The week following the engagement ceremony, a dog sled race took place.

The snow-covered mountains behind Olstein Castle, where the snow didn’t melt until spring, made it the perfect location for the annual dog sled race.

“Oh my, they’re so cute.”

Amelia was completely mesmerized by the sight of the dogs sitting proudly in front of the sleds, harnessed and ready.

The furry sled dogs’ eyes sparkled with joy, unaffected by the cold. Some were sniffing the air with their moist noses as if exploring the surroundings, while others wagged their tails and jumped excitedly.

“I’m glad we came to watch, my lady. The royal dog sled race only happens once a year.”

“You’re right. I’m glad I listened to you, Betty. Those young soldiers are impressive, too. They seem so young, yet they’re driving the sleds.”

Amelia nodded in admiration at Betty’s words. One of the young soldiers, who had been checking the sled ropes, looked a bit smug after overhearing the praise.

If the knights’ honor was at stake during the Emperor’s spring hunting competition, for the young soldiers, gaining the Crown Prince’s approval in the dog sled race was the greatest honor.

The young soldiers from the royal guards and the knights’ academy drove the sleds, and the competition was intense because the first-place winner received a prize personally awarded by the Crown Prince.

Betty had insisted that Amelia should not miss this event, so Amelia had reluctantly come outside. Now, she was completely captivated by the sight of the eager and adorable dogs, excited to race.

“You can borrow a horse over there, my lady.”

Following Betty’s lead, Amelia walked over to a few horses tied to wooden posts.

“You’ll ride along the lower ridge and watch the race. The sleds are faster than you think, so it’s better to get ahead before the race starts.”

“I thought the race would be here.”

Amelia looked around the snowfield in confusion. The field was wide enough for dozens of sleds to race, making it look like a proper arena.

“The goal is to cross the hill and reach the next base camp. The Crown Prince will be there as well.”

Betty smiled as she explained.

“…I see.”

Of course, it made sense that Josef would attend such a royal event.

Unless she locked herself in her room to starve, Amelia, living in the castle, would inevitably run into Josef. In hindsight, the few days she hadn’t seen him since the engagement ceremony felt oddly peaceful.

“My lady, which horse would you like to ride?”

When Betty asked, the stable hand, who had been placing blankets on the horses, glanced at Amelia and pointed to the smallest horse at the end.

“For a lady of your stature, you’ll need to ride the smallest one.”

“That’s true…”

Amelia stared blankly at the large horses, each one snorting and breathing heavily above her head. She wasn’t sure if the royal family only kept horses large enough to carry Olstein’s soldiers or if being able to ride such massive animals was a requirement to serve the royal family, but she would definitely need a few extra steps to mount one.

“The easier-to-handle horses were all taken. This one is still young and a bit sensitive…”

“Is it safe?”

Betty asked worriedly, looking at the dappled brown horse the stable hand was holding.

“Well, since you’ll just be watching from a distance, it should be fine. My lady, please mount.”

The stable hand offered Amelia his arm to help her place her foot in the stirrup and mount the horse.

“Thank you.”

“My lady, please ride slowly. The base camp is just a straight path, so you won’t get lost. If you get tired, feel free to return.”

As she adjusted her dress on the saddle, Amelia smiled softly at Betty, who looked at her with concern as if she were sending off a child on an errand.

“Don’t worry, Betty. There are horses in Brienne, too. I used to ride them often.”

“I’m sure you did, but still… Please take care, my lady.”

“Alright. If I get bored, I’ll come back. You can rest in the meantime.”

With a wave to Betty, who still seemed uneasy, Amelia nudged the horse gently with her legs to signal it to move.

“Let’s go.”

Contrary to Betty’s concerns, the horse walked smoothly, gently nodding its head. Even though Amelia hadn’t given any clear direction, the horse naturally started climbing the ridge.

Relaxing into the gently swaying saddle, Amelia looked back once more, waving at Betty and the stable hand as they grew smaller in the distance.

* * *

“A dog sled race sounds fun.”

Sitting inside the carriage headed toward the base camp, Marika said this, though her expression didn’t seem amused at all.

“…”

Sitting across from her, Josef simply stared out the window without a response.

‘What has he been staring at all this time?’

Unable to contain her curiosity, Marika turned her head to follow Josef’s gaze out the window.

Behind the carriage carrying Josef and Marika, a procession of nobles on horseback stretched out. Wrapped in fur cloaks, they looked alike, but their expressions varied.

Some gazed down the steep snowy slope with interest, excited to witness the once-a-year race. Others, their faces marked with worry, were likely the parents or sponsors of the young soldiers participating in the competition.

It was an unremarkable scene, yet Josef observed it as though he were studying something.

“Your Highness, what are you looking at?”

Unable to resist her curiosity any longer, Marika asked.

“I can’t seem to find it.”

Josef murmured.

“Pardon?”

Marika asked again, but Josef didn’t reply. The only sound filling the silence was the creaking of the carriage wheels as they rolled across the snow.

Josef’s profile was striking enough to inspire awe, but she was growing tired of just sitting there, watching him. What made it worse was knowing that, after all this dull waiting, the event they would witness was nothing more than dogs pulling sleds.

‘I wish next week would come faster.’

Marika sighed, fiddling with her fur scarf. She had been excited about her first official royal event since the engagement, but it turned out to be a sled dog race, not a ball, afternoon tea party, or even an opera. Despite Josef’s strong military inclinations, the gap between a grand banquet and this event felt too wide. She eagerly awaited the dinner party at her home next week.

As she thought about the floral arrangements for the party, Marika suddenly realized she hadn’t yet mentioned the event to Josef.

“Your Highness, there’s a dinner party at my residence next week,” she said.

Josef, who seemed lost in thought, turned his attention to her.

“Will you be attending?”

“Of course.”

Josef nodded surprisingly easily, brightening Marika’s expression.

“I’ve invited some foreign nobles we became acquainted with during the reception. My father thought it would be a good idea to express our gratitude before they return home,” she explained.

“Are the preparations already underway?”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Isn’t that obvious? Marika thought, slightly puzzled. It takes days to finalize the dinner courses and prepare the food, not to mention ordering a new dress and arranging the cutlery…

“Then this isn’t really an invitation; it’s just a notice.”

“…Pardon?”

Marika flinched. Josef’s gaze, which had been distant, was now fixed on her.

“Lady Marika Mieschko,” he said.

“…”

“A party hosted by the future Crown Princess is no different from an official royal gathering.”

His voice carried a gentle reprimand.

“You’re organizing a party, deciding when, how, and who to invite, yet I know nothing about it.”

The words “hosted by the future Crown Princess” sent a strange thrill through Marika, as if a bird’s wings fluttered inside her.

‘I’m going to be the Crown Princess. In the heart of the illustrious Olstein Empire, standing beside Josef, no one on the continent would dare oppose me.’

“I didn’t realize, Your Highness,” Marika said with a playful smile. “I’ll make sure to report any future plans to you before proceeding.”

“Good.”

Josef nodded, once again cutting off the conversation by turning to look outside the window. But Marika, intoxicated by the thought of her future, didn’t care what he did. She simply smoothed her neatly braided blonde hair, careful not to let it get crushed against the seat, while envisioning herself as the Crown Princess.

The Crown Princess of Olstein…

Josef had fulfilled his duty by giving her that position. Wherever his gaze might wander, Marika had decided not to be overly concerned. As long as Josef remained the Crown Prince, she would continue to be the Crown Princess of this empire.

* * *

The horse carrying Amelia walked steadily up the gentle incline.

But no matter how far she went, she still saw no signs of nobles or carriages.

“…Am I moving too slowly?”

Amelia thought about urging the horse to go faster but quickly dismissed the idea. Despite her earlier show of confidence in front of Betty, this was her first time riding on a snow-covered path, and she was too scared to gallop.

Besides, what was waiting for her at the end of the journey was Josef.

“…”

Amelia still hadn’t decided how she would act if she saw him again.

Perhaps it was better to enjoy the race at a leisurely pace and return later. It wasn’t as if they would check who attended.

Having made up her mind, Amelia began to watch the sleds cutting through the vast snowy field.

The young soldiers, wearing fur caps, stood on the sleds with no safety harness, expertly balancing themselves. The sleds, pulled by teams of six or seven dogs, skillfully avoided the rocks jutting from the ground as they raced at incredible speeds.

The young soldiers’ shouts carried the same fierce determination as warriors driving chariots into battle. Watching the sleds rush forward with such speed, Amelia found herself unable to look away.

Then, all of a sudden, one of the sleds in front of her wobbled.

“Oh no!”

The lines of the dogs, running in a neat row, had tangled up. The sled’s direction veered uncontrollably before it came to a stop.

“That’s terrible…”

Amelia let out a worried sigh as she watched the young soldier hurriedly dismount from the sled. He appeared to be trying to untangle the dogs’ lines, but his panicked state made it difficult for him.

‘Why is he rushing so much?’

Was he anxious about falling behind the others? While Amelia pondered in confusion, not fully grasping the severity of the situation, the worst-case scenario that the soldier feared suddenly unfolded.

“Woof!”

“Bark! Bark!”

The dogs, still excited from the race, began to lose their formation. The disruption quickly led to confusion in the pack’s hierarchy, and what began as a single bark erupted into a full-blown fight.

The cacophony of barking and yelping echoed across the snowfield and up the hills, startling the horse carrying Amelia.

“Neigh!”

The frightened horse reared up, raising its front legs high into the air.

“No, wait! Please!”

A startled horse is difficult to control, and Amelia, in her panic, yanked on the reins too hard. She lost her balance, and before she could regain control, the horse reared back, causing her to fall off.

“Kyah!”

Amelia lost her balance and fell from her horse, rolling down the slope on the opposite side of the arena.

The horse, without even glancing back, quickly sped away from Amelia, who had fallen.

* * *

By the time the carriage reached the vicinity of the base camp, Amelia was nowhere to be seen.

Nobles on horseback dispersed, descending the slope. They intended to warm themselves in a temporary tent before the arrival of the sleigh. Inside, there was hot tea and a pot of soup prepared by the servants managing the base camp.

“Your Highness, we have arrived.”

Henrik stood in front of the open carriage door.

Josef, who had alighted first, escorted Marika as she stepped down from the carriage, sweeping his gaze over the ridge they had just crossed.

“Your Highness, won’t you enter the camp?”

Marika, curiously eyeing the tent where the chatter and laughter of the nobles who had started warming themselves could be heard, asked.

“Go ahead.”

Josef began to ascend the slope alone.

“Your Highness, where are you going?”

Henrik, startled, hurried after him, but Josef, who had just taken out a cigarette, turned his head.

“Lend me a horse.”

“…Ah, understood.”

Henrik, looking perplexed but, as always, not questioning Josef’s orders, brought over his own steed.

“Go inside.”

“…Yes, Your Highness.”

After patting the horse’s neck, where its mane bristled, Josef mounted. Henrik’s horse, now carrying the crown prince, quietly began to walk up the hill.

The path was just wide enough for a single carriage to pass comfortably. However, due to the steep slopes on either side, it couldn’t exactly be called spacious.

For someone inexperienced in riding a horse on snowy terrain, it would be even more daunting.

“It doesn’t snow in Brienne,” Josef recalled Amelia’s voice. It wasn’t loud, but her calm tone sparked a strange, lingering desire to hold onto it.

The cigarette slowly burned away, and smoke drifted into the air. After a while, something unfamiliar came into Josef’s view. A lone horse, without a rider, was wandering around, nodding its head.

“Neigh!”

The brown horse, which snorted as if shaking its head when it saw Josef, was small for a fully grown steed. It was steaming, likely from having run hard.

Josef observed the horse, which was irritably flicking its tail, and his eyes caught sight of a cape barely hanging from the saddle. He immediately recognized it as being made from the fur of a silver fox.

“…”

Dismounting, Josef grabbed the cape as if snatching it, and then began to descend the ridge in search of Amelia’s trail. Henrik’s horse followed behind him.

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