Chapter 1

With summer finally here, the school has also entered the summer break!! Although there are many things to be frustrated about, I hope this can serve as a refreshing change of pace!! I would be delighted if you could read it casually and enjoy it!!

The winter in the Kingdom of Lahti, located in the north, is harsh, and it is also known as a country rich in forests. Lakes, carved by glaciers, are found throughout the country, and during the summer, the sun never sets, while in winter, the sun does not appear for days on end.

Despite the harsh environment in which people live, a large proportion of the population feels fully satisfied. Perhaps because of the harsh environment, people must support each other to survive, and this has led to closer relationships among the people.

In the summer, when the sun never sets, women stay out late, engaging in lively conversations by the well, and men set up tables and chairs outside, engrossed in card games while sipping strong alcohol, and, though not to the same extent as the women, they also share interesting stories they have recently heard.

In the winter, families and relatives gather together, huddling close to live. Because it is impossible to stay outside for long in the extreme cold without sunlight, everyone gathers around the fireplace, sharing trivial stories.

"By the way, a friend told me a story..."

"Yeah, it was something I heard from an old lady..."

"Oh, I heard that from my wife too..."

"But, is that really true?"

People look at each other, shrug their shoulders, and say:

"Well, it's probably something only the nobles do. Things that we commoners can't even imagine happen quite often."

Yes, indeed. Among the nobles, things that we can't even imagine do happen sometimes, but I never thought it would happen to me.

This is a true story that happened to me, Kastehelmi Kalkoski, the daughter of the Kalkoski family. If you are bored and looking for something interesting to read, I think it would be good to read this as a way to pass the time.

The story that befell me spread far beyond my expectations.

The country where we live is located in the north of the continent, and the Lahti royal family has ruled it for generations, considering the welfare of the people. Our royal family has invited scholars to develop new technologies, focusing on improving work efficiency and productivity in a country with short summers and long winters.

Our country is led by the king, with two duchies, three marquisates, and various earldoms, viscounties, and baronies managing their own territories and serving at the royal palace to make a living.

Recently, more and more nobles have started businesses and made investments to increase their assets, and the hottest investment is the railway business.

The Kingdom of Lulea, our neighbor, does not have a coastline and has been using the ports of the Kingdom of Lahti for maritime transport. Until now, goods were transported by carriage, which took a lot of time. Recently, the Empire of Ibrina developed a steam locomotive, and the Kingdom of Lahti gained the right to purchase this locomotive.

As I mentioned earlier, our royal family has been inviting scholars from abroad, and during the development of the locomotive, they often consulted with our country. Especially regarding the pistons used in the locomotive, our country took on the production and export, which made it easy to acquire the right to purchase the completed locomotive.

However, this locomotive is extremely expensive, so our royal family proposed to the Kingdom of Lulea, which does not have a coastline, to collaborate on the railway business. Since the locomotive can transport twice as much at twice the speed, it was inevitable that the Kingdom of Lulea would jump at the opportunity.

Thus, the railway, starting from the Kingdom of Lulea, was planned to pass through our capital and head to the port. As I mentioned, our country has two duchies, both of which have large ports capable of accommodating large ships.

Our capital is located inland, so the railway will be laid from here to the port. From our territory, which is also inland, the railway will branch out in two directions. On the right side is the port of the Rautavaara duchy, and on the left side is the port of the Valkiapaa duchy.

The royal family decided to lay the railway to the port of the Rautavaara duchy, which is closer to the capital, and then gradually extend it to the port of the Valkiapaa duchy. This is a very large project, and for strategic reasons, it was decided that I, the daughter of the Kalkoski earldom, would marry the second son of the Rautavaara duchy, Olivier.

The reason for this is that if I, who am of the right age to marry, were to marry into a family under the Valkiapaa duchy (since there were no eligible unmarried males in the Valkiapaa duchy itself), and if the Valkiapaa duchy were to incorporate our family and lay the railway in their territory first, and then connect it to the Rautavaara duchy, it would be troublesome.

While it is uncertain whether such a situation would actually occur, there are always possibilities in life. Since the railway project is a large-scale project that will take years, it was considered more convenient for the Kalkoski earldom and the Rautavaara duchy, which are along the planned railway route, to have a close relationship.

This marriage, which is a strategic move, was almost decided by royal decree, but it was not officially a royal command. However, the groom, Olivier, did not come to our family to pay his respects, nor did we have a formal meeting.

In fact, the first time we met was at the wedding.

Moreover, he glared at me with such hatred, as if he were looking at someone who had killed his parents.

Since the first meeting was at the altar in front of the priest, my mind was filled with question marks.

"Olivier Ascam Rautavaara, the groom, do you swear to love the bride forever?"

"I do."

"Kastehelmi Skarga Kalkoski, the bride, do you swear to love the groom forever?"

"I do."

In our country, after swearing eternal love at the wedding ceremony, the couple shares a kiss. However, Olivier looked at me bitterly, and then pretended to kiss me and ended it there.

If you are sitting in the front row, it is clear that he did not actually kiss me. The front row is where his family, the duchy, is seated, but a beautiful young girl with a lovely face was shedding tears, and the family was busy comforting her, so they did not notice the situation.

However, my family, who were also in the front row, noticed, and probably the high-ranking nobles in the front rows also noticed.

When I looked at Olivier, he was gazing at the beautiful young girl, who was wiping her tears with a handkerchief, with a sad expression.

I couldn't help but exclaim "Wow!" in my mind. Of course, I wouldn't actually shout "Wow!" out loud, as I am known as a perfect lady in society.

If you found this interesting, I would be grateful if you could read to the end!!

It will also help me maintain my motivation.

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