Chapter 2
The man’s unit arrived in Oedel when the trees in the forest could no longer hold onto their leaves, leaving only bare branches behind. Snow had begun to fall halfway down the mountain, and the majority of the Northern Gray Mountain Range, which embraced the village, had turned white with frost.
In Eldorff Territory, located at the northernmost edge of the Kingdom of Cambiano, Oedel was nestled deep within the Gray Mountain Range. When a unit from the royal palace appeared in the village, the usually quiet settlement buzzed with unusual excitement.
Oedel was originally the last village mercenaries stopped at before venturing into the Gray Mountain Range to hunt magical beasts. It was rare for such a large influx of people to arrive in such a short time. After all, the magical beasts in the Gray Mountain Range, home to the legendary lair of the long-dormant Light Dragon, were notoriously ferocious.
Thus, whenever the residents of Oedel gathered, they couldn’t stop talking about the unit from the royal palace.
“Is it true that His Majesty the King personally sent a Magical Beast subjugation force?”
“We are truly blessed by the royal grace… This winter might be a bit easier to endure.”
“Still, they might be here to explore the Light Dragon’s lair. Haven’t there been a lot of mercenaries recently claiming to have seen dragon sub-species?”
Even at Selmane’s tavern, the atmosphere was no different.
In fact, since Selmane’s establishment was the largest inn in Oedel and had even secured lodging for the unit, the conversations were even more animated.
‘The knight sent by His Majesty the King….’
The woman wiped the table while eavesdropping on the customers’ conversations.
Her rough movements caused her soft golden bangs, grown long to cover her face, to sway wildly.
“Could it really be true? That the Ligron is awakening?”
“It decided to sleep on its own; why would it wake up?”
“Well, since it decided to sleep, it could also decide to wake up.”
“Oh, come on, that’s all thanks to the Fairy Mother.”
“Exactly. Would the Fairy Mother have done something so carelessly? They’re probably just here for an expedition. But this year, for sure…”
“Yes, with the Night of Magiella approaching, they must be in a hurry.”
A fleeting sorrow crossed the faces of the old regulars who had been chatting.
“His Majesty is truly unreasonable, sending the Young Master of Montferdia, one of the founding families, for this.”
The Young Master of Montferdia… as expected…
From beneath her messy bangs, the woman’s violet eyes shifted toward the innermost table of the tavern.
While the knights from the same expedition were noisily tearing into meat or gulping down beer, the man sat alone in silence, like an isolated island. He barely sipped the cheap beer, as if it didn’t suit his refined palate. Even at a glance, he was clearly someone far too noble to even notice such trivialities.
The woman’s hands slowed as she stole glances at the man’s face.
‘I’ve heard of the name Montferdia before….’
If this were the royal capital, she wouldn’t have dared to lay eyes on him. It was a relief that she was just a nobody from Oedel. Here, no one would scold her for sneaking glances at someone so exalted.
A few days ago, when the man’s unit entered Oedel.
The moment she saw him at the forefront, she felt as though her heart had dropped to the floor. Mounted on a magnificent warhorse that even an ignorant person like her could tell was of extraordinary pedigree, the man, clad meticulously in jet-black armor, removed his helmet… and his chiseled features shone brilliantly beneath the gray skies.
He was the most beautiful person she had ever seen, and he appeared stronger than anyone she had ever encountered.
Just seeing him made her understand the clichéd phrase about a heart beating for someone. Blushing furiously, she couldn’t take her eyes off him, even while blending into the crowd of villagers. Thump-thump-thump—her heartbeat seemed to echo through her entire body, reverberating across all of Oedel.
And at that moment, his eyes…
“Hey, girl.”
“Yes, yes!”
“My glass is empty.”
“Oh! Right away, please wait a moment!”
She shook off her thoughts and fled from the table as if running away.
Behind her, the customers’ boisterous laughter followed.
“Hah, she’s smitten, isn’t she?”
‘I got distracted again.’
Working at Selmane, the largest inn in Oedel, had been the greatest fortune of her life. But for the past few days, every time the man’s group came down for a meal, she found herself behaving like an utter fool.
“Girl, stop daydreaming.”
“Sorry, Selma…”
Selma, the innkeeper, twisted her brightly painted lips in a scolding manner as she watched the girl awkwardly pour beer.
The woman had no name.
When her memories began, the grandmother who raised her alone had called her “girl” before passing away. Left with the small house her grandmother had left behind, the child survived by running errands for the villagers, who showed her kindness. Though her grandmother surely knew her name, no one else remembered or used it, and so her name faded away.
‘You should stop doing odd jobs like this and start working at my inn next month.’
Selma, the innkeeper, had taken her in when the faint beauty of the girl’s face began to show. She let the girl stay in the servant’s quarters of the inn and made her grow her bangs long to hide her face.
‘Never show your face. If people find out there’s a pretty girl like you in Oedel, the lord’s third son will surely take you. You’ve heard the rumors, haven’t you? About how many wives that scoundrel has ruined?’
The girl quickly understood Selma’s cold words. Even without firsthand experience, she knew enough about the harsh realities faced by young women growing up alone.
Selma wasn’t wrong.
Even with her face hidden, there were mercenaries who cast lewd glances at her, drawn to the delicate curve of her jaw or the charm of her small lips. Whenever that happened, Selma would step in, claiming she wasn’t of age yet.
But the woman, who had recently come of age, now harbored a vague fear that Selma wouldn’t be able to protect her much longer. Though Selma continued to tell people she was still underage, it wouldn’t be long before the truth came out, especially as her friends who were born later had begun to reach adulthood.
At the same time, she felt a foolish curiosity, wondering if the inevitable might as well happen sooner rather than later.
‘And if it had to happen…’
After delivering five glasses of beer to the knights’ table, she stole another glance at him.
He looked like an ancient statue of a god of beauty from the storybooks.
His sharply defined brow ridge, with thick eyebrows, seemed to assert his fiery temperament. The deep-set eyelids beneath them framed azure eyes that resembled the sky just before dawn. His long black hair, which brushed against his temples, would glisten like strands of silk whenever he trained in the mornings and evenings, his sweat reflecting the light like a wind chime.
Add to that his straight nose, the stubborn curve of his lips that rarely opened, and his firm jawline—there was nothing about him that wasn’t beautiful.
His large hands gripped the beer glass, and his broad shoulders and the lean, muscular physique beneath his linen tunic were easy to imagine.
Young, beautiful, strong…
Young…
Gulp. She swallowed unconsciously.
‘Even if I were sold to someone like the lord’s third son, if I could be loved by someone like him, even just once…’
No! Absolutely not!
He was the Young Master of a founding family. Even in her imagination, it was impossible.
She shook her head vigorously, her bangs swaying wildly before her eyes.
“Hey, seven more beers here!”
“Yes, yes! Coming right up!”
It was his table.
She quickly poured seven fresh glasses of beer and darted over, moving faster than ever. Though she was flustered, her years of experience as a server allowed her to carry the glasses without spilling a single drop.
“The mashed potatoes are good. Bring another serving of that. Your Grace, do you need anything else?”
At the voice of one of the man’s subordinates, she instinctively glanced his way.
The man merely shook his head briefly. Even that simple gesture captivated her.
Even his profile… so beautiful…
“Hey, what are you doing? Our captain’s glass is empty.”
“Yes, yes!”
His glass was indeed empty. Feeling lucky, she rushed over to refill it. Or at least, she tried to.
“Ah, ah…?”
Distracted by his face, she failed to notice a customer rising from the opposite side and collided with them, stumbling in the process.
Splat.
The beer in her glass spilled over, soaking his shoulder completely.
The shoulder of the exalted knight, someone far too noble for her to even exchange words with.
Gasp!
She felt as if every hair on her body had stood on end. In all her years working here, she had never made such a rookie mistake! And of all people, it had to be him…!
“Where are you keeping your eyes?”
“I-I’m so sorry, I’m truly sorry…!”
She hurriedly pulled out a dry cloth tucked into her waistband and began scrubbing the tunic frantically.
“What on earth are you doing!”
“Do you even know who this person is…!”
“Oh, I-I’ve committed a grave sin…”
The knights under his command widened their eyes in shock, making the woman flinch once again.
Her insignificant hands had dared to touch that exalted person’s body… and with a filthy rag, no less…
“I-I’m so sorry, I’m truly sorry, Sir Knight.”
She repeatedly bowed, her messy bangs fluttering wildly.
“If… if you could take it off, I-I’ll clean it… thoroughly by morning… I-I’ll wash it…”
The man remained silent.
“And if… if the stain doesn’t come out, I’ll p-pay for it…”
Could she even afford to pay for it? To her untrained eyes, it looked like just another tunic, but if it belonged to the son of a ducal family, its value was likely beyond anything she could imagine.
How could she have been so foolish, sneaking glances at someone she couldn’t even dare to look at directly, only to make such a childish mistake…
But throughout the dozens of times she bowed her head, the man said nothing.
The silence terrified her even more. She had heard that nobles in the royal capital didn’t even regard commoners like her as human beings. Would it be better for him to strike her down than to leave her in this state of dread? She had no idea what punishment might befall her, and as she squeezed her eyes shut, tears began to well up.
“You.”
“Y-yes?”
Suddenly, a thick hand grabbed her chin. The rough motion forced her head up instantly.
The man’s piercing blue eyes scanned her face intently.
“Your eyes… are violet.”
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