02

It was a midsummer day, less than two weeks since Rudbeckia had traveled back in time.

Six men — Benedict who had left the Capital, four knights, and a priest — waited under a tree for Rudbeckia and Irene. As the appointed meeting time approached, the knights’ heads drooped lower and their chatter increased.

Among them, the youngest priest, Raziel, quietly drank water while listening to the knights’ conversation. His composed personality, along with his gray hair and eyes, made him appear more mature than his age at eighteen.

So the knights were more concerned about their suddenly nervous colleague than the calm young man.

“Doesn’t he seem strange today?”

“Yeah.”

Jeremy and Walter whispered while watching Idris muttering to himself in the corner. Regardless of how others viewed him, Idris remained focused on practicing his expressions and greetings.

Hello? Hmm, hello? Long time no see?

“For someone who claims they’re friends, he’s putting a lot of effort into saying hello.”

“Must be feeling awkward.”

While Walter watched the scene with indifference, Jeremy’s eyes crinkled mischievously.

Just then, Duke Diaz’s carriage and knights appeared in the distance. Hugo, Derek, and two knights from the Duke’s household were mounted on horses.

“Wow, it’s starting to feel real now.”

“I’m getting nervous too, suddenly.”

Just before their carriage arrived, Benedict, who had been quiet until then, spoke to them in a monotone voice.

“Both of them can ride horses and spent over a year in the subjugation unit. As you can see, they have their own escorts, so there’s no need to worry about attending to them.”

The boisterous Idris and shy Walter quickly closed their mouths.

The Duke’s coachman carrying them spotted Aaron’s face and stopped a short distance away from them.

In the suddenly quiet atmosphere, Jeremy stood up, brushing off his seat, and placed his hand on Walter’s shoulder.

“There’s nothing to worry about. And Priest, you needn’t worry either. I’ve been with both Her Highness and Rudbeckia in the subjugation unit, and they managed well even in those harsh conditions.”

Raziel, the young priest inserted by the Emperor into the group, nodded with a more impassive face than Idris and Walter. Jeremy smiled approvingly at his reaction.

While the knights were chattering, Aaron approached the carriage and helped Irene and his sister down.

“Good work, everyone.”

“Have a safe journey, young master, miss. Good luck, Hugo.”

“Please take care of yourselves.”

“Thank you.”

The Duke’s coachman and knights bowed to Irene and Benedict before disappearing down the forest path in the opposite direction with the empty carriage. Unable to pass through the gate immediately, they were heading to Lingrad, the Diaz territory.

“Shall we, Your Highness?”

“Thank you, Sir Diaz.”

Irene, wearing a robe, stood before the captains and priest alongside Aaron.

While Irene’s golden eyes scanned the knights, Rudbeckia approached Benedict and curtsied, bending both her knee and head.

“It’s good to see you again, Your Highness. I apologize for the trouble and thank you for your grace.”

Benedict received Rudbeckia’s greeting by placing his right fist over his heart. It was the customary knight’s greeting to a lady.

“I hope you have an uneventful journey during this brief schedule.”

From where his right hand touched, Rudbeckia sensed her spiritual power.

You brought it.

At that moment, she smiled with relief, and Benedict noticeably stiffened at her change in expression.

As the man and woman unconsciously took in each other’s presence, no one in the group dared to speak.

Irene watched the past life’s couple with tightly pressed lips, while Aaron gazed at his sister with different complex emotions.

Just as Jeremy, who knew them both from their time in the subjugation unit, was about to make introductions to prevent the atmosphere from becoming awkward–

“I am Raziel Elba, who serves the divine. I look forward to working with you.”

Raziel, who hadn’t spoken a word since greeting the knights, stepped forward.

Though everyone’s attention turned to Raziel, he focused intently on only Rudbeckia and Irene, as if no one else existed. Before their vaguely perceptible pure energy, he couldn’t contain the excitement in his eyes.

While Rudbeckia and Irene were accustomed to such gazes from priests, the knights found it bewildering.

“What’s with that uncomfortable stare?”

As Jeremy grumbled about Raziel, Walter, unable to bear the awkward atmosphere, was the first knight to step forward.

“I’m Walter Niebe, Captain of the Third Division. I never expected to meet under these circumstances, but let’s have a safe journey.”

“I’m Jeremy Renner, Captain of the Second Division. As you know, Barad, where we’re heading, is where I grew up, so I’m familiar with the routes. I’ll escort you safely to Hovent. Haha.”

Following Walter, Jeremy also finished his introduction. With a smooth laugh, Jeremy turned his gaze to Idris, who remained last.

Idris, who had been practicing his greeting countless times for days, stepped forward awkwardly. He took a deep breath, as if he’s about to make some momentous statement and finally opened his mouth.

“Long time no see, Irene, and Rudbeckia.”

“Idris, were you waiting to play along if we pretended not to know each other?”

Irene immediately responded to Idris’s words, bursting into laughter she had been holding back.

Idris scrunched his nose and smiled sheepishly. Irene, raising her eyebrows mischievously, offered her greeting.

“It’s nice to see you. You all must have found it difficult to accept this proposal, yet here you are welcoming us. As you know, my name is Irene, and since we need to keep my traveling with you a secret, please call me Rin.”

“Hello, I’m Rudbeckia of House Diaz. I heard you readily agreed despite the inconvenience. I’m grateful to Your Highness and everyone. This is Hugo, my guard knight and former captain of the Racht Knights, and this is Derek, Rin’s guard knight.”

“You can call the knights by their first names, not their family names.”

“Alright.”

Aaron instructed his sister about how to address them while helping her with her robe.

After the brief introductions, Irene put on her robe and walked past Benedict to her classmate, Idris.

“Idris, when you pretended not to know me at the Imperial Palace, I thought you’d do the same here.”

Idris awkwardly touched his nape while looking around. His gaze fell on Rudbeckia, who was with Aaron.

It had been a long time since he’d seen her. Despite spending ten years together, after being rejected when he proposed at nineteen, he could only see her at Imperial Palace banquets.

Aaron noticed Idris’s gaze before anyone else.

“By the way, aren’t you going to greet Idris?”

“Huh?”

Aaron, who had just finished tucking his sister’s hair into her hood, asked casually. With both families knowing each other since childhood, Aaron was well aware of their relationship.

“Still uncomfortable?”

“No? Not at all.”

Rudbeckia waved her hands dismissively while glancing at Idris. At that moment, their eyes met.

Simultaneously, as if planned, both their gazes darted elsewhere. It was an obviously unnatural reaction.

Jeremy nudged Walter with a sly smile. Walter too was trying hard to suppress his rising smile.

Irene and Idris, talking after a long time, bickered casually.

“Idris, are you going to keep watching Rudy?”

“What are you talking about? Rin, how have you been?”

“Don’t change the subject. I’ve been well. Why didn’t you visit even once?”

While Irene was referring to the four years from her previous life, for Idris, the only reason for Irene to feel hurt was that he hadn’t visited in the year since her shop opened.

“I sent flowers, didn’t I?”

“Ah, right! You sent huge bouquets for two people!”

Their comfortable interaction revealed how close they had been during their days at the Imperial School.

When Irene whispered something to Idris, his ears suddenly turned red.

Detecting something to tease about, the eldest, Walter’s lips spread into a grin. Then Benedict, who had been quietly observing everything, abruptly mounted his horse.

“If introductions are done, let’s depart.”

That was the signal. The four knights quickly erased their playful expressions and moved in perfect unison to take their positions in front and behind Benedict.

Rudy and Irene, who had worked with the knights in the subjugation unit, found their places naturally with their guard knights.

“Sir Priest, over here.”

Rudy called to Raziel, who was about to go to the back, to join them between the knights.

Jeremy stood at the front, with Benedict and Walter behind him, while Aaron and Idris took their positions in the rear. They were in the middle.

The formation was complete. Benedict turned around and exchanged glances with Aaron. For a brief moment, Rudbeckia’s and Benedict’s eyes also met.

Soon, Benedict’s horse began to move.

Rudbeckia, positioned behind him, rode while gazing at his sunlit, dazzling hair.

She had gained another memory to cherish alone for a long time.

 * * *

“Have some water, Miss.”

“Thank you.”

While they stopped briefly at the stream to water the horses, everyone caught their breath.

With the drinking horses between them, there was some distance between the knights and Hovent’s group. Walter and Jeremy teased Idris, trying to probe his relationship with Rudbeckia, while Benedict and Aaron reviewed the route on their map.

Not far from them, Rudy and Irene adjusted each other’s robes, while Hugo and Derek lay sprawled in the field – it was a short, leisurely break.

“Sisters.”

Raziel, who had been with the knights, suddenly approached Rudbeckia and Irene.

“Yes, Priest.”

“I have something I’d like to ask you.”

Though his face remained calm, his voice trembled.

Rudbeckia recalled the past once again. Come to think of it, what had happened to Priest Raziel who had traveled with them?

“Yes, please ask.”

Rudbeckia responded while searching through her memories about Raziel. Raziel hesitated, glancing nervously at Hugo and Derek.