Beast of the Frozen Night

stopped at the landing that was going down to the first floor.
It was because she felt a different atmosphere from last night.
It wasn’t cluttered, but there was a small crowd from downstairs.

I heard that we were the only people staying at this inn .
.
.

Obviously, last night, the owner with a shabby face expressed his pleasure that he had a guest for the first time in a week, but then burst into tears and complained.
It was a long road, so unless it was the case with her party, who moved a little too much, the average merchant or traveler usually stayed in the previous village.

“Miss, I didn’t know yesterday, but the number of guests must have increased a lot.”

“I don’t think it is a guest .
.
.”

Yes? The maid in front turned her head and asked, but she was pushed down first by Anne, who didn’t stop moving.
As soon as Anne set her feet on the final steps, a panoramic view of the first floor caught her eye.
Coincidentally, close to twenty people were filling the small dining room.

The men, who had been sitting in the chair, got their bodies up in unison, as if they had been waiting as soon as Anne appeared.
Although they didn’t look menacing, their identical outfits created a deep sense of alertness just by looking at them.
Again, the owner, who was very nervous, was sweating as he did not know what to say.

It’s a knight’s uniform .
.
.

It wasn’t the uniform of the Libelois family, who was her party.
The dark navy blue background dress was surrounded by a silver band with diagonal lines, and a sentence that people would ever know was engraved near the chest.

A black sword thrusted into a small hill like a tomb, it was the emblem of the Grand Duchy Cromund.
Even though it was black, there were always people who would feel divided over minor matters.
It wasn’t actually black, they claimed.
It was the deep red that was the color of blood .
.
.

The Empire had been at peace for over four hundred years, and people have survived their boring daily lives by making up their own stories regardless of facts.
The Grand Duke, who did not show his appearance at all, was a topic gossip that suited their tastes, and it was unusually popular because it aroused curiosity not only in the social circle but also in the common people.
The scandal about the Grand Duke, with whom she was acquainted, also came from there.

Why are you here?

Among the knights in line, a man sitting at the back stood out.
He was wearing a gray cloak over his knight’s uniform and was wearing silver plate armor on his chest, so he seemed to be the most important person here.