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Chapter 13
“I am considering it from multiple angles. It happened at the king’s birthday party. I also remember attending. I left early, so I only heard about what happened afterward… but they say that’s when the incident occurred.”
Franche in the west and Richter in the east are countries that face each other across the border.
The southern region of Richter stretches diagonally—
in other words, the Grand Duchy of Bayern is connected to Franche.
Since both are great powers of the continent, they have been engaged in a battle of pride for a long time.
The temperaments of the two nations are completely opposite, and perhaps the root of the problem lies in the fact that, despite being so close, they use different languages.
“I suppose we’ll be attending the party again this time.”
“Yes. You’ll be going with me then.”
“I’d like to help somehow, um, if there’s anything I can do. Maybe attend the party until the end and prevent the incident.”
At her words, Victor conveyed his gratitude with his eyes.
“As far as I remember, the King of Franche’s position was this: it was something done while drunk, and the King of Richter is unforgiving. It is actually our side that felt insulted.”
“Hah.”
“But anyone who knows the King of Franche wouldn’t believe that. He must have planned it from the start. Even now, Franche is likely preparing for war beneath the surface.”
Though his tone was indifferent, Victor’s mind was complicated.
If he were to plant specially trained agents in Franche, where should he place them?
How could he uncover evidence that they were preparing for war?
Even if he did uncover it, would the King of Richter believe it and prepare?
The current royal family of Richter was rotten to the core.
To be honest, he almost wished the entire royal family would die out… but with no successor, that would only plunge the nation into chaos.
Still, he couldn’t simply separate Bayern and ignore everything.
After all, Franche would march across Bayern’s land in order to wage war.
“…But there is still a long time before that party. For now, it would be best to settle matters within the household first. We’ve arrived.”
“Is this where Bayern begins?”
“That’s right.”
A faint smile appeared on Victor’s lips.
Through the open window, the scent of peaches rushed in.
While admiring the peach trees planted along the outskirts of the territory, Ibel soon let out a soft exclamation at the sight of an old church.
The people looked relaxed and peaceful, and even the children’s faces were clean.
This meant the residents were well-fed. In other words, Victor and his administrative aides were paying attention to the lives of their people.
Ibel liked this uncontrived sense of leisure.
“We’ll arrive at the residence shortly.”
After passing a gate marked as private property and traveling for a while longer, a mansion covered in white and blue tiles came into view.
And the servants lined up in front of it.
‘My name is Ibel Eberstein.’
Before stepping down, Ibel repeated her new surname several times under her breath.
Just that alone made it feel as though the axis of her future had greatly changed.
“The master has arrived!”
Willen, the butler of the Grand Duchy of Bayern, raised his voice while standing with his hands behind his back. The servants lined up behind him all bowed at once.
Those gathered already knew through the butler that the future mistress of the house would be arriving with their master today.
‘Who on earth is she, that he decided to marry her so suddenly?’
‘She must be the one from the newspaper, right?’
‘From which family could she be…?’
‘Is she extremely beautiful?’
To be honest, the situation was far too sudden.
Normally, the identity of a marriage partner would become the subject of gossip long beforehand.
After all, the other party would also be a noble, and a family name isn’t something that can be hidden.
Yet there had been no formal visit with a chaperone, no matchmaker had come, and they didn’t even know which family she belonged to.
From the servants’ perspective, they knew nothing about the mistress who would soon hold their lives in her hands.
They needed to know at least something to cater to what was surely a demanding temperament!
Just then—
“Careful.”
“Thank you.”
A calm voice, like moonlight settling over water, seeped into everyone’s ears. At the same time, the soft sound of a trailing skirt could be heard intermittently.
As soon as the master and his lady stepped into the entrance, the servants lifted their heads slightly to sneak a look at their backs.
“Welcome. I am Willen, the butler who has long served the Grand Ducal House of Bayern. I humbly ask for your guidance in the future.”
“Guidance? Not at all. I’m the one who has much to learn. Please take care of me.”
“Thank you for your gracious words. Your bedchamber has been prepared on the second floor for now. It receives excellent sunlight—I hope it pleases you.”
The servants were shocked to see the butler—usually a strict and fearsome figure—wearing a broad smile.
First they confirmed that, and then they noticed the two masters tightly holding hands, and silently screamed.
‘His Grace the Grand Duke… is holding hands!’
‘And so tightly at that!’
‘Good heavens, I never thought I’d witness His Grace’s romance in my lifetime…!’
If there was one thing most entertaining in a noble household, it was undoubtedly the private life of the master.
Since Victor had never once brought a lady to the estate, the servants’ curiosity soared without limit.
Even the butler’s glare couldn’t stop them.
“Oh my! Victor, you’re already back!”
At that moment, Genevieve appeared, holding onto the staircase as she descended.
“Aunt.”
“You’ve worked hard again. So, is this the young lady you’re seeing right now? Which family does she belong to?”
Walking down leisurely, Genevieve glanced at the murmuring servants, who were buzzing with interest, then greeted the pair with a forced smile. She didn’t forget to probe into her background either.
But just as Ibel finished her greeting, Victor stepped in.
“She’s feeling nauseous after being in the carriage for so long. How about we let her rest first… and then talk in detail over a meal? This isn’t an appropriate place for a long conversation.”
Victor was acting unusual.
It seemed certain he had completely lost his composure, intoxicated by his first love.
Clenching her fist tightly out of sight, Genevieve decided to step back for now.
The woman Victor had brought… well, her appearance was excessively beautiful, but her personality seemed plain enough—perhaps she wasn’t anything special.
“Ah, right! Of course. What was I thinking? I was just so surprised. You understand, don’t you?”
“Where are the children?”
Ignoring Genevieve’s words, Victor slowly scanned his surroundings.
As expected, the faces that should have been there were nowhere to be seen.
Seeing no small heads or feet peeking out from behind large vases or curtains, it seemed they had run off somewhere.
As he was about to dismiss it, Genevieve immediately complained.
“Honestly, these days even Anselm is causing trouble. He ignores everything I say! Just a few days ago—”
“So where are they?”
Cutting off Genevieve’s lament, Victor wiped his face once, clearly tired. Pouting, Genevieve pointed upstairs with an obvious sulk.
“You know the last room on the second floor? I locked Damian in there. He needed to be punished. As for Anselm, he said he’d come, but since he hasn’t, he deserves a scolding too.”
“I see. Then I’ll see you at dinner.”
Having grasped the situation, Victor left only a curt remark and led Ibel upstairs.
He couldn’t allow Ibel to be subjected to Genevieve’s scrutiny in a place full of ears eager to listen and mouths eager to gossip.
That was exactly why he had brought her here.
From now on, the servants needed to recognize that Ibel held a higher position than Genevieve, so his earlier intervention had been the most natural solution.
“She seemed like the daughter of a powerful family, didn’t she? Her aura, I mean.”
“Mm, I thought so too. Somehow, she resembles His Grace the Grand Duke. The atmosphere!”
“You thought so too? Me too! They felt similar somehow.”
With their master gone, the younger maids immediately became chatty.
Only after the butler cleared his throat did they quiet down and scatter in small groups to resume their duties—
all the while feeling envious of Eloi, who had been chosen as the personal maid to serve the mistress at close range.
