Peleta Castle stood at the highest point in the domain. Reaching it required climbing a steep and rugged uphill path, and there was only one official entrance accessible from that route.

On the opposite side—the back of the castle—there was nothing. Just a sheer cliff and, far below, an endless expanse of sea. 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

A crude, small castle precariously perched atop the cliff, as if it might collapse at any moment. Yuder gazed out the carriage window, watching it draw closer.

“It’s not much to look at for a castle, is it? From afar, it’s just a lumpy heap of gray stone. But it’s held its ground for over 700 years.”

Following Yuder’s gaze outside, Enk offered a friendly explanation of Peleta Castle’s history.

“It was originally built as a lookout, to guard against possible attacks by monsters or enemies from the sea. At first, it was just a watchtower. But when Count Peletiam, the first lord of the region, made it his residence, it was expanded into the castle you see now.”

“That name is unfamiliar to me.”

“The family died out centuries ago,” Enk replied.

Sitting nearby, Kishiar added with a smile, “Several noble families held the title after them, but none lasted more than three generations. Before I arrived, the castle was without a lord for nearly ten years, and everything was handled by a steward instead.”

With that, Kishiar flashed a mischievous grin at Enk, who gave a peculiar expression and cleared her throat. From the exchange, Yuder made a guess.

Was that steward... Enk?

Before he could confirm, Enk continued.

“...Still, the name Peleta and this castle remain as the legacy of that house. Count Peletiam, who built the castle, was a knight who rose through the ranks and earned his title. He supposedly preferred practical things over beautiful ones. Not that I mind—I’m the same. But I do worry our guest may be disappointed by its roughness.”

Despite her words, Enk didn’t appear worried at all. Her supposed concern was clearly just politeness—her gaze revealed nothing but deep pride in this place.

Yuder slowly shook his head and spoke.

“I’m not disappointed. In fact... I like it.”

“Thank you. I think you’ll like it even more once you’ve seen the inside.”

A smile spread across Enk’s face.

“He’s here! Open the gate!”

“Whoa, easy!”

At last, the horses—panting and stamping—reached the steep summit and came to a stop. Familiar hands quickly approached to soothe them, blowing warm breath against their necks.

The moment Yuder stepped out of the carriage, a blast of wind far stronger than anything before struck him head-on. Compared to the Southern sea wind, this was on another level—a storm-like chill that lashed his entire body.

Wind whipped his hair into disarray, and Yuder swept it back with one hand as he removed his now-useless hood. With his vision finally clear, he looked up at the castle ahead. That was when Kishiar approached.

“The wind’s stronger than I expected. Are you cold?”

“No. I’m fine.”

Yuder had never been particularly affected by heat or cold, and now, with Kishiar standing beside him, the biting wind had almost completely vanished. It felt like a wall had suddenly appeared at his side. Kishiar, standing there without a care, didn’t bother taming his wildly fluttering hair and instead just smiled brightly.

Yuder found himself staring at that face.

The sky overhead—an unusually high, pale steel blue, typical of the North.

Kishiar, standing so naturally before the rugged cliffside castle of Peleta, with a face that seemed utterly out of place in this environment.

Only now did Yuder truly realize—this was a sight he had never seen before.

“This way, please!”

Enk, who had gone ahead to the gate, called out to them. Nathan Zuckerman was already some distance away, talking with those tending to the carriage. His demeanor was noticeably gentler than usual, as if he truly felt at home.

“Now that we’re here, it really feels like we’ve arrived in Peleta. Shall we go in?”

Kishiar gave a nod, and Yuder matched his pace as they walked side by side.

“From outside, the place looks like a single mass of stone, but there’s actually a distinction between the inner and outer castle. The workers mostly stay in the outer sections, while the inner castle is for the Duke. There’s a direct passage from the inner quarters to the watchtowers, so if you want a better view of the surroundings, that’s the best spot. Sunset has a particularly nice atmosphere—highly recommended.”

Yuder glanced around as Enk explained. The layout wasn’t much different from what he’d memorized during his previous life while planning to assassinate Kishiar.

Though back then, no one told me the watchtower had a great sunset view, obviously.

“Would you like to eat right away? Everything’s prepared and can be served as soon as you’re seated.”

“Is everyone here?”

Kishiar asked. Enk nodded.

“Yes. Durney, Weliven, Shuseiner... They’ll all come right away if summoned.”

“Then no need to delay. Let’s eat. No need to change first either.”

“Understood.”

Enk led them to the dining hall in the inner castle. It contained four long tables, all old and solid-looking. Though this was supposedly the Duke’s personal space, there was no way Kishiar would use such a large setup alone. This didn’t look like it was arranged for a special occasion—just how things were normally done.

Yuder looked up and asked:

“Do the workers usually dine here with you?”

“They do. There’s no proper communal space in the outer /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ castle, and this place is far too large for me alone. Whether it’s knights or staff, it made more sense for everyone to eat together—so I made it this way.”

Daily meals shared between workers and the domain lord, in the lord’s private space—that would be unthinkable elsewhere. But with Kishiar, it seemed entirely plausible. He wasn’t the type to lie about things like this.

“Wasn’t that uncomfortable for anyone?”

“It was. At first. But once they accepted how much more practical this arrangement was, everyone got used to it quickly. The castle isn’t large, and we didn’t exactly have the funds to prepare separate meals multiple times a day.”

That one statement alone made it clear how poor Peleta Castle must have been in the past—and how many absurd things this man must have done to bring it to this point.

Kishiar took a seat at the head of the leftmost table and offered the place beside him to Yuder. As they sat, he began to explain the names and roles of those who would soon arrive.

“Durney is the stablemaster and oversees all transport in Peleta. He’s close with Mick. Weliven is the Knight Commander and also takes care of the gardens. Shuseiner is the cook and also handles training the staff.”

“No one seems to hold just one role.”

“Few people, many tasks.”

A smile crossed Kishiar’s face.

“I think I met the Deputy Knight Commander before, but this will be my first time meeting the Knight Commander. I wonder what kind of person he is.”

“He was originally the head of Peleta’s self-defense force. He worked for years to keep the domain safe without drawing a salary. Without him, we wouldn’t have been able to recruit such talented knights for the Cavalry.”

Yuder glanced at Enk, who was still chatting with workers near the entrance.

“When you mentioned the acting lord in the carriage earlier, you looked at Steward Enk. Was she the acting lord?”

“She was. Enk is actually a descendant of the last family to hold the lordship. She didn’t inherit the castle, though.”

That meant Enk, like Kanna, was likely an illegitimate child from a noble family.

To the people of Peleta, who had managed for so long without a proper lord, what must it have been like when a young royal-born duke suddenly arrived?

No doubt... it wasn’t smooth getting to this point.

And yet, now Enk was a loyal steward. Weliven, too, remained as Knight Commander. The others were likely no different.

Yuder listened to Kishiar’s stories about them—people he had never seen or heard of in his previous life. And yet, somehow, not a single moment felt dull.