Baby Prisoner of the Winter Castle

They ran for another week after that.

The temperature drops every time it crosses a certain boundary, and a thick coat is added one by one over Clarisse’s small shoulder.

So, by the time she reached Sheriden, Clarisse had become a round kid in a cloak, unable to move her arms comfortably.

The problem was that even with so many layers of clothing, it was unbearably cold in Sheridan’s winter.

Clarisse gazed at the unfamiliar city with only her face peeking out from between her overcoats.

On the way, Quentin said, ‘There are more stones than people,’ which seemed to have been said so because of the stone mountains surrounding the village.

As they moved through the low-roofed residential area and into the crowded commercial district, villagers came out into the streets to wave at the Duke. 

It was a return after about half a year.

The Duke slowed down a little to exchange greetings with the villagers and to hear about what had happened while he was away.

In Grezekaia, Clarisse had never been out of the castle much and couldn’t talk with people outside the palace.

Her father and brother also talked to some high-ranking aristocrats.

On days when Clarisse cautiously approached them to greet them, he gave her a very contemptuous look.

‘But the Duke is someone who listens carefully to everyone’s stories.’

Clarisse felt proud for nothing.

Even though they have nothing to do with each other.

As the group left the village, they saw a huge mansion rising on a small hill.

“Quentin.”

Soon, Maximilian, on horseback, approached Clarisse’s carriage. 

“Yes, Duke.”

Quentin bowed his head toward the window. 

“I will check the northern wall first and then come back. It will take about three days, so go back and rest first.”

“Yes, yes?!”

“I know you’re excited because the war is over, but now that it’s winter, you can’t lower your guard against monsters.”

“But…” 

“I was away from Sheridan too long because of the war. Like the legend passed down, the bell at Sheriden Mansion doesn’t tell about the invasion of monsters, so we have to be on our guard.”

Quentin grumbled, “Still, you don’t take a break…” but soon nodded to show he understood.

“I understand. Don’t you have to come back quickly instead? Instead of going to the capital, we decided to hold a big banquet for everyone.”

“I got it.”

The Duke’s black eyes glanced at Clarisse. Clarisse checked his complexion while holding the bag of pebbles.

“Keep the child in your care.”

“That’s not possible!”

“Why?”

“How can I take out the children’s stuff in the castle at will? It’s all Madam’s authority.”

The Duke paused for a moment when he said ‘Madam’, but Quentin didn’t notice.

“Is that…so?” 

The Duke hesitated for a while with a disapproving face, then concluded in a voice mixed with awkwardness.

“Then… Tell the Duchess of Sheridan that we will keep the prisoner for a while.” 

“Yes! That’s a great conclusion.”

“Them, I’ll head straight north.”

The Duke immediately turned his horse and withdrew with the five knights from the lines. 

“Did you hear that?”

Quentin looked back at Clarisse with delight.

“Ah… yes!”

Clarisse could see the entire mansion through the window when she tried to answer with a smile. 

Seeing this, Clarisse felt a little strange. 

Unlike the neatly maintained village of Sheridan, the Duke’s mansion looked somewhat poorly maintained.

The clock outside the mansion stopped and didn’t move, and some of the stones on the outside walls were empty as if a tooth had been knocked out.

Is it because it’s winter there?

Most windows were covered with wooden boards, making the whole mansion look like a huge prison.

“Uh, well, it’s not a fancy place. It can’t be helped because it’s a building that ordinary humans can’t repair… Well, anyway.” 

Quentin, who was explaining, finished his story appropriately because the carriage stopped.

“You will get used to it soon.”

* * *

While the knights got off and were welcomed by the Duchess and servants, Clarisse followed Quentin into the mansion through a small door on the side of the mansion.

Thanks to the fire that had been lit near the entrance, a warm aura immediately spread over the body that seemed to freeze.

“Hmm, first of all, what should I do with the clothes?”

Quentin took off the child’s coats one by one, which were dragging on the floor.

He couldn’t bear the thought of leaving her in the thin dress she’d been wearing since the beginning, so he put a warm blanket around her shoulders.

“This should be enough. Follow me. We should greet the Madam.”

“A, already?” 

“Shouldn’t you say hello to the person who will take care of you?”

“T, that’s… true, but.”

Although it was strange that the child, who had been brave all the time, was so discouraged, Quentin took the candle without asking and climbed the stairs.

It was a narrow stairway used by servants, and anyone without special permission from the Duke’s family used it. 

Quentin usually used the central staircase with the Duke’s permission, but today he chose this route because of Clarisse, a sinner.

The stairs are high and the floor is uneven, so it was somewhat inconvenient for the children to walk.

Quentin glanced back at her. Fortunately, the child was following him carefully, step by step, while holding the wall.

“You know the basic etiquette, right?”

“…Yes.” 

Clarisse struggled up the stairs at the level of her knees and barely answered.

The queen of Grezekaia taught Clarisse the basics of etiquette properly.

Even if a child has a shameful birth or bad behavior, she will still be a member of the royal family.

Although the way was rather violent, Clarisse would get hit on the head every time.

“That’s a relief. In the mansion, basic etiquette must be keep.”

Perhaps, if she didn’t, would the Madam also hit Clarisse on the head? 

Feeling scared for some reason, the child quickly answered with courage.

“I, I’ll do my best!”

“I’m glad you seem confident.”

Although she has no confidence, Clarisse couldn’t correct it.

She was out of breath from climbing the stairs, and for some reason, the thought of meeting someone called the queen of this land made her nervous, so she couldn’t say anything.

Climbing the stairs a little further, Quentin opened the door leading to the second-floor hallway.

She saw a dark hallway.

Because of the cold weather, most of the windows were blocked with boards.

Still, thanks to the candles lit at regular intervals, Clarisse could look around. 

Tapestries of various sizes adorned the vaulted ceilings and walls.

“Stone…” 

Clarisse lightly brushed the nearby wall and murmured softly.

The stone, which must have been in place for at least a hundred years, had a very smooth surface.

“It’s a mansion with a deep history. It’s a little rough, though.”

Clarisse, who was touching the wall, shook her head and smiled for the first time since she entered the mansion.

“No, the mansion is very kind and nice.”

The mansion is kind?

He wonders if that’s a bit of a strange phrase, so when Quentin is about to ask again.

“Are you back, Aide Quentin Sinclair?” 

A middle-aged woman wearing a stiff apron bowed in front of him.

Clarisse moved quickly behind Quentin’s back, as her stern voice and stiff face sounded frightening.

“I’m back, Mrs. Bessie.”

Quentin nodded lightly and glanced at the closed door beside Bessie.

“Has the Duchess returned to her room?”

Apparently, she was the Duchess’s exclusive maid.

“Yes, she is very saddened that the Duke has not returned.” 

“As expected. But he’ll be back in three days. Can I see the Duchess for a while instead?”

“Of course. If you leave that little beast to me.”

Bessie pointed at Clarisse, who was hiding behind Quentin, with her chin.

Clarisse twitched her shoulders. 

“Ah, this child.”

When Quentin tried to explain, she responded quickly, interrupting him.

“I heard what the knights were saying. She is prisoner of war.” 

“Yes, the Duke has asked for the wife to take care of the child. So hurry up and tell the Madam that I want to see her.” 

“But Aide Sinclair.” 

The maid just stood there, stiff and still. Like she never thought of opening the door.

“That is too dirty.”

“Oh… That’s right, it’s been a long carriage trip….” 

“Sir Sinclair, please go in and talk to Madam. I’ll wash that and ask her to greet to Madam separately.”

The moment he heard the words, Quentin felt something unpleasant.

He has no idea why he feels so uncomfortable.

There was nothing wrong with Bessie’s words.

A few times during the carriage trip, he would get water and bath the child, but the child wouldn’t have been able to do it thoroughly on her own. 

Even her pink hair, which was originally soft, was now tangled like a cabbage, so it wasn’t suitable for greeting a noble.

Besides, calling Clarisse ‘that’ was unavoidable.

Prisoners of war are the lowest class of sinners. It was common sense not to treat them as human beings. 

Besides, isn’t this child supposed to be dead already?

“Well… Okay.” 

Quentin stepped away from the child hiding behind him with a bitter face.

“Take her.”

For a moment, he saw Clarisse’s pale face, but he couldn’t do anything else.

More than anything, Bessie is trying to clean up Clarisse. It’s not like she was trying to do something particularly bad, right?

“Hmm, follow her and wash yourself with hot water before you say hello to Madam.”

He said this to Clarisse, who looked up at him and knocked into the Duchess’ study as if to run away.

“Ah…” 

Clarisse, who was left in the hallway, raised her head and looked at Bessie with her hands clasped together.

“Follow me.”

The maid, who took Clarisse to the servant’s bathroom, wiped her face and body really, really roughly.

It didn’t seem very tidy, so Clarisse was suspicious.

“He said that you have to get clean before you can see the Duchess.”

When she finally mustered up the courage to point it out cautiously, the maid snorted at her.

“What are you going to do with Madam?”

“I, I…” 

Bessie’s tone was so cold that Clarisse felt afraid.

However, she mustered up a little more courage and managed to move her jaw, which seemed to stop moving.

“P, pay back… grace.” 

“Grace? That’s funny.” 

She laughed. 

“There is only one way for you to return the kindness of Madam.” 

Betty tossed a wet towel that smelled sour.

Clarisse took it with both hands and wiped her arms and legs.

“I’m telling you if there was a woman who didn’t know the subject among the group coming here.”

“A… woman?” 

Unfortunately, Clarisse didn’t get the gist of the maid’s story. 

A nobleman who had recently returned from the war brought a woman he had recently met in Grezekaia back to his estate, provided her with a separate place to live, and continued his dishonest relationship.

Rumors were already circulating among the maids that several aristocratic wives were already upset about this.

As Clarisse hugged the towel, she pondered, then answered cautiously.

“There were a lot of women in the group. There were knights and soldiers, and they were all strong, so it was cool.”

“I’m asking if the Duke is coming late because he’s actually looking for a house for the woman he came with!”

“Ah, the Duke? A house?”

“Yes, I’m asking if the Duke of Sheridan didn’t bring a woman with him. A woman who is neither a knight nor a soldier.”

Yes, there was a woman who was neither a knight nor a soldier. It was Clarisse herself.

But she knew nothing about the others.

Even if she did, Clarisse knew that it was against basic etiquette to talk about other people’s information.

‘Uncle Quentin said that basic etiquette must be followed at the mansion.’

Clarisse answered by looking straight at the maid, trembling her shoulder and feeling her coolness.

“I can’t tell you that.”

“…What?” 

“I decided to keep my manners. So please let me keep my faith in the Duke.”

Clarisse was a little frightened by the maid’s staring eyes, but she couldn’t break her promise.

Fortunately, the maid didn’t ask further questions about the Duke. 

“Why did such a troublesome thing come in… The Duke, too, will kill something like ‘that’ quickly, phew.”

“The Duke said it was illegal for me to die quickly.”

Bessie glared at Clarisse and threw one of her old brown dresses at her while grunting.

“What are all these things?”