Chapter 21
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 21
Chapter Title: Frostford Outing
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Overall, things were progressing smoothly.
Cassius had been gripped by mania for nearly five years, causing all sorts of problems, but they were being resolved one by one.
About three weeks had passed already, and it felt like so much had happened.
'So it should be fine to take a day off today.'
To be precise, it was more like escaping paperwork.
Instead, today was about patrolling the territory to check on things—a sort of field inspection.
The thought of breathing in some proper fresh air after so long made my steps feel lighter.
"Yelena Astria."
"...Your Highness."
Of course, one person was accompanying me on this outing.
This trip itself was partly a reward for Yelena Astria.
Maybe because I was going with her, Lucia and the other maids had prepared her meticulously.
"Good thing you don't look cold."
She was dressed in an outfit made of such thick fabric that it was hard to tell if she was a person or a penguin.
Even for someone from the southwest like Yelena, that seemed excessive.
"Puhengchi!"
'...Maybe not?'
Were people from the southwest weak to the cold?
Or did northerners just have insane cold resistance?
Unfortunately, Cassius was a northerner, so I couldn't judge objectively.
It didn't feel that cold to me right now, after all.
In any case, our group for the outing totaled three people.
"Master, the horses are ready."
"Lucia, ride with Yelena."
The dedicated maid for Yelena, Lucia.
Originally, I'd planned to bring just Yelena, but upon second thought, there was a key issue.
'...I don't know the territory that well either.'
On top of that, I wasn't confident I could take perfect care of her on my own.
So I'd chosen Lucia.
"Pardon? You're not riding with us, Master?"
"Yelena's a lady."
"..."
"Why are you looking at me like that?"
"It's nothing, Master. Now, Lady Yelena. Please take my hand and mount up. I'll serve you like a knight in your stead."
"Huh? Oh... okay."
With that, Lucia swiftly got Yelena onto the horse before I could react.
I wondered if I'd done something wrong, but no matter how I thought about it, my judgment seemed correct.
'Objectively speaking, someone my size would make her uncomfortable, so this is right.'
Of course, the horse they were riding was a sturdy, large black steed stronger than the one for two people... but it had its issues too.
This horse was wary of everyone except Cassius.
"Alright, let's head out... Huh?"
But then I felt a strange gaze and looked to the side. The black horse was staring right at me.
"...?"
Purruk.
It snorted and turned its head away, almost like it was shaking its head side to side.
'What was that?'
In any event, the sightseeing tour—and inspection—for Yelena began.
The mansion and the city were a bit apart.
To be exact, including the gardens and outer walls like an outer keep, the Winterguard mansion sat atop a hill overlooking the city.
In the original story, there was a description of the confined Yelena gazing at the cityscape of Winterguard territory from her window to soothe her loneliness.
And the name of that comforting view, the city we were about to visit, was Frostford.
Given the sheer number and strength of monsters, Frostford had started as a fortress city, and considering the northern region's traits, it was quite large.
'Of course, nothing compared to the capital or the empire's great cities...'
Still, it was substantial enough to be one of the grand duchy’s main tourist spots.
That is, until Cassius went mad and it faded away.
In any case, I'd chosen Frostford as our destination for a simple reason.
It was a good place to hear people's opinions, and it had the most things Yelena might enjoy.
There were better-developed cities in the duchy, but with the vassal families still unsettled, they were iffy choices.
I couldn't very well go sightseeing at Argon Mountain, after all.
"We'll walk from here. Dismount carefully."
Thanks to the advance notice, we quickly entered the city and left the horses at a pre-arranged stable.
The black horse's noble air made it impossible to ride around without drawing eyes.
"Take my hand and step down here."
"Ah, yes..."
"Oho. Were you aiming for this...?"
I ignored Lucia's odd remark and helped her down.
If northern horses had evolved small like Mongolian ponies, she wouldn't have needed my help, but sadly, everything in the north had evolved big.
'People included.'
The height difference between Yelena and me was nearly 20 centimeters.
Lucia was taller than Yelena too, so she naturally felt like the baby sister.
Especially since she'd put on a black wig for the outing.
We were just about to start properly touring Frostford when—
"Master."
Lucia suddenly called out to me.
"What is it?"
"Something urgent came up that I need to handle. May I go take care of it?"
"...? If it's urgent, go ahead."
"Yes. Oh, I've mapped out the route, so you can just follow it."
With that, she handed me a piece of paper.
Normally, urgent or not, this would be unacceptable, but... right now, it seemed fine.
Especially since the paper solved my biggest issue: lack of info on Frostford.
'She'll be back soon.'
"L-Lucia...?"
"Lady Yelena, I'll go handle this urgent matter and return. Have a wonderful time."
She bowed politely, then walked off at a pace that seemed anything but urgent.
I turned to Yelena, who was staring blankly in the direction Lucia had gone.
"Let's go. I'll do my best to make sure you enjoy it, as thanks for your help."
"...Pfft."
"Why are you laughing?"
"...Saying you'll 'do your best to make sure I enjoy it' just struck me as funny."
What was so amusing about that?
For now, we started following the route on Lucia's note.
'First, cross the bridge over the iced river to a popular clothing shop.'
Fortunately, the route was tailored to Yelena's stamina.
Even if she got tired, Lucia would probably be back by then to help... Overall, it felt thoughtfully planned.
"This... this bridge is one of the best spots to see Frostford's beautiful scenery."
"...It really is pretty."
As Yelena remarked, the view of Frostford from the bridge was incredibly picturesque.
Maybe because it had been settled for so long and developed accordingly—it felt like a European winter cityscape.
Especially with two- and three-story stone buildings dotted among the log houses.
Whoooosh.
"Puhengchi!"
"The strong winds are a downside, though. Maybe consider windbreaks here and there. For now, stick close on this side."
"Eek."
The wind was coming from the left, so I positioned Yelena on my right and quickly crossed the bridge.
Next was the clothing shop.
"This... place is a historic clothing shop in Frostford. Not just commoners, but nobles visit often too—or so it says."
I accidentally read straight from the note for a moment.
But luckily, Yelena didn't seem to notice I was using cheat sheets.
'If she catches on, I'll be under suspicion.'
Being a grand duke who doesn't know his own city right in front of the mansion... it'd be a huge problem in many ways.
"Let's head in. We can warm up and browse while waiting for Lucia."
"Sounds good."
Surprisingly, it was busier inside than its fame suggested.
Still, not enough to hinder Yelena's sightseeing, so we looked around comfortably.
As Yelena browsed the clothes with interest, I discreetly eavesdropped on the locals.
"The merchants from the capital brought some great stuff this time."
"Yeah, apparently the delayed road repairs held them up."
Road repairs.
Talk of Cassius's past mistakes came up naturally.
"Man... at first, when the roads weren't fixed, I was furious."
"Shh! The grand duke's men might hear you!"
"No, what I mean is what happened next. They did get fixed eventually, right? And this time, something weird—the roads were warm."
"True, they were."
"I heard Cassius had a 6th Grade Mage handle it. That's why it wasn't just clearing ice like before!"
"Hmm... doesn't that mean they spent more money?"
"There are some odd rumors about that."
"What rumors?"
"...That Cassius messed with the mages!"
"...Nah, no way."
...Overall, the reception was mixed.
Naturally, after five years, the negatives outweighed the positives.
But the first ice-clearing project had gotten good reviews.
'No other issues popping up yet.'
As I organized my thoughts, Yelena approached.
"All done looking."
"I see. Let's go then. Buy anything you like."
"No need! I'm fine."
I couldn't tell if she was satisfied or not. She came back empty-handed, though...
So I decided to buy everything she'd seemed interested in.
I'd noted them mentally; I'd tell Lucia later, and she'd handle it.
"Do that, then."
We followed a few more stops on the route.
Mostly scenic views and shopping, fitting for tourism.
But oddly, Lucia hadn't returned yet, and for some reason, Yelena's expression was darkening bit by bit.
'...What am I doing wrong?'
As cold sweat started forming, we reached the last stop: a jewelry shop.
I was browsing again and listening to conversations when—
"...Your Highness."
"What is it?"
"Can I ask you something?"
At that moment, I felt sweat trickling down.
Like a child who'd done wrong, scrambling in their head as their mother asked seriously if anything was amiss.
"...Go ahead."
I took a small breath and nodded to her.
She hesitated a bit, then leaned in close and whispered,
"Um, are you... planning to marry the Kreuz Lady?"
...?
Why was the Kreuz Lady coming up out of nowhere?