~Chapter 57~
“Paulo, did Larvihan scold you?”
Lovelace asked kindly, while glaring at Larvihan standing at the door. Larvihan only shrugged as if wrongly accused.
“Sis, are you going to marry him? I hate Sir Larvihan. Don’t marry him!”
Paulo poured out words he would never dare say if they were alone.
Lovelace mouthed silently at Larvihan.
‘What did you say to the child?’
‘All I said was we’re getting married.’
‘And that made him cry like this? You told him if his sister marries, he’ll be left alone, so he must study harder, didn’t you?’
Larvihan looked indignant. He had thought about telling Paulo to study harder, but hadn’t actually said it.
“It’s not true,” he said firmly, meeting Lovelace’s doubtful eyes.
Meanwhile Paulo clung to his sister, sobbing and sniffling. Larvihan grabbed him by the back of the neck. Paulo resisted, but Larvihan’s strength was too much, and he was pulled away.
“Let him go!”
“Running away during study time—where is that polite? You’re the young heir of Harmelda. And you run away just because you don’t like me? Countess Lovelace, thank you for the snacks. Now, since it’s lesson time, may I go in?”
He emphasized “lesson time” so Lovelace couldn’t argue further and accepted the silver tray.
“Sis, I fired him! I fired him!” Paulo shouted.
Larvihan smirked. “If you fire me without cause, you’ll have to pay me a fortune. I’m an extremely high-class tutor. Can the Harmelda estate afford that right now?”
So shameless, using money! Lovelace’s eyes widened in anger.
“Seeing your sister’s reaction, it’s best you sit quietly and study, Paulo. See you later, Rey.”
He pushed Paulo into the room. They heard the boy shouting—then silence.
Could Larvihan have…?
Horrible images crossed Lovelace’s mind. She quickly pressed her ear against the door. Thankfully, she heard no breaking furniture, no sound of blows.
Did he knock him out?
Just as she worried, the door swung open.
“Didn’t hit him, didn’t bully him. Go take care of your own business. You have nothing to do?”
“Well, not exactly…”
“Even if you want to see me, hold back, Rey. After class, I’ll let you see me as much as you want.”
He winked playfully and shut the door before she could scold him.
“Your Majesty, the northern barbarians are moving strangely,” reported the border duke.
Arwen stopped arranging flowers. Setting the vase on the windowsill, she walked toward him.
The duke bowed deeply, pressing his forehead to his arm in loyal respect.
“You’ve worked hard. It must have been tiring to come all this way without rest.”
“No, Your Majesty. When the people at the border cannot sleep peacefully, how could I?”
He was a good soldier, upright and loyal. Arwen admired that, though sometimes it was troublesome.
“You’re admirable. The people under your rule must be happy.”
“It’s all thanks to Your Majesty’s wise reign.”
The duke waited for her to ask what support he needed to fight the barbarians. That was the reason he had rushed to the capital, spending money he didn’t have, using portals multiple times.
But Arwen kept dodging the point, speaking calmly as if the situation weren’t urgent.
“Your Majesty, our stored grain is less than three months’ worth. As you know, spring comes late in the north. Harvest will take a long time.”
“And?”
The clever empress was pretending not to understand. The duke recalled the rumors about her.
“They say you are a just ruler. When famine struck, you opened the granaries to save the people.”
“When the plague spread, do you remember? I went myself to the Holy See and said: take as much money as you want, just send the priests to heal the people.”
Yes, he had heard the stories—kind, righteous, sparing no effort for her people.
Am I being too roundabout?
He pressed his forehead harder to his arm, gathering courage.
“If you release military grain to us, it will greatly strengthen the border defense, Your Majesty!”
He shouted so passionately that spit flew onto the fine carpet. Arwen quietly looked down at the back of his head.
Did he really not know why she ignored the northern barbarians? Still, with him begging like this, she couldn’t keep pretending. But she didn’t want to use imperial resources either.
The northern border… whose land was that again?
An idea came to her.
“Go back and wait. I will send reinforcements.”
If reinforcements went, supplies would follow too.
The duke’s face lit up with hope.
“Thank you, Your Majesty! Thank you!”
So the rumors were true. With such a ruler, the empire would thrive. His steps were light as he left.
“Bring me a pen,” Arwen ordered once he was gone. The servant hurried. On a clean white paper, Arwen wrote quickly.
“Send this to Countess Lovelace.”
“Another land grant, Your Majesty? You’ve already given her much. Isn’t this too much…?”
Arwen smiled at her advisor Salerio, and he fell silent.
“Whether it is a gift or not—we’ll see. Deliver it.”
Salerio obeyed without a word. Arwen looked at the vase on the windowsill, then pushed it out the window.
“Countess! Countess!”
It was when Lovelace returned to her office. Judith ran up the stairs two at a time.
“Judith, you’ll run out of breath.”
Bent over, Judith panted hard.
“Downstairs—huff—right now—”
“Catch your breath first.”
Lovelace leaned against the wall, waiting. Finally Judith stood straight, breathing deeply, and nodded.
“There’s a guest downstairs.”
“A guest?”
Could it be Gariel? She had sent an apology letter for the mess with Duke Handlake. Or maybe Beatrice? Lady Melissa? Madam Quireton? Not Madam Johan—she never visited without notice.
“It’s His Majesty’s envoy.”
A completely unexpected guest.
After asking to be friends, Arwen had taken no further action. Aside from introducing her to some people at a banquet, she had asked nothing of her. Lovelace had nearly forgotten about it. And now, an envoy?
“You must go quickly,” Judith urged. This wasn’t a personal letter but an official imperial messenger. That required formal treatment. One could not keep the emperor’s envoy waiting—that was why Judith had rushed upstairs so breathlessly.
“Where is he?”
“In the entrance hall.”
“Not in the parlor?”
“The receiver of the command must come down to hear it. Until then, the envoy cannot sit.”
How complicated.
Lovelace went down. As Judith said, in the hall stood the emperor’s envoy, dressed in full imperial uniform, tall and handsome, holding the imperial standard.
“Countess Lovelace Harmelda, come forward and receive the emperor’s command!”
His booming voice filled the hall with authority.
So they don’t send just anyone as envoy.
Lovelace knelt before him, as Judith had taught her.
“I will receive His Majesty’s command.”
The envoy untied the ribbon on a rolled parchment. Lovelace kept her eyes on his polished shoes as he slowly read Arwen’s letter aloud.
“I hereby grant Countess Lovelace Harmelda the lands near Mount Danger in the north.”
What? He was giving her land? For no reason?
Lovelace glanced at Judith. Her face was grim.
Why look so unhappy over land?
“Countess Harmelda, answer!”
Startled, Lovelace quickly lowered her head. The sudden land grant left a bad feeling, but she couldn’t refuse an imperial decree.
She forced her expression calm.
“I will obey His Majesty’s command.”
When she raised her hands, the envoy smiled with satisfaction and handed her the parchment. Task complete, he left without another word.
Nora and Becky, who had been secretly watching, hurried over to help Lovelace stand.
“Why do you all look so grim?”
It wasn’t just Judith. Nora and Becky’s faces were dark too.
“Isn’t more land always good?”
“Land depends on the land,” Judith sighed deeply.
Soon, Lovelace understood what she meant.
