I had to return to the bedroom because Callius carried me and laid me gently in bed.
As soon as my head touched the pillow, I scrambled to explain Kavala's message to Brentian.
"Viscount Brentian, did you happen to see the message from Empress Kavala? I received it too, and I was taken aback. Here's what really happened..."
But Brentian's expression was different from what I'd expected.
I'd thought he was going to sharpen his metaphorical blade and corner me with accusations—but instead, he looked somewhat embarrassed and avoided my gaze.
"...Things must have gotten confused. First, focus on recovering your strength."
What's going on? I was certain he'd demand answers.
"Doesn't this need any explanation?"
I found myself tearing up without realizing it.
"Are you saying you can't trust anything I say anymore?"
Then Brentian shrugged his shoulders and waved both hands frantically.
"That's not it!"
Callius glared at him sharply.
I was worried that if Callius reprimanded Brentian now, the viscount would end up seeming even more antagonistic toward me than before.
But when Brentian met Callius's eyes, his face suddenly turned bright red. Unlike his usual cynical and logical self, he explained in a more flustered manner than I'd ever seen.
"It's not that I don't believe the Princess! I know now that she isn't in league with Empress Kavala. So... yes. That's it."
"...!"
Brentian muttered, avoiding my surprised gaze.
"Actually, when I first saw that message, I was suspicious of you, Your Highness. But at the time, I didn't know you were under Empress Kavala's curse. If you were truly in league with her, why would she want to kill you?"
He bowed his head to me and apologized.
"I have gravely misunderstood you, Your Highness."
"Viscount Brentian..."
I felt as though I'd solved an enormous problem.
My heart felt light—as if a stone that had been weighing on my chest had finally been lifted.
Finally, Brentian trusts me.
Even if it didn't matter to others, it had been nerve-wracking to be suspected by him—Callius's closest confidant.
'It feels like I haven't done anything, but things have turned out well without me even trying!'
As I made a deeply moved expression, Brentian started fidgeting for some reason, then said:
"Don't look at me like that. If you're that pleased... Ah, I can't stand it anymore. Please, please take care of yourself, Your Highness."
And then he suddenly left the room.
Looking at his retreating back, Callius shook his head.
"He's running away."
"Running away?"
"Because he probably feels like hiding in a mouse hole right now."
"Why?"
"..."
Callius just looked at me without saying anything.
"Why?"
I tilted my head and asked again.
Callius shook his head, his expression the same as when he'd wept tears of relief at the thought that I wouldn't have to leave Ronheim.
"...That man is just a scoundrel!"
He emphasized once more, his voice sounding slightly choked.
"He's a complete scoundrel. That's all you need to know. If something makes you angry in the future, take it out on him. He'll probably appreciate it."
"What...?"
What on earth is he talking about? 'Is this some kind of Ronheim humor?'
I just laughed.
My expression was a little strained because I was weak, but it was the best I could manage.
Callius sat beside me on the bed and looked at my face with deep concern.
"Can you endure it?"
The question was whether I could withstand the curse.
I smiled, hoping to reassure him.
"Don't worry. Like I said before—I feel better than I ever have."
I knew what made curses so powerful: fear and anxiety.
Kavala's power lay in exploiting human fears and anxieties to feed her magic.
To show my strong will, I grabbed the back of Callius's hand, which was resting against the bed.
"I won't let Kavala, of all people, control me. My only fear was that I wouldn't be able to endure the cold of Ronheim—and that I'd have to leave."
Callius turned his hand over and clasped mine firmly.
His hands were so warm and comforting.
It felt like the cold that had been frightening me was melting away.
"Promise me you won't let me leave Ronheim, Callius. Then I will endure this curse."
Callius held my hand with unwavering strength and spoke.
"I swear. With everything I have."
He whispered.
"And I will definitely lift that curse."
His eyes—warm as the sun—illuminated my frozen heart.
Callius, who had been temporarily detained by the commotion with Brentian, mounted his horse once more to seek out a sacrifice.
Beside him were Hawick, the commander of the knights, and Mainz, who had come out to see him off.
"I asked the nomads who stopped by the village to trade, and they said they saw sky cows heading toward the eastern mountains. It seems they're preparing for hibernation."
The Sky Cow was a small but pure-blooded animal with divine power flowing through its veins. It was considered an auspicious creature in Ronheim and had been offered as a sacrifice during rituals since ancient times.
Because it resembled a cow and had a pristine white body, it was also called a white cow. However, in Ronheim, there was a strict custom of not hunting sky cows unless they were to be offered as sacrifices to the gods.
Gentle and herd-living, the sky cow was not usually a difficult animal to hunt.
But catching a sky cow heading toward the eastern mountain range was an entirely different matter.
The eastern mountain range, with its many rocky peaks, was riddled with steep cliffs that were nearly impossible for a person to climb barehanded.
The sky cows migrated to the eastern mountains in the fall to feed on piom—a protein-rich grass that grew only in the narrow crevices of those treacherous cliffs.
Chasing the sky cows up those dizzying heights was no easy task. Even professional hunters risked their lives on that path.
Mainz looked up at Callius, who sat astride his horse, with a dark expression.
"Are you certain about this, my lord?"
Callius nodded firmly.
"He who would take the life of another to save another cannot tremble in fear of his own life."
"If you say something like that..."
When Mainz frowned with worry, Callius smiled softly as if to reassure him.
"Don't worry. I have my snow cats with me. They're excellent climbers."
As Callius whistled, the snow cats that had been hiding somewhere emerged—large as full-grown tigers—and rubbed their heads affectionately against Callius's feet in the stirrups.
Mainz knew he could not break Callius's will.
All he could do was pray for his king's safe return.
As Mainz retreated, Callius and Hawick rode their horses toward the gates.
The soldiers opened the heavy gates.
But then—the black sheep that Lhasa had given them suddenly jumped out into the middle of the gateway.
"Whoa!"
The soldiers made threatening gestures to scare the sheep away, but the creature just stared at them and refused to budge.
Someone tried to push the black sheep's rear end, but strangely, it didn't move an inch.
Even when several soldiers tried together, the result was the same.
It was bizarre.
That little lamb can withstand the combined strength of several soldiers?
Regardless, Callius had a long journey ahead.
"Leave it."
It was just as Callius moved his horse to bypass the soldiers and move around the black sheep when—
"Meeeee!"
The sheep bleated long and loudly, then began to move its previously immovable feet. It walked out of the gate with a proud, almost regal air—as if it were leading the way.
"...?"
When Callius didn't immediately follow, the sheep turned around and cried again.
"Meeeeeee!"
It genuinely felt like the sheep was commanding him to follow.
Callius had no choice but to follow the black sheep out of the gate.
The creature continued to lead the way, periodically checking to ensure that Callius was still following.
"My lord..."
Hawick also looked at Callius in complete bewilderment.
Callius was equally dumbfounded.
"It seems to be heading in the same direction we intended. Let's follow for now."
"Yes... I understand, my lord."
And so, suddenly, Callius, Hawick, and the three snow cats formed an unlikely procession—following a little black lamb as it marched confidently forward.
The black sheep led them somewhere without hesitation, as if it knew exactly where to go.
Callius, silently following the sheep, absentmindedly realized that there was an ancient altar set up in the direction the sheep was heading.
'I must be mistaken.'
He thought so—but the sheep's behavior was undeniably strange.
"My lord, how long do you intend to follow it?"
When their destination and direction began to clearly diverge from the eastern mountains, Hawick asked cautiously.
As the two slowed their pace for a moment, the sheep turned around and stared at them—as if demanding to know why they weren't keeping up.
It was an exceedingly strange thing.
Sometimes the path to salvation is not the one we expect—but the one chosen for us by fate's unlikely guides.
And in Ronheim, where the divine still walked among mortals,even a simple black sheep might carry sacred purpose.
---