Labi Telia
The place Hellion led me to by the hand was the noble residential district in the southeast corner of Pleco Square. The mansions of the central nobles clustered here, along with the private residences of the Southern and Northern vassals.
Originally, I shouldn’t have come to the vassals’ private residence…
The Regentera family had maintained neutrality between the two Archdukes, so I had tried to keep my distance from the vassals of both territories. Shuri’s case was slightly different, but still.
At any rate, I had come to humor Hellion, yet my heart was far from comfortable. I pulled the brim of my hat lower and scanned the surroundings, wary of being recognized.
“Ishtel, this way.”
Hellion guided me toward a large mansion built of red brick. The Northern soldiers recognized him at once, snapped to attention with crisp salutes, and opened the tall iron gate.
The Northern vassals’ residence was impeccably clean and orderly, both inside and out, without a single speck of dust. The hallways held no flower vases or decorative paintings. It looked somewhat austere, yet it carried the simple, cozy warmth typical of Northerners.
“Does Shuri live here as well?”
“Yes. She stays in this mansion together with Aron Telia. Not only the Telia family—people from other Northern houses live here too.”
“Then there’s no chance of boredom. Living with so many others.”
“Exactly. It seems to have made the bonds between the vassals even stronger. They’ve grown close while sharing one roof. Of course, I heard they fought quite a bit in the beginning.”
“Even the Northern vassals fight one another? They always seemed to observe a strict chain of command.”
“Only in wartime. Not usually. Hear that sound? They love cutting loose like this. It’s different from how they appear.”
As we walked down the red-carpeted corridor, hearty laughter and the clink of glasses echoed from every room.
The sun was setting; evening had arrived. It seemed the Northern vassals were finishing their day and preparing to begin their usual drinking bout.
“Huh? Hellion! The Duchess!”
A familiar voice rang out from the central staircase. Shuri, spotting us, rushed over with an expression that mingled surprise and delight.
“To think I’d meet the Duchess at the Northern mansion! What brings you all the way here? Did you know today was the welcome party?”
“Welcome party?”
“Yes! It’s a welcome banquet for our third brother. We were just about to begin—please, come this way.”
Shuri led us forward. When we reached the mansion’s banquet hall, she threw the doors open with gusto.
Bang!
The lively drinking session froze as if time itself had stopped. Beer mugs halted mid-air in the vassals’ hands.
Everyone’s faces brightened at the sight of Hellion, but they faltered when they noticed me beside him.
Aron Telia recovered first. He set his mug down on the long wooden table and shot to his feet.
“Welcome, Your Grace Archduke Hellion! Duchess Regentera!”
“Welcome! We are honored!”
All the Northern vassals rose from their chairs and shouted in unison. Hellion and Shuri were used to this Northern style of greeting, but I flinched despite myself, startled by the sheer volume.
“Duchess… Regentera…?”
The man standing atop the center of the table slid down to the floor with fluid grace.
Among the Northern vassals I had grown somewhat familiar with, he was the only stranger. Soft reddish-brown hair, deep green eyes. His features bore a striking resemblance to both Shuri and Aron.
The exceptionally tall man strode straight up to me, dropped to one knee, and offered his hand.
“It is an honor to meet you, Duchess. I am Labi Telia, assigned to your personal guard.”
“The pleasure is mine, Sir Telia.”
When I placed my hand in his, Labi Telia brushed a light kiss across the back of it. His green eyes, lifted toward me, brimmed with open interest and excitement.
Those eyes rose steadily until I had to tilt my head back. Once standing, Labi placed a hand over his heart and offered a second, formal knight’s salute.
“As your knight, I pledge my life and my loyalty.”
“Ah… isn’t it a little early for such a solemn oath?”
“Pardon? What do you mean, my lady?”
Labi tilted his head in genuine confusion.
“What I mean is… you are not yet my official escort knight, Sir Telia. You haven’t competed against the other knights who applied for the position. You might still lose in the duel…”
I had chosen my words with the utmost care, yet the atmosphere in the banquet hall chilled in an instant.
The burly Northern vassals stared at me with the blank faces of children handed an impossible question. Every gaze was fixed on me.
“Ahahahahaha!”
Labi’s booming laughter shattered the silence. He clutched his stomach as though he had heard the funniest joke of his life. The other vassals immediately joined in, roaring with laughter. Even Shuri, who had been trying to hold back, let out a bright giggle.
“W-why are you all laughing?”
Flustered, I turned to Hellion. He barely suppressed his own smile as he explained.
“Labi Telia is the greatest knight in the North. No competitor stands a chance against him.”
“This man…?”
I stole a sidelong glance, running my eyes up and down Labi’s frame. He was certainly tall, with long, powerful limbs that suggested considerable strength.
Yet he looked nothing like the Northern warriors I had imagined. The picture books of my childhood had shown burly men with wild beards and bulging muscles. Labi, by contrast, had a far sleeker, more refined build.
“I thought all Northern knights were muscular…”
The words slipped out before I could stop them. Labi’s eyes curved into a gentle, playful smile.
“Then I shall alter my physique to suit Your Grace’s preference. It’s not difficult at all.”
“What? No, that won’t be necessary!”
Startled, I waved my hands in protest. He continued to watch me with that same mischievous smile.
“Come now, the Duchess has graciously visited our Northern residence. How long shall we keep her standing? Please, come this way, my lady. We were just about to begin dinner. Join us.”
Aron guided Hellion and me to the seats of honor. Shuri pulled me along while Labi steered Hellion, seating us side by side at the table.
Maids swiftly arranged tableware before us. At Aron’s toast, the Northern vassals raised their beer mugs high.
“To His Grace the Archduke and the Duchess!”
“To them!”
The mugs crashed together above the long wooden table with a thunderous clatter. Only after they saw Hellion and me take a sip did the vassals burst into lively conversation and begin their meal.
As the alcohol took effect, the Northerners’ faces flushed crimson. They played horn pipes and small drums, dancing with abandon. Usually so stoic and serious, they revealed an unexpectedly cheerful side.
“Not uncomfortable, Ishtel?”
“No. It’s fun. The drinks and food are delicious too.”
I answered while sipping my beer. The atmosphere was pleasant, the food excellent. Though I hadn’t expected this sort of gathering, I was secretly glad I had come.
“Ah, that’s right. How forgetful of me. I prepared a gift for the Duchess from the North and nearly forgot.”
Labi suddenly sprang from his seat and dashed out of the hall like an arrow. When he returned, he carried a bundle wrapped in red velvet cloth, cradling it with great care as he approached me.
“This is a gift His Grace Archduke Hellion wishes to present to you, Duchess. Please open it gently.”
A gift. Anticipation stirred as I slowly untied the knot. When the four corners of the cloth fell away, a fist-sized egg appeared.
“An… egg…?”
“A bird’s egg. It belongs to a very rare species found only in our North.”
Shuri, seated beside me, gasped and clapped her hands.
“Oh! Look—there’s a crack in the shell! It’s about to hatch!”
Just as she said, a long fissure ran across the pure white egg. It had clearly been cracking for some time; jagged lines spread across its surface. The previously boisterous vassals fell silent, all eyes fixed on the egg in my hands.
Crack—!
“Peep!”
Craaack—!
“Peep-peep!”
The tiny cries of the baby bird captured everyone’s attention. Time seemed to blur. Far sooner than expected, the healthy chick broke free. A young life that had not yet opened its eyes cried out from the palm of my hand.
“How adorable. What kind of bird is it?”
“An ice eagle,” Hellion answered promptly.
“It looks small and plain now because it has only just hatched, but in time it will grow beautiful blue feathers.”
“An ice eagle! Duchess, there isn’t one in the imperial aviary! You should raise it—it would be wonderful!”
“That’s precisely why I chose this species.”
Hellion answered Shuri’s exclamation with proud satisfaction. I gazed down at the tiny creature resting in my palm. While everyone else was enchanted by the hatchling, my mind drifted to words Illid had once spoken long ago.
“The Northern people have a custom of raising ice eagles—the birds with blue feathers. But those eagles are fiercely independent and rarely bond with humans. Do you know how Northerners tame them?”
“They kill every bird in the flock except the strongest leader, one by one, right before its eyes. Then they shower that lone survivor with the finest food, the best mate, and boundless affection.”
“In the end, the leader opens its heart to the very person who slaughtered its kin. Because that person becomes the only one left to rely on. That is how Northerners tame what they wish to possess.”
A strange unease swept through me.
Could this little one also be the offspring of a mother left alone in such a way? If it too would need to be tamed through that method someday, I wasn’t sure I could bear it.
I asked the Northern vassals carefully.
“For an ice eagle… does that mean this child must also be raised according to tradition?”