It was the hottest topic in the social circle recently.
Even though he hadn’t formally entered the social circle, his beauty ignited a flame in the hearts of all the young ladies.
According to rumors, he was said to be the incarnation of a beautiful dragon, a beauty that would make a mark in history, and even the pure Lévilia flower would lose its radiance in front of Jeremy.
There were always many rumors surrounding Jeremy.
Some people dismissed those rumors as being inflated and pointless.
“If he’s that beautiful, why does he hide in the Storm Fortress?”
“He must be admitting that his reputation is exaggerated.”
But as a member of the noble family, he didn’t set foot in the social circle until he turned twelve.
Usually, at the nobleman’s banquet held in May, they used to boast about his existence at the “Lily of the Valley Banquet”.
However, Jeremy had never appeared in any social events.
Inside the Winter Castle.
Azalea, a famous egg tart restaurant across the continent.
A boy was standing in line there.
His clothes were shabby, and he had a rusty sword at his waist.
He had a rough demeanor and was not a handsome boy, but his eyes were full of guns.
“I heard Lady Viola loves the egg tarts here.”
He had slipped away from the official delegation of the Storm Fortress to come to Azalea.
“Since it’s free time anyway, it should be okay.”
The official schedule must be kept.
Other times are free.
As long as he doesn’t cause any trouble in the Winter Palace, it should be fine.
“I need to learn more about Lady Viola.”
He had heard a lot about Viola.
The iron-willed Bellato.
A noblewoman who became a great wealthy heiress at a young age with her exceptional wit.
She was known to have a special relationship with the famous Huxley, and it was rumored that if she had been born ten years earlier, she might have engaged in a full-scale succession war with the first lady, Madeia, who was adopted.
He looked around.
He didn’t see anyone who could recognize him.
“It should be okay since I’m wearing a mask.”
This mask was made in the Winter Palace’s workshop and was known for its quality that was almost comparable to magic.
There were rumors that it was the business of Sebastian Marcos, the Winter Palace’s master of disguise, but it was not confirmed.
Jeremy tapped the shoulder of the person in front of him.
“Excuse me. By the way…”
“Oh, are you a trainee knight? I’ve been there before.”
“Do you know Lady Viola Bellato?”
The man who had a lot to say from the beginning proudly presented numerous pieces of information.
“…So it happened like that. That’s not all though. She earned the nickname ‘Iron Blood Lady’ at the welcome banquet. There’s even a rumor that she slaughtered a herd of wild boars that were wreaking havoc in Maple Village.”
Although the reality was somewhat different, rumors spread among the people like that.
Jeremy’s eyes widened.
“A wild boar?”
“Yeah. It wasn’t just any wild boar. It was a mana-fed demon boar.”
“I’ve heard that even the Empire’s knights have a hard time killing demon boars alone.”
Jeremy had also experienced demon boars before.
Among them, the most powerful one was a special type of boar called “Shabel.”
He was a monster that could only be hunted by at least a 7th-grade knight.
“That lady killed them all at the age of just ten.”
“She must be amazing!”
Jeremy thought of the Shabel demon boar, but in reality, it was just a regular wild boar.
“Do you know the fact? There’s something that all of the people in our Winter Castle know.”
“What is it?”
“It’s said that Lady Viola hunted down a pack of wild boars and drank their blood in celebration.”
Of course, such a thing had never happened.
“Those who claimed to have seen her drink the blood said this about her.”
Gulp.
Jeremy was absorbed in the man’s story.
“The Iron Blooded Demon. The Incarnation of the Castle.”
“I see.”
The rumors about Lady Viola were generally like that.
“I’m curious.”
How could such rumors spread to that extent?
A twelve-year-old hunting a Shabel wild boar…
It was understandable how it compared to the famous Medea.
“Wow, there are so many people here.”
Jeremy waited in line for over 30 minutes.
The aroma of the eggtarts wafted through the air.
His nose twitched.
“It smells delicious.”
It was a scent that made him understand why so many people came to Winter Castle just to eat eggtarts.
After waiting for nearly an hour, he finally entered Azalea.
“Huh?”
There was one person inside Azalea who stood out distinctly.
“Purple hair.
And a sharp energy that feels like it’s piercing through your lungs.
Purple eyes full of life force that seems to take your breath away.
Ah!
Thud!
Apart from that, a girl who loves eggtarts was seen.
“Viola Bellatu!”
Viola Bellatu was here.”
***
Unfortunately, the man who was boasting about knowing Viola well couldn’t recognize her. Even Jeremy didn’t recognize her at first.
“It’s so different from the portrait.”
There was no magic photo of Viola’s face, and the only thing circulating in the market was the portrait. Viola’s face in the portrait was sinister and gloomy, like that of a witch. If they hadn’t felt the sharp energy emanating from Viola’s body, they would have almost missed the fact that she was Viola.
“The hair and eyes are much lighter purple than in the portrait. They have a fierce energy, but the pupils themselves are bright.”
Jeremy looked around. “Hmm.”
It seemed that only the owner of Azalea knew Viola’s true identity here. That’s because the owner of Azalea had been paying attention to Viola and keeping an eye on her.
“Three egg tarts, please.”
“We only sell two per person. Please understand.”
“Then give me two. By the way, is that person maybe a slow eater?”
The boss swallowed hard.
It seemed like he didn’t want to even mention Viola’s name.
“Judging by your reaction, it must be true.”
What was interesting was that even Viola, who wielded such tremendous power within the Winter Court, could only purchase four egg tarts. And they were bought with Tundra’s share.
“Tundra, can I eat this?”
“Yes. I don’t like sweet things.”
Jeremy’s ears perked up.
“Oh, so that boy is Tundra.”
He said he was the same age, 17 years old. Was he Hickson’s only disciple? Despite not being a noble, he had learned exceptional swordsmanship and was even called the “Hidden Dragon” of the Winter Court.
“But he’s more famous by the name of Companion Sword.”
It was unknown why he was given the name Companion Sword. All that was known was that he was called that because he never left Lady Viola’s side and always wholeheartedly served her.
In fact, it was a pet dog that had come.
“Two egg tarts, here they are.”
Jeremy took two egg tarts on the tray and moved towards Viola Bellato and Tundra.
***
In reality, it was a pet dog.
“Two egg tarts, coming right up,” Jeremy said as he picked up two egg tarts on a tray and walked towards Viola Veltur and Tundra.
Viola pondered over it. There was only one egg tart left. Should she take it home to eat or eat it here? She seriously thought about it.
‘I should eat it now while it’s warm and sweet,’ she thought. But then she considered, ‘This is the end. Shouldn’t I save it for later? Besides, I’m already full.’
Her dilemma was short-lived.
“Munch!”
She had no choice but to eat it. This egg tart was too tempting to resist.
Then she noticed someone.
“Huh?”
He had shaggy silver hair, a face full of freckles, and a plain appearance. He wore ragged clothes and held a rusty sword.
‘Jeremy always disguised himself,’ Viola recalled from the novel’s description.
The boy here looked just like the one from the story. And she had heard that Jeremy’s envoy had arrived at the Winter Palace.
‘Could this really be Jeremy?’
She looked at the hilt of the sword.
‘He tied a blue ribbon around his sword. The blue ribbon was a symbol of the storm sword, and his sister had tied it for him.’
A blue thread-made knot was visible.
‘It’s Jeremy!’
Jeremy Palaille appeared here.
She felt suddenly uncomfortable.
In the original work, the Storm Fortress and the Palaille family become enemies of Winterfell.
Jeremy was a young lord who led the Palaille family and was also a figure who would engage in the famous “Peak Battle” with Medeia.
The Peak Battle took place for seven days at the top of the Serk Mountains on the top of the Mahwabong, and both suffered serious injuries.
‘Taking advantage of Medeia’s weakness, Viola ambushes and inflicts fatal injuries.’
Medeia, who loved her family, was pushed out of the succession position by Viola’s tricks.
Anyway, the important thing is that he is a person who will become a formidable person even compared to Medeia in the future.
And.
‘In the original work, it’s a family that considers Bellatu as an enemy.’
Of course, the situation has changed a lot from the original.
However, she knows that the writer’s settings are unlikely to change easily.
She has already confirmed that even if the details change, the flow does not change.
‘There’s no need to be close.’
I don’t know why I came here.
I decided to pretend that I didn’t recognize his disguise.
After all, it was thanks to the novel that I was able to spot his disguise.
I can’t just say, ‘I read the novel and figured out your disguise!’
‘But why did you come here?’
Tundra looked at the silver-haired boy.
“…Who are you?”
“There’s not much space, can I join your table of four?”
Tundra replied briefly.
“No.”
“Why not?”
“Because you’re a stranger.”
Dogs have to be alert to protect their owners.
That’s what Tundra thought.
“Instead, let me buy you an eggtart.”
“Still, I…”
Viola cut him off.
“Sit.”
Viola quickly brought the egg tart on the platter as if someone would steal it.
Jeremiah sat down in front of Viola with a light smile.
“An aspiring knight apprentice?”
“Yes, I’m working hard.”
Tundra openly sneered.
“You, an aspiring knight apprentice?”
He growled in a low voice.
“A hidden agenda.”
He brought a dagger from under the table.
The dagger touched Jeremiah’s knee.
“What’s the big idea?”
Jeremiah chuckled.
“It was supposed to be a hibernating dragon of winter.”
He seemed to have read his own momentum.
“No need to be nervous. Just…”
Viola, feeling good after eating the eggtart, opened her mouth.
“It’s okay. You’re my guest.”
“My guest?”
“Yeah. You can even draw your sword. Do you plan on using violence in the Winter Castle?”
Tundra took out his dagger while dozing off.
For some reason, he was concerned about the silver-haired boy.
“What, did Yeongae also recognize my true identity?”
“Were you hoping I wouldn’t recognize you while carrying a blue ribbon symbolizing a storm sword?”
He didn’t want to be involved with the fake storm sword, Jeremi.
The safest way to deal with this kind of dangerous person was to keep a reasonable distance.
“It’s better to start with revealing my true identity than having variables.”
So he acted ignorant.
If they only talked briefly in a controlled environment without variables, there wouldn’t be any trouble.
“Let’s keep a reasonable distance.”
Ah!
Thunk!
He quickly finished the eggtart.
“I’m done. Confucius, come to me in your true form. I’m leaving now.”
It meant he didn’t want to talk to the disguised fake persona.
Now that he had the eggtart, he had no business here.
Viola stood up first. Tundra followed her, looking at Jeremy several times as he walked out.
“Something’s not right. I don’t know why, but that boy seemed ominous,” Tundra growled in a low voice.
Jeremy grinned and put the last piece of egg tart in his mouth. He unconsciously touched the bowl with his hand.
“Mmm, it’s delicious! This is the first time I’ve had such a tasty egg tart,” he thought.
He seemed to understand why Viola looked so happy.
“Viola, the lady of the house,” he thought. “It feels different from what I heard in the rumors. Behind her calm demeanor, there’s a cruel and ruthless side.”
The rumors painted her as an iron-blooded lady, but the reality was different.
“Have you been thinking about witches too much?”
So maybe it felt even more friendly.
“I want to get closer.
Anh!
Suddenly, that image came to mind again.
Jeremy giggled.
He wriggled his nose.
It was different from the rumors.
“Aren’t iron-blooded noblewomen supposed to be cute like that?”
He looked at the blue bow tied to his scabbard.
It was a knot that his younger sister Jessie, who was always late, had tied with clumsy hands.
“This is a bit dangerous.
But if it’s cute.
“I want to take care of you.”
Then suddenly there was a commotion.
Someone screamed loudly.
“How dare you! Is it not enough that you made me, a masterpiece of a writer, wait this long? Only two copies? Are you trying to deceive me? You peasants trust only your meager and pathetic skills, you don’t know your place! I will personally slit your throat!”
But the response from the Azalea store owner, who was a commoner, was intriguing.
“It would be best not to do this.”
—————————————————————
Translator Note:
This chapter was translated by Bree.
Next chapter will be released in a bit. To read chapters in advance support us on Patreon!!
