Chapter 25
#25. Eleanor von Winterwald
While the servants at the Grand Duke's castle were celebrating their performance bonuses,
the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess were also enjoying some intimate time in a private suite on the top floor.
Under normal circumstances, they would have been making do with sandwiches at this hour.
They would have been seated across from each other in the office, waging war against mountains of paperwork.
But tonight was different.
The two basked in the warmth of the fireplace and clinked their crystal glasses together.
"It seems this is my first time using a fireplace in the castle, Your Highness."
"Hoho. It has been a long time for me as well."
On the table sat steak prepared with the utmost care by the chef and the finest champagne imported directly from the South.
Kylan poured champagne for her himself, then raised a toast in a gentle voice.
"To Winterwald's great finance minister and my beloved wife."
"You honor me…."
Eleanor carefully took a sip of champagne.
Her cheeks, white as snow, took on a faint rosy hue.
Too fast.
Eleanor seemed to be getting drunk much faster than usual.
Perhaps she was happy because he had arranged such a romantic occasion.
Kylan set down his glass and looked into Eleanor's clear eyes.
"I hated the cold of the North so much until now… but with you here, I find that it isn't so bad after all."
"…You embarrass me. I consider it a heaven-sent blessing that I came here as well."
Deep affection for Kylan shone in Eleanor's eyes.
"I shall continue to devote everything I have to you, Your Highness."
Kylan barely kept his gentle smile in place at her heartfelt confession.
He suppressed the urge to pounce on her like a beast.
'Haa… She really is my wife, but she is so beautiful and adorable. How could those idiots in the Imperial family let an angel like her go?'
If he had his way, he felt like bowing every day in the direction of the Emperor.
Of course, he could never genuinely feel any affection for the man who had cast Eleanor into the cold North, where she knew no one.
Kylan smiled faintly, drew a parchment sealed with red wax from inside his coat, and held it out to Eleanor.
"What is this?"
"It's an important matter, so take your time looking it over."
Eleanor carefully broke the seal on the parchment and unfolded it.
"Honestly, Your Highness. You said we'd rest today, but you can't resist working… Huh?"
Eleanor fell silent as she examined the contents of the parchment.
Her eyes widened and began to tremble.
The fingertips gripping the parchment quivered.
What he had handed her was not an approval document or a report.
It was the title deed to the central commercial district of Winterwald's new city, where the continent's merchant tycoons had recently fought a bloody bidding war.
More specifically, it was the title deed to the largest commercial building there.
The owner's name was written in thick, clear ink.
[Eleanor von Winterwald]
"Your… Highness…."
Tears instantly welled in the corners of Eleanor's eyes.
She hurriedly wiped away the thick tears before they could fall onto the deed.
Kylan looked at her with a pleased smile.
'Heh heh. Of course, putting a five-story commercial building with enormous monthly rent in her name was the best gift—far better than a luxury item like a diamond ring! Definitely!'
Of course, Winterwald covered the Grand Duchess's food, clothing, and lodging.
But no one dislikes having a generous allowance.
Kylan firmly believed that Eleanor had been moved by the fantastic rental income that would be deposited every month.
"Sniff… Sob…."
"Are you really that happy? Hoho. If there's anything else you want, just tell me."
"That's… that's not it… Sniff!"
Eleanor burst into tears like a child, clutching the deed tightly to her chest.
"My name… I mean, my name…."
"Your name?"
"Eleanor von… Winterwald. Someone like me… am I truly allowed to use Winterwald's name?"
"Of course. Did you intend to become the mistress of Winterwald and use some other surname? That hurts my feelings.”
At Kylan's deliberately playful voice, Eleanor's shoulders trembled faintly.
"All my life… I was someone who belonged nowhere. But Your Highness… you take me in so naturally, as though it were the most obvious thing in the world…."
Unable to finish, Eleanor once again burst into tears and sobbed.
"Sniff…! Your Highness…. Your Highness…."
Kylan was certain that Eleanor had been moved by the material gift.
But he was wrong.
Eleanor had been moved not by the building's value, but by the new name written on the document.
The moment he heard the sincerity in her trembling voice,
something in Kylan's heart gave a sharp pang.
His heart would not settle.
An immense affection beyond words surged over him repeatedly like a tidal wave.
'What a foolishly kind woman she is…."
Kylan rose from his seat and approached her.
Then he wrapped his arms around the crying Eleanor's shoulders.
He tenderly stroked her platinum hair with his large, rough hand, but even that was not enough to convey all his love.
"Eleanor."
Kylan's serious voice echoed through the suite.
"Whether I am hurting or suffering, even if I fall ill and grow old, I swear that I will protect you for the rest of my life."
Yes, Eleanor was no longer a shadow of the Imperial family.
"You are Winterwald's radiant sun."
Eleanor slowly looked up.
Then she let out a small laugh, as though reassured.
"Hehe… I simply cannot imagine you ever growing frail, Your Highness."
"With you always at my side to look after me, how could I ever fall ill? Haha."
Eleanor placed the title deed she had been holding dear into a storage box.
Then she stretched out both arms and tightly embraced Kylan's firm neck.
Her tear-streaked blue eyes gazed up at Kylan.
Within them, instead of shyness, an unmistakable possessiveness flickered.
"Prepare yourself, Your Highness. I will never let you go for the rest of my life.”
Kylan smiled gently and pulled Eleanor's waist tightly against him.
“Hoho. That's terrifyingly blissful.”
“Did you turn me into such a frightening woman, Your Highness? Then… you had better take full responsibility tonight as well.”
Their lips met.
It was a night hot enough to melt all the snow in the North.
***
While Winterwald's new city continued to prosper, autumn was settling over the entire continent.
Of course, in the North, only blizzards were whipping about instead of fallen leaves.
The Grand Duke's castle conference room.
As usual, Winterwald's retainers had gathered early in the morning and were continuing their lively discussion of the territory's administration.
"Hmm, next quarter's Adventurers' Guild budget proposal should pass without trouble."
Kylan was casually scrawling his signature across the approval papers when it happened.
Sir Walter, head of Winterwald's directly affiliated guild, rose from his seat with a grave expression and began his report.
“Your Highness! A subjugation party led by White-rank adventurer Hans reportedly discovered an orc settlement while exploring a dangerous area.”
“The adventurers certainly have their work cut out for them. Did they find anything unusual?”
“When they found the settlement, the orcs had already been wiped out. According to their report, they also discovered signs that the surviving orcs had been dragged away.”
“They took prisoners away…? Was this a territorial dispute among the orcs?”
“That is our assessment.”
This was the season when the orcs of the North frequently raided monster lairs and human settlements to stockpile food.
And yet they were wasting their strength fighting over territory among themselves?
At Kylan's order, Walter swiftly brought out the guild's ledger of magic-stone purchases.
Kylan's gaze sharpened as he scanned the ledger.
This was precisely when the orcs frequently raided monster lairs and human strongholds to stockpile food.
Naturally, the proportion of orc magic stones among the guild's purchases should have skyrocketed as well.
'The guild hasn't purchased a single orc magic stone in the past week.'
Orc-on-orc slaughter. And groups of orcs that had completely vanished from the area around Winterwald.
These clues pointed to only one conclusion.
Kylan recalled the setting of a novel he had read in his previous life.
'No way… Has the Orc Chieftain already begun the war to unite the tribes?!'
According to the original novel's setting, the orcs of the North lived scattered among small tribes.
Then, when a mutant with overwhelming intelligence and strength—the 'Orc Chieftain'—was born, he would subjugate and absorb every tribe by force, raising a terrifyingly massive army.
The problem was the timing.
According to the original story, the Orc Chieftain's war of unification was supposed to be a major event that would not occur until next winter.
'Why has it happened a whole year early? Nothing was supposed to happen until the wedding next spring!'
Kylan's gaze turned toward the window.
There were a lot more people.
Because the city had developed.
Moreover, when night fell, even a warm sun rose in the sky to illuminate the city.
'Oh no.'
Orcs preferred human meat to monsters.
But they had gone out to take a piss at night and discovered the rising sun.
Worse, beneath that brightly shining sun, there were people teeming everywhere.
'These pigheaded bastards… Since they're cold and hungry, they're uniting early so they can illegally move into my newly built commercial buildings, are they?!'
The cause of the butterfly effect that had advanced the original story's event by an entire year was none other than the very crystallization of Kylan's capitalism: Winterwald's new city!
“……Your Highness? You seem displeased.”
The retainers who had finished their report nervously watched Kylan, who had suddenly gone rigid.
Kylan slowly rose from his seat.
His blue eyes blazed with unprecedented fury.
'If I mishandle this, I'll lose the tenants, the shops, and all the rent! How dare they try to put a dent in my dream of passive income!?'
Kylan slammed the table with a bang and bellowed.
"Viscount Argen!"
"Y-yes, Your Highness!"
"Additional development of the new city is temporarily suspended! For the time being, devote all personnel to reinforcing the Northern Wall with steelwood and slime mucus! Notify the entire knight order and every guild to raise their alert status!"
At the sudden declaration of a wartime footing, Cedric asked in horror,
"Your Highness! Have you realized something?!"
"A greedy herd of pigs will come swarming. How dare they threaten Winterwald's residents without even knowing their place…!"
"Ohhh…! To see through even an as-yet-unrevealed disaster and become this furious for the sake of the people…!"
"I shall obey, Your Highness!! I will reinforce the walls at once!"