IDHGA 16

Chapter 16

As soon as Asherd entered the reception room with my father, I headed straight for my aunt.

It wasn’t that I wasn’t worried about Asherd going in to talk with my father.

It wasn’t that I didn’t see him, with his confident face, patting me and saying it would be alright.

But more than that, it was more important to tell my aunt what I had learned.

*’Still, Asherd of this time period is… somewhat unreliable.’*

With a slightly uneasy feeling, I muttered a poor excuse for Asherd in my mind and quickened my pace.

Even though it was a late-night visit made in haste, my aunt glanced at my face once and readily opened the door.

Seeing my flustered state, she told me to calm down and personally poured me tea, allowing me to tell the story more calmly.

“So, you’re saying the Crown Prince and your father, along with several other nobles, are trying to abolish the Council of Five Great Nobles?”

“Yes, and they’re wary of Uncle and the Duke of Fontaine getting close.”

“The House of Marquis Wellington is a family with power rivaling the Five Great Nobles, so they’d be wary of them growing closer and strengthening each other’s influence.”

After hearing my story, my aunt nodded as if she understood.

“And it would be better to discuss the matter regarding the Ferric Continent with the Duke of Fontaine rather than with me. After all, the Council of Five Great Nobles isn’t far off.”

“…Directly with the Duke?”

And unexpectedly, my aunt was the one who first suggested cooperating with the Duke of Fontaine.

No, how long had she even known him?

“It hasn’t been long, but the current Duke of Fontaine seems more trustworthy than the previous one. Besides, he seems to have feelings for you.”

“Aunt.”

“Did I say something wrong? He even went out of his way to follow you on the way to see you, saying he wanted to see you even for a moment, and when you disappeared, he even dispatched his own knights to find you. He doesn’t seem like the type to go that far for someone he doesn’t care about. Don’t you think so?”

“No, well…”

Why was the fact that Asherd had grown fond of me faster than before more difficult than the fact that he hated me?

I had definitely resolved to push him away, but unlike before the regression, I found myself not disliking his increasingly proactive advances… and at the same time, worry overshadowed that feeling – worry that I wouldn’t be able to push him away completely at this rate.

Unable to find a response to my aunt’s words, I simply closed my mouth.

“I don’t know if you remember what I said before, but if the Duke of Fontaine offers to help, using him is also an option. The Crown Prince may act a bit foolish when it comes to you, but the only person in the Empire who can tolerate that foolishness is the Duke of Fontaine.”

“Does that mean His Highness the Crown Prince is usually a sensible person?”

“Well, that depends on who you ask.”

My aunt shrugged and then became serious again.

“Tell your uncle what you told me today. And find someone else who can be on your side besides me or your uncle, if possible. You need a place you can run to in case of emergency, a place your father cannot reach.”

And in my opinion, there’s no one better than the Duke of Fontaine.

My aunt said in a gentle but firm voice.

She was telling me to make Asherd Fontaine my ally, if possible.

“…I’ll think about it.”

But Aunt.

That is far too difficult a task for me.

The day had been too long.

I let out a long sigh and headed to my room.

Perhaps because I had experienced so many things at once today, I felt a bit of a headache.

Upon returning to my room, I found Jenna, her face full of worry, pacing anxiously.

Then, when I walked in, her face lit up with delight.

“Milady!”

“Sorry, Jenna. Were you worried?”

I hugged the rushing Jenna tightly and patted her consolingly.

In reality, Jenna was probably the one who had the most exhausting and difficult day today.

Not only had I suddenly run off, but she had to explain the situation to the suddenly appearing Asherd and was left pacing anxiously.

And to make matters worse, even Asherd, who had followed after me, had no news until dark, so she had to return to the mansion alone. Considering all that, I could imagine how much mental anguish Jenna had endured today.

“I’m sorry, Jenna. Were you very worried?”

“Of course I was! You left so suddenly and gave me no word all this time…”

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry. Something came up suddenly. But I heard the Duke’s knight brought you back safely?”

“Yes. That’s true, but… Anyway, please don’t ever do that again, Milady. Or at least send me word. I was really, really worried.”

“Alright. I understand. I’ll be careful.”

I apologized repeatedly, soothing Jenna who was on the verge of tears.

Only after she was finally calmed down and stepped away from me was I able to take off my robe and unbuckle my sword.

“You used the sword cleanly today.”

Jenna, one of the only two people who knew I could wield a sword, often took care of my blade.

Today as well, she habitually took the sword, drew it, and examined it from various angles.

“Nothing happened, right? And the Duke came to get me at just the right time.”

“Thank goodness. In fact, he rushed over as soon as he heard your message.”

“The Duke did?”

“Yes! I was even more flustered than he was, seeing how surprised he was.”

Jenna put the sword back in its sheath and used her hands to explain the situation vividly.

Not long after I had run off, Asherd had arrived. As soon as Jenna explained the situation, his face hardened frightfully, he gave orders to his knights, and then immediately set off in the direction Jenna had pointed. And amidst all that, he hadn’t forgotten to order Jenna to be safely escorted back to the Marquis’s residence.

“The Duke moved really fast. He gave all his orders and rushed off in such a short time, I… I can’t tell you how relieved I felt.”

“I see.”

“So, Milady. Are you really not thinking of getting along with that ‘wonderful person’?”

As I was changing clothes and nodding vaguely, Jenna suddenly threw a curveball.

“I don’t know if it’s because I’m just a commoner, but I don’t get why you can’t just like what you like and dislike what you dislike? I don’t really understand all that status and interest stuff…”

And Milady, you really liked him on your debutante day.

Jenna mumbled as she took my robe.

Ah. That ‘wonderful person.’

Just how excited had I been talking about the ‘wonderful person’ on debutante day that Jenna couldn’t let go of it?

I sighed and shook my head.

“If only the world worked that way, Jenna.”

“Well, not everything can, I suppose. But at least to some extent…”

“No. Father hates him so much, and it’s not just any position—becoming a Duchess would clearly be too hard on me.”

“But Milady, you’ve been managing the Count’s household for nearly ten years. How different could the Duke’s household be?”

“How could it not be different? There’s much more to take care of.”

I answered carelessly and finished changing.

Like what you like, and dislike what you dislike.

There was a time in my past life when I thought that way.

Because I like it. Or because I don’t really like it.

There was a time when I lived by such simple standards.

*’And I already know all too well how that turned out.’*

I had already experienced enough to know that I couldn’t act on the sole reason of ‘liking it’ without any preparation or countermeasures.

I waved my hand dismissively and sat down on the bed.

“Oh, by the way, did Cleor send anything?”

“Ah, Lord Cleor sent a letter. I put it on the bedside table. I’ll draw your bathwater, so please read it.”

“Alright, thank you.”

And one of the things I remembered from experiencing it firsthand.

Around this time, my aide, Cleor, who had been managing the family affairs with me in the North, would send a letter.

It was news about the estate that Cleor had sent to me in the capital, but in my past life, I had been so engrossed in my romance with Asherd that I had just glossed over it.

And now that I was no longer preoccupied with Asherd, it was also a letter I absolutely could not overlook.

—

[A few days ago, the Knight Commander left for the capital, leaving behind only a minimal number of personnel.

Currently, fewer than thirty knights remain in the North, along with myself and the servants. Fortunately, the border is stable, but the knights say we cannot afford to be complacent.

Milady. When will you return?]

—

In my past life, I had replied, telling her to hold out until the end of the social season, thinking that my father would go down once the season was over.

But my father didn’t go down even after I got married, and in the end, he brought even the few remaining knights up with him.

At the time, I had wondered what my father was thinking, but I thought the North wouldn’t collapse so easily.

But looking back now, my father had intended to abandon the North from the very beginning.

To abandon the North and enjoy greater power in the new noble power structure the Crown Prince would establish.

By abolishing the Five Great Nobles and systematically clearing his path, he had been preparing for the future.

I stared quietly at Cleor’s letter and then lay flat on the bed.

Having resolved to broaden my perspective, I was seeing so much more.

*’And I’ll probably become aware of even more things I couldn’t see before…’*

Among them, what should I choose, and what should I endure?

As I quietly organized my thoughts, an urgent knock came, and the door burst open.

“Eloise!”

“Father?”

The shouting scream and the panting breath, full of anger.

Startled by the sudden appearance, I half-jumped up and looked at my father.

“How long are you going to keep acting so willfully!”

“What? If anyone’s being willful, it’s you, Father, bursting in here like this.”

Bursting into his grown daughter’s room without permission and the first thing he says is to not act willfully?

I pulled the cover that was on the pillow and wrapped it around my shoulders.

I had been in light clothing since I was about to take a bath.

“How long do you plan on meeting the Duke of Fontaine! Do you have no regard for His Highness the Crown Prince’s orders!”

“What nonsense are you talking about? His Highness the Crown Prince has never said a single word to me. All he did at the last party was have a brief conversation and leave. What orders are you talking about?”

“Don’t you think he’s waiting for you to approach him! As a subject, you should anticipate your lord’s intentions!”

“…Father. Why are you really doing this? He’s someone who hasn’t sent me a single royal decree, marriage proposal, or even a letter. And you expect me to anticipate his intentions? …Do you think I’m some kind of mind reader?”

“So you’re saying you’ll defy His Highness’s will?”

“Since I haven’t received any direct commands, I haven’t defied anything, Father. Isn’t that right?”

“Does that mean I should just let the Duke of Fontaine run rampant like this? Was that what you wanted?”

Coming here all of a sudden, and all he had to say was this.

It was the same conversation, repeated every single time.

My father, pleading with me to pay attention to the Crown Prince, and me, asking why I should.

*’…Just how long do I have to repeat this?’*

Suddenly, irritation flooded my mind.

“If you like the Crown Prince so much, Father, why don’t you go and marry him yourself?”

“What?”

“I said, why don’t you get close to the Crown Prince yourself! Just… what did you get from the Crown Prince to make you so obsessed? Is the Crown Prince going to make you a Duke or something?”

“Eloise!”

“Enough!”

My father yelled angrily, and I yelled back without backing down.

Really, I was so sick of this.

“Please, Father. Handle your own affairs yourself. How long are you going to keep pushing them onto me?”

“What?”

“I’ve had enough of listening to your nonsense, Father. Stop pestering me.”

Stating my position clearly and firmly, I glared at my father, who stood there speechless.