"For about a week?" It was her sixth week of travel, starting from this day, which happened to be a Monday.

As soon as the invitation arrived, she would have to return to the capital, but no day earlier, in order to stay away from the chaos as long as possible.

They had already known that the Victory Banquet would be held, information that Rowena had been privy to before anyone else, not just because she had read about it in the novel.

Official invitations were still not issued, but that was common, as a Victory Banquet was never meant to be anything but an event of honor, and yet a sensitive topic at the same time.

People knew how to dress for it, so they could arrange everything before the invitation arrived. But they couldn't possibly send out invitations before they had officially claimed victory.

And they couldn't claim that until they had secured all parts of the war zone, in case there were spies or neighboring kingdoms trying to attack them while they were exhausted. It was that one drop that could tip the scales again.

"Great," Iris replied, unaware of what the noble in front of her was thinking, "then I assume you will be here to inspect the finished product. You are the only one who can tell if something is amiss."

"Right, I hadn't thought of that." She was the one who had brought that kind of information to them, so they wouldn't know if they had done it right. 'Looking at their first try, I don't think they need my help though.'

With a smile, she excused herself and traveled back to the manor with Gren, a soldier of the second division of the Silver Lion Knights.

"It's so peaceful here," Rowena remarked without a second thought, her breath turning into small clouds of mist in front of her face.

As she looked up at the grayish white sky, the softly frost covered grass of the lands around them glistened in the light, and Gren looked over at his lord's daughter.

"May I ask you a query, my lady?"

"You may." She even turned her eyes to him, waiting for his next words.

"I..." It was a question he had wanted to ask for a long time, but now that she was standing in front of him, in the best possible situation for him to have a word with her, while the only other person around was her maid, he couldn't get a word out. "I am curious as to the reason for your return to the northern region despite your demanding schedule," he asked instead.

"It sounds like I'm not quite welcome here." She didn't say it in a way that made it sound like she was hurt or suspicious, it was more of a matter-of-fact, almost calculating tone.

In truth, she didn't think much about her words, she just said what was on her mind. It was her family's turf, so she didn't care if the knights had an attitude. They would still protect her, as she had learned before.

It wasn't as if she was personally invested in them. But the thought made her remember the conversation she had had with her first brother, and she hardened her features to keep it from showing.

'I have no personal investment in this. These aren't my feelings, because they can't be. Pull yourself together, Celia.'

While she was preoccupied with her own thoughts, Gren felt pressured. It wasn't just her face that had suddenly hardened as he struggled to find an appropriate way out of this situation - there was also that nasty stare he got every time he looked over and saw the young maid behind the lady.

'What an uncanny stare for a child,' he had to swallow, as he didn't want to get into trouble at this point, but what could he say to mend his mistake? "I regret that my previous words seem to have been misleading. Please accept my sincere apology, my lady."

"Then what was it that you wanted to say?" Her mood had suddenly soured, not even the beautiful landscape could help it.

"I was intrigued, as the family of the lord had not visited this land in such a long time."

It was true that they had remained in the capital for the better part of a decade. "I decided I wanted to see it. That's all."

"Of course, I didn't mean to pry, I swear-"

"It's fine," she cut him off, "I'm not in the mood to talk anymore. Let's resume this walk quietly."

Originally, they had wanted her to travel safely in a carriage. But they couldn't get her to agree for some reason, and that's how they ended up like this. It was an uncomfortable silence to him, rather than a peaceful walk.

He couldn't deny his mistake. He didn't want their conversation to go this way, as he had finally had the opportunity to talk to her in earnest. All he wanted to know was why she had done what she did for Eisenwacht. That was all

But maybe the answer was easier than he made it out to be, as he looked down at his armor, seeing a simple engraving of a double headed lion. The coat of arms that he had pledged allegiance to.

'Blood doesn't lie,' he thought, as a voice called him out of his thoughts and reminded him of his duty to stay vigilant.

"My lady, look," Norina exclaimed, "the outpost."

She didn't want to ride in a carriage again, and running at her current, Pan-boosted full speed would have gotten her to the village in minutes, but she couldn't do that when she was supposed to be going there officially.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

'What a pain.'

The outpost in question was one that was closer to Eisenwacht than to Vandenberg itself, so she knew there were still a few miles to go. Then she saw something that gave her a bit of a funny idea.

Her face lit up and she stopped. "Right. We could return on horseback," then she had to think, "do you know how to ride a horse, Norina?"

Surprised, the maid didn't know what to say.

"So you don't? I guessed as much. Then don't worry about it."

"No, no!" she immediately reacted, "I can. I was taught by someone from the place I previously worked at."

It was something she had learned years ago, though she couldn't say she was very good at it, as she had no formal teacher. It was just another servant who wanted her to help him with his deliveries. She would be able to sit on a horse and direct it a bit without falling off, but only if the horse was of the docile type.

"Great!" With that word, she hastened her footsteps to the small outpost in front of them.

"Wait, my lady!"

Gren wanted to stop her and ask what she meant, but she didn't even notice him anymore. What a stubborn lady. A small smile appeared on his lips as he gave up trying and hurried after her instead.

It was a strange thing. He hadn't liked her from what he'd heard before, but now that she was in front of him, she was different. Definitely one of those people who would often get into trouble, but she didn't seem like a bad person.

He watched as she introduced herself to one of the guards, who immediately turned pale and bowed before her. She didn't stay there long though, so he had to follow her quickly as she walked towards the stables.

"My lady, if you don't wish to walk the rest of the way, we could get a carriage ready for you anytime," he quickly offered.

"No, this will do," she said firmly, 'my ass is going to hurt either way, but riding a horse is at least fun to engage in.' There was also the fact that the carriages were beginning to feel like rolling dungeon cells to her.

As sweat began to form at temperatures that would cover the ground in a thin white layer and make their breath visible, the soldier tried to come up with something to dissuade her from the idea.

He didn't know how well she could ride a horse, since he hadn't been a guard for the second division when the family had still resided with them. Gren had never seen her before her recent visit.

What if she stepped on ice and had an accident? There wasn't much that was frozen solid, the ground was fine to walk on, but riding a horse when one had no experience at all was another matter.

Rowena, on the other hand, was busy looking at the horses in front of her. She wouldn't be so bold as to ask for one of the Tevak horses they had probably kept here after the last incident. But there was an ordinary black horse that caught her interest.

It didn't seem wild at first glance, but it had that perpetually stupid look of pride she'd seen on most horses in her original world.

'I don't necessarily like horses, but I don't necessarily like humans either,' she thought, 'it's more of a mutual understanding. Giving and taking.' She respected their labor and felt they were well cared for.

They all had covers on them while they were in the stables and couldn't run around. The fodder was also plentiful. Even their coats looked shiny. But the stables still smelled, as one would expect.

"My family will treat you well, and you will take me home. Does that sound like a deal?" She didn't sound convincing, even to herself, but it felt like a nice thing to lay down first.

It was then that a stable manager came in after seeing Gren walk into the building. "What are you doing here?" he said harshly, then his eyes caught Rowena's lavender waves, "Dear Aurora."

"Not quite," she replied nonchalantly after turning her head his way, "but I would still like to borrow some of your horses, if I may."

"You must be young lady Rowena," the manager said nervously, "I apologize for my rude-"

She had the feeling she had heard this before and cut him short as well. "It's all right. I merely went to find the horses, but forgot to announce my presence to the people in charge. It was my fault."

"Oh no, of course not! How dare I, a lowly servant, accuse you of such a thing."

'Oh boy, it's getting awkward.' She thought about how to solve this problem, but Gren was faster.

He put a hand on the middle-aged man's shoulder. "It's fine, Bernard, we will be gone soon."

"Indeed," Rowena chimed in, "as soon as we have three horses. Will you be able to spare that much?"

She was willing to leave Gren behind if she had to. He would know how to get back on his own, he wasn't a child after all.

"Lady Rowena, I must insist that-"

"Gren, I have already made up my mind."

Knowing that there was nothing he could do, he complied and let Bernard choose three of the thirty horses they kept there. This outpost wasn't big, but it was an important relay station for information coming in and out of the Territory, so transportation was important.

This place had also helped him get around and call for reinforcements during the incident at the Eisenwacht cemetery.

They left the stables with the black horse she had set her eyes on, another one that was recommended for his calm demeanor, and a third that would be used by the guard.

As she began to pull up the skirt of her dress, Gren nearly screamed. "What are you doing, my lady?"

"How else am I going to get on the horse?" She was genuinely mystified by his attitude.

"You must be aware of your position, young lady Rowena!"

"It pains me to say it, but he is right," was the first thing Norina had said on the subject.

She didn't want to disappoint her mistress, so she said she would ride, even though she had never learned to ride like a noble with both legs on one side. As it turned out, her mistress had never learned how to do that either.

" I would fall off if I attempted to ride with my legs closed."

"So you wish to cast aside your dignity instead?" he blurted out, turning pale at once. "I did not intend to imply that you were lacking in dignity, Lady Rowena. However, as a woman of your stature, it would be inappropriate for you to ride a horse in such a manner. I humbly request you to reconsider your decision."

With a long sigh she thought about how to answer. 'This is our Territory. Who's gonna see me anyway?' She decided that, ultimately, she didn't care.

She pulled up her skirt and stepped onto the foothold, swung her leg over it, and sat securely in the saddle. It wobbled at first, giving her a bit of a fright. She had ridden many creatures as Celia, most of them horses, but this was the first time in this body.

Ignoring the judgmental looks of the guard and the strangely glittering eyes of the blonde servant she had brought with her, she looked around to see some of the guards and knights staring at her in shock.

It wasn't like she was showing off her bare thighs or anything, so why were they making such a fuss? In this weather, she wore bloomers, which were more like regular slacks that disappeared into her shoes. They looked good, even though they normally weren't even visible between the hem of a long dress and her calf-high boots. Surely, they didn't show anything indecent.

Shaking her head, she gestured to the other two horses with one hand before grabbing the reins tightly again. Her heart fluttered a little as she felt insecure.

Not because of her appearance, but because of her sense of balance. It wasn't terrible, but all her experience had been with a body that was slightly different. Celia was only a tad taller, but it already felt so different when she walked and fought.

Under normal circumstances, she hardly noticed it, but right now, she didn't know what to expect. At the same time, she was excited.

This was the first time in her life - or rather, in both of her lives - that she sat in a saddle without someone yelling at her from behind. Things like, "If you're so easily distracted, you won't last the day," or "Faster, Smith, you're not on a stroll!"

It made her smile a little, while the others finally decided to join their mistress, as she wasn't going to back down anymore. It would be the first fun ride she had ever been on. Truly... it was quite peaceful.