Chapter 70

At the beginning of February, Marievel set off for Lake Haginoru with a grand escort. The journey would take about seven days.

She was accompanied by her governess, Lena, and her attendant, Allo.

From the Royal Knights, Rias selected elite guards to accompany her, and a squadron from the Pencilia Knights joined the party.

Around the same time, Eidan also offered to go on a journey.

He too was accompanied by a squadron of guards, but he and Tan set out on horseback, traveling light.

He said he was going to inspect the granaries and water management projects as part of his educational tour, but it was near the winery. He was probably going to see Aila.

Cynthia and Rias allowed him to go on the condition that he did not stray from his guards.

The Pencilia mansion was now home to only one child, Sophia, and contrary to expectations, she was enjoying the solitude of being an only child.

Cynthia took leisurely walks with her and enjoyed tea together.

While looking forward to their travel stories, Cynthia was savoring a rare period of quiet normalcy.

The monthly Pencilia council meeting, which has been held at the Duke's residence for several years, was attended by Cynthia after Marievel's childbirth, gradually increasing her participation.

At first, she only listened, and with various intentions and gazes directed at her, she felt like a rare animal.

Now, she felt she had naturally blended in. Although she did not often voice her opinions, just listening was educational. Rias's meetings were efficient and never boring.

The meeting's content ranged from Pencilia's policies, management, military, and judiciary, but this time it was a meeting of the policy department ministers.

Since the Allo incident, they had been trying to draft a bill to protect children, and Cynthia was participating.

Given the long history of parent-child relationships and apprenticeship systems, it was not a simple task. They were still in the stage of gathering information.

It was not something to rush, and Cynthia was prepared for a long-term effort.

After a thorough discussion of the bill, just as the meeting was about to conclude, one of the closest ministers raised his hand.

"Your Excellency—have you heard the rumor that the Queen is pregnant?"

Earl Elvin, a long-standing noble family, had heard the news quickly.

Cynthia tried not to show any expression on her face.

Rias, as always, maintained a poker face.

This facial muscle control was probably the first skill a duchess should master. People observed her expressions more closely than she thought.

"Is it related to today's agenda?"

Rias said, feigning disinterest. The others were restless, but Earl Elvin remained unperturbed.

"Not related to today's agenda, but I have a proposal for Pencilia's further prosperity."

"......"

Rias was silent, his face suggesting that he thought it was going to be another pointless suggestion.

Earl Elvin took this silence as encouragement to continue.

"It's about Eidan's engagement."

Cynthia almost lost her composure and had to regain her composure.

She had not expected the conversation to jump from Iena's pregnancy to Eidan's engagement.

"The first princess of Verint Kingdom is currently ten years old."

Verint Kingdom borders the Pencilia territory to the east and is known for its numerous large iron mines.

"——So?"

Rias seemed willing to listen.

"After all, Eidan is currently the second in line to the throne, a royal by any measure."

Others began to nod, indicating that the groundwork had been laid.

Earl Elvin gained momentum.

"If we can bring the Verint princess into our family, we can secure priority access to iron."

In other words, while Eidan's value is high, they wanted to quickly find a suitable marriage partner.

Cynthia looked at Earl Elvin with a quiet anger. It was better that she did not speak.

If she opened her mouth, she might have shouted in frustration.

"Pathetic. Can't you negotiate well without relying on a 12-year-old son?"

"N-no, that's not—"

"Your Excellency, isn't it a good deal?"

This time, another noble spoke.

It seemed that the groundwork had been done with almost everyone.

With such overwhelming numbers, Rias could not easily dismiss it.

"Verint Kingdom has been raising the price of iron year by year. To stay competitive with other countries in the future—"

"Is that so?"

A counterargument came from Rias's side.

Roubaan, who had returned to his role as deputy after the last council meeting, spoke.

"How much iron does Verint have in reserve?"

He was flipping through a stack of papers.

"Verint is not a large country. It has become wealthy through its mines, but—"

"Having iron mines means immense wealth. The place is full of mountains."

"I am concerned about the recent rapid development. The price increases seem unnatural. —Perhaps the iron production is declining?"

Roubaan laid out documents on the table one by one.

"Here are the results of an investigation into the movements of laborers over the past few years, export data from other countries, and items that the royal family has secretly auctioned off."

"Wh-what—"

Several ministers stood up to examine the documents.

"Verint is no longer the wealthy and strong kingdom it once was. If we are preparing, it should be for the influx of refugees and disease in case the neighboring country collapses. Proposing a marriage now could give them an opportunity to exploit us."

The meeting room fell silent.

Cynthia was surprised.

She had heard that Roubaan was capable, but she did not expect him to so smoothly and convincingly refute the ministers with evidence.

His attention to detail and fearlessness made him seem perfectly suited for his role as Rias's deputy.

Roubaan continued.

"Regardless of his position in the line of succession, Eidan is the undisputed heir of Pencilia, the leading noble family. Whether he is second or third in line, his dignity remains unchanged."

It was time to stop him.

"If you are considering Pencilia's prosperity, let me explain the current stagnation in the timber industry—"

Cynthia signaled Rias with her eyes.

"Then this matter is not worth discussing. That's all for today."

The ministers nodded in stunned silence.

After the ministers left, Cynthia opened the window.

Inhaling the cold air and stretching, she felt her fatigue ease.

Why were the ministers all men? They were all so rough and unpleasant.

She spoke to Roubaan, who was tidying up the documents on the desk.

"You did a thorough job."

"It's only natural."

Roubaan stopped his hands and bowed politely.

"How is the deputy's job?"

"I am determined to devote myself to it wholeheartedly."

He was as stiff as ever.

"——Relax a bit. You tend to rush into things, which isn't good."

Many of the ministers were distant relatives who often meddled. They had been even more vocal when Rias became the head of the family at a young age, as they had been managing the business and thus had more say.

Now that Rias firmly held the reins of power in Pencilia, the situation was manageable, but the role of the deputy was crucial.

"I understand that you were appointed to this position with your recommendation. Thank you."

That was... because Marievel disliked him.

As a guard, he constantly criticized her, pointing out mistakes in her assignments and the inadequacy of her lesson preparations. While his advice was well-intentioned, his manner of delivery consistently undermined Marievel's motivation.

He even began to criticize her teachers.

His reasons were that the evidence was not yet available or that the reports needed a different perspective.

The teachers also requested that he be dismissed and replaced.

Roubaan was a bit of a nuisance wherever he went.

When she consulted Rias, he said that Roubaan had not been like that during his deputy days.

He was in the right place.

"Do you understand Pencilia's main goal?"

"Peace is prosperity."

Roubaan recited the slogan that had become a motto.

It was a declaration Cynthia had made when she began to participate in the administration. It had somehow become the policy of Pencilia.

"Take care of it."

Prosperity for peace, peace through prosperity.

It might be an unusual aspiration for a military wife, but Cynthia wanted to cherish it.