Lydia got into the carriage Arsen had prepared without hesitation after leaving the marquis’s residence.

Her hands clutching the bag had turned white from how hard she was gripping it.

Her eyes were red from holding back tears, and blood seeped from her lip where she had bitten it.

“We’ll take the carriage to the checkpoint.”

Arsen followed Lydia into the carriage and closed the door.

The carriage started moving as soon as he settled in.

Arsen looked at Lydia sitting across from him and held out a handkerchief.

Lydia blinked in confusion as she stared at the handkerchief.

“Wipe it.”

Your lip is bleeding. At Arsen’s words, Lydia took the handkerchief and pressed it to her lips.

Lydia frowned at the subtle stinging sensation.

“Now you can put down that bag too. No one will steal it.”

“No. I learned during travel that you should never separate from valuable items.”

“Does the underwear have some special meaning?”

Lydia burst out laughing at Arsen’s question.

Well, Arsen didn’t know there were diamonds inside this underwear.

To him, it must seem strange that she was clutching so tightly to a bag that just contained underwear and nightwear.

“This is very expensive underwear.”

“How expensive can underwear be?”

“This is special. Want to see?”

After almost telling the truth, Lydia felt like playing a prank.

When Lydia moved to open the bag to show him, Arsen’s expression immediately crumpled.

Lydia giggled quietly at his face that looked like he had heard something he shouldn’t have.

“I heard some men offer gold coins to see worn underwear. But you’re refusing even when I offer to show you for free?”

“Are you treating me the same as those good-for-nothing men?”

By now, Arsen could tell that Lydia was trying to tease him.

But the teasing content was too obscene.

To think she would try to show underwear just to tease him. It was absurd.

And he had already seen Lydia’s underwear earlier in the reception room.

He wasn’t the type to easily empathize with others, nor was he particularly kind or well-mannered with women, but he knew at least that it had been a humiliating thing.

Arsen’s adjutant Kedrick had been there, along with the butler and other male servants.

In such a place, not only did they search through her luggage but spread it on the floor.

He understood why Lydia had bitten her lip until it bled.

Humiliation, powerlessness.

He could understand if she showed tears from such emotions.

But what was this behavior now?

As if completely forgetting the earlier humiliation, Lydia made jokes about her underwear and laughed brightly.

He couldn’t understand this. She was truly an unpredictable woman.

A woman who knew his secret and could go in any direction.

He should normally judge her as dangerous, but looking at Lydia didn’t give him any sense of crisis.

She just kept reminding him of a winter rabbit.

What wolf would feel threatened looking at a rabbit?

“Sir, be honest. Don’t you want to see?”

“I am not a pervert.”

“How narrow-minded.”

“If being narrow-minded means discussing underwear with an unrelated woman, I’ll live that way.”

Lydia spoke while feigning a hurt expression.

“Unrelated woman? That hurts, Sir. I’m not that unrelated. Besides, I’m a priestess.”

“If you’re a priestess, act like one. Which priestess would offer to show their underwear? You’re insulting Anastasia, my lady.”

When Lydia muttered ‘nagging,’ Arsen frowned.

Nagging? He had never nagged anyone.

Advice,  counsel, and orders perhaps.

“How long will you keep calling me ‘my lady’? I’m a priestess now, not a lady, Sir.”

“I’ve shed all worldly attachments,” Lydia declared proudly.

Though it seemed absurd she claimed to have shed worldly attachments while clutching expensive underwear to her chest, her point had merit.

“Then I’ll call you Priestess Lydia.”

“You can just call me Lydia. Come to think of it, aren’t you my superior now?”

“A priestess serves only Anastasia as her master. Show proper respect, but dedicate your loyalty only to the goddess.”

“Sir, did you dream of being a priest in the past? How do you know so much?”

“My lady— no, Priestess Lydia, don’t you know too little?”

Lydia scratched her head and smiled shyly, looking embarrassed.

“I didn’t usually go to the temple……”

As she laughed with a ‘heh,’ Arsen felt inexplicably stifled.

Though Arsen didn’t attend temple either, he knew at least that much as basic knowledge.

Yet she didn’t even know that, and still said she would become a priestess.

“I’ll learn from now on.”

Yes, she remained quite optimistic.

Realizing further discussion would only frustrate him, Arsen changed the subject.

“After we leave the capital, we’ll stay one night at an inn on the outskirts.”

Come to think of it, this was why Arsen, who was comfortable on horseback, had deliberately taken the carriage.

To share the upcoming plans with Lydia.

He had meant to tell her right after getting in, but got distracted by that damn underwear.

“You and I will secretly leave the inn for the eastern labor camp while the others continue to the marquisate as planned.”

After Lydia and Arsen rescue the people from the eastern labor camp, they’ll rejoin the group via a shortcut.

Arsen’s plan was for everyone to reunite before entering the marquisate.

“Time is tight, so it will be a grueling journey.”

“I’ll be fine.”

No matter how grueling, she would endure it willingly.

If they could just rescue them without incident, a little hardship meant nothing.

* * *

After passing through the checkpoint, the carriage sped toward the inn on the outskirts.

Thanks to having reserved the entire inn in advance, there were no other guests.

This allowed them to act freely without worrying about eavesdroppers.

But Lydia wrapped her entire body in a black robe and tied her hair tightly.

When darkness fell, Arsen came to get Lydia.

Lydia followed Arsen down to the inn’s backyard.

His adjutant Kedrick, the man who had brought Lydia clothes before, and an unfamiliar man who didn’t look like a knight were waiting.

“The horse seems too big for you, Miss. Let me help you.”

Kedrick approached Lydia with his characteristic smoothness.

“Here, step on my thigh to mount.”

Kedrick knelt on one knee in front of the horse Lydia would ride.

Though Lydia wanted to show she could mount by herself, the horse was indeed too big as Kedrick said.

“Thank you, Sir Kedrick.”

“Oh my, you remember my name?”

“Of course, Sir Kedrick Raymond.”

How could she forget Kedrick?

Near the end of her past life, when Lydia barely made it out of the labor camp, Kedrick was the one who told her various things.

He had gently shared news about the capital, the Marquis’s mansion, and the imperial palace.

He had no ulterior motives.

Since Lydia would clearly die if she lost consciousness, he spoke to her to keep her awake even a little longer.

Whether someone ordered him to or not, Lydia felt genuinely grateful to Kedrick.

If not for him, she would never have known Devon held her funeral without even having her body.

“Haha, I didn’t expect you to remember my surname too.”

“Do I only remember people with surnames?”

A sarcastic voice cut through the warming atmosphere.

Lydia turned her head toward the voice.

It was that man. The one who had brought her the dress while showing hostility.

“Randel.”

Arsen called the man’s name in a low voice while frowning.

The man called Randel made a disgruntled face and kept his mouth shut.

“That guy’s personality is always like that.”

Kedrick told Lydia not to mind him.

Though she honestly wanted to snap back at him, Lydia just nodded, not wanting to cause unnecessary conflict.

“That’s Mallan over there. Though not a knight, he’s practically one of our knight order.”

“I run a small merchant group.”

“Nice to meet you, Mr. Mallan.”

No wonder he didn’t seem like a knight—he was a merchant.

Lydia gave him a nod of greeting from atop the horse.

Randel glared at Lydia, but when she looked back at him, he quickly turned away.

How ridiculous.

Though Lydia glared back at Randel with blazing eyes, she soon turned at Arsen’s voice commanding departure.

“We’ll ride without stopping until further signal.”

“Time to show off my horseback riding skills.”

If asked what she was most confident in besides sewing, it would be horseback riding.

Well, at least that’s what she thought when they started.

* * *

In the East, Count Brastelma’s territory.

Lydia and Arsen’s group passed through the count’s territory disguised as Mallan’s merchant employees.

Though they worried about being discovered, Lydia looked so haggard from riding almost non-stop for a day and a half that the soldiers never suspected she was nobility.

“Then I’ll wait at the meeting place.”

Mallan split off at a small plaza within the count’s territory to secure a cart for hiding people.

“Let’s eat and rest a bit before moving. It’s two hours from here to the mine, so we have plenty of time if we move when it gets dark.”

Kedrick suggested in a voice showing his fatigue.

Lydia desperately wanted to get even a little sleep.

And if possible, give her butt a rest.

She would never again claim to be good at horseback riding.

“Good idea. The horses need rest too. Let’s find an inn.”

Kedrick nodded brightly at Arsen’s permission.

Lydia suddenly wondered how much Kedrick knew.

So she tugged lightly at Arsen’s sleeve, asking to whisper to him.

As Arsen leaned down toward Lydia, just as she was about to whisper in his ear—

A small sarcastic voice was heard.

“Can’t break old habits.”

It was Randel again. Though there was no detailed explanation, Lydia knew those words were meant for her.

And Lydia sincerely wanted to show him what ‘old habits’ really meant.

The moment Lydia turned toward Randel, Arsen grabbed her shoulder.

“Randel, you seem quite discontented since yesterday.”

“I’d have no complaints if that woman wasn’t here.”

Sparks flew between Randel and Arsen.

Kedrick, who had been scanning the plaza, quickly jumped between them.

Then he dragged away Randel, who was still glaring at Lydia.

“He’s not usually like this. I don’t know why he’s suddenly acting this way.”

“He seems to hate me.”

“Did something happen with Randel?”

Something? Nothing had.

Even searching through her past life’s memories, she had no particular connection with Randel.

That’s why it made no sense.

“He just seems to hate me flirting with you, Sir.”

The ‘old habits’ Randel mentioned meant behavior like seducing men and following them around.

Last time, he had growled warnings about not doing to Arsen what she did to Richard.

But wait, what business was it of his whether she followed Arsen around or not? She wasn’t even following him!

The more she thought about it, the more absurd it seemed.

‘Is he Arsen’s parent or something? Are they dating? Wait, dating……?’

Lydia looked up at Arsen.

Though he wore a hood covering half his face, it couldn’t hide all of Arsen’s beauty.

Just seeing his jaw, one could imagine his masculine, handsome face.

Moreover, his thick muscles and that alluring aura of a well-matured adult male radiated from him.

With looks like these, it wouldn’t be strange if he were involved in numerous scandals, yet Arsen had never been linked to any rumors.

She had heard there were quite a few women trying to catch Arsen’s attention even after he came to the capital, but Arsen remained single.

Could that be because of Randel?

If he drove away women who approached Arsen like this?

“I don’t know what you’re thinking, but you’d better not.”

Arsen avoided Lydia’s direct stare as he spoke.

“How do you know what I’m thinking?”

“Whatever it is, it’s not possible and not true.”

“Really not true?”

When she asked while omitting both subject and object, Arsen suddenly grew anxious and asked back.

“What’s not true?”

“That kind of relationship with Sir Randel, is it not true?”

That kind of relationship. Arsen’s smooth forehead wrinkled mercilessly.

Even for a misunderstanding, what kind of misunderstanding was this.

This was all because Randel acted strangely.

He had missed sparring these past few busy days, with everyone gone.

Arsen made a mental note to set a date for sparring soon.

Meanwhile, Lydia, her misunderstanding cleared, looked around the plaza searching for something.

“What are you looking for?”

“A bakery.”

“Are you hungry? You can eat at the inn, so please wait a little.”

Lydia shook her head. That wasn’t it.

“It’s not for me to eat, but to feed the people after we rescue them. You said we’ll tie up the horses near the labor camp and move on foot, right?”

There were several routes into the labor camp, but the route through the forest connected to the mine was the shortest and safest.

To be precise, it was safe in the sense that they were less likely to be caught by guards.

However, they might encounter bears or demonic beasts in the forest, so escaping without weapons would require extremely good luck.

This time it was relatively safe with three skilled knights, but it was still better to exit the forest as quickly as possible.

But could people who hadn’t eaten properly and had been worked hard all day move quickly?

Lydia didn’t think so.

“There’s the bakery.”

Lydia went to the bakery and bought four loaves of bread covered in sugar.

“We won’t have time to sit and eat bread.”

“They can eat while moving. Besides, eating something sweet gives instant energy.”

If someone collapsed from exhaustion while moving tensely through the forest with depleted stamina, that would cause more delays.

And Arsen didn’t know. What sweet food meant in the labor camp.

There, sugar was worth more than gold coins.