TWMM 02

“You cannot enter right now.”

I stared at the person blocking my path with disbelief.

Getting on a train headed north had been fine enough. Though I’d cursed the whole way there.

Why is there no direct train to the Grand Duchy?!

I’d already known that fact, of course, but experiencing it personally made my blood boil. No wonder every major merchant guild avoided the North like the plague.

After changing trains and carriages countless times, I finally managed to arrive in the northern territory.

Grumbling under my breath, I got off the train with my luggage and headed toward the castle gates.

And as you can see, I was stopped immediately.

“A knight?”

“Can’t you tell? I’m a formally appointed knight who has completed his investiture ceremony—”

“This is the Grand Duke’s castle, so why is a knight from another family here?”

The knight, who had been acting smug, faltered when I questioned the crest on his uniform. It wasn’t the roaring wolf emblem of Runein, but another family’s insignia.

“Hah. Why would a commoner care about that? Anyway, you can’t go in, so get lost.”

Since nobles passed through the gates in carriages, he’d naturally assumed that someone arriving on foot like me was a commoner.

Realizing the situation, I scoffed.

“Call your superior.”

“What?”

“I said call your superior. You’re saying I can’t enter? Then I deserve an explanation.”

A knight from another house? Fine, maybe there was some circumstance behind that. I could ask about it later.

But there was another issue.

He doesn’t recognize me?

Me, Elysia Seton—no, Runein?

We’d only been married for a week, but I was still officially a Runein.

Even if he belonged to another family, how could an employee fail to recognize a member of the house he served?

“You’re not calling them? I’d appreciate it if you did.”

“And who exactly should I call?”

While we were locked in that standoff, a familiar voice sounded behind me.

I’d been standing there with my arms crossed in a rough posture, but the low voice settling near my ear startled me so badly I nearly jumped.

“Mother of—!”

“My apologies.”

As I stumbled, a man gently wrapped an arm around my waist to steady me.

“My lady.”

Still held in the arms of the man—Shubel Runein—I blinked.

“…Why are you here?”

“Because this is where I live.”

At that, realization dawned on me.

Then Shubel slowly blinked and asked,

“Shall I kill him?”

His voice was soft and pleasant, like a spring breeze.

I stared at him in horror.

“No, I just wanted a satisfying moment after all that frustration! I wasn’t asking for a funeral!”

“But it’s troublesome to hold back…”

“What did you just say?”

“Hmm. I see. Understood. Then I’ll handle it… moderately. Normally.”

I did not trust that statement even a little.

Keeping a straight face, I turned to the knight.

“Go call your superior.”

“…Y-Yes, ma’am!”

After that, everything was processed instantly.

The knight who had blocked my way was punished with a one-year salary cut, demotion, and expulsion from the Grand Duchy.

Watching it all happen the moment I arrived, I let out a sigh and turned back to Shubel.

“Why are there knights from other families in the Grand Duke’s castle to begin with?”

“Because we don’t have money.”

“…Excuse me?”

“House knights are expensive. Their maintenance costs are absurdly high.”

Well, that was true, but still—

“…Don’t tell me there isn’t a single one?”

“That’s not it. The First Knight Order still remains.”

Apparently they were scattered across the North to maintain public safety.

He kindly explained that most of their manpower was concentrated in the border fortresses where monsters frequently appeared.

Before I’d even entered the Grand Duke’s castle, I already felt dizzy.

This situation is way worse than I thought.

My plan to clear the Runeins of the false treason accusations had been simple.

Strengthen House Runein.

Though their glory had faded now, they were once a family whose name echoed across the entire continent—greater even than the imperial family.

The great Runein.

I believed that if they regained power worthy of that name, they could crush any accusation thrown at them.

“What about the gifts the Seton family sent as dowry? Wouldn’t that at least solve the urgent problems?”

“They arrived safely today, actually. Thank you, my lady.”

Shubel smiled softly.

“That was part of our contract.”

I immediately drew a line.

“And could you stop calling me ‘my lady’? It gives me goosebumps.”

“I don’t think I can do that. You are my lady, after all.”

He could act as sweet and soft as melting ice cream one moment, yet be strangely stubborn the next.

Was he like this in the original story too…?

I couldn’t remember.

Our married life had barely been described in the novel, so I’d never really known what kind of person Shubel had been before becoming consumed by revenge.

After becoming the avenger, though, he was described as terrifyingly cold and ruthless.

A merciless man who executed everyone even remotely connected to the false treason charges—including infants still nursing from their mothers.

As befitted the protagonist, he possessed abilities beyond human limits, along with an unsettling sense that his humanity itself had worn away.

[This is the story of a man who loses everything and seeks revenge.]

The emotionless absolute ruler from the original novel looked nothing like the man standing before me now.

I stared fixedly at Shubel.

“Let’s go for now.”

“To where…?”

Shubel slowly blinked with that innocent-looking face of his.

I looked at him like he’d asked the dumbest question imaginable.

“To your house, obviously.”

And now, it was going to be my home too.

“Welcome back, young mas—”

The experienced butler of the Grand Ducal household managed to finish his greeting flawlessly despite seeing the family’s sole heir walk in carrying a sparkling hot-pink bag.

“…ter. And greetings to the young madam. It is an honor to meet you. I am Vikal, the head butler of the castle.”

Oh, as expected of the butler from such an old and prestigious ducal house. He hadn’t forgotten to acknowledge me trailing in behind.

I lightly waved at the servants peeking at me with curious eyes.

Yes, hello. I’m Elysia. Not Seton anymore—Runein now.

I was smiling brightly and offering fan service when I suddenly remembered something and turned to Shubel.

“You must’ve been surprised by my sudden arrival. I brought a gift since it felt wrong to come empty-handed.”

“A gift, you say?”

It was Butler Vikal who echoed my words in confusion.

When I held out my hand, Shubel obediently handed me the bag.

I opened it and pulled out a thick bundle of papers.

“The train station looked far too outdated on the way here.”

Flap—

As the papers unfolded, the glorious scent of money filled the air.

Sitting on the hall sofa with my legs crossed, I spoke meaningfully.

“So I’m thinking of rebuilding it.”

It was a blank checkbook.

[What is the total value of ‘The Empire’s Greatest Heiress’ outfit today?]

[An in-depth look into Elysia Seton’s spending habits!]

[A prodigal daughter of luxury and indulgence. Is this truly acceptable?]

Whenever I appeared in public, newspapers rushed to publish articles like that.

And if you asked whether those articles were false—

Nope. What’s wrong with luxury?

I loved luxury. I was the kind of person who believed that everything I owned and every place I stayed should be the very best.

And naturally, shouldn’t the people around me receive the best treatment too?

From my perspective, the Grand Duke’s castle was a complete failure.

Forget the dignified elegance of an ancient noble house—this place is just old and shabby. The servants’ uniforms are bland. And when was that chandelier last cleaned? A hundred years ago? Did they preserve relics from the Thousand Years’ War and decide to live with them?

Since we needed to restore the prestige of House Runein anyway, I concluded that the entire castle—from floor to ceiling—needed to be renovated.

And the very first thing I chose to tackle was the train station.

“Then shall we meet the financial administrator first?”

Following Shubel’s lead, I headed off to meet the estate treasurer.

But then—

“Here we are.”

The place Shubel brought me to was none other than the Grand Duchess’s room.

“?”

Caught completely unprepared at the prospect of meeting my mother-in-law, I panicked.

“W-Wait a second. Just wait.”

“I’m not ‘wait a second,’ my lady.”

“…”

“Please call me Shubel. Or perhaps ‘dear’ would also be fi—”

“Shubel.”

“Yes?”

I looked at the absurdly handsome man smiling with curved eyes and trembling fists.