Chapter 26 Part 2: I, the Archduchess of Elchen

The winter sunlight streamed in through the window. It felt cool and warm at the same time.

“Please come in.”

A neat office. Rosa sat facing Hamel.

The inner castle’s chief steward, he had a friendly smile that left an impression.

He was probably in his early thirties. He had dark blue, pulled-back hair and red eyes.

He was quite a seasoned butler. He was good at grasping the personality of the person he was dealing with.

‘Most high-ranking noble ladies would prefer formality, but.’

This time, the situation was a little different.

The newly arrived Grand Duchess had a gentle and kind personality.

She was considerate enough not to use informal speech with the servants, and she had no sense of entitlement.

So, he thought it would be better to act accordingly.

“Please have some, Your Highness.”

Hamel smiled and offered her a teacup.

It contained a warm herbal tea with a reddish tinge.

“It’s called bergamot. It’s an herb that can withstand even the cold northern climate.”

It had a good fragrance and was excellent for colds and dry skin.

Rosa gladly accepted the teacup.

“How is it..?”

The subtle scent reminded her of bittersweet grapefruit.

“It’s good. Maybe because it’s subtle.”

Hamel responded with a smile.

“Did you know? The rumor has already spread. That the new Grand Duchess seems to be a very good person.”

Rosa smiled awkwardly.

“It’s an exaggerated rumor.”

But it was actually quite good. The public opinion of the Grand Duchess, who had only been there for a day.

“Anyway.”

Hamel was a very loyal butler. He wanted to carry out what his lord had asked of him.

“First, I would like to talk to you about the household budget.”

The household budget referred to the budget that the lady or daughter of a noble family could personally manage.

“Therefore, every year at the beginning of the year. Your Highness will be allocated a certain budget. The budget is a total of 100,000 শিলিং. You are free to use it as you see fit.”

“T-ten thousand শিলিং?!”

“Yes.”

Hamel laughed. It was as if he was subtly showing off, saying, ‘This is the kind of man your husband is.’

“However, His Grace, the Grand Duke, asked that you specifically take charge of the garden.”

A hundred thousand শিলিং was the annual budget of a wealthy noble family.

Rosa was, in a way, truly surprised.

She felt a considerable gap between Caron’s position and what she had perceived.

Suddenly, she recalled.

‘..Right.’

All the important strongholds of Elchen.

In the original work, this state wouldn’t be reached for another two years.

Rosa still didn’t know.

The extent of Caron’s control in this place, Elchen.

‘In fact, just looking at this castle, the atmosphere is much brighter and more stable than I expected.’

Maybe she could find out.

The things she couldn’t bring herself to ask Caron directly.

“Hamel. May I ask you a question?”

“Yes. Please feel free to ask anything.”

Hamel nodded readily. Rosa asked with a tense expression.

“I would appreciate it if you could be honest with me. How is the current state of the civil war going?”

“Hmm..”

Hamel seemed to be contemplating.

“Of course, I can tell you.. but before that, are you familiar with this region called Elchen?”

Rosa shook her head.

“Honestly, I don’t know much.”

That was why she had asked Caron to assign her a tutor.

“Now that you have the title of Grand Duchess, it would not look good to invite someone from outside.”

“Ah..!”

Rosa realized. She understood who Caron had conveyed her request to.

“So, I will tell you from now on.”

With a smile, Hamel began a long story.

A lush coniferous forest, towering cliffs.

A land where endless snowfields stretched out.

Elchen was a land that made one feel the harshness of nature.

But in exchange, it was blessed with a harsh cold.

Beautiful Elchen, located in the north of the continent, was once a land where people could not live.

“The first city built on it was Istasia. This city, now called Arnad.”

Due to the cold climate, crops did not grow well. Instead, skills for hunting wild animals were developed.

Fur and leather, lanterns and candles were sold well. Many merchants traveled to Elchen, aiming for high-quality furs.

“As a result, foods that are easy to store even on long journeys, such as jerky and honey-preserved foods, are quite popular.”

At the same time, businesses such as inns and alcohol flourished, targeting the merchants who came and went with each season.

“There are two major festivals, the hunting festival in the spring and the prayer festival in the fall.”

“In the southern regions below, it’s called the harvest festival.”

But in Elchen, fall was. It wasn’t a season for ripening, but a season to prepare for the harsh cold.

There were hardly any crops that could be sown in the first place.

“Instead, we pray for the coming winter to go well and offer tributes.”

The object of their prayers varied.

Of course, the main god of the continent was one. The creator god, Theicia.

The people of Elchen worshipped Theicia, but at the same time, they revered their prey.

Especially the prey that eluded them.

“What exactly does ‘elusive prey’ mean?”

“Literally. Animals that have been targeted by countless hunters but have never been caught.”

The people of Elchen called them divine beasts.

Variang, Theicia, and Ruslanche.

Three families with the emblems of a golden-horned goat, a white deer with three horns, and a swooping white raptor, respectively.

“They are the great families of the local lords of this Elchen region.”

Long ago, the hunters who caught the divine beasts with those names became the ruling class of this land and established those families.

“Except for the Theicia family, but. It’s not particularly important.”

There were a few other families as well.

“In fact, those who caught the divine beasts gained mysterious powers.”

Whether it was because of the unknown ore deep in the snowy mountains, which was monopolized by the ruling class.

“Or if they actually gained some power after catching the divine beasts. No one knows.”

Of course, that was a long time ago.

Along with the destroyed royal capital, all such powers are said to have disappeared.

A land distinctly different from other regions.

Elchen, where the families of hunters gathered, had its own unique solidarity.

So for a long time, Elchen was in a state of chaotic civil war. Each of the great families continued to resist the Empire.

“This is the history of the region of Elchen, and the background of the civil war.”

In fact, the term civil war was a definition from the Empire’s perspective.

From the perspective of the Elchen people, it was resistance against domination.

And finally, Hamel’s answer to Rosa’s question came out.

“But now, to conclude. It’s almost over.”

“..It’s over?”

“Yes. Almost.”

Hamel chuckled.

His lord, the Second Prince, had subjugated many Elchen families. He either destroyed them or persuaded them.

Sometimes through victory in fierce battles. Sometimes through unexpected conciliation.

“So you don’t have to worry about anything. His Grace is most concerned about Your Highness’s well-being.”

The rest of Hamel’s words barely registered.

‘It’s over..?’

Rosa was lost in thought.

Back in her room.

There was also warm milk.

Crunch-

Fresh lettuce crunched in her mouth.

“It’s delicious.”

Rosa mumbled with a satisfied expression, chewing her food.

She had a lot on her mind earlier.

It would be a lie to say she wasn’t flustered. The development had definitely changed from what she knew.

Still.

Caron was well recognized in this place.

Rosa was proud of Caron’s achievements in building his own power base.

‘I don’t need to help him that much.’

She had thought that maybe she should use her knowledge of the original work.

Somehow, she felt relieved.

‘Fortunately, the many crises have already passed.’

If Caron did well, she was happy too.

He was a close friend and like a sibling to her.

She didn’t remember the details, but in the original work.

Caron went through countless hardships.

An event that shook the very foundation that Caron had barely established.

But it seemed to have already passed.

[It’s almost over.]

If his close aide, Hamel, said so.

Now, Rosa started drinking the warm milk.

She held the cup with both hands and sipped it while looking out the window.

‘Caron. He must have gone through a lot.’

To create such a peaceful home.

Rosa would never know how many hardships he had overcome.

‘How was that possible…’

In fact, if it followed the original plot exactly, that would be scary in itself.

Everything was already set in motion. She would just be like a paper doll, swept away.

‘So, should I be grateful instead?’

Of course, to Caron.

Thanks to him, she could forget for a moment that this world was a world inside a novel.

In the end, the essence of the original work was simple.

The male lead and the female lead. And a romance fantasy novel with a happy ending for the two of them.

‘The winner of the struggle for the throne is Caron, anyway.’

She believed that the main plot of such a novel wouldn’t change. Because it was the setting that formed the basis of the novel.

Suddenly. Rosa remembered something from the past.

The day before the harvest festival.

[..I can’t come next month.]

She remembered the boy who had said that with a sunken voice in the dimly starlit field.

Looking back, maybe Caron was already fighting his own battle back then.

‘And I.. didn’t even know.’

Rosa felt a pang of guilt.

‘Should I.. stroke his hair a little.. after a long time..?’

After finishing lunch, Rosa heard some news.

It seemed that the tea party had to be postponed.

A sudden tea party.

For some of the handmaidens, it certainly was.

“It seems.. they have schedules that were already set from last week.”

The middle-aged head maid, Louise, bowed her head deeply, as if she were deeply sorry.

In fact, it was a subtle act of defiance.

Even if they had appointments, they should have canceled them and come.

But Rosa had a gentle and kind personality.

She didn’t want to push her authority.

She nodded as if she understood.

“It’s okay. Let’s do it next time. When everyone is available. It’s not like the tea party has to be today.”

The head maid’s eyes widened, as if she hadn’t expected this answer at all.

‘I thought I would at least get a little scolding.’

The rumor about the kind and understanding Grand Duchess was indeed true.

The head maid, Louise, slowly retreated towards the door.

And so it happened.

Of course, that didn’t mean Rosa just stayed still all afternoon.

She toured the facilities of the inner castle with Hamel.

The workshop, the chapel, and the stables.

She leisurely toured the places Caron had already introduced to her, this time at a more relaxed pace.

Hamel introduced each of the servants.

“This is Bender, a renowned horse trainer in the area. He has a knack for handling horses. No matter how wild a horse is, once Bender here trains it, it will calmly climb the snowy mountains.”

“That’s amazing.”

“It’s too much praise.”

The man called Bender scratched the top of his head, looking embarrassed. And he bowed deeply.

“If Your Grace, the Grand Duchess, ever needs to ride a horse, I will take special care beforehand.”

“Thank you.”

Like that.

It was a greeting with the people she would be seeing often from now on.

Late in the evening when Caron returned.

A faint smell of winter wafted in through the door.

Caron, taking off his cloak and gloves, handed them to Hamel and approached Rosa.

It was like he was checking to see if she had been doing well while he was away.

“I did, thanks to you. Hamel was very helpful.”

Rosa looked up at Caron and answered.

“I heard stories about this land, greeted the servants. Hmm.. just now, I was planning what to grow in the garden.”

“You did well.”

Caron smiled.

And then, like a husband returning to his wife.

He gently held Rosa’s slender frame in his arms and then released her.

Rosa was startled. Even though it had already happened, she playfully hit Caron’s arm.

“What are you doing. Really.”

A scolding tone.

Caron answered.

“It means you did well.”

At those words. In fact, Rosa realized.

‘Only now has another day in this unfamiliar place ended.’

Just that her body

The tension eased.

Whether it was because

She felt particularly reliant on

Caron in this place.

It was hard to tell.

Still, she greeted him.

“You too. You did well today.”

At her pretty smile in full bloom, Caron stopped breathing.

He just naturally held Rosa’s hand after a moment.

“Let’s go to our room and talk. Hamel. Prepare dinner for two. And bring it to my room.”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

Hamel just shrugged at the sight of the two being so close, and the two handmaidens covered their mouths with their hands for no reason.

[It’s a big deal. Today’s tea party..]

‘I can hear everything.’

Hamel clicked his tongue, finding the two handmaidens pathetic as he listened to their whispers. It was as he expected. Of course, not everyone in the castle welcomed the Grand Duchess.

Especially the handmaidens with certain goals were even more so.

They were proud, and they were slow on the uptake, so if they hadn’t seen it themselves, they wouldn’t acknowledge it.

‘Her Grace, the Grand Duchess, is very kind, but. What will happen if they cross the line?’

In fact, that was something Hamel was also curious about.

In any case, he hoped it would be resolved in a good way.

At that time. Caron’s frown was already deepening.