Chapter 139
“Ah… I see.”
He could not find anything else to add.
Whether he knew that the people lined up there were staring at him with dazed eyes or not, the man sitting calmly on his warhorse gave a casual nod.
“I apologize for delaying the road.”
Then he began riding forward as if nothing had happened.
Tyrone felt the strength drain from him and slid the sword in his hand back into its sheath.
Daren opened his mouth as if smoothing over the awkward atmosphere.
“You must have heard the news that Her Highness, the Grand Duchess is with child as well. Since it is her first pregnancy, it seems His Grace is rather concerned. Her Highness, the Grand Duchess has always had a small appetite and is quite picky, has she not? That is why he is paying particular attention to her meals.”
“It seems not much has changed from before to now…”
He glanced at his lord’s back and swallowed the sarcastic remark that had risen to his throat.
This was a man who had pierced a mountain-sized giant through with a spear simply because he had dared to touch his wife.
And what about when the Grand Duchess had collapsed?
As if bringing in all kinds of ingredients from the central region had not been enough, he had even personally attended to her meals like a servant.
Now that she was with child as well, it was obvious without seeing it how much of a fuss he would make.
“I too have heard the joyous news that you will have an heir. I sincerely congratulate you, Your Grace.”
The merchant, who had been quietly following at a slight distance, suddenly joined the conversation.
He seemed well aware that his fate rested in the young Grand Duke’s hands.
The man, who had not hidden his displeasure the entire time he had been practically dragged here from the North, now wore a smooth smile on his lips and busily flattered him.
“Though modest, our guild has prepared a congratulatory gift as well. I heard Her Highness, the Grand Duchess likes fresh fruit, so our merchant group mobilized our entire distribution network to procure freshly harvested fruits, but… I do not know whether they will suit Her Highness’s taste.”
The Grand Duke, who had just left the forest and was climbing the hill, looked back at the merchant over his shoulder.
A different light appeared for the first time in the gaze that had seemed to look at an inanimate object.
“I heard you reside in the North, yet you know the circumstances here quite well.”
“The ears and mouths of merchants travel faster than the wind. The rumor that Your Grace is seeking precious fruits for Her Highness, the Grand Duchess is widespread among merchants.”
“…I should hope that information network is not used in the wrong place.”
At the words carrying an implicit threat, faint tension appeared on the merchant’s face, which had been glossy as if oiled.
It seemed he had only then realized that this was not someone who could be won over with trivial bribes or flattery.
The man swallowed dryly, gave an awkward laugh, and lowered his eyes.
Varkas watched him with a cold expression, then spurred his horse forward again.
Tyrone increased his speed to follow him.
Before long, the massive walls surrounding Kalmor appeared beyond the hill.
Daren stepped forward and gave an order in a loud voice.
“Zram people have appeared in Argand Forest! Dispatch a search party at once and strengthen the guard on every route throughout the northwest!”
At the same time as his resounding voice rang out, the soldiers lined up on the walls scattered swiftly.
It seemed they were going to inform the guards immediately.
Leaving the noisy scene behind, Varkas passed through the castle gate and crossed the city.
At last, the grand walls surrounding Raedgo Castle filled their sight.
Tyrone stepped inside and slowly looked around the view of the castle he had returned to after nearly a month.
Once surrounded by the familiar environment, the fatigue he had not realized he was carrying came over him.
He dismounted and kneaded his stiff shoulders.
When he had left for the North under Varkas’s orders, the signs of war that had risen to a dangerous level had sunk below the surface.
It was thanks to the Season of Rest, which had restricted part of the supply routes to the North.
In addition, Varkas’s urging of the conservative nobles to apply political pressure had also played an important role.
Some northern nobles who realized the situation was taking an unusual turn had begun to hold themselves back.
If they could use this opening to succeed in seizing control of the northern distribution network as well, even House Heimdal would not be able to carelessly start a war.
“Now it depends on how he wins that man over.”
Tyrone looked at the guildmaster, who was whispering something with his subordinates on one side of the castle courtyard, then turned his gaze back to Varkas.
He was handing the game hanging from his saddle to the servants.
At that tensionless sight, strength once again drained from Tyrone’s shoulders.
Apparently, his lord seemed more concerned about the dish that would go on his wife’s table than the question of whether a rebellion would break out or not.
The man took off his dirty gloves and gave careful instructions to the servants.
“Choose the one with the tenderest meat and roast it. Clean the rest properly and make stew, and use the spices in moderation.”
“I will keep that in mind.”
The servants who received the five pheasants immediately ran toward the kitchen.
Seeing how they moved in perfect order without any sign of confusion, it seemed this was not the first time he had personally procured ingredients.
Surely the main purpose of this reconnaissance was not hunting, was it?
As Tyrone watched Varkas with suspicious eyes, the man who had been turning toward the main castle suddenly stopped walking.
Tyrone unconsciously turned his head after him and swallowed his breath without realizing it.
Near the entrance of the main castle, before a small fountain, sat a golden-haired woman wearing silver fur.
The moment he saw her face surrounded by pale winter light, his mind turned blank.
When he had first met her, she had been a woman who gave off an eerie atmosphere.
The woman, who had seemed unstable, as if she might shatter at any moment, was now filled with languid vitality and radiated a pearly glow.
As he stood there dazed by that unreal sight, the lord of the East reached her in a single stride.
“Why are you outside?”
The woman, who had been looking up at the sky as if dreaming with her eyes open, turned her large eyes toward her husband.
A faint smile spread over the face that had always been coldly frozen.
“I came out to watch the snow fall.”
“It is not yet the season for snow.”
“No. It fluttered down a little earlier. If I wait, more might fall.”
“You can watch it from inside your room.”
“It feels suffocating to stay only in the bedroom all the time. And Marisen said it would be better if I moved around a little.”
Perhaps tired of hearing him nag, the woman’s brow wrinkled slightly.
“If you’re going to pester me like this every time I come outside, why did you give me this fur in the first place?”
“I did not give it to you so you could wander the castle in such a defenseless state.”
“What about my appearance is wrong?”
The woman’s eyes lifted as her irritation seemed to rise higher.
Because of the reddish corners of her eyes, as if she were suffering from a slight fever, she looked somehow strangely alluring.
Perhaps he felt a similar impression, because a strange tension crossed the face of the man who seemed sculpted from plaster.
As if she did not notice that, the woman continued pressing him.
“Tell me. Is there something wrong with how I look?”
The man, who had been holding his mouth tightly tense, exhaled at length, then took off the coat wrapped around his body and handed it to the squire standing behind him as if throwing it over.
Then he carefully lifted his wife into his arms.
“Please bear with it for a moment even if I smell bad.”
Then, before she could protest, he strode toward the entrance of the main castle.
Those gathered in the courtyard watched the sight with entranced expressions.
It was understandable.
With their radiant golden hair, blue eyes, and ivory-white skin, the two looked as if they were beings detached from the real world.
“…They truly are a well-matched pair.”
The northern merchant muttered in admiration.
The words sounded strange, and Tyrone frowned.
Certainly, they suited each other like a pair of fine horses.
It was surprising that the two had been practically enemies for years.
No comments yet. Be the first to leave a review!