Chapter 4 – The Wolf Duke, Sigmund
“Well, well, if it isn’t Her Highness. You seem to be in a fine mood again today.”
The moment I stepped into the palace’s breakfast room, I was hit with a sarcastic remark from the Wolf Duke, Sigmund Wolff.
He was a twenty-six-year-old duke with dark skin, blue-silver hair, and sharp, chiseled features. He was also ranked Number 7 among the ‘Eight Holy Ducal Houses,’ the most powerful figures in the Empire, second only to the Emperor himself.
(A note: The eight dukes who make up the ‘Eight Holy Ducal Houses’ are apparently ranked, from Number 1 to Number 8.)
Sigmund’s sarcasm was a regular occurrence, so I just offered him a bright smile.
“Yes, I suppose I am. Perhaps it’s because I was able to see your face first thing in the morning.”
At my words, Sigmund scowled, while the Peacock Duke, Lutz Pfau, burst out laughing.
Lutz was a beautiful, fair-skinned young man with iridescent hair, looking so young it was hard to believe he was one of the ‘Eight Holy Ducal Houses.’ He was Number 8, incidentally.
“Ahahaha! Sigmund, you really must be fond of Her Highness! You just can’t stop picking fights with her every morning, even though you know she’s going to put you in your place.”
I calmly approached the table and took a seat opposite Sigmund and Lutz, who were already there. As if on cue, the attendants began to serve the meal, and breakfast commenced. I looked at the two men sitting across from me, Sigmund and Lutz, and let out a small, quiet sigh.
—Three weeks had passed since I arrived in the Empire.
In that time, I had learned that the eight dukes of the ‘Eight Holy Ducal Houses’ were all fiercely loyal to the Emperor. I also learned that while they were all ‘beastmen,’ each had a specific animal base. For example, the Wolf Duke was based on a wolf, and the Peacock Duke on a peacock.
Each duke was given his own territory where he lived with his clan, but at least one of the eight was always required to be in the capital, attending to the Emperor’s direct orders.
The dukes stationed in the capital were given rooms in the palace and took their meals there as well, so I naturally ended up seeing them often.
To be honest, Emperor Eckardt was apparently very busy; I only dined with him about once a week. The reality was that I saw the dukes far more often than I saw the Emperor.
Currently, the two members of the ‘Eight Holy Ducal Houses’ staying in the capital were the Wolf Duke and the Peacock Duke.
The brother of Efa Falke—my brother’s former lover—was also one of the ‘Eight Holy Ducal Houses.’ I had wanted to meet him and apologize in person, but Duke Falke had quickly returned to his own territory, so the opportunity had not yet arisen.
I glanced at the two dukes at the table with me. The Wolf Duke was tearing into a piece of meat with an obviously sour expression, while the Peacock Duke ate his salad with perfect composure.
Watching them, I sighed inwardly with a small sense of relief. I had been taking my meals with the Wolf Duke and Peacock Duke for a solid week now, and Sigmund picking a fight with me had become a daily routine. I had felt the dukes’ hostility keenly from our very first meeting, and Sigmund was the prime example.
True to form, Sigmund had made a sarcastic comment to me every single time we met since. It was too much trouble to retort every time, so I mostly just let his comments slide. Perhaps because he thought he could say anything he wanted to me, his tone had grown steadily rougher and his remarks even more biting.
To be honest, his persistence was exhausting, but I didn’t actually mind being around Sigmund. This was because there was no hidden meaning in his words or actions; I never had to waste energy wondering what he was really thinking.
Besides, compared to my brother back home, his ‘malice’ was practically non-existent. After years of listening to my brother’s cruel barbs, Sigmund’s version hardly even registered.
The fact that the most cutting remark he could come up with was calling me “Princess”—to remind me I was still just a Sapphraine royal, not the “Emperor’s fiancée”—was almost adorable.
He was probably raised in a very proper, loving home.He seemed to revel in acting like a lawless rogue, so I’m sure he would be mortified if I ever said, ‘My, you were raised so well in such a fine family.’
As I was thinking this, I had an attendant take away my plate, which I hadn’t finished. Sigmund shot me a glare.
“Princess, are you still eating only that much? Let me be frank, you’re so skinny you look like a strong wind would snap you in two. Why don’t you eat more! Beastmen don’t like bony figures, you know!”
…It was a very roundabout way of saying it, but he was actually worried about me, wasn’t he?
Sigmund definitely disliked me, there was no doubt about that. However, he seemed to be a firm believer that ‘health is built on diet and exercise,’ and he couldn’t help but fuss over anyone who didn’t eat enough, regardless of who they were.
“Sigmund, you probably don’t know this, but some human race cultures believe that the thinner a woman is, the better.”
Lutz chimed in, his tone placating.
At a glance, it might seem like Lutz was defending me, but in truth, he was always like this—steering me toward making the wrong choice.
Of course, I didn’t have a single ally among the ‘Eight Holy Ducal Houses.’ The only difference between them was how well they could hide their disdain for me. In other words, Lutz was just good at maintaining a polite facade. Underneath, he looked down on me just like the others and was actively trying to see me fail.
Sigmund, on the other hand, couldn’t hide his animosity at all, but he said exactly what he was thinking, whether it helped me or not. Because of that, Sigmund’s words were actually the most useful to me in understanding the common sense of this country.
That same Sigmund now leaned back in his chair with an insolent attitude.
“Hah, I don’t know anything about that culture! Besides, this is the Zaldein Empire. Human race customs don’t apply here!”
With that, Sigmund grabbed an egg from the serving platter and dropped it onto my plate.
“I have less to do today than usual. If you finish that entire egg, Princess, I’ll even show you around the palace garden.”
“Oh? It’s a promise, then.”
The egg was nearly the size of my fist. I broke it in half, stuffed one piece into my cheek, and began to chew with determination.
Lutz shot Sigmund an exasperated look.
“Honestly, the more high-maintenance someone is, the more you fuss over them, don’t you!”
“Wh-! I’m not fussing! Someone has to show her around eventually, so I’m just saying I’ll do it, that’s all.”
“Uh-huh, right. Even though ‘someone’ could show Her Highness around a year from now, or maybe ten… you’re doing it today. Good for you.”
I swallowed the bit of egg in my mouth and asked the two of them.
“I heard that there are many places in the palace gardens related to the Witch. And that you aren’t allowed to enter them unless you’re with His Majesty Eckardt or one of the dukes.”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
Seeing Lutz nod, I suddenly wondered what the dukes truly thought about the Witch.
“Let me ask you something… The Witch died a very long time ago, correct? Even so, do you all still revere her?”
Sigmund shot up from his chair, looking offended, and raised his voice as if the very question was an insult.
“To us, the Witch is a sacred and inviolable being! Everything we have today, we owe to her!”
Lutz nodded as well, as if this were the most obvious thing in the world.
“The Witch is the most ancient of races, the First Race. Our debt to her is etched into our very blood and flesh.”
“…I see.”
Their reactions were similar to the Emperor’s on that first day. I was surprised to see that so many people in the Empire truly did seem to worship the Witch from the bottom of their hearts.
I had assumed the beastmen were pragmatists, only impressed by obvious things like immense power or physical strength, but it seemed that when it came to the Witch, they were all romantics. After all, they were offering such heartfelt devotion to a race that had died out ages ago.
From what everyone was saying, I guessed the Witch was a race, much like the beastmen or demon-kin, and also the most ancient. Because of that, many other races must have been influenced by them, and this reverence had been passed down to this day.
“His Majesty Eckardt mentioned before that ‘The Witches were a merciful race. Everyone believes that when we are in trouble, they will surely return and save us.’ Has a Witch ever actually… returned?”
I asked, tilting my head, and Sigmund glared at me.
“The Witches are a fragile race, you know. They have vanished several times before, plunging us into despair. We’re in one of those times now, but it’s only temporary.”
Lutz chimed in, a smug look on his face.
“Even if a Witch did return right now, you certainly wouldn’t be chosen as her attendant, Sigmund. If someone as coarse as you tried to care for her, she’d probably waste away in no time.”
Sigmund, looking thoroughly annoyed, snapped back at Lutz.
“I’ll have you know, I can do anything I set my mind to! If it meant I could serve the Witch, I’d even change my whole personality!”
Lutz just shrugged at the infuriated Sigmund, looking exasperated.
“If you can’t do it now, you won’t be able to do it when it matters. Why don’t you think of it as practice and try changing that coarse personality of yours starting now? Hmm, for example… why don’t you pretend Her Highness is the Witch and try treating her with some care? See? She even has the same pink hair.”
“Don’t be ridiculous, Lutz!”
After exploding at Lutz, Sigmund wheeled on me.
“And speaking of which, Princess, I’m just going to say it! Why don’t you just change that hair color back already?! Even though I know it’s dyed, whenever I see it, my resolve… wavers. I can’t bring myself to be as harsh as I should be.”
I see. So Sigmund is saying that if my hair were any other color, he would be much harsher. But if he says it so plainly, wouldn’t that just make anyone want to keep their hair pink?
Lutz seemed to think the same. “Is that your backward way of asking her? You’re implicitly telling her to keep the pink hair, aren’t you?” he retorted, and the two started bickering again.
Watching them out of the corner of my eye, I popped the other half of the egg into my mouth. I continued to chew, thinking that as soon as I finished, I was going to make Sigmund keep his promise to show me the garden.
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