Chapter 34
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 34
Chapter Title: Wedding Preparations
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As the wedding drew ever closer, a flurry of events began unfolding all at once.
To start with, formal invitations were sent to every family in the Northern Grand Duchy.
The letters were deliberately written with numerous breaches of etiquette to avoid arousing any suspicion from rebel factions.
The ceremony was set for two weeks from now.
With the invitations dispatched, merchant caravans and wagons laden with gifts—much like those from the Valtan Barony—would soon start arriving in droves.
To prepare for this, the Storm Knight Order had cleared out the monsters from the three nearby mountains just before the invitations went out, allowing them to stand guard around the mansion full-time.
In the meantime, two knights had been assigned as escorts for Yelena.
I'd wanted to post a female knight instead, but... she said she was fine with it, and above all, we simply didn't have anyone available on such short notice.
"...And when we're together, Your Highness can protect me, right?"
"...I understand."
When she put it that way, I couldn't very well object.
On another front, after Nailus returned, he'd sent over a magic tool that bolstered our item inspections.
Honestly, I hadn't expected it at all, but he'd tacked it on with a cryptic note saying, 'Your Highness is a fascinating subject for research!'
While strengthening the mansion's defenses in this manner, I also began reviewing my vassal families through correspondence with Count Kreuz.
'First, I should take care of the families that didn't join the rebellion.'
Most families harbored resentment over Cassius's past misdeeds, but not all of them.
If anything, it was due to fear or satisfaction with the benefits they already enjoyed... but the key point was that they hadn't actively participated in the rebellion.
'I still need to send a warning to the latter group. Though they don't warrant the same punishment as the actual rebels.'
Truth be told, it might be less a matter of choice and more one of inability.
There were already more than three families—like the Valtan Barony—that had plotted the rebellion with alarming zeal.
In such circumstances, purging a bunch more would create massive gaps in politics and administration.
That left no choice but to hold back on severe punishments.
'Of course, I need to make sure they stay on their toes.'
For the sake of my future, the Northern Grand Duchy had to prosper.
Even if there was nothing to be done now, I needed to plant the idea that continuing down this path could lead to treatment on par with the rebels.
As for the families gripped by fear... honestly, there wasn't much to do with them.
No, wait. They needed reassurance.
That I was different from the madman of before—no more rampages causing harm.
Of course, without letting them cross any lines.
'And separately, it feels right to show them some favor.'
I could overlook their claims of being too terrified of Cassius to even dream of rebellion and praise their loyalty to the Winterguard family instead.
Using the information from the Kreuz family and cross-referencing it with Winterguard records, I began sorting through the vassals.
Without a doubt, much would change after the wedding...
Having thus settled the fates of my vassal families, my thoughts shifted to another matter.
The imperial family and foreign royalty.
'By rights, they should be invited... no, they must be.'
The title of Northern Grand Duke was only complete because of the empire's existence.
Thus, a grand event like the Northern Grand Duke's wedding naturally required inviting the imperial family.
Even if the emperor himself couldn't attend, at least one prince or princess had to be there.
Yet I hadn't sent word of the wedding to the imperial family.
Obviously, because this wasn't an ordinary ceremony.
'It's a sham wedding, one where purges will happen...'
Essentially a political incident disguised as an event, inviting the imperial family would muddle the dynamics.
The same went for foreign royalty or other nobles within the empire.
"The best approach would be to just be upfront about it..."
But that would also reveal that I, Cassius, had escaped my mania.
If word leaked outward in this scenario, it could reach the plotting families, causing problems.
And what worried me most was this information reaching the 3rd Prince in particular.
'Of course, in the current situation, he has no reason or pretext to antagonize me...'
Still, having read the original story made me hesitant to hand over information so freely.
Call it a hunch, but the 3rd Prince struck me as the type to wring every advantage from learning I'd recovered my sanity in a mere two weeks.
But hiding it from the emperor himself was out of the question.
'...Come to think of it, the Northern Grand Duke probably has some kind of direct line.'
Given the uniquely sensitive position, after all.
Not a true one-on-one hotline, perhaps, but some minimal channel to relay info to the emperor seemed likely.
Yet neither the original story nor Cassius's memories held any trace of such a thing.
Still, I pressed on without giving up.
"Looks like I'll need to check the records."
By records, I meant those of the previous Grand Duke—Cassius's father.
If my guess was right, his sudden death likely meant such secrets, including any hotline, weren't properly passed down.
Especially something like a direct line to the emperor; there'd be good reason not to tell a son who hadn't yet ascended.
Time for a proper exploration of the mansion.
In truth, this was my first real foray into scouting the Winterguard mansion.
Until now, I'd relied mostly on Cassius's memories.
Places beyond those memories were either servant quarters I had no need for or restricted areas, so I'd never bothered investigating.
'Plus, I've been pretty busy.'
And so, the late-night mansion exploration began.
I'd chosen the wee hours to avoid prying eyes from outside.
No matter how manic I'd been, not knowing my own home inside out would raise eyebrows.
In that vein, I hadn't asked Alf anything.
A secret on the level of a hotline was something even he likely wouldn't know.
The mansion's above-ground levels consisted of three floors.
The first held dining halls, reception rooms, and other multipurpose spaces.
The second was mainly for guests.
Yelena was currently staying in one of the rooms there.
Unlike in the original story, it wasn't a chilly, unheated closet of a room—I'd moved her to the best guest suite.
The third floor was reserved for Winterguard blood.
It housed the Grand Duke's office and family bedrooms, where I spent most of my time now.
Naturally, I started with the third floor.
But having seen it countless times already, nothing new turned up.
The current office was the same one the previous Grand Duke had used, so no surprises there either.
'And nothing in the bedrooms.'
I checked not just the Grand Duke and Duchess's room but also Cassius's childhood bedroom and spares.
No hotline or anything resembling one.
Instead, I found a few paintings and letters.
A portrait of young Cassius and what looked like someone's diary entries.
'He was cuter than I expected as a kid.'
Current Cassius was tall and solidly built, but the boy in the painting had none of that.
The diary seemed to be Cassius's own.
Tempting as it was, it wasn't a priority, so I set it aside.
I'll look later when I get the chance.
Descending from the third floor, I headed straight for the first.
The second was for guests, after all, so even less likely.
But then, from afar, a sliver of light leaked from Yelena's door, drawing me toward it like a moth to flame.
'...Just check if she's sleeping soundly.'
Ah, the heating system from the Engineering Research Institute had been installed in her room too.
Construction had forced her into another room temporarily, but she was thrilled once it was done.
Kiiiek...
Opening the door cautiously revealed Yelena asleep on the bed atop the heater.
Suuuu...
Her deep, peaceful breathing brought a scene from the original to mind.
There, Cassius's obsession and stress kept her from sleeping soundly, waking her repeatedly.
Yet here she was, undisturbed even with me right beside her... a sign that things weren't veering off course.
"Sleeping so deeply she'd never notice if I carried her off."
Her expressionless face was stunningly beautiful, as befitted the heroine.
Though I always thought Yelena's true charm shone through her emotions, not this blank beauty.
'...Time to go.'
Lingering would stir her awake and cause a needless fuss.
I was turning to slip out quietly when—
Suddenly.
"Your Highness...?"
Yelena woke up.