5.

Lorendis looked up at the sky where snowflakes were falling. Today, the snowfall was particularly rough. A white storm arose, and a snow field spread out before his eyes.

“The weather isn’t cooperating today.”

“Helen has always been like this.”

Lorendis brushed off his silver armor. The armor shone nobly even in the blizzard. Helen’s flag waved solemnly within it.

“We’ll delay the schedule. It’s difficult to push through this blizzard.”

“No. We’ll move up the schedule.”

Lorendis gazed at the area beyond the blizzard with cloudy eyes. The situation was so bad that others would have difficulty distinguishing the path.

The sighs from Helen’s knights only deepened upon seeing the blizzard. They could have set up tents and rested a bit longer……

“Is His Grace returning early?”

The knight commander approached after brushing the snow off his armor. Lorendis straightened his neck while brushing back his disheveled hair.

“Is everything wrapped up?”

“Yes. It’s finished. With this, all the barbarians in the area have been eliminated.”

The border area became quiet. The barbarians who frequently plundered became silent, and the places where they fought were buried under the blizzard.

While Helen, accustomed to the climate of this area, would be fine, it’s not such a favorable climate for the barbarians. Lorendis mounted his horse after concluding the war that ended earlier than expected.

“We’ll depart when the blizzard calms down.”

* * *

Catherine stretched out her hand and touched the sunlight. Her eyes squinted at the sunlight shining from the morning.

“Helen’s streets are quite busy everywhere.”

“They must be in the midst of preparing for the victory ceremony. Would you like to go out and see, my lady?”

Helen’s streets became busy with preparations for the victory ceremony. Merchants sold food at low prices, and passersby came out to watch. People naturally sensed Helen’s victory and had already prepared to raise toasts. It seemed like she could even hear the cheers of the territory’s residents from here.

“It’s warm.”

Peaceful time flowed inside the castle without any special events. Nancy smiled brightly and suggested to Catherine.

“The weather is particularly nice today. Would you like to take a walk outside?”

“There’s a mountain of paperwork to finish before Lorendis arrives. If I want to complete it all, I’ll have to give up sleep today.”

“Still, don’t overwork yourself.”

As she prepared to say goodbye to Helen, Catherine also hurried to prepare for her departure. She sequentially completed tasks she had postponed while just sleeping. She wished Helen would remain peaceful forever. With that in mind, she wanted to end beautifully.

While Catherine was checking documents in the office, young maids came with bouquets.

“My lady, the gardener brought flowers cut from the garden. They smell very fragrant.”

“Please put the flowers in that vase over there.”

“While His Grace is at the distant battlefield, we feel so reassured that you’re protecting this ducal castle, my lady.”

The purple lavender flowers were beautiful. After cutting a few stems and placing them in a vase, one corner of the office became bright.

“A letter has arrived from the imperial palace.”

Ahead of Lorendis’s return, the imperial family also sent a message.

“His Majesty the Emperor sends word that when His Grace returns, he requests you both to enter the palace together.”

“Oh my.”

“It’s the heart of an uncle wanting to see his nephew who’s coming after a year.”

Catherine closed her eyes and pressed the quill pen firmly.

“I feel feverish…… I’m sorry.”

“Oh dear…… It’s true that you’re delicate, my lady. To think you’d catch a cold even under Helen’s protection. I’ll call the physician.”

Anxiety welled up in one corner of her heart. But the source of this anxiety was ambiguous. Catherine bit her lips repeatedly. Nancy looked at the unusually dejected Catherine with embarrassment, then directed her attention outward.

“Helen has a festive atmosphere after a long time. My lady, can you feel it?”

“Yes. Looking outside, I can feel everyone’s happiness. The master of Helen must be really returning soon.”

Catherine was wearing a purple dress. But still feeling a bit cold, she wrapped a white wool shawl around her purple dress. The wool was soft. As her fingertips traced the wool, its characteristic soft texture enveloped them.

‘With everything coming to an end, why is my heart anxious?’

At that moment, Dr. Dennis visited the ducal couple’s bedroom. Catherine leaned against the sofa and extended her wrist. Dennis touched her wrist and checked her temperature with a thermometer.

“There’s no fever, but are you alright?”

Nancy, who was massaging Catherine’s shoulders, frowned and replied.

“If she were alright, would we have called the physician? What kind of incompetent remark is that!”

“The, the maid…… please be mindful of your words. I’m trying my best. But since the lady is frequently ill, my concerns grow day by day.”

“What’s the use of maids staying up all night to care for our lady? Because the physician is incompetent, our lady is always sick!”

Dr. Dennis groaned and scratched his head.

“If only that child were here…… would he have figured out why……”

Dr. Dennis muttered as he put down his medical bag. When he opened the bag, a subtle scent of herbs wafted out. The herbal scent grew stronger each time he rummaged through it.

“I had a disciple who left the academic field long ago, and that child was very talented in this area.”

And when that story came up, Catherine paused momentarily.

“From the academic field……?”

“It’s an embarrassing story. He had better skills than me and an excellent sense for diagnosing patients. He had such a mischievous personality that he was practically driven out of academia, and now it’s hard to find where he is.”

Somehow, it sounds like someone she knows.

Catherine flinched and covered her mouth with her hand. Could it be…….

* * *

Catherine examined the house carefully.

Lorendis was on his way to greet her. With the thought of ending beautifully since it was the last time, she attended to various things. She could have changed things while staying in Helen, but she thought she should make necessary changes before leaving.

“The stair railing is creaking, so we should call a repairman to fix it.”

“Oh! I didn’t know. I’ll call one right away.”

“Also, change the curtains to navy blue, and use a fabric that produces less dust for easier maintenance. When the knights return, people will frequently pass by, so the fabric used in the curtains is important too.”

The hem of her purple dress dragged on the floor, and her hair swayed gently. Catherine turned her body following the cheers.

“Is the meat and wine prepared for the knights?”

It was quiet.

“Nancy?”

She thought the maid group was following her, but they were nowhere to be found. As Catherine carefully wrapped her shawl and turned her body, heavy footsteps echoed.

Then someone grabbed her wrist. Catherine was pulled by that force and turned her body again. Her hair became disheveled and flowed down below her waist.

“Lorendis?”

Lorendis was standing in his armor. It was the same silver armor from before. Even after ending the war in half a year, that silver armor maintained its brilliant luster without rusting.

“It’s been half a year.”

“You came earlier than I expected.”

“You told me to end it quickly.”

She did say that. She was planning to leave right after fulfilling the one-year contract period. If there was still time left in the contract period, perhaps we could have some private conversations between ourselves…… She had such thoughts.

Lorendis approached with a stride. Perhaps because he just returned from the war, a rough energy surged from Lorendis’s embrace. It was as if he came carrying the cool northern wind fully in his body. As he took a step closer, the cold wind roughly scratched her cheek.

“You……”

“Congratulations. You’ve won again this time.”

“You look like someone who has already finished preparations to leave.”

We were looking at each other, but saying different things. She gripped her purple dress and wiped away cold sweat.

It’s been half a year. They parted without time to get used to each other, and now when being apart was becoming more familiar, the war ended.

Lorendis’s hand touched Catherine. The palm that touched her cheek was rough. Seeing his hand full of calluses, she felt concerned about how much he had suffered during this time.

‘I’m not in a position to worry about someone else……’

Catherine reached out her hand but then hesitated.

“You said it yourself. It was just a contract in name from the beginning. Our interests aligned well, and, um, so it was a valuable marriage, right? You were the one who said I would have a hard time if I didn’t understand such interests.”

There’s only one reason to bring this up.

“Our mutual interests have ended.”

It was Lorendis who brought it up first. There is no love in this marriage. It’s different from a typical marriage formed by love.

It’s also different from a political marriage between families. We are not bound by family interests. We are bound by personal interests.