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chapter 14
Turning Crisis into Opportunity
As the saying goes, rumors travel far even without feet. All across the Astel territory, word spread that Serena’s prospective husband had arrived.
The black-haired nobleman who appeared today was said to be that very suitor, and the rumor even claimed he would become the new lord of Astel.
“Why!”
After finishing dinner and hearing Peter’s report, Serena exploded in anger toward the Crown Prince.
“He was supposed to hide his identity! This makes no sense at all!”
“The residents still know him only as a noble knight,” Peter explained.
Anna nodded in agreement.
“Yes. Had they known His Highness the Crown Prince’s true identity, the residents wouldn’t have dared speak to him in the square or anywhere else today.”
Anna was correct. In the Astel Duchy, only a few families served as retainers; the rest were commoners who had never seen royalty.
“I don’t understand why His Highness would go to such lengths even here in Astel, after traveling so widely.”
Serena’s face showed clear irritation.
“Contrary to your thoughts, if His Highness hasn’t forgotten your engagement, then perhaps Astel is the place he’s most curious about,” Anna added.
Serena’s lips protruded in displeasure at the unwelcome reminder.
“The engagement is null. I told him so myself. It’s been six years already!”
No matter how much she complained, if Lucas didn’t change his mind, negotiation was impossible. And since that irritating man intended to stay at the ducal residence for some time, it was all the more bothersome.
“Moreover, this is the busiest time preparing for the harvest festival, yet all the women of the town have gathered in the square. What on earth are they doing?”
“Well… I asked a few people myself, and they said it’s enough just to watch him.”
Serena burst out laughing in disbelief.
“From girls to married women, even old ladies, everyone is suddenly animated and says just seeing him again is enough? I don’t understand it at all.”
Unlike Peter, Anna understood the hearts of those women. She had anticipated this exact situation when Lucas arrived in Astel.
“First, now that His Highness the Crown Prince’s party has returned, I shall personally attend to the evening reception.”
“Yes, please.”
Acknowledging Serena’s words, Peter bowed and withdrew.
“Miss, you should prepare for bed now.”
From the morning onward, Lucas’s presence had left her twice as exhausted as usual. With Anna’s help, Serena dressed in a white nightgown and sat on the sofa while Anna carefully combed her platinum hair.
“Are you very concerned about His Highness the Crown Prince’s arrival?”
“You know me. Our engagement ceremony was the worst. Of course, I don’t like it.”
“But Miss, you said it’s been six years and it’s already a thing of the past?”
“I don’t know… it just annoys me.”
Serena claimed the engagement was null due to the passage of six years, but the emotions she had carried that day still lingered.
“And it’s absurd. After six years, he shows up and expects recompense? Am I some kind of object?”
Lucas wanted marriage with Serena. Even a clever woman like her could not be unaware of his intentions, yet just dealing with him irritated her.
“His Highness looked at you with such tenderness, you know,” Anna commented.
“Who? No, he’s just being obstinate.”
Had she known this day would come, Serena would have kept silent at the engagement ceremony, playing the dull noblewoman. Then Lucas would have forgotten that tiresome fiancée and sought a new one.
“However… I was truly astonished. He’s grown into a strong man, nothing like at the engagement. No wonder the women in the square were all aflutter.”
The fact that he was an outsider certainly drew attention, but the true reason was deeper. At the moment the women saw Lucas’s appearance, this situation had already been inevitable.
“Besides being strong, he’s incredibly handsome.”
“Right. Then he could marry another woman if he wanted,” Serena replied sharply.
Of course, she had eyes and could immediately recognize Lucas’s transformation. Even ignoring the past meeting six years ago, he had fully become a man.
“I dislike the constraints of marriage. And marrying into the royal family would mean even greater constraints. The six-year-old engagement is naturally null, and I’m already twenty-four—well past marriageable age.”
Muttering stubbornly, Serena seemed like someone deliberately inventing reasons.
“In contrast, His Highness is only twenty. Yes, he’s grown into a man far beyond the one we knew then.”
Serena could not have been unaware.
A tall, strong man, broad-chested, with large hands hardened from labor, yet an unexpectedly refined face framed by black hair and dark eyes… Regardless of status, how could women’s hearts remain unmoved?
“Miss, I…”
“No. In any case, His Highness’s identity as Crown Prince may be revealed as soon as tomorrow. Then the residents won’t dare approach him.”
When Serena first arrived in Astel, the same applied. Most residents were commoners, and they viewed the young daughter of the duke with a mix of awe and fear.
Moreover, the wandering duke had entrusted his duties to a mere twenty-year-old girl.
“I’m the duke’s daughter, yet it took residents over half a year to truly open their hearts.”
Serena had quietly settled in Astel, reviewing accumulated correspondence and official matters. She held no gatherings to announce her position.
“Only half a year, really. The residents see the duke’s daughter as someone almost divine,” Anna said with a faint smile.
Serena observed the land fairly, helping those in need. And just before her half-year mark, an unprecedented typhoon struck.
“Gather everyone at the ducal residence immediately!”
At that moment, Serena shone like a warrior leading troops into battle.
“Which houses can withstand the wind? …The rest, bring to the main house!”
Anna and Peter found it hard to accept such instructions.
“Use whatever space—main house or annex! Give blankets and any food you can.”
“We’re short on supplies…”
“If no blankets, tear down curtains! If no food, give from the ducal staff’s portions!”
Serena, tying up her dress above the knees, ran about tirelessly.
Most residents evacuating to the ducal residence barely recognized that she was the recently arrived duke’s daughter.
“Send men to protect the farmland, and also…”
“This is a typhoon!”
From her previous life’s experience, it was a natural disaster beyond imagination. For the mild-weathered people of Astel, it was terrifyingly unprecedented.
“No one is safe until this typhoon passes. If you doubt my words, I declare it as acting duke.”
Although the concept of a typhoon was unknown in Astel, no one could ignore the acting duke’s command.
“Abandon your homes and possessions! Save only the people. Everyone must stay under a safe roof until the typhoon passes!”
A twenty-year-old duke’s daughter’s words could hardly reach the residents’ hearts. They stubbornly insisted on protecting their homes, believing the storm would pass.
“Mobilize the duke’s retainers, and if needed, use soldiers!”
Serena refused to bend. Amid the driving wind and rain, people of all ranks crowded the ducal residence in chaos.
“Miss, if the storm only lasts until tomorrow…”
Anna worried for Serena’s safety, but she remained resolute.
“Then we must be grateful that no one was hurt.”
Her calm and determined expression already bore the dignity of an acting duke. The storm did not cease in a single day.
As she feared, it intensified on the second day, roofs were ripped away, and boulders rolled about. Only after three days did the sun appear.
“Miss, reporting!”
Under the dazzling sun, Astel lay nearly devastated.
“Most farmland, roads, and other vital areas are destroyed.”
“What about the people?”
The ducal residence was still full of residents, allowing Serena’s true leadership to be witnessed.
“No one… not a single resident was harmed thanks to Miss’s orders.”
“Then that’s enough.”
On that day, under the welcome sunlight, Serena’s radiant smile left a deep impression on everyone.
“If everyone is safe, no one needs to worry about the future.”
At twenty, Serena smiled proudly, facing all with confidence.
“We will turn this typhoon’s crisis into opportunity.”
While it was unexpected that Serena would seize a devastated Astel completely, the reality of her words—turning crisis into opportunity—proved true.
“Still… how long does His Highness intend to stay here?”
Once her hair was combed, Serena turned to Anna.
“How should I know?”
Speaking about royalty was taboo and frightening. Only Serena could afford to treat them this casually.
“Not tonight, obviously. Tomorrow? The day after?”
“No matter how long he stays, it wouldn’t be strange.”
Serena sighed. Even as acting duke and the duke’s daughter, she had no authority to expel royalty under the empire’s rule.
“I’ll wait until the day after tomorrow.”
Her blue eyes sparkled with resolve.
“And if His Highness stays longer…?”
“There’s a way.”
With a mischievous smile, Serena headed to her bed. The Crown Prince would leave soon, and the duke’s daughter, broken off by royalty, would live comfortably alone.
Turning crisis into opportunity.
Yes. Everything was still going according to plan.
