“Elliot, don’t forget. The Grand Duchess is not just your wife, but the lord’s ally. She must be wise and considerate of others’ circumstances. Don’t forget she must have a heavy mouth.”
Hazel seemed to have molded into a person the qualities of a Grand Duchess that his mother had been talking about since childhood.
‘Where did you really fall from?’
It was as if God had sent Hazel to help him struggle.
“It would be nice if it could be used in a good place…”
“Because a person with bad intentions sits in the highest seat.”
When Hazel understood and nodded her head, Elliot began to tell a story he couldn’t confide even to his younger siblings.
“I originally wanted to become a paladin.”
After twists and turns, Hazel’s eyebrows drooped as he talked about how he had to give up his dream twice because of the Emperor’s machinations after joining the secret Holy Knights.
“At one time, I was envious of the Paladins.”
“You don’t have to be envious. Someday when all of this is over…”
Hazel took his hand again.
“I will help you become a paladin.”
What? Elliot lost his words for a moment, then he narrowly refused.
“No, I don’t want to be one anymore.”
“Why?”
“Paladines have to be single for the rest of their life. I hate that now.”
‘It’s because of you’ Elliot ran his thumb over the back of Hazel’s hand, hinting at his intentions.
“That’s great.”
“…okay?”
“I think about that when I’m with Your Highness these days. The woman who will marry this man must be very happy.”
“So who is that happy woman?”
‘It’s you, you.’
“It is my dream.”
Did she not understand, or was it a euphemistic refusal? Hazel started talking about her dreams.
“After leaving…”
Leave?
“I’ll set up an orphanage and live in a noisy place with children.”
“Aren’t you planning on making the Grand Duchy noisy with children?”
“Hey, Your Highness!”
Hazel was delighted and took his hand with both hands. Did she understand his meaning now?
“Then, will you build an orphanage in the palace? Impressive!”
Also, it wasn’t.
“But there are safety concerns, so I decline.”
“…Yes, I can’t help it.”
Elliot couldn’t even explain that he was moved by her and just laughed.
There was a long, long way to go.
* * *
Although it was spring, a snowstorm hit the capital of the Northern Kingdom. Looking at the scene outside the carriage, Regina shook her head. Not because of the cold, but because of anger.
“The princess was caught trying to kill the Grand Duke’s children. If that had happened, Elliot would have used that as an excuse and pushed the evidence she had accumulated so far and invaded the palace. Our imperial family could be doomed! All because of you!”
Regina was kicked out after hearing the unholy orders she had been hearing from Gerald. As if clearing away her trouble pot, she had hastily sent her to the northern kingdom of Billund.
‘I can’t help but pay for this humiliation.’
The rugged castle unique to the northern barbarians was getting closer. Regina gritted her teeth and made a promise.
‘I’ll take that throne, even if I destroy it.’
* * *
“Ominous.”
An elderly man stood at the entrance of the cave and muttered as he looked out.
“It rains a lot this summer.”
Heavy rain was pouring from the mountain outside the cave. In the morning, the day was clear and he started work, but he didn’t know that rain clouds would suddenly come again. He was the chief of the miners. The mine, located at the end of the Grand Duchy, was plagued by heavy rain every day. The deep cave was about to be submerged in water. When the ground weakened, the tunnel collapsed. The nearby valley might flood. Landslides could push in mud. In any case, the miners were dead.
“I have to withdraw.”
The man noisily shook the bell hanging over the mine’s entrance.
“Withdraw immediately!”
His instructions echoed through the shaft. It was a time when the miners came out with their tools one by one.
Rumble!
The ceiling in the middle of the shaft cried and collapsed in an instant. It’s too late. The tunnels the miners were trying to get out of were tightly blocked with thick mud and stone walls.
“Damn it!”
“My God, my God.”
The number of lives in there was twenty, at least. Those who escaped safely from other tunnels were contemplated. Disobeying the leader’s order to evacuate in case it collapsed further, some brought equipment and started digging up the collapsed soil, but it was not enough. Some went down the mountain, saying they would inform the village chief and call more people.
“Get some wood to use as a prop right now!”
While commanding rescue and evacuation at the same time, he met the leader. The lives of those trapped now depend on God.
‘God, please grant a miracle.’
But to think that the witch, not God, would answer that prayer.
* * *
The children wearing straw hats and sitting huddled under the bright sunlight spoke in unison.
“So cute.”
“Haha…”
She smiled shyly. Rabbits wouldn’t be very cute if they knew what they were talking about.
[Damn it, it’s hard to get a piece of carrot and eat it.]
[Be careful what you say in front of children!]
After training, and more training, she could now talk to small mammals. Of course, it was not a very pleasant experience to eavesdrop on the human gossip of moles underfoot.
[Here, the price for playing with the children.]
It was the time when she fed carrots to rabbits with their roots. A broomstick walked out of the hut waving a bell. It meant that someone had knocked on the door of the nanny’s room.
“Looks like Daniel is looking for me.”
The Grand Duke, who had been standing by the kitchen window watching them, sighed deeply and turned around. She lifted the children who were curled up in the backyard.
“It’s hot, so let’s go inside.”
“What about rabbits?”
[Yes, the rabbit.]
“Rabbit…”
She looked down at the rabbit who pretended to be cute to the children and acted like the truth to her.
[Are you going to sit down? Go back to your burrow If you don’t go, will you call your mother?]
[Sheesh, I will conquer it someday.]
The rabbit jumped out of the fence and she went inside the cabin with the children. The Grand Duke had already disappeared.
“Would you like something cold?”
“Wow!”
She had been practicing freezing magic hard in preparation for this summer. She shared iced peach tea with the children. Then, when the plate on the table caught her eye, she tilted her head.
“What is this?”
Among the human-shaped cookies the children had decorated, there was a cookie she had never seen before. It looked like a woman, with brown icing on her hair and green icing on her eyes.
It was her.
By the way, sticking a pink heart cookie in the middle of her cookie.
“Who did something so cute?”
When she asked, both of them shook their heads saying they didn’t know. Then the Grand Duke? She folded it as soon as she imagined it. A Grand Duke who decorates cookies. It didn’t suit him too much.
“Since when did the witch’s hut become an office, Your Highness?”
Daniel finally took a disapproving look at Elliot, who was sitting in front of her desk. But she kept her eyes on Elliot’s letter, which had just arrived, and she did not raise an eyebrow at him.
“You’ve been spending more time with Miss Hazel than at the office these days.”
“So?”
“…”
Daniel couldn’t say anything. Still, since he managed to fulfill his role as the Grand Duke, he had nothing to say, and he was on the verge of anger.
“It must be because the ground has weakened due to the heavy rain.”
Elliot put down the letter from the chief of a village on the outskirts of the Grand Duchy. The smile from a moment ago was nowhere to be found. The mine collapsed during the day yesterday. They tried to rescue the buried miners, but the rain did not stop and there was a risk of further collapse. So, the content of the letter was that rescue work was not feasible.
“Hanshi is an emergency situation.”
Drinking water should be enough for the water leaking into the tunnel. However, it could have been submerged in the flood and died. Another problem was that the air became thinner over time.
“According to the intelligence of the village security chief who brought this letter…”
While discussing equipment and manpower to send, Daniel brought up an unexpected story.
“The villagers believe that the lord was possessed by a special being and that the gods were angry with all of this heavy rain and collapse.”
The public sentiment was shaken. Elliot grinned as he heard Daniel’s concern that an uprising might break out if this accident spreads further.
“Then it’s Hazel’s chance to play an active part.”
As expected, Daniel’s eyebrows twisted when he told him of his plan.
“To think that the culprit behind this accident appears directly in the village. Having Miss Hazel in the place where people die will only fuel groundless accusations and anger.”
“Isn’t it the same to incur baseless accusations and anger whether Hazel is there or at the Grand Duke’s residence?”
“…”
“After all, people just need someone to blame when tragedies happen.”
Now was the perfect opportunity to turn ‘Hazel Blame’ into ‘Hazel Virtue’.
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Pfft. I really respect that he’s sticking to his resolution to improve her reputation, especially since he hasn’t mentioned it to her at all. Green flag to go with his red flag prejudices.