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‘Who can leave such a pretty woman like my princess!’
‘Among them, the first to be on the lookout for was Theon Fried!’
‘That young master who comes to visit once a month with the pretext of being a friend of the Crown Prince!’
Although he had a calm and docile face, there was no doubt that he was interested in the princess. The kind eyes that always looked at Dorothea closely and caringly were proof of that.
‘If there was no intention, he wouldn’t have invited the princess to Friedia!’
Dorothea laughed as Clara’s eyes burned. It was Ray’s plan, not Theon’s, who invited her to Friedia.
“Don’t worry, Clara. Theon has no feelings for me. He treats me well just because I am Ray’s younger sister, so he treats me like an older brother.”
Dorothea said so and surprised herself.
‘I can’t believe how easy it is for me to say that Theon doesn’t like me.’
‘Was the old saying that time is medicine true?’
Meanwhile, Clara beat her chest as if frustrated by Dorothea’s words.
“Oh, my princess, you are so naive, I wonder if I can calm down!”
Clara thinks that a quiet cat goes up to the stove first, and this time she changed the target to Stefan.
“Knight Stefan! You can’t leave the princess alone with a man! You have to protect her.”
At Clara’s burning eyes, Stefan nodded resolutely.
“Joy, you too!”
“Yep!”
Clara also asked Joy, who was attached as a squire next to Stefan. Thanks to Stefan, Joy was able to get a job as a servant to serve and assist Dorothea.
Even though she wasn’t a full knight yet, it was quite a feat for a commoner who hadn’t been trained for long to already be a squire.
“Clara worries too much.”
“Ask the world. If your 16-year-old daughter says she goes to another man’s house to play for several days, would you be worried or not?”
Clara put her hands on her waist and said angrily to Dorothea. Then Stefan and Joy also nodded vigorously next to her.
“I think I’m just going to visit another estate.”
“Phew, you’re going with His Highness Raymond, so that’s why I’m let you go.”
Then Clara let Dorothea go.
Stefan and Joy loaded their bags, and Ray called Dorothea.
“Go and be careful.”
“Don’t worry Clara, get some rest while I’m gone.”
Dorothea said goodbye to Clara and got into the carriage. Stefan also skillfully rode the horse, and Joy quickly boarded the back of the carriage.
“I will be back!”
With Dorothea’s words, the carriage began to move.
They were headed for Friedia, Theon’s hometown.
* * *
The carriage headed into the increasingly dense fog.
The fog was so thick that they had to rely on their lanterns to guide them, it felt like they were swimming in clouds.
Dorothea could hear the crowing of insects and the howling of wolves. It was scary, but quiet and peaceful. A land of pure white, as if nothing would ever happen.
“It’s cool.”
Ray said as he looked at the scenery where he could only see the fog. He gazed in wonder at the blur that had erased all the contours of the world.
Theon stopped him as he reached out to touch the mist.
“It’s dangerous to take your hand out.”
If they take their hand out of the fast-moving carriage, they could injure their hand by a branch or obstacle that was obscured by the fog.
“We are almost there.”
Theon encouraged the guests who would have been tired from the long journey.
And as if proving his words were not false, a hazy black outline emerged through the thick fog.
The low fog made the black castle appear to be floating in the sky. As the carriage drew closer, the fog gradually cleared and the outlines of the castle became clear.
And at the same time, as all directions were open, the mist and the light that fell through the clouds shone on the tall tower.
Unlike the imperial palace, which was a sprawling complex of buildings on a flat surface, Friedia’s castle was shaped like a series of towers reaching up into the sky.
The sparkling white roof, the green ivy plan that climbed the castle, and the rainbow that floated through the clouds.
Dorothea couldn’t take her eyes off the sun-drenched tower, as it blends in with the mountains in the background like a painting.
‘Was it ever so beautiful?
The castle Friedia Dorothea saw in her last life was a gray, dark, and gloomy place.
The hazy mist only added to Dorothea’s concern. The damp soil was unpleasant as if it dragged her feet down to the ground, and the door Theon locked tightly gave only a feeling of alienation.
But now Friedia is dazzlingly beautiful. As if the fog was a curtain set up to show beautiful artwork.
The carriage stopped in front of the castle, and Theon got off first. Ray got off, and Dorothea tried to follow him down as Theon reached out his hand to her.
Dorothea hesitated for a moment, then took his hand and came down the steps of the carriage.
The moist Friedia’s ground touched her feet softly.
And Theon smiled sweetly.
“Welcome to Friedia, Princess.”
* * *
“You two came when the weather was nice. There aren’t many days in a year when Freedia is so sunny. After all, the light always seems to welcome Milanaire.”
Theon’s mother, Grand Duchess Fried, was delighted to be able to show the two of them the beauty of Friedia.
The Grand Duchess introduced Fried Castle to them and showed the rooms where Ray and Dorothea would be staying.
“Ray’s room was one floor up, and Dorothea’s room was down there. It will be difficult to climb up and down because it is a high castle, but the view will be great.”
In this castle, it is said that the higher the room is, the higher the person is.
I gazed out the window, and as far as I could see on a clear day, Dorothea could see misty lands, high mountain ranges, villages, forests, and lakes.
It was a scenery that could not be felt in the Imperial Palace. The scenery opened up Dorothea’s heart, and the rainbow in front of her was amazing.
Dorothea was a little surprised that, in her second life, there was still something new.
“Thanks for the invitation, Grand Duchess Fried.”
“It is my honor to have you two who are the future of the imperial family. Then you can rest until dinner and ring the bell whenever you need anything.”
The Grand Duchess pointed to the string attached to the side of the bed.
Dorothea nodded, saying yes, and the Grand Duchess naturally stepped aside.
As the Grand Duchess was leaving, Joy, who was carrying Dorothea’s luggage, ran back to the window.
“Wow!”
Looking at the scenery of Friedia, Joy exclaimed.
Stefan’s eyes, which were always looking at Dorothea, were looking out the window as much as now.
“Awesome!”
“That’s right.” Dorothea agreed with Joy’s words.
“I think it’s a really good thing to have the princess.”
At Joy’s words, Dorothea fell into thought.
‘Did the servants who served me in the past think so?’
Those who were always watching and flattering, or those who questioned her legitimacy and criticized her.
‘Was there anyone who thought it was good to serve Emperor Dorothea Milanaire?’
No matter how many times she thought about it, the answer was no.
Even the servants of the Imperial Palace would tremble as they served Dorothea.
‘Thank god
.’
‘I was grateful that the people working next to me were happy. I must be doing something right in this life, at least a little.’
Dorothea looked at Joy and smiled a little.
* * *
The next day was sunny again.
Theon asked Ray and Dorothea to go see the lake.
“Fishing! Can we fish too? I want to try fishing.”
“Of course. You can cast nets on the creek side.”
“I want to go! I want to go!”
“Hahah I knew you’d like it, Ray.” Theon laughed.
Whether it’s the forest, the field, or the beach, once unleashed, Ray will be able to play all day.
Theon’s gaze returned to Dorothea.
“How about you, Princess?”
Theon asked cautiously, not sure if Dorothea would like to fish.
“I will go too.”
Dorothea nodded her head.
“Good, because I actually have plenty of fishing rods.”
Theon smiled softly.
Lightly prepared, they got into the Carriage and headed for the lake. The lake, which could be seen from the castle, was not far away.
On the calm water’s surface like a mirror, the trees growing on the shore of the lake and the curves of the mountain range behind it were reflected as if two worlds were facing each other.
As the fishing boats of fishermen who were trying to catch fish passed by, the water surface shook and trees and mountains shook.
When the servants prepared a fishing rod, Ray was the first to accept it.
“I’ll put the bait myself.”
Ray lifted the fishing rod as if excitedly and threaded the earthworm prepared by the servants at the tip of the sharp hook.
Although the earthworms were wriggling, he had a hobby of gardening, so there was no sign of disgust at all.
When the servants taught him how to throw a fishing line, Ray quickly followed it.
The sound of the hook being reeled is pleasant. He only threw a fishing rod, but Ray looked happier than ever.
“Would you like to try, princess?”
Seeing Ray happy, Theon held up an extra fishing rod to Dorothea.
Dorothea nodded, unable to shake her head at Theon’s generous offer.
Dorothea, who had received the fishing rod from Theon’s hand, froze, unable to control her nervousness.
“Do you want me to put the bait on for you?”
“Huh? Ah
Yes.”
It wasn’t that she couldn’t touch the earthworm, but Dorothea nodded again.
‘I felt like an idiot who could only say ‘yes’.’
Theon looked at Dorothea and smiled and skillfully placed the bait.
“Come this way. I will teach you.”
Theon led her to the shore of the lake.
Dorothea stood beside Ray, drawn to Theon’s touch as she had been drawn to Siren’s song.
Aside from Ray, who was staring at the fishing rod with his eyes, Dorothea’s attention was on Theon.
“You can pull it back like this, then throw it and catch it while relaxing your hands.”
Dorothea pulled the rod back as he instructed.
“Ouch! Princess!”
The nervous Dorothea pulled it back so hard that the baited earthworm bounced off and flew to Joy behind her.
“Oh, I’m sorry, Joy!”