Having heard Jester’s report, I hurried to the head maid’s room. As the voices of the two people inside grew louder and more heated, I ordered Jester to open the door. And the sight that met my eyes was—
Th-That crazy bitch!!
The head maid had a knife aimed at Cecilia, while Cecilia was about to raise her wand. I swiftly aimed my bow at the head maid’s arm and pierced it clean through.
"Aaaah!!!"
The head maid’s scream rang out as she dropped the knife. Drawing a deep breath, I stepped into the room.
"Explain exactly what is going on here."
I began interrogating the head maid over why she had pointed a knife at our nuclear bomb’s trigger.
"Your Grace."
"Step back. My lady, you are safe now."
"..."
Please put down the wand and relax, my lady. Nothing good can come of holding a wand when you are this emotional!
"...Urgh."
"Rushe."
"Yes, Your Grace."
Thud!!!
"Aaargh!"
"You stand before His Grace. Show proper respect."
"I-I have been wronged. I... I came all the way to the North to serve House Walterheim..."
"The eldest brother you served is dead. So who was the next person to whom you swore loyalty?"
"..."
"My second brother? The North? No. The premise itself was wrong from the start."
Creak.
Leni’s expression darkened when she saw the communication artifact in Jester’s hand.
"...It is connected to the Imperial Capital."
"Tsk."
"Ah... ah."
"Rushe, take her to the dungeons. Tell her there will be no mercy until she spills everything she knows."
"Yes!"
As I watched the head maid being dragged away by Rushe, my two brothers, who had died in their duel, flashed through my mind.
You brought someone like that here, too...?
Rubbing my throbbing head, I approached Cecilia, who had resolved the incident.
"Are you hurt anywhere, my lady?"
"No."
"...If anything like this happens again, you must inform me without fail. Do not act first."
"Someone like the head maid would have been more than manageable with my magic..."
"Have you ever subdued someone who meant to kill you, rather than in training?"
"..."
Of course she had not. What chance would a young lady raised preciously in a ducal house and following the elite path of taking classes at the academy have had to subdue someone who bore genuine killing intent toward her?
It is about as likely as a Northern Grand Duke living a peaceful, carefree life.
When her violet eyes wavered slightly, alarm bells began ringing in my head.
Damn it! My mouth is a disaster. I should be trying to make her feel better, not this!!
The young lady before me was no ordinary young lady. She was a nuclear bomb that would explode if I pressed the wrong button.
"I know there is not a single person in the North you can trust."
"No. That is not—"
"But I want you to trust me."
"What?"
"Even if ours is a contractual engagement, we are engaged nonetheless. And as long as you are here in the North, within my protection, I will protect you. Without fail."
"..."
"Ran."
"Yes, Your Grace!"
"Escort Lady Cecilia."
"Yes!"
Was it merely my imagination that Cecilia’s eyes, growing distant as she left, sparkled unlike before?
"Haah... Let us go back and work."
Overtime was certain today. I should go to the dining hall and make myself a special caffeinated drink.
**
"What is with this silence?"
"Is that not a good thing?"
"No, but is it not far too quiet?!"
Not long ago, we had apprehended an Imperial spy who had infiltrated the estate. Yet for something like that to have happened, the estate was far too peaceful.
"It was handled well."
"...As expected, you are remarkably competent."
As expected of a butler from a family that had served the house for three generations. I found myself admiring him.
"So, what information did you obtain from Leni?"
"Information regarding the Imperial faction to which she was connected."
"...Hah. The Second Princess’s maternal relatives, is it?"
So the First Crown Prince was not the only problem after all. The Imperial Family was scrambling to get a foothold in the North by any means possible.
How much of a mess had they made of things after Father died?
"Tsk."
I clicked my tongue and set down the report.
"We have not sent our protest over this incident yet, correct?"
"Correct. As you planned, we scattered the bait. At the very least, the northern nobles connected to the Second Princess will react."
"Lady Cecilia deserves much of the credit."
Honestly, I had thought perhaps her witch’s power had awakened and let her read minds, or that it was black magic. But she had uncovered it through nothing but deduction and psychology.
Damn it, or maybe her powers have awakened to some extent and she does have an ability like that... It is hard to tell.
"Yes. Even I never imagined she would act so boldly. Contrary to her delicate appearance, she possesses a strong spirit."
And Crown Prince Baron had broken that strong heart. Just what sort of man were you?
"Have you considered a reward?"
"...A reward."
"Why not ask her directly?"
**
When Cecilia entered the office under Jester’s guidance, Viktor, who had been busily working his way through documents, turned his gaze toward her.
"You have my thanks for this matter, my lady."
Looking at Viktor, who had set down his quill and rested his chin on his clasped hands, Cecilia bowed her head.
"Not at all. I am simply glad that what I did was of help to Your Grace and the North."
For Cecilia, this was proof. Proof of the worth of a foolish young lady who had left her homeland for the North and lived only as an ornament, and proof that she was worth keeping within the grand duke’s protection.
But His Grace said I had already entered his protection. Why?
How many times had she seen those without value torn away from the Imperial Family and the Imperial Capital? Whether family or friend, to survive upon that thin ice, there were times when one had to sever and cut away others.
But Your Grace, why do you worry about me when I am nothing more than a contract to you?
The ripple Viktor had caused was enough to stir Cecilia’s lake, which had been calm and still without a tremor.
"...My lady?"
"Ah, yes."
"If you are not feeling well, we can do this another day—"
"No. My apologies. I was simply lost in thought for a moment."
No. Cecilia composed herself. This was not the place to ask such things. She needed to show the grand duke and the people of the North her worth once more. Only then would she not be discarded. Because she did not want to be hurt. Because she did not want to be abandoned.
"I would like to be granted access to the documents concerning the North’s iron ore."
"...Access?"
As though it was an unexpected request, Viktor frowned slightly.
"In addition to the iron ore currently distributed through the North, I would like to personally review and verify the distribution process of the iron ore we have promised, so that no problems arise. I want to help make Your Grace’s wall even more impregnable."
She was declaring that she would become a sword herself, to protect this castle that would protect her and House Roienthal. Viktor stared blankly at Cecilia for a moment, then cleared his throat several times and turned his head away.
"A modest request. Jester."
"Yes, Your Grace."
"Send the documents Lady Cecilia requested to her quarters."
"Understood."
Deep trust in Viktor filled Cecilia’s eyes as she looked at him, for he had granted her what she wanted.
"Thank you for such a generous reward. I will do my best to be of use to Your Grace."
Back in her room, Cecilia’s eyes fell upon the documents Jester had left behind. Ran, who looked through them first, felt as though the densely packed writing before her might make her dizzy.
"Ugh... Lady Cecilia, can anything really come out of all this?"
"Yes. It will."
It was iron ore, after all. For the North, which was always short on weapons and armor, was it not a resource perhaps even more important than food?
...If those connected to the Imperial Family did something after the previous Northern Grand Duke passed away, then surely...
Cecilia picked up her quill and smiled at Ran.
"Then, Ran, this looks as though it will be a long battle, so please prepare some tea."
"Yes, Lady Cecilia!"
**
Jester returned after delivering the documents to Cecilia, his face brimming with a smile.
"Your Grace."
"What is it?"
"I find myself increasingly hoping that things will work out between you and Lady Cecilia."
"Do you like her that much?"
"Ha ha ha. Lady Cecilia notices what Your Grace does not. How could that not put my mind at ease?"
"I notice things too, when I—"
Jester’s gaze at me was fierce.
"..."
"No... It is just that I spent too long in that barbaric baronial house..."
"Your Grace, even if it was a branch family, saying that is a little..."
It was an ugly excuse. There had been time enough for me to study if I had wanted to, but still.
I did not want to study in my second life!
Even now, the only reason I could sit in the office and review documents was because I was making the most of memories from my previous life. I could never claim to be perfect at it. It was not as though I had done this before.
"I was the third son, the one farthest from succession training to begin with."
"Ha ha. You can learn little by little."
"You know that is the most terrifying thing anyone can say, right?"
"...Or perhaps, truly with Lady Cecilia—"
"Enough."
I desperately hoped that the relationship between the Imperial Family, the North, and House Roienthal would be sorted out quickly, so the bomb attached to the young lady in our estate would disappear and she could go home.
Her face is certainly beautiful, and she has the makings of an excellent wife. Well, she must still clearly have feelings for the Crown Prince.
I only hoped those lingering feelings would fade, and that she would find new love, spread her wings, and be happy.
"Good grief, this is no time to be thinking about other things."
The most urgent matter to settle first was land for the Orc Alliance I had brought with me to inhabit.
"As you intended, their food supply is being handled well through monster hunting."
"That is a relief."
"Thanks to that, monsters are disappearing from the Northern Mountains, and the residents are pleased. However—"
"However?"
"At this rate, the North will have no monsters left within a year. You must consider what comes after that."
Consider it... What was there to consider? I had knowledge from the original novel. In the novel, people had certainly pressured the protagonist over how he intended to overcome this very situation, and then the protagonist had said—
"Jester."
"Yes."
"Let us raise monsters."
"...Pardon?"
**
As the orcs began settling across the vast northern grasslands, Philgot, leader of the Orc Alliance, watched the sight and bowed his head to me.
"Grand Chieftain. Is it truly all right for us to live on such good land?"
"Ah, do not worry about it."
There had been someone who complained about it, but he had recently been implicated with the Second Princess and vanished to the execution grounds. I gave that land to a knight who had suffered at the wall. Naturally, I told him about the orcs beforehand. I said that if he objected after hearing about them, I would grant him different territory, but—
"No! I shall carry out Your Grace’s profound intent!"
Profound intent... I had no idea what meaning he had read into my words, but as long as everyone got along, was that not enough?
"But, Grand Chieftain."
"Hm? What is with that woman?"
"Ugh... Why am I here...?"
"Ah, her?"
With a broad smile, I slung an arm around the woman’s shoulders.
"She is the mage who will make food for the orcs."
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