Chapter 9

The steward wore a puzzled expression, but Nadia merely smiled enigmatically.

The servants of the mansion were busy gossiping about the eldest miss presenting the laurel wreath whenever the two of them met.

Even they, who were under strict control, were excited enough to talk about it, so one could easily imagine the atmosphere outside.

This was exactly what she had hoped for.

'The bigger the situation gets, the more Lord Winterfell cannot refuse this marriage.'

The whole country is focused on this marriage.

If he were to reject the marriage that the king is promoting in such a situation, it would appear as if he is defying the king's command.

There is no better pretext for his enemies, who are ready to tear him apart, than to be labeled as disloyal.

To avoid taking on political risks, he has no choice but to accept the marriage with me.

By now, the Winterfell family must be in a panic over this sudden bolt from the blue.

To have to welcome the daughter of Duke Balazet, of all people, as the lady of the house!

Her gaze turned to the window, in the direction of the Winterfell family's residence.

She felt a bit sorry for Lord Winterfell, who must have been shocked, but...

'I will make sure you never regret marrying me.'

I will have you sign a clean divorce agreement when everything is over.

Nadia turned her head again and looked at the jewelry box on the table.

As she had expected, Duke Balazet had promised to provide a large dowry, though it was more for his own prestige than for his daughter's sake.

"Still... is this the end of it?"

"Excuse me? The jewels here are all there are, but if you add gold coins, silk, livestock, and grain, the value is several times greater. Here is the list..."

"No, that's not what I meant."

Her gaze slowly swept over the table.

But the item she was looking for was not among them—the necklace she had worn at the triumphal ceremony.

'I can't give my mother's heirloom to Karin.'

I must find it no matter what.

* * *

Inside the study of the Winterfell family's residence.

Glen Winterfell was seated, listening to his advisor's report.

His forehead was buried in his palm, but even without seeing his face, one could tell that his mood was very low.

The advisor, sensing this, cautiously spoke.

It was easy to guess that his report would only worsen the already low mood.

"In the market, whenever three people gather, they talk about the triumphal ceremony. They say that since the king has even proposed a marriage after presenting the laurel wreath, the marriage is a foregone conclusion."

"..."

"Thus, it's not hard to imagine that everyone in the capital... no, the whole country will know about it."

"..."

"My lord, you must take some action. Otherwise, you might be forced into the wedding..."

"It's too late."

Lord Winterfell, Glen, answered in a pained voice.

He then took a letter from the drawer and threw it on the table.

The way he handled the letter, which bore the royal seal, was rather disrespectful.

"This is..."

"Read it. I think you can guess the content."

Rustle. The sound of the paper being unfolded was faint.

The advisor's expression crumpled as he read the letter.

"It's a roundabout way of saying it, but in the end, it's an order to get married."

"If I refuse, it will look like I'm defying the king's command."

At this, the advisor burst out in frustration.

"This is truly too much. What has my lord done to deserve this! This time, you even participated in the expedition willingly. The huge military supplies and expenses were all covered by the taxes from the estate. And yet, the king still hasn't stopped suspecting you?"

"Duke Balazet must have been stirring up suspicion. He's an old man who must crush anything that irritates him."

Moreover, the northern region where the Winterfell estate is located was not originally part of the kingdom.

It was land that had been annexed to the royal domain 100 years ago, and some northerners did not even consider themselves subjects of the kingdom.

The culture was also quite different from the south, which is why many capital nobles often looked down on northerners as barbarians.

It was only natural that northerners would resent being treated as barbarians while being subject to various interferences.

Moreover, the safety and prosperity of the south were due to the northerners guarding the northern frontier.

The waning loyalty of the northern lords was a natural result.

The consequences of a well-trained army, hardened by fighting northern monsters, turning against the kingdom were all too clear.

For Duke Balazet, this must be a very unsettling situation.

"I believe there are two reasons why he is pushing for this marriage. First, to prevent the northern lords from forming marital alliances. Second, to plant a spy right in the heart of the enemy."

"If there are signs of rebellion, they will reach the duke's ears immediately."

"Indeed. I never imagined he would use his own child for this."

If he could bear a little shame, there was no more effective method.

If the marriage had been quietly mentioned in private, it might have been possible to delay it.

But with the whole country already abuzz with rumors, that was no longer an option.

Especially using the triumphal ceremony, which had the most attention from the people.

"I don't know who came up with this plan. My head is still spinning."

"It is an effective method."

"Except for the fact that he is gambling with his own daughter's future."

What would he have done if the plan failed and the marriage with me did not go through?

Would he have taken responsibility just for accepting my feelings? It sounds like he's not in his right mind.

Thinking of the woman who clung to him, declaring her love, made his head throb again.

While Glen was holding his throbbing forehead, the advisor spoke cautiously.

"About Sir Ijho..."

"Hmm?"

"According to the person on the altar during the triumphal ceremony, Lady Nadia looked very flustered when she presented the laurel wreath to you."

"Really?"

"Yes, it seemed as if she thought the laurel wreath was meant for her."

At the time, Glen had not noticed Ijho's reaction.

In fact, Glen had also assumed the laurel wreath was for Ijho until she presented it to him.

Ijho was Duke Balazet's right hand.

It was strange that he did not know about the duke's plan in advance.

"There are rumors that the marriage between Sir Ijho and Lady Nadia was secretly discussed before the triumphal ceremony."

"If that's true, it's no wonder he was flustered. He probably thought the laurel wreath would naturally go to him if the marriage was mentioned."

"It seems the plan to give the laurel wreath to Sir Ijho was changed at the last minute. It's likely that he was not informed about the change."

"Ah, that makes sense."

If he had not been informed about the change, it would explain his flustered reaction.

Glen's gaze turned to the laurel wreath lying on a corner of the desk.

It seemed the original owner of the wreath was someone else.

Glen clicked his tongue and continued.

"Tsk, it's a pity for him. He did as he was told on the battlefield, but this is the treatment he gets."

"Perhaps the plan was changed so suddenly that there was no time to inform him. But why did they change their mind?"

"Hmm... I'm not sure. Perhaps they thought it was more important to have someone to watch us rather than to draw attention at the triumphal ceremony. Still, it's a bit strange. They could have used one of the duke's other daughters for this."

There must be a reason to send his own daughter, Nadia, to the north... Glen's brow furrowed in thought.

The advisor changed the subject at that moment.

"What do you plan to do from now on?"

"About the marriage?"

"Yes."

"First, we must do as His Majesty wishes. Otherwise, we will give them a good reason to attack us."

"But if you accept the marriage, you will be doing exactly what the duke wants."

"There's no choice. The situation has become too big. If I refuse now, the whole country will question my loyalty."

"But to bring his daughter into the heart of our estate..."

It was like having a knife pointed at his back.

Glen smiled, as if understanding what the advisor was worried about.

"Don't worry. A well-bred lady like Lady Nadia won't be able to thrive in a place without allies. If we have the servants keep an eye on her, nothing serious will happen."

"That's a relief."

A lady raised in the capital might not be able to endure the harsh environment and might run away.

Let alone a lady who was raised being pampered as a duke's daughter.

It was doubtful that she could endure the servants' poor treatment for even a week.

'She can't blame me for her decision to return to her family.'

I won't let everything go according to the duke's plans.

Looking in the direction of the Balazet family's residence, Glen firmly resolved.