Chapter 2
Chapter 2
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 2
Chapter Title: The Eldest Daughter of House Rozier is Mad (2)
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There was a bit of a commotion, but somehow, my engagement to Lady Rozier was settled.
The last time we parted, she and I exchanged properly courteous farewells.
"Until we meet again, Your Highness Prince Cedric."
"It was a pleasure meeting you today, Elena."
"Yes, I enjoyed it immensely as well."
-A sweet smile.
"......"
It hadn't been long since I'd seen her in the drawing room, yet I'd nearly fallen for that smile just now.
Anyway, her doll-like beauty was just as striking as ever. If anything, now that I knew her true nature, those eyes that had seemed so coldly distant struck me as simply thoughtful and profound.
'It's been a while since I've had a proper conversation with someone my age.'
Girls around my age could only cry or throw tantrums.
The servants said it was because I'd matured early, but even so, I wished they'd at least make eye contact and show some manners when talking to me.
In that regard, Lady Rozier had kept her eyes on mine throughout our entire conversation without flinching, so I had to admit I liked that about her.
'Of course, Elena seems to have zero manners in other areas.'
Still, compared to other girls, she was far more intriguing, that much was true.
If I had to choose a fiancée anyway, someone I could actually talk to like her was probably the better option.
"How was she, Your Highness?"
"How was what?"
"Lady Rozier, of course. I asked because she seemed to your liking."
In the carriage on the way back, my exclusive butler Hadi asked with a strangely amused expression.
Judging by his reaction, I'd apparently been grinning a bit, so I hurriedly schooled my features before answering.
"...Is it that obvious?"
"Yes. Your expression is much brighter than usual."
"...What's wrong with my usual expression?"
"You always look annoyed by everything, as if you've seen through the ways of the world. Especially after talking with ladies your age—you come back looking utterly exhausted."
"......Was it like that?"
In truth, it hadn't been that enjoyable.
She was just a new type of person I'd never met before, one who piqued my interest a little.
'I wonder if not calling off the engagement was the right choice.'
...Time would tell. It was too soon to judge her based on a single day's conversation.
After that first meeting—where my prospective fiancée boldly claimed to have lived a previous life and insisted she'd originally been a man, with no interest in engagements—the next six months passed naturally, and talk of the Duchess Rozier became the palace's main topic.
"Congratulations, Your Highness. I hear you've become engaged to the lady of House Rozier."
"Thank you, Viscount David."
Every noble who visited the palace brought up my fiancée, so it seemed the news had spread quite thoroughly within a month.
"I understand Lady Rozier was born a year after Your Highness. What was she like in person?"
To nobles and servants alike who asked about her, I gave mostly the same response.
"I found her to be quite intelligent. Despite her young age, she was remarkably well-mannered."
At least on the surface, she carried herself with the refinement of a noble lady no less than those older than her.
That said, it didn't mean I could forget the sight of her in that drawing room.
Even now, as my fiancée, the image of her brazenly baring her feet and sprawling on the sofa in front of a stranger lingered vividly in my mind half a year later.
That side of Duchess Rozier was something only I knew, so there was no need to speak of it.
For whatever reason, she'd trusted me enough to show her true self. In return, I should keep silent about what I'd seen that day.
...Whether our engagement would last remained to be seen.
In any case, after the seasons had changed twice...
When I met Duchess Rozier again at the palace, she greeted me with the same restrained courtesy as our first encounter.
"It's been a while, Your Highness. You've grown even more dashing in the time we've been apart."
"...You've become even more beautiful yourself, Elena."
"I'm honored by your words, Prince Cedric."
It was the same impression I'd had half a year ago: impeccable noble etiquette, as if straight out of a mold.
Where on earth had that brazen girl from our first meeting gone?
Watching her speak with refined poise and perfect manners, I almost wondered if that day had been a dream.
-Creak.
"I've sent all the servants away, so now we can talk comfortably..."
"Ahh, my feet hurt. I thought my ankles were gonna twist from standing all day, seriously."
"......"
"Ah, loosen up a bit, Cedric. Untie that stuffy necktie or something."
The moment we were alone, she reverted to her true self, and I immediately corrected my thoughts.
Leaning deeply back into the sofa and casually revealing her real personality, she left me dumbfounded... yet strangely relieved that what she'd shown me that day hadn't been an act.
"You must be exhausted from all that acting, Elena."
"Yeah. Cedric, drop the stubborn act already and talk normally, huh? Stop with the fake polite crap all the time."
"It's not fake—it's just the education I've received since childhood, Elena."
"That's hilarious. You're just obsessively afraid of slipping up even once. You talk casually to the servants just fine."
...Had I ever spoken to Hadi in front of Lady Rozier?
-Crunch.
"Oh, this is delicious. Royal palace pastries really are on another level."
"...If you'd like, I can have some packaged for you to take home."
"Nah, no need. That might hurt our head chef's pride."
Her speech and actions were frivolously light, yet her thoughts ran surprisingly deep.
That made her all the harder to understand.
If she was going to put on an act anyway, there was no reason to drop it only in front of me.
"Since it's been a while, why don't we have a conversation befitting fiancés, Elena?"
"It's a fake engagement—what's there to talk about? ...Oh, just in case, don't tell anyone about me acting like this, okay?"
"Of course I know that much."
"Yeah, figured. Your brain's not that slow."
Even speaking casually to me from the start had probably been calculated, knowing I'd react this way.
I couldn't completely shake the suspicion that she was still a 'madwoman'...
...but the more we talked, the more I felt myself getting drawn into her orbit.
-Slurp.
"Hm, still, our maid brews black tea better. This one's a bit too tart."
"It's to my taste. As you mentioned last time, Elena, I don't notice sour flavors much."
"Makes sense. Your future wife'll have a hard time matching your palate."
"......"
Did she forget she was my fiancée? She spoke as if it were someone else's business.
Having grumbled about the tartness, she drained her teacup and leaned back into the sofa once more, her tone loose and relaxed.
"Oh, that reminds me—earlier with Count Barrel."
"Count Barrel...? Do you mean Baron Barrel?"
"...Ah, right, he's still a baron in this world. Anyway, I ran into him on the way into the palace."
"......"
"He's not a big player yet, so better to cut him off early. He'll be a headache once he becomes a count."
"...What exactly are you saying?"
For someone speaking so languidly and relaxed, it was hardly something I could ignore.
It naturally sparked suspicions that she might be scheming underhanded plots using her status as my fiancée.
"The trade between Arbel Kingdom and Natri Duchy is basically monopolized by House Barrel right now, isn't it?"
"...Yes."
"Dig a little, and you'll find the dirt. They're probably smuggling Black Obsidian Magic Stones to the Natri side as we speak."
"...Can you take responsibility for that claim? Even if you are my fiancée, Elena, baseless slander against a rival house isn't something I can overlook."
"Don't wanna believe it? Your call~ I told you~"
-Crunch crunch.
"Nom nom."
"......"
If it was serious talk, she could at least pretend to be serious.
This was information I couldn't ignore if true, yet she wore such a carefree expression, as if it were none of her concern.
Part of me wanted to dismiss her as just a 'madwoman'...
...but some strange instinct told me I couldn't let it slide so easily.
"...Tell me more details for now, Elena."
"House Barrel's territory isn't in a great spot. It's at the edge of the kingdom, jutting out and practically enveloped by the Natri Duchy. That lets them monopolize the trade routes, but it also means they can't escape the duchy's influence."
"...True enough."
"The Black Obsidian Magic Stones from the kingdom are top quality. The duchy would love to import them without tariffs. Baron Barrel wants to boost his frontier fief's power, so he's running profitable ventures. Right now, it's just petty local nobles skimming under the central government's nose—hard to make a big deal out of it."
"...So, does that mean there's no real need to dig into it?"
"But if you leave it alone, they'll keep at it for a long time. Better to flip the table now. It's not some low-grade stone—leaking Black Obsidian Magic Stones hurts the nation."
"......"
"And honestly, there's an even bigger reason why you can't just let House Barrel be."
"...What is it?"
"Hallucinogenic Herb."
...Hallucinogenic Herb.
I knew what it was used for.
I'd heard the duchy used it to stabilize soldiers' minds during wartime. Just inhaling a bit of smoke was supposed to make you feel good. I'd never seen it myself.
"Later on, the duchy starts pushing Hallucinogenic Herb instead of magic stones. It's banned in Arbel Kingdom, but the duchy produces it on a national scale. The problem is, for people not under extreme stress like wartime soldiers, if ordinary folk take it..."
"The addiction raises their pleasure threshold, making normal life impossible."
"Yeah, you get it."
-Slurp.
"......"
Even while discussing something so grave, Duchess Rozier sipped her second cup of tea as if it were someone else's problem.
"Well, it'll be a few years before Hallucinogenic Herb starts flooding in seriously, so you've got time. But once it does, it's too late. You know what I mean?"
"......"
"Eh, even if you don't stop it, things roll along the original story anyway, so no need to grit your teeth over it..."
"...Do you have proof?"
"Proof of what?"
"That House Barrel is smuggling Black Obsidian Magic Stones to the Natri Duchy."
"Hmm? Not right now, no."
"......"
"That's why you catch 'em in the act. Set some traps. Want me to clue you in?"
"...I'll hear you out, for now."
This might just be a 'chance'.
A chance to find out if House Rozier's eldest daughter truly was a madwoman, or if she knew something I didn't.