The Grace Ducal Family's Unexpected Visit and Sincere Apology
The academy returned from its week-long absence largely unchanged.
With summer break approaching, most classes had already reached the stage of finalizing course material, and students buzzed with excitement over their vacation plans.
This lighthearted energy had even seeped into our group.
“So, back to the Count’s territory as planned?”
“Yeah. Both my brother and mom gave us permission.”
It was lunch break after morning classes.
We had finished eating and were lounging in the classroom, chatting.
According to Emilia and Riel, Riel was set to stay at the Ventus County territory during the summer vacation as originally scheduled.
For safety reasons alone, staying at the Ventus territory was a sensible choice.
Besides, with Duke Andrew busy with reconstruction efforts at the duchy and Duchess Rachel needing to rest for a while, it made sense.
Emilia, overjoyed at the prospect of frequent visits, grabbed Riel’s hand.
“I can see you so often!”
“Yeah, but I’ll be staying at Ariandrod Fortress…”
“Don’t worry! I’ll come find you!”
While the two girls discussed what they would do during break, I sat writing letters.
I needed to send reports on the events at the Ignis Duchy and confirm that I would take Riel with me to the summer vacation.
On top of that, I had to include a greeting, which was slowing things down.
Writing a simple greeting always took longer than a routine status update.
I was still pondering the exact wording when a presence behind me made me pause.
Since the footsteps stopped right in front of my desk, I assumed someone needed me and looked up—only to find a face I had never expected.
“Excuse me for a moment?”
“…Carlena?”
One of the kingdom’s three major ducal families—the Grace family.
Carlena Grace, daughter of the ducal house and my classmate, stood before me.
Behind her, ever-present companions Sherry Reyme and Raiza Bruin wore uneasy expressions.
I had no idea what this was about.
After exchanging just a few words with Carlena Grace, I had never spoken to her since.
Carlena Grace brushed her long blonde hair over her shoulder, then spoke.
“I have several things I’d like to ask you about.”
“To me?”
“Yes. To you… and…”
Her gaze shifted to Riel and Emilia, who were chatting nearby.
“…to Riel as well.”
What could Carlena Grace possibly want to ask Riel and me?
I glanced at her with a touch of curiosity.
In her green eyes, I thought I detected a faint weariness.
“It’s a bit awkward to bring this up here… Could you spare a moment after class?”
“…Sure. It sounds important, and I have no objections.”
“Thank you. The place is here… and please tell Riel as well.”
She extended a piece of paper, offered a gentle smile, and stepped away toward her own seat.
The two noble daughters trailing her followed quickly.
…What on earth could this be?
With the materials I had available, I still couldn’t guess.
After class, I took Riel to the promised location.
At first, when I mentioned meeting Carlena, Riel’s eyes widened in surprise, but once I clarified she wanted to meet her too, her expression softened instantly.
As we walked, I turned the matter over in my mind.
I had no personal connection with Carlena Grace, but what about Riel?
They were both noble daughters of ducal houses, so there might be some kind of tie.
I asked Riel about it.
“We’re the same age, so we crossed paths once at the debutant ball, but I never even spoke to her.”
That was her answer.
In other words, Riel had no idea why Carlena wanted to see us.
The Grace family held the ducal territory in the western part of the kingdom.
The Grace Duchy wasn’t particularly rich in resources or ideal for farming.
Yet one thing had flourished there to an astonishing degree: art.
From painting and music to drama and literature, nearly every form of artistic expression had taken root.
The Grace Duchy was also renowned for tourism.
Especially since the western territory bordered the Marcos Empire, making it the first stop for visitors entering the kingdom from abroad.
In short, the primary income of the Grace Duchy came from the arts and tourism sectors.
…Ah!
Thinking about it this way, the biggest reason Carlena Grace had sought us out must be…
“…the incident at the Ignis Duchy?”
“The one where the elves attacked?”
At my words, Riel’s expression darkened slightly.
Thinking back to that time still seemed to weigh heavily on her in many ways.
“Because of something related to the elf race, we had to negotiate with the Marcos Empire, as Her Highness Aine mentioned.”
“Uh… yeah. That thing Her Highness talked about?”
“Yeah. The Grace Duchy is the territory bordering the Marcos Empire.”
Riel nodded, clearly understanding the situation from my explanation.
When we reached the promised restaurant, we knew our guess had been right.
As soon as we sat down, Carlena Grace presented the menu, finished her order, and began to speak.
“I must apologize first.”
“Huh?”
At our blank stares, Carlena Grace let out a long sigh.
“Looking back on this, the mishandling of the situation by our Grace Duchy feels like a failure on our part.”
“What do you mean?”
The first one to question her was Riel.
Carlena Grace answered in a weary tone, her eyes tinged with irritation.
“…The diplomatic relations between the Marcos Empire and the kingdom are managed by our Grace Duchy, particularly in overseeing treaties between the two nations.”
“…Then?”
“…Elven mercenaries who live in the Marcos Empire have caused incidents in the kingdom before.”
Carlena Grace continued to explain, and I looked at her in confusion.
It was said that the protection of elves had been the late emperor’s intention.
Although elves were strong, their rarity made them frequent targets of slavery and other threats.
Especially since the Marcos Empire housed many elves, and such incidents occurred one after another, the current emperor established a system to protect them.
Under this system, elves no longer suffered unjust harm, but one major problem remained.
Unlike humans or beastkin, who could be restricted by law or rules, elves felt no such restraint.
They lived by the logic that freedom was their god and strength was the only thing that could suppress it.
The current emperor, who inherited the throne from the previous one, understood the situation and tried to find ways to restrain the elves.
For the more gentle elves, listening to the emperor’s words and compromising was possible.
The biggest issue lay with a small number of elves who placed extreme value on strength and freedom.
They were mostly wandering mercenary tribes.
If such incidents happened inside the empire, the empire could handle them, but once they left the country, it became a headache for neighboring lands.
So the empire informed neighboring countries in advance and had them strictly monitor and control the entry of elves.
The Grace family, responsible for the border with the Marcos Empire, also properly inspected and processed incoming elves.
Yet this time, the incident occurred.
Even though they should have received restrictions on their actions upon entry, the staff in charge had completely failed to apply them.
After learning of the event, the Grace duke, horrified, summoned the staff and interrogated them thoroughly.
The staff claimed they had no idea what had happened, and the furious duke dismissed and punished him.
‘Fairies…’
Since I knew the elves had been acting alongside the fairies, I thought about it that way and looked at Riel.
Riel seemed to reach the same conclusion, nodding with her crimson eyes.
…The staff member might feel a little wronged, but I decided not to mention it to Carlena.
Explaining it to someone who knew nothing would only sound like nonsense.
“…I know this apology alone won’t ease the fear of being threatened with death, but I still want you to accept it.”
“…I have nothing to say.”
This was the Grace Duchy’s responsibility, yet the very existence of fairies made it impossible to pin the blame there.
“This is purely my personal apology, and I intend to have the ducal family visit both your houses in person soon to apologize properly.”
“Eh…? Even after that…”
“No. Since your family’s negligence has endangered your lives, a sincere apology and compensation are essential.”
Watching Carlena bow her head repeatedly, Riel and I both let out awkward smiles.
It seemed the fairies had really caused quite a stir.
At that moment, the ordered food arrived, and I somehow coaxed her into starting to eat.
As expected, both noble daughters—Riel and Carlena—ate with elegant grace.
…What am I supposed to do?
When eating, I couldn’t match that level of refined manner.
…Because of the family atmosphere, I only knew basic table manners, and Riel had always understood and sometimes imitated them without issue…
But showing such manners in front of Carlena would be like throwing mud on the family name…
Stuck in that awkward silence, staring at the food without touching it, Riel suddenly poked my side.
She then whispered instructions in my ear, giving me a crash course in proper eating etiquette.
…To be honest, I only caught about half of it, but at least I could manage to eat without looking completely ridiculous.
At that moment, I didn’t realize Carlena Grace was watching us from the corner of her eye—observe us with perfect clarity.