she insisted on traveling by horseback, Caleb had been skeptical. He thought she’d give up within an hour. But Astrid had completed the arduous journey without a single complaint.

This didn’t sit well with Caleb. While it was troublesome when someone insisted they could only travel in luxury, pushing oneself to such extremes without regard for their well-being was equally irritating.

‘She might be more stubborn than I thought.’

Caleb clicked his tongue as he watched Astrid, who was busy exploring her unfamiliar surroundings.