TPBDN 04

Chapter 4

The white winter trees gleamed like ice flowers. Snow blanketed the roofs of large and small buildings nestled between them, and even the icicles hanging from the eaves sparkled. It looked as though winter had fully arrived.

‘What… what happened?’

Staring at the scene before her, Eloise widened her eyes and turned her head in every direction. Just moments ago, she had been surrounded by a forest dressed in the vibrant colors of autumn.

But now, what spread before her eyes was the lively scenery of a village. The vast mountain range that had encircled the northern border like a wall was nowhere to be seen, and the rustling of crisp fallen leaves had been replaced by the soft crunch of snow beneath feet.

“We’ve crossed the mountains,” said the knight sitting across from her.

When she turned toward him, he was still gazing out the window. There was a faint smile of familiarity on his face as he looked upon the northern streets.

“Did we cross them with magic?” she asked.

“No, with that magic stone.”

Following his gesture, Eloise looked toward one of the knights escorting the carriage. He was holding a jewel in his hand.

Inside the gemstone flickered a burning red light. The immense power emanating from it reminded her of the Grand Duke’s crimson eyes.

‘He said I could use magic like that too?’

Her eyes trembled faintly as she stared at the stone.

‘As if finding out I’ll be murdered by the tyrant wasn’t enough… now magic?’

The Grand Duke had told her that a great magical power resided within her. Yet Eloise had never once used it—at least, not consciously. She wasn’t even sure she could control it at all. Her growing anxiety made her swallow a deep sigh.

‘If I hadn’t seen him kill the headmistress with my own eyes, maybe I would’ve tried to run…’

But she wasn’t merely fleeing from an orphanage. She was a seven-year-old child trying to escape the eyes of Grand Duke Reston—an absurd thought.

“Haa…”

Worries and fears pressed heavily on her chest, but there was nothing she could do for now. In the end, Eloise exhaled softly and turned her gaze to the window as if to escape her thoughts.

Outside, people bundled in thick winter clothes bustled about, arms full of goods and food. Their hair and eyes were mostly dark in color. Among them, a few stood out like isolated islands.

“Those people… they’re not northerners, are they?”

Their hair shone in brilliant hues that almost hurt the eyes—so unlike the typically reserved northern people. It was as though an invisible line separated them from the rest.

“Only southerners have hair that bright,” the knight replied.

Eloise swallowed nervously as she looked at the southerners among the stiff-faced northerners. Somehow, their situation reminded her of her own.

‘Running away is impossible. For now, I just have to endure…’

As she pondered, she looked at the knight sitting before her.

Just as the rumors said, the northern knights were quiet and stoic. None of them spoke much, and the air itself felt rigid. Among them, the man before her seemed to be the only one who talked incessantly.

“Northerners—whether knights or commoners—are all too stiff and unsociable. It’s a real problem,” he said with a shake of his head, gesturing playfully toward the knights outside.

Eloise began to understand why the Grand Duke had assigned this talkative knight to accompany her.

“I’m special, you see—unlike those dull northerners. You’ll find me much more entertaining.”

It had been nearly four hours since he started talking like that, and he showed no signs of stopping. Eloise hurriedly turned her gaze back to the window.

“Oh, look at that—those knights are thrilled you looked their way,” he teased.

The men outside, with their stern faces and unwavering discipline, showed no hint of emotion. Eloise narrowed her eyes in disbelief.

“They must be jealous of me,” he went on. “Serving the terrifying Grand Duke one day and then escorting such an adorable young lady the next—who wouldn’t be?”

Adorable? Eloise froze, unsure how to react.

In her previous life, only her older brother—the precious heir of the family—had ever received such words. And in this life, the only compliments she’d heard were about how her looks would fetch a high price someday. But adorable? The word made her eyes dart around awkwardly.

Just then, a shadow fell over the snowy road.

Eloise quickly turned her head.

In the middle of a vast garden stood a grand black mansion, dignified and imposing. The gemstones embedded in its walls shimmered between sculptures that told the long history of the Reston family.

“This has been the symbol of the North for over a thousand years—since the days when it was still the Duchy of Reston,” the knight said.

He placed a gloved hand over the Reston crest engraved on his dark armor. His tone was formal, his earlier playfulness gone. Pride shone in his eyes as he gazed upon the mansion.

Eloise, however, was reminded of something else—the original novel.

The fall of House Reston.
The mansion that had stood for centuries in defiance finally crumbled… all because of one man—Kaelion, the male lead.

The tyrant who took the emperor’s head and seized the throne. His first order as ruler had been to destroy the Reston estate. And the ones who carried out that destruction… were the northern knights themselves.

The burning mansion. The knights tearing down its walls, their eyes filled with despair and rage.

‘Was this knight among them too?’

A sudden curiosity stirred within her.

The tyrant obsessed with the saintess. The saintess who raged against his massacres. The novel had been full of their tragic love story—but what had truly happened behind that curtain of romance?

Why had Kaelion rebelled and claimed the throne?
Why had he slaughtered so many nobles, becoming the tyrant history condemned?

Lost in thought, Eloise couldn’t take her eyes off the mansion. Her initial fear of being trapped in a tragic novel slowly gave way to curiosity. Her mind began to move quickly, filled with questions.

The inside of the mansion was so bright that not even a shadow lingered. Eloise gazed at the murals of founding heroes and the silver dragon, feeling as though she had stepped into another world—just like when they had crossed the mountains with the magic stone.

The servants lined up to greet her stood with poise and grace. Their clothes were immaculate—made from fabrics far finer than the “luxury” garments the orphanage director used to flaunt.

In contrast, Eloise looked pitiful. Her hair was unkempt, her clothes dirty and torn, her body covered in dust. Feeling their stares, she shrank back slightly. Seeing this, the butler approached her slowly and knelt to meet her eyes, his movements careful so as not to frighten her.

“Welcome, my lady. I am Rickson Hayworth, the butler of House Reston.”

The deep wrinkles around his eyes softened with warmth as he smiled at her. Eloise bowed her head shyly.

“Hello.”

“You must be tired from your long journey, my lady. Please allow me to show you to your room.”

His footsteps echoed crisply along the hall—steady and dignified. Eloise’s hurried steps followed with a lighter patter, and noticing her pace, the butler slowed his stride. After a few more steps, he stopped before a grand door.

“This will be your room, my lady.”

As the elegant title “my lady” suggested, the door opened to reveal a splendid chamber. The room was adorned with embroidered curtains, a grand bed, and finely crafted furniture that looked to be the work of a master artisan.

“Nice to meet you, my lady. I’m Riena Arta, your personal maid,” said a young woman who had been waiting inside.

Her hair was a blazing red, like fire itself, and her dark eyes gleamed faintly with blue light—like a tempered blade. She resembled the southerners Eloise had seen in town, yet there was something distinctly different about her.

It wasn’t just her exotic surname, Arta.

Her beauty didn’t shine like a flower or a jewel—it gleamed like steel. A rare, commanding kind of brilliance that made Riena’s presence truly unique.