You are at the End of the Downfall

Kaela had stayed in Lusenford much longer than she felt. This was because she spent more time unconsciously ill in bed than awake and active.

Spring, when she could have seen many of her favorite flowers, was already coming to an end. Now the season that Lusenford called summer, though not particularly hot, was approaching.

While Kaela was asleep, even the kitchen renovations, which would require significant investment even for a wealthy lord, had been completed. The physician was unexpectedly pleased with the extensive construction work that included complete renovation of both sewage and water supply systems.

“It’s become very clean now. Cleanliness is truly important wherever you go, Your Highness.”

Darinka emphasized during her now-routine morning examinations.

“Thanks to this, the laundresses can also take better care of their children as their work has become much easier. There are fewer accidents from carrying water too. Many people used to die after breaking bones from slipping while carrying heavy water on the slippery paths.”

Kaela knew this well. During her time as Grand Duchess, she had learned about even the most menial work that a Grand Duchess shouldn’t need to know about – she had been that despised, and she had also actively sought out work to do.

Naturally, she knew how severe the winters were and how many people died in the cold. Slipping and breaking bones or dying in the cold were things she had experienced herself.

“That’s why I requested more soap. The children are so dirty. Just washing hands and feet properly would help them get sick less.”

Though it wasn’t necessary, Lady Silenster, the head maid who insisted on attending every examination to know the lady’s health condition, solemnly nodded.

Being quite fastidious herself, she immediately ordered the large quantity of soap Darinka requested. The previous butler would have thrown a fit about the cost of each bar of soap.

“We can import it cheaply from Ostein.”

Kaela spoke up quietly. Lady Silenster’s eyes immediately lit up. Ostein, which was said to overflow with all sorts of goods, would naturally produce plenty of soap, especially with its coastal location providing abundant salt.

“If we bring it in by waterway instead of land route, we can reduce shipping costs too. We can come along the coast and up the river.”

“Are there ships that can travel upriver?”

Lady Silenster asked with wide eyes. Kaela looked at her with confusion.

“Of course. We just need to use smaller boats.”

“My goodness, I never thought of that…! I was only thinking of huge merchant ships!”

“If we’re buying soap in bulk for the castle, we can make a multi-year contract all at once and ask them to deliver. They’ll sell it cheaper if you make large bulk contracts.”

“I hadn’t thought about contracting directly with Ostein.”

Lady Silenster shook her head in admiration. Rather, Kaela tilted her head in confusion.

“It’s something anyone could think of.”

“Oh my, how could we dare to think about importing goods from Ostein? Let’s just look for merchants around here. This place is… well, you know. We don’t get many merchants coming in.”

She meant it was closed off. That’s why Lusenford’s commerce had been monopolized by local powers. Bringing in new goods required paying enormous prices.

The previous Grand Duchess who had tried to trade directly with Ostein, bypassing this system, was naturally hated for preventing them from taking their cut of the profits. Money matters are sensitive everywhere, and people’s lives depend on it.

‘They had plenty of reasons to hate me, quite evenly distributed.’

The young Grand Duchess had no backing and lacked the skill to persuade and appease others. Yes, it was all her responsibility and fault. What more was there to think about? Kaela cut off her habitual rumination of the past.

“Then, about contacting Ostein… how should we do that?”

“Ah. I should do that.”

That was only proper.

In Ostein, Kaela was Her Highness the Princess and the heir who would become the future Duchess of Ostein. If she wrote just one letter, it would be nothing to have Ostein merchant ships regularly visiting Lusenford.

Would this closed-off place become more open then?

“…Won’t there be… problems?”

Kaela hesitated after thinking quietly. The people of Lusenford wouldn’t like outsiders coming and going.

“It’s just buying soap…”

“Actually, I’d like to buy salt too. It’s so expensive here. Since Ostein is in the south and coastal, wouldn’t salt be cheaper there? Let’s bring in salt along with the soap. It would be wasteful to have ships come just for a few boxes of soap.”

Lady Silenster’s eyes sparkled. She was undoubtedly already compiling a year’s worth of castle supplies in her head.

“We actually need lots of clean bandages too. This is an area with frequent battles, so we must keep supplies ready for the wounded.”

All valid points. These were exactly the thoughts Kaela had four years ago. But she couldn’t implement them then.

“There will be strong opposition.”

“Pardon? What opposition?”

What fool would oppose Her Highness trying to buy things cheaply, especially through her own family? The head maid and Darinka looked at the hesitant Kaela, unable to understand.

“In Lusenford, they don’t like outsiders much, so they won’t take kindly to southern sailors coming and going. Maybe there would be less opposition if we just bring in soap this once?”

“Oh my, Your Highness. What are you saying? You’ve suffered too much in this short time…”

Lady Silenster, who had a strong enough personality to confront the dismissed butler directly, seemed to choke up and turned her head, unable to continue speaking.

She seemed to think the Grand Duchess was deeply wounded – falling ill from ferenco right after arriving, and attempting to take her own life unable to bear the humiliation of the butler’s false accusations.

Kaela was just revisiting very old thoughts. What if we did this? What if we modified it that way? These were byproducts of thoughts she’d had while lying in the confined tower, analyzing each of her mistakes.

While thinking new thoughts was bothersome, recalling old ones wasn’t much trouble. But now that she was starting to worry belatedly, everything felt annoying. She shouldn’t have said anything.

“That’s not true at all, Your Highness. No one in the castle would dare say such things. You needn’t worry. It’s really not like that at all.”

As Lady Silenster was trying to comfort the Grand Duchess while wiping away tears, they heard:

“Right. There are no such fools.”

The Grand Duke, who cherished his Grand Duchess so much that he would immediately dismiss even a butler and head maid who had raised him, entered as he spoke.

“How is my Highness’s health today?”

“She’s much better, but I wish she would eat a bit more and take more walks.”

“I think so too. Your Highness, shall we get up? You need to take a walk. Bring comfortable shoes and clothes.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Peon removed the thin blanket covering Kaela’s knees and knelt before her himself to put on her shoes. A flustered Kaela shook her head and hid her feet.

“Your Highness, I can do this myself, or the maids can do it.”

“It’s also my pleasant hobby.”

The Grand Duke, who made such embarrassing statements without hesitation, gently pulled out the feet hidden in the folds of her dress and put on her shoes.

While everyone, including the maids, watched this scene with delight and hurried to help the couple prepare for their walk, Kaela knew that something had changed in Peon since the day she met him in the cave.

The small Grand Duchess had no choice but to rise as the Grand Duke simply lifted her up.

Though spring had deepened, he made sure she wore an outer garment. As if not allowing even a bit of northern chill to harm the Grand Duchess, he skillfully dressed her and took her hand.

“Let’s go.”

While they seemed formal with each other using honorific speech, the Grand Duke acted like a very affectionate oppa to the Grand Duchess whom he’d known since childhood. Lady Silenster broke into a broad smile watching the Grand Duchess bewilderedly holding his large hand.

“Have a good walk.”

She bowed deeply, firmly resolving to push forward with importing not just soap and salt, but all daily necessities that could be bought cheaply from Ostein but were hard to obtain in Lusenford.

“Getting goods from Ostein is a good idea.”

Peon murmured while gently holding Kaela’s hand and matching his stride to her very small steps.

“…How did you hear that?”

“With my ears, quite well.”

Peon had definitely changed. He could hear everything through walls and thick doors.

“It was unnecessary talk.”

“It wasn’t unnecessary at all. It’s something this place desperately needs.”

Kaela didn’t even want to engage in this futile discussion. Regret washed over her for having spoken up. It was a worn-out idea she had long pondered alone but failed at repeatedly. It couldn’t possibly work. It was all just exhausting.

“It just slipped out without thinking.”

“It seemed like a deep thought to me.”

“Anyway, it’s something that already failed, isn’t it? You know there will be opposition.”

“Rather than it failing, I ruined it.”

Kaela jerked her head up. So he did know. Peon nodded.

“I know. I’m sorry.”

Kaela, startled by his purple dragon eyes, lowered her head again. She sometimes forgot her husband was a dragon.

Thump-thump, her pulse raced in the hand he held. Did he know?

He bent down and kissed her exposed forehead. Kaela, who trembled in surprise, tried to step back, but he instead pulled her captured hand closer.

“People are watching, Your Highness.”

“Let them watch. Everyone should know how precious you are to me because you’re so lovely.”

“In Lusenford, this is impossible…”

“There’s no one who would dare say such things, Kaela.”

Peon whispered gently to Kaela, who was repeating words that had been hammered into her ears. After giving another quick kiss to her blushing cheeks, he walked while practically holding her in his arms.

“And there’s no one who would oppose what you do.”

It would have been better if her expression had been full of doubt and distrust. Kaela would helplessly give up after a few words if things didn’t go through.

“Come. Let’s go see.”

If kneeling and apologizing would make her feel better, Peon would have done so. He could spend his whole life apologizing prostrate until death if ordered.

But such apologies wouldn’t lift Kaela up. If she had no motivation, all he could do was create it for her. He would raise her up even if she was completely broken and collapsed. Peon smiled leisurely as he slowly led her down the stairs.

“Your Highness.”

“Your Highness, you’ve come out?”

“Your Highness, good day!”

Greetings flew from all directions. Knights saluting formally, passing secretaries deeply bowing their heads, all treating Kaela with brightly smiling faces.

She unconsciously hunched her shoulders. The Grand Duke simply maintained that peculiar smile of his while walking with his wife.