Chapter 20
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Chapter 20
* * *
The Lord was deeply troubled.
He'd thought a stroke of fortune had rolled into Grunvalt, but it was fortune beyond his capacity to bear—far too immense a blessing.
"You're aware that Dale is actually His Imperial Majesty, correct?"
He was aware. Before his collapse, The Emperor had discreetly sent word.
When he'd heard the suggestion that His Majesty might reside directly in Grunvalt, he'd assumed it was about acquiring a villa—but it was something far more extraordinary: a complete identity concealment.
He'd been terrified, yet dared not voice a single objection.
But upon awakening from that semi-conscious state, something even more shocking had transpired.
"The young lady Ann is actually Princess Enya Lockhart."
"What?!"
"This must remain absolutely confidential. You understand?"
"But is such a thing even possible?"
"We need only follow His Majesty's and the Princess's wishes as closely as we can. Since the Princess believes Dale is merely a servant of Lord's Castle, we must keep our story consistent."
I nearly lost consciousness again at Yurta's words.
Why was she living here under an assumed name?
But Lord Grunvalt was as wise as his advanced years suggested. This was not something I should concern myself with.
The Duke's daughter Lockhart is Enya.
His Majesty is Dale.
"...."
Yet it felt terribly burdensome.
"My Lord? Your hands seem to be trembling. Are you quite well? Do you need medicine?"
"I am in perfect health. And you say to speak casually? I cannot address a noble daughter—no, a precious daughter of another household in such a manner. Hehe."
The Lord drained his water in one long gulp.
"But I am curious—how long do you two intend to stay in our Grunvalt? Or rather, are you planning to remain here permanently?"
"We may stay quite a long time, don't you think? Grunvalt is such a fine domain."
"Cough!!! I see. Haha. That is most excellent."
The Lord laughed awkwardly, his hand trembling as he held the water glass.
They were nobility of the highest order.
"Then, the rings on those fingers must be your marriage bands, yes?"
"This one is a ring Dale gave me."
"Dale, you say?"
Enya indicated her right ring finger.
"This one I purchased hastily for the marriage vows."
And she indicated her left ring finger.
"This diamond ring Dale gave me recently. He presented it as my formal wedding band."
"Oh! I see! It is truly beautiful."
The Lord marveled, praising Dale's ring.
I too thought this ring was absolutely exquisite. Dale's taste was truly impeccable.
Dale had given me this ring as thanks for receiving clothes as a gift, but no matter how I looked at it, the ring appeared far more expensive than the garments.
Was his financial situation quite sound?
Even accounting for the money he had received from me.
'I must keep a close eye on Dale. With such a kind heart, he'll surely be taken advantage of.'
"It seems Dale is quite fond of you, Miss Enya."
"Y-yes, Grandfather? I think so too."
Sophia and The Lord smiled warmly.
"Soon we shall hear the cries of a baby, it seems."
"Hahaha...."
Enya fanned her face as if embarrassed. The Lord too seemed to regard Dale with great affection.
But where had Dale gone to work today?
"So, My Lord, I was hoping you might reassign Dale's position so he could work within Lord's Castle."
"...A reassignment, you say?"
The Lord's pale eyes wavered.
"Y-yes, that is an excellent idea."
He trembled for some reason, drinking water repeatedly.
"Now that the number of servants at Lord's Castle has increased, and I see Dale always returning late from distant errands, my heart aches."
"Haha... that's understandable."
"So, would it be possible for Dale to return home earlier?"
"Haha, I'll discuss it with Dale."
"I'd be most grateful."
The Lord nodded with a smile.
"But where is Dale now? I'd like to see him briefly before I leave. Shall I go find him? Has he gone far?"
"That is... Dale is currently..."
"He went to the Harbor to deliver a letter on business."
Yurta answered in his stead.
"Ah, the Harbor."
I glanced at the clock.
"Then I should head to the Harbor as well. The timing seems right."
"After the Harbor, he has a schedule to visit another estate."
Yurta spoke quickly, as if to dissuade her.
Something felt off about this. Why hadn't he mentioned it from the start?
As I looked at him, Yurta furrowed his brow apologetically.
"Dale asked me not to tell you. He was quite concerned that Miss Enya might worry."
"Is that so?"
That was possible. I nodded and sat back down.
"I understand. But please reduce Dale's workload a bit. I'm asking you."
"That is something I can..."
Yurta trailed off and fell silent for a moment.
"I'll try."
* * *
But Dale came home even later after that.
Was he swamped with work?
"Sophia, do you happen to know why?"
"Me? No..."
Sophia tilted her head with an even more worried expression than mine.
"Now that I think about it, I haven't seen Enya's husband very often in this castle either. He seems to meet with Grandfather occasionally, but even then Grandfather was quite tense."
"Tense? The Lord?"
"Yes. Yurta was the same way."
Why would there be reason to feel tense meeting a servant?
Puzzled, I gazed toward Lord's Castle.
"Have monsters been appearing frequently lately?"
"No, there are no monsters. Oh, but I heard that heavy rain caused some of the mountainside soil to collapse."
Sophia's eyes widened as if she'd just remembered something.
"Maybe Enya's husband is working on that! We haven't completely stopped seeing him at Lord's Castle!"
If that were true, it meant he was doing exhausting work.
The Lord seemed to be making good use of Dale.
But I needed Dale too. As a husband playing a very important role.
'I wonder if he's being paid properly for his work.'
Given Dale's kind nature, could he be working without compensation?
He looked particularly exhausted lately, and I was worried.
For this life of escape to continue stably, Dale needed to stay healthy. And living with Dale was genuinely enjoyable.
He understood my tastes well, shared similar interests, and we communicated easily.
'The Emperor gets to be carefree while our Dale suffers—what am I supposed to do?'
I thrust the large shovel into the earth repeatedly.
"Enya, doesn't your arm hurt?"
"I've been doing fieldwork since childhood, so it's fine."
"Oh, tell me if it does hurt!"
Sophia always followed me when I came to the Herb Field, watching over me.
But tilling the field was familiar work to me.
I'd learned how to cultivate medicinal herbs at home since I was young.
Still, the regular shovel was too large, and the hand spade was too small. It would be nice to have a tool of appropriate size, but since there wasn't one, it was awkward.
"The shovel is hard to use, and it would be easier to dig by hand, but I can't do that."
Thud! Thud!
I grumbled as I dug through the soil earnestly.
In a world with magic, why doesn't something like that exist? If I were my former self—
"Oh?"
In that moment, my blood ran cold.
It's gone.
My fingers felt empty. It's not there. Really not there!
It shouldn't be gone. Why is it gone?
"Sophia."
"Yes?"
"Did I happen to come without wearing the ring this morning?"
"No. I saw you wearing it."
The moment Sophia's bright smile faded and she looked at my hand, her face drained of color just as mine had.
"...Enya, where did the ring go?!"
The ring Dale had given me had vanished cleanly from my hand.
* * *
"Wouldn't it be wise for you to return to the Capital now? Or at least somewhere near it?"
The Emperor's office was never free from his aide's nagging.
Soho trailed after The Emperor, explaining dozens of possible routes.
"Or perhaps you could simply revoke the Empress Edict?"
That was when Dale glanced at him.
Soho flinched in surprise, hiding his face behind documents before continuing with stubborn resolve.
"Long-distance teleportation magic inevitably harms the body. Scrolls can minimize the backlash, but using them multiple times daily will destroy your health. We need another solution."
"...."
"The princess fled precisely because of that edict."
At his words, Dale interlaced his fingers beneath his chin.
"Once I revoke the Empress Edict, I cannot reissue it. You understand that."
"I understand, but Imperial Family marriages need not proceed solely through edict. You could arrange it through a family contract instead."
"Without the edict, she cannot marry another man. Are you unaware?"
"But whom would the princess marry? She has no suitors."
Soho exhaled deeply.
The Emperor he served, Dale, had recently fallen into a pattern of departing for the countryside at dawn and returning to the Imperial Palace at dawn once more.
The workload had become overwhelming, and matters requiring The Emperor's direct approval had multiplied.
'Who is trying to bury His Majesty in work to assassinate him....'
Sometimes he even questioned this cruel cycle of fate's mockery.
"When we informed His Majesty of the princess's likely whereabouts, we did not mean for him to chase after her."
"Your...."
Dale's low voice emerged.
He exhaled wearily, his exhausted face turning away from Soho.
"Your mouth needs a gag."
"...Pardon?"
"If I silence you, you'll just write it down instead."
Soho fell silent under that chilling gaze.
It was impossible to tell whether his words were jest or earnest threat.
Then the aide who had been quiet suddenly stepped forward, extending documents to Dale. The aide's eyes gleamed eagerly—he would not miss this opportunity.
He was Getty, the team's second-in-command.
"No, Your Majesty, I believe your assessment is correct. I've conducted an investigation. These are the men the Lady has met."
"She's seen quite a few suitors without anyone knowing."
His brow furrowed as he took the documents.
"Has any relationship progressed?"
"It would be embarrassing to even call it progress."
"Speak."
Dale didn't miss Getty's attempt to brush past the matter and pressed him further.
"...Yes! There was a man she seemed to favor! The eldest son of Count Stefan's family..."
"..."
"My apologies. However, he is not someone Your Majesty need concern yourself with. His physical build falls outside the Lady's preferences."
He, still frowning, opened his mouth.
"His height?"
"Around 180 centimeters—considerably shorter than The Emperor, Your Majesty."
"I see. His shoulders?"
"Being a former knight, he has a sturdy build, but his prominent trapezius muscles make his frame less aesthetically pleasing. It would not align with the Lady's preferences."
Getty quickly added flattery.
"The Lady would certainly prefer Your Majesty's shoulders. Based on my observations, I'm certain of it."
Dale regarded Getty with a steady gaze.
Getty's back broke into cold sweat as he struggled to bear the oppressive weight of that stare, yet he understood.
This level of response meant he was satisfied.
"However."
Dale's eyes narrowed suddenly.
"What about his appearance?"
"His appearance...? Ahem!"
The sharp question made the air in the office grow cold.
"There is no man superior to The Emperor, Your Majesty."
"A textbook answer."
But Dale's expression hardened coldly, as though that wasn't what he wanted to hear.
"Tell me the truth, Getty."
"Speaking objectively..."
Getty's lips trembled as he hesitated, but finally he spoke honestly.
"He aligns quite well with the Lady's preferences."
Crack.
In that instant, his pen snapped.
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