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Chapter 13
“Rewan here. I look forward to working with you, Sir Ben.”
The prospective duchess, Rewan Hiela, was, as the duke had said, well within the category of an ordinary noble young lady. Ben, who had finally arrived at Elauno Castle after many twists and turns, thought this with a mixture of relief and worry as he greeted her.
On her first day at the ducal residence, she was guided by an unusually flamboyant governess and walked through the grand Great Hall and the magnificently stretching corridors. Madam Harbert’s explanations about the past dukes and duchesses were at a level comparable to a university history lecture.
In a situation that would have intimidated most nobles, Rewan neither acted frivolously nor did she become submissive.
She showed no signs of vanity at her sudden rise in status, nor did she appear intimidated by it.
Her deep violet eyes simply shimmered with a calm blend of pure curiosity, awe, and restraint.
At the very least, her focus was commendable. Even without formal training in etiquette, her manners were quite graceful. Ben felt a strange sting in his chest, imagining the kind-hearted parents who must have devoted their love and teaching to their only daughter despite limited means.
“…It’s truly an honor. It feels like a dream that I can become a member of the Steinway family, which carries on such a great history. I will do my best not to bring shame to it.”
Seeing her speak with such firm resolve, Ben once again let out a deep breath of relief.
Honestly speaking, he was grateful she hadn’t fallen asleep in front of Madam Harbert’s excessively long and enthusiastic lectures.
“Thank you for saying so. We are also honored to welcome Lady Rewan as our master.”
In truth, her first impression had not been entirely simple.
It was because she was exceptionally beautiful. When Ben had visited Tesena last winter to deliver the duke’s marriage proposal, he had been surprised by her outstanding beauty, while also feeling deep concern.
So that’s how it was. He had heard she lived in a poor rural village yet still received marriage proposals from high-ranking nobles. It even seemed possible that it was not her piety but her beauty that had attracted suitors.
In the end, had even his master been just another shallow man? Ben swallowed his bitterness.
But what did it matter? He had only hoped he would marry at all. As long as the bride’s character and abilities were not below average, he had come prepared to accept her.
People were resources. If you assigned skilled professionals and refined them, they could improve significantly. As long as she was not a troublesome burden worse than having no one at all, that would be enough. With a capable duke and diligent subordinates, the ducal house would continue to function smoothly as always.
“I hope I am not taking up too much of Lady Rewan’s time, as I know you must be busy preparing for the wedding. If the duke thinks it is excessive, I will reduce the lesson schedule.”
Thus, her engagement period must have been a time of trial for her. At one point, even Madam Harbert, who normally led the strict study schedule, had to glance nervously at the duke while looking for his fiancée.
“What does she say?”
The duke, unexpectedly, did not interfere with his fiancée’s affairs. Perhaps because he was too busy with the procedures required to officially become one with her.
“Lady Rewan does not particularly complain…”
“Then it should be fine. She is someone who enjoys studying.”
Lessons were held nearly half a day every day. During short breaks, Rewan would go out into the garden for fresh air or eat snacks alone, her eyes—like amethysts—constantly sparkling as she looked around with an occasional grin.
She seemed either naturally easygoing and positive, or simply well-suited to a life of constant study in the ducal residence. He had yet to determine whether she had a sharp tongue, but the duke’s description of her as energetic and spirited seemed accurate.
Ben was simply grateful that the duke’s bride did not run away under pressure, but instead studied diligently and waited for the wedding.
“Um, I’d like to sell this.”
And then, on the day one week before the wedding.
“It’s not something very valuable… but it was made as part of my great-grandmother’s dowry and has been passed down and used ever since. But I saw that there is already a prayer stand in the chapel here. I thought having two in one household would be excessive.”
What she presented was a round prayer stand engraved with the cross-shaped radiant pattern, the symbol of Ingestan.
Ben was left speechless at the luminous glow emitted by the familiar crystal orb.
Prayer stands were made of crystal or gold. In other words, materials that were easily scratched. There was an old belief—whether true or not—that a prayer stand blessed by a priest would shine more brilliantly the more it was polished, reflecting the believer’s devotion. Thus, worshippers cherished their prayer stands, projecting their hearts onto them. However, to prevent that devotion from turning into self-reproach, jealousy, or doubt, they were not shown to outsiders and were only used privately as a means of refining faith.
So this must have been the first time she had ever shown her family’s prayer stand to another person.
The crystal shimmered as if it were made of diamond, flawless and dazzling.
“But this is…”
How was something like this even possible?
Even the golden prayer stand of the prestigious Steinway family could not compare. Moreover, this crystal piece was clearly a mass-produced item distributed by imperial apprentice craftsmen under Emperor Recteon of the Old Faith, designed so even commoners could afford prayer stands. The maker’s signature on the base proved it. It certainly could not be diamond.
“Please keep it a secret from the duke. He told me not to sell any more of my belongings.”
Rewan smiled shyly and placed the prayer stand into Ben’s hands.
Ben, now holding the sacred object too precious to even touch carelessly, trembled slightly. Though his own faith as a modern believer was rather shallow, seeing such impossibly pure brilliance before him made his sense of reverence naturally well up.
It must not be her alone. Just how noble must her lineage be for a mass-produced crystal to shine like this?
“Please sell it and use it for our ducal house.”
Rewan’s cheeks turned peach-pink as she said it was also her late parents’ wish.
It was a treasured object, but ultimately only a tool for cleansing the heart. Her parents had told her not to become attached to the object itself, and that if she were ever fortunate enough to marry into the Ingestan family, she should sell the prayer stand and use it as part of her dowry.
“Even so, I do not feel comfortable selling this,” Ben said, unable to restrain himself from persuading her.
“You should keep it. Even if you put it up for auction, our duke—or I myself—would empty our entire fortunes to acquire it the moment we saw it. This is absolutely not something to sell, my lady.”
In the end, she accepted his advice. After all, it was a precious family heirloom and a sacred object.
Ah… this is the woman who will become the duchess of our Waveriver.
Ben felt as though six years of hardship serving a stubborn, unmarried master were washed away like a sudden shower of holy water.
In the end, the master wolf had found an excellent mate.
After all, who had chosen that wolf—no, that heir? Was it not the heir personally selected by the late Duke Felix Steinway, who had taken him in as a son because he had taken a liking to him?
It had been Ben who was mistaken. It was his own lack of faith in the judgment of the previous and current masters that was the fault.
Silently repenting, Ben renewed his loyalty once more.
“Normally at this time of year, the duke would be attending a rather tedious lord’s council.”
Preparations for the blessed wedding proceeded smoothly.
“Hmm. The spring council being postponed was fortunate, then.”
“That is exactly what I was going to say. It is far better for the council to be postponed than for the duke’s wedding to be delayed. I could attend in his place, but he refuses.”
Ben, unusually excited, smiled broadly every day. Even Kay seemed suspicious, glancing at him oddly.
“If I had known you would be this happy, I would have hurried things along.”
“That honor is too much, my lord.”
“You have no faith in me.”
“Of course not. There has never been a time when my faith in you was stronger.”
Even the duke, who continued working as though wedding preparations were merely part of his routine duties, seemed to finally feel it when he put on his ceremonial attire, smiling faintly in rare embarrassment.
The duke, Kagan Steinway, dressed in pure white ceremonial robes, no longer looked like an ordinary human man. He resembled the statue of the handsome god Keor, whom Ben had always disdained. Once guests arrived, they would no doubt endlessly chant Keor’s name. But today, even that fact did not irritate Ben.
At last. Finally. At long last.
He would finally be free from being mocked by other lords as a lonely master without a spouse, a polished but empty man, or worse—rumored to have some kind of defect as a man.
“Congratulations, Duke!”
“Wishing you a hundred years of happiness, Duchess! Duke!”
The wedding was held grandly on a clear, beautiful day. The cathedral of Elauno Castle was packed with people. With five members of the imperial family, including the Emperor and Empress, in attendance, guests of all ranks prayed for the newlyweds.
It was a dazzling spring day, the sun shining over the fertile lands of Waveriver.
“So the duke is finally attending events as a married man.”
Ben deliberately mentioned this satisfying fact the evening before the duke’s departure for Dubon, while checking whether his travel preparations were in order.
“No.”
However, the duke immediately denied it, speaking in a tired tone while reading Ben’s condensed report.
“I am going to Dubon alone.”
“Why are you not going with her?”
Ben asked in confusion, and the duke lifted his gaze from the documents.
There was a clear reprimand in his eyes. Simply being stared at made Ben’s stomach tighten, as though struck by a sharp blade.
“Did I not say? I will not assign her anything.”
“Oh.”
He had completely forgotten.
Ben quickly reassessed his master’s intent.
“Does that mean the duchess will be excluded from external affairs?”
“Well.”
The duke tapped the table slowly with his index finger. It seemed even he had not decided on a precise answer.
After a moment, his words made Ben even more alarmed.
“Not limited to external affairs—exclude anything that is not absolutely necessary for her to do. House matters can continue as they have been handled by you and me.”
Why? Why had he brought in a duchess at all?
Ben did not even dare to ask. It was already night, and his master had a grueling schedule to endure. Moreover, the new bride was waiting for her husband today.
This question would have to wait for a more relaxed time.
“Let us not speak of this again.”
But even that was cut off by the duke as he stood up.
“Yes, my lord.”
Ben simply bowed quietly in obedience. As a subordinate, it was his duty to persistently question even matters the master wished to avoid if necessary—but not now.
He decided to put the duke’s strange instruction aside for the time being. There would be enough time before any major matters requiring the new duchess’s involvement arose.
“Dubon… the county of a count, you mean?”
However, something that unsettled Ben happened the very next day.
The duchess did not even know that her husband had left the castle. How pitiful. Her awkward smile, as though trying to hide her shock, deepened Ben’s sense of guilt.
“I am truly sorry. I should have informed you separately, Duchess. It was my mistake.”
Ben hurriedly apologized and made excuses. It was indeed his fault. But that alone was not enough. This was a shared responsibility.
At any rate, the master needed to know that he had hurt his wife.
He immediately picked up a pen.
