Chapter 70

Alteair and I were chased out of Leon's laboratory with nothing to show for it.

'If Leon reacted this strongly, it can't be a serious illness, can it?'

I still don't quite understand why Leon grumbled with such a grim face. As the next day dawned, Eylsford Castle became noisy again. The blacksmith started repairing the wheel of Prince Orca's carriage, and his entourage was busy preparing to leave. And Melissa's group joined in the commotion.

"Melissa is going with Prince's entourage?"

Surprised, I asked, and Anna, who brought the news, nodded happily.

"Yes. His Highness received a summons from the Emperor to go to the capital and proposed to take Lady Melissa along."

"Why would His Highness...?"

As far as I know, the two of them weren't particularly close. The noblemen in the capital might consider it normal to escort a lady, but they wouldn't invite a lady they weren't close to out of the blue.

'Did they have a connection I didn't know about?'

But no matter how hard I tried to remember, I couldn't find any connection between them. Still, it's a relief that two troublesome people are leaving at once.

'Prince Orca won't be able to tempt Alteair to the path of villainy, and Melissa won't be able to bother Alteair anymore.'

I was breaking out in a cold sweat from the two simultaneous bombshells, but it seemed the situation was finally stabilizing. If it weren't for Marie's following words, I would have been at ease.

"We will also be leaving for the capital soon, so we'll meet the two of you again soon."

"We're going to the capital?"

"Yes. The Emperor has invited all the nobles to the capital for the Silver Jubilee, so we have to go too."

"Silver Jubilee..."

The moment I heard that, a memory flashed in my mind. The Silver Jubilee. The event celebrating the Emperor's 25th anniversary of reign was a crucial plot point in the novel. It was the episode where Prince Orca, who later became a traitor and turned the capital into chaos, returned proudly and began to draw attention.

Of course, his return wasn't particularly grand. He was known as a sickly prince who had been pushed out of the line of succession long ago. However, he successfully impressed the Emperor and the capital's nobles with his presence at the Silver Jubilee. The grown-up prince exuded a dignified demeanor, far from his frail youth, and amazed everyone with the broad knowledge he had gained from traveling across the empire. What made even more headlines was the gift Prince Orca presented to the Emperor. The exotic artifacts he collected from his travels captivated the Emperor. Especially the mysterious inventions and delicate artworks he obtained from the perilous eastern mountains beyond the mountains were a hot topic.

This led the Emperor to dream of exploring the land beyond the mountains, and naturally, Prince Orca stood at the forefront of this endeavor. Crossing the treacherous mountains, teeming with dangerous creatures, to explore new lands was considered a mad act, but Prince Orca accomplished it with his right-hand man, the mad villain Duke Alteair.

'This series of events seems like a string of coincidences...'

But in reality, it was a meticulously planned sequence. Orca wanted the Emperor and the nobles to take an interest in the artifacts from beyond the mountains. He hoped this would lead to a desire to explore. That's why he chose the most grand and attention-grabbing stage.

"...We need to prepare a gift for the Emperor too."

While gauging the future, I thought about what needed to be done immediately. Prince Orca turned the Silver Jubilee into his stage, and I needed a stage too. More accurately, Eylsford needed it.

'This is a great opportunity to promote our magic stones!'

If we present the Emperor with exquisite jewelry made from the finest magic stones from Eylsford... we could draw everyone's attention.

'And the magic stones will sell like hotcakes.'

Then Eylsford will become wealthy, and Alteair will be too busy managing the estate to meddle with dangerous people like Prince Orca. People usually get involved in dangerous affairs when they are in dire straits. If they are well-off, there's no need to take such risks.

'So making Eylsford wealthy is very important.'

That way, Alteair won't get close to Orca and become the mad villain duke! I pondered what kind of jewelry would draw everyone's attention and lost myself in thought. Marie, who had been watching me, spoke cautiously.

"Madam, are you worried about going to the capital?"

"Huh?"

"You suddenly became quiet. You must be concerned about staying at the Viscount Bain's residence, right?"

"Huh?"

Staying at the Viscount Bain's residence? I widened my eyes at this unfamiliar news, and Marie frowned, looking doubtful.

"This time, Miss Melissa came for that purpose. Viscount Bain invited Lord to his residence. Since Eylsford has no place to stay in the capital for the Silver Jubilee, he invited us to the Bain residence."

"I see. Eylsford indeed has no place to stay in the capital."

Typically, provincial nobles had a large castle in their territory and a smaller townhouse in the capital for social activities. However, Eylsford, which was struggling financially, couldn't afford a townhouse in the capital.

'Inviting us to the residence isn't out of consideration for Alteair.'

He must have invited us because he saw something to gain.

"Lord has already accepted the invitation."

Marie sighed and advised me.

"Tell Lord that you don't want to stay at the Bain residence. He wouldn't ignore your opinion, would he?"

But I shook my head.

"If it doesn't matter either way, he would have asked me first. But since he's already decided, there must be a reason."

"Well..."

"It will be nice to see the old house after a long time."

It felt very strange. I was returning to the place I had hurriedly left to avoid a villain, and now I was going back with the villain. I shivered and rubbed my arms, and Marie, worried, draped a shawl over my shoulders. Unlike Marie, who was worried, Anna was excited.

"I'm so curious about the capital. The festival in the capital must be huge and grand, unlike the simple festival in Eylsford, right?"

Marie shrugged at Anna's sparkling eyes.

"Well, the festival in the capital is indeed grand and splendid. But I haven't experienced Eylsford's festival, so it's hard to compare."

"Then we'll find out soon. The festival in Eylsford is coming up soon!"

Anna raised her voice excitedly.

"Eylsford holds a harvest festival instead of the founding day. It's very fun."

"I see. I remember hearing about it."

Before attending the eastern nobles' meeting, I had heard this from the knights.

'The festival is also something the lady needs to manage.'

Due to an accident on the way back from the meeting, I returned late and couldn't properly oversee the first festival.

'I need to pay more attention to ensure the people of the estate enjoy it.'

I need to prepare plenty of food and drinks, and if there's anything else needed, I should prepare that too... I added a line to the list of things I needed to do and stood up.

'First, I need to meet Pavel!'

*** Before I even reached Pavel's room, I met him in the hallway.

"It's the festival soon, right?"

As I brought up the festival, Pavel, who seemed to know what I was going to say, adjusted his glasses and spoke.

"I've already prepared plenty of food and drinks. The boat is also ready."

"Boat?"

"Yes. On the first day of the harvest festival, we carve what we want to get rid of onto a small boat and set it afloat on the lake, then burn it. People believe the boat carries away all the bad luck."

Indeed, this was a custom not found in the capital.

"Is there anything I need to do?"

"Everything is already prepared, so you don't need to worry."

"But it's my first festival as the lady, and I'm just standing by..."

"Well, isn't that natural?"

Pavel tilted his head, not understanding my reaction.

"Preparing the festival is traditionally the men's job. Even the small boats are quite heavy, so the harvest festival has always been prepared by men. On that day, all the cooking is done by men too."

"Really?"

I was amazed by the completely different culture from the capital.

"So, will you cook on that day, Pavel?"

"Since there's a shortage of hands, I have to help. On that day, Lord is also drafted."

"Really? Alteair cooks too?!"

The image of Alteair standing in front of a pot, adjusting the heat, or chopping small ingredients with a knife... really didn't suit him.

As I made a strange face and rolled my eyes, Pavel shrugged.

"Still, he's better at it than the knights. They often cut the pot instead of the onions."

"Cut the pot?"

"Yes. How many pots have been thrown away... Of course, the cost of the pots was deducted from their salaries, so it wasn't a problem."

Pavel's eyes gleamed behind his glasses, showing his determination not to let anything go to waste.

"Anyway, all you need to worry about is what to write on the boat. What kind of worries do you want to get rid of for the next year?"

"That's a lot... for someone as cautious and worried as me."

A person like me would probably fill the boat with writing and still feel it's not enough.

'Compared to me, Alteair would probably be very concise.'

He might not write anything at all. Imagining my boat filled with writing and Alteair's boat with nothing written on it made me feel a bit silly.

"Anyway, leave the festival preparations to us..."

Pavel trailed off and turned his gaze to behind me. I followed his gaze and saw Prince Orca, standing by the window of the opposite building, waving at me. I bowed awkwardly in greeting, and he pointed to where I was standing. Not understanding what he meant, I tilted my head, and Prince Orca turned and disappeared from the window.

'What was that?'

Looking at Pavel with a puzzled face, he narrowed his eyes and let out a strange sigh.

"I have an idea."

"About what?"

"Why Lord is wary of him. His Highness seems to be the kind of person who can easily infiltrate anywhere, unlike our Lord."

Infiltrate? Wary? Confused by his cryptic words, I blinked, and Pavel bowed formally. His bow was not directed at me but behind me. Prince Orca had appeared.

'Ah, pointing at me meant he was coming here.'

I belatedly realized the meaning of Orca's gesture and turned to greet him.

"Your Highness... "

But before I could finish my greeting, Orca smiled and said to me.

"The viscount owes me, madam."