Chapter 56
“About that… If possible, it’s better not to use it all three times.”
“Pardon? Why is that?”
Russell’s office.
At his summons, I went to see Russell, and my voice came out in confusion.
What he was referring to as “that” was the sword stick I was holding in my hand.
“Last time, when you forced yourself to use it three times, you lost consciousness. Since its principle isn’t even clearly understood, if you use up the limited number of uses again, you might pass out once more.”
I couldn’t deny it.
Since this stick is a treasure left behind by an ancient sage, the principle by which it brightens my vision is still unknown.
‘If I lose consciousness again, it’ll put Russell in a difficult position too.’
More than anything, I don’t want to lose consciousness in front of anyone other than Russell.
“Unless it’s an emergency like last time, it seems best to limit its use to about twice a day.”
“I’ll do that.”
Perhaps because he thought I’d agree without trouble, he immediately brought up the next topic.
“Good. Can you still hear the voice of the trees?”
“No. It’s quiet.”
I shook my head.
Russell replied, with a trace of puzzlement in his voice.
“Magic is imagination. Once you expand magic like that, it tends to develop even further afterward.”
“Then why can’t I hear their voices right now?”
Scratch, scratch.
Russell rolled the tip of his pen across the paper as he spoke.
“Who knows? You only recently became aware that it was magic. Even I don’t know where it might have extended. There could be some kind of activation condition.”
“I see…”
Magic is more complicated than I thought.
Since I could communicate with trees so naturally from a very young age, I never even thought of it as magic.
“To sum it up: it would be better to limit the stick to a maximum of about twice a day, unless it’s an emergency. I’ll investigate your magic a bit more. And then—”
“Russell, wait a moment.”
Just then, the sound of footsteps approached.
I cut him off and turned my head toward the door.
“Excuse me. I have something urgent to report.”
“Speak.”
That voice belonged to Frater. When Russell gave his permission, I relaxed my tension.
“The Kingdom of Kasus has responded that they will be sending a peace delegation to tour the system.”
The scratching sound of paper tickling my ears stopped abruptly. Russell leaned back in his chair, the sound of the backrest following.
“As expected.”
“Yes. If they remained still, they would only attract more suspicion.”
Up to this point, it was a predictable scenario.
I carefully asked Frater,
“Um… Frater. I have a question.”
“Your Grace-to-be. You don’t need my permission to ask questions.”
Frater already seemed used to addressing me formally.
‘I thought it would take quite some time to get used to the new title.’
It turned out, it was only me.
I asked carefully,
“Is the crown prince included in the delegation?”
I heard Frater nod.
“According to what we’ve confirmed, yes. Unlike the North, which passed quietly, the central government is in turmoil because of this incident. From Kasus’s perspective, they wouldn’t have been able to endure without sending someone of high rank.”
“Above all, the Empire and the Kingdom are in a lord–vassal relationship.”
That was Russell’s voice.
‘They talk about promoting friendship, but it isn’t an equal relationship.’
I leaned my ear toward the direction of his voice.
“To the Empire, Kasus is a country in the position of a subordinate. They wouldn’t be able to endure without eliminating the seeds of suspicion.”
“I see.”
Given those circumstances, it wasn’t hard to understand why the crown prince would be coming.
“For now, there’s something you need to do.”
“What is it?”
Snap!
When he snapped his fingers, I heard the sound of the door opening, and at the same time, unfamiliar footsteps approached.
‘Who is it? It’s not Asha.’
Footsteps change depending on how much weight is placed on the heel, the stride, and the material of the shoes.
These footsteps were so light and quiet that they barely lingered in the ear.
“Greetings to the betrothed Archduchess.”
Swish—
I heard the sound of a skirt being lifted.
It wasn’t Asha’s voice. It was an unfamiliar one.
‘Not a lively, bouncing voice like Asha’s, but a calmer, more weighted, and composed one.’
I cleared my throat twice and asked cautiously,
“Who is it?”
“I am Ully, the head maid. I apologize that I could not greet you sooner.”
So she was the head maid.
When I met His Majesty before, Russell himself had taught me etiquette, so I hadn’t known.
“It’s fine.”
I turned my head toward Russell as if asking for an explanation.
I heard him nod.
“Learn etiquette from Ully. During this visit, they’ll be staying at Glacies Castle for two days to recover from their journey. Of course, luck like when you met His Majesty won’t work this time.”
Even then, I had practiced thoroughly before going.
‘But back then, I could manage because Russell, as my fiancé, stuck right by my side and escorted me.’
Now I was the archduchess-to-be. And inside the castle, I was already being treated as one. There was no way I could get by with just greetings like last time.
“Your Grace. If you don’t mind, could you walk about ten steps?”
“…Yes. I can.”
When I grabbed the stick and tried to stand, Frater rushed over and held my elbow to help me.
Following the head maid’s instructions, I stood up and walked ten steps as I normally would.
All the while I was walking, I felt as though my gait was being dissected by her gaze.
As soon as I stopped, the head maid spoke.
“Your posture is not bad. However, your way of walking needs correction.”
“Please do.”
“Leave it to me. Once the two of you finish your conversation, we will begin immediately.”
She left with the same quiet footsteps as when she entered the office.
After the head maid left, Russell spoke first.
“Until last time, I handled the audiences alone. But now that everyone is convinced you will become the archduchess, you’ll be the one guiding people through the castle.”
“I see. Don’t worry. I can do it well.”
Russell let out a low laugh.
It wasn’t mocking, but rather a voice that sounded reassured.
“That said, don’t worry too much. Asha will still assist you. Of course, she won’t be able to while she’s at the training grounds.”
“The training grounds?”
When I asked in a dazed voice, Russell answered as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
“Asha officially belongs to the Glacies Knights. Until now, she hasn’t been able to visit the training grounds for a while because she was covertly acting as your bodyguard.”
If it was because of me, maybe she would miss the training grounds.
Just as I thought that—
I remembered the knights who had tried to spar with Russell not long after we came to the North, and how helplessly they had been defeated.
‘…Maybe not.’
As I was sinking into thought, Russell spoke again.
“Since His Majesty appointed us as special envoys for this visit, we have to find out the crown prince’s true intentions.”
“How are you planning to do that?”
Russell let out a soft chuckle and lowered his voice.
“That is…”
* * *
“Your learning speed is truly astonishing. I’ve never seen anyone master etiquette this quickly.”
“Whew… thank you.”
I carefully sat down in a chair as the head maid had taught me.
Glacies Castle was in the middle of preparations to welcome the delegation from the Kingdom of Kasus.
I, too, was busy learning how to guide guests through the castle, how to receive noble visitors, and proper etiquette as an archduchess.
And even while spending my days in such frantic busyness, a thought kept returning to my mind.
‘I want to find the person who killed him and get my revenge… but what would be the right way to do it?’
Should I use power, as someone who was to become an archduchess?
‘But… is it really okay for me to carry out private revenge? So much time has already passed, I don’t even know if I could find the culprit.’
That wasn’t truly the path for the sake of the North.
It was a thought that only considered myself.
Then… how did Russell even know about that story?
‘This is frustrating… I want to get some fresh air.’
Just as my chest began to ache as if it were completely stuffed—
Someone lightly knocked on the door with a finger.
These footsteps were Russell’s.
“Piana. Do you have a moment?”
“I do… but… what’s going on so suddenly?”
Was it something that required separate time away from everyone?
I heard the footsteps of the others, including the head maid, quietly retreating.
Russell approached me and spoke in a calm, secluded voice.
“I came to help you.”
