Chapter 06: An Unexpected Feast
“What?”
The Knights, who had been focused on their meal, paused mid-bite.
I thought they were too busy eating to pay attention, but apparently, they had been listening to me all along. The atmosphere at the table instantly turned icy.
“I’m joking. I didn’t mean to suggest I was spying on you.”
Sensing the sharp gaze of Hedrick, who was silently chewing his meat, I quickly added, “I just thought you wouldn’t stay long in the capital. Since you wouldn’t have much time to rest, I hoped you could at least stay somewhere nice before leaving.”
“So, if we had stayed in the capital longer…”
“Well, the innkeeper would have made a nice profit,” I shrugged with a harmless expression.
“I heard everyone coming to the capital wants to stay at the Rowgee Inn.”
“That’s true. It’s famous even in Blenheim,” one knight replied.
“Since you came all the way to the capital because of me, I just wanted to offer a small token of appreciation. Inviting you to my estate didn’t seem like something you’d enjoy.”
The knights tensed up again, like angry cats whose fur had been rubbed the wrong way.
My mouth! My reckless mouth!
I looked straight at Perel and spoke clearly enough for everyone to hear.
“I didn’t mean anything by it. Please, don’t misunderstand.”
“Oh, no. Thank you for thinking of us, Your Grace,” Perel replied, thankfully letting the topic drop. The knights also seemed to relax slightly and resumed eating.
Reserving this place had been 20% luck and 80% money.
Initially, I had planned to sell some of my jewelry for cash.
Since I wasn’t sure if going directly to a jeweler would get me caught by the Marquis, I needed someone to handle it for me.
I had made a little acquaintance with someone while visiting the stables and was introduced to an information guild that handled small tasks for a fee.
“You’re selling jewelry? Why not just go to a jeweler?”
When I first mentioned wanting to sell the jewelry, the guild member seemed uninterested. But when I showed up with a pile of jewelry, his attitude completely changed.
I guess I was either a valuable client or an obvious sucker to them.
The next time I visited, the guild leader himself came to greet me.
After confirming the sale price and dividing the earnings, I had 200 coins in hand.
“This seems a bit low. Did you sell too cheap?”
When I frowned, the guild leader quickly waved his hands.
“If the price goes higher, we’ll get a bigger share. We got a good deal for you.”
Fair enough. The stingy marquis wasn’t likely to give lavish gifts to someone who wasn’t his own child.
“I have another request…”
I explained what I needed: information on when the representative party would return to Blenheim.
At first, the guild leader refused, mentioning the sensitivity of such details. But after some argument and extra payment, he agreed.
“We can’t give exact travel records, but we can check if there are gate reservations for the week. To travel from Blenheim to the capital, they’d have to use the Marhen Gate through Eonveld. That week, there was only one reservation, both ways, and both in the morning.”
It was clear: the day of my wedding and the very next day.
“Wait, are they arriving the morning of the wedding and leaving immediately after?”
“If they spend less than half a day in the capital… it’s possible.”
That’s when I realized they had no plans to stay, let alone spend time in the capital.
“I’ll have to follow them immediately after the ceremony.”
I gathered information about the route to Blenheim and heard about an inn popular among travelers.
“A retired royal chef runs it. Their roast pork is amazing.”
When I said I’d never heard of Rowgee Inn, the guild leader raised an eyebrow.
“Even nobles know of it. Have you been living under a rock?”
“But getting a room there…”
“If you leave early enough, maybe. The inn fills up quickly, and latecomers often camp outside.”
That sparked an idea.
Good hosting starts with a reservation.
If I arranged a delicious meal and a comfortable room for them on their way out of the capital…
“Maybe their opinion of me would improve a little?”
With that thought, I asked the guild leader, “Can you book the rooms in advance?”
He scratched his head.
“I don’t think it’s possible. It’s not common to reserve rooms for guests who haven’t shown up yet.”
“What if I pay in advance?”
“Well, that could work. It’s not something we’ve done before, but no merchant would turn down a deposit.”
“Can you handle it for me?”
The guild leader seemed pleased to have earned something extra.
“Of course, I’ll make sure to give you a special rate.”
So, with a little extra fee, I reserved the rooms and organized the feast.
‘It cost me a lot, but it was worth it,’ I thought, watching Leon order more food from the innkeeper. I happily took a bite of the famous roast pork.
The crispy skin, perfectly balanced with just the right amount of fat, truly lived up to its reputation.
That night, Loic received an utterly unexpected letter via magic courier pigeon.
“The Grand Duchess will accompany us back to Blenheim. Please prepare a room for her.”
His sharp jawline tightened.
“Is this man out of his mind?”
Perel had added excuses, predicting Loic’s reaction, explaining that the Grand Duchess had no attendants or guards and it would be difficult to send her back.
The marquis’s daughter was equally incomprehensible.
A typical noblewoman would consider a husbandless wedding ceremony humiliating enough.
Why follow along, knowing no one would welcome her?
Was she coming to complain?
But such a long and arduous journey for mere pride didn’t make sense.
“We’ll prepare to receive Her Grace,” said Whitley, the white-haired butler.
“Prepare? For what?”
Loic scowled.
Still, sending her back immediately after such a long journey would invite rumors about him mistreating his bride. He couldn’t give the marquis any chance for criticism.
“Fine. Prepare one room. She won’t stay long.”
“Are you sure, sir?”
Loic sighed, knowing what Whitley was hinting at.
“Make it as far from my quarters as possible. I don’t want to see her.”
“Understood.”
As Whitley left, Loic ran a hand through his hair in frustration.
“The marquis’s third daughter? The infamous villainess of the capital!”
The knights’ chatter over the past few days rang in his ears.
He never paid attention to such rumors. Being labeled the “beastly duke who drank the blood of monsters,” he knew better than anyone how false gossip could be.
Still, the daughter of the marquis was certainly no ordinary woman.
‘Should I call her strong-willed?’
Fragile women wouldn’t survive in the North.
“What am I even thinking?”
Loic frowned, his handsome brows furrowing. Whether the lady was tough or delicate, what did it matter to him?
For some reason, he felt as though he had been played by the Marquis once again, and the thought made his blood rush to his head.
Sending his daughter to such a harsh place without even a single maid?
If the Marquis had done this to lower his guard, then the plan would have worked flawlessly.
But his goodwill toward his wife, at least on paper, would go no further than this.
Loic reaffirmed this resolution to himself.
