Tessen (1)

A fierce wind blasted against Alicia’s face.

The curls Daisy had painstakingly set since dawn were loosened and whipped away by the wind.

Even the snug-fitting bodice of her dress, tailored to block out the cold, could not keep the wind from pushing through.

The short velvet nap of the fabric was swept in all directions by the harsh wind.

The voluminous skirt of her dress fluttered violently, rustling with a terrifying sound.

Alicia spurred her horse faster, galloping headlong into the wind.

She had worn no hair accessories or jewelry precisely for this moment.

At Alicia’s urging, her galloping horse was pursued by the hurried clatter of another set of hooves.

“Lady… Al… Ali… cia…!”

Shouting against a direct, full-force headwind was not easy.

Cold winter air rushed into the gap between his lips every time he opened his mouth.

“Lady…!”

Using honorifics and formal speech while calling out her name only made it harder.

Every time he managed to shout “Lady” and tried to follow with the next syllables, an icy gust struck his nose and mouth.

Any pause between “Lady” and “Alicia” was a failure.

He couldn’t call the future Grand Duchess by her name alone.

“Lady Ra—…!”

Juan tried shortening it by calling out her family name, Rain.

But shouting while riding a horse at full speed was just as difficult.

‘Hey!’

The knights of the escort, breathless as they ran, swore at him silently with their eyes.

If Juan had been a fellow escort, they would have shouted their curses out loud hundreds of times already.

“Lady—ugh—cia!”

Every time Juan opened his mouth while galloping, misery struck anew.

Riding alone at full speed was already exhausting.

The freezing northern wind, now deep into winter, slapped their cheeks mercilessly as they rode.

The escort’s frustration began turning to easier targets.

‘Hey, you idiot!’

Their wind-beaten, reddened eyes glared at Roderick.

Their contorted faces screamed silently:

‘Didn’t you say she was the first noble daughter born in 200 years to a high northern marquess house, and we had to escort her as gently as possible?!’

‘Even if she walks three steps and rests, don’t show any dissatisfaction, you said!’

‘She’s probably never lifted anything heavier than a soup spoon, so don’t show off brute strength, you said!’

Roderick Rosa was the eighth son among the nine sons and seven daughters of a viscount.

His father, a soldier, was strict about discipline even within the family.

Growing up among older siblings and younger ones, Roderick had learned to be perceptive and resourceful.

He had volunteered to come to Tessen at age fifteen to make his own way—his greatest talent was survival.

Becoming the Grand Duke’s aide at such a young age was thanks to his ability to maintain decorum while securing what he needed.

Within Tessen, Roderick Rosa’s information was considered highly reliable.

His words had value.

But today, that trust had taken a serious hit.

“Lady! Break formation!”

Ignoring the resentful and bewildered glares, Roderick gave a hand signal.

Despite their struggle, the escort knights broke formation and drew closer to Alicia.

“Lady!”

Alicia noticed the change in hoofbeats and looked back.

Her wind-blown hair was a nuisance.

Through the strands obscuring her vision, she saw the escort scattering and increasing speed.

“You’d think I was a fugitive.”

Still facing backward as she rode, Alicia let go of the reins.

Seeing her gathering her hair into one bundle with a long ribbon, Roderick and Juan turned pale.

“Lady, ahead!”

“Watch the…! Reins!”

The two shouted in short, panicked bursts, their faces ashen.

“Lady, the reins!”

“Look forward!”

“Lady, look out! Ahead!”

The knights, watching Alicia recklessly gallop, shouted in desperation.

Their voices trembled with worry.

Seeing their near-teary faces, Alicia beamed brightly.

“I’m fine!”

Having finished tying her hair, Alicia shouted back with a raised voice.

‘You are not fine! Not even a little!’

‘Look forward, you young lady!’

‘When you ride, you’re supposed to look where you’re going! Who taught her how to ride?!’

Only after Alicia lowered her hands from her head and grabbed the reins again did the escorts suppress their urge to cry.

But a strange sense of injustice only grew.

The Tessen estate, with its long history, was vast.

And with such history came much to see.

According to Roderick’s plan, the tour was supposed to begin at the central keep.

But everything had gone off-script from the very start.

Originally, the escort had prepared an open carriage for a leisurely drive.

Once granted permission by the Grand Duke, Alicia had insisted on riding a horse instead.

The knights respectfully obeyed their future Grand Duchess.

They had been warned early on by Roderick, and riding would make the tour more efficient—there was no reason to object.

Given her voluminous dress, they assumed it would take ages for the Lady to mount anyway.

Roderick offered a spare horse he had prepared.

For a moment, the knights hesitated.

Should they summon a lady-in-waiting?

Would it be all right to bring a servant?

Some ladies feared horses.

But would it be proper to assign a common servant to a noble lady of such high rank?

Their doubts remained unresolved.

While they hesitated, Alicia casually mounted the horse.

Before they could even process the sight of her gripping the reins and brushing her skirt against the stirrup, she was already in the saddle.

From that moment, nothing followed the plan.

In front of the central keep lay a large square.

Its lavish fountains, sculptures, and intricately arranged gardens made one forget Tessen’s harshness.

Mounted, Alicia turned away from the central keep.

With a mere gesture, she directed her horse away from the intended path.

She sped past the Twin Towers topped with golden ornaments, the Yellow Tower guarding the three greenhouses, and the second central tower known as the Child Tower—modeled after the main tower but smaller in scale.

All symbols of Tessen’s pride, history, and legacy—Alicia flew past them.

She left the grand towers behind and headed toward the gently rolling hills.

She urged her horse to full speed down the open hill’s slope.

At the end of the hill lay a forest and wetlands.

“Lady Alicia!”

The forest, known as the Grand Duke of Tessen’s private trail and hunting ground, was said to be filled with mysterious herbs.

There were even rumors that gold and diamonds lay scattered in the streams running through it.

No one—not even Tessen or the imperial family—was said to know what lay deep within the long oval-shaped forest.

Officially, Tessen did not station troops along the forest-facing wall.

Countless tales spoke of those who tried to infiltrate that side—either to bring down Tessen or to steal its hidden riches.

But there was no record of anyone ever successfully escaping the forest with treasure.

Instead, stories like this were common:

A master thief managed to scale the western cliffs and sneak into the forest wall of Tessen using incredible skill.

But three years had passed, and no one knew whether he was dead or alive.

At the end of the rolling hills was a narrow path leading into the forest.

The trail leading deeper in was soon hidden by massive trees and thick shadows.

And within the forest stood a snow-white castle.

Even though the path was unseen, one could tell exactly where it led.

“West Alik…”

Around the castle, layered marble walls enclosed the grounds.

The dazzling stone walls were surrounded by an emerald-green lake.

The tall and low walls, as well as the snowy white castle, were mirrored perfectly in the lake’s clear surface.

The forest castle looked heavenly in its brilliance and beauty.

But Alicia did not trust what she saw.

She knew of something identical to that—something from hell.

“Lady, you cannot go any farther.”

Roderick, always gentle and respectful, spoke in a clipped, official tone.

“That place…”

She was about to ask, was that the hell of this land?

DANG! DANG! DANG!

A loud bell rang from the outpost stationed between the forest and the wetlands.

From the small-looking outpost emerged a number of armed soldiers equal to the escort squad.

“Escort the Lady! We must get her out of here at once!”

Though he had spoken coldly just moments before, Roderick now wore a tense expression as he tried to turn Alicia around.

Not only the outpost soldiers, but the escort guards also began preparing for combat.

A faint bell toll could be heard from the tower beyond the hills.

Now that she thought about it, there were small obstacles scattered across the hills.

Some were so badly damaged they looked like mere piles of stone.

Alicia quickly realized the bell was a signal to prepare for battle.

The soldiers from the outpost dashed into the forest.

It looked like they were used to this kind of thing.

“Damn it… It’s coming!”

Juan, who had been guarding beside Roderick while Alicia spoke, shouted.

As Alicia turned her gaze in response, a massive dark form burst from the forest.

Trees that had stood peacefully fell with sharp, cracking noises.

“Form a circular defense!”

Juan shouted again.

The escort knights rapidly formed a circle around Alicia and Roderick.

Thud! THUD! Thud! Thud.

Footsteps heavier than hooves pounded the ground.

A creature, like a massive boulder given life, lunged forward.

“Spears!”

The escort knights thrust their spears at the leaping black stone beast.

A harsh sound rang out as metal struck monster.

Kakang!

Everyone clenched their teeth at the shrieking grind of spearheads breaking.

“Kakan?”

Alicia wondered for a moment if she were dreaming with her eyes open.

She stared blankly at the magical beast she hadn’t seen in so long.

She had wondered if there might be magic stones in Tessen.

Magic stones came from magical beasts—so it stood to reason that there might be some here.

But having vague thoughts and then seeing them turn into reality before her eyes felt utterly different.

From the snow-white West Alik Castle in the forest to the magical beast before her—

It all felt like a lie.

Alicia finally understood why everyone around her was acting with such grave seriousness.

“When the creature is repelled, you must escape! Forget what you’ve seen here!”

“Milady, please come to your senses!”

“That’s not real, milady—it’s just a ghost!”

Everyone was fighting with their lives on the line, shouting utter nonsense.

Alicia found it odd they were calling her “milady,” but the situation was too urgent to argue.

Even as she clearly saw the thing moving before her eyes, they insisted it was a ghost—she almost understood why.

There was distance now between Alicia, standing at the center, and the knights striking Kakan with spears while riding their horses.

It had only been a single clash, but the circular movement of the escort formation had already slowed.

Alicia turned her horse and caught a discarded spear in midair.