Chapter 1.5

Adrian kept trying to pull his foot away from me, but I held onto his ankle even tighter and began to sob uncontrollably. It wasn’t just a slight cut; the wound was deep, with skin torn away and probably bone visible. And yet, he had opened the door for me.

“Please… please don’t forgive me, Adrian.” My tears fell onto the top of his foot. I couldn’t bring myself to look up at his face. “Waaah… I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

I must have cried until I passed out. I was so tired from visiting the Imperial Palace, and I had been through so much. I couldn’t understand how my life, which had been so comfortable until the divorce talks began, had ended up like this.

***

I was dreaming. No, was this a dream? People’s voices pierced my ears, clear as day. Then came the silence. And a moment later…

“See? She should have just died. What’s this, getting hit by a car and being in this state?”

‘You… Secretary Choi?’

My voice wouldn’t come out. It must have been a terrible nightmare. At that moment, I heard the sound of a door opening.

“What are you doing here? Get out now!”

K

“Get out!”

The sound of the door sliding open and closing again was so close it was terrifying.

“Seyoung…”

‘Hyuntaek ssi?’

“Seyoung… please stop this. I’ve been punished enough. You know I can’t live without you. Come back. Please, come back.”

‘What is going on? And why is he holding me and crying like this?’

“Seyoung, why won’t you open your eyes? Huh?”

Hyuntaek’s hand on my wrist felt cold. With a vague sensation of either losing consciousness or regaining it, the distinct temperature difference sent me back to the other world.

“Gasp!”

I opened my eyes and found that I had fallen asleep leaning on Adrian’s shoulder. After I had collapsed from crying and holding his ankle, he must have been too kind to lay me on the bed, so he just let me lean on him.

I jumped up and, as has become a habit these days, blurted out an apology. “I’m sorry.”

“…”

“I’m going to go now.”

“Who’s Hyun-taereseu?”

“What?”

“You were calling out for someone desperately in your sleep.”

“Oh? Just someone you don’t know.”

“Do you know someone that I don’t know?”

I was so flustered and tired that I spouted a line straight out of a melodramatic soap opera.

“Don’t think you know everything about me.”

The air in the hallway was cold, even though it was summer.

To be honest, that side of my life still feels more real to me. I hate that man, and yet a part of me wants to understand him.

‘But I haven’t died yet, have I? Is it possible I can go back…?’

***

I had nowhere left to retreat. It was all because of the curly-haired young man who came to see me every day.

I had been so busy lately, and I had my own problems, so I tried hard to forget about him. I’m not some kind of goblin; what right do I have to interfere in a human’s life and death?

But ever since I met with my father in his office that day, Aide Glen Doherty had been coming to me to discuss the orphanage issue. Of course, he didn’t intend to visit me so often at first.

“How many maids do you think would be good?”

“About five would be appropriate, since there are 35 children.”

“Who do you think should be the director?”

“I don’t have anyone in mind yet. I’d rather find teachers first.”

“Teachers, you say?”

I found out later that his goal was to establish an orphanage with a school after he retired. There was a reason he had helped me with such sparkling eyes that day. I don’t know why even his goal was so constructive that it made my heart feel so burdened.

“Yes, it would be good if all the teachers were women, for the time being. The children are probably afraid of adult men.”

“That’s right. You’re amazing. I hadn’t thought that far ahead.”

“No, it’s not that I’m amazing, but…”

“Then, history, ancient languages, and politics teachers would be good, wouldn’t they?”

“Pardon? Why would the children learn things like that? I’d prefer teachers who can teach cooking, sewing, or how to care for horses. And it would be good to have music and art teachers as well…”

“…”

“But I guess that would be too difficult with the current budget, right? But later, when the children become adults, those skills will be a foundation that can help them find work.”

At that moment, Glen Doherty looked as if he had been completely caught off guard. Practical, vocational subjects were a given in the 21st century, but in this world, they seemed incredibly fresh and innovative.

“Lady Claire, why have you hidden your brilliance all this time? I thought you were just a shallow woman who only bought dresses and jewelry.”

And since then, he’s been visiting me whenever he has time. Today, I was on my way to the training grounds just to kill some time. I saw the curly-haired young man in the distance and he ran toward me in an instant.

“Where are you going?”

“Sir, I was just out for a walk. Are you here to see the Count?”

“Of course. But before that, I had a question for you and wanted to see you first.”

“You have another question…”

“I listened carefully to your idea about the structure for collecting rainwater. Do you have any good ideas for a way to deliver letters? I thought I heard you mention something similar.”

He seemed to get inspiration from everything I said. He didn’t miss a single word that others would have just let go. And from my perspective, giving him advice wasn’t a difficult task at all.

“That’s not such a simple problem.”

I saw his face light up with expectation.

“Is that so? Do you believe there is a better method than messenger birds?”

“Oh my, messenger birds? That means you have to get a new bird every time you send a letter. And commoners can’t even have messenger birds.”

“Then what…?”

Since I had met him on the way to the training grounds, I sat down on the ground and started drawing with a stick.

“Look here. Where does this look like to you?”

“Did you draw the Count’s mansion?”

“Yes, and if you keep going down this road, you’ll see houses lined up. We give each of these houses a unique number. And we call that an address.”

In this world, banks existed, but post offices did not. And of course, there was no systematic address system. If there was a famous count’s family like Ianster, the village would simply be called Ianster’s Village or Ianster’s Street.

“It’s not a simple problem.”

“Tell me… a little more.”

I drew a larger rectangle. And after writing down the names of two or three territories, I explained the concept of a post office.

He listened to my explanation with a look as if he had just heard a magical story. Then, Glen suddenly grabbed the hand I was using to draw on the ground.

“You’re a true genius, My Lady. May I copy this drawing?”

“Yes, of course.”

As he was absorbed in copying the drawing into his notebook, I subtly asked him.

“By the way, Sir Doherty.”

“Yes, My Lady?”

“Are you going to the Eastern Continent next month? Oh, I guess it’s this month now.”

“Yes. A report came in that Lady Celine Ianster was seen in the Eastern Continent, so I am leaving.” He was still copying the drawing.

“Um… did you know this?”

“Know what, My Lady?”

“The sea route to the Eastern Continent is said to be very rough in September.”

“Is that so?”

There were two routes from the western continent of Quinze-Nouais to the eastern continent. One was a northern land route where the continents were connected, and the other was by sea. The land route took ten days by horse and carriage, but by ship, you could reach the eastern continent in just five days.

“Yes. So if you’re not in a hurry, why don’t you take the land route? Or you could change your departure to October.”

“I can’t do that. There’s an important event in October, so I can’t leave this territory. I’ll be taking the ship as planned.”

“Hmm… then there’s nothing I can do.”

His firm stance made me reconsider my resolve. I didn’t expect him to listen to me so easily from the beginning anyway. I watched his back as he walked away and hardened my heart. For the sake of this world’s future postal service, I had to save this man.

After Glen left me and went to the Count’s office, my aimless walk toward the training ground became purposeful.

“Owen, there’s a place I need you to go with me.”

By the time I arrived at the training ground, the training was in full swing. Before, when I appeared, they would be either surprised or annoyed, but now that I came so often, they had no reaction at all. And a few even awkwardly smiled and greeted me, which made me feel like I was doing pretty well in this world.

“Where is it, My Lady?”

“The port for the Eastern Continent.”

“Understood. The Eastern Continent… Pardon?”

“Yes, the place where you get on the ship.”

“We can’t get there and back in one day from here.”

“That’s why I need you to come with me, Owen.”

A knight’s duty is not to question his master’s command, but Owen’s curiosity overpowered his principles. “Why on earth do you want to go there?”

“To save a life.”

I was still sixteen, and Celine still had time to return, so I decided to make my dream of extending Glen’s life a reality.

This time, even though I knew it was a very unreasonable request, Owen quietly followed my orders. And under the pretense that we would have to camp overnight, he brought not only himself and Cedric but also Sally and Adrian.

***

Even though we set out early in the morning, our journey was delayed. As if to prove the saying that the sea route becomes rough in September, the closer we got to the port leading to the Eastern Continent, the worse the weather became.  

A sudden downpour forced us to find a campsite and set up tents. The seaside village was only a little farther ahead, but the rain was too heavy to reach it.  

Pitching tents at such a campsite was usually the task of slaves alone, but I rolled up my sleeves and helped Adrian.  

It wasn’t a situation where I should be making him do such harsh work, especially when I still had much to make up for with him—but somehow, here I was again.  

When I joined in to help Adrian, Owen and Cedric also began preparing the camp. With several people working together, two decent-looking tents were soon erected.  

By the time they were finished, the rain had already eased, and darkness had fallen all around us.  

Inside the tent were two cots for Sally and me, and even a small table for a lamp. Sally helped me change out of my wet clothes, rinsed them lightly, and set them out to dry. It was worth having filled an entire carriage with supplies.  

The five of us gathered around the crackling campfire. Sally began making stew with potatoes, so I sliced them quickly and tossed them into the large pot.  

I didn’t even think about what kind of expressions the others might be wearing as they watched me.  

After a simple meal, everyone lay down to rest, but I couldn’t sleep. So when I stepped outside, I saw Adrian walking off somewhere.  

“Where are you going?”  

Even though I suddenly spoke to him, Adrian didn’t seem startled. Sometimes I wondered if he was really human at all.  

He continued walking without answering. Since he didn’t tell me to go away, I quietly followed him.  

By the time I began to truly wonder if it was safe to follow him up such a silent mountain path at night, an unexpected sight spread out before my eyes.  

“Wow!”  

It was truly a breathtaking place. While I was gasping in awe, Adrian found a clean rock on top of the hill and sat down.  

“Can I sit here too?” I asked, gathering the courage to settle beside him.  

“You already did, didn’t you?”  

Startled by his cold tone, I nearly jumped to my feet again. But at that moment, Adrian hastily grabbed my sleeve.  

Surprised at his own action, he quickly pulled his hand away.  

But I took it as permission to stay, and carefully sat back down.  

The sight before us was magnificent.  

Back in Korea, I could never have imagined seeing so many stars—so vivid and brilliant, as if viewed through a telescope. I felt a little sad, realizing I hadn’t once looked up at the sky since arriving here.  

I stretched out my hand and pointed to the Pegasus constellation. Even though this world transcended time and space, the fact that Pegasus was visible in mid-September told me that must be the eastern horizon.  

“That one there is Pegasus,” I said.  

“……”  

Adrian stayed silent, but since he didn’t tell me to shut up either, I let myself ramble on. I noticed his gaze following my fingertip.  

“Pegasus’s mother was Medusa. And his father was Poseidon. See over there? That’s his wings. Pegasus is a winged horse.”  

I could feel Adrian’s eyes shifting from the stars to me.  

“Pegasus was so wild and fierce that no one could ride him, except for the one who put Athena’s golden bridle on him.”  

At first, I thought I was imagining things, but no—he really was staring at me. Adrian himself looked completely indifferent, yet for some reason, I felt embarrassed.  

Even though this was Claire’s body, my own heart was undeniably beating fast, as if tugging at my thoughts as well.  

My gaze drifted from the stars to him. His blue eyes were still fixed on me, and the ticklish feeling in my chest made me hurry to finish.  

“That’s all, really…”  

Even when our eyes met, Adrian didn’t look away. In the end, I was the one who couldn’t endure it and broke eye contact.  

“So what happened to him?”  

“What?”  

“That horse—what happened to it?”  

It was the first time I’d seen Adrian show curiosity about something.  

So when he finally tried to have a real conversation with me, I couldn’t bring myself to tell him that the winged horse had fallen from the heavens to the earth because of someone’s vanity and the gods’ wrath.  

“They say he was happy. And that’s why he became one of the stars shining in the sky.”  

At my words, Adrian withdrew his gaze and turned back toward the heavens.  

Only then did I allow myself to really look at him. And I thought of Celine, the one destined to place Athena’s golden bridle on him.  

I just hoped he wouldn’t fall to the ground one day because of someone else’s selfish desire.  

But for some reason, my own heart felt as if it were plummeting down instead.