The continent of Vicanthia consisted of Vicanthus, the holy nation and sanctuary of Vican, the beginning and light of the world, the four great kingdoms blessed by the gods of the four seasons, and various smaller countries. Rowen was one of these four great kingdoms, located in the east and blessed by the goddess of spring, Yurhemia.

To the northwest of Rowen lay the Heinz Kingdom, another of the four great kingdoms, while to the northeast, it was bordered by the Dorbas Mountains, home to monsters. The first king, Daischultz, had been a knight from the Ritz Kingdom, one of the ancient seven kingdoms. The Ritz Kingdom also served as the predecessor of the Heinz Kingdom.

Daischultz had come to Khalid to fend off the monsters descending from the Dorbas Mountains. There, he opened the gate to the divine beast world and forged a pact with the divine beasts. Leading the legion of divine beasts, he established a new kingdom in Khalid by marrying the last princess of the Celsus Kingdom, one of the ancient seven kingdoms originally located there. This event marked the beginning of Rowen.

The monsters from the Dorbas Mountains frequently invaded Rowen, moving southward. Consequently, the royal family of Rowen relocated the capital from the perilous northern Khalid to the safer southern Larnas. However, protecting Rowen from the monsters remained a critical task, so the king’s legion of divine beasts stayed in the north.

Essentially, the primary role of the king’s legion of divine beasts in Rowen was to block the monsters descending from the Dorbas Mountains. The main duty of the knights in the northern territories was also to assist the legion in halting the monsters.

However, the current king, Taras, had a lower-ranked divine beast, which rendered the number and strength of the legion insignificant. Following the deaths of the previous king and queen, Taras ascended to the throne at a young age and had to be cautious of the southern nobles. As a result, he left the position of Duke of Khalid vacant, a decision that weakened the northern forces.

Count Gilbert Vicar barely managed to support the weakened and vulnerable north. The Vicar Count that Dana remembered was a knight with a massive build and a frightening face, who was more intimidated by the small ten-year-old princess than she was by him.

If Count Vicar had been a bit more flexible or strategic, he might not have stubbornly clung to his position. However, he was a knight who wielded only a sword and was both unfamiliar with and uninterested in the fierce world of nobility. Accustomed solely to slaying monsters and commanding subordinate knights, the count was clumsy in the realm of aristocracy.

Countess Martina Vicar, who had been born and raised in the north, was not much different. As a result, despite the north’s crucial position and role in Rowen, it became increasingly marginalized.

Dana understood that this should not be the case if Rowen was to be protected.

By the time the princess’s procession arrived in Khalid, it was already the second month of Yurhemia, and spring was in full bloom.

Dana looked out through the open carriage window at the vast fields. The fields, now adorned with vibrant green, swayed in the breeze. The shorter grass, unlike what she remembered from the summer fields, danced here and there. The colorful hues of flowers blooming at the edge of the field were visible.

Dana gazed into the distance, feeling the breeze on her face.

“How much longer until we arrive?”

“They said we’d arrive by morning. You can already see the castle.”

Beside Dana, Hilda, who was organizing the poetry book they had been reading, replied. As Hilda indicated, the tall spires of Khalid’s castle were visible in the distance. The carriage sped along the road leading to the castle, having completely passed through the surrounding forest.

Dana leaned against the swaying carriage, craning her neck to take in the scenery outside. She remembered doing the same when she had traveled this path before, watching the procession to Khalid. Back then, the procession had been very long, filled with many people, and her parents had been with her. Her father had ridden on horseback, while her mother had been in a carriage.

“…….”

Without realizing it, tears welled up in her eyes. A maid who noticed this quickly offered her a handkerchief. Dana shook her head, squeezed her eyes shut, and then opened them again to gaze outside.

What had it been like when she left this place and returned? The carriage sped along an unknown road, passing through these fields. After the accident, she had returned to the capital, stained with guilt, wounds, and sorrow. Her brother, filled with rage at the terrible news, remained alone in the royal castle.

‘This time, it shouldn’t be like that.’

When she returned, she thought, she should not be alone. Dana resolved this in her mind.

* * *

“It seems as if the late Queen Izensina has returned to life.”

Countess Vicar was waiting for Dana in the central hall on the first floor of Eluan Castle, the estate of Khalid.

Along the pillars of the hall stood Khalid’s knights, clad in chain mail and black garments bearing the Khalid emblem. The black color symbolized the countless black-blooded monsters they had slain, staining their clothes with monster blood. Of course, with the ducal position vacant, this reputation no longer applied.

At the forefront stood Countess Vicar, who was managing the affairs of Eluan Castle by royal command during the vacancy of the Duke of Khalid. Seeing Countess Vicar for the first time in seven years—or seventeen years from Dana’s perspective—she appeared older than Dana had expected. Her once black hair had turned gray, and wrinkles lined her smiling eyes.

“Martina Vicar greets Princess Dana Rowen of Rowen, one of the lights of Vican. You must be tired from the long journey?”

“No, it was nice to see new cities and sights.”

Of course, the time spent sitting in the swaying carriage was longer than the time spent sightseeing, but the journey wasn’t entirely difficult. Countess Vicar expressed her relief as she introduced the castle’s servants.

“Let me first introduce the caretakers of the castle. Do you remember these two? This is Mr. Belver, the steward managing Eluan Castle. And this is Mrs. Moyer, the head maid.”

“I remember. Both of you look well.”

Dana received greetings from the servants one by one.

“The administrators managing the Khalid estate plan to visit tomorrow to pay their respects.”

“Understood.”

Dana nodded, feeling as though she was accomplishing tasks one by one. Her heart raced, and at the same time, her stomach churned with nerves. She decided to calm these feelings by comparing the beautiful castle she remembered with its present state.

Eluan Castle was said to be modeled after the castle of Elugard, the world of divine beasts that the first king, Daischultz, had visited. It was a place where the goddess of spring, Yurhemia, was said to descend and rest, and where divine beasts resided. Despite the enormous money and time spent, Daischultz never saw the castle completed. It became a masterpiece completed over several generations with great effort.

Eluan Castle stood grandly, surrounded by white marble and towering spires. The pillars supporting the ceiling of the hall, visible upon entry, were adorned with intricate leaf-shaped decorations, and the ceiling was finished with overlapping petal shapes. Between these floral decorations, a clear blue sky was painted on the ceiling, making the vast hall appear even brighter and more refreshing.

The stained glass filling the windows along the walls shone in various colors as it caught the light. The shadows cast by the stained glass on the white marble made the inside of the castle resemble a fantastical scene where divine beasts might dwell. It was just as described in the diary of the first king, Daischultz, who had visited Elugard. The new royal castle in Larnas, built when the capital moved south, was also modeled after Eluan Castle.

In the past, Dana had toured this beautiful castle while holding her mother’s hand. But now, she held only her own skirt as she climbed the stairs with Countess Vicar. Behind her, Hilda and the maids, along with Mrs. Moyer and the maids of Eluan Castle, followed.

As they ascended the white marble stairs, Dana engaged in small talk with Countess Vicar. Dana inquired about the health of Count Vicar and his son, and the countess asked about the health of the king and queen.

First, Dana went with Countess Vicar to the chapel of Eluan Castle to pray. The chapel was neatly arranged. At the highest seat stood a golden circular emblem, the symbol of the Vican faith, and behind it, stained glass depicted Vican, the beginning of the world, and the goddess of spring, Yurhemia.

Dana offered a prayer of thanks for safely arriving in Khalid and then left the chapel. After climbing stairs and walking through a long corridor, she entered an open drawing room. It was the drawing room for noblewomen where her mother had stayed in the past.

“Nothing has changed. It’s just as it was.”

The open windows and neatly drawn curtains welcomed the spring. The curtains and cushions were embroidered in warm colors, and a tapestry depicting the goddess of spring, Yurhemia, hung on the wall. In the duke’s drawing room and bedroom, tapestries depicting the achievements of the first king, Daischultz, would have been displayed.

“It has always been prepared for you to stay comfortably whenever you visit.”

Dana smiled at Countess Vicar, who was smiling, and briefly returned the smile to the head maid who met her gaze. For over ten years, or even longer, the people here had continued to clean and maintain this place for an owner who had never visited or even sent a message.

While she had buried her memories and been engulfed in sorrow during her time here, she had ignored everything, trapped in a frame of guilt…

‘It would have been nice if I had come earlier.’

It would have been good if she had come here when she was still the master of the great divine beast and had realized everything. It would have been a great strength to the knights who risked their lives to protect Rowen in the north, and a source of pride for those who had waited here.

While Hilda praised the room’s interior from behind, Dana ran her hand along the edge of a delicately carved table.

What conversations had she shared with her mother while sitting here, looking out the window? The chairs they had sat on side by side. The flowers in the vase and the view outside the open window. The aquamarine bracelet now on Dana’s wrist had once adorned the wrist of the queen, who shared snacks in this very spot.

“Please check the bedroom inside as well. It was the room used by the late queen.”

Dana followed Countess Vicar’s lead. As they passed through the women’s hobby room beyond the drawing room, the countess spoke.

“This evening, my husband and son will come to greet you.”

“I see. It will be nice to see them after such a long time.”

Dana replied with a smile.

“It would be lovely to enjoy dinner together.”

“It would be an honor.”

Countess Vicar beamed. Her eyes crinkled so much that they were barely visible, and for the first time, her expression completely overlapped with the smile Dana remembered from the past.