"Nalant!" Nalant and the others galloped across the snow, and the caravan had noticed the commotion early on as well.
Before Nalant could draw near, a lovely figure emerged from one of the caravan's luxurious carriages. She stood atop the carriage and kept waving at Nalant, her face filled with delight.
"Natasha?!" Nalant froze at the sight of her. No matter what, he had never expected this enchantress to come to Storm Territory at a time like this.
"Nalant, aren't you surprised?" Natasha seemed utterly unaware that anything was amiss. A bewitching smile curved her lips, and the affection in her beautiful eyes could not be concealed.
"I am surprised. Why did you come?" Nalant walked over helplessly, feeling that this girl had come at the worst possible time.
"Nalant, are you not welcoming me to Storm Territory?" Only then did Natasha finally sense that something was slightly off.
Seeing no delight on Nalant's face, her heart soured a little, and she became uneasy.
"Welcome, of course you're welcome. It's just... come on, let's return to the castle first and talk there!" Nalant glanced at the several dozen caravan members around them. They could only discuss it properly after returning to the castle.
"Oh!" Though Natasha dearly wanted to get to the bottom of it, she knew this was not the place to say more. She obediently nodded, then climbed back into the carriage.
Before long, Nalant led the convoy beneath the castle.
When they saw the towers all around them, along with the deep pits and fences, the caravan members all wore astonished expressions.
Nalant had no intention of explaining anything to them. He brought them straight to the front courtyard and arranged for them to rest temporarily in the wooden huts, then invited Natasha into the inner castle.