Chapter 10 –  The Master of the North (Part 1)

Eyes that seemed as if they would never open again trembled slightly before slowly opening. Ria, staring blankly at the ceiling, slowly closed her eyes again and then opened them once more.

However, nothing came into clear focus in her still blurry vision. Her entire body felt weak, and her head was spinning to the point of nausea.

Where was I, and why was I here? 

No thoughts connected. She was simply in a daze.

“Oh my! You’ve finally woken up!”

She heard footsteps approaching from the side, followed by a surprised voice, but to her ears, it was just a buzzing noise.

“Hold on a moment, let me get the young master….”

The voice that continued soon faded away. Finally, everything became quiet, and the relentless pounding in her head subsided somewhat.

It was the afternoon of the same day Countess Figo arrived at the imperial palace and confronted the four men.

＊ ＊ ＊

“Lady, are you conscious?”

“…….”

“Can you see me?”

“……Yes.”

Ria, pondering whether this person speaking to her in a polite manner was a doctor, finally managed to respond after a delay. Her dizzy head and blurry vision had improved quite a bit, but it still took some time to articulate the words in her mind.

The man with silver-gray hair, who had placed a chair beside the bed and was asking about her condition, gestured with his hand, prompting the maid standing nearby to pour water into a cup on the side table and slowly feed it to Ria.

Her parched throat absorbed the water like a rain shower on dry land. Only after emptying the entire cup did she feel somewhat alive again.

The man, watching Ria exhale deeply as if releasing trapped air, adjusted his glasses that had slipped down his nose and began to speak.

“For a while, you’ll find it difficult to move your body. There seems to be significant trauma to your legs, so they aren’t responding well. Your head might feel dizzy on and off for a few days, but it shouldn’t affect your cognitive functions too much, so don’t worry about that.”

Ria quietly nodded. As he said, it seemed easier to articulate her thoughts and actions within her mind, even in that brief moment.

However, the man’s words omitted many details. Ria’s condition was not good. The snow piled high had cushioned some of the impact, but only slightly.

When he first saw her condition, her body was covered in wounds, from small to large, with no part left intact, and her dress was so stained with red blood that its original color was unrecognizable. If the Marquis hadn’t brought her in, she would have been dead in no time.

Moreover, due to the biting cold of the northern weather, her body temperature had dropped drastically. Thus, they had to focus on warming her body and could only perform emergency treatment, leaving her unattended for half a day.

Then, a sudden high fever delayed further treatment. After three days and nights of focusing solely on reducing the fever, it thankfully subsided the next day. During that time, the hastily treated wounds began to heal slowly, but her recovery was sluggish due to her unconscious state.

‘Considering that, I suppose we should be thankful she regained consciousness in a week.’

Recalling the chaotic days, he sighed with relief. If it had taken longer than a week, her condition might have worsened in many ways, so he felt grateful thinking about that.

He handed her the prepared medicine and watched Ria take it before asking.

“Do you remember anything?”

Ria, slightly grimacing at the bitter taste of the medicine, paused all her actions as she tried to recall.

‘After the hunting festival, let’s go to my palace.’

‘Got you.’

‘Hurry, run, ugh!’

From the moment Cherta gently spoke to her at the hunting festival and walked away, to the moment she faced the sorcery, memories flashed through her mind like a panorama, leaving her breathless.

“Ugh…, ack-.”

Suddenly, nausea surged. Goosebumps rose all over her body, her fingertips grew cold one by one, and cold sweat broke out madly.

As Ria, with a pale face, covered her mouth, the man quickly approached her and gently rubbed her back.

“Breathe, breathe slowly…. It’s okay now. You’re alright.”

He continued to soothe her until she calmed down, and when he saw her breathing evenly and color returning to her face and hands, he withdrew his hand and sat back down in the chair, immediately apologizing.

“I’m sorry. I asked without thinking.”

If it were the usual Ria, she would have said it was okay, even if it was just a polite response, but she didn’t have the strength to do so now, so she just shook her head. The man, feeling pity for her fragile appearance, quickly changed the subject.

“I apologize for the late introduction, but this is the Verdandy Marquisate in the northern center. I am Letban Verdandy, the young master.”

“…….”

“The Marquis found you by chance and brought you here. You regained consciousness today, a week after arriving in an unconscious state.”

“A week…, you say?”

“Yes. And during that time, I was solely responsible for your treatment. I’m quite skilled in that area.”

He said this in a deliberately playful tone, but with his usual stoic expression, it didn’t quite work. Feeling awkward, Letban scratched his neck and continued speaking.

“The Marquis will explain more. I sent word as soon as I heard you were awake, so he should be here soon. Ah, it seems he’s arrived.”

Just then, there was a slight commotion outside the door, which soon quieted down. Amidst this, the sound of large footsteps gradually approached, and eventually, the door opened. The person who entered was, naturally, the master of the Verdandy Marquisate and the lord of the north, Knox Verdandy.

Upon seeing him, Ria immediately thought of a large bear. Sometimes she thought Kahin resembled a bear, but as she increasingly saw him as a large dog, she began to think of him as more of a big canine.

But the person approaching her now truly resembled a bear. Or perhaps a whale, considering the deep, ocean-like navy blue eyes that were staring directly at her. His muscular, solid build was of such a size.

Letban rose quietly from his seat and whispered softly beside her.

“By the way, he’s my grandfather.”

Hearing this, she realized how much the two resembled each other. With the same silver-gray hair and navy blue eyes, it would be strange not to know, but even beyond that, they shared many similarities in atmosphere and such.

“How is your body?”

Yet, he didn’t seem like a grandfather at all. Despite the deep wrinkles and the mature dignity exuding from his face, he looked so robust that one could easily believe he was just entering middle age.

As Ria simply stared at him without any response, Knox furrowed one eyebrow and turned his head toward Letban. At his expectant gaze, Letban immediately began to explain.

“The minor wounds are all treated, and the major ones just need regular disinfecting. Now that she’s conscious, her recovery speed should be faster than it has been so far. However, she should be cautious as her movements will be restricted for a while.”

“I see.”

Nodding, Knox sat in the empty chair left by Letban. Leaning comfortably against the backrest with his legs crossed, he exuded a characteristic air of ease.

“Then let’s hear the Lady’s introduction.”

There was no sign of impatience as she hesitated, opening and closing her mouth repeatedly, which gave Ria a bit of courage.

“I am Ria Levi….”

But her slowly forming words soon trailed off. A memory flashed through her mind.

She had been told that the surname Leviar, given by the imperial family, was from a northern family. Eden had mentioned that most people wouldn’t know, as it was a long-lost name, but northern people might find it curious.

So wouldn’t it be strange if she mentioned that surname here? Being a northern family, they would know better.

As Ria hesitated again, Knox, who had been waiting patiently, sighed and spoke softly.

“Ria Leviar, a name from a long-lost northern family.”

Ria flinched and looked at him upon realizing he already knew her name. Normally, she would have started suspecting when Letban and Knox first addressed her as “Lady,” but she wasn’t in a state to think that far. Just having a proper conversation was draining her energy.

“There’s no need to be so scared. It’s a name long lost and returned to the royal family anyway, and it was originally given by the imperial family. So it doesn’t matter.”

Knox added slowly, as if to reassure the tense Ria. However, Ria, though slightly relieved, did not let her guard down. Watching her, both Letban and Knox thought the same thing.

‘She looks like a frightened little animal.’