Side Story Chapter 1

The carriage, which had been shaking unsteadily, tilted to one side.

“Ah.”

It happened in an instant.

As my body leaned, I hit my head against the window.

My head spun.

I quickly put my hand on the window and reached for the doorknob.

“I’m sorry. It seems the wheel is broken. Are you alright?”

When I opened the door, I saw the wheel stuck in the muddy ground where the snow had melted.

The young coachman jumped down from the driver’s seat and looked at me with anxious eyes.

The coachman who accompanied me this time was a newcomer. He closed his eyes tightly, fearing I might scold him.

“It’s fine. We’re almost there anyway.”

I nonchalantly dusted off my dress, wet from the snow.

“I’ll walk from here. You should take the carriage to the royal storage and have it fixed.”

“Yes, understood.”

The coachman nodded and turned the horse to the left.

The coachman, who used to hesitate in front of the grand royal carriage storage like a country bumpkin, seemed to have gotten used to it and found his way well.

When I took a deep breath, a cloudy puff of air escaped from my mouth.

Even in the palace, which I thought was always in spring, the cold had settled. Icicles hung from the fountain with the statue in front of the palace.

It’s eerily familiar, a scene I encounter whenever the seasons change.

Yet, the gigantic castle gate was something I could never get used to.

The pointed spires and the rigid knights standing there were overwhelming to anyone in front of the gate.

Standing before them, even the innocent would shrink back.

And I, too, wanted to return as soon as possible.

Despite having seen this gate countless times, it still felt strange.

If it weren’t for the familiar emblem on the fluttering flag, I might have turned around, believing I was in the wrong place.

Since only authorized nobles could pass through, the line for inspection was always short.

But today, there were many people being inspected.

Moreover, a cargo wagon set up at the entrance was causing a bottleneck.

“There’s no banquet, so why all the cargo…?”

With it taking this long already, I couldn’t fathom when I would cross the gate and return to my territory.

‘Sometimes, it might be nice to take a boat when it’s quiet.’

Deon had said he wanted to walk along the beach with me before I left, but I never got to walk the shore with him.

The sudden change of emperor had made the empire’s affairs incredibly busy.

With my visits to the palace, Deon changed the territorial reports from written to in-person.

Once a month, envoys could include relatives, but unlike other heads of families who sent their grown children or relatives, I had no kin to send.

In the end, I had to find my own way to the palace.

And I knew why he had changed the reporting to in-person meetings.

He was targeting me.

Somehow, he had handed over the territory to me too easily.

I was well aware of his insidious intention to keep me anchored in the palace, but even when I left for my territory, there was a lingering unease. This was it.

If I had known it would be like this, I would have asked for a territory closer to the royal palace!

Of all places, I was drawn to the sea and pointed to the farthest place from the capital on the map.

Thinking of Deon turning around and laughing wickedly made my anger flare up.

But it was too late for regrets. It was too late to take it back.

I was already being called Countess Rioni Croix.

Last summer, I was stuck in the palace for fifteen days due to monsoon rains and torrential downpours. It was pointless to depart late as there wasn’t enough time to return by the beginning of the month, so I had no choice but to stay in the palace.

Even the weather in this world was not on my side.

Even when I left the palace, Deon followed me like a shadow.

Despite this, something seemed off about the castle gate today.

I walked forward and approached the guard conducting the inspections.

“Why is the inspection delayed today?”

The guard responded indifferently.

“A delegation from a foreign country has arrived.”

Only then did I notice the exotic patterns on the cloths covering their faces.

They seemed to be from a warm region like me. The robes pressed tightly on their heads looked thin.

Except for the one person standing in front of them.

A woman clad in leather stood before the castle gate.

She was a striking beauty with tanned skin from the southern regions. The jewels adorning her forehead suggested she was of noble status.

The line was long. I would probably have to wait at least another hour.

I let out a deep sigh.

If only the wheel hadn’t broken. Or if the carriage hadn’t overturned midway, I wouldn’t be delayed like this.

Originally, I was supposed to arrive in the capital yesterday.

“I’ve come at the summons of the palace, so please waive the inspection.”

“Due to the delegation, we cannot neglect the inspection. No noble is exempt. Please wait a bit longer.”

“I was originally scheduled to visit yesterday. My name should be on the passage list.”

“As I repeatedly said, there are no exceptions.”

He responded stubbornly.

“Please wait in your carriage. We will open the gate for you when it’s your turn.”

He added as if he were granting a favor.

Carriage?

The carriage with the broken wheel had long since returned to the storage.

There was no choice. I had to spend my time in front of the gate until the inspection was over.

Standing idly before the palace gate, my thoughts drifted to the north.

Now a ruin turned into a prisoner camp, that place.

It would have been nice if I recalled it out of nostalgia, but the reason I thought of the north was not out of longing.

The palace’s harsh cold reminded me of the unrelenting chill of the north.

My coastal territory is warm enough that we don’t make fur shoes.

I had grown so accustomed to the climate of my territory that I had completely forgotten the weather in the palace.

To forget the cold after all that suffering.

The chilly air pierced through the thin fabric and crept into my feet. As I stomped my feet, footprints were left in the snow.

“Count Croix?”

Sniffling, I tightened my cape around me when a long shadow fell over me.

A man, trying to ride into the castle gate, called out to me.

I looked up at the familiar voice.

As the shadow cast by the bright sunlight disappeared from his face, I finally saw the man’s face.

It was Rian.

“Rian!”

Wow, who would have thought I’d be so glad to see someone who used to seem as sly as a snake?

I hurried over to him.

“At your service.”

The knights conducting the inspection saluted him with tense expressions.

Rian, frowning at me, seemed to grasp the situation and sternly ordered them.

“She is a guest of the palace. Open the gate immediately.”

“Yes, sir. We obey your command.”

Being someone of the royal palace certainly had its perks. When he flashed his gleaming high-ranking official badge, the knights who had been looking at me with dry eyes hurriedly opened the gate.

They said there were no exceptions.

The seemingly impenetrable gate opened easily before that badge.

“Are you here alone? No coachman? Where is your carriage?”

Rian asked, looking around.

“…You know, considering the long journey, the only thing that survived intact was me, inside the carriage.”

The distance from the granted territory to the royal palace was too far. The horse couldn’t even make it halfway before collapsing.

We stopped at another territory to change horses, but as we neared the capital, their pace slowed.

The forced march eventually broke the wheel, and the coachman took the carriage to the garage.

After I explained the situation, Rian nodded in understanding.

He dismounted and handed the reins to a knight. Then he walked beside me into the palace.

“Why didn’t you just take off your cape? The color of your hair is a stronger proof than my badge. It signifies you are a person of the emperor.”

With so many eyes already watching me, I hated drawing attention from outside the palace.

As soon as he finished speaking, I tightened the strings of my cape hood to hide my hair even more.

“But what brings you here at this hour, Rian? Is there something urgent in the palace?”

The smile vanished from his face at my words.

“Yes. An emergency meeting has been called. An unscheduled delegation from the Principality of Vietan has arrived. I am a bit late myself. But since I am walking in with you, I won’t be reprimanded. Just say I was guiding you.”

He smiled faintly.

Though it sounded like a joke, I mulled over one word he said.

Delegation.

Rian was saying the same thing as the knight.

“It seems the intervals between our meetings are getting shorter. I believe I saw you in the palace corridors just two weeks ago.”

Yes, I had stayed late at the palace last time as well.

As a result, my abandoned carriage had rusted. Eventually, the wobbling wheel broke today.

My late arrival in the capital was also due to Deon holding me back. Thinking that my coldness was because of him made my anger rise.

“Has he thought about changing the territorial reports back to written form?”

“Yes. I believe that might be the case.”

Rian responded nonchalantly, without any sign of concern.

“For a royal aide, aren’t you a bit too incompetent?”

“What can I do when it’s not up to me?”

“If he wants to hear about the territory so much, why doesn’t he go on an inspection tour? Has he ever considered visiting the territory himself?”

I grumbled, and he tilted his head towards me.

“Is that a behind-the-back complaint about our superior just for me, or is it a suggestion for the aide to pass along? If it’s the latter, shall I convey your opinion to His Majesty?”

“Do as you wish.”

I no longer had any desire to ingratiate myself with Deon for survival or to flatter him to gain wealth.

It was clear that I was never cut out to be a noble favored by the emperor.

I wasn’t even a good lord who could prosper the territory by taking advantage of the emperor’s favor.