Chapter 32
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 32
Chapter Title: Valtan's Gift
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Leaving the bewildered Yelena behind, Natasha slowly stepped forward.
Several knights from the nearby Storm Knight Order and a few from the Kreuz family moved to her side.
"Uh, wh-what... Why are you doing this...?"
As the powerful knights and noble lady eyed them warily, the smiling merchant faltered and asked.
It was a terrifying situation from his perspective.
He had invested money despite the rumors of the mad Grand Duke and barely secured the contract successfully, but their expressions suggested it might fall through.
Especially since most of the goods they were transporting now had been procured specifically for the wedding, making them hard to sell elsewhere.
Natasha eyed the merchant—who had begun to look distressed—with suspicion.
"More carriages have arrived than what was contracted with Her Highness the Grand Duchess. We need to discuss this."
"Pardon? More carriages?"
The merchant looked puzzled at Natasha's words.
He turned toward the direction she and the knights were staring, then jumped back in surprise.
"Th-those aren't from our caravan!"
"So you're saying unknown carriages just attached themselves to your caravan? And you, as the leader, didn't even check?"
"No! It's not that I didn't know! I thought those were from another caravan carrying wedding gifts for His Highness the Grand Duke!"
"Wedding gifts...?"
"Yes, yes! I've transported goods for weddings like this a few times before, and we often travel together with other caravans in these cases! Especially when the weather is as fickle as it is now!"
Yelena might not have known, but Natasha had no choice but to accept that explanation.
When a wedding occurred in a major family, related houses began sending gifts well before the event.
This naturally led to multiple caravans coming and going, sometimes even causing collisions between them.
It happened in other regions too, but the Grand Duchy saw especially many overlapping arrivals.
Rather than coordinating among themselves, they all aimed for favorable travel weather, leading to pileups.
And now it was winter, when the weather was even more unpredictable.
The viable travel days were already severely limited.
'Even if the roads have been maintained...'
So there was no fault to lay at this caravan or its leader.
The question was, which caravan did those rear carriages belong to?
And as if to answer that, a man was approaching.
"...Your Highness the Grand Duchess, might I ask when His Highness the Grand Duke will return?"
"It'll be a while... Why do you ask?"
"That man is from the Valtan Barony."
"The Valtan Barony...?"
"One of the families that tried to rebel."
"...!!"
Yelena's eyes widened.
She now understood why Natasha was seeking Cassius.
It was no different from an enemy reaching the mansion's doorstep.
While the mansion's master was away, no less.
'...I have to handle this.'
Yelena took a small breath and stared at the approaching man.
As mentioned earlier, Cassius's return would be delayed.
In such a situation, the only one who could resolve this was herself, holding the position of Grand Duchess.
Even Alf, the most experienced, couldn't help here.
And Natasha, as long as the Kreuz family played both sides among the rebels, couldn't act fully on her behalf.
A man whose clothing was noticeably finer than the others approached slowly and bowed to Yelena and Natasha.
"Greetings, Your Highness the Grand Duchess. It's an honor to meet you. I've come with wedding congratulatory gifts on behalf of Baron Valtan."
The man greeted them leisurely, and Yelena nodded quietly.
It was just a simple nod, but for some reason, Natasha felt the air around Yelena shift.
And she soon realized it wasn't mere imagination.
"Baron Valtan sincerely congratulates the two of you on your marriage and has sent these rare items procured with great difficulty from abroad."
"I see. Thank you for your thoughtfulness from the Valtan Barony. I'll mention it to my husband."
"Ah, is His Highness the Grand Duke not currently at the mansion...?"
"Yes. He's out patrolling the territory."
Was it because she saw the man as an enemy? A form of address she'd never used before slipped out naturally.
In truth, she was stronger in real combat than practice and had often seized the initiative against those trying to devour her family.
"Ah, what a shame. I had hoped to speak with His Highness the Grand Duke directly while I was here..."
"Too bad. If you'd come just a bit earlier, you could have spoken with him."
While smiling softly, Yelena's mind raced.
'First, I need to make sure they don't get suspicious of us.'
So she couldn't give them any pretext to heighten their guard while preparing for any contingencies.
The man would likely think they held the advantage here.
'With Natasha here, he'll assume I'm isolated on my own.'
Kreuz family knights prioritized Natasha's orders.
And the Storm Knight Order fundamentally obeyed Cassius above all.
In contrast, she was a viscount's daughter from the southwest, alone in the remote north with no relatives or acquaintances.
'In that case...'
"Um... Lady Kreuz. Could you come here for a moment?"
She had no foothold at all, but she had to give the impression of desperately trying to create one.
"...What is it?"
Toward Natasha, who had drawn close, Yelena whispered quietly enough not to be overheard by the man.
"I'm going to make it seem like I'm clueless and without allies. Help me out."
"...!"
"And for this whispering, pretend I'm asking how to handle the situation. Also, I'll let the carriages in but not the other people."
"...Understood."
Realizing Yelena's intent, Natasha began playing along.
"...Ah, so that's what I should do?"
"Yes, exactly, Your Highness the Grand Duchess."
"Thank you so much! Natasha, you're a true friend."
They thought they were whispering, but the man easily overheard their conversation.
Moments later, having finished talking, Yelena cleared her throat awkwardly and addressed the man.
"We'll gratefully accept the gifts. However, showing up unannounced without any prior notice is a bit uncomfortable."
"Ah, my apologies, Your Highness the Grand Duchess. It seems the baron considered it an urgent and important matter. Allow me to apologize on his behalf."
The man flashed a relaxed smile as he gauged Yelena's expression.
'Awkward, and wondering if that's the right way...'
She looked every bit the inexperienced lady, nothing more or less.
Unlike Lady Kreuz, she clearly had no experience handling such matters herself.
'Just as expected, no foothold anywhere.'
Though she put on a confident face, she couldn't hide the subtle glances or the tremor in her voice.
This proved she wasn't treated well in the mansion.
'Which means the marriage was likely... forced.'
The mad Grand Duke had spread false rumors to justify his wedding.
Reports indicated the lady had never even left the mansion, so she wouldn't know the outside world's tales.
In that situation, those around her would have gradually built her up for the Grand Duke's wedding... leading to exactly this behavior.
"Then we'll gratefully accep—take the gifts."
As some mansion servants moved toward the carriages at Yelena's words, the man blocked them.
"Ah, Your Highness the Grand Duchess. Apologies, but our people need to move these carriages themselves."
"Uh... Pardon?"
"The gifts prepared by the baron are fragile items like glasswork. Anyone unfamiliar handling them would surely break them."
"Uh..."
"So if you could allow our people inside the mansion, we'd be grateful."
Of course, it wasn't just about moving luggage.
It was also to scout the mansion's interior in case of any surprises.
Startled—whether from the unexpected demand or simple fluster—Yelena glanced at Natasha.
Natasha openly sighed where Yelena couldn't see, then approached the man.
"That won't be possible. We'll have the Kreuz knights and Storm Knight Order knights handle the transport."
She then quietly spoke to Yelena where the man couldn't hear.
"...She doesn't want her dirty laundry exposed, so we should accommodate."
"...If that's the case, no choice then."
There had been various incidents inside the Winterguard mansion.
She was ashamed to let outsiders see them, hence reluctant to admit strangers.
It was entirely plausible.
'...Fine, we'll yield on this.'
At those words, the man stepped back and bowed to Yelena.
"In that case, we'll leave the carriages. Your Highness the Grand Duchess."
"...Alright. Safe travels then."
With that, the man departed the direct territory with his entourage.
He prepared to report to the baron based on what he'd observed at the mansion.
The gist was simple.
The lady who would become Grand Duchess, Yelena Astria, posed no obstacle to the plan.