Chapter 47
“So, when are you planning to go to the palace? Actually, I’d like to give the Princess a congratulatory gift in advance, and I wonder if you would be able to make the connection?”
As a mere tribal chief, it was unrealistic for him to have direct access to Princess Lysa, so this excuse would allow him to gauge how much he knew without raising too much suspicion.
“The Princess is not in the palace right now.”
Ragetti’s shoulders tensed at the words. The Duke leisurely sipped at his drink while Ragetti rolled his eyes, trying to figure out what he meant.
“The Princess is traveling for a while, so even I won’t be able to visit her for a while.”
“Traveling?”
The Duke nodded. “Yes. She’s been living in the palace all her life, and she suddenly wanted to see the sea.”
“The sea… is quite far away, isn’t it?”
Although the southern part of Lysa’s territory bordered the sea, it was not within easy reach of the capital city of Terra. Rather, the sea was much closer to the Ardennes to the west, and Ragetti suddenly realized why the Princess, who should have been at the royal palace, had come here.
“Yes, that’s why the King and Queen both objected so strongly, so the Princess decided to forgo seeing the sea and rest at a nearby resort. She’s expected to return in fifteen days, maybe I’ll see her then.”
“Are you sure she’s really there?” Ragetti asked impatiently without realizing it.
The Duke gave him a questioning look, and he suddenly had an ‘Oops’ moment.
“Ah, it… it doesn’t quite make sense to me that you would travel before something as important as your marriage……”
“The wedding is still three months away, so it’s not a big deal.”
“…Right, that’s right.”
Just as he was about to end the conversation, Fertan, Ragetti’s son, interrupted. “Now that I think about it, you are a very generous man, Duke.”
He chuckled, drunkenly. “To think you’d let your bride-to-be travel so far away. I wouldn’t have done it myself; a woman shouldn’t be allowed to go off on a wild goose chase. Well, my sister alone was riding around on horseback on her wedding day, and she missed all the important ceremonies.”
“Fertan!”
Ragetti glared at his son, who had been thoroughly informed of what had happened in the meadow that day, and because of that, Fertan knew that the marriage ceremony with the Croa tribe had been spoiled simply because Rosie had ridden out on horseback and was late.
“Watch out for your words. It is the Princess of Lysa who is to be the Archduchess, and you have no right to be so disrespectful to her!”
Fertan suddenly looked sober, and slumped back into his seat. “I apologize, my lord. I should have stopped talking when I was drunk…”
Instead of being angry with him, the Duke laughed softly. “Well, how did that happen? Your family must be heartbroken.”
The Duke gave him a concerned look, and Fertan glanced at his father, then nodded. “Ah, yes.”
“Come to think of it, I don’t see your sister attending this banquet.”
Fertan rolled his eyes as the Duke looked around.
“Well, Rosie is in her room right now, reflecting…”
Just then, a knight came to the Duke’s side, and after a few words, the Duke rose from his seat.
“Excuse me for a moment.”
After the Duke left, Ragetti immediately grabbed Fertan by the collar. “After this, you are not to speak a single word. Keep your mouth shut!”
Fertan struggled to free himself from his grip. “F- father, what do you think I have done so wrong? I’ve politely apologized for my remarks about the Princess, and as for Rosie, well, isn’t that her fault?”
“I told you to shut up!”
Fertan’s mouth shut after Ragetti’s tirade. Ragetti let go of his grip and glanced at the Duke standing on the terrace. He had a bad feeling about this.
I don’t think the Duke knows anything, but I’d better do something about it.
Ragetti gestured, and the servant beside him approached. He whispered in a low voice.
***
As soon as they stepped out onto the terrace, the smile on Iselle’s face washed away. Iselle stood with his back to the banquet hall and asked, “Have you found what I asked you to find out?”
The knight turned to face him, arms at right angles, and bowed his head. “I found out who the dead Basque man was. He worked for the chieftain and his family here at the castle for many years. When I investigated his recent sudden disappearance, I found out that he left about ten days ago, saying he had to travel far away, and he has not been heard from since.”
“Did you find out who any of them were related to him?”
“He was best friends with the chieftain’s daughter, and she always sent him on important errands.”
“The chieftain’s daughter…” Iselle muttered, remembering what he’d heard in the banquet hall earlier.
“The chieftain’s daughter had recently broken off her marriage to the Croa.”
“Yes, there was a lot of gossip about that. The people in the castle and the village seemed to think she had gone far away.”
“The chieftain has two children, a son and a daughter?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
Iselle turned and looked out into the banquet hall, where the sons and daughters of each clan leader were seated together.
The young women’s eyes never left him and the knights he had brought with him the entire time they were in the banquet hall, and Iselle knew what that was like. The stares were the same as the ones he’d gotten from the excited young ladies before he’d announced his marriage to Princess Rosetta.
The reason they were here today, all dressed up, was simple. A knight of Hezen was a more than decent prospect for a groom. The three knights Iselle had brought with him were all Equites, the highest rank of knight recognized in Lysa. In the first place, the position of Equites knight was reserved for the most distinguished among the nobility.
Among the songs of the bards, the love story of a high-ranking knight and a country maiden was a favorite among the masses. In any country, a banquet given by an Equites knight would draw a crowd of unmarried women. This is because people usually dream in vain that they could be the protagonist of the story. It’s no wonder, then, that in these backwater regions, parents would send their eager daughters to the banquet in droves.
Nevertheless, only the chieftain refused to present his daughter here. Even though the marriage was broken and it’s time to find the next one as soon as possible.
“Did you find out anything about the chieftain’s daughter?”
“From what I’ve heard, she’s got a pretty good reputation. The Croa chieftain she was supposed to marry was a jerk, so people are saying it’s a good thing the marriage broke down. On the other hand, the chieftain and his son have a bad reputation.”
So it’s not that he didn’t invite her to the banquet today out of concern for her feelings. Instead, there’s a reason he can’t bring her along.
Something is wrong, or he’s trying to hide something.
By the time Iselle returned to his seat, the banquet was at its peak, with drunks everywhere. It was a good time to leave.
“If you don’t mind, my party would like to go back and get some rest.”
At Iselle’s words, Ragetti looked around for a moment, then nodded.
“You’ve traveled a long way, and I know you’re tired. I will have my son escort you to your room.”
Iselle bluntly declined his offer. “That is not necessary, a servant could do the job.”
“No. You are an honored guest, it is the least I can do. Fertan, escort the Duke to his quarters.”
“Yes, father.”
At his command, Fertan rose to his feet, followed by Iselle.
Then Ragetti spoke, “Unlike Hezen, security here is not very good; it is full of assassins and thieves. For your safety, Duke, I will have a guard at the door for the night.”
He paraphrased, but in the end, he meant that they would be watched all night from the door.
Iselle smiled graciously. “Thank you, Chieftain, for your consideration. I will sleep well tonight, thanks to you.”
***
Fertan kept his mouth tightly shut as they walked toward the quarters, as if something had been exchanged with his father beforehand.
Iselle asked casually to him, “So, Sir Fertan, are you happy with your life here?”
Fertan looked very pleased that the Duke had made the first move. The corners of his mouth twitched at the title ‘Sir’ before his name.
“Of course not, I am quite sick of this backward country life. My wish is to one day go and live in Lysa.”
“But you will soon have to succeed your father as chieftain.”
He shook his head vigorously. “I don’t care whoever becomes chieftain, as long as I can live as a noble in Lysa, not just a chieftain, so…”
He checked to make sure no one was around to hear, and smirked, “It’s fate that we’re meeting like this, and I was wondering if you could spare me a seat. You’re the Duke, and you’re the future son-in-law of the King, so you must have a lot of connections in Lysa, don’t you think?”
Iselle looked at him and smiled. His behavior had not deviated one iota from his expectations.
“That shouldn’t be too difficult, if you do me one favor.”