Chapter 2. Kneel! (5)
Chapter 2. Kneel! (5)
For now, I decided to leave the mental conditioning—no, rehabilitation—no, I mean, the 'training' of those four young ladies entirely to Erna.
Perhaps because she heard me say I would personally cover for her, or perhaps because she didn't know how to clean up the mess she'd already made, Erna seemed to have decided to listen to me.
Inge, the vice-captain, was still a little terrified. For now, rather than going out of my way to intimidate her too, I decided to leave her be and think about how to handle her later.
"Rosalyn-nim."
"What is it?"
Good grief.
Even though I thought I'd adapted to Frida in my own way, and even though I thought my relationship with her uncle had improved a little, I was still afraid of Frida.
No, maybe 'uncomfortable' is the word.
Perhaps... I've judged Frida to be a 'hypocritical human being.'
Rosalyn hates 'hypocrisy.' However, her standard for this 'hypocrisy' is quite twisted. She is a villainess who believes she is the center of the world, and therefore, her judgment criteria are absolute. And Rosalyn, using that mindset as her standard, has classified 'all goodness in this world' as 'hypocrisy.' Because Rosalyn herself is a human who can never be purely good.
This isn't wrong, as it's a thought based on my standards from my past life, where I learned a reasonably normal way of judging values.
And Frida falls into the category of Rosalyn's 'allergy to good people.' If she had even a slight flaw in her personality, I could probably coax her with some kind of deal, but Frida hasn't shown any such aspect at all. On the contrary, she has been sincerely serving Rosalyn, who has never said a kind word to her until now.
That's what's scary.
Because it's a way of thinking that neither Rosalyn nor my past-life self can understand.
That is why I, as Rosalyn, classified it as 'hypocrisy' and judged it arbitrarily according to my own standards, while my memories from my past life make me wary of the baronial family 'behind' Frida. In any case, if I lose control, it's game over.
"What is it?"
Ordinarily, I would have thrown a fit at someone who called me over only to stay silent, but knowing that I need to be careful about everything in the territory right now, I held back my anger and asked calmly.
"Oh my."
Frida, however, covered her mouth with both hands at my response and looked at me with surprised eyes.
"......Why are you doing that?"
I asked again.
"Ah, ah, I'm sorry, Rosalyn-nim! I was just... because you asked so calmly."
What is this? Is she messing with me?
No, that was probably a genuinely surprised expression. Because Rosalyn really was that kind of person. It's just that until now, there was a father to cover for her.
"It's just... well."
Frida hesitated a bit more before finally opening her mouth.
"The actions Rosalyn-nim has shown recently are......"
"They are for the sake of devotion to the Duchy. To uphold the duties of the nobility."
"As I thought......"
Frida looked touched.
And for some reason, her eyes welled up with tears.
I was inwardly flustered, but Frida took a handkerchief from her bosom, dabbed around her eyes, and continued.
"Even after such difficult things happened... you finally realized it. That the owner of the Duchy is the Ducal family, and that high status comes with responsibility......"
The Rosalyn inside me is shouting, 'It's obvious that the Duchy is mine!' And considering the world-building, this is actually a correct statement. A noble's power, especially the family's power, comes from the territory, and that territory is inherited by the eldest legitimate child. It's just that I was the only child of my father, so I became the heir.
Of course, the 'responsibility comes with it' part isn't exactly wrong either, but Rosalyn wasn't the type of person to think that far. Besides, the reason she considered that duty wasn't some sacred obligation to protect the commoners, but just appropriately deciding what to serve and protect based on necessity.
If she really cared about the commoners in the first place, there wouldn't be any instances of nobles arbitrarily requisitioning or plundering the commoners' property.
"I felt it."
"......What did you feel?"
"That day, two days ago, you were clearly struggling to hold on while watching those young ladies, Rosalyn-nim."
"......?"
Whether she saw me tilt my head or not, Frida continued her story, still 'looking touched.'
"You thought that things couldn't go on like this, didn't you?"
I did think that things couldn't go on like this.
"If the discipline of the Knight Order isn't properly established, the presence of the knights beneath it will also fade. If Ella, Lila, Merit, and Leana had no achievements, they would have eventually ended up in a convent as the third or fourth daughters of their families. Because a huge dowry is needed to marry into a high-ranking noble family."
For me, it probably wouldn't be necessary. Because the position of Duchess that I hold and the entire Duchy would become the dowry.
.......
No, wait a minute.
Is this a position that the Emperor or Crown Prince might actually target? I mean, if they take me as a wife.
......Nah.
They wouldn't pour that much interest into a backwater village that doesn't even have its own parish and sends a Parish Deputy, right? It's at the very edge of the Empire, and it is a border region with the Kingdom, but still. There are many more important territories within the Empire than this.
It won't be that, yeah.
"Because you realized that fact, you saved them as the owner of the Knight Order."
"Yes...... well....... ......Pardon? I didn't quite hear you?"
"Because that is also the reason those young ladies joined the Knight Order. Rather than entering a convent and spending their whole lives there, it would be better to join the Knight Order and achieve merit as knights to maintain their position as nobles."
No, I just needed chess pieces to use directly.
There is a lot to do. Once they can at least defeat something like a goblin, I plan to send them all over the Duchy to find artifacts from the Ancient Empire. I roughly know the locations. Since the game had a fixed map and the artifact locations weren't random.
The locations I know are only within this Duchy and parts of the Kingdom, but I don't really have any intention of advancing anywhere anyway.
It's also possible because it's still a peaceful era. If a real war were to break out, a Knight Order made up of pretty young ladies would be nothing more than fleshlights riding around on horses.
And I also thought that since it's not a full-fledged Knight Order, people wouldn't pay much attention to it.
"Th-that's right!"
So, naturally, I hadn't thought that far, but for now, I decided to go along with Frida's words.
"Excellent, Your Grace."
Frida said that and smiled with an expression that looked like she was about to cry.
Why?
Why is she showing that kind of expression to Rosalyn? The only memories they have would be from playing together when they were very young.
"Watching the young ladies suffer, holding back your tears, empathizing with that pain, and biting your finger to endure it while breaking into a cold sweat—it was clearly the appearance of a noble aristocrat. The sight of you staying in your seat to the end despite the agony, in order to take responsibility for the orders you gave......"
Just which side of Rosalyn did she see to think that?
Wouldn't people usually think she's a pervert who gets pleasure from it?
I can't tell if she's being sarcastic or sincere.
"......."
I didn't know how to respond to this, so I chose to just keep my mouth shut.
Even though I shifted my gaze out the window, I could feel Frida's gaze lingering stingingly on the back of my head for a long time.
*
Regardless of all that, I am also trying to improve my relationship with the people of this Duchy in my own way.
I don't get forced to go to volunteer work anymore, but I consistently go to church.
For some reason, the church priest looked at me, pretending to pray with an expression incredibly similar to Frida's, but I ignored him.
"That's because it would look like you've changed."
I don't go to volunteer work, but I thought I should at least check the state of the orphanage I invested money in, so I went there, and Brother Arno said with a smile.
"No, it's true that you have changed. Or perhaps you are trying to change."
"......."
Well, it's true that I'm trying to change. At least, I am trying to 'look like I've changed.'
"Then that is a success."
I said primly and took a sip of tea. The tea Frida brewed was excellent.
She was currently standing back a little, waiting at a distance where she couldn't hear our conversation.
"Ho, is there a reason to call it a 'success'? It sounds like you mean you are at least trying to change."
I looked at Brother Arno.
"Is there any other reason besides going to heaven?"
"......."
However, Brother Arno didn't bother to ask any further.
For some reason, I feel bad. Brother Arno has some parts that resemble Frida. Of course, there's a difference between men and women, and the age gap is too large to say they are similar, but, how should I put it, personality-wise.
Should I call it 'hypocrisy'—no, Brother Arno might be even worse than that.
Above all, while doing good deeds, he spoke to me as if he himself were a hypocrite.
"Brother Arno, is there something you want?"
I asked.
"Something I want?"
"If there is something you want, I, this girl, will help you."
Well, only as far as things that can be solved with money, though.
I don't even know why I'm saying things like this.
My heart is uncomfortable. Rosalyn hated this sensation. In fact, it would have been a sensation Rosalyn would never feel. It's a terrible discomfort, like a fish bone stuck between my gums, that I feel because I have the memories of my past life.
I want to get rid of it.
Rosalyn thinks so.
At the very least, she wants to peel away the other person's 'hypocrisy.' Rosalyn wanted to see those who appear good show their ugly sides.
That must be the reason why the territory fell like that in the game.
And the reason why the Saintess suffered such a terrible fate.
"If you want, I might be able to write you a letter of recommendation, couldn't I?"
"A letter of recommendation?"
"I heard that numerous apocrypha are kept in the monastery directly operated by the diocese. If you have become a monk, isn't it a lifelong dream to read such things?"
"That is......."
At my words, Arno looked genuinely flustered.
See, I told you.
Of course, the numerous apocrypha are one thing.
Entering deep into the diocese also means getting closer to power as a religious person.
It's not like Arno doesn't have such desires.
He was originally a noble, wasn't he? Right?
The Rosalyn inside me grinned while looking at such an Arno.