“… … Yes, if it’s only for a moment.”

Actually, it wasn’t that difficult of a request. Damia had nothing to do while waiting anyway.

After receiving her consent, the woman lowered her head as if relieved.

“Thank you.”

After those words, there was an awkward silence for a moment.

Damia didn’t know what to say to a strange woman she didn’t know. So, like most common-sense people did, she decided to introduce herself first.

“My name is Damia Primula. I just arrived from the North today. This is the first time I have been to the Royal Palace, do you live here?”

“… no. I’m not new to the Royal Palace, but… … I don’t live here.”

It wasn’t particularly rude, but it wasn’t polite either. Upon hearing this, she was a little offended.

Damia clearly introduced himself, revealing his name and family. However, this person did not reveal her name or identity.

Hopefully they don’t know it’s rude. Because introducing yourself was the first and most basic manners nobles learned.

‘Then you probably don’t want to reveal your identity.’

Thinking like that, Damia naturally shut her mouth as well. It was uncomfortable for someone who wanted to hide themselves and awkward for there to be only one-sided knowledge.

Even Damia shut her mouth, and a heavy silence fell again. She had felt it before, but it seemed that the woman in the black robe was not used to talking to others first.

Neither the words uttered nor the atmosphere was very uncomfortable. Damia, wanting to get out of this place, glanced at her audience room. And she waited for the right time to leave her place.

“Actually, I am waiting for the audience order. But soon it will be my turn. Well then… … .”

However, the woman she thought who would let her go, gently caught Damia more quickly than she expected.

“Wa— wait!”

Her voice, which had been low and thin all the time, cracked with her hastily shout. Damia was startled by the sound of iron splitting that she didn’t want to hear, and the woman’s expressionless face shook as if surprised.

Seeing this, her alertness rose. She couldn’t pinpoint why, but the woman in front of her was something bizarre.

“I, too, am from the North… … !!”

The woman who saw her suspicious eyes, added with a particularly delicate voice.

Damia was a little surprised at her unexpected words. Clearly, the woman’s black hair was a very common color in the North. So much so that there were men named ‘The Black-haired Grand Duke of the North’ appearing in every popular novel.

One was usually delighted to meet someone from their hometown in a far-away place like the palace of Pelmonium. But the woman in front of her was, she could swear, she had never seen before.

Damia lived her whole life in the North, which was a very narrow place where everyone knew each other. If she had ever seen a woman with such a unique atmosphere, she would not have forgotten it.

“It’s nice that you’re from the North. But if you’ll excuse me…. why did you grab me?”

she asked with a smile on her face although her vigilance was not relieved. Then the woman finally brought out the ‘proper purpose’.

“I… I was just wondering if the people of my hometown are doing well. As you know, everyone is not doing well here because of ‘pollution.’ So, I’m worried… … .”

Apparently, the woman hadn’t returned to the North for quite some time. She didn’t fall for the nuance of missing someone.

So, despite her shy personality, did she have to pluck up courage to talk to her? As she thought about it, her heart softened a little. Damia asked the woman in a softer voice.

“That’s right. Whose news are you curious about?”

She was willing to answer to the best of her abilities but the strange woman remained mute. At this point, even patient Damia started to get a little annoyed.

Whether she knew it or not, the woman who had been tight-lipped for a long time opened her mouth carefully.

“For those of you in the Lady’s family… … How are you doing?”

Damia laughed instead of answering. No matter how good she tried, this woman was really suspicious. As a stranger inquiring about her family, a bright red warning rang in Damia’s head.

“I mean, Lady’s… … .”

It was the moment when the woman was about to add something more impatient with her pale face. Damia wondered if she was hearing heavy footsteps in the distance, when someone rushed towards them.

“Oh my God, Callistea! Were you here?”

The moment she heard the stranger’s voice, Damia froze.

Her heart sank, her body grew numb, clammy and cold and goosebumps rose all over her. An invisible hand seemed to grab her by the hair and turn her head around.

Forgetting to breathe she glanced behind her. Still, standing there, with an exceptionally longing and painful countenance.

“… … Dami? Is that you?”

It was Kael Roysten wearing a white paladin armor and a dark blue cape.

***