Chapter 6
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Chapter 6
Dale examined the altered documents carefully with his own eyes before handing them to the Corrupt Priest.
"Process it as is."
"Ah, yes! O-of course, Your Majesty!"
"Your Majesty?"
The Corrupt Priest prostrated himself flat at the razor-sharp glint in Dale's eyes—the kind that looked ready to slit a throat at any moment.
"My sincerest apologies. I saw nothing and heard nothing. I will not remember today's events. I'm such an obedient servant that..., eh? Who are you?"
The Corrupt Priest's answer was exactly what he wanted to hear, so Dale turned without hesitation.
He picked up Enya's coat, which he had hidden in one corner of the Temple.
"...."
Sculptures and paintings blessing the love of married couples were displayed throughout the Temple.
Dale's lips curved upward, his expression unreadable.
"You said you wouldn't regret it. ...didn't you."
He recalled her words in a tone that was 180 degrees colder than the expression he had shown her.
But just as the coat was in his hands, she could not escape.
"Enya Lockhart."
An indecipherable satisfaction settled in his eyes.
Dale glanced around without lingering and strode out of the Temple with long, decisive steps.
"...Huh?"
A woman entering the Temple at that moment caught sight of Dale as he passed by.
"Isn't that the man who lives in that hillside house in Grunvalt Territory?"
"I think so."
The women who recognized him gossiped with curiosity.
"Why did he suddenly come to the Temple? Did he come to pray like us?"
"No. Look at that document."
One woman studied the paper he was carrying intently.
And the women's coat he was holding as well.
"Could that be...a marriage certificate?"
"What?! What about Adeline?"
The village women shrieked in dramatic alarm.
"Adeline doesn't seem to know about this, does she? She was so excited about inviting that man to her birthday party."
"We should tell her right away."
"Just who is this woman he married?"
They followed Dale eagerly.
And they clearly saw him drape the white coat over a woman's shoulders.
A beautiful woman with silver hair and sky-blue eyes.
"She's absolutely stunning...! Where on earth did a woman like that suddenly appear from?"
"I heard about it. Someone moved to Grunvalt recently, didn't they? Could that be her?"
Their jaws dropped.
"We should report this to Adeline right away."
* * *
"All of this was a wedding gift from the villagers of Grunvalt."
"That's quite a lot."
Dale and I gazed at the fruits, rice, and meat piled in one corner of the living room as we ate dinner—which Dale had, of course, prepared entirely himself.
It was all a wedding congratulations gift from the people of Grunvalt.
But that was just an excuse; they seemed genuinely curious about who this handsome bachelor had actually married.
"You're quite popular, aren't you, Dale?"
At that, he covered his face in embarrassment.
"I apologize."
"I'm not denying that I'm popular."
"That's not what I meant.... It wasn't like that."
Dale buried his flushed face in his hands.
So he knew he was popular, did he?
'He has a good personality and is a model youth who helps with all sorts of odd jobs in this village.'
Dale wasn't just handsome and kind-hearted.
For some reason, he had retired from his life as a mercenary and lived quietly in Grunvalt, doing odd jobs.
Grunvalt was a territory with barren land and few job opportunities, making it difficult to attract young labor, so it operated on a modest scale.
To put it kindly, it was quaint.
To put it bluntly, it was a poor territory.
Dale had started living here six months ago and had apparently helped the village elders with a lot of physical labor during that time.
Though Grunvalt had wide spacing between houses, the people were so close-knit that they knew how many forks were in each other's homes.
It wasn't an ideal environment for someone with as many secrets as I had, but it was still good land if used wisely.
'Because the House of Hexagon's vast medicinal herb garden is cultivated here.'
The original story begins the year I turn twenty-two.
I'm currently twenty years old. I have exactly two years left until the original story begins.
But why did the Emperor send the Empress edict so much earlier than in the original story?
Is there a custom of early marriage?
Or does he know that I dislike him?
I don't think any rumors have spread.
I've never actually seen him.
'I still haven't even found a portrait of the Emperor.'
Few people knew the face of the Emperor, who had ascended to the throne at such a young age.
At most, my father Duke Lockhart, the Emperor's advisors, and the Emperor's Knights Order.
And the Emperor's friend, Marquis Cassion Schultz.
The Emperor never exposed his face and always appeared wearing a mask even at official events.
I asked my older brother, the Emperor's knight, to sketch his appearance, but his artistic skills were so abysmal that I gained little from it.
"Never mind the Emperor for now—the medicinal herb garden is what truly matters."
I muttered to myself.
The medicinal herb garden that House of Hexagon, the antagonists of the original story, cultivated on a massive scale.
It was located right here in Grunvalt.
"Dale, has anyone from Duke Hexagon's faction ever visited this place?"
"Not that I'm aware of."
"Is that so? Then it hasn't happened yet."
Then I need to claim it first.
"What exactly did Duke Hexagon do to Enya?"
"It's nothing like that."
He hasn't done anything yet.
And I had no intention of letting him.
"Dale, could you look into finding me a suitable fallow plot of land?"
"Are you planning to farm?"
"No, that would be too expensive. There isn't much arable land in Grunvalt itself."
After setting aside the money for Dale, I had 100,000 Crobats left to my name.
That's right.
I was destitute.
I rested my chin in my palm and shook my head slowly.
"The cheapest and largest plot available should suffice."
* * *
"This is the place."
The land Dale showed me was a wasteland in front of the lord's castle, requiring about an hour's walk from home to reach.
It was distant, but that was fine.
It was the cheapest land in all of Grunvalt.
"It's positioned right in front of the Lord's Castle—why is it so inexpensive?"
The land Dale had introduced was vast enough to accommodate ten mansions.
Yet the price was merely 10,000 crowns.
It was such a bargain that I wondered if it might be cursed.
"Because it is cursed land."
"...Ha ha."
Truly?
Cold sweat suddenly broke across my skin.
Why would Dale introduce me to such a place? There had to be a reason.
"It is cursed, but the price is the cheapest available."
...He really did focus solely on "cheapest," didn't he?
I stared at Dale in response to his unflinching honesty. He gazed back at me with a slight smile.
"And curses would not affect you, Miss Enya, making this an excellent location in many respects."
"Curses won't affect me? What do you mean by that?"
"The Lord is currently afflicted with an illness, which is why lands near the Lord's Castle do not sell."
There was a reason for the desolate atmosphere surrounding this place.
The Grunvalt Lord's Castle was neither maintained nor repaired, appearing at first glance like an abandoned fortress.
"You mentioned you sometimes work at the Lord's Castle, didn't you? Do you happen to know what illness the Lord suffers from?"
"There are rumors that he sees ghosts."
"Ghosts?"
That was a fascinating experience even I, a possessed one, had yet to encounter.
The Lord sees ghosts?
"However, the rumors about the Lord seeing ghosts are likely far from the truth."
Dale spread his robe across a flat stone.
I sat upon the robe and listened intently to his account.
"The Lord of Grunvalt lost his son and daughter-in-law in a carriage accident several years ago and has been raising his granddaughter alone."
"I see..."
"Are you familiar with Kiddleland, the neighboring territory?"
"Yes, I am. It's a wealthy territory, isn't it?"
Though both territories bordered the Gonia Mountain Range, it seemed as though all blessings had been concentrated on one side—Kiddleland flourished with wealth while Grunvalt suffered from poverty.
"Now that I think about it, weren't they originally one family?"
"Yes, that's correct."
Dale gazed at me with a slight smile.
Grunvalt and Kiddleland were originally one territory, but several generations ago, Count Grunvalt granted a baronial title to Kiddleland and divided the lands between them.
Strictly speaking, Kiddleland is a cadet branch of Grunvalt.
Yet something seemed suspicious.
Why would he give all the good things to a cadet branch?
Grunvalt has an heir, doesn't it?
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