Sir Elliot glared at Rouche in utter contempt for what he’d just said to me.
If he had not been Rouche’s Knight Commander, Rouche might have killed him on the spot for such a look.
And then what would become of me?
“Your Grace,” I responded calmly, “I came here with no such intentions.
Besides, even if I had caught frostbite instead of a cold, I would not summon another priestess.”
“And would your fiancé approve?” Rouche asked sarcastically.
“Most likely,” I replied with a shrug.
Especially with Callis so preoccupied with Lina.
“Because of that woman?” he said.
Somehow he knew exactly what I was thinking.
“Is Marquis Callis Hanneton off frolicking with that ignorant Saint again?”
My knees felt weak and my hands trembled at his accurate assessment of the situation.
Surely Rouche noticed my reaction, but he said nothing.
A moment of silence passed before he turned to Sir Elliot.
“Have you completed the inspection of the lake?”
“Yes!
Thanks to Lady Seria’s hard work, we are all finished.”
For so purposefully including me in his response, I vowed to refer to Sir Elliot as my guardian angel from now on.
Rouche gazed into the fog.
Seeing him that way really opened my eyes to something.
No wonder he’s the main character.
His silver-white hair harmonized beautifully with the snow-covered landscape.
Despite his cold demeanor and curt speech, there was a reason so many ladies of the nobility fawned over his attractive features.
They were absolutely radiant.
“Let us return,” he announced suddenly.
“Yes, Your Highness,” said Sir Elliot, my guardian angel, saluting to acknowledge the order.
As we made our way toward the horses, a sudden warmth enveloped me.
Rouche had taken off his overcoat and draped it over my shoulders.
“We cannot afford our precious Sterne to come down with something more debilitating than the common cold,” he said.
Without even waiting for my words of gratitude, he began to stride away, his long legs carrying him swiftly across the snow.
* * *
At the heart of the Giroux Empire lay a vast plain with expansive fields stretching north, south, east, and west.
The fields were divided by a range of inhospitable mountains that spread out in the shape of a cross.
The northern region was too cold and desolate for human habitation, so most people resided in the eastern, western, and southern plains.
And then there was the central plain.
This area was vast, and its bordering mountain range was exceptionally treacherous.
The presence of the frozen lake and glacier only added to its list of hazards.
And so the capital of the empire had been relocated to the safer and more prosperous south, leaving a sentinel family to guard the frozen lake and surrounding lands.
That family was House Berk, and the head of the Berk family held the title of archduke.
Hence, Archduke Rouche Berk.
As an ancient and sacred location, there were oaths and rituals that could only be performed in this area.
One of those rituals was the wedding ceremony of a Sterne—the very reason Callis and I were here.
Sterne weddings could only be held in a limited number of places depending on the strength of its divine energy.
One such place was the dominion of House Berk.
In theory, the Sternes could hold a sacred wedding ceremony anywhere in the central lands, but hundreds of years ago House Berk had constructed a wedding hall specifically intended for Sternes.
In truth, I would have preferred to have my wedding elsewhere, but the traditions of this world are deeply ingrained.
Even at the end of the novel, this was where Lina and Rouche held their wedding.
Why?
Because, as it turned out, Lina was also a Sterne!
The revelation that Lina was a Sterne wasn’t revealed until the latter half of the novel.
There’s no need to go into just how much this set Seria off.
She had been under the impression that her powers were unique, only to discover that the thorn in her side, Lina, was just like her.
For Seria, whose self-importance was like the very air she breathed, this was unbearable.
Therefore, the wicked villainess needed loftier ambitions.
Seria plotted to kidnap and torture Lina to death.
But I am not that deranged villainess!
When Lina’s identity as a Sterne was revealed, her entire life changed for the better.
Until then, Lina had suffered tremendously throughout the story.
And it wasn’t just Lina who had suffered—the main male character had his fair share of hardships, too.
And it was starting to seem that the jumping point for their arduous journey wasn’t all that far off…
“Lady Seria.”
I turned around and brightened immediately.
“Bibi!” I squealed.
“Are you back?”
“Yes, my lady.
I have just returned.”
Bibi, known to everyone else as Dame Abigail Orien, was my own personal knight.
When she was close enough, I turned to whisper into her ear.
“You didn’t kill anyone, did you?”
“Oh, my lady!” Abigail chuckled.
“I told you, I would not lay a hand on anyone unless they are a criminal.”
In hushed tones, Abigail was also known as the Knight of Shadows.
That’s because she used to be an assassin until she was captured and sent to the High Church, where she became a prisoner destined for execution.
Her past was rather colorful, but now she was sworn to serve and protect me.
“How was the purge of beasts this time around?” I asked.
“As expected.
The astral armor was as cold as ice, and I found myself missing you as always, my lady.”
I couldn’t help but smile.
Astral armor was one of the reasons why Sternes played such an important role in this world.
There was a certain type of steel—called constellation steel—that was absolutely necessary when dealing with beasts who possessed dark energy.
Astral armor was made from constellation steel.
If one did not wear this special armor, their body would quickly succumb to the toxic effects of the dark energy.
Without immediate treatment, which was rare and difficult, a quick death was all but guaranteed.
To prevent this, the knights relied on their astral armor.
But it wasn’t quite as simple as that.
Since constellation steel was a divine element, the longer it stayed in contact with human flesh, the colder it became.
Only a Sterne could counteract this lethal side effect.
If one were to wear their astral armor without a Sterne nearby or if the Sterne were to leave the vicinity, then their body would gradually become colder and colder until they froze to death.
That’s why Rouche called me a precious Sterne.
Given that he was the head of House Berk and tasked with guarding the central territory, he was more acutely aware of the importance of Sternes than anyone else.
He literally depended upon them.
“My lady, you are cold…” Bibi said.
“No, I’m quite all right,” I said, shivering like crazy.
“Not cold at all.”
“Put this on.” She draped her cloak over my shoulders before I even knew what she was doing.
As a former assassin, she had developed lightning-quick hands.
It was not uncommon for her to do something without me even seeing her move a muscle.
“Thank you,” I said, snuggling into her coat, careful not to let it fall.
“No need to mention it, my lady.
Whenever you feel cold, just let me know, and it shall be yours.”
That made me think about the cloak that Rouche had covered me with.
For some reason, the mere memory of it warmed me up a little.
“The knights have been gossiping,” Bibi said.
“They say you have been to the glacier every day.”
“Only for the past week or so,” I replied with a shrug.
“Do you realize how impressive that is, my lady?
Especially now, with this cold you came down with.
Impressive, indeed, but might I suggest you take a break until you are well?”
Sure, if I want to risk my forehead being split open…
While my main goal was to avoid the disastrous ending ahead of me, I also wished to evade all the minor misfortunes slated for Seria Sterne.
Therefore, at least until after the wedding and before leaving for Hanneton territory, I planned to continue attending to my duties at the glacier every day.
Besides, I needed to keep the priests on my side, too.
The priests of House Berk’s dominion unanimously despised Seria.
In fact, had she not been a Sterne, they would have expelled her from the castle in a heartbeat.
However, just a week of daily glacier checks had gradually softened their stance toward her.
I could feel them warming up to me.
They must be pleased with the funds they’re saving.
Having a Sterne present meant that as many knights as desired could wear astral armor.
Not only that, but typically around thirty knights were required for a proper lake inspection.
With a Sterne present, a single knight would suffice.
Given the high cost of a knight’s services, this was a significant financial boon.
In other words, being a Sterne was definitely a blessing.
It allowed me to visibly and quickly prove my worth, thereby improving my good standing.
I had to ingrain into their minds that I was an indispensable entity.
It’s like my way of saying, Please, leave my neck intact.
I’d greatly prefer to live.
“Lady Seria!
You have arrived!”
“Sir Elliot!”
My guardian angel, who had been waiting in the stables, offered a slight nod at the sight of Abigail beside me.
Abigail returned the gesture and then whispered softly into my ear.
“Have you been conducting the glacier inspections with that knight?”
I nodded.
“He is soft,” she snorted.
The Knight Commander of Berk?
“But not bad for looking after you when I cannot,” Bibi added.
“Good choice.”
I hadn’t a clue what would make her think he was weak, but before I could say anything, she took hold of my horse’s reins.
“Let me take care of this one, my lady.”
“Thank you, Bibi.”
I gently stroked my horse’s muzzle and let it nuzzle my face.
Then, Sir Elliot and I watched as Abigail confidently led my horse away.
“She looks quite strong,” he said.
“Who?
Abigail?”
“Your knight, yes,” he replied, his gaze still fixed on Abigail’s retreating figure.
“Does that mean you grant your approval, Sir Elliot?”
“From what I can tell so far, yes.”
My guardian angel might have been indifferent to many things, but his instincts as a knight were unmatched.
As the Knight Commander of House Berk, his abilities were renowned far and wide.
Dukes in the capital of the empire coveted his hard-wearing abilities in the novel.
A few dukes had even offered him towers of gold in attempts to recruit him to lead their legions.
If such a man as Elliot was saying Dame Abigail Orien looked strong, then just how strong was she, really?
“My lady,” Elliot said.
“If I may ask, where did you find such a knight?”
Was this what I thought it was?
Did the Archduke of Berk’s Knight Commander have a thing for my personal knight?
I chuckled at the thought as I carefully fastened Abigail’s cloak around my neck.