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Chapter 27
At the moment, the Duke of Rosenthal and I were in the middle of a cold war.
Although it had not yet been officially announced, Rakiel and my engagement had practically become a certainty.
I had locked myself inside my room and begun a hunger strike.
“Lady Eveline, will you not eat again today?”
“Didn’t I tell you? Until Father grants what I want, I won’t put a single thing in my mouth.”
“But it’s already been two days. Please, at least have this—”
Crunch, crunch.
“I said no! How many times do I have to repeat myself?”
Slurp, chew chew.
“But, my lady…”
“Go tell Father that I haven’t eaten anything at all!”
I snapped sharply while stuffing the chicken skewer I had bought earlier into my mouth.
Mm, this flavor really was unbeatable.
Street food was always the tastiest.
Since I had even locked the door, the maids couldn’t enter without my permission, and I was enjoying freedom for the first time in ages.
A space completely to myself—something a noble young lady could never normally have.
They keep barging in all the time saying things like they need to pick my clothes, brush my hair, and whatever else…
After finishing my food, I made sure to open the windows wide to air out the room.
I had been secretly sneaking into the capital city over and over to clear quests, and lately I’d developed a habit of buying snacks whenever I went out, to the point where I felt like my stomach might burst.
Good thing my room’s on the first floor…
Otherwise, I would’ve been forced into a real hunger strike.
And fortunately, this whole act counted as part of Eveline’s hysterics, so even without causing any actual trouble, I could quietly let the days pass.
Thanks to that, my throat hurts less these days.
Since it had already been two days, tomorrow would probably be the time to stop. The duke should be visiting soon.
No matter how troublesome his daughter might be, surely he would come if rumors spread that she hadn’t eaten for three days.
At the same time…
“…She still hasn’t eaten today?”
The Duke of Rosenthal lowered the documents he had been reviewing and muttered coldly.
“She said that until Your Grace grants her wish, she won’t eat anything…”
One of the servants spoke with an awkward expression.
The duke pressed his fingers against his tired eyes.
He already had enough matters occupying his mind; he had no room left to indulge his daughter’s tantrums.
After a brief silence, he asked,
“…Are we certain this is because of the engagement?”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
He had expected some degree of rebellion, but he never imagined she would go so far as to starve herself.
Even after the harsh treatment she had received from the Crown Prince, she was still clinging to him like this.
It was because she had been spoiled rotten growing up without a mother. Rather than disciplining her properly, he had always soothed her by giving her whatever she wanted.
That was why she had believed even the Crown Prince would eventually be hers.
…I honestly don’t understand what’s so great about that pretty-faced bastard.
The duke did acknowledge Crown Prince Ludwig’s abilities.
But as a husband—or a son-in-law—he was lacking.
He seemed like the sort who would calculate every gain and loss before making demands behind the scenes.
Yes… if he had to choose a son-in-law, perhaps the Second Prince would actually be—
The moment the duke imagined Eveline getting married, he frowned deeply. For some reason, he didn’t want to think about it any further.
To be honest, he didn’t particularly like the Second Prince either. That sly smile of his, the way he grinned pleasantly while still saying exactly what he wanted… it was rather…
The duke slowly tapped his fingers against the desk.
It was a gesture filled with strange emotions.
Meanwhile, the servant still stood there awaiting an answer.
“…Your Grace?”
When no response came, the servant asked hesitantly.
The duke reluctantly opened his mouth.
“Very well. You may leave. I’ll go see her after today’s work is done.”
Since he had many matters to handle at home, he was already working remotely rather than attending the palace. If he finished quickly, he could at least spare a little time to visit his daughter.
Even while signing the documents before him, the duke couldn’t stop worrying.
I have no idea how I’m supposed to say this.
After all, he had essentially told his heartbroken daughter to immediately become engaged to another man.
Words of comfort did not come easily to him. Comforting others was not something he was used to.
Still, one thing was certain: this truly was the best option for Eveline.
Now that the Crown Prince had broken off their engagement, it would be difficult for her to marry into any respectable family. Wouldn’t it be better for her to become engaged to another prince instead?
Yet Eveline didn’t understand his intentions at all…
“…Ha.”
“…”
“Your Grace? Are you listening?”
“Ah.”
The duke lifted his head.
Joshua, the chief administrator, was standing before him with a concerned expression. Snapping back to reality, the duke accepted the paper Joshua handed him.
“My apologies. My thoughts wandered for a moment.”
“I hope you are not unwell.”
“…No. Do not worry.”
The duke naturally began reading the document.
Hm?
At first glance he thought nothing of it, but then he reread the report from the beginning—this time with full concentration.
“Is this true?”
“Yes.”
Joshua nodded and continued his explanation.
“Do you remember when the Second Prince spoke about the northern front before?”
“Yes. We agreed to dispatch the Fourth Knight Order of the duchy.”
It had been one of the conditions requested by the Second Prince:
To send part of the duke’s knight order as reinforcements for the prince’s forces stationed in the north.
The northern front was a place plagued by constant conflicts. Since it bordered the great plateau, disputes with the tribes living near the border occurred frequently.
But the contents of this report stated that the conflict might now be completely resolved.
In other words, the issue had been settled before the duke’s knights even needed to be dispatched.
“…The Second Prince’s achievement.”
“That is correct.”
The prince’s forces had resolved the conflict.
And not just any conflict, but a deeply rooted feud that had continued for years.
At a time like this, such news was a blessing for the duke.
“Has there been any word from the Second Prince?”
“Not yet.”
The duke pondered briefly before speaking again.
“The next council meeting should be quite entertaining. They won’t be able to avoid rewarding his forces.”
“There will likely be heavy opposition. After all, he did not completely subjugate the border tribes—he merely reconciled the hostility between them.”
“Fools who don’t understand that this was the best possible solution.”
Why unnecessarily escalate matters and spill blood?
The duke greatly admired the Second Prince’s peaceful methods and attitude—so much that he unconsciously smiled.
“It seems I can finally begin supporting the Second Prince in earnest starting from the next meeting.”
“The timing is excellent. It will also make it easier to win over the other nobles one by one.”
The duke slowly nodded.
Things were progressing more smoothly than expected.
“Hmm… Did I gain weight?”
I muttered while staring into the mirror.
Touching my jawline, it really did feel slightly puffier. Probably because I’d been snacking nonstop instead of eating proper meals.
While taking a short break after completing some minor quests, I had been thinking about ways to make Rakiel emperor.
First, start with what I can do immediately.
The most important thing was raising Rakiel’s reputation to Ludwig’s level.
No matter how much he wanted to become emperor, no matter how virtuous he was compared to Ludwig, none of it would matter if the people didn’t recognize him.
In short, the most urgent task was carving his name into people’s minds.
Preferably in a positive way.
There were many possible methods.
And the easiest one for me to do was—
At that moment, I heard movement outside the door.
“My lady, the duke has arrived.”
Ah, was it already that time?
It was the evening of the third day exactly. My prediction that the duke would come today had been completely accurate.
I started to rise from my seat, then paused.
……
“…Tell him I do not wish to see him right now.”
“Pardon?”
“Hurry!”
Muffled voices came from outside the room.
Just as expected, Ginny’s flustered voice soon followed.
“M-my lady, His Grace insists that today he absolutely must—”
Bang!
“Eveline, what exactly do you think you are doing?”
The Duke of Rosenthal’s voice rang out, heavy with restrained anger.
As always, his face remained expressionless, but there was a slight furrow between his brows.
Oh, he’s angry.
It was a rare sight.
I didn’t even turn to look at him. I simply remained seated on the sofa.
“What do you mean? I’ve merely been staying in my room.”
“I heard you have gone three days without eating.”
“I wasn’t hungry.”
“….”
The duke’s gaze turned icy.
“Leave us.”
“Y-yes, Your Grace!”
Ginny hurriedly shut the door behind her and fled.
A heavy silence settled over the room, and I secretly swallowed nervously.
This was the first time I had ever faced the duke when he was this angry.
“Eveline.”
The duke called my name in a chilling voice.
