Chapter 54
This time, it seemed that Reina and her group had truly arrived at the main castle.
Unlike before, the lively noise of people—voices chatting and the sounds of daily life—pierced through the carriage walls.
Reina, who had deliberately avoided looking outside as if trying not to grow attached, finally saw Lautzen for the first time only after the carriage stopped and she stepped out.
The first thing Reina experienced in Lautzen was an overwhelming roar that felt like it could rupture her eardrums.
It happened before she could even fully straighten her body after stepping down from the carriage.
A thunderous cheer erupted toward her.
“Ahhhh!! Welcome, Your Grace!!”
“Waaaah!! Your Grace, we’ve been waiting for you!!”
A massive crowd had gathered around Reina and the knights who had returned to Lautzen.
They cheered joyfully, welcoming her and her party. Some children even ran up and handed her bouquets of flowers.
“This… is for me?”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
“These are so precious…”
She had heard that flowers were rare in Lautzen due to the short blooming season.
Seeing her touched expression, Kalheil smiled faintly.
“Looks like everyone is giving a warm welcome to their new Grand Duchess.”
“Didn’t I tell you? Your Grace and Lautzen are destined to suit each other perfectly.”
Bayen suddenly chimed in, grinning as if to say “I told you so.”
Destiny? If only they knew that Reina’s original fate was to never even set foot in Lautzen and instead be poisoned to death.
Reina shot him a skeptical look.
Feeling guilty under her gaze, Bayen leaned closer and whispered,
“In truth, His Grace gave an order.”
“An order?”
“He said that anyone who does not welcome the Grand Duchess enthusiastically would have to risk their life while living in Lautzen.”
“…What?”
‘No wonder the soldiers waving flags looked so intense.’
This over-the-top welcome was essentially a performance driven by Kalheil—with the people risking their lives to put it on.
Realizing that, Reina’s expression immediately went flat.
Kalheil, noticing this was Bayen’s fault, glared at him coldly.
“I was merely informing Her Grace of your efforts, Your Grace,” Bayen said defensively before stepping away.
“…You didn’t have to go this far.”
“Still, it feels good to be welcomed, doesn’t it?”
Well, if she had to choose, being welcomed was far better than being hated.
“…That’s true.”
At her answer, Kalheil smiled briefly and extended his hand.
“Welcome to Lautzen, my wife.”
Reina stared at his hand for a moment before taking it.
As she slowly walked forward and stepped inside the castle, the interior view unfolded before her eyes.
Inside, another group of people was waiting, bowing in unison.
“Welcome back, Your Grace Kalheil.”
“We have been waiting for you, Your Grace!!”
These were the knights who guarded Lautzen, along with retainers and castle staff.
Their powerful voices and perfectly synchronized movements made Reina instinctively shrink back.
She had never seen so many people move so uniformly.
Even the untrained servants stood perfectly aligned.
‘As expected… the greatest knightly house on the continent.’
Seeing it in person, she couldn’t deny it.
They had protected the capital and the continent for hundreds of years.
Just walking through them made Reina feel intimidated.
Meanwhile, Kalheil looked completely at ease—like someone wearing perfectly fitted clothes.
“It’s been a while. Has everyone been well?”
The moment his brief greeting ended, the perfectly aligned formation broke apart.
The knights rushed toward him.
They were no longer the continent’s greatest knights.
In an instant, they turned into friendly older brothers, uncles, and men chatting noisily.
“Your Grace, why did you take so long to return?”
“We didn’t realize how long a few months would feel without you!”
“At least you returned earlier than expected. We thought you’d come back in autumn when the sea routes closed.”
“Hey, would His Grace really leave Lautzen until winter blocked the seas? He knows he must be here then.”
“Hahaha! If that happened, I’d go fetch him myself!”
Young and old knights alike crowded around Kalheil, speaking over one another.
Despite the chaos, Kalheil looked relaxed—like someone who had finally returned home after wandering for a long time.
Reina found that surprising.
‘I thought, as a member of the imperial family, he’d keep more distance from his subordinates.’
But now that she thought about it, Kalheil only acted refined in the imperial palace. Outside, he behaved much more casually.
‘Also… are all people in Lautzen this big?’
In the capital, Bayen had seemed unusually large.
But here, he was completely average.
The knights around Kalheil were enormous—each one like a giant.
Their voices were so loud that every word echoed.
Reina even worried her eardrums might burst.
After chatting for a while, the knights suddenly looked around.
“Where did the Grand Duchess go?”
“Come to think of it, I saw her earlier…”
Without intending to, Reina had moved to a place where she felt safer.
That place happened to be behind Bayen.
His large body almost completely hid her—but not the hem of her dress sticking out.
The knights noticed the delicate lace and exchanged glances.
Then they rushed toward her.
Surrounding her, they spoke curiously.
“Madam, are you the new Grand Duchess?”
“This is the woman His Grace chose?”
“She’s too small to be the lady of Lautzen.”
“Not just small—she looks like she’d break if touched. Like a fragile rabbit.”
Reina trembled with anger.
‘Small like a rabbit? Me?’
She wasn’t especially tall, but she had never been called small.
Well… compared to these boulder-like men, maybe a little…
She almost snapped back—but held it in.
‘…Endure it.’
She couldn’t start a fight on her first day.
And honestly, she was a little scared.
Their faces weren’t exactly gentle.
Meanwhile, Kalheil watched from afar like it was entertainment.
‘She’s not the type to stay quiet after hearing that… Is she holding back because it’s the first day?’
Seeing her hide behind Bayen, she did seem a bit intimidated.
‘Well, the knights do look a bit rough.’
Compared to the slender men of the capital, they were overwhelming.
‘The same woman who smashed heads like a hammer… now hiding.’
Though it was slightly irritating that she chose Bayen to hide behind instead of him.
Finally, Kalheil stepped forward.
“Have you all said enough about my Grand Duchess?”
With his head tilted and arms crossed, he spoke coldly.
“Calling her a rabbit, saying she’d break with a touch… Do you not realize those words could be considered disrespectful?”
The knights’ faces immediately turned pale.
“Your Grace…?”
“Disrespect…?”
“If that isn’t disrespect, then what is?”
Kalheil’s sharp tone made it clear—they truly hadn’t realized it.
“I can’t kill you since we need every fighter. But perhaps training until you drop will teach you a lesson?”
As fear spread across their faces, a thunderous voice rang out.
“You fools!! Have you no sense of limits?!”
It was loud enough to make even the giant men flinch.
“M-Madeline?”
“Madeline’s back? When?”
The knights turned around in shock.
From Reina’s position, she couldn’t see, only hear.
“I leave for a moment and you dare surround and harass our Grand Duchess? You bunch of bears!!”
“Ahh!! We’re sorry, Madeline!!”
Screams and apologies followed.
Then the crowd parted—and the person who appeared was unexpected.
Reina had assumed it was a man from the voice.
But Madeline was a middle-aged woman.
No—“spirited” wasn’t enough.
She had broad shoulders, a muscular build, and a booming voice that shook the air.
A true warrior woman.
Just from her presence, it was clear how much authority she held over the knights.
“What are you all doing?! Can’t you see you’ve frightened Her Grace?!”
“Well… we were just curious…”
“Quiet!! With faces like yours, how is that not threatening?!”
“That’s a bit harsh…”
The knights protested weakly, but it didn’t work.
“What’s harsh is your faces!! Didn’t you hear His Grace? Get to the training grounds immediately!”
“…Since when was that decided…”
As one tried to object, Madeline glared fiercely.
The knights quickly fell silent and began dispersing.
Soon, the massive crowd thinned, leaving only a few lingering figures in the distance.
“…You’re the same as ever, Madeline.”
Kalheil spoke, sounding slightly dissatisfied that someone else had stepped in before him.
At his greeting, Madeline’s previously stern face brightened instantly.
