Chapter 12

It seems that Dominic's nagging at Daniel whenever they meet has started again.

'Is bankruptcy easy? You wouldn't know unless you've spent money, you tightwad.'

Daniel, who had taken off his gloves, threw them at Dominic's chest and passed by him indifferently, asking, "The bed?"

"It's here, it's here. I just came back from seeing the enormous and expensive bed being respectfully placed in His Excellency's room. But that's not the problem..."

"From tonight, you'll be able to sleep comfortably."

It seems the morning's conversation has been kept. Well, his expression was excessively proud, after all. Considering the road conditions around the duchy, it's a surprisingly quick arrival. I guess the extra money I gave to the merchant in Weimar wasn't just talk.

"Do you know what I heard today? If you don't want to see the vault empty, you should talk some sense into the duchess."

"Why? Is she planning to buy the throne with that money?"

If she wanted to, she might be able to buy a few small city-states below La Paz.

"Ugh!"

Frustrated by his indifferent reaction, Dominic let out a strange cry and messed up his hair.

"Rather, I wish she would. I'm tired of this place and would like to live comfortably. And if you buy a country, it's not a waste! It's like she's planning to scatter money on the street..."

"Street?"

The rarely disheveled appearance of Dominic, who is usually annoyingly calm, made Daniel stop in his tracks. Seeing his reaction, Dominic quickly blocked Daniel's path.

"Yes, a street! She wants to expand the roads. She plans to build a road directly connected to the port. She says it's pointless to start road construction on this land, which Leopold's son might take away at any time, and that it should be done with your money!"

A road... For a noble lady, she's quite smart. After a brief admiration, irritation followed. She should just buy fancy dresses and expensive jewelry like other women. Why go through such pointless trouble? Dominic followed closely behind Daniel, who started walking back to the keep.

"So I told her to wait, that such a large-scale project requires the Emperor's approval, and that perhaps the Emperor might contribute to the construction costs. But..."

"You can't wait?"

"If that were all, I wouldn't have suggested you try to talk her out of it. Ugh!"

Dominic let out the same strange cry and grabbed the back of his neck.

"I knew this would happen. I could tell from the moment she started causing trouble that she would cause an accident. I knew it."

The day they arrived at the duchy with the unconscious Daniel. The duchess, who had been saying everything was fine, got out of the carriage with a pale, bloodless face. When I saw her dragging her skirts and trudging into the castle, I was worried that a funeral might be held the next day. But surprisingly, after lying in bed for about four days, she got up and started bustling around the castle, not resting for a single day. I should have stopped her then. I should have told her not to meddle and to focus on nursing Daniel. By the time I came to my senses, the worn-out father, the mercenaries, and the servants were all calling her 'our duchess' and 'our lady'... There was no one in the Mohnheim castle who wasn't on the duchess's side. So, will she listen to me now? How stubborn must a small woman be? After arguing with her all day, my jaw ached. Dominic massaged his sore jawbone and grumbled.

"We don't know when the imperial approval will come. Waiting for it might make us die of old age. And it might be faster for your father to stop cursing than for the imperial treasury to open. Ugh, I couldn't even argue with her because she was right."

She's been buried in books since she was young, so how can she speak so logically?

"Do you know what else she said? I'm so frustrated."

The more he thought about it, the more absurd it seemed, and he let out a sigh.

"We need to proceed with the construction quickly so that we won't be stopped by the imperial court later. It's better to complete it rather than halt it. What is this..."

A genius idea! For a moment, he almost forgot to stop her and almost clapped his hands in admiration. Remembering the thrilling moment, Dominic hurried to catch up with Daniel. Feeling a bit better after venting and getting some fresh air, his mind became clearer. He took a deep breath and returned to being the cold-hearted Dominic Moli.

"You must stop her, my lord. The news of your awakening will likely reach Schendal Castle in a day or two. If that reaches the Empress Dowager, who is already on edge, and the request for road construction approval is added, she will find a reason to drag you back to the battlefield."

The Empress Dowager would do that and more. She wouldn't just sit idly by while Daniel, the Duke of Rihardt, settles in the duchy. Daniel, who had been bitterly twisting his lips, suddenly looked at Dominic as if he had just thought of something.

"Have you found out who incited the Duke of Nottingen three years ago?"

"There are suspects, but we don't have conclusive evidence."

"Who?"

The Nottingen family in the north, which had been quietly suppressed by the power of the Baichen family. It was suspicious that they suddenly rebelled, so he had ordered a background check. He told them to investigate the financial sources, as money is the foundation of any war.

"It was the Count of Morenhayt."

The name that came out of Dominic's mouth was unexpected, and Daniel, uncharacteristically, asked for clarification.

"Who?"

"Count Balt Morenhayt. Don't you know? The master of Ascalon, the brave brown lion, the Margrave of the Rungen Empire."

There was no one among the sword-wielding men who didn't know who he was. But why is his name coming up here? Dominic shrugged.

"There was evidence of financial transactions between the Count's confidant, the Count of Schwaben, and Arthur Nottingen. The Count is at the end of the money trail."

"Find out more."

"I don't know. I'm so busy, I might not have time to look into it."

"What nonsense?"

As Daniel frowned, Dominic let out a snort as if he had been waiting for it.

"If you want to use me whenever and however you like, stop the duchess from causing trouble. Or hire someone else to clean up after her. Then I'll be too busy, so that's it."

The arrogant Dominic raised his head and disappeared into the keep, where the lights were just being lit. *** Daniel, heading to the bedroom, turned at the sound of hurried footsteps. A maid carrying a bucket full of water and several towels approached quickly and bowed deeply upon seeing him.

"Welcome back, Your Excellency."

The maid, who often entered the bedroom to attend to the duchess, was familiar. His gaze fell on what she was holding in her hands. Cold water and clean towels. He easily understood their purpose.

"Is the duchess running a fever?"

The maid bowed her head as if it were her fault that the duchess was ill.

"Yes. She has had a low fever since this afternoon."

"The doctor?"

"He... just left a little while ago."

"Go see her."

Having heard what he needed to hear, he turned and headed to his room without hesitation. His eyes briefly fell on the bedroom that had once been his but was now the duchess's, then moved away. The two rooms, placed side by side in the middle of the corridor, were chosen as the duchy couple's bedrooms because they were spacious and well-lit. Pushing open the right door, which was made of rough wood with the same color and pattern, he found a different scene from when he left in the morning. The carpet and bedding he had been sleeping on for a few days had been removed, and a large, expensive-looking brown bed was placed in their spot. The bed's edges were adorned with curtains of the same color with gold leaf patterns. The large bookshelf was already there, and a few new items caught his eye. A round table and two chairs were placed between the bed and the fireplace, and a drawer had been added under the wall where he had said not to hang pictures. There were no floral patterns anywhere. The conditions he had set when he handed over the key to the vault to his wife were thus all met.

"Order a bed. Right away. And I will stay in the room next door from today."

"Yes? But there's no furniture in that room except for the bookshelf."

"I can sleep on the floor until the bed arrives. I'm used to sleeping outdoors, so a few days won't be a problem."

"That's not acceptable. You are the patient. If the bedroom must be moved, it should be me who..."

"Madam. This is my condition. If you are concerned about my health, please hurry with the bed."

Just in case she might forget, he quickly added a few more instructions.

"Do not place any flowers anywhere in the bedroom. No floral patterns either."

There was no need for a long explanation, as she agreed quickly. His wife was extremely practical, focusing on what needed to be done without wasting time. In that sense, she was... similar to that woman. Smart. A gentle knock interrupted his thoughts. The wall connecting the duke and duchess's rooms gave a small knock. When Daniel showed no reaction, the wall knocked again, a bit louder. It was a clear indication that she knew he was in the room and wanted to see him urgently.

'She said she was running a fever.'

Based on the past few days, it seemed she had something important to say, though it was unlikely to be serious. She might want to discuss the road construction project that Dominic had been talking about. Even though he had said she didn't need to get his approval for every expense, Freida had been bringing him reports every day. The reports, written in neat handwriting, did not mention any jewelry, dresses, or shoes. What kind of woman had he married? Lying on the layers of bedding on the floor before falling asleep, he often found himself pondering this question. Daniel slowly approached the wall with the door that only the duke and duchess were allowed to use. Just then, another knock. As soon as the knock ended, he pulled the door open, and Freida, blinking her clear eyes like a deer, smiled shyly.

"Oh, you're here."

"Didn't you know I was here when you knocked?"

Despite her innocent appearance, she was quite cunning and somewhat shameless, as Daniel had discovered over the past ten days. As expected, the woman in front of him smiled without any sign of embarrassment, even though her intentions had been revealed.

"I have something important to discuss. May I come in?"

Daniel, who had been holding the doorknob, stepped aside and opened the door wide. Freida quickly entered his room and looked around.

"Do you like the bed and furniture? I got them in a hurry, but they were made by a famous craftsman in Weimar. It was originally ordered by Duke Andrea of Weimar, but he kindly gave it to me after hearing my situation. We have a bit of a relationship from past transactions."

Honestly, the amount for the bed in the expense report she had given him seemed excessive. Even considering the extra money, it was clear to him, who was not an expert in such matters, that it was too much. A little investigation would easily reveal that Andrea had transferred it for profit, not out of friendship. Regardless of whether she knew Andrea's intentions, his wife was quite skilled at flattery. She also seemed to enjoy praise, even when it sounded insincere. In that sense, she was similar to that woman.

"What do you need to discuss with me?"

"I want to build a road connecting the southern part of the duchy to the coast. If we have a road connected to the port, we won't have to rely entirely on Weimar for trade, which would be beneficial for us..."

Just then, he remembered what the gemstone that resembled his wife's eyes was called.

'Amethyst.'

Daniel's hand gently covered Freida's forehead.

Clever, cunning, sociable, and beautiful. In some ways, his wife reminded him of Empress Dowager Margret. The woman who had unknowingly driven his mother to death and whom he once admired. However... she was also clearly different.

"You said you had a low fever. Are you feeling well?"

Her honest eyes, which couldn't hide her emotions, and her honest cheeks, which turned red, were different. It was truly fortunate that he didn't have to look at his wife with hatred.