Chapter 6

█ From the perspective of Silvester Schoenheit

"Claudia, are you not tired?"

In the rattling carriage, Silvester asked his wife, who sat across from him, with a concerned look.

The carriage, which had set off from Schoenheit, was heading to the capital on a two-week journey, with stops for lodging along the way.

"Yes, I'm fine!"

Seeing her full of energy and smiling, he felt genuinely relieved.

"…But"

"Is something wrong?"

"This carriage is quite slow, isn't it? If we rode on horseback, we could reach the capital in three days."

Claudia sighed as she gazed out the window at the passing scenery.

"…Claudia, I think only you, your father, and the trained horses of Schoenheit can do that."

"Oh, that's true."

Seeing Claudia's pink eyes widen in surprise, Silvester couldn't help but smile.

Claudia, who had become the female lord of Schoenheit, still held all her common sense as "Schoenheit-style."

She was so adorable, being so far removed from the common sense of the nobility in the capital—though it might not be limited to the nobility. If anyone mocked her for being naive, he would secretly deal with them.

"I'm really enjoying this time to spend with you slowly."

Claudia, who was always busy running around the territory, and Silvester, who worked hard to support her, had their engagement finalized and married a year later.

The former Margrave of Schoenheit, who had laughed heartily, saying, "I can rest easy leaving things to my son-in-law and my beloved daughter! Hahaha," transferred his title to Claudia a year after their marriage.

He was apparently not good at managing the territory.

Now, he was stationed with the knights, training the young ones every day. Thanks to him, there were several times more soldiers at this year's badge presentation ceremony.

(I wonder if the bears of Schoenheit will be completely eradicated…)

Silvester was so worried about the bears that he thought they might need to set different criteria.

"That… I'm also very happy. To be able to attend the capital's evening party with you again…"

Seeing Claudia's cheeks turn red like a young girl's, Silvester's expression softened.

Today, my wife is especially cute.

"…Since there have been many changes in the capital, please don't leave my side, no matter what."

Silvester had received various pieces of information. The capital had been in turmoil since then.

Even if the surface seemed unchanged, there had been significant shifts in power beneath it.

"Yes! I will protect you, Silvester, so please don't worry!"

(That's not exactly what I meant… but, a determined Claudia is also cute, so it's fine.)

Silvester smiled at Claudia's proud stance. Her chest still bore the three bear badges.

The event in the capital was the royal spring garden party, a regular event. It consisted of a garden party during the day and an evening party at night.

Children could attend the garden party, but the evening party was only for those who had completed their debutante season, so the composition was different.

They had received invitations before, but they had been busy with various tasks, such as stabilizing the finances of the Schoenheit territory, and had never been able to attend.

Incidentally, Claudia's father, the former lord, had apparently declined the invitation every year because it was "troublesome."

(Well… I can understand my father-in-law's thinking. He probably didn't want to show my mother-in-law.)

Claudia's mother, it turned out, was a former princess from a neighboring country.

However, she had been neglected as the daughter of the second wife and was almost given to the Margrave as a hostage.

The Margrave, it seemed, had fallen in love with her at first sight. Everyone in the territory knew that the bear-like man had poured his extraordinary love into the fragile and beautiful former princess.

And his possessiveness was very strong.

Even Silvester, when talking to his mother-in-law, would see his father-in-law approaching with a terrifying expression, which was honestly scary.

"…Hmm"

"What's the matter?"

"Nothing… I was just recalling how I met Claudia."

He thought they were similar. History repeats itself, he supposed.

"It was a wonderful evening party. I was nervous because it was my first time… and I couldn't stand it, so I ended up jumping."

"I was very surprised."

"I'm embarrassed."

Claudia, placing her hand on her cheek, spoke shyly. A normal young lady wouldn't jump. But Silvester didn't point out such obvious things.

"Since we won't make it to the garden party, let's attend only the evening party. We'll take a break at our townhouse in the capital first."

"Break? I'm fine, though."

"I also want some time to spend with Claudia. Is that okay…?"

When he asked, Claudia's porcelain cheeks turned pink like a peach.

When she nodded, Silvester smiled contentedly in return.

The capital had changed since then.

The first princess, Adelheid, had been deposed and was missing, while the second princess, Bianca, had been made the heir apparent, with nobles from the former Maltz family, led by Zaueraland, appointed as her guardians.

The conservative nobles who had been close to the king were now in a very precarious position.

(Today is a royal event… I wonder which one, the king or the second princess, will greet us.)

The former chancellor, who served as an advisor in the Schoenheit territory, had said that the change of king was only a matter of time. His father, who had become close friends with the Margrave and often drank with him, still received a lot of information.

"Oh, we've arrived in the capital."

Claudia spoke brightly.

While Silvester was thinking, the wheels began to rattle on the cobblestones, signaling that the carriage had entered the capital.

"Claudia, let's make more wonderful memories."

"Yes! I'm looking forward to it."

---

After that, at the evening party where the affectionate Margrave couple arrived, it was Bianca who took the stage.

She already had the dignity of a queen in her demeanor, and in her greeting, she announced that "the king had fallen ill and was resting."

Only those around her knew if this was true. She was probably under house arrest.

Next to Bianca stood a young man with red hair, and it was clear that they cared deeply for each other.

"…With this, I conclude my greeting, wishing for the future prosperity of the kingdom."

When the princess solemnly announced this, the evening party erupted in excitement.

The next day, the news of "Queen Bianca's" birth spread throughout the kingdom.

What will happen in the capital? I hope you enjoyed it!

I had a lot of fun.

There are still many things to write about, such as the capital, including Bianca, and the intense interactions between the two Margraves, but I'll conclude it here for now.

Thank you for reading.

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