***
Amarion had never done anything in the hopes that someone would find out. Everything she did in Amari was what she had to do. It was the same now.
Building walls, teaching stances, and catching monsters… the only thought she had was relief that people would get hurt less. No matter how tired she was, this was the way her life was, and she never asked for anything.
But hearing direct thanks was a strange feeling. The Baron was not from Amari, and he was not close to her…
The feeling was completely different from the thanks she received when she gave out food or distributed wealth. They recognized her as the Grand Duchess of Morte. Not just because she was Victor’s wife, but because her abilities had helped them.
An unknown joy filled her heart.
In the depths of her heart, she always felt that she was not suited to be the hostess of the Morte estate.
But what if there was another way?
She could help people and the estate in her own way. Even ‘the Grand Duchess who can only wield a sword’ could be good for something. She wouldn’t be the hostess just because Victor wanted her to be by his side.
She pressed her pounding heart at the realization.
“…You should eat.”
She was used to talking to herself. She topped the meat with pickled onions and put it in her mouth.
As she was diligently emptying her plate, the maid she had seen earlier gave her more food.
“Please… eat a lot.”
“Yes, thank you. It is really tasty.”
Amarion smiled brightly. The maid blushed and disappeared into the kitchen behind her. Shortly after, she came out with some cool fruit juice.
Amarion sipped the sweet drink and happily ate dinner.
＊ ＊ ＊
The Baron showed up for breakfast the next day. He still had a mean expression on his face, but when he saw Amarion, he politely greeted her, and the servants served delicious food.
The knights seemed to have noticed the reason for the sudden improvement in hospitality.
“The highly skilled Lady taught the soldiers by showing them herself.”
Sir Raoul snorted.
He asked, as if curious.
“But, Madame, why are you like this? Did the lord make a request?”
Amarion smiled quietly and shook her head. She just wanted to know the story of the captain, the soldiers, and the Baron.
Sir Leonard scolded him from behind.
“Shut your mouth and eat. Don’t you know not to ask the reason for good deeds?”
“That’s a phrase that Ladies use when they’re having secret conversations with handsome men.”
“Shut up before I make you unable to talk to any Lady.”
Leonard sullenly threatened.
If you listened closely, the words he used were very similar to how he spoke to Carlz.
Amarion giggled a little and finished her food.
The knights who finished their meal gathered in front of the door. She was given a new sword, and a bag of food for each horse.
The Baron grumbled.
“I will be starving this winter. You robbed the entire storeroom.”
“We’ve already reported this to the Lord, so you’ll be sent supplies right away.”
The baron snorted. But he wasn’t as aggressive as the first day.
Amarion greeted him softly.
“Thanks for letting us stay, Baron Yulwald. I wish you peace and well-being.”
“…If the Lady says it, it shall be so. I wish you good luck, my Lady.”
Leonard and Mary exchanged surprised glances. His greeting was completely different from yesterday.
Amarion nodded her head, pretending not to notice. But the smile on her lips did not leave.
Mary quickly whispered.
“What’s going on? I heard he has been grumpy since the incident with Baron Anster…”
“From what I heard, it was Bulvarg Zemacher who intervened that day…”
Mary and Leonard gossiped about Northern socialites.
Amarion decided to pretend she didn’t hear and steered her horse down the street. From afar, the soldiers of the guard waved to her.
She thought as she waved back at them.
‘I have to work a little harder, I think.’
＊ ＊ ＊
The East was approaching. The further they went, the more rocky hills and wilderness they encountered. It was difficult to farm on dry land, so most of the villages were mining villages from here to their destination of Fidelburg.
The weather was also getting cooler. It was still a little hot for Amarion, but the knights from the South felt cold enough.
However, regardless of the change in the environment, the attacks of strange monsters continued.
Sunflower Drakada, which were said to only live in the South because it had to be exposed to the sun for several hours a day, a sandworm that appeared in rock crevices without sand, and Orcs that appeared in broad daylight… Mary almost fainted at the terrible appearance of the monster. Strange monsters kept attacking them.
But Amarion was full of enthusiasm. Mining villages were generally vulnerable, so they stopped by villages every day to deal with monsters. It was very rewarding to save the residents and to receive their thanks. It was similar to how she felt in Yulwald’s Castle.
“Thank you, thank you so much! You are our savior!”
“No, I’m sorry we didn’t come earlier.”
“What do you mean? If it weren’t for your highness and the knights, by now…”
After soothing the crying villagers, teaching the guards, and checking the broken barriers, they left for the next village.
Little by little, she got used to seeing people standing at the entrance to the village and greeting them. She smiled and steered her horse lightly.
As they traveled through the wilderness, Raoul suddenly spoke.
“You look good, Madame.”
“Yeah, just… I’m relieved. Will the supplies arrive on time?”
“I informed the castle, so it will come soon.”
Leonard answered instead. Whenever they sent a report, Victor generously provided relief supplies.
She asked a question that came to mind.
“I… But why is the situation in the village so bad? The guards’ equipment isn’t good either.”
As far as she knew, the mining towns of Morte were very wealthy. Because there were many precious gems in the mountains, they earned a lot of money and miners were respected. She heard that they were richer than most lord’s castles.
But oddly enough, most of the mining towns they passed through were severely damaged. The number of guards was low, and there was also a shortage of food because delivery wagons were attacked by monsters.
In a places like this, shouldn’t the defence be a little more thorough?
Leonard explained.
“The mining areas are difficult to reach… it’s difficult to even reach the lords. That’s why we send weapons and food separately, with guards.”
“But?”
“Remember how the vassals stole the budget?”
Amarion closed her mouth. Of course, she remembered. The vassals that Victor was trying to execute were charged with insulting her and embezzling the budget.
“A large part of the budget they stole was to support the people in mining villages. It wouldn’t have been a big problem in peaceful times, but as the number of monsters increased, the damage increased. You don’t know how many lives they have ruined.”
Suddenly she remembered how Victor asked how he should punish the culprits.
He had serious eyes and spoke in an anguished voice.
It looked as if a large boulder had been placed on Victor’s shoulders.
The knight quietly added.
“I know his highness is cruel. He can’t keep his composure often. But he never kills people for no reason.”
“…”
“Because he is responsible for Morte.”
Amarion quietly bowed her head.
This was also an aspect of Victor she didn’t know. He was a beautiful man, a great knight, and an attentive lord.
She was disappointed to learn of Victor’s cruelty and quarreled with him, but the more she travelled, the more she learned. He wasn’t really cruel. He cared for his knights and did his best for the people. The stories she had heard and experienced proved this.
She still couldn’t agree with Victor’s way, but…
“Leonard.”
“Yeah.”
“May I write the report?”
Raoul and Mary exchanged surprised glances.
The report went directly to Victor, and Leonard wrote it himself without asking her. It was because he knew from the day they set out that Victor and Amarion were not on very good terms.
But…
He avoided her eyes.
“It’s okay to say no. I just wanted to…”
“No, Madame. Do as you please.”
Leonard answered hastily.
She nodded and averted her gaze.
＊ ＊ ＊
As soon as the camp was set up, Amarion sat down by the bonfire. She set on her lap, and laid paper over it, using it as a writing surface.
The paper that Mary brought was unreasonably high-quality stationery. She guessed that it was used to exchange correspondence in the social world. With a questionable gaze, Mary strongly insisted that it was a letter from the Lady, so of course, good paper should be used.
‘Is Mary’s bag full of these things?’
Amarion glanced at Mary, who was bandaging a knight’s scratched arm. She dipped her pen in ink.
The report was straightforward. She wrote about the battle that took place, the village they visited, the type of monsters, the damage, and why she requested supplies in detail. It was not difficult because she received reports in Amari.
By the time she finished, the paper was about 2/3 full. She stared at the empty space for a long time. Then she wrote.
[I saw a loyal knight in Yulwald.
Sunflower Drakadas look very strange, and I’ve read almost all of the second volume of .
Your people thanked me. I’m happy.]
Amarion thought for a moment and then continued.
[Are you sleeping well? Do you still have nightmares?]
The last words were sincere.
[I’m healthy, so don’t worry. Take care of your body.]
By the time she finished, the page was full.
It was a mess, but this was what she wanted to say. She wanted to do it from the first day, but she couldn’t.
She let the ink dry, rolled up the letter, and attached it to the ankle of their homing pigeon.
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Her letter would arrive sometime tomorrow.
She stroked the pigeon’s head and opened the cage to let it go.
***
Kofi shop updated till chapter 69.