(112) Since when (1)
Victoria had only three days to remain in the North. The Western Lord, fearing that Victoria would give her heart to Cyrus, gave her only three days.
Today is passing by, so there are only two days left.
The Western Lord ordered her to establish good relations with the Northern Lord and, if possible, to find out why he had come to the East. He also ordered her to find out, if possible, what kind of exchanges were taking place between the Eastern and Northern Lords.
She doubted that she could accomplish all that in three days, but judging by Cyrus's attitude now, it seemed possible.
As the meal was coming to an end, Victoria said:
"Your Excellency, the Northern Lord. After dinner, I'd like to take a tour of the garden. Would you be willing to join me? I have something important to convey to Your Excellency."
It meant they should leave alone, without Andrei. Cyrus glanced at Andrei, then met Victoria's eyes and nodded.
“Yes.”
Throughout their walk through the garden, Victoria complimented Cyrus's beauty and praised his exceptional abilities. Her enchanting voice, with its eerie power, penetrated Cyrus's ears, but Cyrus, who had constantly been dealing with Paganus, was unable to hear.
Victoria had been shivering from the cold for some time now, her shoulders trembling. Her lips were also turning blue.
-“Win Victoria’s heart. If she says the Northern Prince is a man of his word, she’ll believe you even if you tell her to make a gun out of pudding.”
Ariana had no doubt that Cyrus would win Victoria's heart. He knew he had to do it, but he had no idea what to do to win the girl's heart.
'This woman is Ariana.'
For some reason, thinking that way made things a little easier. So Cyrus decided to think of the woman walking beside him as Ariana.
Then, he thought of something he would do if Ariana were by his side.
Cyrus took off his coat and draped it over Victoria's shoulders. Victoria looked up at him, her eyes wide in surprise.
Cyrus said with a faint smile.
“It’s cold in the North. If the Princess catches a cold, it’ll be a disaster.”
Victoria's face flushed.
The three days Victoria spent in the North passed quickly.
Victoria cast a wistful glance at Cyrus as she boarded the carriage bound for the West. Cyrus, in turn, spoke with a voice filled with regret.
“It would be better if you stayed longer.”
“Can I come visit again next time?”
“I can go to the West.”
All her time in the North was like a dream to Victoria.
When she met the Wise King of Paganus in the desert and headed for the North Ridge, she felt so exhausted she almost wanted to die. When she faced the cold air of the North Ridge, she thought she wouldn't want to stay in a place like this for even a day.
But now that she had to leave for the North, Victoria desperately didn't want to.
She wishes she could be next to that beautiful man. She wishes she could spend the rest of her life by his side.
On cold nights, when they were out for a walk, Cyrus took off his coat and put it on Victoria, who shivered even in it. When Victoria wanted to explore the downtown area, he accompanied her, and when she said the flowers were pretty, he prepared a bouquet and sent it to her.
He was reserved, but he occasionally smiled and occasionally offered kind words. His clear, gleaming red eyes strangely pierced Victoria's heart, and the hand that brushed against hers just once was cold yet gentle.
Before closing the carriage door, Victoria pulled out a handkerchief. One with his name engraved on it.
"Thanks to your care, I had a wonderful time, Your Excellency. Although it was a small thing, I embroidered it with you in mind."
“I will keep it for the rest of my life.”
The carriage door closed.
As the carriage pulled away, Cyrus turned around and threw a handkerchief at Andrei.
“Burn it.”
After completing her long journey and arriving in the West, Victoria did not reveal her feelings for Cyrus in front of the Western Lord.
"It's clear there's no communication between the Northern and Eastern Lords. The Northern Lord even seems to think the Eastern Lord is responsible for his parents' deaths."
“He said that to you directly?”
Victoria shook her head.
"No. The escort knight you gave me overheard the conversation between the Northern Lord and the Duke of Hern. Please check it out. Oh, and Grandfather, I've got some good information. I overheard that too, but..."
When she heard this story, she was with Ronia, a maid at Maho Castle. Ronia had mentioned the greenhouse as being beautiful, so she went to see it. Then, she heard Cyrus and Andrei arguing in front of it.
"I heard that a certain Count Gabion of the Empire is seeking investment to build a factory. It seems the Northern Lord has invested more than half of their national treasury in it."
"Count Gabion... He's been steadily running various businesses. He's even achieved decent results. And the Northern Lord invested more than half of the national treasury?"
"The Northern Lord was confident the project would be a great success. That's why I happened to witness him having a heated argument with the Duke of Hern."
“Hmm...”
The Lord of the West studied his granddaughter's confident words closely. He carefully checked to see if she was lying, perhaps under duress.
'It was only three days, so there was no time to be swayed by the Northern Lord's beauty. She's a smart kid, so she'll know which choice will benefit her future.'
So far, Victoria had never disappointed the Western Lord, except in Ariana's case.
News of the Northern Feudal Lord's investment was a valuable source of information. While vast, the West was largely a useless land, and thus wasn't particularly wealthy compared to other nations.
So, it was necessary to look good to the Emperor and maintain good relations with the royal family. Otherwise, other countries might swallow up the West at any moment.
'That little guy from the West has only just established himself, so he's probably in need of funds since he hasn't been able to solidify his position.'
The information that the Northern Lord invested heavily in the business is likely true.
'The question is whether the business will succeed... '
After the Western Lord had sent Victoria back and was pondering for a few days, she learned that Duke Obelius of the East had invested a large sum of money in Count Gabion's business.
'Duke Obelius, he was moving quickly.'
If it's a project that would move even the Northern Lord and the Duke of Obelius, there must be a good reason for it. Those who sat on the throne sometimes had to be bold.
'If I were to sneak this information to the Third Prince, it would be more useful in drawing him over to my side.'
The Crown Prince was choosing a Crown Princess.
The Western Lord had long been aware of the Third Prince's ambitions and had been keeping a close eye on him. He would soon make his move. Or perhaps he had already begun.
To deal with the Crown Prince, both the Third Prince and the Western Lord needed a lot of money.
The Western Lord made a decision.
Secret correspondence ensued between the Western Lord and the Third Prince, and the Third Prince quietly visited the Western Lord. Various agreements were made between them, and the Third Prince was introduced to the third daughter of the Duke of Bronte.
While the Western Lord was busy moving, the year changed, and it became April of the year 211.
The fierce winds that had been lashing the northernmost regions had weakened slightly, but the temperature remained significantly lower than in other parts of the country. Ariana opened the window and gazed at the gray sky, with snow falling softly.
'It must be warm already.'
She received several letters from the Eastern Lord asking when she would return. Each time, Ariana extended the deadline with some reasonable excuse.
'Count Gabion's factory has received significant investment and is being completed ahead of schedule.'
Count Gabion, who received a large investment while building the factory, hired workers without sparing any effort and purchased a huge amount of perfume ingredients.
The plant will be operational by the end of this summer at the latest.
Perfume comes in two varieties: luxurious perfumes for the nobility and affordable perfumes for the common people. The manufacturing process, labels, and bottles for perfume are all different.
Count Gabion advertises aggressively to popularize the perfume, and the nobles are lured by the advertisement that says, "A perfume that is hard to get your hands on," while the commoners are lured by the advertisement that says, "A perfume that even nobles use," and the perfume sells like hotcakes.
The first problems arose among commoners who used cheap perfume. Coughs, hives, and rashes. Initially, it was thought to be an unidentified contagious disease. However, when the problem spread to the nobility, a thorough investigation was launched, and it was discovered that the perfume was the cause.
'There will be trouble among the common people this year.'
Ariana decided that the day she would return to the East would be the moment when problems began to appear among the commoners. This would prevent Duke Obelius from being preoccupied with the perfume issue and from paying attention to Ariana.
'The Western Lord brought in the Third Prince and the Duke of Bronte to invest in the perfume business.'
The Brontes were beginning to rebuild their reputation.
A little over a year has passed since Ariana's custody trial.
Countless noble families had more interesting incidents than the family feuds of others. Rachel and Helena consistently volunteered at almshouses and orphanages, while Victoria accumulated good deeds, such as helping a starving child.
They arranged for a few newspaper reporters to publicize their good deeds, and as public opinion turned against the Brontes, the Duke of Bronte came to his senses and returned to Rachel.
As the three women of Brontes continued to do good deeds, people began to think, 'There must have been a reason for that,' and 'Perhaps the Duchess had been acting too self-indulgent.'
The 'Princess of the East' in question was confined to a villa in a resort area and did not appear in society, claiming to be recuperating due to poor health, so it was inevitable that the image created by Bronte's mother and daughters would become the truth.
After all, it's just 'someone else's business' to them.
'Now the Brontes can go on as if nothing had happened. Some people will remember it when they appear in society, but they won't make a big deal out of it.'
If the Brontes pretended not to know Ariana, if they stopped caring about her, the whole thing would end in a fluke. But Ariana knew they wouldn't.
They will throw ropes to ruin Ariana's reputation.
'I'll just use the rope you throw me.'
Ariana reached out the window. A snowflake landed on her small palm, then melted away in an instant.
Their plan to insult Ariana will also be like this.
“Master, His Excellency the Northern Lord has come to see you.”
At the sound of Shini's voice, Ariana turned around.
Having come to the North and been thoroughly trained by Langster and Louis, Shini has now grown enough to perform the duties of a maid. She speaks fluently and is proficient in reading and writing.
Louis said that Shini was very smart and learned quickly.
“Where did Catherine go?”
“She went to sell a dress that was too small. Should I follow in her footsteps?”
Ariana had grown quite a bit, and none of the dresses she'd brought from the guild were wearable. Every few days, Catherine would leave Maho Castle, promising to sell her outdated dresses and shoes.
She already knew that every time she went out, she would stop by a bar and chat with a traveler before returning.
Duke Obelius invested in Count Gabion's business, and Catherine secretly met with someone every now and then, so it became clear that she was one of Duke Obelius's people.
“No, it’s okay. Leave her alone. You go and do what you have to do.”
“Yes, master.”
Shini opened the door with a cheerful smile, bowed to Cyrus as he came in, and then went out.
It's been six months since they've been in the North. Cyrus visiting Ariana's room and spending time alone with her has become a familiar sight.
“The weather is not good.”
“Yeah, that’s too bad.”
Originally, Cyrus was supposed to take Ariana to the Ruam Pond on top of Mount Graten today.
“Oh, this is a gift.”
Cyrus held out a small box. She knew what was inside without even opening it. It smelled sweet as soon as he entered.
Victoria had only three days to remain in the North. The Western Lord, fearing that Victoria would give her heart to Cyrus, gave her only three days.
Today is passing by, so there are only two days left.
The Western Lord ordered her to establish good relations with the Northern Lord and, if possible, to find out why he had come to the East. He also ordered her to find out, if possible, what kind of exchanges were taking place between the Eastern and Northern Lords.
She doubted that she could accomplish all that in three days, but judging by Cyrus's attitude now, it seemed possible.
As the meal was coming to an end, Victoria said:
"Your Excellency, the Northern Lord. After dinner, I'd like to take a tour of the garden. Would you be willing to join me? I have something important to convey to Your Excellency."
It meant they should leave alone, without Andrei. Cyrus glanced at Andrei, then met Victoria's eyes and nodded.
“Yes.”
***
Throughout their walk through the garden, Victoria complimented Cyrus's beauty and praised his exceptional abilities. Her enchanting voice, with its eerie power, penetrated Cyrus's ears, but Cyrus, who had constantly been dealing with Paganus, was unable to hear.
Victoria had been shivering from the cold for some time now, her shoulders trembling. Her lips were also turning blue.
-“Win Victoria’s heart. If she says the Northern Prince is a man of his word, she’ll believe you even if you tell her to make a gun out of pudding.”
Ariana had no doubt that Cyrus would win Victoria's heart. He knew he had to do it, but he had no idea what to do to win the girl's heart.
'This woman is Ariana.'
For some reason, thinking that way made things a little easier. So Cyrus decided to think of the woman walking beside him as Ariana.
Then, he thought of something he would do if Ariana were by his side.
Cyrus took off his coat and draped it over Victoria's shoulders. Victoria looked up at him, her eyes wide in surprise.
Cyrus said with a faint smile.
“It’s cold in the North. If the Princess catches a cold, it’ll be a disaster.”
Victoria's face flushed.
***
The three days Victoria spent in the North passed quickly.
Victoria cast a wistful glance at Cyrus as she boarded the carriage bound for the West. Cyrus, in turn, spoke with a voice filled with regret.
“It would be better if you stayed longer.”
“Can I come visit again next time?”
“I can go to the West.”
All her time in the North was like a dream to Victoria.
When she met the Wise King of Paganus in the desert and headed for the North Ridge, she felt so exhausted she almost wanted to die. When she faced the cold air of the North Ridge, she thought she wouldn't want to stay in a place like this for even a day.
But now that she had to leave for the North, Victoria desperately didn't want to.
She wishes she could be next to that beautiful man. She wishes she could spend the rest of her life by his side.
On cold nights, when they were out for a walk, Cyrus took off his coat and put it on Victoria, who shivered even in it. When Victoria wanted to explore the downtown area, he accompanied her, and when she said the flowers were pretty, he prepared a bouquet and sent it to her.
He was reserved, but he occasionally smiled and occasionally offered kind words. His clear, gleaming red eyes strangely pierced Victoria's heart, and the hand that brushed against hers just once was cold yet gentle.
Before closing the carriage door, Victoria pulled out a handkerchief. One with his name engraved on it.
"Thanks to your care, I had a wonderful time, Your Excellency. Although it was a small thing, I embroidered it with you in mind."
“I will keep it for the rest of my life.”
The carriage door closed.
As the carriage pulled away, Cyrus turned around and threw a handkerchief at Andrei.
“Burn it.”
***
After completing her long journey and arriving in the West, Victoria did not reveal her feelings for Cyrus in front of the Western Lord.
"It's clear there's no communication between the Northern and Eastern Lords. The Northern Lord even seems to think the Eastern Lord is responsible for his parents' deaths."
“He said that to you directly?”
Victoria shook her head.
"No. The escort knight you gave me overheard the conversation between the Northern Lord and the Duke of Hern. Please check it out. Oh, and Grandfather, I've got some good information. I overheard that too, but..."
When she heard this story, she was with Ronia, a maid at Maho Castle. Ronia had mentioned the greenhouse as being beautiful, so she went to see it. Then, she heard Cyrus and Andrei arguing in front of it.
"I heard that a certain Count Gabion of the Empire is seeking investment to build a factory. It seems the Northern Lord has invested more than half of their national treasury in it."
"Count Gabion... He's been steadily running various businesses. He's even achieved decent results. And the Northern Lord invested more than half of the national treasury?"
"The Northern Lord was confident the project would be a great success. That's why I happened to witness him having a heated argument with the Duke of Hern."
“Hmm...”
The Lord of the West studied his granddaughter's confident words closely. He carefully checked to see if she was lying, perhaps under duress.
'It was only three days, so there was no time to be swayed by the Northern Lord's beauty. She's a smart kid, so she'll know which choice will benefit her future.'
So far, Victoria had never disappointed the Western Lord, except in Ariana's case.
News of the Northern Feudal Lord's investment was a valuable source of information. While vast, the West was largely a useless land, and thus wasn't particularly wealthy compared to other nations.
So, it was necessary to look good to the Emperor and maintain good relations with the royal family. Otherwise, other countries might swallow up the West at any moment.
'That little guy from the West has only just established himself, so he's probably in need of funds since he hasn't been able to solidify his position.'
The information that the Northern Lord invested heavily in the business is likely true.
'The question is whether the business will succeed... '
After the Western Lord had sent Victoria back and was pondering for a few days, she learned that Duke Obelius of the East had invested a large sum of money in Count Gabion's business.
'Duke Obelius, he was moving quickly.'
If it's a project that would move even the Northern Lord and the Duke of Obelius, there must be a good reason for it. Those who sat on the throne sometimes had to be bold.
'If I were to sneak this information to the Third Prince, it would be more useful in drawing him over to my side.'
The Crown Prince was choosing a Crown Princess.
The Western Lord had long been aware of the Third Prince's ambitions and had been keeping a close eye on him. He would soon make his move. Or perhaps he had already begun.
To deal with the Crown Prince, both the Third Prince and the Western Lord needed a lot of money.
The Western Lord made a decision.
***
Secret correspondence ensued between the Western Lord and the Third Prince, and the Third Prince quietly visited the Western Lord. Various agreements were made between them, and the Third Prince was introduced to the third daughter of the Duke of Bronte.
While the Western Lord was busy moving, the year changed, and it became April of the year 211.
The fierce winds that had been lashing the northernmost regions had weakened slightly, but the temperature remained significantly lower than in other parts of the country. Ariana opened the window and gazed at the gray sky, with snow falling softly.
'It must be warm already.'
She received several letters from the Eastern Lord asking when she would return. Each time, Ariana extended the deadline with some reasonable excuse.
'Count Gabion's factory has received significant investment and is being completed ahead of schedule.'
Count Gabion, who received a large investment while building the factory, hired workers without sparing any effort and purchased a huge amount of perfume ingredients.
The plant will be operational by the end of this summer at the latest.
Perfume comes in two varieties: luxurious perfumes for the nobility and affordable perfumes for the common people. The manufacturing process, labels, and bottles for perfume are all different.
Count Gabion advertises aggressively to popularize the perfume, and the nobles are lured by the advertisement that says, "A perfume that is hard to get your hands on," while the commoners are lured by the advertisement that says, "A perfume that even nobles use," and the perfume sells like hotcakes.
The first problems arose among commoners who used cheap perfume. Coughs, hives, and rashes. Initially, it was thought to be an unidentified contagious disease. However, when the problem spread to the nobility, a thorough investigation was launched, and it was discovered that the perfume was the cause.
'There will be trouble among the common people this year.'
Ariana decided that the day she would return to the East would be the moment when problems began to appear among the commoners. This would prevent Duke Obelius from being preoccupied with the perfume issue and from paying attention to Ariana.
'The Western Lord brought in the Third Prince and the Duke of Bronte to invest in the perfume business.'
The Brontes were beginning to rebuild their reputation.
A little over a year has passed since Ariana's custody trial.
Countless noble families had more interesting incidents than the family feuds of others. Rachel and Helena consistently volunteered at almshouses and orphanages, while Victoria accumulated good deeds, such as helping a starving child.
They arranged for a few newspaper reporters to publicize their good deeds, and as public opinion turned against the Brontes, the Duke of Bronte came to his senses and returned to Rachel.
As the three women of Brontes continued to do good deeds, people began to think, 'There must have been a reason for that,' and 'Perhaps the Duchess had been acting too self-indulgent.'
The 'Princess of the East' in question was confined to a villa in a resort area and did not appear in society, claiming to be recuperating due to poor health, so it was inevitable that the image created by Bronte's mother and daughters would become the truth.
After all, it's just 'someone else's business' to them.
'Now the Brontes can go on as if nothing had happened. Some people will remember it when they appear in society, but they won't make a big deal out of it.'
If the Brontes pretended not to know Ariana, if they stopped caring about her, the whole thing would end in a fluke. But Ariana knew they wouldn't.
They will throw ropes to ruin Ariana's reputation.
'I'll just use the rope you throw me.'
Ariana reached out the window. A snowflake landed on her small palm, then melted away in an instant.
Their plan to insult Ariana will also be like this.
“Master, His Excellency the Northern Lord has come to see you.”
At the sound of Shini's voice, Ariana turned around.
Having come to the North and been thoroughly trained by Langster and Louis, Shini has now grown enough to perform the duties of a maid. She speaks fluently and is proficient in reading and writing.
Louis said that Shini was very smart and learned quickly.
“Where did Catherine go?”
“She went to sell a dress that was too small. Should I follow in her footsteps?”
Ariana had grown quite a bit, and none of the dresses she'd brought from the guild were wearable. Every few days, Catherine would leave Maho Castle, promising to sell her outdated dresses and shoes.
She already knew that every time she went out, she would stop by a bar and chat with a traveler before returning.
Duke Obelius invested in Count Gabion's business, and Catherine secretly met with someone every now and then, so it became clear that she was one of Duke Obelius's people.
“No, it’s okay. Leave her alone. You go and do what you have to do.”
“Yes, master.”
Shini opened the door with a cheerful smile, bowed to Cyrus as he came in, and then went out.
It's been six months since they've been in the North. Cyrus visiting Ariana's room and spending time alone with her has become a familiar sight.
“The weather is not good.”
“Yeah, that’s too bad.”
Originally, Cyrus was supposed to take Ariana to the Ruam Pond on top of Mount Graten today.
“Oh, this is a gift.”
Cyrus held out a small box. She knew what was inside without even opening it. It smelled sweet as soon as he entered.
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