Episode 56

 

I hadn’t seen Seth for a while.

It seemed the Duke had properly punished his son, who ignored his warning not to bother me.

‘Not that I mind.’

“Hello?”

“…Welcome, Jade.”

It was when I was inspecting my new room. Chris’s lieutenant entered, offering a polite greeting. As soon as I acknowledged him, he seemed quick to excuse himself, clearly still uncomfortable around me.

‘Well, it’s not as if I’m all that comfortable either.’

When I regained consciousness, I wasn’t in a guest room in the imperial palace but in a new annex the Reinhardt family had recently acquired. Marie was sent here as well.

Though they called it an annex of the Duke’s estate, it was closer to the Grand Duke’s residence, making it easier for his staff to manage.

Apparently, Chris had petitioned the Emperor.

‘Although Sethril Young Master hasn’t been formally accused, I request that Lady Mindia remain outside the Duke’s residence until the situation calms.’

In the end, the Emperor mediated between the Duke and Chris.

The Duke also agreed to keep me outside his main residence until the aftermath of the hunting festival died down. That’s how I came to stay in this annex. The cost of handling the matter must have been considerable.

‘You should’ve kept better control over your son from the start.’

As I lightly brushed my still-healing side, I felt a faint twinge. Jade then spoke up.

“His Grace will come here once his work is complete.”

“Thank you for letting me know, Jade.”

“…You know my name.”

“Of course, you’re one of the aides closest to His Grace, the Grand Duke.”

Jade still looked somewhat uncomfortable. Marie, who was bringing in tea, scolded him.

“There’s no need to act so awkward. Lady Mindia has no intention of harming His Grace.”

“It’s fine, Marie.”

I responded to Marie, then looked at Jade, who was watching me with caution. It was clear he held Chris in high regard and loyalty.

‘I wonder what happened to Jade in my previous life.’

Thinking about that left a bitter taste in my mouth.

Without touching the tea or the snacks Marie had set out, I waited for Chris. Before long, he finished his work and came over from the Grand Duke’s residence to the annex.

“Have you been waiting long?”

“No, it’s all right.”

I quickly put on the rough cloak Marie had prepared.

Today, Chris and I were planning to visit the mercenary guild responsible for the ambush on me during the hunting festival.

We had already identified the guild.

‘Judging by the mercenaries’ words… it’s “Blue Wolf.”’

As expected, Chris had extensive knowledge about mercenaries and soldiers. I was a little surprised to find out they weren’t mercenaries from the North.

‘So you even know mercenaries from the capital, not just those in the North.’

‘The North always keeps in mind that we might need to recruit mercenaries from other regions when necessary.’

‘But the Northern army…’

‘Yes. It has never been defeated.’

Chris’s gaze was profound as he said that, looking at me quietly.

‘But you never know what could happen.’

‘…’

‘Indeed, when the Grand Duke’s seat was vacant… there was a southern advance that nearly caught us off guard.’

He was talking about the time of the previous Grand Duke’s sudden death.

Back then, there really was an invasion by magical creatures from the south.

Thankfully, it was a small-scale invasion, so the damage was minimized…

‘I have always believed it necessary to prepare for the possibility of the Grand Duke of Elzerian being compromised or the Northern army faltering.’

I was slightly startled. Though I hated to imagine anything happening to Chris, it seemed he had considered such scenarios many times.

I held back the urge to declare it impossible and replied.

‘…I imagine there was a lot of opposition.’

Given the Northern vassals’ strong pride in the Northern army, they wouldn’t have readily accepted the suggestion to consider external mercenaries.

When I barely managed to voice my thoughts, Chris gave a faint smile.

‘Of course, I kept it a secret from them. It was only a contingency plan for the worst case.’

‘…’

‘Ultimately, what’s more important than pride or honor is the safety and lives of the territory’s people.’

“Your Grace.”

“I strive to never forget that.”

Recalling that conversation, I let out a sigh while getting ready to leave.

“Are you heading out already?”

Marie looked at me, her voice filled with concern.

“You could stay and chat for a while. At least have some tea and snacks.”

“I’ll eat when I get back.”

“You’ve barely been eating lately with your illness, and I prepared these just for you.”

“No, really…”

Just as I was about to finish speaking, Chris gently offered me a small cookie from the table. Both Marie and Jade widened their eyes in surprise.

“…”

“Ahem!”

Jade gave me a look as if to say I should accept it quickly.

He seemed displeased with his superior’s actions but even more concerned that I might offend Chris by not accepting the cookie.

“…Thank you.”

The sweet cookie melted softly in my mouth.

Chris handed me a few more cookies and small pastries after that. Feeling somewhat awkward, I took them one by one, like a baby bird. Somehow, my fingertips tingled.

When I subtly indicated that I was full, Chris finally extended his hand to me.

“Shall we go?”

“Yes.”

“How is your injury?”

“It’s much better. You found an excellent doctor.”

“Though I still think you shouldn’t be moving around like this.”

“That’s not an option, is it?”

I responded calmly as I stepped outside and got into the carriage. It was a discreet carriage that didn’t reveal it belonged to the Grand Duke’s family.

The carriage soon began moving towards the outskirts of the capital.

Mercenary guilds often set up in the mercenary village on the capital’s outskirts. Inside the carriage, I spoke up again.

“If Seth’s mercenary group is involved, there’s a chance it’s connected to the Duke’s family.”

“They seemed like quite skilled mercenaries. Their agility in escaping was impressive.”

Chris murmured, as if reproaching himself.

“I should have captured them…”

“The situation was urgent back then. Besides, had you done so, you would’ve truly lost me.”

Chris had already saved me. I expressed my deep gratitude to him.

“Your Grace injured them, didn’t you?”

“Yes. I’m certain I hit one of them with an arrow.”

‘That means we have evidence.’

When we reach the mercenary group, there will undoubtedly be one mercenary with an injury—the one hit by the arrow.

‘Later, gathering this evidence should make it easy to report what happened.’

Rumors were already swirling around Seth, suggesting he had not only physically assaulted me but had even intentionally caused my fall at the hunting festival.

‘It must frustrate him, hearing rumors that he acted personally even though he hired people to do it.’

In any case, this was a violent incident that had taken place at an imperial hunting festival. Many people were keeping an eye on it, each curious in their own way about what had happened.

“If we succeed in negotiating with the mercenaries this time, it will be one step forward for us.”

“You mean one step closer to getting rid of the Duke.”

“Yes. Though I don’t plan to make it all explode at once. I don’t want this to be brushed aside.”

I was planning to present all the evidence at once after gathering enough of it.

The oracle, Lady Ellie’s testimony, and now the evidence from the mercenary group.

So far, things were going relatively smoothly. As I thought that, a small smile played on my lips.

“…And there is something I would like to discuss regarding your residence.”

Chris suddenly looked into my eyes. Instinctively, I met his gaze.

“My residence?”

I asked Chris with a slightly curious tone. What came to mind immediately was that the annex the Duke had arranged for me was indeed very close to the Grand Duke’s residence.

‘It’s clear what the Duke’s intentions were.’

He probably wanted me positioned somewhere that would make it easy for me to entice the Grand Duke. Since he couldn’t directly place me in the Grand Duke’s residence, he found an annex as close as possible.

For me, it wasn’t a bad location. It was close enough that I could quickly go to the Grand Duke’s residence if something happened.

And when sleep refused to come, I could look out the window and see the lights of the Grand Duke’s residence not too far away. The lights in what I assumed to be Chris’s office stayed on late into the night.

He was probably busy handling Northern affairs without having to go to the North.

Knowing that Chris was there…

I didn’t feel lonely or afraid.

‘But that’s only my perspective.’

Looking at Chris’s serious eyes, I realized he might find it uncomfortable.

‘He probably doesn’t want to see me that often.’

Chris had already been through enough dangerous situations with me. Just considering that made it easy to understand why he might feel uneasy.

‘After all, there are plenty of hotels near the capital where I could stay.’

Moving to one of those for a while wouldn’t be a bad option instead of staying in the annex.

“Your Grace, if it makes you uncomfortable…”

I had just made up my mind and opened my mouth to speak when he interrupted.

“There are rumors.”

“Pardon?”

What he said was unexpected. I hadn’t anticipated that Chris, of all people, would pay attention to rumors.

“What kind of rumors?”

Chris hesitated for a moment, then cautiously spoke.

“That with the annex so close, you might be slipping in and out of the Grand Duke’s residence every night.”

“I see.”

I shrugged.

It wasn’t an unforeseen rumor. Society was always full of gossip, and this rumor was actually something we had somewhat anticipated. After all, we were supposed to be pretending to be lovers.

‘I don’t care about my reputation, but…’

But the thought of Chris possibly marrying another woman someday weighed on me. This rumor could become an obstacle for him.

At that moment, I felt a piercing pain in my chest. I tried to ignore it and continued speaking.

“If the rumors bother you…”

Before I could finish, Chris abruptly spoke.

“I wanted to ask if you would consider an engagement with me.”

I froze instantly.