Chapter 19

As snow clouds began to gather over Mount Baltosh and the northern mountain range, it was likely that snow would soon start to accumulate around the estate. The knights of Marshall Raid had deployed snow-repelling magic arrays around the annex to ensure that the Greschel Dragons wouldn’t be affected by the cold. Once the cold had eased somewhat, they adjusted the weight of the cargo to prevent the dragons from losing their balance. By the time all the preparations for departure were complete, it was well past noon.

While doing the final checks, the Duke came over after finishing his conversation with Father. Lady Sylia, who was supposed to be in the main house, had somehow appeared a little distance away from Father. Her maids were also standing by her side. Perhaps, despite their reluctance, they had come to see us off because it was a joyous occasion for the Marshall Raid family. It would have been unnatural for the current duchess to not meet the Duke at all. There were also other knights and servants of Marshall Raid who had come to see us off, and I felt a little teary-eyed.

“Melfiela, have you forgotten anything?”

“No! With Miss Myuran in charge, we’ve packed all the research materials and tools into boxes.”

“Are all the boxes with seals included?”

“Yes. It took some time to sort out what to take and what to discard, but we managed.”

“The boxes for disposal are those, right? There are quite a few.”

“Yes, properly organized materials, rough notes, and when we couldn’t get paper, we wrote on wooden boards.”

“Good. Myuran, bring those disposal boxes over here.”

The Duke had the knights move the boxes of discarded items, which were large wooden crates that required two people to carry, to the center. He thought they could be used as kindling for starting fires. I wondered what the Duke was planning to do with them, even though they were just going to be discarded.

“Is it okay to burn these?”

“Yes, they’re just going to be discarded.”

“Good.”

Though I didn’t understand what was “good,” the Duke placed his hand on my shoulder and turned to where Father and the others were standing. He then signaled to the Galbreath knights, who helped the knights mount the dragons.

“Marquis of Marshall Raid, we’re ready to depart.”

I was led by the Duke to stand next to the dragon. As before, the dragon crouched to make it easier to mount. I was helped up by the Duke, who was already on the dragon, and secured with a leather belt around my waist to prevent me from falling. The Duke sat behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist to support me, which made me feel safe. However, today the Duke was wearing armor, so the sensation against my back felt a bit harder.

“Lord Melfiela! Are you sure you don’t want to rest a bit?”

Father, standing a safe distance from the dragon, called out loudly, not wanting to get too close.

“I can’t be away from my territory too often. It’s the height of autumn in Galbreath, and monsters are appearing in droves.”

“Yes, it’s still autumn there.”

Autumn is when monster activity increases, so I felt bad that the Duke had come to fetch me despite his busy schedule, but I was also very happy.

“Well, Melfiela, until spring.”

“Yes, until spring. I’ll do my best!”

I greeted Father from atop the dragon. He looked at the dragons ascending one by one with a somewhat envious expression. As the Duke pulled on the reins and called out, our dragon slowly spread its wings and prepared to take off. The Duke tightened his left arm around my waist, and I grabbed his arm to make sure I wouldn’t fall.

“Father-in-law, I might not be able to return in the spring. If that happens, I’ll keep her here until the autumn wedding.”

“Your Excellency… Preparations for the wedding are necessary. It will take at least six months to gather everything suitable for a bride of the duchy.”

“Very well. Everything suitable for Melfiela will be provided here.”

I tilted my head at the mysterious conversation between the Duke and Father. I was supposed to return to Marshall Raid in the spring after a five-month absence during the winter. I was to prepare for the wedding in my own territory. According to the engagement agreement between the Duke and Father, the engagement period was about a year. During this time, I was to study to become the Duchess of Galbreath and prepare for the wedding simultaneously.

“Well, that’s enough talk.”

“Your Excellency!”

Interrupting Father, who seemed to have more to say, the Duke slowly lifted the dragon into the air. The wind from the aerial magic stirred up dust. Father and the knights squinted as they watched us, but the high-pitched screams of Lady Sylia and her maids could be heard as the wind lifted their dresses.

“Father-in-law, there’s no need to worry. I will protect Melfiela. I have the position and power to do so.”

The Duke then lit a small flame on his right index finger with a spell. He moved the dragon slightly and looked down to check something.

“By the way, Melfiela says these boxes are to be discarded, but wouldn’t it be troublesome to burn them one by one? I’m in a good mood today… I’ll take care of it.”

At that moment, the wooden crates burst into white flames. The discarded boxes burned away, turning to ash. The flames were so bright that I covered my face with my hand. The power was incredible. Looking down, I saw that the head knight of Marshall Raid, Claude, had cast a defensive barrier to protect himself from the heat. The other knights stood in front of Father and Lady Sylia to shield them from the flames.

Father’s eyes widened in shock, and Lady Sylia seemed to have fainted. She clung to a nearby knight with her maids, her face contorted with fear.

“The flames will extinguish themselves once the objects are completely burned. By the way, Melfiela’s room and the research building are also sealed with the same magic… if you don’t want them to burn, don’t break the seals accidentally.”

“Duke of Galbreath! This is going too far! What if something happens to our lord!”

Head Knight Claude reprimanded the Duke, but the Duke, illuminated by the white flames, smiled calmly. His eyes, glowing with magic, met mine with a confident smile. His innocent grin, as if he had just pulled off a prank, was charming, but his slightly mischievous smile was also attractive.

“Would I make such a mistake? Claude, you have potential. Come to Galbreath, a position is waiting for you.”

“W-Who would!”

“Ha, just a joke. Your loyalty is commendable… be cautious of the principality’s situation. I’ll inform you if I notice anything.”

Claude’s expression changed, and he relaxed his guard, bowing as a knight. The principality he mentioned was probably the neighboring Tielbrink Principality. I hadn’t heard of any trouble with the principality since Father took over, but when I looked up at the Duke, he said, “It’s only natural to be concerned about your fiancée’s territory.” Perhaps there was something I didn’t know about the situation between the principality and the Kingdom of Langdias.

“Alright, let’s go.”

The Duke maneuvered the Greschel Dragon to ascend rapidly. The white flames were still burning, but the boxes had been completely consumed, so they would eventually extinguish on their own. As the faces of those watching us became indistinct and their figures shrank to the size of beans, I finally looked up.

“Are you feeling lonely?”

“A little… but my mind is full of thoughts about the life ahead.”

“You just need to be yourself. The most important duty of the Duchess of Galbreath is to comfort and heal her husband, the Duke.”

“Comfort and heal… can I really do that?”

Honestly, I had no confidence in doing anything a noble lady should. I couldn’t sing or play an instrument, and I wasn’t a beauty to look at. It seemed to be the most difficult duty. My unease must have shown on my face, as the Duke touched my braided hair and gently twirled a loose strand around his finger.

“I’m already being healed. Listening to your stories about monsters is enjoyable. Your hair… try to keep it down as much as possible.”

“My hair tends to frizz if I’m not careful.”

“That’s perfect. It’s soft and fluffy, the best for healing.”

The dragons that had departed earlier were waiting in the sky. Each dragon was covered in a thin, magical membrane, which seemed to be a spell to block the cold. I wasn’t feeling cold at all, so the Duke must have used magic to protect me. The dragons, in formation, flew gracefully through the sky.

“Your Excellency, this direction…”

The direction we were heading should have been straight south to the Duchy of Galbreath. However, the Duke was heading north, towards Mount Baltosh. Why north?

Looking down, I saw the research building by the dried-up lake. It was the second time I had seen it from the air, but something felt off. What was it? Something was missing.

(Ah, the stone pavement?!)

The white stone pavement in the courtyard of the research building was gone, revealing brown earth. It had definitely been there three days ago. The stone pavement had a magic array drawn on it, so perhaps it had been removed and taken away.

“I apologize for not informing you earlier. I didn’t have your permission.”

“Your Excellency, the stone pavement with the magic array…”

“I’m sorry, Melfiela. I thought it might be misused if left, so I destroyed it. However, I have a complete copy of the magic array.”

“I’m sorry for the trouble. The magic array only responds to me. It was drawn with a dye mixed with my blood.”

The Duke grunted and patted my head. It seemed he had brought me here to show me the research building. The Duke is a considerate person. The fact that he had sealed the building and the research building itself showed his thoughtfulness.

“Was this also your mother’s research?”

“The magic array was completed based on my mother’s magical theories. After many failures, I settled on using cloudy quartz, but there’s still room for improvement.”

“You can conduct as much research as you like in Galbreath. I’ll hunt monsters for you. The knights are eager to try other monsters after tasting the meat of the Royalmoodler.”

What could I serve the knights of the Duchy of Galbreath first? The meat of the Royalmoodler that was transported ahead of time, or perhaps some new monster.

With my heart swelling with anticipation at the Duke’s words, I bid a temporary farewell to the territory of Marshall Raid as it gradually receded into the distance.