The carriage creaked to a halt near the edge of a stony hilltop, the wheels grinding against gravel and uneven earth.
“Your Ladyship, I beg your pardon, but the horses need a moment to rest after the climb,” the coachman said, bowing slightly as he opened the door. “The town lies just ahead of this camp. We’ll be on the move again shortly.”
Nodding her head in acknowledgement, Estel stepped out, bracing herself as the wind swept past her mantle.
Cold, but fresh.
The mountain air filled her lungs like clean water and bit at her cheeks in the same breath. She stretched stiffly, rolling her shoulders, then stepped aside to let Alice descend after her.
“My legs feel like jelly,” Alice protested. “I wish I could just press the ‘teleport’ button…why is this pce so goddamn far, Este?”
“We are at the edge of the Kingdom’s northern border, after all,” she said, pulling her mantle closer around herself and surveying her surroundings. “I hope it doesn’t get too cold at night.”
Around them, the hilltop bustled with weary life. Clusters of pilgrims wrapped in threadbare cloaks and patched wool huddled around low fires, the smoke drifting like faint ribbons into the grey sky. Donkeys brayed as they pulled wooden carts stacked with bundles of hay, firewood, and grain. A few children ran between the tents, chasing one another with sticks while their mothers stirred pots or mended clothes.
“Este, come over here.” Alice beckoned with an eager hand as she stood at the edge of the camp. “Look!”
Stepping up beside her, Estel widened her eyes in awe at the breathtaking sight. The nd dropped away into a wide, craggy valley nestled between jagged snow-capped ridges. A town sprawled below—weathered and ancient, its ste roofs peeking through a thin shroud of morning mist. Further in the distance rose the Margrave’s estate, overlooking everything like a perched hawk.
“That’s it,” she said softly. “Selvern.”
“I don’t even think this region was accessible in the original game,” Alice breathed. “The view sure is something.”
Estel nodded. “Seeing such a serene and breathtaking sight…it’s really hard to believe that just beyond those mountains, the war against the Muscadists is still ongoing.”
Alice went quiet for a moment, then gave a long exhale, her breath curling like smoke in the air.
“I know it’s rude to reject a personal invitation from the Margrave, but to be honest with you, I’d still very much prefer it if we stayed behind in the royal capital,” she said. “Although the Margrave is on your side, it does not change the fact that this pce is dangerous. More importantly, I don’t like it when I have no idea what kind of threats we will be up against.”
“Threats?” Estel asked curiously. “What do you mean by that?”
Alice hesitated, then sighed and lowered her voice.
“Do you still remember what I said in our first meeting? That the Crown Prince will sentence you to death after the engagement.”
A cold prickle crept down her spine.
“In the original story,” Alice continued, her gaze distant, “he pronounces your death sentence tomorrow. On the night of the full moon.”
Estel turned sharply, a shadow crossing her face. “Why are you only telling me this now?”
She averted her gaze, her expression guarded. “Even if I had told you about it earlier, it won’t achieve anything other than making you paranoid. And I thought that it’d be better if I could resolve the problem behind the scenes, just like with the Temprs. Since, you know…it involves a lot of people that you share a close retionship with.”
“You—”
Estel bit her lip to swallow down the rest of her retort. Even though she loathed to admit it, Alice had a point.
“…is it because I was too soft on Gerald?” she asked. “Is that why you hid this from me until now? Because you think I’m not willing to go against His Highness?”
“No,” Alice said quickly, but her voice wavered. “I-I just didn’t want to frighten you, Este. Besides, there’s still a chance I could be wrong…”
She shook her head vehemently.
“I told you before, didn’t I? I’m ready to go as far as necessary to enact my revenge on His Highness.” Estel met her eyes firmly. “This is my burden to bear, Alice. And I will see it through to the end.”
Alice remained silent, an unreadable expression on her face. Then, a smile tugged at the corner of her lips.
“You brought the flip phone I gave you, right?”
Estel nodded slowly. “It’s inside my valise.”
“I’ll send you Chapter twenty-six once I’m done with the transtion by tonight,” she said. “I’m not sure if it’ll still be useful when the plot has already changed, but…doing something is better than nothing, I hope.”
-
“Lady Estel, thank you for coming to grace us with your presence.”
The Margrave’s butler reached his hand out in a gesture of welcome as the carriage stopped in front of the forecourt. “My lord Karolus and Lady Liselotte have been expecting you. Please, this way.”
While a few servants began ferrying their luggage inside, Estel stepped down from the carriage with practiced grace and shaded her eyes from the noonday sun. The Margrave’s estate loomed tall and austere behind the butler, its sweeping fa?ade framed by towering cypress trees and fnked by paired pisters. Rows of ivy clung to the walls, climbing towards the mullioned windows and up to the mansard roof.
“Hmm…” Alice rubbed her chin in a thoughtful manner as she took in the view. “It certainly looks grandiose, but compared to your house, it doesn’t look all that fancy.”
Estel couldn’t help but give a wry smile at her comment. “You are comparing the estate of a duke to that of a count, you know. Please don’t say such a thing in the Margrave’s presence.”
Inside, high ceilings and polished walls adorned with silver filigree greeted them as they followed the butler down a long marble-floored hallway. He soon stopped before a pair of cquered doors and knocked politely.
“Eure Ladyschaft, the Duchess and her escort have come to see you.”
A soft, melodious voice replied, “Hereinspaziert.”
Opening the doors, the butler turned to Estel and bowed. “The Lady awaits you.”
The parlour beyond was elegant but reserved—high windows allowed in the soft spill of morning light, falling over velvet chairs, gilded bookshelves, and a harpsichord standing silent in the corner. At the far end, a young girl cd in silver silks straightened from her seat beside the hearth.
Estel stepped forward and dipped into a small curtsy. “Greetings, I pay my respects to Lady Liselotte.”
Liselotte rose and returned her curtsy with elegant poise, her braided coronet catching the sunlight and glowing like spun gold as soft waves cascaded down her shoulders.
“?hm…” she began, her tone faltering slightly. Her violet eyes betrayed a flicker of doubt. “Greetings, Your Transparency.”
Estel blinked in surprise.
“Transparency?”
Liselotte flushed and stammered in the Northmen nguage, “M-my apologies, is that not right? Papa told me to address the Duchess as Durchucht, and Durch means ‘through’ while Laucht means ‘light’, so I thought it should transte to…”
She trailed off, her voice growing smaller. “…transparency?”
Estel tilted her head and smiled. “That’s a creative transtion, Lady Liselotte. But you can just call me Lady Estel, I don’t mind.”
Behind her, Alice muttered to herself, “Damn, why did I throw German into this story in the first pce? I don’t even speak German, and now I can’t understand anything.”
Liselotte peeked curiously at Alice. “And this is?”
“She’s my escort, Alice,” Estel briefly introduced. “Alice, this is Lady Liselotte, the daughter of Lord Karolus.”
“It’s my pleasure to make your acquaintance, Fr?ulein Alice,” Liselotte said demurely, curtsying with fwless grace.
“O-oh?” Alice fumbled through a strange half-bow, half-curtsy hybrid that almost sent her off-bance. “N…nice to meet you, Lady Liselotte.”
Suppressing a soft giggle behind her hand, Liselotte stepped aside and gestured for them to join her by the firepce. “Please, make yourselves at home. There’s still plenty of time before the soirée.”
