TMSB Ch#13

TMSB chapter 13

Posted by Boss Lady, Released on July 21, 2025

The maid remained silent for a moment.

“…Did I do something wrong? If I’m only supposed to stay inside the castle, please tell me. It’s really okay.”

For a moment, Psyche forgot her circumstances.

She was collateral, practically a hostage for a year. Perhaps asking to look around outside had been an unreasonable request.

Psyche gave an awkward smile.

“No, miss. You can go anywhere you like. If it’s alright with you, I will accompany you.”

“Oh, of course it’s alright. Thank you.”

Without realizing, Psyche grasped the maid’s hand with a brightened expression.

When the maid looked slightly uncomfortable, Psyche gently let go of her hand.

“I’m sorry. It’s been so long since I went out that I forgot myself and acted inappropriately. …I apologize if I made you uncomfortable.”

The maid shook her head with a gentle smile.

“Not at all. I’m glad I could bring you some joy, Miss Psyche. I’ll inform the Grand Duke about your outing.”

Even though the answer was positive, a part of Psyche felt uneasy.

It was because her freedom could only be exercised within the boundaries of the Grand Duke’s permission.

“…Will he be opposed to it?”

“The Grand Duke instructed us to treat you with the utmost hospitality, as you are here for the engagement.”

“I see…”

Psyche’s face briefly showed signs of contemplation, but then she broke into a cheerful smile.

“Alright. I’d like to look around the Grand Duchy before the festival begins. Mari, do you have time today?”

—

The outing was decided on the spur of the moment, but Psyche was in high spirits.

Following behind the Grand Duke’s assigned attendant, the maid, and Mari, she looked around, taking in her surroundings and deeply inhaled the salty scent in the air.

“There’s a sea here too?”

“The capital of the Grand Duchy is surrounded by the sea. We trade extensively with the Kingdom of Argos through the port. In fact, everything in the Grand Duchy comes through Argos. It’s even become the livelihood of our people.”

“…I thought the sea would be frozen solid in this cold weather. But I guess for some people, it’s a way of life.”

The Kingdom of Argos was unfamiliar to Psyche.

She had heard of its existence but never paid attention to it, as it was far from the Sigur Empire.

“Yes, if you go farther north, you’ll find seas with floating glaciers like you imagined. This region is relatively warm.”

“That was a silly question, wasn’t it? Thanks to you, Mari, I avoided embarrassing myself. Thank you.”

“No need to thank me. Since the Grand Duchy doesn’t have active exchanges with other countries, your assumption is understandable.”

Feeling a bit embarrassed, Psyche chuckled softly and glanced between Mari and the Grand Duke’s attendant.

In fact, the mention of the attendant reminded her of the messenger from that day—the man with eyes like the sea.

She thought she’d run into him again eventually, but over a month had passed since she arrived, and she hadn’t seen him once.

It wasn’t love. It wasn’t even a rational attraction. Psyche was too practical to fall in love at first sight.

Maybe it was just that the memory of that “magical” day had imprinted itself on her mind.

Looking back, his blue eyes had seemed a bit clouded, like a predator’s, with narrow, vertical pupils.

‘He was strange from the very beginning.’

The feeling was odd.

As if she had come face to face with something she shouldn’t have.

While Psyche was lost in thought, a gust of desolate wind blew by.

“There are shops here… Mari?”

Psyche had been curiously scanning the long row of dockside shops, but she suddenly turned around.

And when she realized her group had disappeared, a troubled breath escaped her lips.

They were gone. Nowhere to be seen.

She wandered in search of them, but their trail was nowhere to be found. In fact, she might have strayed even farther away.

She belatedly recalled the old advice: stay in place if you get lost.

‘Should I run away?’

A bad thought flashed through her mind.

Though she had never feared the dark before, since arriving in the Grand Duchy, darkness had become terrifying.

Dark nights, silent rooms, heavy doors.

And unlike her homeland, the days were far too short here.

She felt like she was slowly being swallowed by the darkness—thrown into an endless abyss.

If she ran away now…

‘No, no… I can’t.’

How would she pay for her father’s treatment? What about her family’s debt? She couldn’t run away with her ailing father in tow.

Hadn’t she received a letter recently saying he was getting better?

She remembered how her father, upon hearing of her situation, had thrown a fit insisting he had to go to the Grand Duchy right away.

‘He’d be even more worried if I disappeared.’

And then there was that man with the blue eyes. The thought that he might relentlessly pursue her sent a chill down her spine.

Psyche looked around, searching for a way back to the Grand Duke’s castle.

“Are you lost?”

The voice was familiar. The calm tone was deeply imprinted in Psyche’s memory.

“…You.”

“You must be cold. Your cheeks are flushed.”

It was him.

The man who had filled her thoughts just moments ago.

“I’m Aster.”

“…”

“You didn’t seem to know my name.”

The man uncharacteristically smiled as he extended his hand toward her.

Psyche looked down at his hand and sighed softly.

‘Of all times… now?’

Hadn’t she just been thinking about running away?

Remembering that made her feel oddly flustered. She tilted her head back and looked at the sky. It was a deep blue, like a canvas painted with bright colors.

“Miss Psyche?”

The messenger’s face hardened slightly at her strange reaction, as if he were genuinely concerned.

“Do you need help?”

His narrow eyes made the double eyelids look even colder.

“Yes, I got swept up in the crowd while sightseeing and lost my group. I can’t find them right now.”

Psyche looked into his eyes and finally spoke. Though she was asking for help, it somehow sounded like an excuse.

But maybe it was just her guilty conscience—because Aster’s expression remained neutral.

“That must have been distressing. Unlike the Sigur Empire, the buildings here are packed tightly together. It’s easy to get lost—especially with the festival preparations making everything more hectic.”

His calm voice slowly eased the pounding of Psyche’s heart, which had been racing like a frightened child afraid of being found out.

Only then did the surroundings come into focus.

Children flying kites and laughing, merchants smiling and greeting passersby while organizing their stalls, savory food aromas and steam rising from the shops.

According to Mari, this time of year—the “Great Snow”—was the harshest, the coldest season of all.

But the people here didn’t shy away from it. They embraced it with vitality.

“Have you explored the town yet?”

Startled by Aster’s voice, Psyche quickly raised her head.

“…Ah.”

At that moment, her eyes met his—those same bright, clear blue eyes she had seen earlier, like the sky.

His eyes were large and transparent. His lashes were long and dark, matching his hair.

She stared at him blankly, then nodded.

“I haven’t seen much yet, but it’s a beautiful place.”

She thought for sure they would head straight back to the Grand Duke’s castle.

It had been a while since they last met, but they weren’t exactly close enough to call it a reunion.

But what came out of his mouth next was completely unexpected.