The reason the two nations have been able to amass this much power so far is that their respective nations have been preoccupied with foreign wars. However, with those wars entering into ceasefires and preparations for a peace treaty slowly underway, it seems likely that everything will be resolved within the year. Then, the two nations will likely reach out to Hessengard, which they have neglected for so long.
'I have to finish everything before then.'
Erna suddenly became anxious. She had been aware of it, but hearing it confirmed by Callion made her feel even more impatient.
"So, I want you to... have a successor as soon as possible. Then, under the pretext of your stability, I plan to delay our visit to both countries as much as possible."
"Yeah. That sounds good. It'll be hard for me, but you'll be able to move around comfortably."
“If you think it’s a complaint, try using your magic to make the man pregnant.”
Callion responded to Erna's sullen groan without a trace of facial expression. Then, the words he'd been thinking of blurted out.
"I wonder if someone as small and thin as you can survive pregnancy. Even if you hold it, it's soft..."
Callion, who had been mumbling, quickly shut his mouth. What did I just say?
Erna was equally dumbfounded. "Small and thin?" Was that really what he'd just said to her? Her proportions were so good that no one noticed it at first, but she was actually half a head taller than the others. Her body, too, was more on the sturdy side than thin.
'No matter what I do, I'm weaker than you.'
If it had been someone else, she would have thought he was worried, but since it was Callion, she couldn't help but take it in stride. After all, they'd been like that for ten years.
"Anyway, I'd like to finish this within this month if possible. So, I hope we can both promise to do our best."
Erna nodded at Callion's attitude, which seemed to ignore the words he'd just uttered. "Someday, if I ever create such magic, I'll cast it on you right away."
"Yes, then, like we said earlier, let's try increasing the amount of time we spend together. As for the location... I don't think there's anywhere better than here."
She didn't want to go to Callion's room, and Callion didn't want to go to Erna's room either, so this was the only place for the two of them to stay.
Ha.
A sigh escaped both of their mouths simultaneously.
An hour later, the two agreed on several things.
First, stay in the master bedroom from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. (except when you are away for official business).
Second, on the sixth day, try to conceive.
Thirdly, on the seventh day, we will not meet for each other's mental health and rest.
She wondered what on earth she was doing, writing something like a children's promise on high-quality paper with the Grand Duke's emblem on it, but she couldn't help but do it.
As soon as they set the rules, the two decided to start tomorrow and quickly returned to their rooms. Then, they buried their faces in their pillows and wallowed in self-pity.
You really do all sorts of things.
The two of them couldn't sleep until morning, thinking the same thing.
After agreeing to try to get used to each other, the two kept their promise.
At ten o'clock, Erna went to the master bedroom, where Callion, who always arrived a little earlier than her, was sitting on the sofa, doing his own thing. Erna went to the tea table by the window, a little distance away, put down the papers she had brought, and began to look through them.
“...”
“...”
Neither of them was in a position to have a friendly conversation, nor were they in the mood for one, so even though they were in the same space, they didn't say anything.
Square, square. Knock! Knock!
The room was quiet, except for the occasional sound of someone's pen moving or the crackling of logs in the fireplace.
On the first day, Erna found Callion, who sat a long distance away, constantly irritating. Every time he moved, stood up, or stretched, Erna would startle. It couldn't be helped. She was used to being alone in her room at this hour, working. But now, being with the most annoying person in the world at that hour, it was only natural to feel uneasy.
Fortunately, she wasn't the only one concerned. Erna, who was writing down additional instructions on a document, accidentally dropped her pen, and it rolled toward Callion, causing him to flinch and quickly back away.
Erna could tell from that look. He, too, was on high alert. At least, knowing she wasn't the only one feeling this way eased her frustration a little.
And the next day, Vanessa, the president of the council, came to see Erna.
"This is a copy of the decisions made at this meeting. There are many important matters, so I recommend you read them all."
Sighing at the seemingly multiple-fold increase in documents, Erna hugged them tightly and returned to the master bedroom. Sure enough, a stack of documents identical to the ones she'd received was piled before Callion. The two began reading them in silence.
As Vanessa had said, there were many important matters to attend to. Erna flipped through the papers, jotting down questions and essential reminders. Then, her gaze lingered on a certain section.
...Accordingly, we request a re-examination of the Irgis region.
Erna, who was reading that part, muttered to herself without realizing it.
“Where is Irgis?”
Talking to herself was one of Erna's long-standing habits. She always sat alone in her room at night, working. So, without worrying about whether anyone was listening, she would mutter something she didn't understand while reading documents.
Just as she was about to write 'Irgis' on a piece of paper, thinking that she should find out where Irgis was, she heard Callion's voice.
“It is the name of a forest in the northwest of the capital.”
“...!”
The moment she heard his sudden reply, which was not something she had expected an answer for, Erna was so startled that she dropped the pen from her hand.
“What, what is it? Surprise people.”
“Didn’t you ask where Irgis is?”
Callion looked at her as if asking why she was getting annoyed after asking that question.
“I’m just talking to myself. It’s just a habit of mine, so don’t worry too much about it.”
“I see.”
Knowing the question wasn't directed at him, Callion turned his head with an indifferent expression and returned to his work. Erna, too, was about to look at her documents when she noticed a large map of the Hessengard posted on one wall of the room.
Erna was the type of person who, once she became curious about something, would see it through to the end. She was already curious about Irgis's exact location, so she was considering going to her room to get a map. But when she saw the map, she immediately got up and approached it.
'A forest in the northwest of the capital.'
Naturally, Erna had memorized most of the names of the Hessengard regions. Therefore, she was mortified to discover there were places she didn't know. The fact that Callion knew them was even more devastating.
Erna looked towards the northwest of the capital.
'Irgis, Irgis...'
The northern part of Hessengard was a heavily forested region. Many of these forests were named after their regions, and the map was densely covered with their names. Furthermore, the map was made quite a while ago, and the writing, perhaps intended for decoration, was written in an overly decorative handwriting.
Because of that, she searched for the name Irgis on the map for a long time, but it didn't appear easily. Finally, as Erna was practically pressed against the wall, examining the map, a large shadow suddenly loomed behind her.
“...!”
As Erna turned her head in surprise, a thick arm came over her shoulder and pointed to a part of the map.
"Here."
Erna looked at the spot where Callion's hand had pressed. Indeed, there was the small word "Irgis" written there.
She should have thanked him for telling her what she was looking for. But the words didn't come easily from Erna's mouth.
"Thank you." It was something she never wanted to say to Callion. While she muttered, Callion sat back down, clicked his tongue, and said.
“Once you’ve confirmed it, quickly return to your seat. I’ll be out of my mind if you stand around like that.”
Those words brought relief to Erna. It was a relief that she hadn't said thank you.
After Callion told Irgis, there was no further conversation between them. At noon, they both abruptly rose from their seats, gathered their papers, and returned to their rooms without a word. The next day, Erna woke up a little early and gathered her papers.
'The sofa is mine today.'
The only large table in the master bedroom is the one in front of the sofa. Erna, who always used a large table because she liked to spread out her paperwork, found the tea table she sat at yesterday to be too small.
At 9:30, Erna opened the door to the bedroom.
Callion always arrived before her, but it didn't seem like he'd arrive 30 minutes early. Erna quickly grabbed the documents she been keeping and stacked them on the table in front of the sofa.
'I should have done this a long time ago.'
She smiled with satisfaction, looking at the spacious table, despite the paperwork spread out on it. It wasn't just the table that was comfortable. Erna took off her slippers and stretched out on the sofa. In fact, when she worked alone in her room, she often found herself lying like this, reading documents.
In addition, now that she had settled in, she wanted to make the room more like her own, so she magically created a small light. Lying down to read papers would block out the chandelier's light, making it dim and causing her to squint.
'I have to finish everything before then.'
Erna suddenly became anxious. She had been aware of it, but hearing it confirmed by Callion made her feel even more impatient.
"So, I want you to... have a successor as soon as possible. Then, under the pretext of your stability, I plan to delay our visit to both countries as much as possible."
"Yeah. That sounds good. It'll be hard for me, but you'll be able to move around comfortably."
“If you think it’s a complaint, try using your magic to make the man pregnant.”
Callion responded to Erna's sullen groan without a trace of facial expression. Then, the words he'd been thinking of blurted out.
"I wonder if someone as small and thin as you can survive pregnancy. Even if you hold it, it's soft..."
Callion, who had been mumbling, quickly shut his mouth. What did I just say?
Erna was equally dumbfounded. "Small and thin?" Was that really what he'd just said to her? Her proportions were so good that no one noticed it at first, but she was actually half a head taller than the others. Her body, too, was more on the sturdy side than thin.
'No matter what I do, I'm weaker than you.'
If it had been someone else, she would have thought he was worried, but since it was Callion, she couldn't help but take it in stride. After all, they'd been like that for ten years.
"Anyway, I'd like to finish this within this month if possible. So, I hope we can both promise to do our best."
Erna nodded at Callion's attitude, which seemed to ignore the words he'd just uttered. "Someday, if I ever create such magic, I'll cast it on you right away."
"Yes, then, like we said earlier, let's try increasing the amount of time we spend together. As for the location... I don't think there's anywhere better than here."
She didn't want to go to Callion's room, and Callion didn't want to go to Erna's room either, so this was the only place for the two of them to stay.
Ha.
A sigh escaped both of their mouths simultaneously.
An hour later, the two agreed on several things.
First, stay in the master bedroom from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. (except when you are away for official business).
Second, on the sixth day, try to conceive.
Thirdly, on the seventh day, we will not meet for each other's mental health and rest.
She wondered what on earth she was doing, writing something like a children's promise on high-quality paper with the Grand Duke's emblem on it, but she couldn't help but do it.
As soon as they set the rules, the two decided to start tomorrow and quickly returned to their rooms. Then, they buried their faces in their pillows and wallowed in self-pity.
You really do all sorts of things.
The two of them couldn't sleep until morning, thinking the same thing.
***
After agreeing to try to get used to each other, the two kept their promise.
At ten o'clock, Erna went to the master bedroom, where Callion, who always arrived a little earlier than her, was sitting on the sofa, doing his own thing. Erna went to the tea table by the window, a little distance away, put down the papers she had brought, and began to look through them.
“...”
“...”
Neither of them was in a position to have a friendly conversation, nor were they in the mood for one, so even though they were in the same space, they didn't say anything.
Square, square. Knock! Knock!
The room was quiet, except for the occasional sound of someone's pen moving or the crackling of logs in the fireplace.
On the first day, Erna found Callion, who sat a long distance away, constantly irritating. Every time he moved, stood up, or stretched, Erna would startle. It couldn't be helped. She was used to being alone in her room at this hour, working. But now, being with the most annoying person in the world at that hour, it was only natural to feel uneasy.
Fortunately, she wasn't the only one concerned. Erna, who was writing down additional instructions on a document, accidentally dropped her pen, and it rolled toward Callion, causing him to flinch and quickly back away.
Erna could tell from that look. He, too, was on high alert. At least, knowing she wasn't the only one feeling this way eased her frustration a little.
And the next day, Vanessa, the president of the council, came to see Erna.
"This is a copy of the decisions made at this meeting. There are many important matters, so I recommend you read them all."
Sighing at the seemingly multiple-fold increase in documents, Erna hugged them tightly and returned to the master bedroom. Sure enough, a stack of documents identical to the ones she'd received was piled before Callion. The two began reading them in silence.
As Vanessa had said, there were many important matters to attend to. Erna flipped through the papers, jotting down questions and essential reminders. Then, her gaze lingered on a certain section.
...Accordingly, we request a re-examination of the Irgis region.
Erna, who was reading that part, muttered to herself without realizing it.
“Where is Irgis?”
Talking to herself was one of Erna's long-standing habits. She always sat alone in her room at night, working. So, without worrying about whether anyone was listening, she would mutter something she didn't understand while reading documents.
Just as she was about to write 'Irgis' on a piece of paper, thinking that she should find out where Irgis was, she heard Callion's voice.
“It is the name of a forest in the northwest of the capital.”
“...!”
The moment she heard his sudden reply, which was not something she had expected an answer for, Erna was so startled that she dropped the pen from her hand.
“What, what is it? Surprise people.”
“Didn’t you ask where Irgis is?”
Callion looked at her as if asking why she was getting annoyed after asking that question.
“I’m just talking to myself. It’s just a habit of mine, so don’t worry too much about it.”
“I see.”
Knowing the question wasn't directed at him, Callion turned his head with an indifferent expression and returned to his work. Erna, too, was about to look at her documents when she noticed a large map of the Hessengard posted on one wall of the room.
Erna was the type of person who, once she became curious about something, would see it through to the end. She was already curious about Irgis's exact location, so she was considering going to her room to get a map. But when she saw the map, she immediately got up and approached it.
'A forest in the northwest of the capital.'
Naturally, Erna had memorized most of the names of the Hessengard regions. Therefore, she was mortified to discover there were places she didn't know. The fact that Callion knew them was even more devastating.
Erna looked towards the northwest of the capital.
'Irgis, Irgis...'
The northern part of Hessengard was a heavily forested region. Many of these forests were named after their regions, and the map was densely covered with their names. Furthermore, the map was made quite a while ago, and the writing, perhaps intended for decoration, was written in an overly decorative handwriting.
Because of that, she searched for the name Irgis on the map for a long time, but it didn't appear easily. Finally, as Erna was practically pressed against the wall, examining the map, a large shadow suddenly loomed behind her.
“...!”
As Erna turned her head in surprise, a thick arm came over her shoulder and pointed to a part of the map.
"Here."
Erna looked at the spot where Callion's hand had pressed. Indeed, there was the small word "Irgis" written there.
She should have thanked him for telling her what she was looking for. But the words didn't come easily from Erna's mouth.
"Thank you." It was something she never wanted to say to Callion. While she muttered, Callion sat back down, clicked his tongue, and said.
“Once you’ve confirmed it, quickly return to your seat. I’ll be out of my mind if you stand around like that.”
Those words brought relief to Erna. It was a relief that she hadn't said thank you.
After Callion told Irgis, there was no further conversation between them. At noon, they both abruptly rose from their seats, gathered their papers, and returned to their rooms without a word. The next day, Erna woke up a little early and gathered her papers.
'The sofa is mine today.'
The only large table in the master bedroom is the one in front of the sofa. Erna, who always used a large table because she liked to spread out her paperwork, found the tea table she sat at yesterday to be too small.
At 9:30, Erna opened the door to the bedroom.
‘None.’
'I should have done this a long time ago.'
She smiled with satisfaction, looking at the spacious table, despite the paperwork spread out on it. It wasn't just the table that was comfortable. Erna took off her slippers and stretched out on the sofa. In fact, when she worked alone in her room, she often found herself lying like this, reading documents.
In addition, now that she had settled in, she wanted to make the room more like her own, so she magically created a small light. Lying down to read papers would block out the chandelier's light, making it dim and causing her to squint.
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