The roots of the empire were shaking. Somewhere, the magic tools had burned down, and ominous rumors kept spreading that a dragon had descended upon Craine.
Without the magic tools, the emperor had no powerful means of surveillance. The nobles were perking up their ears and raising their heads.
In the midst of deepening autumn, the emperor had no choice but to request help from Duke Ostein and the Grand Duke of Lusenford, who were both imperial family members and the most powerful nobles, but they gave no response.
Duke Ostein was busy taking care of the south, and the Grand Duke of Lusenford was lost in love.
“You’re spending winter in Ostein?”
Regen, the butler who guarded Lusenford Castle, was startled. The Grand Duke of Lusenford, who suddenly appeared in Lusenford where winter had already arrived, was alone without any attendants. He nodded while looking around the castle.
“It’s already winter here. It would be difficult for Her Highness to endure the cold, so we’ll go to Ostein.”
But hadn’t the Grand Duchess already married in winter and come to Lusenford?
“There were many complications in Craine, so Her Highness needs rest.”
Ah. The news that the Grand Duchess had overseen all the ceremonies, including the Crown Prince’s engagement ceremony, the change of emperor, and the coronation, was already widely known in Lusenford.
“She collapsed twice there.”
“Oh my, how is she now?”
“She’s recovering.”
Peon looked around the cold and dry territory with dry eyes. If Kaela hadn’t urged him to at least show his face like this, he would have been showering her with kisses in his arms by now.
He truly had no attachment to this place at all. That courtyard, already covered in snow, was where Kaela had cried while searching for her ring.
On the stairs leading outside, Kaela had hurried and slipped, breaking her leg, and in the second-floor corridor, Kaela had walked alone, shrinking with eyes devoid of soul.
Everywhere he looked, the specter of Kaela, hurt both physically and emotionally, tormented him.
“The construction has progressed significantly, I wish you could have seen it…”
As planned by the Grand Duchess, the castle had become sturdier through construction.
Construction would be temporarily halted during winter and resume in spring, but even during this time, significant progress had been made, and those working at Lusenford Castle secretly hoped the Grand Duchess would come to see it.
“We’ll return with Her Highness once her recuperation is complete.”
Peon quickly handled urgent matters that required his personal inspection with a very irritated expression.
“The evil dragon’s territory will be quiet this year. Since there was a war last year, there will be fewer crossing the border.”
The Grand Duke’s aura while inspecting the fortress had grown deeper and more fierce than last year. No one dared to make a sound in his presence and kept their eyes lowered.
The Grand Duke was their comrade who had survived blood and death with them and a respected commander, but now he somehow exuded an otherworldly presence.
Having received recognition from the Emperor as both an imperial family member and regent, and holding military power in the Crania Empire, he seemed to have become an even more noble figure. No one could tell him ‘You must stay in Lusenford this winter.’
“Continue corresponding as before. Send letters to Lanpalar Palace in Ostein, not Craine. Use the merchant ships.”
“Yes, Your Highness. But is it really alright to go alone?”
Regen and Sir Wilfred looked at Peon with worried expressions.
Though their Grand Duke had become renowned in the Crania Empire, he was now insisting on riding to Ostein with just a single black horse. Would that work?
“Having followers would be more troublesome.”
Peon said this and turned his horse around. While people would think he was embarking on a long journey, he would arrive at Ostein’s Lanpalar Palace as soon as he disappeared from sight.
The horse snorted nervously, barely containing its surprise. It was complaining about how its master kept suddenly changing destinations lately.
“Good work.”
Peon patted his horse after dismounting, loosening his cloak that was too thick for Ostein. As he swiftly removed his cloak, warm air poured onto his back.
With Kaela’s health always his top priority, he shuddered at the mere thought of her being enveloped in cold air. Thus, he left Kerniola where autumn was in full swing and descended far south to Ostein.
In Lanpalar Palace, which was in a festive mood due to news of the beloved Princess’s return, Peon walked to the most secluded garden, carelessly tossing his cloak into the air to make it disappear.
Winter was gradually approaching Ostein too. But winter here would be very warm. Fortunately, this climate would be familiar to Kaela.
“You’ve come.”
He was greeted not by an administrator or butler of Lanpalar Palace, but by Duke Adeo de Chasser of Ostein himself. Sitting in the garden, he was in the process of adapting to his son-in-law who lately showed signs of being something other than human.
“You were waiting.”
Adeo nodded with a smile at his tall and handsome son-in-law. Peon thought that smile resembled his wife’s. Is Kaela taking after her birth father?
“Did you have a good trip?”
“Yes.”
“Managing territory isn’t easy, is it?”
Duke Ostein, who had previously experienced the shock of understanding what it meant when his daughter ‘directly’ came from Kerniola to Ostein, patted the seat. It meant sit down.
“May I speak honestly?”
“Go ahead.”
“Lusenford is bothersome.”
The father-in-law who had been listening quietly laughed heartily.
“That’s how it feels sometimes. Though managing territory is a duty, it feels like it’s stealing time from seeing your wife. You know what? It’s even more so when you have children.”
Children. Peon briefly held his breath as an issue he had completely put aside suddenly emerged.
“…Is that so.”
“They’re very lovely. Since there are more lovely beings, the busy work becomes more annoying.”
“Due to Kaela’s health, we have no thoughts of children yet.”
“But thoughts of an adopted son?”
Duke Ostein asked jokingly.
“That would be too shameless, wouldn’t it?”
That’s why he was enduring the troublesome tasks. Though they had sufficient wealth, Kaela still had her status as a human. It was also a husband’s role to elevate and solidify that status.
“Since it came up, this is just personal curiosity. You don’t have to answer.”
“Please ask anything.”
“Why did you put the current emperor on the throne?”
Having arrived early in Ostein, Adeo de Chasser had spent time alone thinking deeply about many things.
After being deeply involved in state affairs for the past year, he couldn’t avoid concluding that his son-in-law had planned all of this.
“You could have justifiably dissolved the empire without putting him on the throne.”
“Your daughter would be pointed at with blame. I like this peace.”
I see. Then as a father with a daughter, he could worry less.
“What do you plan to do now?”
“I’ll watch and see.”
“…I hope there won’t be many casualties.”
“I will protect Ostein.”
“That’s very reassuring. I’m benefiting from having such a good daughter.”
Duke Ostein sensed some kind of end. Though not their end, the massive order that had been taken for granted would end.
When an order that has maintained its place for hundreds of years ends, endless chaos envelops the world. Within that, the two territories protected by dragons will survive as a grand duchy and duchy respectively.
Duke Ostein was curious about how this alliance of territories would change in the future. But it seems seeing the descendants who would bring about that change was still far off.
****
Ostein was quite unfamiliar for Peon to adapt to. The vibrant southern people loved music, laughed often, and were open-minded.
Of course, all places where people lived were the same, so the curiosity these people showed toward the Princess of Ostein’s husband was similar to the curiosity Lusenford people showed toward their new Grand Duchess. Only this side was a bit more generous.
The abundant south had surely heard news that their precious Princess had suffered in the north, but they showed no sign of having heard it. Was it composure, or because there were adults in charge?
At any rate, they seemed to give major bonus points to the Grand Duke’s handsome and striking appearance. Moreover, he exuded an inhuman aura that made it difficult for people to either approach or look down on him.
Even the lively and cheerful southern people found Peon very difficult to deal with.
He was someone difficult to approach and speak to here. Everyone examined him with unfamiliar eyes, and some kept their distance and watched carefully, wary of him hurting their precious Princess.
‘Though they don’t like me, they maintain courtesy for fear of causing trouble for Kaela.’
Peon had become a being who had no interest in anyone except Kaela, but he could imagine how Kaela must have felt as a lone stranger in Lusenford.
At least here, there wasn’t tremendous hostility toward him. Kaela must have felt unfamiliar, awkward, scared, and above all, lonely. Though having all eyes on him was always normal and he was used to it, that was separate from it being uncomfortable.
Deliberately opening his heightened senses to feel each gaze one by one, Peon furrowed his brow. To Kaela, alone in Lusenford, people’s gazes must have felt like knives.
“Oh my, how wonderful. I’m so glad our Princess has returned.”
“We hoped you would stay longer when you came, and we’re delighted you’ll spend winter here.”
“We heard you were so busy in Craine. Please rest well.”
And Ostein was quite talkative.
“You’re both newlyweds, perhaps we’ll hear baby news from here now?”
“We have high hopes. We were so happy when we heard you were getting married.”
“It’s almost been a year since your marriage, we just hope Her Highness stays healthy.”
“We look forward to a new heir connecting Ostein and Lusenford, Your Highness.”
No, they were excessively talkative and blatant.
While Lusenford glared with white eyes insisting Kaela absolutely must not bear an heir, this place openly showed what was naturally expected of newlyweds on top of their affection.
In Lusenford, he could glare and silence such nonsense, telling them not to even dare speak it, but this was his wife’s home.
“As you know, Her Highness’s health is somewhat weaker than others, so I think rest is more important.”
Peon cut them off politely first. Surely they wouldn’t push things like in Lusenford, claiming they could do anything.
If they did, he would take Kaela and leave for somewhere else without looking back. There were many territories and manors where they could live. If there weren’t any, he could just conquer them.
“Ah, that’s right! Health should come first of course!”
“Since it was just the Duke and Princess here, everyone earnestly hopes for the family to grow.”
“We only hope for joyous news to be added to joyous news.”
The Ostein ducal vassals who came to pay their respects merely maintained smiling faces.
“I know that too.”
Kaela gently smiled back at them and held her husband’s hand.
“I’m glad I can come recuperate in Ostein.”
She dismissed the heir talk at that point. Though she used health as an excuse, Kaela, who received her husband’s energy once a day, knew that wasn’t the real issue.
Among people who knew them, the two were literally a young couple who hadn’t been married long. Moreover, they were nobles with a duty to continue their lineage. The north and south each stood before them respectively.
“Don’t worry about such talk, Kaela.”
As soon as people withdrew, Peon said what Kaela was about to say first.
“I mean it. Don’t worry and just enjoy yourself.”
He spoke very firmly then closed his mouth. There was nothing more to say. Looking at her husband’s face, Kaela knew he was recalling the same memory as her. The child that the father neither knew had been conceived nor had died.
Just because one says not to worry doesn’t mean one can avoid worrying. Though they had returned, the child who had already died could not return.
“You are most important to me, Kaela.”
Peon turned to look at Kaela with a troubled face and said.
“We barely made it this far, I don’t want you to struggle again.”
Kaela silently nodded.
“I know.”
“It’s not that I dislike children, you are the priority.”
“I know, but then…”
After hesitating for a while, Kaela carefully asked.
“Then, do you think about having them someday?”
Her husband was very obsessive about what had happened before the regression.
He thoroughly condemned himself as guilty and tried to completely eliminate the cause to avoid touching Kaela’s painful wounds. But that didn’t mean they could continue without ever bringing it up.
Peon looked at his wife with gloomy eyes. His wife, who hadn’t hesitated to endure humiliation to fulfill her duty of bearing an heir, would obviously try to fulfill that duty this time too. Even if it meant self-harm by scratching and digging at wounds.
“Duty cannot take priority over your health. You’re still young.”
“Even though I’m young, I do everything else. And my mental age…”
“It’s only been 1 year, Kaela.”
Just one year – they had only seen autumn once again. Kaela looked at her husband who loved her so much that he would embrace her madly when permitted.
Before the regression, with an even more broken body, she had become pregnant after just one night. Now she was healthier and thoroughly loved, yet there wasn’t even a sign of pregnancy.
She hadn’t done anything. She hadn’t cared whether she got pregnant or not, whether her body became ill and more damaged or not, and somehow made it to here. Anyway, she still wasn’t doing anything now. Everything was done by her husband.
“It’s winter again.”
Though things had improved somewhat, still winter.
“We need more time.”
“Until when?”
Peon couldn’t answer. His mourning was so long that there was no sign of it ending.
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