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Chapter 43
After I Die, the Little Groom
The meeting that day eventually ended with Heinrich’s approval.
After that, they discussed concrete plans to ensure the mission’s success: how many guards would enter the caravan, what signal would indicate that they had arrived at the hideout, and so on.
Because they had been discussing all night, some of the knights complained of headaches and started dozing off.
In the end, Heinrich ordered that only a few capable ones stay awake while the rest could rest.
Allison, half-turned and yawning, asked,
“Are you all right, Lady?”
“I’m fine. I often stay up all night alone in the territory. With others here, it actually feels less tiring.”
Nadia’s voice was clear, and she didn’t look tired at all.
Johann, the captain of the knights, was impressed. Normally reserved, he seemed to have lost some control from fatigue.
“I honestly thought you’d be the first to go to bed, Lady.”
“Really?”
“Oh, don’t misunderstand. I know you’re wise and responsible. But stamina is another matter, isn’t it? Do you train separately?”
“No. But maybe chasing after the miners helped.”
Nadia smiled and tapped the map. It was her way of signaling that they should focus.
Just then, as if keeping the rhythm, two drops of blood fell with a plop.
Nadia blinked, then absentmindedly rubbed her nose. Her fingertip was stained bright red with blood.
“Milady!”
“Are you all right, Lady?”
Vivian was the first to rush over, and Allison took a handkerchief from her bosom and offered it.
Nadia accepted the handkerchief, pressing it gently to her nose, her cheeks flushing.
“After bragging just now, this is embarrassing. It’s fine. Everyone, please focus on the map. There’s something I’ve been concerned about…”
She wiped the blood off the map and circled a spot.
Before Nadia could explain, someone snatched the pen from her hand.
“Uh…?”
“Lady, that’s enough for now.”
Looking up, she saw Heinrich standing there with a dark expression. He handed the pen he’d taken from Nadia to Allison.
“Your Excellency, I’m truly fine. Please, just let me say this one thing.”
“You mean, you want to point out where the hideout is?”
That was correct. When Nadia blinked, Heinrich spoke as if it were obvious.
“This is not the Hess territory. Even without you, there are skilled people here, so if your stamina won’t allow it, rest. You will play the most important role in the operation in a few days.”
“This time, you’re right. If you fall asleep during the operation, it would be disastrous.”
Allison fussed anxiously, and Johann nodded in agreement.
Blood still trickled slightly from her nose. She had grown fatigued from not properly resting during the journey from the capital through Hess to Crimson.
“Thank you for your consideration.”
Nadia decided to listen obediently. Vivian, who had been approaching to guard her, paused for a moment. Heinrich had reached out his arm as if to escort her.
Frozen, Nadia looked up at Heinrich.
“You can go with Vivian.”
“You are one of the most important figures in this operation. I will escort you to your quarters.”
Nadia glanced at Vivian, who lowered her gaze, apparently agreeing that it would be safer.
In the end, Nadia leaned on Heinrich’s arm and left the basement.
The quarters were in an old mansion, just a short walk from the low building with the basement.
Honestly, using Heinrich as an escort for such a short distance seemed like a waste of such a valuable resource.
‘Is this matter really that important to Heinrich?’
It was important, yes. But Baldwin had countless important matters, so it wasn’t easy to say this one was unusually high priority.
Still, walking at night escorted by Heinrich wasn’t unpleasant.
When had she last taken a walk with him at night…?
As she tried to recall memories with Heinrich in the silence, she asked softly,
“Why go this far?”
Her brief question carried a weighty tone, as though she were holding back her emotions.
“When I brought you here, I didn’t anticipate this situation. I only thought to ask you to devise a plan in exchange for rescuing the victims of Hess territory. That alone would have been enough for you, as the heir of a territory. Why do you risk yourself as bait?”
Meeting Heinrich in this body, for the first time, she didn’t find him unfamiliar.
Expressing curiosity honestly and expecting truth in return was exactly how Rivenya remembered Heinrich.
So Nadia could only speak her heart plainly, without pretense.
“I want to protect the honor of the North.”
“Honor…”
“The North was built on a frozen land, but it’s prosperous and has cultivated many fine cultures, just like the South or the capital. I want to punish those who spread false dreams and commit crimes in such lands.”
“…Even in the North, there were likely families who looked down on the Hess Barons. Yet you still want to protect the North itself?”
Heinrich’s question could be twisted in many ways, but Nadia knew him well. He simply wanted the truth, based on facts. It didn’t feel rude at all.
It was, in fact, endearing.
This brief moment was so joyful that Nadia couldn’t help smiling brightly as she answered,
“It doesn’t matter. Anyone from Hess territory would think the same. No matter how much the North disregards us, we are Northerners too. How could we ignore what happens in the North? The people of Hess territory were born in a small, poor land, but they’re not petty.”
By the time their conversation ended, they had reached the quarters.
Heinrich opened the door first, frowned, and whispered like a sigh,
“Just look ahead.”
She didn’t understand at first, but stepping inside, she realized why.
The knights, exhausted from a mentally taxing day, hadn’t gone to their rooms and were sleeping anywhere. Some had even thrown off their jackets, leaving their upper bodies bare.
A normal noblewoman might have screamed in shock at the sight. But Nadia was the young lady of the Hess Barons. The miners often worked in far worse conditions.
Nadia chuckled as she climbed the stairs.
“People’s lives are all the same.”
When Nadia spoke nonchalantly, Heinrich seemed a little embarrassed. Perhaps it was just her imagination.
At the door, Nadia lifted a hem of her robe slightly in thanks.
It had been a long time since she had discussed matters and spoken personally with Heinrich. She felt content, even if he turned away coldly afterward.
However, Heinrich didn’t leave immediately, but called Nadia aside for a moment.
“…I apologize.”
Nadia’s round eyes widened further.
“For what…?”
“I knew you weren’t here to be protected. Yet perhaps, I thought otherwise. I apologize for not respecting your honorable choice.”
Heinrich’s expression showed no particular emotion. He wasn’t arrogantly impressed, nor did he seem humiliated to apologize to someone of lower status. He was simply making an appropriate apology for his mistake.
Nadia felt pleased. For the first time, it seemed Heinrich truly understood her heart.
“Thank you for understanding.”
Nadia and Heinrich exchanged formal farewell greetings.
Instead of lying down immediately, Nadia stood by the window, watching Heinrich return to the basement for a while.
Having had a real conversation with him after a long time, her heart felt warm, like in a dream.
Heinrich glanced back at the quarters as he returned to the basement.
A small, thin shadow stood at the window and met his gaze.
Nadia looked around in surprise for a moment, then shyly raised a hand and waved.
Despite her sharp golden eyes, her round eyes softened her expression. Seeing her, one could understand what it meant to be loved and raised with care.
Rivenya was intelligent and kind, too, but her eyes, always wary of others, were more cold than warm. She gave her kindness without expecting it to return, trusted no one, and was disappointed by no one.
But Nadia glowed with joy at a simple apology, looking at people with sparkling eyes.
“She is different,” Heinrich realized.
Even if their gestures were similar and both loved the North, it didn’t mean they were the same.
Accepting that, Heinrich could finally accept that Nadia was a good person.
Heinrich gave a brief nod toward Nadia still at the window and then returned to the basement.
For the first time since meeting Nadia, his heart felt untroubled.
