Perhaps he kept thinking about her because he thought he might not see her again. Rare things tend to seem precious regardless of their actual value.

Then what if he met her once more? Then he would realize that such a rustic, oblivious, and strange woman was truly nothing.

So when Kais considered visiting Polar territory, it was absolutely not because he wanted to see Miss Polar again. It was to confirm that she was nothing. Really.

That’s what he truly believed at first.

* * *

Kais, wearing the same cloak as the knights and a black hood pulled down to his eyebrows, arrived at Polar territory two days later, late at night. Beside him were Worklan and three knights.

Though they thought it would take a day and a half, the distance was farther than expected, and the road was rougher than anticipated. When they reached the edge of the village after riding for two full days, the sun had completely set, and darkness mottled everything.

Frothy white bubbles gurgled from the mouths of the horses, which were struggling to breathe after running without rest. Even the knights, with their superior physical strength, were sprawled exhausted on their saddles.

“Your Grace, what shall we do now?”

Though Worklan maintained formality in front of others, his voice was laced with undisguised fatigue and irritation.

Having rushed here right after confirming the location of Polar territory, Kais himself had no plan for what to do. Since they hadn’t come by invitation, they couldn’t just go to the Polar mansion in the middle of the night, and even if they did, it would be difficult to explain why they had come all this way.

Now he fully realized the absurdity of what he had done.

For Kais, who had never lived freely enough to make decisions on impulse, this situation was extremely unfamiliar. He had always acted calculatingly, methodically, and rationally, but because of that rustic and strange woman, he had done something so reckless.

But he couldn’t reveal his clueless inner thoughts in front of the knights.

Kais acted very naturally, like someone who had a good reason to come all this way and a plausible plan for what to do next. He pointed to the inn in front of the village square with his hand covered in a thick leather glove.

“Everyone must be tired, so let’s rest there for tonight.”

The innkeepers were twin brothers who looked so identical it was impossible to tell who was who.

The twin brothers, who had gone to bed early since there weren’t many visitors in this peaceful and quiet village, opened their eyes wide at the sudden appearance of five knights.

All five wore expensive-looking uniforms under dark gray cloaks and had silver longswords at their waists—even at a glance, they clearly weren’t wandering mercenaries.

“Knights, how may we help you?”

When the twin on the left opened his mouth, the twin on the right continued.

“Beds, meals, baths, drinks, stables, everything is ready.”

“We’ll rent all the remaining rooms in this inn. Please prepare meals and baths, and make sure our horses are well fed and rested.”

The brothers’ eyes lit up at the gold coins Worklan tossed them, and despite the late hour, they set a table full of warm food.

After eating their fill of the simple but sincere food when hungry and tired, taking a warm bath, and lying down on old but clean beds, sleep overwhelmed them before they could even think about what to do tomorrow.

Kais, who had briefly recalled the face of the woman who had driven him to come all this way, soon fell completely asleep on the second floor of the strange inn in Polar territory.

When Kais opened his eyes, the sun was already racing across the top of his head.

Having had a proper sleep for the first time in a long while, he stretched long and opened the window wide.

He couldn’t see properly when they arrived because it was dark, but in daylight, the village was quaint and neat. In the middle of the square, paved with flat, wide stones, was a small fountain, and around the square were shops and houses clustered together. It lacked the splendor of the capital but had a warmth that put the heart at ease.

Sitting on the windowsill, Kais looked down at the village and belatedly began to consider what to do next.

I suppose I’ll have to go to the Polar mansion to meet the young lady. But what excuse should I use?

He couldn’t just say he came to see an unmarried young lady’s face, and he didn’t have enough of a relationship with Baron Polar to say he came to see him, and even if he somehow made an excuse, it would be troublesome if Baron Polar got the idea of matching him with his sister.

While pondering these things and looking down at the square, Kais’s eyes suddenly caught something unusual.

A small carriage pulled by two horses stopped in front of the square, and a familiar face emerged from it.

The woman, wearing a white muslin dress with golden hair flowing down past her waist and holding a large basket in her hand, was undoubtedly the one he had been thinking about until just moments ago. The very one Baron Polar had called “Lariella.”

When she actually appeared before his eyes—the woman who had been bothering him so much for the past two weeks—Kais’s firm lips collapsed instantly. Soon, a chuckle escaped between his lips.

“She called someone a fat badger, but she herself is an excited foal.”

Lariella, who had gotten out of the carriage, was walking with little hops as if dancing. Following her lively steps, her light dress fluttered, and her golden hair billowed in the wind.

Wondering what on earth she was doing, he realized she was gathering children.

When Lariella hopped around the square, little ones began popping out one by one from shops and houses. The children who came outside followed behind her, hopping just like her.

The group of three or four children quickly grew to six or seven, and soon to more than ten. They looked like obedient little ducklings. The villagers, apparently accustomed to this sight, simply watched Lariella and the children with gentle smiles.

After circling the square several times, the gathered children numbered more than twenty.

When Lariella stopped walking and plopped down next to the fountain, the children surrounded her, sitting in a circle.

“Today I’ll read you a story about a brave and wonderful knight who defeated a terrifying dragon.”

What Lariella took out of her basket were several storybooks.

He had wondered how so many expressions could fit on such a tiny face—apparently it was a skill honed from reading storybooks to children here.

When Lariella began reading in a clear, bright voice, the children immediately plunged into the story she unfolded. She read so vividly that when the part about a huge dragon appearing to destroy the village and capture people came up, one little one became frightened and burst into tears.

“Lilu, come here.”

Lariella embraced the crying child and sat her on her lap. After patting her a few times until she stopped crying, she continued reading the next part of the story with the child still on her lap.

“Then a brave knight appeared and said he would rescue the villagers captured by the terrifying dragon.”

At her voice, the children clapped their hands excitedly as if a real knight had appeared.

Kais sat on the windowsill, watching Lariella reading earnestly.

At first, he had looked at her because her chattering seemed curious and amusing, but at some point, he couldn’t take his eyes off her face.

Her golden hair shining brilliantly in the sunlight; her eyes that would round in surprise, then narrow when imitating the scary dragon, then curve gently in an arch; the blue-green eyes that sparkled like jewels within; her cute little nostrils that weren’t too high and were perfectly round; her rosy lips that would smile, then pout, then chatter brightly with a wide smile again; and the white teeth and light pink tongue occasionally visible between those lips.

Among these features, his gaze kept lingering on her red lips and the small tongue that darted in and out between them.

Why is it so hot in here?

Whenever his gaze fell on her lips, Kais felt his throat go dry and his breath become heavy. It wasn’t heat felt on the skin, but a warmth rising from deep in his belly, like he had swallowed a round ball of fire.

He was flapping the hem of his shirt when Lariella, who had been imitating a knight riding a horse on a treacherous mountain path, suddenly turned her gaze toward the window where he sat.

Startled, Kais quickly got down from the windowsill and hid behind the wall next to the window.