I was dragged along by my hat and the back of my neck.
To be precise, I was dragged along while pretending to walk.
A long trail of footprints stretched across the snow.
They looked less like my footprints and more like the tracks left by something being hauled away.
“Grand Duke.”
I called out to him in the sweetest voice I could manage.
“Could you let me go now?”
“No.”
Dante answered without taking his eyes off the path ahead.
There wasn’t even a hint of hesitation in his voice.
“We’ve come this far. Isn’t that enough?”
“I decide that.”
“Dragging someone around like a piece of luggage isn’t something a normal person would do.”
“So?”
“That makes it perfectly clear why I came here to educate you, doesn’t it?”
Dante stopped walking for a moment.
I raised my head, hoping he had changed his mind.
He slowly looked down at me.
“Should I gag you?”
“That would be even more abnormal behavior.”
“Breaking your neck would keep you quiet.”
“Threatening violence is also prohibited.”
“I’m not joking.”
I shut my mouth.
For now, getting inside the castle alive came first.
A massive castle emerged through the blizzard.
Its walls, built from black stone, were as imposing as a sleeping monster lying atop the snowfields. Snow had piled thickly on the sharply pointed spires, and faint light seeped through the tall windows.
Blackwood Castle.
The residence of the mastermind who would one day destroy the Empire.
And the place where I would be staying from today onward.
*'I already want to go home.'*
The enormous iron gate opened.
Creeeeak.
The knights guarding the castle gate bowed in unison.
“We welcome Your Grace.”
They greeted Dante as though this were perfectly routine.
Then they noticed me dangling from his hand and froze at the same time.
The knights’ eyes darted back and forth between Dante and me several times.
I understood.
I would have been shocked too.
The Grand Duke, who glared at anyone who merely brushed past him as though he wanted to kill them, had returned while gripping a woman by the back of her neck.
I forced a smile and waved at the knights.
“Hello.”
No one answered.
Why not?
Fear, shock, and the faintest trace of pity appeared on their faces.
*'I’m not dead yet.'*
Dante walked all the way to the castle entrance without paying the slightest attention to the stares around him.
That was when it happened.
“Grand Duke!”
The entrance doors opened, and an elderly white-haired man hurried outside.
His hair was neatly combed back.
Round glasses rested on the bridge of his nose.
His black butler’s uniform was immaculate.
He was Hugo, the butler in charge of this place.
He had cared for Dante since childhood and watched him grow.
Even in the future, he would remain one of the few people Dante kept by his side until the very end.
“The person you’re holding right now is……”
Hugo pushed up his glasses with one finger.
His tone and posture were perfectly composed.
But I saw it.
His eyes were shaking violently behind his glasses.
*'You were surprised just now, weren’t you, Grandpa?'*
No matter how long he had lived as a butler, it seemed he hadn’t expected to see this.
Dante said indifferently, “She’s someone my elder brother sent.”
“His Majesty the Emperor?”
“Yes.”
Hugo’s gaze returned to me.
This time, he quickly looked me up and down.
My snow-white hair.
My snow-damp cloak.
And my hat and the back of my neck, still firmly held in Dante’s hand.
I smiled with as much dignity as I could muster.
“I’m Ella of House Felicia.”
“Ah……”
Hugo’s eyes narrowed for the briefest moment.
He knew the rumor that I had been the princes’ tutor.
Just how far had the rumors spread from the capital?
“I’ll handle it. Go inside.”
Dante waved a hand.
Hugo hesitated for a moment.
He looked as though he was wondering whether it was really all right to leave me there.
But he was a seasoned butler, after all.
He soon bowed his head like a man who had seen absolutely nothing.
“Understood, Grand Duke.”
Then he really did turn around and walk away.
I watched Hugo’s back as he disappeared into the distance.
*'Don’t pretend you didn’t see this!'*
I screamed inwardly, but of course there was no way he could hear me.
Dante looked down at me.
“Now hand over the letter.”
“Let me go first.”
“No.”
“Grand Duke.”
I gritted my teeth and forced a smile.
“Could you please loosen your grip on that thing?”
“That thing?”
“The back of my neck.”
“Try pulling yourself free.”
The corner of Dante’s mouth lifted ever so slightly.
He looked amused.
That man.
He was definitely testing me.
Or just messing with me.
*'You dragged me this far. Isn’t that enough, you mastermind?'*
Fortunately, there weren’t many people around the entrance.
If anyone from high society had seen me, I would have been known as ‘Lady Felicia, Dragged Away by the Grand Duke’ starting tomorrow.
But playing a prank like this on me was his mistake.
There was something Dante didn’t know.
How my power worked.
Divine power was broadly divided into two branches.
The power to heal wounds and illnesses.
And the power of purification, which erased dark energy and corruption.
Most priests specialized in healing.
When people heard the words divine power, they naturally thought only of mending wounds and curing disease.
But I was different.
My power was closer to purification than healing.
It could burn away dark energy.
Restore corrupted land.
And return beings consumed by evil energy to their original forms.
Since I rarely had any use for it under normal circumstances, even the temple had paid me little attention.
I had no intention of entering the temple and living quietly while praying obediently, either.
Instead, I had thought:
*'What if I use this power by wrapping it around my body?'*
Divine power was still power, in the end.
Letting it flow through my veins could strengthen my body, while concentrating it in my legs allowed me to move faster. If I condensed it in my fists or fingertips, even the same attack could pack two or three times the force.
Thanks to that, I had been able to work the princes very efficiently.
Of course, I had moderated my strength around the children.
A little.
Just a tiny little bit.
The problem was the future.
Once dark energy began spreading through the North, there weren’t enough people capable of purification.
At the request of the temple and the imperial court, I had to travel across corrupted land.
I ran until the soles of my feet wore raw.
I purified until I collapsed.
And without time to recover, I headed for yet another region.
Then came the final day.
The emperor died.
Dante went berserk.
His mana was consumed by dark energy, and it covered the entire Empire.
I was beside the emperor too.
There was nowhere to run.
I poured out every last bit of my purification power to keep from being swept away by Dante’s strength.
But in the end, I couldn’t stop him.
The divine power inside my body was completely depleted.
And I died in agony as the pain burned all the way to my bones.
Because of that man.
*'So when he told me to pull free, he was giving me an opening.'*
I quietly gathered power in my toes.
Divine power flowed up my legs, making my body feel lighter.
Dante was still gripping the back of my neck.
He had let his guard down.
I kicked off the floor with all my strength.
Pop!
My body shot into the air.
I swung my foot straight toward Dante’s cheek.
Whoosh!
But Dante dodged the attack by merely leaning his head back a little.
“Too slow.”
“Who said it was over?”
He tugged on my hat.
I leaned forward as though I were being pulled along.
And in that instant—
I condensed divine power in my head.
“How about this!”
I drove my forehead straight into his face.
Thud!
The dull impact echoed through the entrance hall.
Dante’s head jerked back ever so slightly.
And his grip loosened.
I quickly pulled free and landed on the floor.
“Ah……”
My forehead hurt too.
Had I hit him too hard?
But the moment I saw Dante’s expression, the pain no longer mattered.
He was staring at me with a look of utter disbelief.
It was probably the first time in his life someone had headbutted him.
I straightened up proudly.
“Grand Duke.”
“I’ll head upstairs first.”
“You just……”
“Starting tomorrow, I’ll give you lots of challenging exercises so you can live like a normal person.”
I raised one finger and smiled brightly.
“And if you fail to answer correctly……”
I took one step back.
“There will be physical contact,”
Then I took another step.
“So please pre-pare your-self.”
“Have a wonderful day!”
Before he could move, I turned and ran toward the stairs.
I had gotten one over on him.
And not just anyone, but the Northern Grand Duke, known as the strongest knight in the Empire.
I felt like I could fly.
I bounded up the stairs two at a time, unable to hold back my laughter.
Then a low voice came from behind me.
“……Damn rabbit.”
I pretended not to hear and climbed the stairs even faster.
Just then—
“Hello.”
A quiet voice came from directly behind me.
“Eek!”
I jumped in surprise and missed a step.
Whoa—
Someone firmly caught my arm before I could fall.
When I turned my head, I saw a young woman with black hair neatly tied back.
Her face was almost expressionless.
Her gray eyes were calm.
She wore an ordinary maid’s uniform, but the balance of her body and the position of her hands were anything but ordinary.
*'This woman knows how to use her body.'*
After steadying me, she bowed politely.
“I’m sorry if I startled you.”
“No, it’s okay. I was too excited to hear you.”
“I’m Hari. I’ll be attending to you from today onward.”
She spoke calmly.
“I’ll show you to your room.”
“Take good care of me, Hari.”
“The same to you.”
I followed her down the corridor.
It was warmer than I expected.
A fire blazed in the fireplace, and thick curtains hung over every window. Portraits of past members of House Blackwood, along with swords and a map of the North, adorned the walls.
Hari stopped in front of a door at the end of the corridor.
“This is your room, Miss Ella.”
“Wow.”
When she opened the door, a spacious bedroom appeared.
A fireplace.
A soft bed.
Large windows that let in plenty of sunlight.
Unlike the castle’s cold exterior, the inside was cozy.
“The Grand Duke’s bedroom is next door.”
“Really?”
My eyes lit up.
That was the perfect location for training him.
Hari’s expression stiffened for the briefest moment.
“May I ask what you’re thinking?”
“Nothing at all.”
“I see.”
She clearly didn’t believe me.
I suddenly grabbed Hari’s hand.
“Hari.”
“Yes?”
“Please just call me Ella.”
“I cannot do that.”
“Why not?”
“Because you’re a guest.”
“Then call me Ella.”
Hari thought about it for a moment before nodding.
“Understood, Ella.”
Then she smiled ever so slightly.
The smile spreading across her usually impassive face was much prettier than I expected.
I immediately threw my arms around her.
“Hari, I like you so much!”
“……Ella?”
“I’ve finally found someone to show affection to in this freezing castle.”
“We haven’t even known each other for ten minutes.”
“Time isn’t important.”
Hari froze for a moment, but soon she carefully patted my back.
That day, I became certain.
If I wanted to survive in this castle, I absolutely had to win Hari over to my side.
And the next morning, before dawn—
I stood in front of Dante’s bedroom door.
I drew in a deep breath.
I gathered divine power in my fist.
Bang, bang, bang!
“Grand Duke!”
The sound echoed through the entire corridor.
“It’s morning!”
There was no answer.
I knocked on the door again.
This time, a little harder.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
“Wake up!”
Still, not a sound came from inside.
I glared at the door.
*'So you’re not waking up from this?'*
Fine.
In that case—
I stepped back and raised my leg.
“Grand Duke!”
Divine power condensed in my toes.
“It’s lesson time!”
Then I kicked the door with all my strength.
BANG——!!