After a while, a voice was heard outside, and Lexion knocked.

 

“Titi, can I come in?”

 

"Yes."

 

With my permission, the door opened.

 

Lexion, who had already been prepared, stood in front of the door and smiled softly.

 

“I’m here to pick you up.”

 

He reached out his leather gloved hand.

 

It was like an attitude towards a noble lady.

 

Due to the cold weather in the north, his clothes were quite thick.

 

Wearing a thick velvet coat, he looked like a giant.

 

My attire was better than that of Lexion.

 

Daisy, who was worried about me, wrapped me in tight clothes, so I was heavily armed, from the hat to the boots.

 

The only place where skin was exposed was my face.

 

I clasped my hand with a pale pink leather glove and white fur adorned on my wrist.

 

This time of walking alongside him on a rocking boat felt very long.

 

As I stepped on the boat, the cool air and a familiar smell wafted through my nostrils.

 

Soon after, a welcoming landscape greeted me.

 

‘I’m finally here…’

 

As I was falling in love, the butler, Oscar, who came to meet us, bowed.

 

“Welcome, Duke.”

 

Lexion nodded his head lightly, and Oscar looked at me warmly.

 

He was a person who had never had a crush on me in my previous life.

 

He was simply being courteous to his master.

 

“You have worked very hard to come this far. My name is Oscar, butler of Sparrow Castle.”

 

"Nice to meet you. I am Tiarozety.”

 

“Thank you, Miss Tiarozety.”

 

Oscar bowed his head once more to be polite. Afterwards, I made brief eye contact with others.

 

After a while, Oscar posted a brief report to Lexion.

 

“I prepared everything as the Duke said. The papers were put in the carriage. Please check it out and let me know if there are any omissions.”

 

“You worked hard while I was away, Oscar.”

 

Under Lexion's control, Oscar opened the carriage door with a soft smile.

 

It was a carriage dedicated to Lexion.

 

I've never ridden it before.

 

He said while I was waiting for him to get on.

 

“Aren’t you riding?”

 

"What? In the same carriage?”

 

Of course, I reacted foolishly because I thought I would ride in another carriage.

 

Then Lexion smiled brightly and glanced at the carriage.

 

"Yes. As you can see, only one carriage came.”

 

“…Ah, then yes!"

 

I blinked as I climbed into the carriage.

 

In my previous life, I traveled mainly in hospitality wagons.

 

This was because the carriage that Lexion rode in was the same as his personal space.

 

Inside the carriage, it was spacious and cozy like a moving room.

 

The chairs were soft and magic tools were installed, so the air was warm unlike outside.

 

It was the first time I had seen the inside, so I glanced around subtly

 

“You can be comfortable.”

 

“It's comfortable!”

 

I was surprised and deliberately pretended to be comfortable.

 

In fact, there was another reason why I felt uncomfortable looking around too much.

 

A spacious but enclosed space.

 

I was so nervous that I was alone with him, and I couldn't be comfortable at all.

 

While he was away from the estate, he was reviewing the papers that Oscar had prepared for him to see if he had a lot of work to do.

 

Flip. Flip.

 

The sound of paper flipping resounded in the carriage.

 

I stared at Lexion, who was concentrating on his work.

 

I couldn't believe I was in this private space.

 

Especially since he was the kind who didn't want anyone to disturb him while he was working.

 

I sat quietly so as not to disturb him in any way.

 

The sound of squeaking horses' hooves and the crunching of papers were heard alternately.

 

The window was jammed with frost.

 

I quietly put my finger on the window and scribbled meaningless letters.

 

The temperature difference between the inside and outside was so great that it quickly melted and turned into water.

 

Through the gaps in the letters, I could see Bael, full of snowflakes.

 

It must have snowed just before we arrived.

 

There were very few days when it wasn't cold, so snow was more common than rain.

 

That's why it was also called the 'hometown of snow'.

 

How far did we go…

 

The carriage then stopped and the door opened.

 

Soon, a familiar castle appeared.

 

A tall, large Sparrow Castle with a blue light as if made of glass.

 

"Titi."

 

Lexion got off first and escorted me as if I was the owner of this castle.

 

Bewildered, I grabbed his hand and got off the carriage.

 

The servants waiting on the other side bowed to greet us.

 

I was blown away by the great hospitality, and at the same time, I lowered my head.

 

Then Oscar spoke softly.

 

“Miss Tiarozety. From now on, we will become a part of the family, so you don’t have to treat people below you like that.”

 

I looked up at him blankly when he said that he was a subordinate.

 

At Bael, I was just a guest.

 

Someone to stay for a while.

 

So, I’m a stranger who doesn't even need affection.

 

Although Oscar was not hostile to me, he was not friendly either.

 

The line in a respectful attitude always made me know where I was.

 

But the word ‘family’ came out of his mouth.

 

I doubted if I had heard correctly.

 

"What do you mean, family?"

 

When I asked that question-

 

“Oscar.”

 

Lexion softly spoke.

 

“Oh. I've gone too far. I'm sorry, Duke."

 

At this, Oscar quickly apologized with a look of embarrassment along with his wide smile.

 

A strange gaze passed between the two.

 

‘Why are you both looking like that?’

 

I didn't understand, so I looked at the two of them in turn.

 

For some reason, Lexion's face seemed to be very bewildered.

 

After a while, Oscar spoke to me as if he was trying to make up for his speech mistake.

 

“The room where Miss Tiarozety will be staying for the time being is the Myersotis Room. It is sunny and well ventilated.”

 

"Okay."

 

I nodded my head familiarly because it was the place I had always stayed.

 

Then I stretched out my arms to see if Oscar was going to lead me to the Myersotis Room.

 

“Shall we go?”

 

When I looked at Lexion, he nodded lightly.

 

It meant it was okay to follow.

 

After Oscar bowed slightly to him, I followed to the Myersotis Room along with Daisy.

 

* * *

 

The morning was bright.

 

Contrary to Daisy's concerns, I tolerated the cold northern weather quite well.

 

‘Before, I was in a very weak state, so as soon as I arrived I had a terrible cold…'

 

It sure looked like I was in good health.

 

There was no need to even hold such a declaration ceremony.

 

I got up from my seat and put on my shawl.

 

As I opened the curtains, the bright sunlight greeted me.

 

The window was covered with frost.

 

I slowly opened the window to breathe in the fresh air.

 

The air was chilly, but it was a refreshing morning.

 

Then inhale deeply and exhale repeatedly.

 

‘How much I missed this scenery…’

 

Even after joining the subjugation team, I had to follow the ending given to me, so I ended up never returning here.

 

The outside was full of snow, and winter birds chirped through the trees.

 

It was time to enjoy a refreshing morning.

 

“Are you up early?”

 

“Good morning, Daisy.”

 

Daisy entered the room and started talking.

 

In her hands were carrying toiletries.

 

I welcomed her because I was about to go out.

 

“I just want to go for a walk before breakfast.”

 

“In this weather?”

 

Daisy didn't like the cold, so she quickly closed the window.

 

I said as I glanced through the window.

 

“…I saw yesterday that there was a dog in the yard.”

 

“Ah, you mean Max?”

 

“Ah, the name is Max.”

 

I mumbled as if I knew it for the first time.

 

I kept hiding the name I already knew.

 

Max was a large dog with very pretty blue eyes.

 

I wanted to pretend to know him right away yesterday, but I also suppressed my gladness, fearing that I might be suspicious of those around me.

 

“You like animals.”

 

As Daisy spoke with a warm smile, I simply nodded shyly.

 

After finishing preparations, I headed to the yard where the dog was.

 

Hearing the footsteps, Max pricked his ears instead of lying down.

 

But when Daisy came with a stranger, he growled and warned her.

 

“Hello, Max?”

 

I approached him cautiously and said hello, and Max stared blankly at me.

 

It was a look on the face of how this person knew my name and called me.

 

I wanted to hug Max right away, but I held back.

 

Instead, I offered Max's favorite dog chewing food.

 

Max sneaked over and bit the food.

 

In the meantime, I gently stroked Max's head.

 

Max waved his tail softly, as he ate it in an instant.

 

Daisy looked at it and said as if in awe.

 

“You take good care of dogs. Max is usually sensitive and he hates strangers.”

 

“I’ve had dogs before.”

 

His name was Max.

 

I hid my backstory and smiled bashfully.

 

“Ah.”

 

Daisy faltered as if she knew now.

 

I said impulsively as Max's soft fur caught my hand.

 

“Can I go for a walk with Max later?”

 

“As long as it’s okay with the lady.”

 

Daisy answered meekly.

 

I smiled broadly and nodded my head.

 

In fact, there were so many places I wanted to go.

 

From the walk I often took with Max, to Saint Mountain where Bael can be seen clearly, and the Tier River, which is so transparent that it is difficult to tell if it is a sky or a river.

 

I wanted to go back to everyone.

 

"You woke up so early."

 

In the midst of heightening my intimacy with Max, someone put a coat around my shoulder.

 

Seeing that the warmth remained, it was the clothes he was wearing that wrapped around me.

 

“Good morning, Duke.”

 

Daisy recognized him first and greeted him.

 

I raised my head and looked at the approaching Lexion.

 

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