Even though I hadn't been outside for very long, my body froze quickly, and moving became difficult.
When it's this cold, your mouth might freeze and you won't be able to speak properly.
The heavy clothing already made it hard to control my movements, and with snow clinging to my feet despite the sulphee, I couldn't walk at all.
I had no choice but to return to the carriage—still cradled in Callius's arms.
"I'm sorry. I caused you trouble by insisting on going out for no good reason."
It couldn't have been easy, carrying someone through a snowy field like that...
"It wasn't difficult at all. Don't worry about it."
To my dismay, Callius's face showed no sign of strain. His breathing wasn't even labored.
Meanwhile, I—who had been carried comfortably—was the one panting from exhaustion and decreased stamina.
"Your lips are blue."
He covered my trembling knees with a blanket.
Then he removed his cloak and draped it over my shoulders—and I gasped as I nearly toppled forward. His large, thick cloak was far too heavy.
"Oh!"
"I'm sorry."
Callius hurriedly steadied me, helping me sit upright again.
I muttered, embarrassed at having made such a strange sound.
"The cloak is too heavy."
"Rather than that, Your Highness, the Princess..."
He stopped mid-sentence and closed his mouth.
"What were you going to say?"
"Nothing."
I suspected he'd been about to say something like, "You're too weak," so I decided not to press the matter and let it slide.
"By the way, are you all right?"
I burst out laughing.
"Do you know how many times today you've asked if I'm all right?"
Callius's expression visibly relaxed when he saw me smiling.
Then, suddenly, he raised his hand and cupped my cheek.
He had been outside with me, yet his hand was surprisingly warm compared to my frozen skin.
The warmth melted the tears that had frozen on my cheeks and eyelashes. They clung to his palm like dewdrops.
I opened my eyes wide, looking at him in surprise.
He spoke cautiously.
"You were crying, weren't you?"
"Ah."
He must have seen me standing on the cliff, tears streaming down my face.
I thought he wouldn't have noticed since I was behind him.
Now I understood why he seemed so relieved.
"Did you think I was crying because I regretted following you?"
"Yes... something like that."
I smiled brightly.
"I once heard someone say, 'Choose your five best memories, and whenever you're feeling down—when you want to give up on life—quickly recall them. That will give you the courage to keep living.'"
"..."
"Today, I gained one of the five memories I'll treasure when times get hard."
Callius's eyes trembled slightly.
"I've never seen such beautiful scenery before. It was so overwhelming that it brought tears to my eyes."
"My heart still races when I think of the scenery I saw earlier."
But the expression on Callius's face as he listened to me was strange—unreadable.
"Do you remember who told you that? About the five memories?"
"Are you curious about that?"
"It's interesting. I know a very similar saying."
"...My most precious friend said it to me."
It was what Karl had told me on the day we first met—the day we said goodbye.
I had promised him then.
"Whenever things get tough, I'll think of you as the first of my five memories."
And since the only memory that ever came to mind—from the first slot to the fifth—was Karl, I suppose I kept that promise very well indeed.
I couldn't go into detail about Karl with Callius, so I offered a vague explanation.
"Words of encouragement are probably the same everywhere. My friend likely heard it somewhere and passed it along to me."
"..."
Callius seemed lost in thought for a moment and didn't respond.
After that, he said nothing more, and a thick silence settled inside the carriage.
We traveled to Abene Castle, which wasn't far from the fortress where the teleportation circle had been installed.
Callius explained that it was growing dark and we couldn't depart for Ronheim immediately.
It was easy to get lost at night in snowy fields, and if a sudden blizzard struck while we were stranded, it would pose a serious threat to our survival.
"The weather in the North is unpredictable. Even when it's clear like this, it can suddenly snow heavily at night."
He said we would spend the night in Abene and leave at daybreak.
We found lodgings without any problems.
I was exhausted, even though I hadn't done much of anything. I felt like I could have fallen asleep on the floor instead of waiting for a proper bed.
Besides, I desperately want to take these clothes off.
The weight pressing down on my shoulders made it difficult even to sit upright.
But immediately after arriving at the inn—while Callius was away for a moment, saying he had some business to attend to—something unexpected happened.
"I cannot allow Her Highness the Princess to stay in such a shabby place."
The maids sent by Kavala refused to let me enter the inn.
They had been quiet when Callius was present, but seeing them act this way the moment he left made it clear they had been waiting for their chance.
"Wait, I—"
I tried to step out of the carriage and stop them.
But the senior maid quickly climbed into Callius's vacant seat and blocked me firmly.
"Your Highness, Marquis Rodrian must show you the courtesy befitting the majesty of the Arrental royal family."
She wouldn't even let me open the carriage window. I could only hear the maids outside arguing loudly with Brentian.
"Go and inform Lord Abene of Her Highness's arrival."
"We plan to stay here only for one night. If we receive an official invitation from the lord, we'll have to delay our departure, which would be highly inconvenient."
Brentian was absolutely right.
If I summoned the local lord, he would be obligated to treat me as a member of the imperial family—whether he liked it or not. And as a courtesy in return for that hospitality, we would have to stay at his castle for several days and engage in tedious social rituals.
Unless there was a pre-arranged schedule, meeting with the lord would create nothing but complications.
Even when the Emperor went on provincial inspection tours, he didn't announce his visits to every lord along the route precisely to avoid such hassles.
But it was utterly unreasonable for a Princess traveling to her husband's territory to summon the lord of a city she was merely passing through.
Yet the maids were stubbornly insistent.
"You intend to lodge Her Highness in such a filthy inn? Are you saying you will treat Her Highness poorly from the very start?"
"This is no 'filthy inn.' Abene's nobles frequently stay here. It's also Abene's only inn of any quality."
I could hear the irritation creeping into Brentian's voice.
He drove the point home.
"Besides, Lord Abene and I are not on good terms. We would not be welcomed."
Before Ronheim had been subjugated, Abene had been a border town—constantly at war with Ronheim.
It was obvious how much Lord Abene had suffered during each battle.
Even though Ronheim had now been absorbed into the Empire, Lord Abene would hardly be friendly toward his longtime enemy.
As the maids began to waver under Brentian's logic, the senior maid blocking me inside the carriage spoke to me—not as a request, but as an order.
"When Marquis Rodrian returns, Your Highness the Princess will personally insist on going to the lord's castle."
I couldn't understand it at all.
"Why should I do that?"
"Why?"
The maid frowned.
"For Marquis Rodrian to fail to show Your Highness the utmost courtesy is tantamount to insulting the Arrental royal family."
It was a ridiculous excuse.
"What is your name?"
"Vanessa."
The maid answered coldly.
As a high-ranking maid, she couldn't possibly be unaware that it was rude not to introduce herself until I asked. Yet she remained brazenly defiant.
If you follow your own logic from earlier, don't you realize that you're the one insulting the royal family right now?
She was the one failing to treat me with proper courtesy.
I reminded her of an important fact she seemed to be missing.
"Vanessa, you must have heard from Her Majesty the Empress why we are here. Are you now refusing Her Majesty's orders?"
"What do you mean?"
"You know I need to gain Marquis Rodrian's trust and uncover his secrets, yet you're needlessly provoking his subordinates. If Marquis Rodrian withdraws his favor and I fail my mission, I will have no choice but to report to Her Majesty the Empress the atrocities you and your colleagues committed."
Vanessa looked visibly taken aback by my threat.
She seemed surprised that the Princess—who was rumored to be mad—spoke far more coherently than she'd expected.
But she regained her composure and retorted calmly.
"If Your Highness accepts such cruel treatment just to gain their trust, have you considered how they will look down on you—and on the Arrental royal family?"
If I were trying to salvage my pride, that logic might have worked.
But I had no intention of getting into a fight over pride with Callius.
"We'll have to wait and see."
I deliberately raised my voice loud enough for everyone outside to hear.
"I'll step out of the carriage now. I'd like to rest wherever is available."
Vanessa could no longer hold me back.
A precious memory gained.
A sabotage thwarted.
And a quiet defiance that surprised everyone watching.
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