"Next time we'll choose a better place. I don't like it when my wife is cold."
Asil uttered these words when, after everything that had happened, they headed towards the exit from the forest.
Remesis blinked, not immediately grasping the meaning of her words.
"You said... next time?" Remesis asked, not looking at her.
"I did."
"I didn't agree to a next time."
Asil chuckled softly.
"Wife, you were just hugging my neck and calling me by name. Was that not agreement?"
Remesis felt the heat rush to her face again and cursed her own blush, which had never known how to lie.
"That was... a momentary weakness," she forced out.
"An excellent momentary weakness," the princess smirked, and that very satisfaction was heard in her voice. "I will remember it."
Remesis took a deep breath, feeling her lungs fill with the frosty air, and slowly walked behind the princess. Her legs did not obey well — whether from the cold or from still trembling because of what had happened.
She caught up with Asil only on the path leading back to the road. The princess did not turn around, but slowed her pace just enough for Remesis to walk beside her.
And the entire way back, they were silent.
But this silence was different from before. Not heavy, not oppressive. It was... embarrassing. At least for Remesis, certainly.
Returning to the carriage, they soon continued their journey.
The wheels steadily clattered on the frozen road, inside the carriage it was warmer than outside, but Remesis still could not warm up. She sat in her place, trying to look anywhere but at the princess — out the window at the passing landscapes, at her hands folded on her lap.
Asil, on the contrary, seemed completely unperturbed. She leaned back in her seat, her eyes half-closed, and a slight smile lingered on her lips — the very same one that made everything inside Remesis turn over.
Several times Remesis caught the princess's gaze on her and each time hastily looked away, feeling her cheeks flush again.
"She is doing this on purpose," Remesis thought bitterly. "Just watching me suffer."
And the worst part was that she could do nothing about it.
It took them several more hours to reach the northern capital and Nord Fortress itself. The road dragged on slowly, monotonously, and somewhere in the middle of the journey, Remesis began to nod off — exhaustion took its toll. She tried to fight the sleep, but her eyelids grew heavier, and eventually she did not notice herself dozing off, her head resting against the carriage wall.
She woke up to someone carefully adjusting the cloak on her shoulders.
Remesis opened her eyes abruptly.
Asil sat in her place, as if nothing had happened, and looked out the window. The cloak that had slipped while Remesis slept now again covered her shoulders.
"We have almost arrived," the princess said without turning around.
Remesis remained silent. She adjusted the cloak and turned to the window, pretending to be intently examining the landscape outside the glass.
Her heart was beating faster than it should.
In the end, when they finally arrived at the castle, it was already midday.
Nord Fortress greeted them with its usual grandeur — high walls, flags with the Northern crest fluttering in the wind. The castle seemed impregnable and cold, like its lord, but for Remesis now this place was the only refuge.
Most of the castle's servants came out to meet and greet the returning masters. They lined up along the main entrance, bowing low, and on many faces Remesis noticed genuine relief. It seemed her sudden departure and subsequent absence had caused the servants considerable worry.
The maid Julia, standing in the front rows, brightened as soon as she saw her lady. Watching the princess extend her hand to help her wife down, she nearly jumped for joy.
"It seems, since they returned together, their relationship is also fine!" this thought filled her heart with warmth.
Remesis accepted the offered hand — not because she needed help, but because refusing in front of all the servants would be too conspicuous.
She stepped down onto the ground and immediately felt the princess lean towards her ear.
"Wife, rest a little. We will meet at dinner tonight."
Then she leaned down and kissed Remesis on the top of her head. Remesis frowned slightly but remained silent.
The princess, watching her expression, chuckled softly. Then she addressed Julia, who had already approached to escort her lady into the castle.
"The princess has overexerted herself today. Take good care of her."
Julia first blinked in confusion, then hastily nodded:
"Y-yes, of course!"
After that, the princess kissed Remesis once more — and finally left with her people to another part of the castle. Remesis followed her with a gloomy look before taking a deep breath.
"This woman is truly unbearable," she thought, but somewhere deep inside, in the very corner of her consciousness, another thought flickered — quieter and therefore more troubling: "Why didn't I pull away?"
Julia, at that moment, addressed her with great enthusiasm:
"Princess, I am so glad you are back!"
"Really?" Remesis smiled slightly at her, and this smile, even fleeting, made the maid's face light up.
That one smile was enough to make Julia freeze in fascination for a few moments.
"Y-yes...! Last time, when you suddenly packed up and left, I was so worried! But it seems the trip did you good! You look better!"
"Hmm... really?" Remesis involuntarily touched her cheek with her fingers. After everything that had happened, she felt more empty than rested.
"Exactly!" Julia nodded vigorously. "Honestly, Princess! Your complexion is better now, and your eyes are sparkling! Before, you looked so pale that I was afraid you might faint at any moment."
Remesis did not know how to respond to that. Her eyes sparkling? Honestly, it sounded dubious.
"Well, I am a little tired... I want to rest," she said, steering away from the conversation.
"Yes, of course! Oh, Princess... and may I ask you a question?"
"What exactly?"
"Her Highness said that you overexerted yourself... But what exactly did she mean?"
Remesis flushed instantly, although she tried her hardest to hide it. She looked away, pretended to adjust her collar, and only then answered:
"That... it's nothing. Just nonsense."
Her voice sounded too sharp and hasty, and Julia, of course, noticed this. But the maid was wise enough not to ask unnecessary questions. It seemed it really was something insignificant, since the princess did not want to talk about it.
"Alright, Your Highness. Follow me."
Having returned to the northern castle and her room for the first time in a long while, Remesis first said she wanted to freshen up. Julia was more than happy to help her with this.
She was glad that now her lady was behaving more actively. Shortly before her departure, Remesis had been so depressed that she did not want to do anything and remained locked in her room. She refused food, did not speak to the servants, sat for hours by the window staring into space. Julia had seriously feared then that the princess would fall ill — not in body, but in spirit.
But now, upon her return, the girl spoke quite amiably with the servants and behaved more actively than before. It could be said that now Remesis was behaving the same as ever. This could not help but please.
The bath was hot, almost scalding, and Remesis allowed herself to submerge her head in the water, holding her breath for a few seconds. The water washed away the road dust, the cold, and — she wanted to believe — the memories. She scrubbed her skin with a washcloth, perhaps too vigorously, as if trying to erase someone else's touches from herself. Or, on the contrary, to preserve them.
When she emerged, Julia had already prepared a new dress for her.
"Your Highness, would you like to have a snack first?" the maid suggested cautiously, while combing Remesis's hair. "You hardly ate anything on the road, I am sure."
"No," Remesis shook her head. "First, I want to go to my study."
"To the study?" Julia was surprised but did not argue. "Alright, as you wish."
After taking her bath, Remesis changed, tidied her hair — Julia braided it into a simple but elegant style — and headed to her study, which she had not visited for a long time.
The castle corridors were empty and quiet. The torches on the walls burned with a steady flame, casting long shadows. Remesis walked quickly, hardly looking around — she knew this path by heart.
Entering the study, Remesis found Heitz Adelfo there, waiting for her at the door with a beaming face.
He was glad that the princess seemed to be feeling much better. After all, upon her return, she immediately decided to head to her study. It seemed things were indeed improving.
"Your Highness!" he bowed, barely suppressing a smile. "How was the journey?"
"Fine," Remesis answered shortly. She walked to the desk and sat down in the chair, feeling the familiar surroundings return a sense of control to her. "I will manage on my own. You may go."
"...Yes, Your Highness."
Heitz bowed once more and left, quietly closing the door behind him.
Remesis remained in the study alone.
She took a deep breath — fully, for the first time all day — and leaned back in her chair, closing her eyes.
After sitting still for a short while, the girl soon took out a blank sheet of paper and began to write something. The pen scratched across the parchment, her fingers moved quickly, confidently — as if she had written this letter a thousand times in her head while riding in the carriage.
It took no more than a few minutes.
When it was ready, Remesis carefully set the sheet aside. Then she took a diary out of the desk drawer. It was Master Luwen's diary — the very one she had found then in his room. The leather binding, the yellowed pages, the small, almost illegible handwriting. She flipped through it and ran her eyes over the lines.
Remesis closed the diary and placed it next to the letter.
She remained in the study for a little while longer, simply sitting and staring at the wall. Her thoughts turned slowly, heavily, like stones. Was she truly ready for what would follow?...
She did not know the answers. On the other hand, she could no longer delay.
A knock on the door interrupted her reflections.
"Your Highness," came the maid's cautious voice from behind the door. "It is time for dinner."
Remesis looked at the window. Dusk was gathering outside the glass, and indeed — time had flown by unnoticed. The dinner hour had arrived.
Right now, she was going to meet Asil at this dinner.
"Yes... Alright. I will be there soon."
She rose from the desk, smoothed her dress, and took two things from the table.
First — Master Luwen's diary, which held extremely important information. Second — a divorce agreement, written in her own hand and sealed with her personal seal.