The road to Craine was the same one Kaela had taken to Lusenford. While she had been to Lusenford twice, she had never traveled in reverse to Craine.
As they got closer to Craine, the weather became increasingly warmer. The cool breeze gradually disappeared, and vibrant flowers bloomed in abundance.
From inside the carriage, which moved slowly out of concern for Kaela’s health, she occasionally glanced at her husband. Unlike their previous journey to Lusenford when she wouldn’t even look at him, this time he rode beside her carriage like a knight escort instead of leading from the front.
While traveling this unfamiliar path, Kaela realized something new.
Lately, she sometimes forgot about her thoughts of dying. She found enjoyment in watching the scenery outside the carriage. Occasionally, though rarely, she could finish her meals without feeling regret.
“Here, Kaela.”
She felt a slight pleasure in having flowers on her lap, either picked by Peon or bought from flower-selling girls along the road.
Kaela looked at the colorful poppies covering her lap. Peon always brought flowers while observing her expression. Though it was hard to tell if she was smiling, at least she wasn’t frowning. For Peon, that was enough to count as a smile.
“We’ll stay at Papihill today.”
“Yes.”
“Are you feeling alright?”
“I’m fine.”
Sometimes she forgot the terrifying fact that her husband was the son of a dragon. Sometimes she forgot how powerless she was, unable to do anything.
Sometimes she even forgot that her husband was preventing her from dying. While many things still annoyed her and she remained indifferent to most matters, her position as Grand Duchess wouldn’t leave her alone.
Before her regression, it had been a position that restricted her from doing anything, but now it had become too important to neglect – the castle wouldn’t function if she simply pushed aside her duties out of displeasure. While Peon had made it so, it was also how the position of Grand Duchess should naturally be.
“Welcome, Your Highnesses the Grand Duke, Grand Duchess. We are truly grateful for your visit to Papihill.”
Papihill was the mansion of Count Soros, located on the road from Lusenford to Craine, where the current Count William Becksum and his wife Sophie resided.
Upon hearing rumors that the Grand Duke of Lusenford would be passing through Soros, they had sent a message to his party, requesting them to stay for a day. It was a request Peon couldn’t refuse, especially given his concern for Kaela.
“It’s our honor to have you here.”
William Becksum was a well-built man in his mid-thirties who loved swordsmanship despite lacking skill in it. Having abandoned the path of knighthood early on to become a civil official, he was widely respected for his even-tempered personality.
His wife Sophie Becksum was the same age as her husband and came from the Siner family. She was the niece of Countess Siner, one of the Empress’s chief ladies-in-waiting. Like her husband, Sophie had a modest and steady personality, and she considered the Grand Duchess’s visit a great honor.
“Thank you for providing lodging to passing travelers.”
“Oh, please, you’re too kind. When you traveled to Lusenford after your winter wedding, we happened to be in Craine and couldn’t properly host you. We’re delighted to finally have the opportunity to serve you on your return journey.”
“You’re the one being too kind.”
Few nobles were this friendly to Peon. Even fewer genuinely welcomed him with such sincere humility, rather than mere lip service.
“Please come inside, Your Highness. You must be tired from the journey.”
The ducal couple received unexpectedly gracious hospitality from the Count and Countess of Soros. Feed and water were immediately prepared for the horses, while the knights, servants, and maids were served such abundant food their tables nearly broke. The ducal couple’s table was filled with soft music and comfortable conversation topics.
The Count and Countess of Soros seemed aware that Kaela had endured a terrible ordeal upon arriving in Lusenford, but they didn’t mention it. After all, it was utterly shameful that the Grand Duke of Lusenford couldn’t maintain full control over his castle, allowing such insubordination to occur. Instead of discussing the past, they chose to talk about the future.
“All of Craine is bustling with excitement. With your marriage and now His Highness the Crown Prince’s engagement, we’re experiencing a series of joyous occasions.”
“What scale is the engagement ceremony planned to be?” Peon asked.
“Well…” William Becksum’s face, which had been smooth and graceful until now, showed signs of awkwardness.
“It hasn’t been decided yet, Your Highness,” his wife Sophie answered instead. She seemed to have prepared herself for this topic.
“Not decided… still?”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“Why? Isn’t this under His Majesty the Emperor’s care?”
Peon, speaking in place of the mostly silent Kaela, couldn’t understand. The Count and Countess exchanged uncomfortable glances before looking at the ducal couple. Kaela also tilted her head questioningly at Sophie Becksum.
“The Marchioness of Schroz is in charge of the entire engagement ceremony.”
Sophie, with her blonde hair neatly tied back, finally touched upon the core issue. At the mention of the Marchioness of Schroz, Kaela roughly understood the situation, but Peon, born a knight, still didn’t comprehend.
“What could be the problem that even the scale hasn’t been decided?”
It wasn’t that Peon didn’t know the Marchioness of Schroz. No noble was unaware of the woman who had managed to endure until now after bearing one of the Emperor’s more presentable sons among his countless mistresses.
“Well, this is her first time organizing an imperial event.”
“But surely she must have seen how they’re done.”
“Yes, that’s true.”
While the Count and Countess were being careful with their words, Peon watched his wife quietly cutting her salmon, which was grilled and topped with lemon and cream sauce. Kaela’s face showed no curiosity about the matter.
“Perhaps My Lady could enlighten this ignorant husband.”
Kaela looked at Peon with slight surprise, then at the Count and Countess, who were amazed at how incredibly courteous the Grand Duke was to his wife.
“Ah.” After a slight hesitation, Kaela offered the answer she already knew.
“The Marchioness of Schroz lacks confidence in herself.”
“I understand what you mean, but isn’t a royal event just a matter of consulting with the chamberlain and getting help from the staff?”
At Peon’s words, William Becksum laughed with an appreciative “oh my.”
“Only Your Highnesses could handle royal events so efficiently. That must be why His Majesty is calling for you both. The Marchioness of Schroz seems to be struggling quite a bit.”
“When she plans something, it becomes gossip the very next day. Then the plans change based on various rumors, which creates more gossip.”
Ah, so that’s why she lacks confidence. In other words, she was easily swayed by others’ opinions.
“We’ll need to change the security personnel first then.”
“Actually, the information keeps leaking because the Marchioness seeks opinions from too many people.”
Sophie Becksum’s expression seemed to say ‘I’m sure you all understand what I mean’ with a hint of modest regret.
****
The Count and Countess of Soros provided as much information as possible to the ducal couple before their arrival in Craine. They shared details about the current state of social circles and the Crown Prince’s position. With just these hints, Kaela, who was well-versed in social affairs, could deduce all the hidden stories behind them.
She thought it had been quite a productive mealtime. The food was delicious, the Count and Countess were very kind, and the bath water was perfectly warm. Though they would have to leave for Craine at dawn, taking a brief comfortable rest was very important.
[His Majesty has been praising the Grand Duke greatly these days. He always tells His Highness the Crown Prince to learn from how excellently you handle various matters.]
Even during this comfortable rest, Kaela recalled each word spoken by Countess Sophie Becksum. While it sounded like praise for the Grand Duke of Lusenford on the surface, that wasn’t Sophie Becksum’s true intention.
It meant that while the Emperor’s favor leaned toward the Grand Duke of Lusenford, the heir who would become the next Emperor would be equally wary of him.
“Come now, that’s enough.”
Peon lifted her from the bathtub and wrapped her in a large towel.
“You’ll fall asleep in the tub at this rate.”
Kaela looked at Peon with puzzled eyes. She had been lost in thought, not dozing off.
“Your eyes were unfocused.”
He chuckled and kissed her eyes while personally attending to her every need. She had grown accustomed to this treatment since Lusenford.
No matter how much she tried to call for a maid, Peon would insist she let him dry and dress her himself, as he enjoyed it so much. She had tried to discourage him and push him away many times, but it was futile.
She didn’t have the strength to shake off a man who persistently held on even when she actively sought death. There was no choice but to give up using strength she didn’t have.
The Count and Countess of Soros seemed to think the ducal couple was particularly close because they were newlyweds.
“Let’s go to bed.”
While drying her body and hair, Peon kept kissing her face. Even this had become familiar now, and Kaela remained still in his embrace.
“Your Highness.”
Peon looked down at the blue eyes as she mumbled in his arms. She called out but then hesitated for a while. Adorably. Peon decided to coax out whatever she wanted to say, knowing her habit of keeping silent stemmed from past experiences of avoiding trouble, along with hesitation and reluctance.
“Yes? What is it? Want to say something? What?”
Then she would eventually speak reluctantly, having learned that it was better to answer since Peon could be quite persistent when he chose to be troublesome.
“When we get to Craine… I don’t think I’ll be able to speak like this.”
“Mm. Like what?”
Kaela looked at the son of the dragon, then toward the window. Just from that brief movement of her eyes, Peon could guess what she was thinking.
“No one’s listening. No one’s spying either.”
“But there are eyes and ears everywhere.”
The Emperor’s eyes and ears were spread throughout the Crania Empire, and their focus often turned to Peon and Lusenford. The closer they got to Craine, the more clearly their words and actions would be visible to the Emperor.
“Don’t you remember, Kaela? What happened to the trunk Beatrice brought?”
Beatrice had made a fuss about not even half of it arriving. Kaela blinked her sleepy eyes and looked up at Peon.
“Is this not enough? Then, have you heard this story? About where my mother was found when she collapsed?”
“In the room with the magical artifacts…”
“And what was the condition of the artifacts then?”
There had been whispers. Very secretive ones. But Kaela, who frequently visited the palace and worked in place of the Empress at the time, had naturally heard these secret rumors.
They say it was blackened as if burned by fire. Though there hadn’t been an actual fire.
The rumors sounded like the Empress had set fire to the secret room where magical artifacts were kept, so people were strictly warned to keep quiet about it.
“The Emperor isn’t a magician. Without magical artifacts, he’s nothing. There’s nothing to fear.”
He smiled as he comforted her.
“It’s alright. Even in the Craine palace, if you have something to say, say it freely. You can even shout if you want.”
“That’s not it, I just wanted to be careful of eavesdropping ears.”
“I know. Of course.”
What was that? Kaela was slightly troubled by Peon’s strange reaction. It wasn’t sarcastic, but he seemed somewhat tired.
“If you’re tired, I can tell you later.”
“No. I’m never tired of hearing what you have to say. Keep going. What were you worried about?”
“…When we get to Craine.”
“Yes. When we get there.”
“I think the factions will divide.”
“Ah. Because of what the Count and Countess of Soros said earlier.”
“Yes. It will be troublesome for Your Highness.”
“If it’s troublesome for me, it’s troublesome for you too.”
A married couple is one body. The Grand Duchess of Lusenford’s actions greatly influence the Grand Duke’s future.
“What should we do?”
Peon asked his wife, who was about to stop there.
“What do you think? What should I do? After all, the Crown Prince will be the next Emperor, and I’m just a bastard.”
Even while saying this, he didn’t stop placing kisses on her face.
“Count Soros is on my mother’s side. His wife is the niece of mother’s chief lady-in-waiting. When the Crown Prince inherits the throne, mother’s people will surely lose their connections, so they’re attaching themselves to me because the Emperor seems to favor me and provoke the Crown Prince. I understand that much.”
“Then, you could handle it as you see fit…”
“Handle it how?”
Again. Once again. Kaela saw that strange look pass over Peon’s face.
“Wouldn’t it be enough if Your Highness stayed true to your role…”
“You mean as the Empress’s bastard and a card to be played whenever war breaks out?”
“That’s not what I meant…”
“Legally, that’s my position, Kaela. I’m not being sarcastic, it’s just the truth. That’s how it is in social circles too.”
Peon’s eyes sank quietly.
“There are these implicit rules and behaviors expected of each position. Count Soros has his position, I have mine, you as the Princess of Ostein have yours…and our Grand Duchess is particularly faithful to her position.”
Kaela realized that this strange feeling was actually an eerie sense of discord.
“I’m getting tired of all that, Kaela.”
