Chapter 20
In the blink of an eye, 26 years had passed.
That was more than enough time for the lingering aura of the former divine beast to completely disappear from the land.
Eventually, the skies over Pennington began to be more frequently covered with dark clouds.
Moisture started accumulating in the farmlands of Pennington, cutting the harvest in half. Every body of water—from tiny streams to great rivers—flooded to the point where approaching them became impossible.
Just as anxious murmurs began to spread among the citizens about whether they should leave Pennington before it was too late…
Two years ago from now,
The former duke passed away, and Elkias returned from the capital to succeed the dukedom. At his side was a man who claimed to be a genius mage—Ruid.
There was a reason why Elkias personally brought him to Pennington, promising enormous research funding. With his outstanding magic, Ruid could reduce rainfall even if the sky remained overcast.
Since then, Elkias had been using the magical tools Ruid crafted to do everything he could over the past two years to prevent flooding and drain moisture from the farmland.
Even though he wasn’t a divine beast’s contractor, that achievement was a major reason the people of Pennington warmly welcomed Elkias.
‘But magical tools have their limits.’
The fact that he couldn’t clear away the dark clouds in the sky proved it.
Every time he saw the blackened skies, Marquis Penian’s face darkened with worry.
‘Why hasn’t the new divine beast been born yet? Did those bastards really steal the egg back then? Or did we just fail to protect it…?’
Had Pennington been abandoned by the divine beast?
Shaking his head to drive away the dark thoughts, Marquis Penian sighed.
‘I swore allegiance to Ruidian. I can’t be thinking like this.’
Even if the Duke were to fall into despair and collapse, it was her duty to support and uphold him.
Staring at the overcast skies above, Marquis Penian pressed his lips into a firm line and entered the Freesia Residence.
She believed one should always smile in front of children.
“You there. Please let Lady Veronica know that Marquis Penian is here.”
“Oh, Marquis Penian…!”
The butler of the Freesia Residence bowed quickly upon recognizing her.
“My apologies, but the young lady is currently by the lake.”
“At the lake? With this cloud cover?”
Thanks to Ruid, the presence of clouds didn’t always mean it would rain.
Still, it wasn’t like it never rained. When the skies were overcast, Veronica wasn’t allowed to go out without a guardian.
“Did she go with the madam? Or the Duke?”
“No, my lady went out with the future Duchess.”
“The future Duchess?”
Marquis Penian asked again in surprise.
“She’s grown close enough to go out with her? It hasn’t even been that long since the future Duchess moved into Iris Hall.”
“Well… You’ll see for yourself.”
The butler gave a vague answer and asked whether she would wait for Veronica’s return or go meet her by the lake.
Marquis Penian hesitated only briefly before deciding.
“I’ll go myself. The lake she went to is the one in the southern garden, yes?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
Leaving the Freesia Residence, Marquis Penian let out a series of thoughtful sighs and tilted her head repeatedly.
‘Lady Veronica doesn’t warm up to others easily.’
If she had to describe her, Veronica was like a stray cat—highly cautious and slow to open up.
Marquis Penian had made great efforts to get close to her. It had taken a full year before the girl finally called her “Grandma.”
But someone who had just arrived managed to earn her affection already?
‘How?’
Her confusion soon turned into curiosity. Unable to contain her questions, Marquis Penian quickened her pace.
Covering a 30-minute distance in just 15 minutes, she arrived to find Veronica and Airi sitting on a picnic mat by the lake.
And then she couldn’t believe her eyes.
Though Veronica would call her “Grandma,” she had never allowed even the slightest touch. Yet now, she was practically snuggled in Airi’s arms, even offering her hair to be played with.
* * *
“Isn’t it so unfair? I begged so much to see that play!”
“You mean Rose Frost?”
“Yeah! Have you seen it?”
“Yes. It was amazing. They used magical tools to make the stage light up, and the acting was great—the whole performance was full of tension and drama.”
“Unbelievable! You went by yourself!”
Lady Bell turned to glare at me, her cheek puffed out adorably.
I wanted to pinch her cheek because she looked so cute, but I held back, knowing she’d get sulky.
“If we get the chance next time, let’s go together.”
“…Really?”
“Yes. But I probably can’t take you out alone, so I’ll ask the Duke for permission.”
“You mean it? It’s a promise!”
Lady Bell turned completely toward me and held out her pinky.
I wrapped my own pinky around hers and gave it a few shakes.
“If you break the promise, I’ll be mad.”
“Yes. I don’t want Lady Bell to hate me, so I’ll definitely keep my promise.”
“Hehe.”
With a cheeky grin, Lady Bell plopped back down in front of me and begged me to finish tying her hair.
I gathered her hair and tied it high into a ponytail.
“But Lady Bell, if I remember correctly, Rose Frost is rated for ages 15 and up…”
“…Oh no, Grandma!”
She suddenly jumped to her feet and ran off somewhere like she was escaping.
‘Grandma?’
As far as I knew, both the Duke’s parents were deceased…
But sure enough, Lady Bell ran into the arms of an older woman with stylishly cut short white hair.
The elderly lady initially looked surprised, but then burst into hearty laughter and lifted Lady Bell into a hug.
“You’re running into my arms today? You must be in a great mood.”
“Of course I am! I got to see Grandma!”
The old woman smiled widely, her mouth stretching from ear to ear. From her reaction alone, one would think Lady Bell was her actual granddaughter.
‘Who is she?’
As I stood up and approached them, Lady Bell jumped down and grabbed the woman’s hand to lead her toward me.
“This is your first time meeting her, right? Say hello. This is my new sister-in-law that big brother brought home.”
“Pleased to meet you, future Duchess. I am Marquis Penian, one of the four pillars that support Ruidian.”
Ah!
So this was Marquis Penian! I had heard of her from the Duke.
Among the many vassal families of Ruidian, four houses held major responsibilities:
Penian, Bolani, Kael, and Cheren.
Although the Duke had brought in many young and capable people from the capital, he still relied heavily on the heads of these four families.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Marquis. My name is Airi.”
“Haha, I had heard the Duke had brought the future Duchess to Iris Hall. I was just waiting for the official introduction, but we meet like this.”
Marquis Penian gave me a kind smile as she lightly shook the cake box in her hand.
“I brought plenty of cake. Would you care to join us?”
“I’d love to!”
Lady Bell answered before I could, and I nodded with a smile—there was no reason to refuse.
* * *
“Phew… I can’t eat another bite… Mmmng.”
“Take good care of the young lady.”
“But of course.”
Lady Bell’s nanny, cradling the now-sleeping child, gently climbed into the carriage.
Once the carriage departed, only Marquis Penian and I remained by the lakeside—though technically, my maid Alicia and a few attendants were nearby as well.
“Truly astonishing. I’ve never seen Lady Veronica warm up to someone so quickly.”
“Really? I’ve never met someone as sociable as Lady Bell.”
“Haha, ‘sociable,’ you say? You’re probably the first—and last—person to describe Lady Veronica that way.”
With genuine fascination on her face, Marquis Penian looked at me.
“Future Duchess, if you don’t have any plans after this, would you be so kind as to spare this old woman a bit more of your time?”
