~Chapter 33~
“Could it be… did your friends also save the knights?”
All the eyes of the mansion’s servants turned to me.
I awkwardly smiled and looked away.
“My friends are just very excited… But thanks to them, we can get out quickly, right?”
“You are truly amazing! I think your animal friends are better than human ones.”
Earlier, they had looked at me with pity when I mentioned having animal friends.
It seemed the butler had forgotten the look in his eyes from before.
After all, humans are social creatures and… somewhat changeable.
But I wasn’t someone who would be hurt or hold a grudge over something like that. I was a generous person.
“They say you shouldn’t take in a black-haired beast, but they never said anything about animals with fur. Sometimes, animals are better than humans.”
“You’re absolutely right.”
The butler nodded excitedly.
He seemed quite impressed with my unique friendships.
Soon, the snow piled up in front of the door was almost cleared, and the knights approached with their digging tools.
Click—
I cautiously opened the door and smiled at the white bears standing there, staring blankly at me.
“Thank you. I won’t forget this favor.”
“Roar!” (I expect delicious food in return.)
“One more thing, could I ask for another favor?”
“Roar!” (Of course.)
How cool these bears are! I hugged one of them tightly and whispered.
“Could I borrow your back? I need you to be my legs.”
“Roar!” (You want to find your partner, right?)
The white bear gently lifted me up.
The knights, shocked, ran toward me.
I sat comfortably on the bear’s back and waved to the knights, reassuring them.
“I’m going to find the Grand Duke!”
“Your Grace! It’s too dangerous!”
“Don’t worry!”
I grabbed onto the bear’s fur tightly and shouted.
“Follow this scent and find him.”
I handed the bear Cedric’s handkerchief.
The bear sniffed it carefully, then started running like crazy.
“Waaahhh! Ahhh! Aaaah!”
At such incredible speed, I closed my eyes and screamed as we disappeared quickly into the snow.
Thankfully, the bears didn’t just carry me.
Behind me, the knights were riding other bears, following along. Five white bears charging through the snow with people on their backs—it must have been quite a sight.
I gave up trying to imagine how I looked.
‘I won’t forgive Isabel.’
For now, I asked the birds to check if Isabel was in Lendsa Castle in Velodna, the capital.
If she wasn’t at the castle, my father would be searching for her too.
But I had to find Isabel first. That way, I could persuade her to stop causing chaos.
‘If I can just stop the marriage, maybe everything will be okay.’
If I could have talked to her more, maybe I could have found another solution.
“Huh, why did we stop?”
“Roar!” (The scent is gone.)
“…Here?”
“Could he be buried in the snow?”
“Roar!” (I don’t see an entrance.)
I blinked in confusion at the vast, white snowfield.
All I could see were trees and snow-covered mountains.
There was no sign of anything that could be Cedric’s whereabouts.
“Your Grace, should we spread out and search the area?”
“Do we have a map of this place?”
“Oh! Here it is. It’s a map we use for monster hunts, but it shows where traps are and the general landscape.”
I examined the map the knight handed me and pointed to a circled area.
“I don’t know what this is. It looks like there was something around here.”
This was tricky.
I had to know exactly what it was to see if it was a place where Cedric could have taken shelter.
“Roar!” (A cave!)
“Roarrr!” (Yes, there was a cave where we sometimes hid food here!)
“Really? There was a cave?”
“Roar!” (Yes, we store food near here.)
Excited by the bear’s words, I quickly told the knights.
“There’s a cave nearby. We need to find the entrance. He might have taken refuge inside.”
“…Your Grace, can you understand what the bear is saying?”
The people of the Grand Duke’s estate seemed to know I could communicate with animals, but there was no time to explain everything to the knights.
The people at the Grand Duke’s estate were very loyal to Cedric.
That meant they wouldn’t let any information about my abilities leak.
So I said to the knights,
“I’m not sure, but I can make educated guesses. After spending so much time with them, I’ve learned to understand their expressions. Haha. They’re my friends.”
They wouldn’t suspect it was a special ability.
I smiled slyly and patted the bear.
Seeing me so casually interact with the fierce white bears seemed to convince the knights, as they nodded.
“All the animals at the Grand Duke’s estate are my friends. Now, let’s go find the entrance!”
I clapped my hands and urged the knights forward.
“Yes! Understood.”
The knights, along with the white bears, began digging through the snow to find the entrance to the cave.
I also stuck my digging tool into the snow and pressed down hard with my foot.
As I dug in the snow, I kept looking around.
‘I hope he at least found shelter in the cave…’
Suddenly, a chill ran down my spine.
I quickly lifted my head and started searching for something.
‘This is definitely Zeno’s power!’
Even though the connection was faint, I could still sense Zeno’s energy.
Since it was similar to mine, it meant Cedric must be injured.
I was relieved that Zeno was with him.
Focusing on the faint energy, I started digging in the snow with even more effort.
“Aaahhh!”
No matter what, I was determined to find Cedric.
“It’s no use.”
The constant snow made it hard to see, let alone find even a strand of Cedric’s hair right in front of me.
“Your Grace, the Duchess, we need to return. It’s too dangerous to stay here.”
“…But I can’t go back without knowing where the Duke is trapped.”
“Even so, it’s dangerous. Without the Duke, our top priority is to protect you, Your Grace.”
I couldn’t let go of my hesitation.
The white bear was shielding me from the snow with its paw, but the knights were right. It was too much to endure for long.
Just then, something popped into my head.
[The two will be surprised by their unexpected meeting. They will use the cold as an excuse to share body heat.]
“What?!”
“W-What’s wrong?”
The knights, startled by my sudden scream, hurried over.
“…It’s nothing.”
I frowned at the unexpected thought.
I had assumed that the story was progressing differently due to the changes in my relationship with Cedric, but…
The scene I had just remembered was originally supposed to be about me seducing Cedric.
‘Did I switch places with Isabel?’
This was a development I hadn’t expected at all. I covered my mouth, feeling like I’d been hit in the back of the head.
‘What a mess.’
Isabel wouldn’t stop until she got what she wanted.
I needed to find Cedric quickly, but looking at the weather, there wasn’t much hope.
[The Emperor, knowing Isabel had disappeared, began searching the continent. The Empire would suffer great losses if the deal with the Narkas Kingdom fell through.]
Even if my father was searching for Isabel, it wouldn’t be easy.
I couldn’t sense Zeno’s power anymore, as if he was hiding it.
So, all I could do now was meet with my father and convince him.
‘I need to stop the marriage alliance with Narkas and find a way to avoid any losses to the Empire.’
If I could do that, maybe Isabel would finally stop her madness.
“Let’s go back. I have somewhere else I need to be.”
“…Where do you plan to go, Your Grace?”
“We need to head to Lendsa Castle.”
Though my father would come looking for me, there was no need to wait for him.
I never thought I’d be going to the Imperial Palace on my own.
But this was the only plan I could think of right now.
I knew exactly what the Narkas Kingdom wanted, and I also knew why my father was pushing for the alliance.
Isabel and my father might not realize it yet, but this fight was as good as won.
“Roaarrr!” (You better give me a feast when we get back!)
“Don’t worry, I’ll make sure you’re well-fed!”
With the white bear’s excited roar, we cut through the snow and headed back to the Duke’s estate.
The knights, feeling nauseous, immediately vomited after getting off the bear’s back.
I looked at them with pity before hurrying inside the mansion.
“Your Grace, are you alright? You don’t look well.”
“I’m fine. We didn’t find the Duke, but I’ll find him soon, so don’t worry.”
“The Duke will be fine. Please just take care of yourself, Your Grace.”
The butler quickly ran over and followed behind me as I entered, while Lien draped a thick shawl over my shoulders.
Despite their concern, I didn’t slow down my steps.
“Your Grace, at least warm yourself by the fireplace. You’ll catch a cold.”
“Lien, I’m fine.”
“But your hands are so cold…”
“It’s just because the blizzard lowered my body temperature, but I won’t catch a cold from this.”
I smiled at Lien to reassure her and slipped into my room.
Peeking out through the door, I looked at the people following me and said, “I need to think for a bit, so don’t come in.”
“But…!”
“It’ll only take a moment. It won’t take long. I have somewhere I need to go soon.”
Then I closed the door.
