Chapter 86

The official name of the capital city of the Gaziel Frontier Baron's territory is simply "Gaziel." Most of the residents of the Gaziel Frontier Baron's territory simply call it the "capital city." For the vassals who spend their entire lives on their own land, or even in their own village, this is enough to get by.

If one hears "capital region" in Japan, they might reflexively think of the Tokyo area. This might make it easier to understand.

Such a capital city of the Gaziel Frontier Baron's territory is generally what one would call a "castle town."

The city is surrounded by thick, high walls. This is not particularly unusual in the Southern Continent. Given that the "Dragonkind," a clear threat to humans, freely roam, all frontier settlements, large or small, have some form of defensive wall. Even small farming villages have at least a fence made of logs, and larger towns typically have earthen walls surrounding them.

Moreover, for a city of the capital's class, stone walls are the norm. In this world, magic to manipulate earth and rock exists, so compared to pre-mechanized Earth, they have far superior civil engineering and construction capabilities.

In a room of the lord's residence, located at the center of the capital city surrounded by such sturdy walls, Lucinda Gaziel, the eldest daughter of the Gaziel Frontier Baron, was diligently attending to her political duties.

"Indeed, it seems we cannot avoid any impact. I hope the matter can be resolved without any major issues..."

Lucinda Gaziel sat in a wooden chair, reading through the reports spread out on a wooden desk, muttering to herself.

The content of the reports detailed the current situation in the villages that had young men recruited by the dragon-hunting teams. Needless to say, young, healthy men who can serve as soldiers are also important laborers in daily life. When recruiting soldiers, they tried to minimize the impact by recruiting from a wide area of the territory, but it seems that some impact is inevitable.

As the one who oversees the territory's political affairs, Lucinda found this headache-inducing.

Lucinda Gaziel, the eldest daughter of the Gaziel Frontier Baron, is an unmarried woman in her mid-twenties.

However, Lucinda does not have the unfortunate appearance that one might associate with the title "unmarried woman in her mid-twenties," which is almost a curse in the Southern Continent.

Perhaps because she prioritizes working in the frontier, her makeup is light, she wears only a necklace as jewelry, and she has no scent on her hair or body, making her appear almost "unqualified" as a noblewoman. However, her appearance is not bad.

Her long, lustrous black hair, which is tied up to avoid interfering with her work, and her well-defined facial features are quite presentable. However, because she prioritizes not giving viewers an unpleasant feeling over making herself look beautiful, she is often perceived as "plain" or "dull."

However, her age-appropriate, clean-cut demeanor could be described as "attractive" without much exaggeration.

While Lucinda was busy with her daily tasks, there was a knock on the door.

"Miss Lucinda, may I come in for a moment?"

Hearing the familiar voice of the middle-aged maid, Lucinda lifted her head from the documents and called out while still seated.

"Come in."

"Yes, I will."

The sturdy wooden door was pulled open, and a plump, middle-aged maid entered, bowed, and spoke.

"Miss Lucinda, Lord Josep has just returned from the capital. He has a letter from the lord and wishes to meet with you."

"Understood. Please show him in immediately."

Lucinda answered calmly, showing no surprise at the maid's announcement. In fact, it was something she had expected. When she received the letter from her father, the Gaziel Frontier Baron, instructing her and Nilda to "come to the capital immediately," she had sent a small dragon to confirm, "Would it really be okay to leave the territory and cause unrest among the vassals?"

Sending someone to explain the details was within Lucinda's expectations.

"Yes, I understand."

Lucinda watched the maid bow and leave while still seated. She then took a deep breath and turned her head.

"...Father sent Lord Josep to explain. This must be a serious matter."

Lucinda muttered, deducing the gravity of the situation and steeling herself.

The fact that the knight Josep, who should be in the capital, returned at this time suggests that he must have been teleported by Queen Aura. In the current Kingdom of Carp, only Queen Aura can use the valuable magic to teleport. The fact that she used it to send her trusted knight Josep indicates that this is a matter of great importance.

Lucinda steeled herself, tidied up her appearance, and waited for her father's confidant.

"I haven't seen you in a while, Miss Lucinda. Knight Josep, by the order of the lord, has just returned."

"You have my thanks, Lord Josep."

Lucinda stood up and greeted the middle-aged knight, the trusted confidant of the Gaziel Frontier Baron, with a gentle smile.

As the eldest daughter of the Gaziel Frontier Baron, Lucinda is of higher noble rank than the knight Josep, who is her father's subordinate. According to etiquette, she could have greeted him while seated without any issue. However, Lucinda is not so naive as to insist on the difference in status to a seasoned knight who fought in the great war alongside her father.

"Is it true that you have brought a letter from my father? If you are not too tired, I would like to proceed with the discussion now. Is that acceptable?"

Lucinda proposed this to the seasoned knight with a smile. Originally, someone who had been teleported would not be tired.

Knight Josep nodded slightly and replied,

"Yes. If you proceed this way, I would be grateful. The lord has instructed me to act urgently."

He maintained a stern expression as he spoke.

"Understood. Then I will read the letter."

"Yes, here it is."

Lucinda took the letter from Knight Josep, opened it immediately, and read through it.

The letter detailed the current situation surrounding the Gaziel Frontier Baron's family.

"..."

As she read, Lucinda's expression gradually stiffened. Thanks to her preparedness for a significant matter, her agitation was relatively contained, but this was indeed a serious issue that justified her father summoning his two daughters to the capital.

"Lord Josep. Please take a seat and explain the details."

"Yes, I understand."

The seasoned knight bowed to his lord's daughter, who had a serious expression, with a respect that was not just formal.

Lucinda, seated in a simple wooden chair, spread the dragon-skin paper from her father on a similarly simple table and spoke to Knight Josep, who was seated opposite her.

"According to this, the issue of Nilda's name not being on the royal 'register' can be resolved by bringing a copy, correct?"

The first thing Lucinda confirmed was the issue of her half-sister not being officially recognized as a noble because her name was not on the royal 'register.' If her beloved sister could not be officially recognized as a noble, Lucinda would not be at ease.

However, if the information in the letter was correct, there was no need to worry too much about this issue.

The seasoned knight sitting opposite her nodded in agreement with Lucinda's assessment.

"Yes. If Queen Aura confirms that the copy is indeed an official document of the royal family, the issue will be resolved. The date for the confirmation of the copy is about six months away, so unless something extraordinary happens, it should not become a major issue."

Lucinda relaxed her shoulders in relief at Knight Josep's answer. She had already known it would be fine when she read the letter, but it was reassuring to hear it confirmed clearly.

With the most concerning issue resolved, Lucinda calmed down and moved on to the next issue.

"Then, when we go to the capital, bringing the copy will resolve that issue. The next issue is the marriage proposal. Is it correct that Nilda will become the official wife of General Pujol, the head of the Gijen family?"

Reading the letter straightforwardly, that was the only interpretation, but Lucinda found it hard to believe that her illegitimate sister could become the head of the prestigious Gijen family.

However, Knight Josep strongly affirmed this, dispelling Lucinda's doubts.

"Yes, it is correct. General Pujol desires a connection with the Gaziel Frontier Baron's family. He has also received permission from Queen Aura. Initially, your name, Miss Lucinda, was also considered, but due to various circumstances, the proposal was ultimately made to Miss Nilda."

Knight Josep, who seemed slightly hesitant, spoke, and Lucinda quickly organized the information in her mind while maintaining a neutral expression.

General Pujol's goal is a connection with the Gaziel Frontier Baron's family. Initially, he intended to propose to Lucinda. However, he ultimately proposed to Nilda.

At the same time, it was discovered that Nilda's name was not on the 'register.' This suggests that the royal family, specifically Queen Aura, did not know about Nilda until recently.

Combining these facts with the highly unusual information that "Royal Advisor Zenjiro is interested in Lucinda," the overall picture of the capital's negotiations becomes clear.

In other words, General Pujol, driven by his ambitions, sought a marriage alliance with the Gaziel Frontier Baron's family. To counter this, Queen Aura fabricated the lie that "Royal Advisor Zenjiro is interested in Lucinda." In response, General Pujol shifted his marriage proposal to Nilda, the illegitimate second daughter. The royal family, unaware of Nilda's existence, was forced to accept the statement that "Royal Advisor Zenjiro is interested in a widow without a husband."

(Indeed, that's how it was...)

Lucinda, having deduced the general situation from the information, felt a twinge of pain in her heart but accepted it.

How could a royal, whom she had never met, be interested in her, a middle-aged woman from the countryside? When she first read the letter, she was skeptical, but now it made sense.

(Probably, it was a fabricated lie to check General Pujol, the statement that "Lord Zenjiro is interested in me." In that case, the most pitiful one is Lord Zenjiro...)

Lucinda sympathized with the royal advisor, who was forced to be "interested" in a middle-aged woman like herself due to the royal family's strategy.

However, from the perspective of the Gaziel Frontier Baron's family, it would be more appropriate to take advantage of the royal family's mistake rather than sympathize with it.

"..."