The Maid and The Usurper - Chapter 45
“You’re much more used to it than you were at the beginning, Layla.”
Layla puffed up her cheeks at the obvious teasing tone. She gripped the pommel tightly. Leopold felt slightly disappointed that Layla wasn’t clinging to him, but he subtly wrapped his arm around her waist. She still seemed anxious, leaning against him. Leopold didn’t want Layla to notice his reddening ears.
“Are you not tired, Count? It seems like your whole body would ache from riding like this.”
“I’m fine now that I’ve gotten used to it. And I have to adapt.”
Layla glanced at Leopold. He seemed to have become more contemplative since late summer, and starting in autumn, he had many things he was hiding. She felt a sense of unease, wondering if it had something to do with the queen. She repeatedly read the telegrams she had written, searching for any phrases that might raise suspicion. There was nothing that could draw the queen’s attention. Even if there were, her hand should have reached her first.
“Are you cold, Layla? Your gloves seem a bit thin.”
His gaze fell on her woolen gloves.
“I’m fine. They’re warm enough for me. They may look inadequate compared to your gloves, but they work.”
Having gloves at all was a blessing. Compared to the winters when she had to warm her frostbitten hands, this felt like heaven—a stark contrast to the rough, impoverished times she preferred not to speak of.
“Rhineland is much colder than Tennel, so be careful.”
“Thank you for your concern.”
The snow-covered mountains crunched beneath the horse’s hooves, and steam rose from the horse’s warm body. The snowy mountains were more beautiful than they were in spring. Tennel, which bordered Esselbach, rarely saw snow. This was only the second time Layla had seen snowy mountains, and it still felt unfamiliar.
“I heard the lake freezes further north from here.”
She repeated the line from a book she had surreptitiously perused.
“Further north, in Borchaka, even the sea freezes over.”
“The sea freezes too?”
“Yes, and because of that, Borchaka constantly clashes with Sarban over the issue of ice-free ports, which is why their relationship is strained. There’s also the problem of Borchakans being taken as slaves by the Sarban marauders.”
“I know about that. I’ve seen Borchakan slaves in La Ellosa from time to time, who were kidnapped and sold by Sarban marauders.”
Borchaka was a land of permafrost, where the people longed for warm southern lands and unfrozen seas. The nomadic Sarbans, originating from barren steppe-like grasslands, coveted the fertile lands of the west. Their borders touching, they eventually joined forces for mutual gain, despite being sworn enemies. Argen branded the Sarbans as heretics and hunted them down, further aggravating the tension. The winds of war were beginning to stir across the continent.
“Sometimes, among them, there were those who spoke Argenian. They told me about the frozen lakes, but I never heard about a frozen sea.”
“Would you like to see it?”
“Maybe just once. I’ve only heard stories about endless seas and boundless horizons. I’m curious about what it’s really like.”
The people who came in and out of La Ellosa came from all walks of life and dreamed of a world they had overheard from snatches of conversation. They dreamed of vast oceans, meadows and forests, away from the acrid smoke, horrible stench and poisonous perfume of La Ellosa’s sleepless nights.
‘Then how about going to see it with me?”’
“It would be nice, but that’s just a dream, isn’t it, Count? How could I possibly accompany you?”
She was always the one who got excited over his casual, throwaway remarks, attaching meaning to each one and soaring only to crash. She didn’t want to hope any more.
“I’m not joking, Layla.”
Somewhere along the way, he could no longer conceal his heart. The feelings that had been leaking out little by little didn’t care about leaving their mark. The hand gripping her slender wrist tightened. The plans he’d been forming in his mind lingered on the tip of his tongue.
“If you want to see the world, I can go with you.”
