The morning air was crisp. Looking up at the sun, Aurora wondered what time it could be. It was sometime between morning and afternoon, that was for sure. She would need to find a way to tell time in this world or ask if there was such a method. Maybe magic clocks? After breakfast with the Duchess, she had been allowed to explore the castle grounds. Much like when she had first awakened in this world, the servants and others mostly ignored her. Some gave her a similar look of disgust, and she knew those looks weren't for the best outcome. Aurora would have to avoid the servants, who weren't pleased with her being there. After a long time of wandering, Aurora somehow found herself outside.

Picking a random direction, Aurora made her way toward the unknown, hoping she could find her way back to her quarters afterward. If not, eventually, someone would look for her...maybe Maria would come looking for her. The palace was surrounded by a wall, and the town around the castle was surrounded by another wall larger. The wall did not go all the way around, ending at the base of the mountain. The city and castle were built against the vertical stone wall of a grand mountain. This meant that no matter what direction Aurora walked in, she would eventually make it to the mountain. It would be hard to get lost.

A part of the castle had been built into the mountain, with rooms and walls carved into the grey stone. Some rooms were fully inside the mountain. Those rooms were darker and colder, with no access to the outside world and no windows to let in light. They seemed to be used mostly for storage. The inhabitants of the castle lived on the outer side of the castle.

The Duchess had explained that the castle was broken down into wings. These wings were most easily explained from the main hall. From the giant stairways, the first door in the center led to the main wing. Beyond the main wing was the northern wing, and a large part of the north wing was within the mountain itself. The doorway on the opposite side leads to the South wing. The east and west wings were to the left and right of the main wing. The Duke and the Duchess lived in the main wing. She had been placed in the Northern wing temporarily. It was the safest place, having to go through the Duke's living quarters to get to it.

What could be dangerous about the castle if not for the monsters? She wondered. People are always scarier than monsters.

Currently, the castle housed a few noble families: the Duke's brother and his wife and children. Count Phillip, his daughter, the stunning woman from last night. Finally, there was Baron Casto and Aurora herself. The Duke's brother was in the east wing, and the other families were in the west. She had made a mental note of avoiding all contact and not venturing into those wings unless necessary. Stories of nobility from her last life left a bitter taste on her tongue. There was no doubt they could quickly kill her and not even blink. The countless Manhwas she had read did not help her fear. It was always the same trope. A noble lady with a kind face out to get the poor girl brought in by the Duke of the North. Aurora wanted to pull her hair out. Why was she picked up by the Duke of the North? It was almost ironic.

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Aurora stopped walking, resting her hands against her knees, and gasped for air. Her body was still frail. A week of eating well was insufficient to erase years of malnourishment and negligence. After a few moments, she straightened up and continued.

Sounds of metal hitting metal made their way to her. Maybe she was nearing the training grounds? A castle had a place to train knights, or that was how it had been portrayed in the media. Aurora smiled. It was a good chance to look at muscular men training, their bodies glistening with sweat, which would only help define their muscles.

"No, no, you can't do that. Remember, you are fourteen," she said to herself, waving her hand, trying to push away those thoughts.

But she licked her lips. No one would notice. She would just make a guise of getting lost. A quick peek, and then she would be gone.

The training ground was a large open area with ground beat down to the dirt. The area had hay mannequins and wooden targets. Some practiced with wooden swords, striking the hay mannequins. A few archers stood away from the rest, aiming at targets. At the center of the grounds, a group of men were sparing with real swords. She stood watching from a distance, momentarily taking it all in. She had always wondered how people fought with swords, and now she was actually seeing it. The metal hunks of metal looked much larger and heavier than she imagined. Wielding such a weapon must have taken years of practice. For a moment, she imagined holding a sword, acting out the actions of the knights practicing; her wrists felt awkward. Lifting a sword with one hand was impressive in itself.

A familiar face turned and looked at her before a smile spread on his face, "Lady Aurora," Sir John yelled and jogged towards her.

"What are you doing here?" he asked.

They stared at each other before the young man sheepishly laughed, "Sorry, I forgot you don't speak much." The other knights had stopped their training and stared at them. It made her uncomfortable. She wanted to run.

John took her by the sleeve. " Come, let me introduce you to the others," he said, dragging her along with him. Unable to say anything, she followed. He pulled them to the knights who had been sparring.

"This is Lady Aurora; she is our new shieldmaiden," he announced. The knights shook their heads and gave her various greetings.

"Can you imagine, Lady Aurora, had made it hours under the attacks of a shadow wolf," he boasted, causing her to blush. Now, she really wanted to run away. Aurora had never been someone who could accept compliments.

"Oh wow, that's already quite the feat," one of the knights said. The man was tall with well-defined muscles; he was tan, had short cropped black hair, and a scar that ran from his forehead through his eyebrow and ended at his lip.

"You should show us your shield," another knight said.

She shook her head dramatically and looked down at her feet. It wasn't like she actually knew how to call for the shield. The last few times, it had come naturally.

"Lady Aurora hasn't been trained yet," Sir John interrupted.

The knight nodded, "Well, hopefully, the young lady will someday be able to come out on missions with us. It wouldn't hurt to have another shield user. Femina is-" he sighed, "special."