Chapter 134 – Like Beads on a String
“I… I can walk.”
“The path hasn’t been cleared yet. Your shoes will get soaked.”
Loic spoke firmly and began walking again without hesitation.
In the end, I had no choice but to wrap my arms around his neck so I wouldn’t fall.
Even though the wind was freezing, the tips of my ears burned hot.
‘How unfair for people without husbands.’
Because of the Grand Duke’s “cleanliness,” Cecilia had been stuck in the carriage for a long time, unable to even step outside.
Only after she saw Annette being carried off in Loic’s arms could she finally peek out.
Snow had piled high beneath her feet.
‘My shoes will definitely get soaked.’
She was just blaming herself for being careless—it was summer, after all—when a hand suddenly appeared before her.
“Take my hand.”
It was Perel.
“Oh, thank you.”
Thanks to the aide holding her hand up high, Cecilia managed to step down onto a part of the ground where the snow wasn’t too deep.
Perel had actually arrived in Fogen a day earlier to meet the village elder and discuss matters about the wine.
Now, the newly arrived knights were setting up a camp near the temple at the foot of the mountain.
Below them lay a small cluster of houses gathered together like a tiny village.
“Did the talk go well?” Cecilia asked.
Perel shook his head.
“The villagers are quite stubborn.”
Despite the Grand Duchess’s ambitious dream to turn Snow Wine into a local specialty, the plan was off to a rocky start because of the villagers’ resistance.
“Let’s hope things go better with Priest Miel here. Since he’s lived among them, maybe they’ll listen.”
As Perel muttered, Cecilia spotted someone sitting gloomily off to the side — Enolius.
“Why did the magician come along?”
Perel rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.
“Well, His Grace didn’t summon him… but he’s unpredictable. I’m not sure myself.”
The Grand Duke’s group had decided to camp right in front of the temple rather than stay in the village. Having a magician around was convenient, yes—but still.
When she turned her head, Cecilia saw Norton from the 1st Knight Order and Tiern, captain of the 9th, bickering with each other.
“Isn’t this too much?”
“What do you mean?”
“Every time Her Grace goes somewhere, all these people follow her like beads on a string.”
Cecilia grumbled, saying she couldn’t even tell who was the maid anymore.
‘How alike they are.’
Perel recalled what his lord had said just the day before.
— “What could a lady-in-waiting possibly do in the woods? I can attend to Annette myself. What? Conversation? Annette loves talking to me the most.”
His Grace had complained that he couldn’t tell who the husband was anymore when he heard that Annette would be sharing a carriage with her maid.
Compared to the “quiet” trip the Grand Duke had wanted, the entourage had grown rather large indeed.
“Oh, by the way, Berni packed plenty of cheese! We should try it later with the Snow Wine!”
As Perel guided Cecilia along the partially cleared path, he sighed inwardly.
It seemed like, out of everyone who had tagged along, only he and Her Grace actually cared about the wine business.
“What about the supplies?”
“The knights distributed them to the villagers directly. They seemed to like the spices most. The homes with children were especially happy about the storybooks and toys.”
“That’s good.”
Inside the temple’s sanctuary, I listened to Perel’s report.
Since it would have been rude to come empty-handed, we had brought along small supplies that might be useful to the villagers.
“However, convincing the villagers to participate is turning out to be more difficult than expected.”
Perel’s expression was troubled.
We had already heard that the people opposed the business for religious reasons.
“What exactly are their objections?”
I asked the priest standing nearby.
Miel, glancing nervously at Loic, quickly stepped forward.
“Fogen is said to be blessed by the goddess. The people fear that if outsiders come and go too freely, the land’s sacred energy will be disturbed.”
The villagers living around Sablanc were deeply devout and had settled near the temple precisely for that reason.
“This land is not good for farming or hunting,” Miel continued.
“Which means the wine business would be even more helpful to them,” I replied.
“The underground water used for Snow Wine is considered holy water blessed by the goddess, so they are against drawing large amounts of it.”
“Calling ordinary groundwater sacred—how absurd.”
Leaning lazily against the wall, Enolius frowned.
“Ridiculous. This land belongs to the Grand Duke. Who are they to oppose anything?”
“The magician has a point,” Perel admitted reluctantly.
“I understand that Your Grace wants to involve the villagers, but…”
The aide trailed off, saying it seemed almost impossible to persuade them when they acted as though making wine would bring about the world’s end.
“What does Your Grace wish to do?” Loic asked, tightening the cloak around my shoulders.
“Technically, the magician is right—we don’t have to care about their opposition. But if it bothers you, I can take appropriate measures.”
“Well…”
‘Honestly, I was thinking of trying to persuade them myself.’
But if the Grand Duchess herself stepped in, it would look forceful.
Besides, they already had experience making the wine. It would be much easier if they helped voluntarily—but I couldn’t force them.
Turning to Perel, I said, “Tomorrow, meet the elder again with Miel. If they still refuse, then we’ll decide what to do.”
When I told him not to push them too hard, he looked slightly relieved.
That evening turned into an unexpected feast.
With Loic, two knight divisions, the priest, magician, Cecilia, and several servants all gathered, the campsite had turned lively.
Berni from the Grand Duke’s castle had sent all sorts of meat, and Leon had prepared a pot of spicy tomato stew just for me.
There was nothing to do tonight anyway—or rather, only Perel had real work to do.
The knights, clearly here more for fun than duty, had gone down to the village and returned with baskets of fresh bread and bottles of Snow Wine.
“Your Grace, does it suit your taste?”
“Of course! Sir Leon’s cooking is the best!”
With my mouth full of stew, I gave Leon a big thumbs-up—until I caught Loic’s eyes and quickly lowered my hand.
“Though, of course, what Loic cooks tastes even better.”
I whispered softly by his ear, and the corners of his lips, which had just turned down, lifted slightly again.
Cecilia, seated as far from Loic as possible, was chatting with Perel.
At first glance, it looked like Cecilia was scolding him, but I knew her well. When she truly disliked someone, she went completely silent.
So this much talk meant she actually found him quite likable.
‘Huh, now that I look closer, those two actually…!’
No, no.
Just because they’re of similar age doesn’t mean they’re a couple.
I decided to drop the thought and returned my attention to the spicy stew.
“There’s a hot spring behind the temple?”
It was after dinner when Miel mentioned it, making Leon and the knights’ eyes widen in surprise.
— “You didn’t see it during patrol? That whole area’s a hot spring.”
Loic, Norton, and a few others didn’t look surprised—they already knew.
— “Decades ago, a holy relic of the goddess was found in that hot spring. That’s why the Fogen Temple was built there.”
Miel explained the origin of the temple’s location.
— “Commander, how about a group bath in the hot spring? It’d be great for morale!”
Some of the excited knights were already half-ready to take off their shirts.
— “There’s also a private indoor spring for Her Grace.”
— “Really? I want to go right now!”
Loic looked slightly displeased, but seeing me spring up with excitement, he reluctantly followed.
Miel guided me to a small indoor bath within the temple.
Inside, I saw a pool surrounded by rose-colored granite pillars, filled with steaming water.
A thick mist hung over the surface—it was breathtaking.
“This spring draws its water directly from the outdoor pool. It looks small at the entrance, but it’s quite deep inside,” Miel explained.
He added that priests used it to cleanse themselves before rituals, so I could relax and enjoy it privately.
The air felt sacred and serene.
Since Cecilia had passed out early after drinking too much wine, I had the bath all to myself.
Even though Miel said no one would come, ‘Just in case…’
I wrapped a large towel around myself before stepping into the hot water.
For a while, I just soaked, feeling my body grow light and my mind relax.
Then a cool breeze brushed through the steamy air from somewhere inside.
‘Where’s that coming from?’
Curious, I walked deeper into the bath area.
When I turned around a corner, moonlight suddenly poured in.
‘Wait—does this connect to the outside?’
Looking closer, I noticed a makeshift wooden partition separating the indoor and outdoor pools, its lock broken so the door stood wide open.
The breeze flowing in felt so refreshing that I stepped outside.
“Wow…”
Snow blanketed everything around the hot spring, glittering under the moonlight.
The water rippled softly, reflecting the full white moon like a mirror.
‘It’s beautiful.’
As I took in the scene, cooling my flushed cheeks in the night air—
Splash.
The calm surface of the water suddenly broke, and a huge figure rose up, sending a spray of water everywhere.
Update soon!~