C4
I could feel that Elliot was looking at Lesche with horror. If Lesche had not been his lord, he would have immediately sensed the counterattack.
Take it easy, take it easy, Elliot. If you die, I will die too, Seria thought to herself.
"Your Highness," she responded as calmly as possible. "That thought has not crossed my mind. And even if I freeze, I won't call the priest anymore."
Lesche asked in a sarcastic voice.
"Will your fiancé hear that?"
"Probably. Kalis seems to be busy with Lina."
"For that Saint?"
It was an unexpected but precise understanding of the situation.
"Is Marquis Kalis Haneton having an affair with an unknown Saint?"
At that moment, her two hands, which were politely clasped together, trembled. As if Lesche already knew the answer, he also knew she was embarrassed. He said nothing more.
After a moment of silence, he turned and looked at Elliot.
"Elliot."
"Yes, Your Highness."
"Did you finish checking the lake?"
"Yes! Thanks to Lady Seria Stern's hard work, we have confirmed it."
He deliberately praised her in front of Lesche. Seria committed to calling Elliot an angel from today.
While Lesche looked at the other end of the lake for a moment, Seria looked at him sideways, knowing it for sure.
"He is a true male protagonist."
His pure white silver hair suited this snowy field well. But he had such a cold and irritating way of speaking. However, his face was the reason why so many women longed for him. He had a very dazzling appearance.
"Is that all?"
"Yes, Your Highness."
Elliot (angel) moved first to the side where the horses were tied. At the moment she tried to follow him, the warmth that enveloped her body solidified instantly. Then she realized what was happening.
Lesche had taken off his coat and wrapped it around her shoulders.
"It would be good for the body of our precious Stern not to catch a cold."
Then, before Seria could thank him, Lesche moved his long legs and started to walk away.
She blinked in confusion for a moment, then hurriedly followed him. The male protagonist's coat was quite large, but not too much.
The Glick Empire was a country with a peculiar structure that centered on a vast plain extending to the east, west, north, and south.
What separated the plain was a strict mountain range. Among these cross-shaped lands, the northern part was too cold and desolate to live in. Most of the people in the plains live in the east, west, south, and central plains.
This empire's plain was vast, but the mountain ranges at the border were deadly. Above all, because it contained frozen lakes and glaciers, it had periodically become very dangerous.
Naturally, the empire moved to the safe and prosperous south, while the frozen lake in the center and the watchmen's family who owned the land until the end remained. That was the Berg family. And the head of Berg was called Grand Duke.
Grand Duke Lesche Berg.
Like the ancient sacred family, there were promises and rituals that could only be carried out on this estate. One of them was Stern's wedding.
That's why Seria was in this castle with Kalis before their wedding. Because it was better to gather the nobles here.
Curiously, the original Stern had a limited number of places where she could take her marriage vows.
Was it because of the divine power issue?
One of those places was right here, on Berg's estate.
In theory, Stern could have a sacred wedding anywhere in this central land. On Berg's estate, Stern's wedding halls were established hundreds of years ago. In fact, Seria always wanted to avoid having a wedding on this estate. However, she was forced to come due to her inevitable situation.
"This is the original place where the heroine and the male protagonist's wedding ceremony was held at the end."
In the novel's final scene, Lina and Lesche got married on Berg's estate.
The reason?
Because Lina was actually a Stern.
It was a novel for the female protagonist, all the scenarios were arranged. It was in the middle or later part of the novel when the secret about Lina was revealed.
For this reason, there was no need to explain how it went for the original Seria. She thought she was unique for being a Stern, but Lina was also a Stern.
It must have been an unbearable fact for Seria, who lived in luxury. So Seria, the vicious villainess, kidnapped Lina and tried to torture and kill her.
But I'm not the crazy villainess of the original story.
When it turned out that Lina was Stern, it was time to finally walk the flowery path. Until then, Lina really struggled tremendously during the first and half of the story. It wasn't just Lina's suffering; the male protagonist also struggled incredibly.
It seems that the starting point of that devastating difficulty was just around the corner...
While Seria walked and recalled the original story with a frown on her forehead, a voice suddenly sounded, and she looked up.
"Lady Seria!"
A bright smile naturally bloomed.
"Have you returned?"
"Yes, I just got back."
Abigail Orrien. Her nickname was Bibi. She was Seria's bodyguard, who had a friendly smile and warm eyes. Seria asked, whispering in Abigail's ear.
"You didn't kill anyone, did you?"
"Oh my."
Abigail smiled gently and whispered.
"I told you I wouldn't kill anyone unless they were criminals."
Abigail Orrien, the Ebony Knight. In fact, she was a former assassin, a prisoner who was almost executed by the temple. She swore to be Seria's loyal knight forever, but her past was very colorful.
"Bibi, how was the battle to defeat the beast?"
"It was the same as always. I missed you; the Constellation armor was as cold as ice."
At Abigail's words, Seria laughed.
Constellation armor.
One of Stern's important reasons for existence.
The armor was necessary to deal with beasts that emitted magic. It was called "Star Armor" or Constellation.
If she didn't wear the armor, her whole body would quickly become addicted to magic. If the moment of treatment was missed, she would eventually die, leaving stains on her body.
To prevent this, the star armor was considered a staple for knights.
However, the cornerstone of the armor was a divine metal from God, and the longer it was in contact with the human body, the more the cornerstone's temperature exponentially dropped.
Stern was the only one who could compensate for this. If Stern was absent for a long time, the person wearing the armor would feel their whole body freeze and then freeze to death.
"That's why Lesche Berg told me I am a precious Stern."
The original book said that he was a servant of Berg, who protects the central territory, and therefore had a deeper understanding of Stern's importance.
Suddenly, Seria remembered the coat that Lesche Berg had used to cover her shoulders and shivered slightly. Abigail immediately asked.
"My lady. Are you cold?"
"No. I'm not cold."
"Just wear it."
Abigail quickly put a coat around Seria's shoulders. Perhaps because she was an assassin, her hands moved very fast. In fact, she didn't even see when she moved.
She carefully grabbed the coat so as not to let it fall after Abigail wrapped her.
"Thank you."
"You're welcome. If the lady is not cold, I can take it off at any time."
Seria felt disappointed in herself when she suddenly shivered at those words.
Mainly because it felt so childish on her part.
How long would she continue thinking about Lina and Kalis?
Pushing away the uneasiness of feeling like she was looking at a skeleton hidden in the closet, Seria quickly changed her pace.
"Did I hear from other guards that you go out to check the glacier every day?" Abigail asked.
"About a week or so. It's only during that time that I've checked it."
"Do you know how dangerous it is to go alone? You have a cold, so you should stay home."
Then my forehead could break...
(N/T: She was afraid of being like the original Seria who got a stone thrown at her forehead if she didn't fulfill her duty).
Not only did she want to avoid the bad ending of the original story but also the small misfortunes that happened to Seria Stern. It was natural.
"So, at least after the wedding, until I go to Haneton Estate, I will faithfully check the glacier every day. Besides, it's a bit lazy to leave it now," Seria thought to herself.
None of Berg's territory vassals liked the original Seria. They hated her. In fact, if Seria hadn't been a Stern, they would have somehow kicked her out of the castle.
It was natural because every year she visited the castle, she behaved badly.
However, since she checked the glacier every day for a week, the unpleasant look gradually relaxed.
"Because it saves them a lot of money, right?"
Having a Stern on the estate meant you could bring as many knights as you wanted, with constellation armor. It was possible to reduce the number of about 30 guards arranged for the frozen lake inspection team to just one.
When she thought about the exorbitant fees of the knights, she could see it was a significant financial gain.
Actually, no, I think it's lucky that Seria was Stern.
I can prove my usefulness immediately. I have to imprint that I am indispensable.
"So, please don't cut my neck in half. I want to live," Seria thought to herself.
"Lady Seria. Are you here?"
"Sir Elliot!"
Elliot (angel), who was already waiting in the stable, looked at Abigail next to Seria and nodded slightly. Abigail returned the bow while whispering in her ear.
"Did you continue inspecting the glacier with that knight?"
"Umm."
"He doesn't seem weak."
"Because he is the head of the Knights Order...?"
"My lady, considering that this is for the rest of your life, you have chosen well."
However, Abigail's evaluation was simply carefree. She said, grabbing Seria's horse's saddle.
"I'll put this on, my lady."
"Yes, thank you, Bibi."
"Don't mention it."
Seria patted Rottweiler's nose. He rubbed his face against her, neighing.
Abigail skillfully led Rottweiler, while Seria approached Elliot. She tilted her chin while looking at Abigail's back as she entered the stable.
"She looks so strong."
"Who? Abigail?"
"Yes. The lady knight."
"Is that what Sir Elliot thinks?"
"That's how she sees me."
Elliot had a kind personality, but his skills were on another level. With his superior skills, he served as the Commander of Berg's Knights.
In the original story, even Duke Howard tried to hire him. Some of the nobles had stacked gold like a tower to recruit Elliot. Suffice it to say he had talent and was extraordinary.
"How strong are you, Abigail?"
"Since when are you interested in my strength, my lady?"
Because Seria knew the Knights Commander was coveting her lady knight.
It was the privilege of the insidious person who had read the original story.
She laughed and opened the coat that Abigail gave her.
