Nora's preparations proceeded with remarkable efficiency.
First, she arranged for several ordinary-looking carriages. Their sides were covered with gray cloth, plain and inconspicuous, and a light coating of dust on their roofs made them look like old vehicles battered by rough roads and snowstorms.
The interiors were piled high with wooden crates and cloth bundles. From the outside, they looked exactly like the stock of a typical itinerant merchant.
Itinerant merchants were a common sight in the Northern Frontier. Rather than making their living from permanent shops, they traveled by carriage between fiefs, selling silk, spices, medicinal herbs, and other everyday necessities.
They accepted either money or goods in exchange, wandering year-round and attracting little notice.
A few itinerant merchants had occasionally visited the Red Tide Fief, but Louis had access to the Calvin Family's supply channels.
Most supplies were purchased through those channels and delivered directly to the fief.
As a result, he had little interest in small merchant caravans without a fixed source of goods.
Next, Nora personally supervised the arrangements for more than a dozen guards to follow behind the carriages.
Their armor was all replaced with simple sheet-iron armor, crude and plain in style. They looked more like mercenaries hired as temporary guards than noble knights: discreet and practical.
The final preparation was the most crucial step: disguises.
Nora took out a small wooden box and gently opened it. Inside were modeling paste, lip color, dark red powder, and dyes mixed with small quantities of herbs.
She pinched up a little pigment and turned to Emily. "My lady, this is for your disguise. I'll paint a large scar on your cheek. That will make you look even less like a noblewoman."
Emily nodded without hesitation, sat before the dressing mirror, and closed her eyes, letting Nora