Maria

Frederick had seen plenty of beautiful women in his previous life, and he had seen even more since arriving here: the castle's blond, blue-eyed maids; Katie from the south, with the traditional looks of the First Pulan Empire; the dark-skinned heathen merchants who came to trade; and Psyche, with her Aegean charm, among others. He had thought nothing could move him with beauty again in this life.

But when he saw Maria, Philip's six-year-old daughter, run out of the castle, patter across the drawbridge, and rush toward Philip beside him... he felt his heart rate skyrocket.

Maria's skin was as white as winter snow, her features more delicate and adorable than a doll's, her rosy cheeks like ripe apples. Her laughter was like music, and her hair and eyes were as black as charcoal. Like Katie, she had the look of the First Pulan Empire.

Philip happily lifted his daughter into his arms, oblivious to the pig that had appeared beside him.

A gaze startled Frederick, and he quickly came to his senses.

A noblewoman emerged from the castle gate. Like Maria, she had black hair and eyes, and she was watching Frederick with an amused smile.

Philip's wife, Sophia, came over to the carriage and said to her daughter, "Hurry up and greet our guest."

The father and daughter, who had been busy telling each other how much they had missed one another, only then noticed the fellow standing nearby.

After the introductions, Maria lightly lifted the hem of her skirt with both hands and curtsied. "Good day, Baron Weissen. Welcome to Lor."

Then she gazed curiously at the oddly dressed boy her own age in front of her.

Frederick regained his composure and smiled. "Good day, Miss Eltar. It's a pleasure to meet you."

He then greeted Sophia and was surprised to find her looking pale, with slightly sunken eyes. She seemed to be ill.

After exchanging greetings, Sophia took Frederick's hand. "There's no need to be formal here. Make yourself at home."

Frederick replied at once, "I'm sorry to impose on you, ma'am."

"Don't worry about it." Sophia led him toward the castle. "The hiking trails around here are famous. There's something to enjoy in every season, so come visit whenever you have time."

"Summer has been hot this year, but it's cool in the mountains. If you're interested, you could go for a walk sometime soon."

Philip followed behind with his daughter. They hadn't gone far before he caught a hint of something in his wife's words.

Yesterday, a messenger had ridden back at full speed with news. By today, Sophia had already prepared rooms in the castle for Frederick and his servants.

Considering how tiring the journey had been, lunch wasn't lavish, but there was plenty of it.

When he entered the dining room, Frederick saw a number of Wessen Buns on the table.

Wessen Buns had made their way here, but the fillings between the slices of bread had been replaced with local specialties.

And since eating them in big bites seemed rather uncouth, these buns were made small enough to finish in two or three bites.

At his hostess's invitation, Frederick picked up a small Wessen Bun. At the first bite, his eyes lit up.

He couldn't tell what spices had been added to the fried beef patty. Once sliced and fried, it had a rich, deep flavor, different from the ones in Wessen Territory.

The green sauce was made from chervil, sorrel, borage, anise, chives, curly parsley, and dill. It tasted light and had a distinctive aroma. If Gul'dan had made that pot of stuff taste like this back then, Grom Hellscream could have drunk two more bowls.

There was also cheese with a faint tang of yogurt and fresh greens. Together, they made for a pretty good combination.

Frederick had started eating more lately, and one small Wessen Bun wasn't enough to fill him up. Seeing Sophia chatting with Philip, he reached for another.

When he got to his fourth, he suddenly noticed Maria across the table watching him with a secret smile. He asked her, "What's got you so happy?"

"You eat so much!" Maria replied.

"Because it's delicious," Frederick said.

To his surprise, the little girl pouted. "If you eat that much, there won't be any left for Father."

Frederick was speechless. He quickly changed the subject. "I brought you a toy. Want me to teach you how to play with it later?"

At the mention of a toy, Maria immediately stopped worrying about whether her father would get enough to eat. She asked eagerly, "What kind of toy? Is it fun?"

As it turned out, in an era with so few toys, Chinese checkers held great appeal for children.

Especially when Frederick let her win twice for every game he won. The result was that the little girl kept him playing Chinese checkers all afternoon.

In the study, Philip began catching up on the work that had piled up during his trip after lunch.

Sophia came into the study and chided him, "You must be exhausted from the journey. Why aren't you resting?"

Philip was looking at a letter appointing him governor of the glass mirror workshop, signed by the Grand Duke of Mainz. He set it down and said, "Baron Weissen's carriage is quite remarkable. It's fast and doesn't jolt, so riding in it isn't tiring."

"When things have settled down, I'll go to his place and buy one for you. You can get out more."

Sophia sat down in a chair by the desk and waved for the maid to leave. Soon, only the two of them remained in the study.

"What do you think of Baron Weissen?" Sophia asked.

"He was a very clever child, and he's well liked in his territory. His vassals are loyal to him. Now he's being taught by Lord Richardnal, the Sword Saint, and another teacher whose name I don't know. His future is limitless."

Sophia asked again, "Is he betrothed?"

"I haven't heard that he is." Philip suddenly paused. "Are you thinking...?"

Sophia didn't answer at once. Instead, she went to the bookshelf, took down a thick booklet, and placed it in front of her husband.

"You're always busy away from home, so I've had to take care of Maria's affairs myself," she said. "These are suitable candidates from within three hundred kilometers. Have a look."

The expression on Philip's face shifted several times in the space of a breath. He didn't open the booklet, but asked, "Where did this come from?"

"I heard about them at the salons and had people check the details," Sophia replied.

Philip had nothing to say. Noblewomen had their own social circles. They might not discuss matters of state, but all kinds of family gossip spread quickly and reliably. For all he knew, information about his own daughter was already recorded in someone else's household.

"There's no need to rush," he told his wife gently. "Maria is only six. It's too early to discuss marriage."

A helpless smile appeared on Sophia's pale face. With a sigh, she said, "I know my own body. I'm afraid I won't live to see that day."

Philip stood and went behind his wife, resting both hands on her shoulders. "Don't worry. We'll find a way."

"There are quite a few scholars from Constantinople in the Eastern Pulan Empire at Baron Weissen's place. I'll ask them in a while. They might know a way."

Sophia only smiled faintly. She reached up with her right hand, gently patted her husband's hand on her left shoulder, then clasped it tightly.

She had heard similar things from her husband many times over the years. They had consulted many doctors and apothecaries, but there was no solution beyond eating well and enduring it, or taking medicine that only relieved the symptoms without treating the cause.

Sophia turned her head slightly and pressed her cheek against the back of her husband's hand on her right shoulder. In a low voice, she said, "The only thing I can't stop worrying about is Maria. I'm afraid someone will bully her after I'm gone."

"I think Baron Weissen would make a good match. You said he's clever, and he has a Sword Saint for a teacher. Whatever happens, he wouldn't let Maria suffer."

Philip couldn't openly contradict his wife after she had put it that way. He answered gently, "They're still young. Let's talk about it in a few years."

By then, Maria had decided that beating Frederick at Chinese checkers wasn't much of a challenge. So she brought out one of her toys to play with.

She took a cylindrical object out of a box and led Frederick up to the castle's tallest watchtower.

Mountains surrounded Lor, and birds often took flight among them.

"Look!" Maria proudly handed him the Monocular Telescope. "You can use it to see the little birds in the mountains from here. You can even see the lambs in the fields!"