The Marquis of Rodian and The Iron Wall Lady

There was no rumor that there was a discord between the master and the master’s fiancée—whom, neither the person concerned nor those around her could decide whether or not she was fake or not.

It was because all the people who witnessed it in person remained silent. Edith found it infuriating, even though she thought it was natural. She had originally been one of the trustworthy individuals, but now she was driven away by the crowd, making her feel restless. Moreover, whatever was happening with her was unrelated to the dowager queen, but she had to face Her Majesty morning and evening, which was incredibly tiring.

“Lady Argyle, how would you like to meet someone decent for you?”

“What?”

“I told Alpheus to propose within three days. It’s been two days since I said it, so it must be tomorrow.”

“…”

“I thought he would say no, but he responded kindly that he would.”

Edith raised her head, forgetting that it was rude. the dowager queen, who had a calm face, looked at her with searching eyes.

“I don’t know who it is yet, but it’s probably Catherine.”

Catherine Derrick, who sat next to the dowager queen, smiled awkwardly with an ambiguous expression. The face of Lady Spencer, who had foreseen her elimination from the line with the marquis, was dyed red, and Lady Russell was comparatively calm, but her smile disappeared as if she had painted it.

And Edith felt an unexpectedly boiling stomach and was embarrassed. If Alpheus proposed to Catherine Derrick, it must be part of a strategy to implement a mutual deal.

Logically speaking, it was inevitable. Catherine Derrick would only pretend to accept the proposal and the union of the two would make the Duke of Galloway angry.

‘Is this why you excluded me?’

If so, it made sense for her to use an incomprehensible force. He must have thought it wasn’t a good thing for her to hear. Yes, that must be it.

Edith muttered inwardly. At least Alpheus didn’t lie. Although the method was unsatisfactory, it was out of consideration for her.

Maybe… But the understanding and emotional acceptance with her heart…… It was one thing. She was more angry because she couldn’t say that his judgment was wrong.

She wasn’t confident of seeing him propose to another woman in front of her. Because his fiancée was her! The fact that the engagement had gone beyond all formalities and was established as a contract equivalent to a special duty was good enough. Edith admitted that she was feeling jealous. It was a great step forward for her.

Because of her pride, Edith would never directly confess her feelings to Alpheus. But if he and Catherine Derrick held hands in front of everyone, she wouldn’t be able to stay there.

Was there no other way? There must have been. But to hurry, making use of the given situation seemed to be the best option, especially since she was dealing with the formidable figure of the dowager queen. Edith suppressed a bitter laugh. Even amidst her twisted emotions, her mind was quick to turn.

“How are you, Lady Argyle?”

There was nothing to argue about. The meaning of the proposal given by the dowager queen was simple. She was here to get a wife to help her nephew and her family, so she guessed she would get rid of the unwelcome woman completely.

“I didn’t say I’ll just give anyone to you. Since you have high standards, I’ll choose a handsome and capable young man for you. Someone who matches your status, perhaps a royal palace guard or something similar. How does that sound?”

“Your Majesty, with all due respect, why don’t you say such a thing later?”

“What do you mean, Catherine? Lady Argyle is older than you and has passed her marriage years.”

Catherine couldn’t hide her displeased expression as she glanced at Edith, trying to signal something with her eyes.

She was sorry because she tried to moderately cut off the dowager queen but she only made more noise. However, Edith had already become tired of listening to what the dowager queen was saying a long time ago.

She didn’t just listen passively. She countered and defeated each argument one by one. Although it stung a bit, none of the cases actually had any real impact on her position.

Having grown accustomed to such conversations over time, Edith didn’t feel any additional pain due to the speaker’s high status. She accepted the dowager queen’s words without any visible emotion, surprising the onlookers with her composure.

“Thank you for your words, Your Majesty the Dowager Queen.”

“No need for formalities. Such matters are something the lady of the court should rightfully bestow.”

“Yes, that may be so. However, you don’t need to concern yourself with me in that regard.”

“What do you mean?”

“I have no intention of getting married.”

“…Does that statement come with the assumption ‘unless it’s Alpheus’?”

Until recently, she would have flatly denied the dowager queen’s question. But Edith had gone through quite a lot in the storm of the marquis, which began with Viola Galloway.

Her thoughts changed considerably accordingly. She still felt negatively about marriage, which had to be done when the time was right. But there was a man she wanted to be with. Edith responded resolutely, even as she received the dowager queen’s stare piercingly at her.

“That’s how it is.”

“You know I won’t allow it. Because you are smart.”

Edith smiled lightly instead of answering. The dowager queen’s eyes grew sharp.

“You still don’t need it?”

“I am sorry, Your Majesty the Dowager Queen.”

“I was mistaken.”

“…”

“I thought you’d understand me well, but you didn’t.”

She thought it would be rude to answer back. Edith remained silent. The dowager queen remained silent for a moment, as if waiting for her to change her words even now, but she persisted until the end. Eventually, it was the dowager queen who opened her mouth again. And this time’s words were a little bit more harsh and blatant.

“Do you want to be a marchioness that bad?”

“Your Highness the Dowager Queen.”

“Stay quiet, Catherine. Answer me, Lady Argyle.”

She knew that simply brushing it off was the best option. If not, she would have to endlessly apologize. But neither option felt appealing. It didn’t matter how the dowager queen perceived her, but remaining silent and allowing the dowager queen’s thoughts to become the truth would be too dreadful. She didn’t want to regret it later. Edith straightened her back.

“If Your Majesty’s words mean whether I want wealth and status, no.”

“Then there’s only one thing left for you. Do you intend to claim it’s love?”

“Can’t I do that?”

Queen Griselda laughed dryly. She didn’t mean to offend Edith. Rather, it was more like a despondent laugh of a person who heard a vain legend that did not exist in the world. In light of the dowager queen’s life, love must have been like a mirage.

“I’ve completely misjudged you. You have no intention of marrying, but you want to be by Alpheus’s side because you love him? Lady Argyle, you are so terribly tacky!”

It was an unfamiliar experience to be told by an older generation that it was outdated. Edith opened her eyes wide.

“If you had said you were enticed by Rodian’s honor and the increasing wealth he possesses, I might have understood. But love, really? That’s just absurd. Lady Argyle, you are quite something! So, you’re saying you love my nephew, Alpheus Rodian, is that it?”

However, as if she was not satisfied with the brief criticism, the dowager queen continued to shoot back nervously.

With her rapid speaking speed and impeccable courtly intonation, listening became painful and dizzying. If Alpheus’s name hadn’t been mentioned at the end, Edith might have lost her composure entirely. She managed to barely receive the dowager queen’s words.

“… What did you say?”

“Oh, yes. You want to hear it again, clearly this time.”

It was a waste to repeat the words in a place where no one needed to hear them again. But going back on her word now, after stirring the dowager queen’s emotions, was something she couldn’t afford to do at this point.

Edith took a short breath, and then stared straight into the eyes of the dowager queen, who was staring at her. Still, she was glad to see that dark green eyes looked just like Alpheus. She had a faint smile on her face.

“That’s right. I love him.”

The dowager queen opened her eyes wide. Contrary to what she had been prepared for, the words of ridicule did not come out immediately. Edith’s answer, though she did not know it herself, sounded more like a declaration than a mere confirmation.

A calm voice, as well as a calm smile, firmly supported her words, making the doubter laughable. The ladies who were next to the queen looked at Edith with eyes close to awe. The unexpected response left her throat feeling dry and stiff, and she had to make an effort not to swallow hard.

“…You may leave now.”

The dismissal finally came after a long time. Rather than continuing to suffer, Edith thought it was better to be sent away, so she got up without saying a word.

As she bowed and left, the stares piercing her back felt quite uncomfortable. Not only the dowager queen alone, Catherine Derrick and the other two ladies seemed to be looking at her.

~~~~

Edith didn’t go back right away, but went around the marquisate once. She couldn’t stand it without the cold wind because her stomach was boiling.

She deliberately chose a remote path. She did not encounter anyone because she was perfectly aware of the structure of the marquisate, as well as the route and times of the servants. There was a long and narrow road between the outer wall of the castle and the bell tower.

It was a cool road even in summer, with two layers of shade cast by the cold walls and tall towers. Edith walked slowly through the road, savoring it.

The cold winter air coiled around her neck. Edith was cold from head to toe when she came out to the bright spot.

Still, her mood calmed down a lot and her brain worked properly. It was a little embarrassing to reflect on what happened earlier in a calm state.

Would it have been better not to stand up to the dowager queen? It couldn’t be helped because she already spilled water but… no, no. It would be difficult for Edith to react differently if she heard the same thing again. The dowager queen’s words were just as repressive and unpleasant.

Not only was she denying her relationship with Alpheus, but she was also trying to overturn Edith’s life so far.

In front of everyone.

‘Just not saying ‘please excuse me’ was unlike Edith.’

‘Really, why should I listen to such a thing.’

What, look at the reality? Someone who was handsome and capable but without any social status differences? Did it make any sense to say that she would dispose of him for a more suitable partner?

This was too much for the dowager queen. Even if there was no further progress with Alpheus, it would have ended there.

She had no intention of handing herself over to a man she had never met for the sake of others. She wouldn’t be here now if she were the kind to live that way. Edith frowned and thought to herself.

‘Should I at least claim damages?’

Of course, the target of the claim was Alpheus Rodian, the Marquis of Rodian. Because all this happened because of him in the first place. After all, this entire situation arose because of him. Moreover, the reason for the ongoing two-day silent war was also because he made unreasonable demands of her.

Quitting her job, discarding her position as a fiancée—although she had said all sorts of things, for years Edith had been known as the marquis’s treasurer.

Cutting off that fact meant cutting off her past life, and even further, it meant cutting off her time with Alpheus.

But how could she be so calm and dismiss herself in such a manner?

‘I haven’t even decided what to do.’

Before she knew it, she had confirmed her feelings and even her attachment, but everything afterward was still uncertain.

She had been contemplating leaving, but suddenly, so much had changed. Yes, that’s right. She had considered leaving. It seemed better to abandon everything rather than being stuck in this ambiguous situation.

However, in the meantime, she had completely forgotten about Alpheus, who could be stubborn and forceful in his own way, trying to hold onto her or let her go. Edith shook her head, feeling flustered. As she reexamined everything, nothing was certain. With a helpless expression on her face, the cold wind swept over her.

“Ugh, it’s cold.”

Edith pressed her red ears with her palms and walked from time to time. In fact, it was not good to be out for a long time, even if you were very familiar with the winter weather of Silverglen.

She made up her mind to go straight into the marchioness’s room. But the plan didn’t happen. As she approached the pathway leading to the courtyard, she sensed an unusual commotion.

The distinctive sound of confusion and chaos filled the air as many people hurriedly moved around, shouting loudly to communicate. When she stepped into the courtyard, she was greeted with the sight of servants and even knights, who were usually scattered around the annexes or other work locations, all gathered together.

Some of them were even carrying their armor and weapons by their sides, clanking loudly as they moved. Edith was taken aback. What on earth was happening here?

Everyone who came and went in front of her was familiar, but it was not easy to notice a face worth calling out to. Moreover, everyone was busy, so they didn’t even pay attention to Edith, who was looking around, and they hurried past.

She was a little annoyed. But she was dying from curiosity to leave this ridiculous sight alone, and she didn’t dare to wade through the midst of the men rushing her way like the rapids of a monsoon season.

Fortunately, there was one easy-going person in the gap. He was usually a great person who makes a lot of noise, but it was very nice to see him. Edith held up her hand and waved it so that the man who was usually giving orders to the knights could see her.

“Sir Dart!”

“Oh, Lady Argyle.”

The knight commander looked a little surprised. And instead of approaching Edith immediately, he rolled his eyes from side to side and made a motion as if he were looking for something. Somehow, it seemed like he was looking for a gap to run away. Edith, of course, ignored it.

“Sir Dart! Look at me!”

With her gaze fixed, Edith couldn’t bear it any longer and called out to Dart, who approached her with clinking armor and weapons like the other knights.

“Lady Argyle, why are you here?”

“That’s what I want to ask. What are you doing here?”

“Uh, well, I’m just doing my job.”

So, what is your job? As someone who lacked eloquence, trying to dodge the question only aroused suspicion. Edith stared back at the knight commander with an unmistakable look of doubt.

Awkwardly, Edith followed Dart as he took a few steps back. The small number of personnel in the squad meant that the members of the marquis’s retinue had experienced clashes of opinions in every possible combination. Naturally, Edith and Dart had their fair share of arguments over various issues.

There was always trouble between someone managing the money and someone who had plenty of expenses. However, their record of quarrels was relatively small compared to Edith’s conflicts with other retinue members. The reason for this might be…

“Just say it already.”

“What? What do you mean?”

“I can see your eyes darting around.”

This was because Edith’s winning rate was close to ninety percent. It was also a fixed winning rate less than a year after she became chief treasurer. Dart was weak in numbers and Edith was good at calculating large sums on the spot. Having clashed with her a few times, the knight commander, known as the strongest knight in the marquis’s retinue, started to seek wisdom in avoiding fights that would clearly end in his defeat. It was a very wise decision.

As Dart kept losing to her, he found himself intervening even in matters unrelated to numbers whenever he faced Edith. And this time too, just knowing that she was the opponent made him lose his confidence. He was trying to show that he was currently doing something honorable and how could he just let it go without retaliating? Edith glared at Dart.

“Dart, let’s be honest and find peace.”

“…”

The knight commander, who rolled his eyes to the point of dizziness, finally opened his mouth with difficulty.

“… His Excellency ordered preparations for hunting.”

“Hunt? What hunt?”

“Well, you see, this year’s hunting season has become uncertain, so it’s sort of a dual-purpose thing.”

“What do you mean, dual-purpose? What does the hunt have to do with anything?”

“Well, it’s like this…”

After a long and winding explanation, Dart finally provided the information Edith wanted, but she couldn’t help but feel amused. Dart’s explanation was so convoluted and nonsensical that she couldn’t bring herself to laugh.

“So, he’s going on a hunt for a silver fox to propose to Lady Derrick?”

It was the traditional method of the Rodian family to make a marriage proposal by catching and offering a silver fox. It is said that the first marquis did so.

However, as time passed, it remained just an old story, and it was common practice to replace it with a handicraft made with the silver fox mark. But it was incredible to bring it back to life. Isn’t it unclear if it really exists in the first place? Did Dowager Queen Griselda, a blood member of the Rodian family, order him to do so? No, no matter what. Edith frowned heavily.

“No, proposing to Lady Derrick is…”

“I know that it’s fake.”

“What? Lady Argyle, that is.”

“Forget it.”

She cut off her opponent’s words nervously. It was strictly rude, but she couldn’t afford to save face. Dart, who usually didn’t mind strict formalities and was lenient with her, didn’t say anything in response.

Perhaps her ferocious expression also had a profound effect on his silence. Five or six hours later, Alpheus led the knights off on a hunt. They set off in the middle of the night, avoiding waking the sleeping dowager queen, the guest, and lady of the castle. The knights waited outside the castle in advance, and Alpheus and Dart finally came out to join them.

“Let’s depart.”

“Yes.”

The people who had been waiting with a bonfire lit got up and mounted the horses, warming up their stiff bodies from the cold. It was a waste of time because it took quite a long time from Silverglen to the Rodian Forest in the northernmost part.

The carriages, which had reduced mobility, were not taken, and even the draft horses were replaced with trained war horses. As a result, the servants who were not familiar with riding or were afraid of horses were largely excluded. Their roles were given to the squires, who, although not as skilled as knights in riding, could at least keep up without falling behind.

“Ugh.”

To keep up with the fast pace at the front, they had to urgently urge the horses forward. Occasional muffled screams and distressed noises came from the back. Of course, Alpheus seemed completely unaffected, urging the horses on as if he couldn’t hear anything.

“Heyah!”

“Your Excellency, Your Excellency! Please slow down!”

Dart, who was riding alongside, quickly fell behind. Startled, he urged his horse to speed up and catch up with the group along the road.

“It’s too fast, Your Excellency. Some of the people following may have difficulty keeping up.”

“Then it must mean you’ve been negligent in their training. We don’t have much time.”

“It’s not just the knights who are riding, Your Excellency.”

“Are you suggesting that we treat the squires like ladies?”

Alpheus frowned and glanced back. He had already explained why he was suddenly recruiting people and rushing out hunting, but it meant that he was offended by the strange excuse of not rushing. After reading the lord’s discomfort, the knight commander couldn’t bear to say more and put on a puzzled expression.

“It’s too slow now. Hurry up.”

“But…”

Alpheus paid no attention to Dart’s sigh and urged his horse forward. Once again, Dart’s breath was overshadowed by the fierce wind and the thundering sound of hooves as Alpheus galloped ahead, leaving Dart behind.

“Are you all right, Lady Argyle?”

“I-I’m fine, but…ugh! There’s nothing I can do about it.”

The young man who rode behind her was Dart’s relative and a squire, and despite his delicate appearance, he had impressive riding skills. Trying not to be noticed by moving much further back from her original position, Lady Argyle managed to keep up with the group, but she was struggling. While he seemed perfectly at ease, she felt like she was clinging on for dear life, having merely hitched a ride on someone else’s horse.

“Do not speak! If you bite your tongue, it will hurt!”

“I know, ugh, I got it!”

Compared to the carriage ride, this reckless ride was beyond comparison. The teeth clacked against each other, and her ears rang with the wind. She was practically drained of energy as she held on for dear life. Following Alpheus on his secret hunting trip had been an impulsive decision.

She couldn’t help but wonder how grand his proposal was going to be, and the scale of the whole affair turned out to be much bigger than she had anticipated. She vehemently tried to persuade and threaten Dart to stop him, but after a heated struggle, she finally gave in and raised both hands in surrender.

「Do we really have to go to that rough place?」

「What are you talking about? It’s not dangerous at all.」

Wild beasts were rare in the Rodian Forest. It was famous as the habitat of the silver fox, but the silver fox had not appeared for several years. Edith was quite well aware of these facts, having inevitably followed them during the official hunting festival.

“We’re here, Lady Argyle.”

As the commander of the knights, Dart had to be by the marquis’s side all the time, so Dart could not take care of Edith’s safety. If she wanted to stay out of sight of him, she had to be with someone else instead of Dart.

The squire boy, who believed in the knight commander, was willing to accept the duties that Dart had entrusted. He also lent her her own clothes.

Mixed among the boys in similar clothes, she just looked like one of the servants. Edith stepped on the ground and sighed deeply.

There were many boys who acted similarly, so they didn’t stand out. If you looked closely, you may know that the line is softer and the movement is different, but it would not have happened.

But just in case, she hadn’t been anywhere near Alpheus. If she was caught, it would be a mess and her pride would be greatly damaged. He was also busy packing and directing equipment, so he didn’t look far away, so she could barely hear his voice.

“Leave the work behind the scenes, and start right away.”

“I understand, Your Excellency.”

At the entrance to the forest, the group split. Only a few of the servants were selected for the group entering the forest, while the rest were ordered to wait at the entrance guarding horses and luggage.

After some time, they would go in to collect the results of the hunt, but even then, not everyone was going to go in. Needless to say, Dart wanted Edith to wait outside. Also, needless to say, Edith had no intention of doing that.

“I’m going.”

“Yes? Where are you going?”

She casually followed the group’s tail as they entered the forest. It wasn’t the first time she’d been here, and since she knew her rough road, she ran without fear.

It happened without the frightened boy having time to stop her.

The Rodian forest was quite large, but the terrain was simple. There was little chance of getting lost, and there were several well-trodden paths made by people, so it was said that if you followed them, you could easily find your way out in any direction.

When Edith came with the marquis’s vassals, the forest keeper who guided her assured her that there was no forest as kind and dignified as the Rodian Forest.

But the forest was a forest. Edith was eventually lost as the hunt began and knights and squires scattered here and there.

In the initial moments of being separated, she could hear the sounds of knights from various places, but she couldn’t recklessly go anywhere for fear of running into Alpheus.

Now, the sounds of the wind and human voices were indistinguishable. She tried to somehow determine the direction of the sun, but the trees in the forest were too tall and dense, making it impossible to distinguish shadows.

‘I should’ve brought a compass or something.’

Regretfully sighing belatedly was of no use. Edith tilted her head towards herself, blaming her own rash decision.

She did something really stupid, which was unlike her. What did you want to check after following him like this, and what would she have recklessly changed so much if she checked? Now that she thought about it, she really lost her head and was stubborn. She felt sorry for Dart, who brought her even though he was in trouble and asked her to wait safely.

She wasn’t sure if he was aware of her disappearance, but regardless, she would have to apologize when she returned. Of course, the situation was challenging.

Being driven out by Alpheus among the vassals which was where she thought was her place, meeting with the dowager queen one after another and suffering from coercive words, and then Alpheus being overly sincere in preparing a false marriage proposal to Lady Derrick…

‘I could have been out of my mind under stress, no matter what.’

In difficult situations, she had no taste for being harsh with herself.

The disappointment was brief. Edith comforted herself by recalling what she had been through for several days. She deliberately put her hands on her waist and stomped her foot pretending to be cheerful. It was urgent to find a way somehow while she still had physical strength. She looked everywhere and began to walk toward footprints.

As she felt her way along the path, she hoped she would eventually come across a larger road or something that would lead her in the right direction. Given her unfortunate luck, she had strayed deep into the forest, making it hard to venture further away from any signs of human activity. It made more sense to head towards the proximity of a larger road rather than deeper into the forest where there were no traces of people. In the winter forest, it was wiser to keep moving and maintain body heat than to stay still and risk losing warmth.

Her reasoning was sensible, but the problem was, unfortunately, that the winter forests in the north were out of the ordinary. Edith looked around with a pale face.

Even though she had been walking for over two hours, she hadn’t encountered any signs of human presence. It was incomprehensible. If she had walked in the exact opposite direction of the estate’s people, by now she should have reached the edge of the forest.

From what she knew, the extent of the Rodian Forest was manageable by a person’s footsteps. And although she wasn’t aware of it, the surrounding landscape appeared distinctly unfamiliar.

The bushes that continued from the beginning of the Rodian Forest were full of large trees that seemed to be a hundred years old, and the floor was full of flat grass flowers. Grass flowers in this season! Edith had not looked at the floor properly until then.

Once she had stopped and observed, she could have realized that she had entered some space which could not be called the ordinary Rodian forest. But the fact that she had lost her way, and her shock at the fact that she had failed too much to overcome her impulses, made her wander even further. Until she sensed an unfamiliar scent, in fact, the scent of the flowers beneath her feet.

“What?”

Upon discovering the flower, she was at first puzzled and then horrified.

“What is this…”

The idea of fragrant flowers blooming in the midst of winter sent shivers down her spine. Something felt amiss, and Edith’s throat tightened with unease. She preferred a reality devoid of uncertainties and relied on financial decisions to guide her life. Consequently, she didn’t believe in myths or legends. Such mysteries, unexpectedly thrown at her, were far from welcome.

Why did she have to witness something like this when all she wanted was to find her way out of here? And it didn’t just end there. Edith took a step back with a gasp.

There had been nothing, and then suddenly, something alive had appeared. It was unlike a white snow fox, which shone as white as milk. This creature was different. Its fur sparkled like stars in the sparsely lit forest, and its deep green eyes reminded her of the Rodian lineage.

Even though she had only encountered it in literature and hearsay, and was seeing it for the first time in her life, there was no mistaking it.

It was Silverglen’s silver fox that appeared before Edith. She blinked slowly when she remembered its name. It was because she thought that if it was a fantasy, it would disappear when she closed her eyes and opened them.

Close your eyes tightly, take a deep breath, and slowly push open your eyelids. A halo of light continued to be caught in the clear vision that soon returned.

She closed her eyes again. She closed it tightly enough for it to tingle, took a harder deep breath than before, and opened her eyes. But it was still there! Again and again, she could not see the sight she wanted, the forest with nothing. Edith sighed in amazement.

“Oh, my God.”

The silver fox, who had been staring at her from the beginning, approached with its tail gently. There was no sign of being afraid of people, and it was rather friendly, to the point of embarrassingly poking her head.

Edith did not like nor dislike animals, but her hands moved without realizing it. As the surprisingly soft fur wrapped around her hand, she spontaneously exclaimed.

The silvery fur fluttering between the fingers was still like an illusion. But the touch she felt in her hand was so real. Edith muttered blankly, squatting in front of the silver fox.

“It was a real animal.”

She didn’t mean for anyone to listen.

Because she was alone. But the silver fox shook its head and looked at her as if it had understood the words.

She was astonished. Even if it was a legendary creature, could it really understand human speech? Fortunately, the silver fox didn’t speak the human language fluently.

Placing its front paw on Edith’s knee and displaying a playful demeanor, it was a completely innocent and naive creature. Perhaps because it hadn’t fully matured, it had a certain cuteness to it.

Edith let her guard down completely and began to stroke the silver fox’s head. It was a mistake. After being on high alert for so long and then suddenly relaxing, an overwhelming fatigue rushed over her.

Edith was perplexed by the heavy fatigue. The body, neither trained as a knight nor trained as a hunter, began to limp helplessly once the tension was relieved.

Her body, exposed to the cold for an extended period, was no longer responding as she wished. Her senses for perceiving the external environment had dulled significantly, and her field of vision had narrowed and darkened. In such a state, it was impossible for her to detect any threatening gaze focused on her. She swayed pitifully, barely holding onto the thread of consciousness.

“Edith!”

The voice that reached her ears just before she lost consciousness was familiar.

However, before she could even remember who it was, her consciousness closed in even faster.