Chapter 1: A Formal Introduction and a Reunion with an Oddball

“I did NOT see that one coming.” Worn out from running, I braced myself against the stone wall, panting as I caught my breath.

We were currently west of Évrard—or more precisely, at Delphion’s Fort Inion, which we had just recaptured in order to save a group of hostages. Until a few minutes ago, I had been looking for Reggie because I had something to ask him; I wanted to know how he was going to deal with the ex-Delphion soldiers who had been working inside the fort.

I’d found Reggie in one of the towers. Cain, my bodyguard and a knight of Évrard, was there with him. The prince had been in the process of interrogating Cain about how he and I had jumped into action without any prior warning.

It was no surprise that Cain had gotten yelled at.

I did it because, at the time, I thought the captives were in danger of getting killed before we could go save them. If we had waited until after the Farzian army had broken down the gates and stormed the fort, it would have taken a good bit of time to reach them. In the meantime, there was the risk that the Llewynians would realize they were at a disadvantage and kill the girls.

However, if I had said I wanted to charge in alone, someone certainly would have objected. Cain likewise had come to the conclusion that our only option was to go ahead without notifying anyone—hence why we had stealthily charged in all by ourselves.

I assumed that Reggie had gone to Cain with his grievances simply because it had taken me forever to wake up, what with all the mana I’d used up during the battle. If that had been all they talked about, I would have cut into their conversation and explained that it wasn’t Cain’s fault.

However, when Cain asked why Reggie always tried to stop me from protecting him... I ran away without speaking a word to them. I was too scared to hear Reggie’s answer. It made me think of how Reggie had told me that in exchange for allowing me my freedom, I had to let him be free too, and I could feel my resolve wavering.

In the end, I missed my opportunity to ask what I’d wanted to know.

My shoulders sagging, I looked around to see where I was. Apparently, I’d wandered close to one of Fort Inion’s fortified towers—the one where the hostages were staying. I wanted to know how they were doing, too, so I headed inside.

Before, I’d had the impression of it as a dark and dingy place where I couldn’t make a sound, but today it was brimming with energy, and visitors abounded. Still, while I saw plenty of smiling faces among the crowd, some of the women were crying. More than likely, they’d just been informed of their families’ passing.

For the record, living conditions in the tower weren’t all that bad. Llewyne didn’t want the girls getting sick or dropping dead, for their part. The hostages had been provided with all the furniture and bedding they needed, so it served as a fine place for them to sleep.

When I climbed to the very top of the tower, I found a girl about my age with long, straight hair the color of black ash. It was Emmeline, the daughter of Lord Delphion’s brother, Ernest. She had been held hostage here until just yesterday. Standing beside her was a little girl with dark-brown hair tied back with a green ribbon. That one was the baron’s daughter, Lucille. The two cousins were sitting side by side on a bed, chatting.

I caught sight of them as soon as I reached the top of the stairs. There was a reason it was so easy to see inside the room: all the doors and walls of the corridor were made up of iron bars. Now that the Llewynians were gone, cloth had been draped over all the bars except the doors, but that still wasn’t terribly secure. I wished I could take care of the issue myself, but the only walls I could make were stone. What we really needed up in here was a carpenter.

While I was absorbed in such thoughts, the girls spotted me.

“Oh, Lady Kiara!”

“Please, come in.”

After glancing in my direction, Emmeline stood up and walked over to me.

“As long as I’m not interrupting anything, sure. Sorry for dropping by without notice.”

“Not at all; I’m delighted you came by. We have yet to finish cleaning up after that battle, not to mention that all the soldiers here are men... I’ve been warned that it’s not safe for women to be wandering around, so I haven’t been able to leave the tower. But I wanted the opportunity to have a nice, long chat with you, so this works splendidly.”

“I wanted to talk to you, too! Watching you tell off that Llewynian soldier yesterday was absolutely fascinating.”

Emmeline had leveraged Farzia’s attack on the fort and attempted to strike a deal with a Llewynian soldier along the lines of If you do as I say, I’ll put in a good word for you and see to your safe release. It was a pretty effective threat, coming from a hostage.

Emmeline blinked at the word “fascinating,” and Lucille laughed. “See? I told you she wouldn’t be scandalized.”

“It looks like you were right, Lucille.” Judging by what they were saying, Emmeline’s actions had a tendency to put people off. Then, she went on to say something strange. “But then again, I knew you were that sort of girl.”

I didn’t quite understand what she was getting at, so Emmeline cut straight to the point. “As a matter of fact, you and I have met before, Miss Kiara Patriciél.”

Given that she was using my former last name, there was no question she knew who I was. But where on earth had we met? I had zero recollection of it.

“I’m not surprised you don’t remember. We never interacted much, and we were only there at the same time for about three months.”

“Where?”

“The boarding school in the southern royal domain—though I was one grade above you.”

“What?!”

I was so astonished that I didn’t know what to say. But that checked out; of course she would recognize my face, and on the other hand, it also made sense that I wouldn’t know about her.

“Why did you remember me, though?”

Frankly speaking, I had never done anything of note during my years as a student.

“You were such a strange girl! You doodled in your Bible during the services, remember?”

“Hrk...” I cupped my face in my hands and groaned. Shoot. The sermons had been so boring, I couldn’t help drawing in the margins of the scripture.

“That reminds me! I heard from Lucille. My terramice flocked to you, didn’t they? Quite impressive,” Emmeline went on, delighted.

Lucille! Why did you have to go and tell her that?! I really wished she had kept quiet about that particular detail, but the cat was already out of the bag. Instead, I dared to ask, “Say, Miss Emmeline, how did you come up with the plan to breed terramice in the first place?”

Rearing a bunch of monsters wasn’t an idea that would occur to your average noblewoman.

“It doesn’t seem like something a daughter of nobility would do, does it? But as a matter of fact, it was all thanks to you.”

“What?”

“You inspired me to use terramice to take care of the problem.”

What? Why? What did I do? When I stared at her in wide-eyed wonder, Emmeline shyly averted her gaze. With a cute reaction like that, I could hardly believe she was the same person who had threatened those soldiers.

“You stuck in my memory because you were a strange girl, but if that was my sole impression of you, I wouldn’t have come to respect you so much. Not long after I returned home from our boarding school, I was floored by the rumors I heard about you.”

“What rumors?”

“Ones about your betrothal. I was shocked to my core! I had never imagined anyone would run away rather than be married. It was thanks to that, however, that I realized I was far from a free spirit. Both I and the people around me believed that we couldn’t or shouldn’t do certain things. We were nobles, after all.”

At the time, Emmeline had a suitor for her hand. The would-be groom was a young man from a Delphion branch family. Ernest had claimed that it wasn’t a bad deal, and Emmeline herself had believed her husband was meant to be decided by her father; thus, it didn’t matter if she herself couldn’t stand the man.

However, after hearing the rumors about me, she’d realized she didn’t have to take it lying down. Moreover, the terms of the engagement hadn’t been all that favorable. Emmeline had been convinced that she could find another man who would better serve their territory, so she’d told her father to leave the matter in her hands. She had sworn she would find a worthwhile partner, both for their land and for the province of Delphion as a whole.

Nonetheless, her prospective fiance had refused to back off. After brainstorming “an audacious plan to surpass even Kiara Patriciél,” her attention landed on some terramice that just happened to have been caught.

But how did my story lead her to THAT?

Any normal noblewoman would have just negotiated with her father to pick a different man. As I’d assumed, Emmeline had to have been a pretty eccentric girl from the get-go.

“Oh, but you’re always so full of surprises! I never would have imagined you were fighting as a spellcaster.”

“Well, it’s not something most people would do...”

I had become a spellcaster because I’d been positive I could do it, but even a commoner wouldn’t consider the path of sorcery unless her life was in immediate danger.

“But isn’t that what makes you so intriguing? You’re not you if you aren’t fighting.”

“Huh?”

I’m not me... if I’m not fighting?

I stared at her blankly. I hadn’t expected her to say that at all.

Seeing my reaction, Emmeline elaborated on what she meant. “Raising your sword in rebellion isn’t the only way to fight. Sometimes running away is the same as struggling against your lot in life.”

When she put it like that, it finally made sense. The possibility that I would lead the miserable life of a villain, and the possibility that Reggie and Lord Évrard would die—I had taken action to escape from those fates.

I see. So running can be another means of fighting.

“By the way, I was hoping to talk to you about the days to come,” Emmeline went on. “None of us are in any position to return home yet, given the current situation. It would be a waste to simply sit around being protected in the meantime, so I was wondering if there was something we could do to help.”

“Hmm... We probably don’t have enough people on hand to treat all the wounded.”

We were sure to be fighting Llewyne again soon. We would need all the manpower we could get.

Then, Emmeline said something strange. “Do you have enough people to look after His Highness?”

Enough people to look after Reggie? I gave a puzzled tilt of my head. There wasn’t much time to relax on the front, so there weren’t that many things he needed help with. In fact, having a lady-in-waiting around seemed likely to get in the way of our march more than anything else. I figured Emmeline would have known as much, so I was surprised by the question... but it turned out it was someone else’s proposal.

“I’m not asking for myself. I have every intention of joining the ranks of your archers. Do you remember the girl from yesterday who was about to be used as a hostage? Her name is Ada. She was in low spirits, what with the precarious situation she was in, but she bounced back the moment she saw His Highness’ face, declaring that she wanted to stand by his side.”

That brunette lady—the one who had been restrained by a soldier yesterday—was called Ada, apparently. Emmeline explained that she had been brought in from Trisphede as a hostage.

I certainly did feel sorry for her, and if it would give her the motivation to work hard, I wasn’t necessarily opposed. That said, it wasn’t a matter I had any particular say in. How was I to broach the topic with Reggie?

“If it’s too much trouble, you can just say no, Lady Kiara,” Lucille commented when she noticed my conflicted expression.

“Hmm... To be honest with you, Reggie has all his needs taken care of by his lord-in-waiting. Besides, he prefers to do most things for himself,” I answered, explaining why I didn’t think it was necessary.

“Oh!”

“My.”

Emmeline and Lucille exchanged glances, hiding their mouths behind the tips of their fingers. Err, what did I say?

“You refer to His Highness by a nickname? Interesting.”

“Ack! Oh nooo...”

Emmeline called attention to my slip of the tongue. I had called him “Reggie” out of habit; of course they were going to jump to some conclusions.

“Wait, it’s not like that!”

“Hm? I didn’t say anything.” Emmeline played dumb.

“You two must be very close,” Lucille remarked with all the bluntness children are known for.

We were good friends, sure, but the word “close” sounded like it could have other implications.

“He’s like a guardian to me! That’s all!”

“The prince is your guardian? I’d love to hear how that came to be.”

Emmeline’s eyes shone with the glint of a predator cornering her prey. I prepared to make a run for it.

“Try not to give her too hard a time. She’s my army’s most valuable spellcaster.” Did that new voice count as throwing me a lifeline or dropping a bomb?

Emmeline and Lucille stood up, then dropped to one knee and bowed their heads in respect as Reggie came up the stairs alongside Groul. “You have our deepest thanks for coming all this way, Your Highness.”

Meanwhile, I slid into the background. It wasn’t that long ago that I had overheard Reggie and Cain’s conversation. Luckily, it didn’t seem like Reggie had ever noticed me there, but that didn’t make this any less awkward.

That was when I noticed one other person standing even farther behind Groul, who was waiting behind Reggie.

It was the very Ada we had just been talking about. A woman best described as a classic beauty, her brown hair was tied up in a bun, and she was gazing at Reggie with sheer passion in her eyes. One look at her face made it clear that she felt something for Reggie—or to take it a step further, that she was in love with him.

I felt a prick of pain somewhere in the depths of my heart.

At the same time, I couldn’t help getting distracted by the stone hanging around Ada’s neck. That had to be a contract stone... but where had she gotten one from?

My imagination went to a dark place. Could it be she had some sort of connection to a mage? As far as I’d heard, the only other spellcaster in Farzia was Lord Credias, but there was no reason for an ally of the viscount’s to be taken prisoner. He was, after all, on the side of our enemy—the queen. The Llewynians ought to have welcomed any friend of his with open arms.

In that case, was she just walking around wearing a pretty gem without knowing what it really was? I wanted to ask, but I wasn’t sure how to bring it up.

Once they had said their greetings, Reggie instructed Emmeline to rise to her feet. He then told her, “It’s just as Kiara said. I don’t need anyone new to look after me. Besides, we’ll be marching on the royal capital before winter comes, so we’re bound to be traveling all over the place.”

After politely declining Emmeline’s request, Reggie took a few steps forward, placed a hand on my shoulder, and brought his lips close to my ear.

“Let’s have a chat about what you did yesterday in a bit, Kiara.”

That hit me where it hurt. Upon delivering that warning, Reggie took his leave, never sparing Ada so much as a glance.

Naturally, Ada’s gaze shifted to me. Yikes. I think she just locked on to her target.

To make matters worse, Lucille chose that moment to make things weird. “I see His Highness refers to you without title, too. Yet he always calls my cousin here ‘Lady Emmeline.’”

“Uh, remember what I said? He’s like my guardian!”

“And why is he your guardian again?” Emmeline demanded.

That was when Ada suddenly spoke up. “I’d be interested in hearing that story myself. May I intrude upon your conversation?”

I caught myself staring long and hard at Ada’s face. This wasn’t our first encounter, but it was our first conversation. Did I need to introduce myself?

While I was busy with my internal debate, Emmeline cut in. “Ada, this is our spellcaster, Kiara. Come, introduce yourself,” she urged.

Ada gave her a nod. “My name is Ada. I come from a branch family of the House of Trisphede. You have my thanks for rescuing me yesterday, Lady Kiara.”

“It’s nice to meet you. I’m Kiara Cordier, Évrard’s spellcaster.”

“Cordier?” Emmeline raised a voice of skepticism.

Oh right, I never did finish telling her that story.

“Erm, I’m now officially a relative of the House of Évrard.”

While omitting and abridging various parts, I told the story of how Reggie had come to be my caretaker. Of course, I couldn’t mention that I had stowed away on a carriage belonging to the House of Évrard. Mentioning that I had been chased down by someone from the House of Patriciél was fine, but I couldn’t touch on anything magic-related, and I didn’t want to bring up the Forest of the Thorn Princess either. In the end, it turned into a very bowdlerized version of the actual story, but Emmeline was still plenty amazed.

“It must have been quite reassuring to have the backing of a prince.”

“Definitely. It’s all thanks to him that I managed to find work,” I replied, laughing and nodding.

Ada, however, took my story in with a perplexed look. “Having work means being treated as a commoner. You started out as the daughter of a count... Wasn’t that upsetting to you?”

Branch family or not, there were many of the opinion that being on the fringes of nobility made them all the more privileged. The members of the Évrard branch families were like that, too. Hence why Ada perceived it as me lowering myself to the rank of commoner.

“My original plan was to live a commoner’s life off in a corner of the town, so it didn’t really bother me.”

Ada’s eyes widened. “How... unusual.”

With that, everyone finally accepted why the prince had become my guardian.

Since this seemed like a good opportunity, I took the chance to ask about Ada’s necklace. I mentioned that it was a strangely colored stone and asked where it had been made, and Ada answered that it was a keepsake from her mother, so she didn’t know.

Emmeline piggybacked off our conversation to touch the rare gem, and I brushed my own fingertips over it, too. It was definitely a contract stone. It looked a lot like a jewel, so it wasn’t a huge surprise that people might wear one as an accessory.

Once that was confirmed, I took my leave before I could be subjected to any more interrogations.

My next destination lay outside the fort. I had to perform the burials I hadn’t gotten around to the previous day.

When I exited the walls of the fort, I found the bodies of soldiers arranged over the ground, divided up into enemies and allies. Upon closer inspection, I saw that the enemy corpses had been thrown into a haphazard pile. Several soldiers were standing around nearby, working to sort the bodies and collect any personal effects.

In the distance, I could see a small group of cavalry and foot soldiers heading back here, rounding a corner of the fort wall. Lord Azure had returned from patrolling the area, searching for any enemies in the area as he did. The marquis, who had flaxen hair and the build of an opera singer, was belting a tune at a dreadfully high volume. Everyone from his territory was in the habit of bursting into extraordinarily loud song, apparently.

Master Horace muttered, disgruntled, “Can’t say he seems suited to scouting.”

“Well, if he does see anything, that voice of his can relay the information faster than anyone else,” I countered, then called out to the soldiers near the rows of bodies.

Relief washed over them when they spotted me walking toward them. Since there was no telling when the Llewynians would attack next, they didn’t have time to do anything more than toss some dirt over the bodies and leave them there. Unfortunately, if they didn’t bury the corpses deeper under the earth, wild dogs and crows were bound to come dig them up. Everyone preferred the idea of a proper burial, so my arrival was considered more than welcome.

Once I had magically buried the bodies of our allies under the soil, the soldiers joined me in reciting the funeral scripture.

Then, just as I was heading over to where the enemy corpses were stacked, I heard a woman’s pleas.

“P-Please, I beg of you! Let me have this! Just this one trinket!”

When I took a closer look, I saw Lord Azure and a dozen accompanying soldiers standing near our fallen enemies. Nearby, a middle-aged woman was clinging to one of the soldiers.

Oh no, I thought.

She had to be the bereaved family member of one of the Delphion soldiers lying among those corpses. If the branch houses governing the surrounding areas had sided with Llewyne, it meant their private armies had been given no choice but to fight alongside the Llewynians. Most likely, she was someone who had come to collect a memento of her departed family. Since his cape was dyed black, his body had been thrown in with the rest of the Llewynians.

I was on the verge of taking a step forward.

“Don’t bother, little disciple.” Inferring what I was about to do, Master Horace tried to stop me.

“But Master Horace! It’s just a memento of someone who’s already passed away. What’s the big deal?”

I didn’t see the need to lay such strict restrictions upon someone who was already dead and thus could never hold a sword against us again. All his equipment and money had already been confiscated as well.

“You may get special treatment as the spellcaster, but I still wouldn’t recommend turning your own allies against you.”

“But who’s going to say something if not me? Nobody else has that kind of sway!”

Your average soldier was in no position to request leniency for his fellow countrymen-turned-enemies. After all, as the lord of his own domain, Lord Azure was the one with the jurisdiction here. Anyone who incurred his displeasure was liable to be framed for a crime and cast away as a felon.

Moreover, they could justify themselves by saying that these men were enemies of the marquis. I’d heard numerous complaints about my burials for that very reason—though it seemed like the critics were largely appeased by Reggie’s explanation.

Still, there had once been a chance that I could become an enemy. The only difference between us was whether we’d taken that first step or not. Was there anyone who could take that step if it put their life and the lives of their family on the line? All I’d had to worry about was myself, and that was the only reason I’d thrown everything else away to find a path to survival.

This time, I took that step forward. Master Horace sighed, but I just muttered an apology.

The middle-aged woman was reaching for something one of Lord Azure’s men had confiscated—a pendant. It was made of wood, probably a sign of poverty.

“Lord Azure.”

He turned toward me as I approached. “Oh, if it isn’t our Lady Spellcaster! Is something—”

“I’ve come to bury these bodies,” I announced, sprinkling copper ore around the corpses. “Could I please have the pendant belonging to that soldier?”

He hesitated. “Yes, I’ve heard that you bury even our enemies as a means of preventing the plague. And that it was His Highness’ initiative.”

“Yes, precisely.”

For lack of other options, Lord Azure motioned for his soldier to hand me the pendant. The woman cried out in despair and started sobbing.

Once I was holding the pendant, I kneeled down and placed both hands on the ground. “Stand back, please.”

The men hastily distanced themselves from the corpses. The two soldiers who had accompanied me here grabbed the crying woman and dragged her away from the marquis.

I buried all the bodies in one go. Upon witnessing the corpses sinking under the earth in the blink of an eye, the woman was left astounded. I then walked up to her, slipping the pendant into her hand. She stared down at it with an almost disbelieving look.

“Go on now,” I urged her. She stood up and started walking off.

A bewildered expression on his face, Lord Azure glanced back and forth between me and the retreating woman. “Lady Spellcaster?! That was an enemy—”

“The enemy has been buried. Who’s to say who took what from where? So long as you keep quiet about it, it’ll be like this never happened.”

“I couldn’t do that! As His Highness’ retainer, I can’t overlook such a grievous transgression!”

“Don’t worry about it. No matter how many times you stab a dead body, it won’t serve to protect anyone, nor will it help take down our enemy. It won’t bring back any lost lives, either. All I did was take a belonging from a rotting soldier and hand it to his kin,” I responded.

Lord Azure’s eyes darted this way and that, as if he couldn’t believe what I was saying. “No, you see... It may be true that corpses can no longer stand and fight, yes... but some of our men might be dead because these cretins turned against us!”

“Isn’t that grudge better directed toward our enemies who still live? Besides, these men are originally of Delphion... of Farzia. They only fell in line with Llewyne to protect their homes and families. If they hadn’t been invaded, none of this would have happened.”

Lord Azure’s jaw dropped. He probably couldn’t comprehend my philosophy. I knew full well that I couldn’t overturn customs built up over years and years with just a few pretty words, so that was fine by me. All I wanted was for him to turn a blind eye.

That was when someone else cut in.

“Hmm, what’s this now? Were the enemies already buried? That’s too bad. I was hoping to pick up a few things I could sell.”

I was pretty sure I recognized that easygoing voice. When I turned around, I saw a horse-drawn cart and a tall, cheerful man with a familiar face approaching.

I’m pretty sure he used to have red hair. Why is it brown today?

“Please, Your Lordship, leave a little something for us merchants to scrape together! Surely you must understand the plight of us common folk? Some villages have found ourselves in a real pickle—invaded, our fields ravaged!”

No doubt about it. The man rubbing his hands together as he walked over to us was definitely Isaac. He was the same merchant who had chatted with me after I’d absconded from Cassia Castle.

I nearly muttered his name out loud, but before I could, Lord Azure gave his own unimpressed response. “The military has a right to all the possessions of our fallen enemies. All their weapons and money would have been gone by the time you got there. You may as well forget about it.”

“Oh? What a shame.” Isaac sagged with disappointment.

Lord Azure gave a dismissive snort, then turned back to me. “Compared to merchants swarming the corpses, handing over mementos no longer seems quite as egregious. Good day to you, Lady Spellcaster.”

With that, he took his soldiers and retreated into the fort. The soldiers who had accompanied me likewise returned to the gates now that all the bodies were taken care of. One of them dipped his head in a grateful bow as he left.

Perhaps he had been born in Delphion. He’d been watching the woman with pity in his eyes, so he was probably glad that I’d at least let her keep a memento.

“All’s well that ends well, eh?” Master Horace commented.

“Yeah.”

As I smiled down at Master Horace, I heard a surprised cry from nearby. When I looked back up, I saw Isaac pointing at Master Horace, his finger quivering.

“D-D-Did that doll just talk?! Don’t tell me it’s cursed!”

“No, it’s fine. This is just my mentor.”

“Your what?!”

“The soul of my mentor lives inside this doll. Circumstances thrust him into this form, but he used to be human.”

“Then he’s a ghost?!”

Wow, it’s been a long time since anyone’s reacted this way, I thought. I couldn’t help but laugh.

“This is no laughing matter, little disciple! Don’t let people treat your poor mentor like some kind of horror story!”

“I mean, you are the kind of character who shows up in a scary story.” If Master Horace were to wander the fort by himself in the middle of the night, I was sure the place would be buzzing with ghost stories the next day. “Plus, Isaac’s not wrong. You’re technically a ghost on the inside.”

There was no denying it.

I looked up at Isaac. “Um... Isaac? That is you, right? Your hair looks different.”

“What, this? Yes, well... I have my reasons.”

Going by that answer, I guessed he’d dyed it. He caught a lock of his hair between his fingertips and laughed. He’d clearly been going in and out of the fort in his carriage, so maybe there was someone inside whom he didn’t want to recognize him.

“Still,” Isaac started, then paused to glance at where I’d just buried the enemy soldiers. “I’d heard the rumors, but I see you really have been going around doing this.”

“Err, what rumors?”

Don’t tell me I’m notorious for burying my enemies now!

“Évrard’s spellcaster extends the courtesy of a burial even to her enemies—ostensibly to stave off illness, but unfathomably enough, she doesn’t distinguish between enemy and ally whatsoever. Of course, since it’s the doing of a spellcaster, there are suspicions that the funeral is a facade, and in reality you’re performing some sort of sacrifice to the devil.”

“A sacrifice? Really?”

Why would I need something like that? Still, the rumors weren’t quite as bad as I had feared.

Master Horace seemed to think that was a real hoot. He was laughing, “Ohoho! A sacrifice to the devil, eh? Eeeheehee!”

Isaac shot him a disturbed look. “Looking at that doll of yours lends some credibility to the theory.”

Okay, that was fair. I’d be surprised, too, if I were faced with a talking doll out of nowhere. Even I’d thought he looked creepy when I first made him. By now, I thought he had his own special brand of charm, though.

“Well, I suppose if you’re carrying that uncanny thing around, no one would think to antagonize you. I intervened because I saw a lone girl surrounded by a group of old men—was that uncalled for?”

“No, you really helped me out there. Thanks.”

Evidently, Isaac had cut in because he’d worried I was in trouble. When I thanked him, he awkwardly averted his gaze. “Err... That is, I thought it would be rude to pass you by when we were already acquainted, so I came to say hello. I’m glad to hear I could be of service.”

From the looks of it, he was the type to get flustered in the face of genuine praise. It was kind of cute.

“But you really do bury the bodies of your enemies, hm? I see.”

“Is that weird?” I started to get a little antsy.

“Weird? Probably, sure. But I don’t think there’s anything wrong with showing respect to those whom you fought to the death fair and square.”

Surprised to hear this fresh perspective, I stared long and hard at Isaac.

“Skirmishes are quite commonplace in my homeland. But if you can’t band together with your fellow neighbors, you’ll be annihilated the moment you’re invaded, right? Thus, the feud with your opponent is over when the match is decided. Holding grudges goes against our policy.” A distant look in his eyes, Isaac went on, “Besides, it’s not as though those grunts are the ones who called for an invasion. If it would serve in place of paying taxes, plenty of men would enlist for the sakes of their families. And in the end, they paid the price of razing another man’s fields with their own lives.”

That reminded me of something Reggie had once said. He had claimed that he was the one who bore responsibility. It sounded like Isaac was saying more or less the same thing.

As I fell deep into thought, Isaac suddenly held out a bag, saying, “Oh, right. You like this sort of thing, don’t you?”

When I took it out of his hand, I found cookies inside.

“What’s this for?”

“There’s nothing like sweets to give you back your energy. You can have it.”

“Thank you!”

I was about to pop one into my mouth when I remembered that I’d just stuck my hands into the soil. Noticing that, Isaac asked, “Shall I feed it to you?”

“Yes please! I want to try one!” I badgered.

“Alright, alright,” he responded, holding out a cookie. He immediately came to his senses, making a face that screamed, Oh crap, but it was too late. I had already snapped the cookie out of his fingers.

The fragrant scent and sweet taste of butter and flour spread through my mouth, filling me with bliss. Master Horace was chortling in the background, but I valiantly ignored him, munching on the cookie with a big smile on my face. Isaac looked off to the side, covering his face with one hand.

What was he so embarrassed about? I had no idea.

Once I was done enjoying my cookie, he asked an odd question to play off his shyness. “Oh, that’s right. When you captured this fort, did you happen to see a Llewynian spellcaster here?”

“What? A spellcaster?”

“I heard rumors along those lines... but perhaps they were fake.” Isaac flapped a hand dismissively, asking me to forget about it.

Maybe rumors of the defective spellcasters thrown into the fray had been exaggerated.

Apparently, the brief change of topic had given Isaac time to compose himself. “Whatever the case, I’m glad to see you’re having a better time of it,” he said, casting me a gentle look.

He was probably thinking back to how I had cried because I was scared of killing.

“I don’t understand why you’re still torturing yourself, but at least that’s something. If you were still as upset as you were back then, I was planning to ask if you wanted to run away with me.”

Run away. I found myself entirely disenchanted with the words. After all, I had no desire to leave this place. If I couldn’t protect these people, I wouldn’t be myself anymore.

“Thanks, but I have something to protect.”

“A person?” Isaac looked a little crestfallen.

What a softie, I thought with a laugh.

“Yes. People who are like family to me. They told me I didn’t have to fight, so I was feeling stuck for a while. If I don’t fight, however, there’s a chance they might be killed.”

“Are they weak?”

Evidently, he assumed I was so set on protecting them because they couldn’t defend themselves.

“No, I think they’re strong. And I’m not just talking about their skill with a sword. They know exactly what they need to do, and they never get scared like I do.”

Reggie, Cain, and Alan were all like that. So were Gina and her frostfoxes.

“Are you talking about someone you love?”

“They’re all very important to me,” I replied. There wasn’t a single one of them I wanted to lose, after all.

However, Isaac just frowned. “But you’re no all-loving altruist, are you? If you were, you would have chosen your words differently when you were speaking to that nobleman.”

“What? No, I wouldn’t call myself altruistic.”

Fighting for everyone would be more than I could handle. Just protecting the people I knew was already hard enough; I’d wind up burning myself out.

“What inspired you to fight? It’s usually for the sake of one specific person, right?”

“What inspired me?” I parroted.

The reason I was so convinced I had to fight as a spellcaster was because I had remembered the deaths of Reggie and Lord Évrard.

“There’s someone I owe a lot to, and I thought he might die.”

“You’re putting your life on the scales against his. He has to be more than a simple benefactor.”

Isaac’s sudden interrogation threw me for a loop. Was it that weird to risk your life for someone who’d supported you?

“If I were in your shoes, I’d do it for my family and no one else. If it’s not someone I’d be willing to trade my life for, why put everything on the line?”

At that, Isaac abruptly waved and returned to his carriage.

“Looks like someone is here to pick you up. See you around.”

Just as he said, someone was walking over from the gates.

“Oh, Reggie!”

There weren’t many people with silver hair; plus, he had a knight with him. I assumed Isaac had taken his leave because he didn’t want to tangle with the prince.

Still, what was our commander-in-chief doing outside the fort with only one knight-guard in tow? I had faith in Felix’s skills, but that seemed like too big a responsibility for him to shoulder alone.

Once Reggie got close enough, I lightly chided him. “Reggie, it’s too dangerous for you to be out here.”

“I ought to be saying that to you. I came to tell you to head back inside,” Reggie shot back, flashing me a smile more beautiful than any woman’s. “Who was that man, anyway? He looked like a merchant. Do you know him?”

“Yeah. He came to see if he could sell some enemy belongings, since it’s not like they can use them anymore.”

I wasn’t lying... technically. For some reason, I felt compelled to hide the whole truth, so that was the answer I gave him.

◇◇◇

“Drat. I never did manage to find that spellcaster, and with all the men from Évrard on high alert, I wasn’t going to have much luck sneaking around. It really is a shame we didn’t root them out while Llewyne had the place under control,” Isaac griped from the box seat of his wagon once he had put enough distance between himself and the fort. “It’s good that I ran into our little miss spellcaster, though. I’d assumed I would have a hard time finding her, seeing as I couldn’t hang about inside the fort. But it seems she really didn’t know anything about it, so perhaps Vasily was fed some bad intel.”

“We knew there was a chance we might come up empty-handed. That aside, you better have taken the opportunity to examine the inside of the fort.” Sitting next to him in the driver’s seat was the blond boy, Mikhail. From his perfunctory tone, one would never have guessed that he was the king’s lord-in-waiting.

Unfazed, Isaac wore a look of pride as he responded, “Of course. And from that, I learned just how difficult it would be for us to launch an assault. A run-of-the-mill siege would be one thing, but they’ve got Kiara on their side.”

“You’re quite lily-livered for a man who usurped the throne. What will you do, then?”

“Don’t be in such a rush; I’m thinking about it. I’ll make sure to get one or two wins under my belt by you-know-when. But still... fighting against an acquaintance really makes you think.”

“You got attached, I see. You did seem to be enjoying yourself quite a bit.” Mikhail furrowed his brow.

“You know how it goes. Nothing endears a pet to you quite like watching it light up after you give it a treat, right? But when you’re going to war—a war you have to win—you have no choice but to fight.”

“There’s no problem so long as you’ve made up your mind about it... and you haven’t forgotten your promise.”

“I wouldn’t go back on my word after I’ve made you all but stab my brother in the back. I know our only option is to fight Farzia.”

“I’m relieved to hear you haven’t been swayed.”

While Mikhail faced forward, gripping the reins, Isaac looked back at the fort and said flatly, “Of course.”

In the distance, he could see her tiny figure retreating into the gates. If she had said she was still having a hard time, he’d planned to help her escape. After all, the next time he crossed paths with her as the king of Salekhard, he wouldn’t have the option of sparing her.

Whenever that happened, there was just as good a chance he would have to kill the people who were important to her. She’ll probably end up hating me, Isaac told himself.

◇◇◇

“Would you care for a cookie, Your Highness?”

The thought suddenly struck me as we were walking back into the fort together, and I held out the bag of cookies. Since there were other soldiers around, I was careful to address him formally.

Felix panicked. “Pardon me, but the prince shouldn’t be eating something provided by a stranger!”

“Oh, my apologies. I already ate one earlier, so I’m pretty sure it’s safe.”

“You did?! Err, nonetheless, we still have to follow standard procedure. Would you mind lending me the bag for a moment?” With that, Felix waved over a soldier who was walking back from the stables. “Hey, Percy!”

The man Felix called out to was a cavalryman of the same age, give or take. He rushed over, but seeing as Reggie was hanging around, he seemed anxious as to why he’d been summoned.

“You were envious of Lord Alan’s birthday cake, no? I’ll spare you five of these.” Felix handed the cavalryman named Percy a few cookies.

When Felix asked him how they tasted, the slightly baby-faced Percy stuffed his cheeks, beaming with delight.

“I’s del’cious!”

“Glad to hear it. You can go now.”

“’Sanks!”

Clutching the remaining cookies firmly in his hand, Percy ran off to his friends. As he watched him go, Felix nodded to himself. “You’re right. Doesn’t look like we have to worry about any fast-acting poison.”

“Um...”

“I’m just taking precautions. There was a chance you just happened to pick out one that wasn’t poisoned.”

Apparently, Felix had used him as an impromptu poison tester.

“Not happy to see someone used as a poison test right before your eyes?” Reggie presumed when he noticed my dubious expression.

“I understand why he had to do it, but still...”

I knew Felix had only done it just in case, but I didn’t feel great watching someone get used as a guinea pig, completely oblivious to what was going on.

“You knew it would be fine, didn’t you?”

“I mean, yes...”

Reggie smiled and said, “Felix knew that, too; he just carried out his duty as a precaution. That was something of a ritual, more or less. Otherwise, he’d never do something as heinous as feed poison to an unsuspecting cavalryman. Putting that aside, where did you meet that merchant from before?”

“Erm... Back in Cassia. He gave me some candy when I went out on the town with Gina.”

That wasn’t wrong, exactly. I had walked back with Gina. I just left out the part where I’d met Isaac after bolting from the castle.

“Really now, Kiara? You let someone lure you with food?”

Grr. Does he think I’m that easy to bait?

“No. I’ll accept whatever someone gives me, but I wouldn’t go off with them for it.”

Even I know better than to run off with strangers who offer you candy! The candy itself isn’t the problem, though, and that sugary treat of his was delicious. Also, excuse me, I’m not a kid!

Still, I was a little flustered to know he was worried about me. It was a nice feeling.

“In that case, why don’t you take your spoils and join me for a break?” Reggie then added a confusing remark about how this was a good opportunity.

I figured I wouldn’t get in his way if he was just taking a breather, so I decided to take him up on his offer. After passing through the gates of the inner fort, we cut through the courtyard and headed for the main tower.

The fort commander’s living quarters were located in the main tower. Thus, Reggie and his knights occupied the third floor, and I was staying on the second. Once we entered Reggie’s room, his lord-in-waiting, Colin, left for the kitchen to go make tea. After Reggie ordered him to take care of some business, Felix likewise stepped out of the room.

There was nothing inside but a simple wooden table and chairs. The little wooden door of the stone-framed window had been left open, carrying in the sounds from outside. If it were daytime, we would have heard the clangs of sword training and the enthused shouts of soldiers, but now that evening had fallen, it was perfectly quiet out there.

“The last time I sat across from you in a quiet, empty room like this... must have been in the archives of Évrard.” Reggie gazed out the window.

“Of course, we couldn’t hear much of a breeze in there, but I remember flipping through our books until Mabel came to get us. I’m pretty sure that was the hardest I’ve ever studied—and I’m including school!” Now that I was alone with Reggie, I didn’t have to choose my words as carefully. Similar to whenever I could discard all decorum and slump over in my chair, it felt like I could finally breathe again. “Is Mabel doing okay, by the way? Oh, I guess you wouldn’t know where she is...”

The elderly Mabel was Reggie’s attendant, but she had been staying at the royal palace ever since the war broke out.

“Not so. Didn’t I mention that the servants of the castle fled when the queen ushered in the Llewynian troops? Apparently, she managed to escape by slipping into the crowds of lower-ranked servants. Sorry, I suppose I should have told you. I do appreciate you worrying about her.” Reggie looked over at me and smiled.

“No, don’t worry about it! You must have been relieved to hear she was okay, too. That’s great news.”

“It is. Mabel’s always been like a mother to me.”

“Your real mother passed away when you were little, right? I’m sure she was lovely.”

Given how handsome Reggie was, his mother had to have been a knockout beauty. His father must have been good-looking too if the man’s big sister, Beatrice, was any indication.

“She was a perfectly average person. Of course, my grandfather always said he couldn’t stand the sight of her. Consequently, we don’t have any portraits or what have you to remember her by.”

“She didn’t get along with your grandfather?”

“My grandfather was a perfectionist, and my father did too well for himself. That’s probably what left the current king... my late uncle with so many complexes.”

I was suddenly reminded that Reggie had lost a family member just the other day.

“Um... I’m sorry for your loss.”

“There’s no need to be; I can’t say it feels like much of one. I’m more annoyed with him than anything. If he was going to marry an enemy nation’s princess to keep the peace, he ought to have at least kept a closer eye on her.”

“That’s fair. If someone told me my stepmother had passed away, I doubt I’d have much to say on the matter.”

It was a terrible thing to say, but I couldn’t help the way I felt. Of course, the only one who I could actually come out and tell that to was Reggie, who I knew understood the feeling.

Yeah. I was no all-loving altruist. If it was a stranger, then... enemy or not, I could still sympathize with them, knowing that there was someone out there who would be sad if they died. But when it came to someone who had hurt me personally, I just couldn’t feel the same way.

Isaac seemed kind of worried about that, though.

As I was thinking back on what Isaac had said to me, Reggie murmured, “Is Wentworth treating you well?”

“Huh?”

Reggie’s question brought to mind his conversation with Cain up in the fort tower. Cain had taken my side in the argument. Was Reggie asking that because he knew the knight had committed to being my full-fledged ally?

“Erm, yeah.” After some hesitation, I nodded.

Cain was always kind to me—no question there. He helped me with whatever I wanted to do and protected me from danger. Some aspects of his motivation were a little bit frightening, but our wishes were aligned where Llewyne was concerned, so it worked out alright.

“He’d protect you with his life, so don’t do anything too crazy. It would be hard on you if something were to happen to him, wouldn’t it?”

“Sure...”

I had no idea why Reggie was suddenly telling me this. Somehow, he wasn’t acting like himself.

Just as a mysterious sense of anxiety gripped my heart, someone opened the door. Colin had returned, holding a tray with a tea set, and for some reason, he had brought Emmeline along with him.

“I’ve come in response to your summons, Your Highness,” Emmeline said as she gave a curtsy. Evidently, Reggie was the one who had called for her.

“Sorry to call you all the way out here. Have a seat.”

“If I may.”

Emmeline sat down in the chair to my left; we were arranged so the two of us were facing Reggie. Colin set the teacups down on the table. When I took a sip, the blend tasted of high-quality tea leaves. Neither tart nor particularly bitter, the flavor allowed me to indulge in the sweet scent of the tea.

“These tea leaves were given to us by Lord Ernest.”

Reggie’s comment reminded me that Ernest was here now, too. In that case, why had Reggie called for his daughter, Emmeline, instead?

“There’s a reason why I called Lady Emmeline here. I want you to bring her along to our next battle, Kiara.”

“What?”

Why did he want me to take Emmeline with me? If she got hurt, Ernest would be devastated. All sorts of worries suddenly welled up inside of me—and that was when it hit me.

“She’s my chaperone, isn’t she?”

He was sending Emmeline with me so that I wouldn’t do anything rash.

Emmeline added, “I initially turned him down. I didn’t believe I had what it took to hold you back. I know I’ll regret it if I don’t have the strength to pull my bow when the moment comes to strike, so I do exercise regularly to keep up my strength... but I can’t say I’m qualified to be anyone’s bodyguard.”

No surprise there. Emmeline was the type of person to tell me “you’re not you if you aren’t fighting,” and just as she said, she wasn’t suited to acting as my brakes. Plus, if she was working out in secret, she probably had every intention of charging into the fray herself. However, Reggie didn’t seem to think that was an issue.

“I’m not trying to deprive Kiara of her freedom. I just think she’ll be more careful if there’s another woman around. If she gets a feel for watching out for someone and making sure they’re okay before taking action, perhaps she’ll learn to consult with others before rushing into enemy ranks with just one other companion.”

“You have a point.”

If there was a chance Emmeline might be harmed, there was no doubt I would be more careful. No matter how much of a fire she lit under me, I’d just end up picturing Ernest in tears.

“Don’t worry too much. I can hold my own in a melee.” Emmeline’s remark was rather unsettling.

Reggie gave a dry laugh in return. “I have heard that you’re quite formidable in battle. In any case, I’d like to have Lady Emmeline accompany you at least once, Kiara. Consider this your punishment for going rogue.”

When he put it like that, I had no choice but to say yes. Noting my obvious reluctance, Reggie heaved a sigh. “I know how stubborn you are, but at least let me worry for you.”

“But I haven’t acted alone. Cain is always with me.”

“I know you have Wentworth, but I want to do something for you, too. Is that so terrible? Is my concern a mere nuisance to you?”

“I’ve never thought of you as a nuisance! I just want to do what I can to protect everyone.”

“Then you should allow me the same. I’m only saying this because you’re important to me.”

It didn’t seem like there was anything I could do to change Reggie’s mind; this conversation was starting to feel like pounding on a thick iron wall.

That was when Emmeline muttered something that made my eyes go wide. “My, what a strange mood in the air. It’s enough to give me cavities.”

I looked back, and Emmeline was quietly sipping her tea without a change in expression.

“Huh? What do you mean?!” I panicked.

Reggie, on the other hand, was unfazed. “Love comes in many different forms, Lady Emmeline. Even familial love can be cloying at times. Doesn’t your own father have similar tendencies?”

“You needn’t lower yourself to my father’s level. Are you losing your touch, Your Highness?”

Emmeline’s commentary had thrown me for a loop.

How did Emmeline turn out so brutal when she was raised by such a sappy father?!

“Whoa, hang on, Miss Emmeline! I’ll have you know that Lord Ernest was really worried about you!”

“But with us, it’s more common for me to be the one concerned for him.”

“Wow.”

From the sound of it, their family hierarchy had been reversed a long time ago. I finally ran out of arguments, and for some reason, Reggie took that opportunity to pat my head.

“You’re a bright young lady, so I’m sure you can deduce the source of those ‘cavities’ yourself.”

“Yes, it’s as you say. My apologies, Your Highness.”

Emmeline gave a repentant curtsy, and Reggie smiled back at her, satisfied. My eyes darted back and forth between them. What the heck were they talking about? Still, I had a feeling that if I asked for an explanation, they would both turn me down.

“I also want Lady Emmeline on the front lines to send a message to Lord Delphion that the hostages have been freed. Otherwise, I would’ve let Gina be your bodyguard. Then again, her frostfoxes are more effective with their feet on the ground. And taking the possibility of defective spellcasters into account, it would be wise to distribute her elsewhere.”

“Hmph. I don’t want those frostfoxes hanging around all the time. Why don’t you let this girl take care of it, little disciple?” Master Horace had been listening quietly up until now, but he threw in his support for Reggie’s proposal in hopes of keeping Reynard and pals at bay.

An expression of uncharacteristic surprise crossed Emmeline’s face, her eyes widening. “Miss Kiara... did that strange doll of yours just talk?”

“He sure did! The soul of my spellcasting mentor lives inside this doll.”

“A person’s soul? Really?”

“That’s right.”

Even the fearless Emmeline was rendered speechless by this mysterious phenomenon. She didn’t say anything else, just stiffening with a carefully blank expression.

That’s fair. Isaac thought he was weird, too. I don’t remember seeing Reggie scream after seeing Master Horace, though.

“Come to think of it, Reggie... Master Horace never took you by surprise, did he?”

“No, no, he certainly did. I had my first encounter with him while you were asleep, so it was easy to look unaffected afterward. Or perhaps I should say... the laughter won out?” Reggie chuckled as he thought back on it. “You really are an eccentric girl.”

At least where Master Horace was concerned, I couldn’t argue with that.

◇◇◇

Once Kiara and Emmeline had left, Felix took their place inside Prince Reginald’s room.

“She didn’t look terribly happy about it, but did she accept your judgment without issue?”

“Kiara would never give me trouble. She’s a good girl,” the prince replied with a smile.

My deepest sympathies, Felix thought to himself.

“As for the other woman, she’s stopped by here twice today. She asked the soldier standing guard at the door where you went, but she wouldn’t say what business she had with you.”

The woman in question was the one who had begun trailing Prince Reginald the other day—one of the hostages who had been trapped in Fort Inion, Ada. Simply put, she seemed to be yet another girl hanging off of the kind and gentle prince. There had been no shortage of similar women in the past, so Felix was used to dealing with them.

There was just one problem.

“Keep an eye on Lady Ada for a little while longer.”

“Of course.” Felix nodded.

“It bothers me that she’s the only hostage from Trisphede. She was on the verge of getting killed when Kiara rushed in, so it’s probably nothing... but let’s not take any chances. Besides,” Reginald went on, “I remember seeing her around the royal palace. If I’m not mistaken, she was dressed as a servant. Well, perhaps it’s not unheard of for a member of a branch family to be tasked with housework.”

“I’m afraid I don’t remember her face clearly enough to say if it was the same girl. Ever since His Majesty declared a change in his policy, too many women have flocked to your side.” Felix couldn’t hold back a dry laugh.

As the orphan of the late crown prince, Prince Reginald had always been liable to be removed from the picture by the new king, and so everyone had kept their distance from him. However, ever since His Majesty had declared him his rightful heir, he had found himself surrounded by women aiming to become the next queen. Felix and the other knights of the royal guard could do little but shrug in the face of this opportunistic change in tune.

Still, if he wanted to lay the foundation for his future, Prince Reginald couldn’t cut out the nobility altogether. Thus, the prince had done his best to address everyone who came his way, but given their sheer number, he had a hard time matching names to faces. He’d been wary of anyone he knew had ties to the queen, but some could have slipped through the cracks.

Speaking of which, Felix recalled hearing that Lord Credias had taken a new wife in place of Kiara, but he’d yet to ever lay eyes on her. The viscount never went to visit anyone but the nobles he had good relations with. The king’s permission was required for any nobleman’s marriage, but those documents never made their way to Reginald. On top of that, the bride’s family must have felt guilty about marrying her off to the viscount, seeing as there had been no official announcement.

“Even dismissing those concerns, it’s not safe for her to loiter about a fort full of men.”

“Quite right.”

No matter how strictly they were kept in line, there were bound to be a few men among a crowd of thousands who would succumb to their base desires.

“In that case, I’ll go bring her back to her room. It’s nearly dark outside, but from the looks of it, she’s still wandering about.”

Felix left Prince Reginald’s room, heading up to the fort wall from the main tower. He’d spotted her from afar not too long ago, but now that he was up there, he didn’t see her anywhere. When he asked one of the soldiers on patrol, he replied that she’d set out for the fort kitchen.

When Felix got there, Ada was still nowhere to be found. According to a soldier renowned for his cooking—in exchange for release from his other tasks, he’d been put on permanent meal duty—Ada had come in demanding to serve tea to the prince. All the soldiers present had turned her away.

“If there were any sort of mishap, it would reflect poorly on us. We don’t want to be cast under any suspicion,” explained the soldier-chef. Felix was relieved to hear how dutiful these soldiers were. Ada, meanwhile, had been outraged at their refusal and stormed out into the courtyard.

At this point, Felix was getting sick of chasing her down. When he left the inner fort, determined to check the courtyard nonetheless, he finally found Ada quarreling with a group of five soldiers. With all the time she had spent prowling around the fort, the men there had begun to remember her face, and the tacit rule of Any woman you see could be the spellcaster and her cursed doll, so don’t lay a hand on her had been rendered inapplicable.

He could hear bits and pieces of their conversation from afar. “If you’ve got so much time on your hands, why not come play with us?” one man said, to which Ada only fanned the flames with, “You wish!”

“Hey, what are the lot of you doing?!” Felix called out. The entire group of soldiers scrambled away in an instant.

Now the only one left behind, Ada rubbed at her left wrist; perhaps it had been hurt when one of the soldiers made a grab for it. Felix hoped that pain would serve as a lesson learned on how dangerous it was to wander the grounds.

“I warned you to stay inside as much as possible. Why did you disregard me and come all the way out there?” Felix scolded her.

Ada looked off to the side, the spitting image of a pouting child. “What business is it of yours?”

“It has everything to do with me. Securing you hostages was the entire purpose behind our assault on this fort. I need you to stay safe. It would be terrible if one of our soldiers laid a hand on you, and frankly, it only makes trouble for me if you carelessly wander about and encourage their impropriety.”

“She gets to do whatever she wants.”

“Who?”

“Your spellcaster.”

Felix heaved a sigh. He had hoped she would’ve inferred the reason for it.

“The soldiers know their very lives depend on her magic, so they would never so much as touch her. It’s naive to act like you two are the same.”

Ada didn’t appear any less discontent.

“We have no reason to give you special treatment. Nobody else seems to have a problem staying in line. In fact, if you continue to act out like this, we’ll have no choice but to suspect you of being an enemy spy.”

This was the right time to point out that she was under suspicion, Felix figured. Apparently, that was enough to make even Ada think twice.

“Very well. I’ll go back.”

Ada nodded but pressed her lips into a thin line. She then fixed Felix with the most spiteful glare she could muster.

“Drained” was the word for what Felix was feeling. He’d been warning her to avoid suspicion out of the kindness of his heart, after all. She didn’t have to thank him, but the resentment was uncalled for.

Looking no less bitter, Ada dashed across the courtyard and back to the prison tower, with Felix watching her go.