Chapter 18
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 18
Chapter Title: The Treacherous Dinner Table
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The dinner table had become even more treacherous.
With Leonier Baldinmar suddenly showing up unannounced at Kaltstein and even striking a deal involving Titan Race bones.
About eight hours had passed since she'd decided to stay here for a while.
I was now enduring what might be an incredibly suffocating dinner—one I may never experience again.
The Baldinmar lady, who flashed a beaming smile every time our eyes met in that oddly persistent way while slicing her steak.
The Second Princess of Loen Empire, who—unlike this morning—was lost in thoughts peculiar to a possessor, seemingly forgetting her affectionate couple act.
And finally, to the point where one could instantly verify why the saying "when a woman holds a grudge, frost falls even in the fifth lunar month" exists.
Seria, standing silently behind me with an expression colder than the northern chill, her eyes demanding an explanation.
'Haa... I'm so tired.'
Clink, clink.
Even though quite some time had passed since the meal began, only the sound of silverware clinking filled the vast dining hall.
Normally, it would have been our well-rehearsed lovers' act with Roselia, now quite familiar.
A cozy dinner where Seria and I exchanged subtle affections without drawing attention.
But tonight, it felt as precarious as walking on thin ice.
I silently cut my steak and put a piece in my mouth.
I couldn't taste it.
I couldn't tell if I was chewing rubber or meat.
I forced the meat down and stared straight ahead.
First, Roselia, sitting directly across from me.
Since our brief encounter in the garden earlier, she looked half out of it, hunched over like someone whose soul had partially fled.
She poked at her salad with her fork, her lips constantly moving.
"... No matter how I think about it, it's a crazy setup. But if I play it right, I can survive... No, be careful with words, be careful."
"... ."
I can hear you. I hear everything.
Hey, Mr. Possessor. Do your strategy meetings in your head, please.
Don't say it out loud.
Aren't you underestimating a Sword Master's hearing too much?
And what's this about being careful with words? Have you finally come to your senses?
I gave the still-lacking possessor a pitiful look, then swallowed.
And naturally shifted my gaze to the side.
Right next to the princess sat today's new uninvited guest and partner, Leonier.
She elegantly cut her steak and put it in her mouth, flashing a radiant smile whenever our eyes met—a smile whose meaning I couldn't fathom.
How could a person smile so adorably... I nearly lost my composure.
Moreover, her gaze alternated between me and Seria standing behind me, revealing a strange sense of satisfaction.
"Oh my, Your Grace. You have some sauce on your mouth. Shall I wipe it for you?"
"... No, thank you. I'll handle it."
"Aw, don't be like that. This is something a woman should do for it to feel right."
"I truly appreciate the offer, but I have a fiancée, you see."
"Hmm..."
Leonier rested her chin on her hand, sending a sticky gaze my way.
At the same time, her lips moved ever so slightly.
"... Very nice. Look at that expression—so cute I could die..."
... Cute? Who, me?
What on earth is this woman saying?
I had no idea what delusions she was spinning on her own, but one thing was clear: she was enjoying this situation.
Finally, behind me.
This was the biggest problem.
Seria, who would normally leave plating to the servants, had insisted on doing it herself.
Just like when she'd first dined with Roselia.
Every time my plate emptied, she swooped in sharply to refill it, but her movements were oddly rough compared to usual.
Thud.
The sound of the new plate hitting the table rang out unusually loud.
"Your Grace, is the food not to your liking? Your expression doesn't look good."
"Ah, no. It's delicious."
"I see. That's a relief. I was worried you'd gotten indigestion because of the sudden guest."
Seria's voice was calm, but the chill it carried was fiercer than a northern blizzard.
Her gaze brushed past Leonier.
For some reason, her eyes seemed to carry a murderous intent toward the intruder disrupting her happiest time of the day.
I felt cold sweat trickling down as I wiped my mouth with the napkin.
What kind of horrific cauldron of chaos was this?
A possessor princess muttering about the original story, a woman—whether possessor or regressor, I couldn't tell—suddenly appearing and spouting oddities from her delusions, and my adjutant emanating an icy aura of jealousy or anger, I couldn't say which.
Caught in the power struggle—no, the survival scramble—of these three women, I was just a prawn whose back would burst from whales clashing.
That was when it happened.
The whispering of the maids and servants by the wall reached my sensitive ears.
"Oh my, look at that. The atmosphere is totally deadly, isn't it?"
"Right? Did you see Lady Baldinmar winking at the Duke? Total vixen, a real fox."
"Look at Her Highness the Princess's stiff face. Doing that in front of his fiancée—bold."
"But... doesn't Seria seem angry too? Our Duke really is insanely popular. Intruders in a historic romance—better than any novel."
... Haa.
Please be quiet. I can hear all of you.
Historic romance my ass—this is pure hell.
I couldn't take it anymore and set down my fork.
If this continued, it wouldn't be indigestion; my sanity would snap first.
"Enough."
The clatter at the table halted instantly at my voice.
Roselia startled and stopped muttering, Leonier sparkled with interest, and Seria immediately approached and bowed.
"We'll end the meal here. My stomach's a bit off today."
"Dessert is prepared."
"It's fine. Later in my roo... No, really, don't worry about it."
I abruptly stood.
Staying longer in this suffocating space felt like it would shorten my lifespan.
"Please enjoy yourselves. I'll take my leave first."
"Oh? Leaving already? Such a shame. The night's still young—have another cup of tea."
Leonier smacked her lips regretfully, but I pretended not to hear and left the dining room without looking back.
I heard Seria say "I'll attend you" from behind, but I lacked the confidence to face her cold gaze any longer.
Once out in the corridor, shaking off everyone, I loosened my necktie and let out a long sigh.
"Hoo... I'm exhausted."
For some reason, I didn't feel like doing anything more today.
About four hours after the grueling dinner ended?
Having barely managed to hold onto my dizzying sanity, I sat in my study, handling ducal duties late into the night.
"Still tired, though."
Was it the stress? Even after pulling all-nighters for a week straight without fatigue.
Today, each document took over ten minutes to process.
I rolled my stiff neck, did some light stretching to clear my mind, and glared at the mountain of papers on the desk.
Even with headache-inducing variables like possessors and regressors stirring up the castle, the lives of the territory's people continued, so my duties as the North's lord couldn't stop.
Scratch, scratch.
For a long while, only the sound of the fountain pen gliding over paper filled the quiet room.
Lost track of time wrestling with documents until I picked up a thick envelope stamped with a red seal.
[Winter Forest Activity Report.]
"Winter Forest?"
Has it been time for reports from there already? I tore open the envelope and checked the contents, frowning slightly at the utterly unexpected shocking information.
And the report's contents were even more serious than I'd imagined.
The number of monsters appearing near the Winter Forest border had surged abnormally.
Not just increasing, either.
Specific figures showed the sighting frequency of top predators like ogres, trolls, and wyverns had more than tripled compared to last month.
"Already...? Signs of a Monster Flow?"
Monster Flow.
A phenomenon where unstable mana flows cause monsters to migrate in hordes or rampage.
Usually a periodic disaster every few years, but this time, it was too soon.
Of course, even if early, it wasn't a huge issue.
Kaltstein had never once lost to monsters in its centuries of history.
'More than that, the expedition to find the ancient dragon's nest on Drakenspitze... might need delaying a bit.'
No matter how tempting the information from a woman who knew the original story.
I couldn't leave my post when the territory's safety was threatened, not knowing how long it would take.
Thinking that, I meticulously read and turned through the report page by page.
By the time I reached the final page.
I couldn't help but pause upon discovering a troop reinforcement request bearing Dordeo Viscount's handwritten signature—the man guarding the foremost frontlines.
Dordeo Viscount.
The retainer my father, the previous duke, trusted most, who'd silently defended the northern frontlines for decades.
Normally, he'd just submit a report, so his direct request for troops.
Meant the situation was far more urgent than I'd thought.
Scratch.
I signed the approval without hesitation.
[Dispatch 200 Azure Knights and 2 Mage Platoons.]
After carefully noting additional instructions, I closed the document.
This would put out the immediate fire, but without finding the root cause, it'd be like pouring water into a leaky jar.
"I wonder if the original story mentioned anything related to this."
It suddenly piqued my curiosity.
If the possessors knew why monsters poured endlessly from Winter Forest for centuries, I might end this tiresome battle in my generation.
'Guess I'll ask Roselia tomorrow morning.'
The moment I reached for the last remaining document while organizing my thoughts.
Knock, knock.
A quiet knock broke the silence.
"Your Grace, it's Seria."
Her usual calm voice, but it felt subtly subdued somehow.
"May I enter for a moment?"
"... Come in."
I set down the fountain pen and glanced at the wall clock.
It was nearing one in the morning.
Meaning it was that time when, after confirming each other's feelings that day, we'd had date-like moments late at night once everyone else slept.
But tonight felt different from our usual dates—a very sincere time awaited.
It was time to face the source of that chilling aura she'd emanated behind me throughout dinner.