“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAWN” Yawning loudly, I stretched out my childish limbs as I sat up from a rather distasteful slumber. An unfamiliar, cramped and unclean room surrounded me. Honestly, I hated it. I don't want to be the spoiled brat in this situation, but the least they could have done was clean it up for the guests. The bedding was not only far smaller than the bed in my room but also felt like I was laying on softwood, barely manageable.

My back hurts.

Urila had said that disclosing my status as a Renhart would only bring trouble, so it was best to keep it under tabs at all times. I couldn't disagree with him. After all, children of nobility would be an abundant source of income for bandits or kidnappers.

So here I was, currently traveling under the guise of a servant of the Renharts, like Lita. Given a servant's room— Not like there were many better options in this dump.

Standing up from my bed, I jumped onto the thin, moldy wooden floorboards, which creaked dangerously under my weight. I could just make out the high-pitched squeal of a rat in the corner of the room. Not too surprised there.

Upon entering the village last night, we had rudely interrupted the village chief's sleep for some accommodation, which he had been kind enough to accept—for a few gold pieces. His home being the most prominent and central building within the village, he had turned it into something like a village hotspot, with bathing, gambling, and restaurant facilities in one package for locals and travelers. Accordingly, he rented us three separate rooms within the building.

Maintaining such a large residence didn't seem plausible without adequate assistance. Yet I hadn't seen a single worker within the building. So it made sense why some of these rooms were so filthy if he didn't have servants to clean them up. Is there a reason he didn't hire any cleaners?

I walked towards the entrance of my room wearing a simple purple toga and tunic. I smelt terrible—no doubt about it. We trekked in snow and the occasional muck for over seven hours yesterday. Maybe I should have bathed before I slept—the sweet odor of dried sweat lingering in the air.

The village chief's house had two floors, the ground floor, and the upper floor. The ground floor contained the bathing room, living room, office, and restaurant.

The second floor was where all the bedrooms were located, with nearly ten bedrooms lined up side by side. Honestly, the village chief's home appeared very similar to an inn. Opening the door and stepping outside, I could make out the distinct chattering of locals, and travelers from downstairs, the facilities now in their opening hours.

“Click” The room door next to mine opened the next moment. A young boy wearing just a white tunic stepped out. He had soft hay-brown hair with light freckles adorning his childish face. He looked to be around the same age as me.

What is he doing? As soon as he noticed my presence, he proceeded to stare at me. No, hello, no good morning. Just stare.

“Good morning?” I asked, trying to wake him up. Maybe he was tired?

“G-g-good morning,” He replied, hastily avoiding my eyes.

What's wrong with him? He appeared fidgety and a bit— shy. Maybe there weren't many children his age around.

….did I just refer to myself as a child?

“M-my name is Hastufa! My father is the chief of Icewind Village!“ Suddenly out of nowhere, he seemed to gain a sudden boost in confidence, losing his earlier shyness. Now that you mention it, the village chief had mentioned last night that his ‘pride and joy’ was asleep in the next room. I guess he meant his son.

“Nice to meet you, Hastufa. My name is Tene R— just Tene.A worker within the Renhart household. My uncle and I and a fellow maid from the household are traveling to Snowpeak Cape. We lodged here just last night.” Looking at Hastufa, he seemed to be still averting his gaze as I spoke. However, the mention of the Renhart family seemed to capture his attention.

“THE Renhart family?!!” For the first time, he met my gaze with—pity?

“…Why are you looking at me like that?” I asked him, uncontained anger in my tone. It was the first time someone looked at me like that.

I hate it.

Looking away, he seemed to catch his lack of manners. Stumbling over his next set of words.

“S-s-sorry, The Renhart family is pretty infamous for their past, after all. My father told me about all the terrible things they did. But— it was rude of me to bring that up. You're running away from them knowing this fact, right? So once again, I'm sorry” Bowing his head, he gave me an abrupt apology.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

I knew he had the best intentions, but hearing him disparage my family like that—really annoyed me for some reason.

“...It's fine,” I replied quietly. Then, no longer wanting to discuss with him further, I began to head down the staircase to the first floor.

“W-wait!!!” Perhaps not expecting me to leave so suddenly, Hastufa shouted for me to wait. Turning around, I indicated with my eyes for him to hurry up.

“I'm going to become a future great knight! I'll be enrolling at Snow cape academy soon. My father and teacher said I'm the future of our family!!!” He replied, looking at me with what appeared to be–expectation.

“...Ok, good for you, kid.” Turning around, I headed down to the bathing area.

“....kid? But aren't we the same age?” A final whisper from Hastufa entered my ears as I went downstairs.

----------------------------------------

Well, that was better than I thought. Walking out of the steam-filled bathroom wrapped in my light purple towel, I went to the changing rooms on the other side of the washroom.

The washroom was empty and split into male and female parts, separated by a thick curtain. The water was steaming hot, similar to how I liked my baths at home. Honestly, I would have liked to see which side of the curtain Urila had passed through, but sadly, he had entered the bathroom earlier in the morning. I could have come earlier, but I had already promised not to pry into his secrets, and I disliked breaking my promises.

Like the bathrooms, the changing room was split into a male and female section separated by the same thick curtain. Drying my hair, I quickly changed into the lighter snow gear I wore yesterday. We wouldn't be staying long. We would grab something to eat, collect our mounts, and then travel straight to Snowpeak Cape.

Leaving the changing room feeling refreshed, I walked towards the restaurant across the hallway. Dimly lit candles lit up the hall at separate intervals, making it difficult to make out stains of mold and dirt on the walls and floor. Another strategic business move on the village chief's part, I would say.

How does that old man keep his business up with such a filthy building? I lightly watched my step, trying not to step on anything—uncleanly. Maybe commoners didn't particularly care too much for hygiene? I don't think I caught anyone in the washroom after all.

As I approached the restaurant, the thick aroma of hearty meals readily being cooked in the kitchen filled the air, the sounds of clinking glasses and jovial chatter getting louder and louder. Finally, at the end of the corridor, I gently pushed open the small double doors to enter the restaurant.

Filling my view was a cozy, inviting space with warm wood paneling and a low ceiling adorned with flickering lanterns. A large fireplace crackles merrily in the corner, casting a warm glow over the worn wooden tables and benches scattered throughout the space. Since it was still early morning, there were still few people. However, guests and a small number of locals were still present for the early breakfast. Several curious gazes glanced in my direction.

At a snug, quiet corner sat Lita and Urila, already dressed up and ready for the day, eating their breakfast silently. Walking over towards them, I sat down in the last chair remaining on the round table. Lita was kind enough to prepare my food with hers as I watched the steam rise through the sides of the small plate covering it.

“Good morning. So what's the plan?” I casually asked as I uncovered my food and began to eat.

Ughhhh, oats.

Urila looked up at me hesitantly. It looks like he was still coming to terms with my speech yesterday.

“The same as yesterday, nothing changed. We pick up the mounts quickly and then leave” Urila replied. As he spoke, I found that some people within the restaurant diverted their gaze toward him. A number of people were slightly red-faced. I couldn't exactly fault them. Even my gaze had lingered when I first saw him during my birthing ceremony.

His soft porcelain skin, slightly flushed from his bathing session, and messy red hair gave him a look of wild beauty. He certainly stood out.

“...hey, has anyone ever told you how feminine your voice sounds?” I asked Urila. Does this count as prying?

“Don't answer if you don't want to.” I quickly added.

“All the time,” he responded simply. Not looking up from his meal as he finished up.

On the other hand, Lita had long since finished her meal, no, meals. Nearly eight stacks of plates are in her corner of our table like a tower. I'm surprised Urila had nothing to say about the situation to be honest.

Shortly after breakfast, we made our way to the village chief's office on the opposite side of the first-floor central hallway. There were far more people now present in the washroom. I guess we were just early.

“How many days of travel will it take for us to get to Snowpeak Cape?” I asked Urila.

“Two days,” he responded. Two days! I couldn't help but be partially shocked. Just what type of mounts would we be riding? It usually took four to five days, even on the fastest horses.

Opening the door to the village chief's office, Urila led us in.

Sitting on a desk stacked with paperwork was a chiseled elderly man who appeared to be in his early fifties. His hair and soft beard were ash white. His muscled form rippled softly against his clothing. He seemed to have been expecting us as his office was far cleaner than last night's. Honestly, thinking about last night's mess, I couldn't help but reminisce about a certain messy magician.

“Good morning. I hope you guys had a great night's rest!!” The same boisterous voice from yesterday echoed loudly within the room.

Is this guy touching Eighty? I had heard it was possible to lower the effects of aging significantly and increase your lifespan with a high enough status, but seeing the results in person was truly staggering. I heard the great sages had been alive since the time of the founding king nearly a thousand years ago.

Well, still not as old as me.

“So Urila, Lita, and Tene, if I remember correctly! Quite the traveling group of beautiful people. I feel left out–HAHAHAHAHAHA” Laughing loudly at his own bad joke, he looked Urila dead in his eyes. Ready to discuss business.

“Udines” Urila said. Just this one word alone seemed to bring an uncomfortable silence to the room.

“Udines? You don't mean the half-breeds engineered during the old regime by any chance? The ones banned by law.” Looking at Urila with a steely gaze, the village chief seemed to be confused by his question. I didn't miss that wily last sentence of his, though, as if testing Urila.

Shrewd old man.

“Duke Camilla sent me,” Urila responded. Taking out a silver medal with a snow owl engraved at the front.

“...HAHAHAHAH, why didn't you say that earlier, kid! Sure, I've got a couple of Udines. Ain't gonna be cheap though, only got a couple left.” The mayor responded energetically as if his earlier guise never even happened.

“Your best, please. The duke promises special privileges for your son at the academy.” Urila spoke as if he was handing out loose change and casually threw a large pack of gold coins at the village chief's desk.

“...just who are you people exactly?” the chief replied.

“Not important.” Urila quickly responded.

Standing up from his desk, the chief took out a small key.

“Give me a moment. Meet me out back. We don't keep them in the village.” The village chief said. Walking towards the backdoor in the office.