Dagdak, dagdak-
The carriage, which had been slowly crossing the street, finally picked up speed after passing through the capital's outer wall.
After passing through wide fields, farms, and pastures, villages formed here and there came into view.
It was a village of commoners who lived by farming or raising livestock on the nearby land.
Sometimes, there were places where peddlers or merchants stayed, so there were places to stay or inns.
Perhaps one of those villages will be their nest for the evening.
The procession, which had been running nonstop for half a day except for a brief stop for lunch, reached a fairly large village before sunset.
The village chief, who had received notification from the advance party in advance, came out to meet them.
“Welcome, Sir. We heard that you were staying in our village, so we have prepared an inn and other houses for you to stay in.”
“Okay. Where is the inn here?”
“This way. I will guide you.”
Outside, a knight was heard talking to the village chief. Soon the carriage started moving, and there was a knock on the door.
“My lord. My lady. We have arrived at the inn.”
It was the vice-captain, Sir Hubert. Agatha, who got out of the carriage escorted by Enoch, looked up at the building in front of her.
It was a slightly old, but ordinary two-story, mid-range inn.
For a moment, there was a slightly tense air around them. Enoch whispered softly.
“How about setting up a bed in the carriage?”
“It’s okay. I’m pretty used to long-distance travel.”
Sometimes, when she had to travel to a foreign land or get married abroad.
It would have been nice if she could always stay in a nice inn or a nobleman's mansion, but when circumstances called for it, Agatha had also stayed in such inns or camped out there.
What she learned then was that a building was better than a campsite. And when it came to safety, a guest room was better.
“It would be better for me to stay in the cabin even though the knights are on guard. Where is my room?”
“Oh, I will guide you, lady. This way.”
Sir Hubert, looking a little relaxed, walked ahead and walked into the inn. A clear bell rang.
The first floor was a restaurant and inn, and the second floor was operated entirely as an inn.
Enoch carefully held Agatha's arm on the slightly creaky stairs.
The place Hubert guided them to was the last room on the left from the center.
“They said this was the best room. Also, as you said, I prepared this room because I thought it would be better to have a narrow passage for safety.”
“Thank you for your hard work. Jessie?”
“Yes, ma’am. please wait for a moment."
Nobilis' maids, including the maids waiting behind her, quickly moved. The task was to clean the room again and replace the items inside.
Lay a soft carpet on the floor.
After hanging curtains on the window and changing the bedding on the bed to Agatha's favorite, the room became quite cozy.
“I think I can have dinner while I wait. Where is my husband’s room?”
“Oh, that, my lord’s room is also at the end of the room.”
Hubert pointed to the room at the other end with a puzzled expression. Agatha's close maid, Jessie, caught her gaze and quickly bowed her head.
“I will definitely check the Marquis’ room as well.”
“Okay, Jesse. Please."
Agatha turned around, holding Enoch's arm. She had had lunch sitting in the field, eating a simple sandwich she had brought from the mansion, so she wanted to eat a proper dinner.
“I think a whole roast would be good for dinner tonight. How about you?"
The man who had been looking down at her with a slightly unfamiliar look nodded slowly.
“...I will do the same as you.”
“Then I’ll tell the cook.”
Dinner that night consisted of mushroom soup packed with fresh ingredients, a salad with mashed greens, roast chicken and white bread, fruit for dessert, and a glass of wine.
There was an awkward atmosphere felt by the vassals of the Aratus family sitting around them, but Agatha didn't care.
'It's a common problem that arises when a new hostess enters the country.'
As time passes and they get used to the changed atmosphere, they will adapt to her presence as if it was always that way.
As evidence, Enoch, who was sitting next to her, said nothing.
“It was delicious. Tell the chef I enjoyed it.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
After finishing the meal and returning to the cleaned-up room, Agatha said goodbye to Enoch at the door.
It will take about ten days to arrive at the port.
There were only three castles on the journey, and one was a port city where they would board a ship, so most of the future journeys had to be seen as overnight stays.
“Good night, Enoch.”
“Good night, Agatha.”
Agatha, who was tired from riding the carriage all day, quickly washed up and fell asleep.
Morning came early.
Hubert Karwen, the second vice-captain of the Knights of Aratus, was a veteran with ten years of experience on the battlefield despite being only in his twenties.
He was good at horseback riding and had excellent operational skills such as quick maneuvering and tracking, so he was one of the protagonists of the victory who was trusted by Enoch.
Having faced all sorts of variables and situations as a knight since he had just become an adult, he was feeling quite unfamiliar at the moment.
It was because of the change brought about by their mistress, Agatha Nobilis.
“Vice-captain. It’s dinner.”
“Oh, okay.”
Hubert accepted the food the knight brought.
There was a large piece of meat, soup with plenty of vegetables, well-cooked sausages, vegetables, and bread with spicy sauce.
The knights sitting in a group next to Hubert muttered.
“It’s definitely different when the hostess comes in.”
"I know."
Hubert unconsciously agreed.
It's already been six days since he left the capital.
At first glance, it might seem like an ordinary diet, but they were currently camping in the middle of nowhere.
Every time this happened, the knights who had been eating dry food or mixed soups felt this change all at once.
“At first, I just hoped that Madam wouldn’t have a hard time.”
The surrounding knights responded to Hubert's mumbling words while chewing a piece of meat.
“Well, I guess it was a useless worry, right?”
“I heard she's great at getting things done. On my way here, I haven’t seen any problems with drinking water or food ingredients.”
"She are also excellent at maintaining her physical fitness.”
“Well, aside from that, the carriage ride did look tough.”
“Anyway, there’s no problem with moving around.”
Before they knew it, Agatha Nobilis was becoming a very great dame among the knights of Aratus.
They knew she was a tough person, but to think she was so perfect!
Even the lord's previously bleak condition changed greatly after the mistress came in.
Didn’t his expression become more colorful and his mood become softer?
“I think we have found an incredibly good lady.”
Hubert muttered as he chewed the large piece of meat once again. The knights expressed their agreement in silence.
Agatha thought she was a vassal of the Aratus family, and the mood among the knights had returned to normal.
The procession crossed the old border and entered new territory on the eighth day after leaving the capital.
Because it had only been a few months since the war ended, a chaotic atmosphere was felt based on the high old border wall.
Rather than stopping at the town still under reconstruction, the procession headed straight for the port town of Saint-Entrar.
Thanks to the emperor's prioritization of restoration for trade with the eastern continent and the dispatch of temporary lords, the new easternmost part of the Roxbard Empire had almost regained its former appearance.
When Aratus' procession reached Saint-Entrar.
The temporary lord, Baron Solano, was waiting in front of the city's outer castle gate, which was formed surrounding the coast.
“Welcome, Marquis Aratus, March Aratus. Welcome to St. Entrar.”
It was exactly ten days after leaving the capital.
Enoch nodded lightly and accepted the Baron's greeting.
“I understand that the Nobilis family’s ship has arrived here.”
“It arrived a few days ago. I’ve anchored it nearby so you can set sail at any time, but would you like to go and see it right away?”
“Okay.”
“I will take the lead.”
Agatha exchanged a quick glance with the Baron and turned around. She naturally took Enoch’s hand and motioned to her aide, Ethel Maslow.
“Did you call, ma’am?”
“I’m looking for a good merchant on the way. You can get help from Baron Solano’s vassal.”
"All right. Can I prepare food ingredients, drinking water, and medicinal herbs?”
“Yes. And find out who the Imperial Navy officer is who has been assigned to this escort, and bring me a list of the Navy under the family’s command and a map of the ship’s interior.”
“I’ll get it right away.”
In addition, Agatha, who had given some instructions to the maids in her entourage, boarded the carriage under Enoch's escort.
Ethel, who appeared soon after, handed over a thick bundle of documents. The deputy commander, Hubert Karwen, who had been standing with a cheerful face, closed the carriage door.
“Then let us depart, my lord and my lady.”
Soon the procession moved along with the Baron's carriage moving ahead.
The carriage running along a well-maintained road for the first time in a long time was smooth and unshakable.
Agatha looked at the Imperial Navy's data with a more relaxed expression. In an instant, his expression hardened.
"Commander: Count Caello, Commander of the Imperial Eastern Navy"
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