Chapter 70
Meanwhile, Cassius headed to a location where the yetis and northern knights were conducting joint training, as requested by Giverny.
The area was naturally formed in the middle of a forest. These days, entry into the forest was strictly controlled—only authorized personnel were allowed, due to recent safety concerns.
Since the people of the North had grown up learning to fear monsters, they tended to follow such restrictions very well.
Thanks to that, training could proceed smoothly.
“Where is Prince Krinini?”
“He didn’t come. As the next heir, he prefers not to be exposed to any danger.”
Giverny gave a brief explanation about yeti society.
“…Not much different from humans.”
After all, even the Emperor of the Empire stayed safely within the capital.
“Yes. It’s said there will be a change in leadership soon. The last days of the current chieftain’s life are approaching.”
“At least it’s good that Prince Krinini will take over when the time comes.”
“Indeed.”
“What about relations with the other tribes?”
“Fortunately, things are going smoothly. They are very protective of their young, so the fact that one of them was killed has united them strongly.”
Cassius nodded.
The reason Giverny called him here today was to discuss the supply of weapons.
“They’re following the training better than I expected.”
Cassius watched the training with sharp eyes. Just as Giverny had said, the yetis were doing well.
“They’ve been fighting monsters for a long time, so it seems that their combat instincts have been passed down through generations. They don’t tire easily and chase their enemies persistently. They’ll definitely be a strong force.”
Cassius nodded.
The yetis were creatures that existed somewhere between humans and beasts. Their instincts were stronger than those of humans.
Their movements were slower and heavier, so they weren’t suited for ambushes, but they were still strong warriors.
“More and more yeti warriors are joining us. If we can supply them with weapons, they might actually be able to stop the monsters.”
Cassius gave a cold smile.
He was seeing hope in the yetis—hope he couldn’t find in humans.
If the capital found out he was working with them?
They’d call it treason and try to kill him and destroy House Istheria.
But even so, what he was witnessing now was worth the risk.
These were real warriors.
“I’ll approve the weapon supply. Giverny, I’m putting you in charge of overseeing the entire operation. Be thorough.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
“Any trace of the enemy yet?”
“There’s not even any sign of hunting activity.”
They must be hiding somewhere to recover, but not even hunting?
“We’ll need to change our approach.”
Cassius murmured.
“I’m heading back now. Stay and keep watching a bit longer.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
“I’ll send word to the blacksmith. Human weapons won’t suit the yetis, so have something more appropriate made.”
“Yes, Your Grace!”
Giverny’s expression brightened. He too was finding hope here.
Cassius patted Giverny on the shoulder and left the training grounds.
As soon as he returned to the ducal estate, he gave new orders.
“Call in the geologists. Also gather scholars who study unusual phenomena, and those who specialize in forest ecosystems.”
“Yes, Your Grace!”
Cassius’s eyes glinted coldly.
At that moment, at the Count Kersis’s estate…
The noble ladies watched the children running around like monkeys and smiled.
“My child looks like the wildest of them all. Oh dear, that sounded so crude.”
“…To me, it looks like my kids are worse.”
The ladies laughed softly together.
“Not long ago, my child completely smashed a perfectly fine decorative piece!”
“Oh my!”
“They said it was their sparring partner. Lately, they’ve been learning swordsmanship from their father…”
“They’re going to be a great knight, I’m sure.”
“…Ever since Stephanie and Theo became friends, it’s gotten so much noisier for us too. Just recently, they were hanging from the curtains and ended up falling—it gave me such a scare.”
“Oh my, the young lord?”
“Both of them. One on each side of the curtains…”
Just thinking about that day made me feel sick. I took a sip of warm tea.
The sound of the crash had scared me so much it felt like my heart dropped. The kids got up like nothing happened and ran off, but behind them was a disaster.
The curtains were ripped down and the curtain rods barely hanging in place.
“That’s why I hate rainy days.”
“Oh dear, Duchess…”
“So I replaced all the curtains. With ones so smooth, they absolutely can’t climb them.”
The noble ladies looked at me with sympathetic eyes. I didn’t need to worry about whether I’d fit in.
This place was full of moms who were also raising little monkeys like mine.
“…Recently, I took my child to visit my family. And they broke my father’s favorite vase.”
“Oh no! Wasn’t that the one the Count bought at auction? I heard it went for more than 300,000 gold…!”
“Yes, that one. My father couldn’t even get angry—he just shook with rage and then fainted… I felt so bad. My husband and I both apologized over and over. We’ve handed it over to an expert to see if it can be repaired, but who knows if that’s even possible.”
The woman who spoke grinned distantly, as though she had forgotten about her problems.
“It wasn’t a visit of filial duty—it was just a disaster.”
“Oh my goodness…”
The noble ladies comforted each other. I had no idea a group like this existed.
As we snacked and chatted for a while, I carefully brought up a topic.
“By the way, could I ask for a recommendation for a good nanny? I need someone to help take care of Theo and Stephanie.”
“Didn’t you have a nanny before?”
“She’s currently busy with some personal matters.”
“Ahh…”
“But I’ve been so busy lately…”
The noble ladies paused, thinking. Then one of them quietly raised her hand.
“I think I can recommend someone. She’s the one who got my child to sit at a desk and do homework for two hours a day—on his own.”
“Oh my goodness!”
“Did you say on his own? Homework?”
“Yes. And she also taught him to think before doing anything dangerous.”
“Wait… is that the same nanny who used to take care of your eldest son…?”
“That’s right. I was planning to have her look after my younger son too, but…”
The lady looked a bit sad.
“She got pregnant at the time, so it couldn’t happen. But now she’s returning to work. And since I already have a nanny I’m happy with…”
“Please recommend her right away, ma’am. I’ll never forget this favor!”
A person who could teach a child to think before doing something dangerous? That’s a literal lifesaver.
If Stephanie and Theo could stop climbing curtains or sliding down stair railings from the third floor, I could survive anything.
Honestly, Theo had always been fragile, and both Cassius and I were overly cautious because he hadn’t experienced much yet.
We really needed someone to help keep balance in our household.
“Shall I contact her and ask her to visit the duke’s estate?”
“Yes, please!”
This mom network is amazing. I’d been stressing over this, and now it was getting solved just like that. I’m sticking with this group forever.
“By the way, I had no idea the duchess was this fun!”
“Oh…”
“You seemed so unapproachable before.”
“I took a while to get used to things.”
I smiled awkwardly.
“I hope we can keep having get-togethers like this.”
“Me too. I’ll probably need a lot of help. I’m not from around here, so there’s a lot I don’t know. Please keep helping me.”
Now was the perfect timing.
I handed out the gifts Cassius had prepared for today’s gathering—earrings from a jewelry shop that was notoriously hard to book.
They cost quite a bit, but Cassius had said, “If you’re going to do lobbying, do it right.”
The noble ladies’ faces lit up with joy. Good.
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• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •By Freya• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •
If you want to support the translation and the translator, you can buy a coffee~
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