At dinner with Roenna, for the first time in a long while, Marin paused mid-bite.
"Who is this from?"
She held up the letter her mother had just handed her.
"Do you remember my old friend, Madame Jasmine?"
"Has she returned to the empire?"
Jasmine had been Roenna's closest friend—someone Marin herself had met only a few times as a child. When their house collapsed and they'd desperately needed help, she was the first person Roenna had thought to contact.
But she'd been abroad for years, following her diplomat husband through foreign courts.
"Yes. She came back and tried to find us, but couldn't trace where we'd gone." Roenna smiled softly. "Then, after your engagement, people started talking about our family again—and her letter finally arrived."
"That's wonderful news."
Marin meant it sincerely. The contractual engagement had done more than she'd anticipated—it had restored a connection she'd thought lost forever.
"Jasmine has invited me to her southern estate. You'll be leaving for the capital soon for Lady Daya's debut. I thought I'd time my trip to coincide with yours."
"That's a perfect idea." Marin's face brightened. "It's much warmer in the South than here—you can rest properly. Take walks with your friend. Enjoy yourself."
The South, where even winter stayed gentle, suited Roenna far better than the biting cold of the West. Before her father's death, they'd often wintered there as a family.
Beyond that, if Marin left for the capital, her mother would be here alone—and that thought had been gnawing at her.
"Mom, let's have a new dress made for you first!"
Marin decided then and there to spend the money from the Duke generously. Roenna deserved to look beautiful when she reunited with her friend after so many years.
---
## — The Days Before Departure —
In preparation for leaving for the capital, Marin's schedule became impossibly full.
Dress measurements with Idre. Dawn training at the parade ground. Reading reports to the Duke. Afternoon lessons with Rubiena and Perido. Evening story readings to help the Duke sleep.
Fortunately, Perido could now fall asleep on his own, without fairy tales.
She saw Roenna off when she departed for the South, and found moments to share tea with Daya. She even managed to dodge Surenn's repeated invitations to drink—though just barely.
Then, late one night, she arrived at the Duke's study for the usual bedtime reading—and stopped short.
The Duke was already on his feet, buckling a sword belt around his waist.
"Hunting?" Marin stared at him. "In *winter*—what kind of hunting?"
"I need a gift."
Her eyes went wide, lips parting in confusion.
*A gift worth hunting for in winter?* Fur, perhaps?
The Duke acted as though this were perfectly ordinary. He finished adjusting his sword and straightened.
"I'll return in approximately seven days. That will coincide with our departure for the capital."
"You're leaving *right now*? Tonight?"
"We need to evade the spies watching the castle. The knights are already waiting in the forest." His voice was calm, businesslike. "I've been pretending to remain here, so continue coming to the study each day with Olive."
"Ah..."
A dozen responses tumbled through her mind. *Have a safe journey. Don't get hurt. Happy hunting.*
What came out was:
"Do you have to go?"
The words escaped before she could stop them.
Marin bit her lower lip, silently chastising herself.
"Yes. This is a gift I'm obligated to give."
A cold smile touched his lips—the kind of smile that held no warmth at all.
Marin's eyes widened again. *He's going to retrieve a gift, and his face looks like he's marching to war?*
"I'm going."
"H-have a safe journey."
Her whisper barely reached him as he turned toward the door.
"Yes."
The single word floated back.
Marin's eyes widened for a moment—then she smiled.
---
## — The Day of Departure —
Time flew.
The day to leave for the capital arrived. Fortunately, the Duke had returned late the night before—tired but intact.
*In front of the main building.*
The servants had been dismissed due to the early hour, but Butler Sebas and Head Maid Paige remained despite assurances that all was well.
"If you feel even slightly unwell, contact the physician traveling with you immediately."
The butler repeated the same instruction for perhaps the fifth time, his weathered face creased with grandfatherly concern.
"Yes, I understand."
Paige nodded in agreement.
"Come here a moment."
Sebas glanced around, then drew Marin aside. From within his coat, he produced a rolled bundle of black leather.
Marin unfolded it carefully.
Inside lay a silver dagger—slender, elegant, slightly longer than her palm.
She looked up at him in surprise.
"Why this?"
"I intended to give it to you after teaching you knife fighting... but it seems that will have to wait." His voice was gruff with emotion. "His Lordship will always protect you, but one never knows. Let's hope you never need it."
His wrinkled eyes trembled with barely concealed anxiety.
*So this was the secret commission Surenn kept quiet about.*
The dagger was remarkably light—clearly forged specifically because she couldn't wield a heavy sword.
"Thank you, Mentor."
Marin accepted his concern with genuine gratitude.
"If you realize you can't handle a situation—*throw it and run*."
"Yes."
Returning to her previous spot, Marin looked between the butler and head maid.
"Please look after the children who are staying behind."
"Don't worry."
"Not a bit."
They answered with quiet certainty—as though there were no other possible outcome.
Marin smiled and clutched the sleeping pills she'd obtained from the physician. She planned to take them the moment she entered the carriage.
Here, under the Duke's protection, travel was relatively manageable. But the journey to the capital—especially arriving alongside him—would draw every eye in the empire.
Even to the palace for Daya's debut, she would have to ride in the carriage with him.
She'd decided: even with pharmaceutical help, she would train herself to endure. To get used to the thing she feared most.
Julia, standing quietly nearby, took the folded leather bundle from Marin's hands.
"I'll pack this in your luggage."
"Thank you."
But Julia's face, as she tucked the dagger away, tensed slightly.
"Julia, is everything all right?"
"I think I'm nervous. This is my first time leaving the West." She managed a small smile. "It's reassuring that Yubis is coming with us."
Several knights had been assigned to guard them on the journey. Yubis was among them—also traveling to the capital for the first time.
"This is my first time in the capital too, actually. We're in the same situation."
"Really?"
"Yes." A slight smile flickered across Marin's lips.
"Teacher Marin."
She turned at the sound.
Daya stood with Garnet, Rubiena, and Perido—the four of them approaching together.
They came closer and spoke in turn.
"Teacher Marin, have a safe journey." Rubiena's voice was thick, her eyes already reddening. "Please take care of our sister."
She'd cried when Roenna left for the South too. The girl had such a tender heart.
Garnet spoke next, deliberately cheerful:
"Eldest, look after our sister!"
"Teacher, get along with my older sister!"
Perido placed his hand over his stomach and executed a perfectly polite bow.
Marin met each of their eyes in turn—then pulled all three into her arms at once.
Living with these children, she'd grown impossibly attached without realizing it.
"Stay healthy and take care of yourselves!"
"Don't worry."
"*Heung*, I want to go too..."
"Ruby, I'm not crying—and you shouldn't cry either."
Perido delivered this mature reprimand without releasing his grip on Marin's hem.
They were so unbearably sweet that Marin squeezed them tighter—until Daya, watching with an expression that said *what am I going to do with all of you*, finally intervened.
"It's time for Teacher to go."
"Daya, maybe we should bring them with us? How can I possibly leave them?"
The closer she'd grown to Daya, the more freely she spoke.
"Teacher." Daya was clearly fighting a smile. "*You're* the one who won't let them go."
"That's right. I'm not letting go."
"It's getting stuffy—will you *please* release me?" Garnet transformed back into a prickly cat.
Finally, reluctantly, Marin loosened her embrace.
"But Teacher let me go pretty quickly." Rubiena pouted. "Really? Sister Daya held on until I said I was hungry."
"That's true," Perido confirmed.
Marin glanced at Daya, who was suddenly studying the distant horizon with great interest. The moment passed quickly; she turned back to Marin, expression softening with concern.
"Teacher. Are you certain you can handle the carriage ride?"
"Thank you for worrying. I plan to sit down and fall asleep immediately."
Understanding flickered in Daya's eyes. She nodded slightly.
"If you're asleep, I'll sit beside you with my embroidery."
She lifted her rattan craft bag and smiled.
A long, drawn-out neigh pierced the morning air.
A black, four-horse carriage rolled forward and stopped directly before them—the crest of House Vines gleaming prominently on its lacquered doors.