The journey through the frozen north continued.
Snowstorms howled outside, shaking the royal carriage as it pushed forward through the endless white.
Inside, the atmosphere was tense.
Jenny sat quietly, hands clasped together, trying not to look nervous.
Across from her, Lucas watched her with sharp golden eyes.
Then he spoke.
"Lady Jenny."
She flinched slightly. "Y-Yes, Your Highness?"
Lucas rested his elbow on the window frame.
"Tell me about June Astral."
Jenny's heart skipped.
"What… about her?"
His gaze grew colder.
"Her nature."
Silence.
Jenny forced herself to stay calm.
"She's kind," she said carefully."A little clumsy sometimes… very sweet… and she worries too much about others."
Lucas listened without interrupting.
But his eyes said he wasn't convinced.
"That's not what I meant."
Jenny swallowed.
Lucas leaned forward slightly.
"When she stands still… she feels different."
Jenny's hands tightened.
"Different how?"
"Like someone used to being alone," he said quietly."Like someone carrying a burden no one else can see."
Jenny froze.
Because he was right.
Lucas looked away, voice lower.
"She doesn't act like a noble lady."
He paused.
"She acts like a guardian."
Jenny's eyes widened.
For a moment, she thought he had discovered everything.
But Lucas continued.
"Tell me honestly."
His gaze returned to her — intense, searching.
"Is June Astral hiding something from me?"
Jenny's heart pounded so loudly she thought he might hear it.
She remembered June standing in the snow, smiling bravely as she said she would return to the tower alone.
Jenny lowered her eyes.
"…June is just someone trying to protect what matters to her."
Lucas studied her face carefully.
Then he leaned back, expression unreadable.
"I see."
But in his mind, the pieces were already connecting.
Guardian.Northern lands.Magic surge.Her disappearance.
A faint smirk appeared.
"So that's who you are, June."