.｡.:✧ Chapter 11 ✧:.｡.

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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“…And who might you be?” I asked.

There was a world of difference between suspecting someone’s identity and hearing it confirmed directly from their own lips.

At my words, the woman who had been gazing at me with a sorrowful expression, as if coming to her senses, swallowed briefly before quietly parting her lips.

“My apologies for the delayed introduction. I am Eileen Nord.”

“…Ah.”

Eileen Nord.

I had already made a rough guess based on her external demeanor alone. While in my past life my hair had been black, in this life I had brown hair, just as black hair was generally the province of northerners in this world.

Combined with the aloof and chilly air emanating from her, typical of northerners’ black hair…

It perfectly matched the stereotypical impression anyone would have upon hearing “Northern Grand Duchess.”

“…This doesn’t seem like a suitable place for conversation. Would you mind if we relocate briefly?” she inquired.

“Ah… well, sure,” I replied.

Aaand there went my hope of finally getting some rest.

I hadn’t expected her to suddenly make a move on me like this upon our very first meeting, but I nodded in agreement. It seemed unwise to go against the wishes of the Northern Grand Duchess herself.

The attendant standing beside us, wearing a troubled expression, now gazed at me with a look of pity.

Well, I suppose the notion of a count’s son from some rural backwater having a private one-on-one meeting with a grand duchess was rather dizzying to contemplate.

But there was a saying that if you kept your wits about you, you could survive even being mauled by a tiger. Surely nothing too terrible could happen.

And so, despite clearly having much she wanted to say but was holding back, I followed Grand Duchess Eileen as she walked a considerable distance in search of a suitable reception room. Upon entering, she waited for me to join her before closing the door.

“First, I apologize for summoning you so abruptly like this,” she began.

“Ah, that’s quite alright,” I assured her.

In truth, it was not alright at all. But when a grand duchess apologizes, you just have to accept it graciously.

Yet contrary to my hopes that surely nothing untoward would occur, Grand Duchess Eileen silently stared at me. Not just a passing glance, but an intent, unwavering gaze—enough to make me uncomfortable as the recipient.

“Is there perhaps some issue…?” I ventured.

“…Ah.”

As if coming to her senses at my prompting, Grand Duchess Eileen’s gaze swept over my body, as though searching for something. Then, in a quiet voice, she inquired:

“I heard that Elena discovered your magical talent during this recent visit to your estate and recommended you to the Imperial Court Mage.”

“That’s right. It was during a banquet when my mentor affirmed that I indeed possess magical aptitude. My eldest sister had informed me…”

“…I know this question may be impertinent, but by any chance…”

“…?”

Grand Duchess Eileen, who had been scrutinizing me intently, hesitated for a moment before continuing.

“During that process, did anything unusual occur? Knowing Elena, she’s more than capable…”

“Anything unusual?”

“Yes, anything out of the ordinary. Like her bringing you harm, for instance.”

“No, nothing like that happened though?”

“…Is that so.”

Grand Duchess Eileen let out a sigh of relief.

By this point, I could roughly surmise what was going on. Before being rivals, Grand Duchess Eileen and Princess Elena were relatives—cousins, in fact, if one traced the family tree. This was something I had learned from reading the newspapers.

And the newspapers’ portrayal of Princess Elena had not been entirely flattering.

In a pre-modern class-based society, newspapers were little more than mouthpieces, unable to directly criticize the imperial family. Considering that, I had a general sense of how Princess Elena was viewed by the public.

It seemed Grand Duchess Eileen had been concerned that Princess Elena might have done something untoward, but upon realizing her worries were unfounded, she nodded in acknowledgment.

“…Then that is fortunate. As you may know from the rumors, even empty words cannot paint Elena’s reputation in a positive light,” she remarked.

“……”

I simply remained silent.

There was nothing for me to gain by agreeing with the Grand Duchess’s gossip about her cousin, the princess. If anything, I should count myself lucky not to be charged with lèse-majesté if someone else overheard.

As the Grand Duchess of the Nord Duchy, Eileen could afford to indulge in a bit of gossip about her cousin without much consequence beyond a mild reprimand for speaking ill of a fellow royal.

But me?

If a pseudo-noble, a son of an ennobled commoner household, were caught bad-mouthing royalty, I’d find my head rolling on the chopping block that very day.

Well, they might have the mercy to end me with poison instead, seeing as I’m a man.

“I merely wanted to confirm whether Elena had started engaging in any other foolish behavior,” Grand Duchess Eileen explained, clearing her throat.

Ahem.

A faint crack appeared in her normally impassive poker face as she spoke. It was clear this was a flimsy excuse for summoning me, and the realization seemed to bring a flush of embarrassment to her cheeks.

If it were me, I would have been too flustered to string together a coherent sentence.

As expected of the Northern Grand Duchess.

“Ah… it’s quite alright. These things happen sometimes, right? Misunderstandings occur in life. So you called me here to verify that?” I offered.

“…Indeed. You have my gratitude for your understanding,” she replied.

Of course, even if I picked up on her embarrassment, I couldn’t very well say, “Oh, did I fluster you, Grand Duchess?” I wasn’t insane.

After all, the gap in our status remained evident…

In any case, my efforts to smooth over the situation and spare Grand Duchess Eileen further awkwardness seemed to have paid off.

Though her expression remained as impassive as ever, upon closer inspection, her countenance appeared more relaxed compared to moments ago. Then, reaching into her uniform pocket, she produced a thin card and held it out to me.

“…What is this?” I inquired.

“A type of artifact. As a mage yourself, you should be able to discern its nature.”

I accepted the proffered card with a dubious expression and examined it. It was a business card-sized piece of paper with an elegant gold-embossed border. At first glance, it appeared to be nothing more than a blank namecard.

“Oh!”

However, upon channeling a bit of mana into it, a small, distinct magic circle appeared engraved on its surface.

Inspecting it closely, I recognized it as a communication spell.

“This artifact allows for direct conversation with me at any time. Like so.”

‘This artifact allows for direct conversation with me at any time. Like so,’ Grand Duchess Eileen’s voice echoed, overlapping with her words spoken aloud before me. The sound emanating from the magic circle was identical to her voice.

It was a device that enabled one-on-one communication at any time, as long as one could utilize mana—akin to a phone capable only of making calls.

“…Wow, so there are things like this too,” I marveled, genuinely impressed.

If this was magic and an advanced contraption…

Then what in the world had I been learning in my estate up until now…?

“If any issues arise, feel free to contact me at any time. Especially if Elena starts acting strangely,” she added.

“So if I just infuse this with mana, it will immediately reach you, Grand Duchess?”

In lieu of a verbal response, Grand Duchess Eileen simply nodded.

It was undoubtedly an excessive display of goodwill for our first meeting, bordering on suspicious. But it would have been tactless to ask, “But why are you giving me this?” at this juncture.

As I alternated between staring at the namecard-like artifact and Grand Duchess Eileen with a dumbfounded expression, she coolly turned and departed, as if her business here was concluded.

…So was this truly the reason she came?

Left behind, I could only shake my head, telling myself that a good thing was a good thing.

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How fortunate.

After handing over the artifact, Eileen closed the reception room door without hesitation, as if she had accomplished her purpose. She then briskly rounded the corner of the corridor, leaning against the wall to catch her breath as she inwardly reflected.

The worst-case scenario she had envisioned had not come to pass.

Of course, up until meeting Rudrick, both she and Elena had lived lives as dense as rocks when it came to romantic interest.

But if, hypothetically speaking…

That damned cousin had assured her with a smirk that she hadn’t laid a hand on him or done anything strange, and Eileen herself hadn’t believed Elena would have already engaged in any funny business.

But the process of verifying it was still a necessary step.

Moreover, suddenly meeting Rudrick again without mental preparation was a daunting prospect even for the Nord Duchy’s foremost swordswoman, whose heart was fortified with six chains of mana.

“…He remains unchanged. Just as I remember him,” Eileen murmured softly in the deserted palace corridor.

Unbeknownst to her, the icy poker face that usually concealed her emotions had cracked, a faint blush coloring her cheeks.

Her heart, which had long remained still, inexplicably raced, and the mere sight of his face was enough to fracture the mask of impassivity that had never shattered before.

Joy, elation, reminiscence, nostalgia, wistfulness, sorrow.

A maelstrom of emotions swirled within her, to the point where Eileen herself couldn’t define what she was feeling.

“Yes, he was just the same,” she affirmed, closing her eyes tightly as she fanned her strangely flushed face.

Rudrick was still the young master, oblivious to the ways of the world. It wasn’t the negative impression of an ignorant, reckless noble boy, but rather the sense that he retained a purity untainted by worldly affairs.

The reaction most noble youths in the capital displayed upon seeing her was generally similar.

They either sensitively calculated ways to politically align themselves with the Nord Grand Ducal House or simply followed the publicly known image of her, either fearing or scorning her.

Neither reaction was particularly pleasant. If she had to rank them, the former was even more unpleasant.

But Rudrick was different.

A bold young master who spoke his mind with consistent candor, regardless of whether his counterpart was a princess or grand duchess. That had been her first impression, and perhaps the reason she was drawn to him.

Recalling their earlier exchange, Eileen allowed a faint smile to grace her lips.

Her sudden departure for the capital must have thrown her retainers into a frenzy. She felt apologetic towards them, but she intended to frequently leave her post and head to the capital in the future as well.

Compared to meeting Rudrick again, seeing his face, and engaging in conversation with him, the prospect of soothing her subordinates’ lamentations or enduring their lectures disguised as remonstrations seemed like a profitable trade.

And…

“…Three have yet to reveal themselves,” Eileen quietly mused, her warm expression from moments ago vanishing, replaced by the customary cold and impassive visage of the Nord Grand Duchess.

If that damned cousin had also regressed, it was a reasonable assumption that the remaining three had as well.

She had no intention of allowing this opportunity, bestowed upon her by the divine once more, to be snatched away.

Moreover, she needed to begin moving swiftly to find a way to resolve the curse that afflicted Rudrick.

Tap, tap.

With light steps, Eileen gracefully departed the imperial palace, heedless of the frost flowers that bloomed with each step in her wake.

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