Episode 67

Asad’s expression hardened at my words.

I continued calmly.

“The duchy is involved in some rather dangerous activities. You’ve probably been involved to some extent as well.”

“Are you trying to threaten me?”

“No. If I were in your position, I’d use that fact to my advantage elsewhere.”

“Elsewhere, you say?”

“If the duchy collapses, there will surely be families that benefit from it, no matter the circumstances.”

“Hmm.”

“If I were you, I’d gather evidence for those families and, at the right time, expose it to share the spoils. And those spoils wouldn’t just be a modest gain.”

“…You’re suggesting, perhaps, the Grand Duchy of Elzerian?”

Asad stared at me with a serious expression, the trace of a smile gone from his face.

“Do you think the Reinhardt duchy is so easily toppled?”

“What do you think? No power lasts forever. What kind of man do you think the current heir, the future Duke, will turn out to be?”

I didn’t need much—just a sliver of doubt, a crack in his confidence.

Neither the Duke nor Asad seemed like the type to trust others fully. Even a small measure of suspicion could be enough to drive a wedge between Oracle and the duchy.

Asad smirked derisively.

“You say all this, but aren’t you still a Lady of Reinhardt yourself?”

“Am I, though? Am I truly a Lady of Reinhardt?”

“……”

“What do you think, as the head of the information guild? Will I still be a Lady of Reinhardt in the future?”

“Are you aiming to become the Grand Duchess of Elzerian? Do you think that’s possible?”

His assumption was half-right, half-wrong.

I planned to pretend to be the Grand Duchess of Elzerian for a while, only to step away at the right moment.

Because I intended to leave Chris.

Asad scrutinized me coldly.

“Even if that were the case, Elzerian won’t rise. The North is already being heavily monitored, and the mines, its main source of income, have been taken away. They’re barely surviving on timber, and they can’t even produce enough grain to sustain themselves.”

“About that,” I interrupted, a thought crystallizing in my mind. Asad had pointed out my trembling hands earlier, and now I saw it as an opportunity rather than a weakness.

I disliked that I had revealed a vulnerability to him, but this might turn out to be a chance.

“There’s a native crop in northern Ulrico, isn’t there? A type of korre that grows even in cold climates.”

Korre was similar to potatoes or sweet potatoes in this world. While it grew quickly, it had a short harvest season and spoiled easily, making it unsuitable for warm or hot southern regions.

Asad frowned slightly at my words.

“Even so, it’s just a wild crop. It rots quickly and isn’t cultivated properly, even in Ulrico…”

“That’s because northern Ulrico is still farther south than the empire’s North.”

I spoke firmly, with conviction.

…The reason my hands trembled whenever I mentioned Ulrico.

‘It’s a memory I’ve tried hard to suppress.’

A memory from a past life, the one before my previous life. Back when I had a husband.

One day, he came home in a foul mood, grabbed a still-hot poker from the fireplace, and turned toward me.

Violence had long since become a routine occurrence.

‘Damn it, damn it!’
‘Why… why are you doing this again…?’
‘These bastards, what do they take me for?!’
‘Aagh!’
‘Do you think I’m a joke, huh?!’

My husband had been a noble from the eastern breadbasket region, an area rich in grain production.

One of his profitable ventures had involved selling grain at exorbitant prices to the North, where self-sufficiency in food was declining every year.

That year, however, he suffered significant losses.

‘What? Ulrico? Korre? They grew that foreign crop and harvested it?’
‘D-darling…’
‘So they don’t need my grain anymore?’
‘Ahh!’

A northern tenant farmer had stumbled upon korre and successfully cultivated it in the harsh northern climate. Unlike most crops, it didn’t rot or spoil quickly.

The Emperor, learning of this success, ordered korre to be distributed across the North.

The results were overwhelmingly positive. Of course, my husband took his frustrations out on me.

‘This is all… all because your dowry was so small!’
‘Darling! Please, spare me!’
‘A daughter of the mighty Reinhardt duchy comes with a dowry this meager?! You should’ve brought more money!’

The accusation was absurd.

The Duke hadn’t given me a dowry larger than Aria’s, but it was sufficient to uphold the dignity of the Reinhardt name.

‘Not because I was precious to him, but because of the duchy’s reputation.’

My husband, however, squandered the money on reckless ventures and relied on borderline exploitative profits to sustain his wealth.

‘That happened when I was twenty-five…’

By my estimate, the event was still five years away.

For now, with no korre or similar alternative crops, the North remained heavily dependent on grain imports.

I planned to change that sooner rather than later.

‘I need to help Chris.’

I knew how much weighed on his mind.

Even while staying in the capital, his thoughts constantly drifted to the North. His decision to leave my side during this turbulent time only underscored how deeply he cared for his territory.

‘He carries too many burdens.’

The looming threat of monsters descending south, the pressures from the imperial family and the duchy, the lost mines, faltering businesses, and the declining food self-sufficiency—his plate was overflowing.

If I could ease even a few of these burdens… If I could offer him some semblance of peace…

If it meant he could stay by my side just a little longer…

‘Even though I want to delay the engagement. Even though I’ve resolved to leave him someday.’

It was contradictory.

Unconsciously, I rubbed the back of my hand harshly, then spoke again.

“If you can get me a few korre seeds, I’ll show you if Elzerian can rise again.”

“You think smuggling crops across the border is easy?”

“You must already have smuggled korre seeds. And if not, you’ll acquire them soon enough.”

“Hah.”

“You’ve been playing both sides between Ulrico and the Empire, feeding them each other’s secrets. Am I wrong?”

“…”

I couldn’t be certain of this claim.

But I did know Oracle had been accused of such dealings when the duchy was charged with treason.

I remembered every detail of that trial vividly—because I never wanted Chris to be in that cold, desolate place again.

“Even if that’s true, do you think the Grand Duke of Elzerian will listen to the opinion of a mere noblewoman and start cultivating korre?”

Asad’s gaze raked over me, his tone dripping with mockery.

“Sure, you’re attractive and charming. Even I might be tempted.”

“…”

“But that’s a far cry from influencing the management of his territory.”

I didn’t respond. The next moment, Asad struck with a piercing question.

“Or do you think the Grand Duke loves you that much?”

I felt a brief, suffocating sensation but quickly shook it off.

As I lifted my gaze, Asad’s crimson eyes bore into mine, testing me.

“You believe he loves you enough to make such a critical decision about the North based solely on your word?”

“…”

“Do you really think his feelings for you run that deep?”

* * *

“The favor you’re showing her, it’s not to this extent, is it?”

Chris turned his head at the unexpected question. Jade was watching him with a nervous expression.

“What do you mean?”

“…I mean the young lady of Reinhardt. You started writing her a letter the moment we arrived.”

“…”

“Before inspecting and interrogating the couriers in the relay town, no less.”

Normally, Jade referred to her properly as “Lady Mindia,” but this time, he emphasized “Reinhardt” deliberately, and in the midst of their arrival at the relay town, where they were busy interrogating and apprehending the relay post managers.

“Take him away!”

Northern knights issued cold orders as they detained various couriers accused of smuggling imperial carrier pigeons. The relay station managing the North’s messenger pigeons had been turned upside down in no time.

“Your Grace! Your Grace! I—!”

Among them, a rat-like man, being dragged away, suddenly grabbed Chris’s boot.

Up close, the Grand Duke of Elzerian didn’t seem as intimidating as he had imagined. Watching him discuss a young lady with his aide almost gave the impression of kindness.

Thinking this was his chance, the man decided to plead his case.

“Why are you doing this without the Emperor’s permission? I’m innocent, I—ugh!”

The man suddenly froze, trembling under a wave of razor-sharp intimidation. Chris, his face now cold and filled with authority, was looking down at him.

“Are you ignorant of imperial law?”

“Hiick…”

“Smuggling military messenger pigeons from the North is a serious crime.”

“I-I…”

“This is a crime the imperial court would naturally understand causing this much commotion.”

Chris’s expression turned even colder as he spoke.

‘Though they’ll hardly be eager to acknowledge it.’

Sooner or later, the imperial court would likely send someone to protest. However, among those who ought to be held accountable for this crime, there were members of the imperial family as well.

Since they couldn’t punish those individuals, they had to mete out harsher justice on these lesser culprits.

Chris was well aware of the limits of leniency.

“Unless, of course, you’d prefer an immediate execution right here.”

“Hiiiiiik!”

The man, pale with fear, was dragged away by the knights. Jade shook his head with a sigh.

“You’ve always been this cold, but recently…”

Chris glanced at Jade, then finally spoke.

“Isn’t it a little late to bring that up now?”

It was a response to Jade’s earlier mention of Mindia. Jade nearly jumped out of his skin.

“That’s exactly why I’m worried!”

Jade hurriedly spoke, lowering his voice as if wary of other knights overhearing.

“I have a rough idea of what you’re aiming for, Your Grace.”

“…”

“Yes, aligning with Lady Mindia Reinhardt… it’s strategically advantageous if nothing else…”

“You know it’s not just advantageous, Jade. You understand the full extent of its significance.”

“Of course, having someone close to the Duke of Reinhardt, or even within his household, has its obvious advantages,” Jade admitted, leaning closer and whispering even softer.

“But the public opinion in the North isn’t particularly favorable right now. You’re aware of this, aren’t you?”