At the Grand Duke’s bold command, the man Ryuel bowed his head and left the room. Teresa remained standing, looking down at Cesar. 

Recently, his magical disturbances had worsened, causing him to writhe in pain when the sun set, only finding relief and losing consciousness when the sun rose again. At this rate, it wouldn’t be surprising if his life ended at any moment.

Teresa stared at Cesar expressionlessly for a long while before leaving the room. 

The next day, an official notice was issued throughout the Grand Duke’s territory demanding that everyone attend the banquet at the Grand Duke’s castle without a single absence. This included Flora Village, of course.

* * *

The night after hearing Grandma Lulu’s story, Lesia had a nightmare. She dreamed of a “curse” in the form of black smoke chasing her. Lesia ran desperately to avoid being caught, but ultimately she was swallowed by the curse. At that moment, she snapped awake.

Blink, blink. After staring blankly at the ceiling and blinking a couple of times, Lesia looked around. Her mother was nowhere to be seen. Checking the clock, she saw it was already 2 PM. She had overslept.

Normally, Juliana would have woken her, but considering Lesia had stayed late at Grandma Lulu’s house yesterday, her mother had probably decided to let her sleep in. Thinking about being alone in the house made Lesia nervous, and she rubbed her arms anxiously.

“I shouldn’t have listened to that story.”

The “Velius Grand Duke family’s curse” that Grandma Lulu had told her about was scarier than she’d expected, and she was filled with intense regret. A divine curse placed on a man who abandoned love for power. After having the nightmare, she felt uneasy.

Not wanting to stay alone in the empty house, Lesia quickly washed her face, changed clothes, and headed straight for Juliana’s flower shop. But the shop door was locked.

“Huh?”

She wondered if her mother might be at Chalson’s bakery or chatting with Aunt Dania. She checked both places, but all the doors were firmly locked. Come to think of it, there wasn’t a single person on the streets either.

Feeling afraid, like she was the only one left in the world, Lesia quickened her pace. Her destination was Grandma Lulu’s house.

Lesia stopped just as she was about to knock. She realized Grandma Lulu’s house was never locked. This was because the elderly woman’s hearing wasn’t very good due to her advanced age.

After hesitating briefly, Lesia gently pushed the door.

Creeeak…

The door opened with a faint sound. Simultaneously, she heard someone’s voice.

“What on earth…”

There wasn’t just one voice. Peeking her head through the wider opening, she discovered all the missing villagers gathered there. Her mother Juliana was among them.

Just as she was about to call out to Juliana in delight, their conversation caught her attention.

“Everyone must attend the large-scale banquet at the Velius Grand Duke’s mansion without exception. We’ve never had something like this before.”

‘A banquet?’

Upon hearing this familiar term, Lesia decided against calling out and quietly eavesdropped on the villagers’ conversation. The villagers continued their discussion with serious expressions.

“This situation is certainly unusual. Besides, our village is mostly outsiders, so we’ve always been excluded from festivals…”

“Since they said severe punishment awaits anyone who doesn’t attend, we must go, but…”

“I’m not sure if the old bridge can support all of us at once.”

“It’s too dangerous. Someone needs to go to the Grand Duke’s family and request help.”

“But…”

Though the solution was clear, no one stepped forward readily. This was because relocating required the lord’s permission, and most residents here were illegal immigrants who had moved in without permission.

Relocation required paying a substantial application fee, and those with problematic backgrounds were essentially denied permission to relocate. This included people with disabilities, single parents, the elderly, and those without assets.

Fortunately, Flora Village was essentially abandoned land as far as the Grand Duke’s family was concerned, so unauthorized immigration was possible under tacit approval. If the Grand Duke’s family hadn’t tolerated this, they would have sent knights long ago to kill or drive everyone out.

However, tacit approval or not, illegal was still illegal. Being people with questionable backgrounds, everyone feared going to the Grand Duke’s family in case they were punished, so no one volunteered.

Yet it was too dangerous to rely solely on that one bridge for group movement, and they feared severe punishment for disobeying orders, especially considering their unauthorized immigration. 

Moreover, the fact that the official notice reached Flora Village, the outermost village, meant this was no ordinary command.

Who would walk into such danger?

“I will go and request bridge repairs. Then we can move safely without accidents.”

At the frail voice that quietly resonated, everyone’s attention turned to one person. Someone sighed heavily.

This was because the volunteer happened to be a nearly ninety-year-old woman. No matter how frightening the Grand Duke’s family was, they weren’t shameless enough to ask an elderly person who could barely move to undertake such a task.

This time, everyone unanimously tried to dissuade Grandma Lulu.

“It’s dangerous.”

“That’s right, you can barely move as it is, and you’re talking about going to the Grand Duke’s castle that takes even an adult three days to reach.”

“I’ll go instead.”

“No, let me go.”

Feeling guilty for pushing Grandma Lulu into danger because of their selfishness, villagers began volunteering one by one. They all had faces prepared for death.

But Grandma Lulu firmly shook her head.

“I was promised safety by the previous Grand Duke of Velius, so the current Grand Duke won’t be able to harm me. Besides, wouldn’t they be more inclined to listen to an elderly person?”

She had a point. None of the villagers knew exactly who Grandma Lulu had been. What was certain, however, was that Grandma Lulu was Flora Village’s first resident and an official settler.

Therefore, it was indeed safest and most effective for Grandma Lulu to request help directly rather than any other villager.

“Still, we can’t allow it. What if you collapse on the way?”

The villagers were genuinely concerned for Grandma Lulu. She had warmly and kindly accepted people who had nowhere else to go.

She had helped build homes for them, shared daily necessities and food, and comforted their wounds to help them heal. She was more like a parent than simply a neighbor.

To send such a person on a difficult journey seemed unthinkable.

At that moment, Chalson raised his hand and stepped forward.

“I will escort Grandma Lulu to the Grand Duke’s castle. If I take her in a cart, we should be able to make the round trip in time.”

The villagers’ expressions brightened. But soon, someone asked with a worried face, “But will you be alright? You’ll have to pull the cart all that way.”

There were no horses in Flora Village. This meant someone would have to pull the cart themselves, and it was quite heavy. Add Grandma Lulu’s weight to that, and it certainly wouldn’t be an easy task.

Despite their concerns, Chalson confidently showed his thick forearms and replied, “I was a mercenary for over 30 years. I’ve crossed deserts wearing heavy armor that makes a cart seem light in comparison. Even though I’m past my prime, I haven’t become so weak that I can’t handle this much.”

Confidence was evident in his expression. Proving his past hardships were no lie, scars marked various parts of his body.

After Chalson said this much, the villagers fell silent. In truth, they had no right to stop him.

Someone had to step up in this situation, and besides Chalson, no one else was in a position to do so.

“I’m sorry we can’t support you…”

In response to those words filled with apology, Chalson chuckled and shook his head.

“I was getting a bit bored in this peaceful village, so I’m actually excited to have something to do that requires my strength. I’m in your care, Grandma Lulu.”

Seeing Chalson’s genuinely enthusiastic appearance, even Grandma Lulu shook her head in surrender.

The meeting seemed to be concluding successfully. Until someone mentioned that name.

“But what about Lesia?”

Hearing her name, Lesia, who had been secretly eavesdropping, was startled. She was so surprised that she hiccupped and quickly covered her mouth with both hands.

Actually, a small hiccup sound escaped through her fingers, but it was drowned out by someone’s urgent voice.

“Lesia is too young to participate in such an event. She’s only 10 years old.”

The voice belonged to Juliana.

“But Juliana, even though Lesia is young, the official notice stated that everyone 7 years and older must attend. Lesia is…”

Ten years old.

Though the sentence remained unfinished, everyone understood what was being implied. The atmosphere grew solemn again.

Then someone spoke gravely.

“We will not take Lesia to the banquet.”

That person was Grandma Lulu.