The current Emperor of Crania Empire was a greedy man. He had much, and when he had something, he wanted more. When he had more, he wanted to possess everything alone. It was always like that.
So he absolutely didn’t want to give Ostein, a prosperous commercial city with good location and natural environment, to Keruzhan.
Moreover, Ostein had the Lanpalar Palace used as a summer villa, which made him think it was absolutely impossible to give up.
While the Kingdom of Keruzhan, which had aimed for Kaela de Chasser, the future Duchess of Ostein, was quite disappointed, the marriage between the king’s daughter and the crown prince was still an opportunity they couldn’t miss.
The core of all alliances is marriage alliance. Once blood is mixed, betrayal becomes difficult.
Because those who rule the nations would share that blood. The King of Keruzhan didn’t refuse the opportunity to become the maternal grandfather of the future Cranian Emperor.
Of course, this doesn’t mean the so-called preliminary coordination went smoothly.
Lawyers, diplomats, and even military officers from both countries fought all night over various agreements accompanying the new marriage. What mattered most there wasn’t the will of the parties getting married, but the Emperor’s face and the King’s profit.
So the weaknesses of the future bride and groom were revealed without hesitation. It came out that the Crown Prince was an acknowledged illegitimate child, not the legitimate heir. Keruzhan even changed their princess candidate twice.
“Good work.”
Due to this coordination and agreement that took longer than expected, the engagement had to be scheduled for summer, past the originally planned spring.
Even summarizing the results of the long negotiations wasn’t easy, and the report to the Emperor took over two hours. The Ministers of Justice and Foreign Affairs wiped their sweat as they bowed.
“We apologize, Your Majesty.”
It was an apology for disrupting the Emperor’s plan to handle the Crown Prince’s engagement right after marrying off the Grand Duke of Lusenford and the Princess of Ostein.
Although these officials who concluded the difficult negotiations by establishing the Empire’s prestige and making appropriate concessions as a sufficiently powerful nation could be considered very capable, they still bowed their heads.
This was because the Emperor had been in quite a bad mood since last winter.
The Emperor would get irritated and angry at the slightest thing. Despite being a libertine who had fathered dozens of illegitimate children, he would become sharp-tempered and angry about the Empress not waking up.
Well, since the Empress was the only one who could calm the Emperor, it was understandable in a way.
No one dared to ask why he hadn’t treated her better when she was well if she was so precious to him.
“Such a flawed fellow, making so many people struggle just to arrange one marriage.”
The Emperor’s muttering was full of displeasure toward the Crown Prince. The Emperor had been in a dilemma for a very long time. He needed an heir to succeed the throne, and he wasn’t in a position to be picky about legitimacy.
Naturally, all his children were illegitimate, and finding a child who hadn’t died was faster than choosing among them for an heir. Most died in infancy due to their weak constitution.
Among the surviving children, the current Crown Prince Gregory was the only one who could function as a proper person.
He had decent looks taking after his beautiful mother, and although he often fell ill, he wasn’t sickly. His studies were mediocre, and his swordsmanship was average too. In short, he was ordinary.
“Anyway, I understand. We need to prepare for the engagement ceremony… but.”
The Emperor abruptly cut off his words and furrowed his brow. Usually, it was proper for the Empress to oversee such internal royal events. But the Empress had been in a coma for months. Rather than being critically ill, she looked as if she were merely sleeping.
“Kaela is the only one who can handle this.”
Coincidentally, Kaela was legally the only female member of the royal family. As the Princess of Ostein and now the Grand Duchess of Lusenford, she was suitable to lead royal events.
“Shall we send a messenger to Lusenford?”
“No need.”
After thinking briefly, the Emperor waved his hand dismissively.
“She’s already busy taking care of herself after suffering at the hands of those brutes in that cold place, why bother calling her to work?”
Recently, the Emperor had become extremely generous towards the Grand Duke and Duchess of Lusenford. This was because of the gold Peon had boldly presented.
“For the Crown Prince’s marriage, his mother should do the work. Tell Dorothea to handle it.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
This was also a measure to elevate Dorothea, nominally the Marchioness of Schroz and the Crown Prince’s mother. However, the ministers who bowed their heads knew that the Marchioness had absolutely no capability to handle such events.
“And send word to Lusenford in advance. It takes a while to get here, so they need early notice to attend the engagement. Hyperion must miss his mother dearly.”
The Emperor seemed more pleased about the Grand Duke and Duchess of Lusenford than about the ordinary Crown Prince’s engagement. Well, that made sense. It was the Emperor’s principle that one who would become Emperor shouldn’t be ordinary.
****
Lusenford was an extremely closed society. Quietly killing someone wasn’t considered a big deal, and it was a place where things beyond common sense frequently occurred.
In such a place, Peon had long struggled to maintain public order and establish imperial law. Some things couldn’t be helped, but recently this closed place had new people being appointed and its doors wide open.
With the expansion beginning, technicians came from everywhere. While many disliked foreigners tampering with Lusenford Castle, they didn’t dare make a peep in front of the Grand Duke.
Even the native noble families whose members had died honorably at Fort Fueten were ruined after being additionally implicated in the attempted poisoning of the Grand Duchess. After the Grand Duchess nearly died twice, the Grand Duke forgave no one.
Many actually welcomed this situation where everyone held their breath. Honestly, the people of Lusenford Castle couldn’t deny that life had become much easier.
“Are you ordering that much soap?”
The head maid’s eyes widened as she looked at the order form Kaela was writing.
“If we’re short on money, I can cover it from my private funds.”
“That’s not it, but this amount would last for years.”
“The more the better.”
Actually, she was just trying to buy a lot at once because it was too bothersome. Though there was much to do, Kaela wasn’t working as diligently as before.
She reluctantly handled just one urgent task per day. These were essential tasks, like writing order forms to Ostein while writing letters to her father.
“But we’re not short on money?”
Lusenford’s finances were obvious. Since she was still the wealthy Princess of Ostein after returning, she was writing an enormous order form out of her old habits as a princess, planning to cover any shortfall with her private funds.
“Yes. His Highness the Grand Duke also said he would buy anything Your Highness wants.”
The head maid answered with a pleased smile. But Kaela’s interest was in more practical matters.
“How?”
“Well, we’ve recovered many assets this time, and a gold mine was discovered, so there’s no strain on the finances.”
“Gold vein? Ah.”
Come to think of it, she vaguely remembered hearing something after recovering from drinking the poison. There must be another mine besides the Kervan mine. Even with her return to the past, there was no rule saying new mines couldn’t be discovered.
Could the son of a dragon have the ability to detect gold veins? Wasn’t one reason why the evil dragon Gusalante was considered evil because his domain was filled with countless treasures and ancient heroes’ and kings’ treasures?
“People are rushing in to mine gold. The news must have spread everywhere.”
“I suppose so.”
That wasn’t all. After completing the water and sewage works, Peon was completely overhauling the castle. Construction had begun according to the expansion plans he had brought to Kaela.
Carpenters, builders, and masons had flooded in. Though outsiders had begun coming and going, it was very quiet on this side where the Grand Duke and Duchess stayed. This was because the repair work had started from the outer castle walls.
The sound of construction work, hammering and fixing, was waking up the quietly sleeping Lusenford. Some young people watched with excitement, while children who didn’t know better played nearby and got scolded.
Some elderly people came out with their canes to watch out of curiosity. Only the Grand Duchess remained detached from all the excitement as she quietly picked up her pen and began writing a letter.
[Father, it’s me. Summer must have arrived in Ostein by now. Here, spring is just beginning to bloom fully. I’m adjusting gradually. His Highness the Grand Duke…]
Kaela lifted her pen from the paper again. Her fingers hesitated. Should she tell her father about the kitchen construction? Would it cause problems later?
The memory of even the flowers sent to her father’s grave being slandered as coded messages leaking information about Lusenford made her constantly self-censor. She couldn’t even write a letter freely. The only time she had freedom was when she could choose to die.
Now that even her life was in Peon’s grasp, she needed to show him the letter’s contents and get confirmation that there wouldn’t be any issues.
Or she could try her best to write a letter that wouldn’t cause problems. Still, she’d have to show it to him at the end to avoid trouble.
No, she could just write whatever she wanted and if she died, then that would be…
“Kaela.”
Lady Silenster, the head maid, immediately stepped back. The Grand Duke entered with long strides and approached Kaela, leaning over her from behind. The Grand Duchess, sitting quietly, was completely hidden by him.
“What are you doing? Writing a letter?”
His voice asking the question and the gesture of repeatedly kissing her cheek while waiting for an answer were full of affection. However, Lady Silenster sensed that the Grand Duke seemed somehow anxious and uneasy.
He was clearly desperately trying to act affectionately to keep the Grand Duchess with him. While everyone here who cared for and felt sorry for the Grand Duchess would feel the same, the Grand Duke’s case was particularly severe.
“When you finish the letter, shall we send it today?”
The head maid quietly closed the door and left. She was incredibly perceptive and never acted out of turn.
The people Kaela had chosen were certainly different. And his wife, who needed to choose a butler, wasn’t even looking at him, only staring down at the unfinished paper.
“If there’s anything else you want, order more.”
Peon said as he stepped back. She probably wants to tell her father about everything her husband did, he thought. He planned to sit nearby while Kaela wrote her letter.
“Can I write about the kitchen construction?”
“Of course. Naturally.”
Peon pulled out a random book from the open book trunk near the bed and opened it. After hearing about poison being hidden among these books, he had searched the trunk twice while Kaela was unconscious.
She had brought a variety of books including poetry, history books, novels, classical literature, ancient philosophers’ papers, management guides about holy housekeeping that nuns carry, and guidelines about household matters like needlework and cooking.
However, just by looking at the condition of the books, one could tell which ones Kaela preferred to read. The guidebooks for new brides were crisp and unopened. These guidebooks were just there for show, packed because they were deemed necessary.
“Can I also write about the water and sewage construction?”
“Yes.”
In contrast, the poetry books, novels, and history books were smooth and stained from frequent handling. He recalled what books were in Kaela’s trunk before the regression.
Back then, Peon had been genuinely interested from a book lover’s perspective. There were even books he had never seen before, including books that architecture students would read and books about basic equipment principles.
Had she always been interested in such things? He hadn’t been able to ask. Those books were later only used as evidence that she had planned to induce expansion to reduce Lusenford fortress’s military function and expand its residential function, thereby weakening Lusenford.
“Kaela. You don’t need to ask my permission for every detail.”
Had Kaela been interested in architecture? After the regression, the book trunk she brought had no books that could be linked to building expansion. Although she had come prepared to die, she didn’t want to be falsely accused again.
“Can I write that Your Highness is a dragon?”
What had she found so interesting? Flipping through the book that showed the most signs of use, Peon hesitated briefly before nodding.
“Do as you please.”
When his wife scratched him, he should docilely accept it. She was indifferent to everything without any lingering attachments, so he was grateful for even this small response.
After that, Kaela filled the letter pages densely without asking any more questions.
Peon slowly browsed through a book of lyrical poetry about life and love in the beautiful South, and a book by Kinero Jurani, who was famous for being a genius in politics and diplomacy to the point of ruthlessness. Both books clearly showed signs of being well-read by Kaela.
Peon had read Kinero Jurani’s books several times already in his teens. He remembered some chapters so clearly he could recite them, but it was interesting again knowing Kaela had enjoyed reading them. What thoughts had she had while reading these pages?
“Do you like Kinero Jurani?”
He wanted to know everything – why she liked it, which chapters she preferred. When her glass-like blue eyes turned to look at him, he playfully waved Kinero Jurani’s masterpiece “Politics and Sword.”
“It’s not typically a book women like.”
More precisely, it was a book women shouldn’t show they liked.
“I only asked if you liked it. What’s wrong with women reading such books? Sometimes women who honestly say they don’t like it are better than men who pretend to have read it when they haven’t.”
Watching Peon enjoying turning the pages, Kaela pulled out the order form she had kept behind the letter paper. Should she order new books? After hesitating, she added a request at the end of the letter for several newly published books.
“When we go to Crania this time, I should buy lots of books. Have you read everything here?”
“We’re going to Crania?”
“Seems like the Crown Prince’s engagement is roughly settled. There will be an engagement ceremony.”
“It’s later than expected.”
“Well, it’s such a big matter, that’s probably why.”
Though the couple had business in Crania, he answered disinterestedly while turning pages. The book must be quite interesting.
Kaela said nothing and turned completely around to watch him read for a moment. It was rare to see him reading.
Most days, he devoted all his energy to inspecting the castle, patrolling the surroundings, constantly gathering information and strengthening defenses.
But when darkness fell, he would shut himself in his room, light the lamps, read books, and write in his journal. These were moments Kaela had cautiously stolen glances at, though she hadn’t managed many. He had looked so neat and peaceful then.
Their eyes met at that moment.
“I like this book too.”
Peon smiled.
“Seems like you’ve read it a lot.”
“I read it because it was a book Your Highness liked.”
Surprised by this unexpected answer, Peon looked at her. The Grand Duchess no longer felt embarrassed, shy, or hurt in her pride saying such things. Her cooled heart was simply calm.
