Rex von Klein leaned against the carriage window as it jolted along the official road.
He watched the increasingly desolate scenery outside, his handsome face expressionless, simply observing quietly.
To be honest, this view was incomparably more pleasing than the hypocritical smiles back in the imperial capital.
Rex’s thoughts were pulled back to a few nights prior…
“Rex von Klein.”
Alicia stood at the center of the banquet hall, the light from the crystal chandelier illuminating her face, hailed as the ‘Empire’s Number One Beauty,’ to flawless perfection.
She wore the ceremonial uniform of the Holy Knight Order, golden tassels hanging from her shoulders, her entire person like an unsheathed sword. Beautiful and sharp.
The eyes of the entire hall were fixed on her.
“Today, I, Alicia von Hessen, formally announce…”
She paused, looking towards Rex, who stood in a corner holding a wine glass.
Her eyes held not a single ripple of emotion.
“…formally dissolve the engagement with the Klein ducal family.”
As soon as the words were spoken, hushed whispers spread through the banquet hall, but no one showed a surprised expression.
‘It was about time.’
‘That Hessen girl is the vice-captain of the Holy Knight Order, to be matched with a good-for-nothing…’
‘The Klein family has lost all face this time.’
Rex heard these words.
He simply lowered his head and took a sip of fine wine, then lifted his eyelids to look at his fiancée.
No, his former fiancée now.
Alicia was also looking at him, waiting for his reaction.
Anger?
Pleading?
Even an accusation from Rex would have been better.
But his next move greatly disappointed Alicia.
Rex merely gave a faint nod.
“Understood.”
Then he continued drinking.
Alicia’s fingers tightened slightly.
She didn’t know what she had been expecting, but it certainly wasn’t this…
This completely indifferent attitude.
“You!”
“Congratulations.”
Rex raised his glass to her.
“The Hessen family doesn’t need a good-for-nothing son-in-law like me. I understand.”
The words were spoken lightly and casually, yet they inexplicably made Alicia’s heart feel stifled.
She turned and left in anger, her golden hair tracing an arc in the air.
The banquet hall doors closed behind her, and the volume of the hushed whispers doubled.
Rex set down his glass, preparing to find a corner to continue being invisible, when a furious voice exploded—”You disgraceful son!”
Duke Wilhelm von Klein pushed through the crowd.
His once-golden hair was now streaked with white, but the authority between his brows remained undiminished.
He stood before Rex, his chest heaving violently.
“Father.”
“Don’t call me father!”
Wilhelm’s voice trembled.
“Three hundred years of the Klein family’s honor, you’ve completely disgraced it all tonight!”
After hearing this, Rex did not reply, only silently watching his father, whose face was flushed red with anger.
“Do you know how many people are laughing at us tonight? Do you know what the Hessen family’s withdrawal from the engagement signifies? You…”
Wilhelm took a deep breath, seeming to struggle to suppress his emotions.
“…do you have nothing to say?”
Rex thought for a moment.
“I want to go to the Northern Frontier.”
Wilhelm was stunned.
“If you are going to exile me,” Rex’s tone was calm, “I want to go to the Northern Frontier. It is our Klein family’s original fiefdom, isn’t it?”
A flicker of light passed through the old man’s cloudy eyes, too fast to catch.
“You certainly know how to pick a place.”
Wilhelm sneered.
“That place has been barren for over a hundred years. Once you go, don’t think about coming back.”
“I know.”
“You know and still want to go?”
Wilhelm stared at him for a long time, so long that the people around them began whispering to each other.
Then the old man spoke, his voice low:
“Fine… fine! From this day forth, Rex von Klein is exiled to the Northern Frontier fiefdom! Without my permission, he is not to take a single step beyond it!”
The hall erupted in an uproar.
Exile?
A father exiling his own son?!
And to a godforsaken place like that?
Father and son looked at each other.
In his father’s cloudy old eyes, Rex saw far too many complex things.
He gave his father a slight nod, turned, and left without looking back.
The carriage stopped.
Rex pulled himself from his memories and rubbed his temples.
The coachman’s voice came from outside, sounding lazy.
“We’re here.” He didn’t even bother to address him as ‘duke’ at this moment.
Rex pushed the carriage door open and jumped down.
The coachman had already unloaded the luggage and thrown it on the ground.
Seeing him alight, he didn’t even offer a greeting, directly turning the carriage around and leaving.
The sound of the wheels faded into the distance, and soon only the sound of the wind remained all around.
Rex stood where he was, looking at the ancient castle before him.
It wasn’t large, completely incomparable to the splendor and grandeur of the ducal mansion in the imperial capital.
The stone walls were covered with the marks of time.
The corner of Rex’s mouth lifted slightly.
He picked up his luggage and pushed open the castle door.
The interior was spotlessly clean.
A warm fire burned in the fireplace.
Fresh fruit and bread were laid out on the long table.
The stair railing was completely free of dust.
The magical lamps on the walls were all lit. In a corner, there was even a vase with freshly picked flowers.
Rex stood in the doorway and took a deep breath.
Finally…
Peace and quiet.
He set down his luggage and softly spoke towards the empty staircase.
“Hildr?”
After a moment of silence, faint footsteps sounded from the top of the stairs.
A woman descended from upstairs.
Her silver hair cascaded down to her waist, shimmering with a faint luster under the magical lamps.
A pair of red eyes, like the purest rubies, were deep and cool.
Her features were exquisite, as if carved by a deity’s own hand, her skin pale to the point of near-transparency.
Tall and slender, her black-and-white maid uniform hugged her graceful curves.
Each step down the stairs was like treading on clouds, light and elegant.
She walked up to Rex and gave a slight bow.
“Welcome back, my master.”
Rex looked at her.
“How long have you been waiting?”
“From the day you left the Dragon’s Valley, I have been waiting here for you.”
Her tone was flat as she said this, as if stating a matter of course.
Rex did not press further.
He simply walked towards the fireplace and stretched out his hands to warm them.
Hildr followed quietly behind him, maintaining a distance of one step.
Outside the window, the wind howled, but inside the ancient castle, it was as warm as spring.
Rex watched the dancing flames and suddenly spoke.
“Alicia broke off our engagement.”
“Mhm.”
“You’re not surprised at all?”
“She is not worthy of you.”
Rex chuckled, then turned back to continue warming his hands.
“Has anyone else come here?”
Hildr helped him remove his coat.
“Excluding myself, no one has ever come here.”
“That’s good.”
Rex stretched lazily.
“Finally, I can have a few days of peace and quiet.”
Rex lazily sat down in a chair by the fire. Suddenly, Hildr leaned down and kissed his cheek.
“This is compensation for making me wait so long.”
Having said that, she directly sat down on Rex’s lap, resting her head on his shoulder.
Rex gave an awkward smile.
“Sorry… for making you wait so long.”
Exile wasn’t so bad, because here, someone was waiting for him to come home.
Although this person…
No, this dragon, though she spoke little, was a true woman of action.