CH 4.01

This day had finally come.

When I was feeling down, Retzel next to me licked my hand.

I always thought he’s a smart and kind beast.

Licht, the pup I found and brought back, is still happily frolicking with Retzel’s tail.

I’ll give you lots of grooming later, Retzel!

“Are you ready?”

“Yes.”

My husband showed up in his traveling clothes ―― Although they were just more comfortable clothes than his normal clothes, they were still decent.

The same goes for me. I’m wearing something simpler and more comfortable than an indoor dress.

“Then let’s get going.”

With his order, the carriages departed from the ducal residence in a steady stream.

When I sneaked a look outside from the carriage, I saw that people on the street had stopped to watch our convoy.

That’s right.

The Duke and Duchess of Lindbeld, relatives of the royal family, but not quite royal, are passing by.

Seeing such a bunch of carriages in a row, they’ll definitely stop to watch.

It’s intriguing, I suppose.

I’ll definitely watch it, too.

This time, I’m part of the convoy ―― or rather, one of the main members!

Now, there must be a lot of talk about where our party is going.

We’ve been preparing for a few days, so I, of course, know where we’re going.

Yeah, our destination is the territory that could be called the home of the Duke of Lindbeld.

Normally, engagement and wedding ceremonies are held in the territory of the head of the family.

However, my husband and I had a very unusual start.

As a result, we hadn’t had a chance to go through the wedding until now. We had been putting it off, but this time, for some reason, we decided to go to the estate.

“I’ve missed you, Husband.”

“If you call this miss, then you’ve been pining for both the beasts.”

I spoke smilingly, but the reply I got was quite bitter.

Fine, considering that we are going to the territory, it’s time for me to stop missing my husband.

I picked Licht up, who was rolling around at my husband’s feet and playing with his feet.

Of course, we’ll stay in the same carriage with my husband until we get to the territory.

I had hoped to have someone with me, but there was no way anyone else would board the carriage occupied by their Master and Madam, so I ended up bringing Licht into the carriage where it was just the two of us.

It’s difficult to be alone with someone, in so many ways!

Licht is in a playful mood and just wants to play more, and when I picked him up and told him to be quiet, he laid his head on my lap and lay down on the seat.

When I see him with his head in my lap, it makes me wonder who the Master is.

When I glanced at my passenger husband, he was still working even at a time like this.

“Isn’t it hard to work at a time like this?”

As I looked with pity at my husband who’s sitting in front of me reading a document, he snickered and quickly offered it to me.

“You might want to read this before we arrive. Ragnard just gave me a copy of the latest information he’s collected.”

“Uh…”

He urged me to take it quickly, which I reluctantly did.

Ragnard, just because you’re the Chief Butler doesn’t mean the vassals have trust in you! So, how did you manage to gather so much information about other families?!

Even my husband probably finds it strange, doesn’t he?!

I gave up halfway through, thinking there was no point in dwelling about these two crazy people. I had no choice but to accept the document.

It’s so thick!

Will I be able to read this before I reach the territory?

The territory of the Duke of Lindbeld is not that far from the imperial capital, so if you leave in the morning, you can reach it in the afternoon.

But the size of it is comparable to a small country.

The Lindbeld dukedom, which borders most of the eastern part of the country, is a family that’s also in charge of defending the eastern region.

Essentially,  the country itself faces the sea in the west and north, and most of the east is connected to the continent.

That is to say, the most important base is the eastern territory, which is guarded by the Lindbeld dukedom.

They protect the eastern border from north to south.

Their territorial army is also said to be quite skilled.

And of course, my master who leads the army has learned to be a military leader since childhood, and learned how to fight in case of emergency.

It’s probably true, since everyone says that his strength is unparalleled in the history of the world.

I know that he’s physically capable of carrying a person and jumping down without hesitation.

The Duchess is the next in line for such a territory.

When my husband was a bachelor, my authority was handed to the Chief Steward.

Well, for my husband, who didn’t like Rockdell, he probably wanted to marry an excellent wife at any cost.

I’m certainly pleased that my abilities are recognized, but I didn’t realize that there was more to it than that…

But … Come to think of it, when exactly did it start?

I’d never heard of that part.

It’s hard to ask about it either.

I sneaked peeks at him from the shadows of the papers, but I was exposed right away.

As expected of a well-trained person. He is sensitive to gazes.

“What is it?”

“Nothing. Um, about this mine…”

“Ah, that…that’s a coal mine. The output wasn’t good to begin with, and unprofitable. That’s why the mine was closed down in my grandfather’s generation…”

“It seems that the miners have been making a ruckus about it lately.”

My husband rested his elbow on the window sill of the carriage and lay his cheek on it.

“We compensated them fairly well, but it wasn’t enough for those who are living hand-to-mouth. They couldn’t settle down for the jobs they were offered, and hang onto their compensation. It’s only now that it’s come to light that they’ve been mining secretively in the abandoned coal mine, and Rockdell was managing them.”

Oh dear…

I’m really feeling an ominous premonition about this!

“Fun, fun,  mayhem’s in the air, Risha.”

My husband smiled at me with the corner of his mouth raised, but mine tugged the other way.

Even under normal circumstances, I seem to have a lot of enemies to face in the territory, so by all means, please solve them, Husband!

It is strictly forbidden to involve me in this!

“You look amazing, but I thought I’d discuss it with you now, just in case. Tell me what to do.”

It smells very fishy, Husband.

I mean, when Rockdel was involved, I’m sure my Husband knew about it. It makes me wonder why he left it alone until now.

“I could have taken it up with Ragnard, but Ragnard advised me to talk to you, Risha. Personally, I would have shut down the mine as soon as possible and give them an ultimatum, telling them that I can’t take any more care of them.”

Agreed. 

The Duke of the previous generation offered them compensation, and their actions were a form of disregard for that.

Seriously, what was Rockdell after there?

Was it ultimately for the taste of money?

My husband seemed to think that, too.