Chapter 55
It had been a quiet night for the first time in a while.
The harsh Winterford winds that usually blew fiercely seemed to be resting today.
In the large Winterford Castle, Kylen’s footsteps echoed unusually loudly through the quiet hallway.
When Kylen returned to his office, Dylan, who had been buried in documents, quickly jumped to his feet.
“Where is the Princess?”
“She seems better.”
“That’s a relief.”
“Yes.”
Kylen walked quickly to his desk, set down the documents he had planned to read in April’s room, and sat down.
As Kylen pulled his chair closer and began reading from the topmost document, Dylan was about to sit down when Kylen called him.
“Dylan.”
“Yes?”
Dylan straightened his glasses as he stood again. Without looking at him, Kylen kept his eyes on the papers and said:
“Look into the divorce procedures in detail.”
“Yes, I under— …sorry, what?”
Dylan, who had answered out of habit, widened his eyes.
“If you pay the divorce fee to the temple, it becomes official, right? Find out exactly how much it costs, and whether there have been any royal divorce cases before. If possible, check cases among noble families too, and what usually happened to the women afterward. Look into everything.”
Dylan rolled his enlarged eyes.
“Already? D-Did the Duchess do something wrong…?”
Kylen didn’t answer. After seeing Kylen’s firmly closed lips, Dylan straightened his posture.
“…Yes. I’ll find out as quickly as possible.”
Dylan sat down, picked up his pen, and glanced secretly at Kylen.
He remembered the Duchess bargaining over how to get out of the carriage and asking about emergency funds.
What happened between those two?
He was curious, but he forced down the urge and added the new task to his list.
[Investigate divorce procedures (as fast as possible)]
Three days later, April finally got out of bed.
He remembered hearing that the most dangerous part of a child’s illness was a high fever.
He had been scared. Afraid that the small, fragile child wouldn’t be able to endure it.
But April was stronger and braver than expected.
Lea and Kylen wanted her to rest longer, but the patient herself was stubborn.
She sat between me and Lea, chewing her food loudly to show how healthy she was.
Just like that, after three days of illness, April could finally leave the bedroom.
Today, her playmate was her Aiden brother.
Maybe because he always worked on design drawings, Aiden was talented at drawing.
Excited by Aiden’s wonderful skills, April stuck close to him and ordered, “Draw this, draw that.”
And each time, Aiden said, “Yes, Princess,” and drew his best.
In my office.
I watched the two with satisfaction and let out a small sigh.
Ever since I asked Dylan whether he had emergency savings, he had been avoiding me.
He ran away so well. When I finally caught him, he pressed his lips tightly together and said he’d rather drink terrible coffee, refusing to talk.
Should I negotiate with Kylen instead of stubborn Dylan? I wondered, then changed my mind.
The Kapoword project wasn’t something that could be done with money alone.
Since the Empress’s family handled railway business, they wouldn’t stand still if they discovered this research.
The recent ban on exporting ores had happened because of the empire’s southern railway expansion.
It felt like knowing the winning lottery numbers but not being able to buy a ticket. I desperately wanted a drink in the middle of the day.
What should I do…?
I needed to find a way to complete the Kapoword research while keeping it hidden from the Empress.
I sipped my iced coffee and racked my brain when Benjamin came into the office.
“Your Grace, the Duke is looking for you.”
“Me? Right now?”
“Yes.”
Kylen rarely called for me first. Tilting my head, I stood up to leave, but Aiden stopped me.
“Elly.”
I paused at the door and raised my eyebrows.
Aiden, who had opened his mouth to say something, soon shook his head.
“No, nothing.”
“What? You can’t just stop like that.”
“It’s nothing.”
“It doesn’t look like nothing.”
When I pushed, Aiden glanced at April, who was focused on drawing, then looked back at me.
“Then… could you spare me a little time later today?”
“You can’t tell me now?”
“The Duke is calling for you.”
I glanced at Benjamin waiting in the hallway and nodded.
“Alright. I’ll go first. We’ll talk after I get back.”
Seeing Aiden’s darker-than-usual expression, I forced myself to walk out.
Did something happen? Was there a problem with the research?
Thinking and worrying, I soon reached Kylen’s office.
When I entered, I swallowed hard without realizing.
Why is everyone here?
Kylen, Dylan, Caspian, and Isaiah were all gathered.
The heavy atmosphere filled the room. I stood still and looked at their serious faces.
“If you’re here, sit.”
I sat where Kylen pointed and then looked at the table where everyone’s gaze was fixed.
“What is this?”
It looked like something from the imperial family. I saw the Emperor’s seal — a royal decree.
Kylen bent down, picked up the paper, and handed it to me.
Unsure if I should read it, I looked to him, and he motioned for me to take it.
I hesitantly stretched out my hand. Holding the two-page imperial decree, I slowly read from the first page.
“This… what does this mean?”
At first, I thought I read it wrong. Only after reading it three times did I finally understand.
“It seems I have to go to the border.”
At Kylen’s words, I looked at Isaiah, Dylan, and Caspian one by one.
I swallowed and looked down at the decree in my trembling hand.
“…Is it war?”
Isaiah shook his head.
“It won’t happen that easily. The Ober Kingdom was founded by mercenaries. It hasn’t been long since its founding, and four years ago there was a coup. The new king is… quite bold.”
I looked at the decree again as I listened.
“Since the new king took the throne, there have been many disturbances along the LiveRiden Empire–Ober Kingdom border, and His Majesty has been very displeased.”
If you went southwest from Winterford for three to four hours, you reached the Ober border.
Ober — ever since Kylen married and received the Winterford territory, that name often came up among the capital nobles.
Just as Isaiah said, after the coup in Ober, the relationship with the empire changed.
Problems in the border area began to appear.
Some people welcomed Kylen being sent to Winterford, near the Ober border, praising his work with Count Gasten at the frontier. Others said it was too much for a son.
According to the decree, the village closest to the LiveRiden border had been raided by mercenaries from Ober.
The Emperor ordered Kylen to go personally, assess the damage, and hold Ober accountable.
“Do we really have to go? Isn’t that region under Count BrodySengster’s jurisdiction?”
Dylan complained irritably.
Isaiah shrugged and glanced at the decree in my hand.
“I wonder if this is truly the Emperor’s order.”
At Isaiah’s words, Dylan removed his glasses and rubbed his face.
“We can’t ignore a decree with His Majesty’s seal. We have to go.”
I carefully placed the decree back on the table.
“…How long will it take?”
“We won’t know until we arrive, but at least a week. Possibly more.”
Caspian, who had been unusually quiet, answered while touching the dagger at his waist.
I turned to Kylen. With an unreadable expression, he stared only at the decree and said nothing.
He would have to leave Winterford Castle for more than a week.
A deep uneasiness rose in my chest.
Something felt dangerously wrong.
