The chattering knights stopped and stood at attention.
Amarion looked up at Victor. He had an unusually disheveled appearance.
His gaze swept over her as he examined his knights. She shut her eyes tightly.
“Stop your unnecessary chatter.”
A tired voice echoed overhead.
“Everyone knows the plan. We move together to Norvant, and then divide into the Western and Eastern Army to subdue monsters. If you get injured or have to leave people behind, make sure to report it as soon as you possibly can.”
“Yes, my lord!”
“It won’t be difficult. It’s just a normal subjugation, but busier. Be good knights; help the young if they ask for it, and be careful…”
His voice, which rang through the courtyard powerfully, suddenly stopped.
She opened her eyes and met the gaze of Victor.
Her husband spoke without a moment’s notice.
“…Please be careful and don’t get hurt.”
With that, he disappeared into the shadows of the terrace.
She was nailed to the spot until his shadow completely disappeared. It felt like her heart was burning.
The knights glanced at her with puzzled expressions. She finally managed to look away. Raoul spoke, scratching the back of head.
“…What then, shall we go?”
“I cleaned your saddle, Madame!”
Mary grabbed her arm. She managed her gloomy expression and followed Mary.
* * *
Hunting monsters in Amari was a pain. It was something she had to do and often made money from it, but she couldn’t swing her sword all day long. Wearing old winter clothes and walking around without heat, both her body and mind froze. There were so many injured that it was almost impossible to leave the village without a healer.
However, the subjugation army here seemed to be much more organized. Their route was detailed, and they rarely camped due to the hospitality of small lords along the way. At least so far it had been that way.
“Whenever Carlz left for subjugation, he would talk about which of the castle’s cooks had the best skills.”
Sir Leonard said, steering his horse into the lead.
“He had a great memory, so much so that he insisted on only staying in castles where the food was delicious.”
“Where are we going today? Is the food okay?
“I’m not a lunatic that memorizes things like that.”
Leonard responded as if he had been insulted. Sir Raoul chuckled. Amarion smiled a little and watched the scenery go by.
In late summer, Morte was brilliantly beautiful. In fields in which no human had ever walked there bloomed late season flowers, and clear ponds provided a glistening backdrop. The sounds of birdsong, horseshoes, and chatter peacefully blended into the landscape. The weather was nice. It didn’t feel like they were leaving for a subjugation, it felt like they were going on a picnic.
Mary was next to her, riding her horse excitedly. Surprisingly, she was very stable, as she had done a lot of horseback riding in her youth.
“It’s been a while since I’ve been out in nature”.
“Really? Don’t you go home every holiday?”
“No, I rest in the castle, even on holidays. I read books and ask the kitchen maids to bake my favorite sugar cookies.”
Mary spoke casually.
“You’re still in the castle, even on holidays?’
After a moment’s hesitation, Amarion asked again.
“Are your vacations too short? Would you like me to extend your holidays?”
It was something she hadn’t thought of before. Her maids were from small lord and knight families from all over Morte, so it was likely difficult for them to visit home if their estates were far from the castle. Wasn’t Morte a vast land several times larger than Amari?
But Mary shook her head sensibly.
“No, Madame. I like being in the castle. This trip is enough of a holiday.”
‘But…’
She looked at her 17-year-old maid with concern.
‘I can’t help it if she doesn’t want to but… doesn’t she want to go home sometimes?’
No matter how comfortable it was, the castle was Mary’s workplace.
“-So, we will arrive at our first destination this evening.”
Leonard’s voice awakened her from her thoughts. Despite the dazzling weather, his tone was blunt.
“The name of the estate is Norvant, and the Lord is Julich Norvant. He is the seventh descendant of the Norvant family and holds the title of Viscount. He has two sons and a daughter, and he is very worried because they aren’t doing well in school. He doesn’t come out of his estate very often, but his relatives work in the castle. The estate is wealthy, but his finances are not very good, probably due to his hobby of collecting expensive crystals. His talent is playing the violin, and his favorite food is bread pudding—”
“How the hell do you know all that?”
Raoul asked, his mouth wide open. Amarion felt exactly the same way.
She looked at Mary, hoping she would know since she had lived in Morte for a long time, but Mary was also staring at Leonard with her eyes wide open.
“I am the second son of the Odo family, an old vassal of Morte. There are almost no families that don’t interact with ours. So, from a young age, I grew up listening to the stories of Morte nobles like a lullaby.”
“…Really. So that’s how it happened.”
Raoul laughed. When his grim face smiled, he became even more terrifying. She tilted her head in confusion.
“What are you talking about?”
“Really, I was curious why Carlz wasn’t the knight deputy. Of course, our deputy general is Leonard, but he doesn’t really like ordering people around.”
Leonard frowned, but he did not deny it.
Raoul stroked his chin and continued.
“If it’s paperwork, Leonard can do it, so why did he leave it to Carlz? From now on, the Madame will have to meet the lords from all over Morte, right?”
She turned to Leonard. The blonde knight answered honestly.
“I have been ordered to help her highness so that she isn’t anxious, even in front of vassals she meets for the first time.”
She unknowingly squeezed her horse’s reins.
She had to meet with vassals. She suddenly remembered the nightmare of the social season in the Capital.
When she couldn’t get along properly with the nobles. Wasn’t that when she knew that she wasn’t cut out to be an aristocrat?
She could never be a knight here. As Victor said, she was the hostess of his estate.
“We don’t have a good relationship with most of the vassals. Most of the people he’s executed were vassals.”
Leonard said plainly.
If they feared or hated Victor, it was clear that they wouldn’t have a good reaction towards her either. Just like the maids when she first came to Morte.
Leonard said frankly.
“I can’t tell you not to worry, but I will do my best nonetheless.”
She reluctantly nodded her head.
The flowers, which looked beautiful just moments before, suddenly didn’t look attractive.
* * *
Without incident, they arrived in Norvant, as scheduled.
Norvant, located half a day from the Morte estate, was, as she had heard, a wealthy manor. There were well-groomed fields everywhere, and the streets were noisy.
When the knights appeared, people lined up on both sides of the street, clapping and cheering. It looked peaceful.
“There are almost no monsters here.”
“Yes.”
She talked with Raoul as they headed towards the inner city, where the lord resided.
To their surprise, Lord Norvant was waiting for them. He ran to her as they approached.
“I welcome you, Hostess of the Land of the Black Lion, her highness Amarion of Morte.”
A chubby man in his thirties bowed deeply.
She found it uncomfortable, so she quickly got off her horse and stood him back up. She was about to lift the hem of her skirt to say hello, but she realized she was wearing pants, so she awkwardly bent her knees.
“Thank you for your kind welcome, Viscount Norvant.”
“Oh no, my Lady! Stay comfortable and make yourself at home here!”
The Viscount was smiling broadly. He was so polite that she felt embarrassed.
She headed into their estate with a confused feeling.
The castle was decorated similarly to the Imperial Palace. Gorgeous ornaments, curtains with absurdly intricate embroidery, and gigantic crystal statues were all displayed absurdly.
Mary, who was walking beside her, whispered.
“Madame, look at this marble floor. This would take me three days and three nights to clean.”
Why were their hosts like this? They didn’t come for a banquet, they just needed to stop for a while.
The family of the Viscount greeted her in embarrassment. Amarion felt like she was a messenger from the Imperial Palace, sorely out of place.
“Greetings to her highness.”
The Viscountess, who was wearing a lavish dress, gracefully curtsied. So did her little children.
Amarion didn’t know how to respond.
Read latest Chapters at Wuxia World . Site Only
They treated her as the Grand Duchess, even though her current attire and position were no different from that of a regular knight. Even so, the Viscount knelt down and kissed the back of her hand.
In the end, she pretended to have a skirt and waved in the air, greeting the family according to etiquette.
“Nice to meet you, Viscountess. Your estate is truly beautiful.”