Chapter 6 – A Visit to the Wolf Duke’s Territory
“Katia, how would you like to go to Sigmund’s territory to gather gems?”
That evening, the Emperor appeared at dinner for the first time, only to hit me with that proposal right out of the blue. I was so surprised I blurted out, “Is that an invitation for a pre-wedding honeymoon?”
My heart leaped, wondering if I was finally taking that next step into adulthood, but before the Emperor could reply, Lutz, who was dining with us, spat out the wine he’d been drinking.
“Pfft! Gack, cough, cough—W-Wait, Your Highness! Don’t you think that’s a slightly presumptuous interpretation?!”
“What? In the Empire, you don’t call it a pre-wedding honeymoon when an unmarried couple travels together?”
“We do, but… I highly doubt His Majesty the Emperor intends to accompany you.”
Hearing Lutz’s words, my pounding heart finally began to calm down.
“Oh. I see.”
Now that he mentioned it, Emperor Eckardt was so busy he couldn’t even join me for meals. It made sense he wouldn’t have time to visit the Wolf Duke’s territory. As I was accepting this, the Emperor tilted his head, as if in thought.
“It would be difficult for me to accompany you from the start, but it may be possible for me to join you later.”
“What!”
“Really, Your Majesty!?”
Before I could respond, Lutz let out a cry of surprise, and Sigmund a cry of hope.
“Yes.”
When the Emperor nodded, Sigmund’s face lit up. He was clearly thrilled at the prospect of welcoming the Emperor to his own lands.
At this rate, it seemed my visit to the Wolf Duke’s territory with Sigmund was all but decided. But what does he mean about ‘gathering gems’?
“What exactly does it mean, for me to go to Duke Sigmund Wolff’s territory to ‘gather gems’?”
When I asked the question, Lutz answered instantly.
“It means that you are the Emperor’s fiancée, and the wedding is soon!”
That only confused me more.
“I’m not sure I understand.”
I asked again, and Emperor Eckardt tapped the table with his finger.
“In our country, it is tradition for the brides of the imperial and noble families to gather the gems they will wear at their wedding ceremony themselves. The wedding dress is always white, so any color of gem will match. By gathering the gems herself and presenting them, the bride shows her own personal tastes to the wedding guests.”
I see. In the Sapphraine Holy Kingdom, the bride wears the colors of her new family at her wedding, to show that she now belongs to them. But here, the bride doesn’t just blend in; she asserts her own preferences.
“Sigmund’s territory has a mine that produces gems of many different colors, so I thought you might gather them there. That said, you are not from this country, so you are not required to follow our customs. If you’d prefer, I can simply prepare some suitable gems for you.”
It was a kind offer, but if I refused to follow the custom and had the Emperor prepare the gems, word would spread instantly that I was refusing to abide by the Empire’s ways. I would be branded an outsider.
“I am a member of the Zaldein Empire now. I will follow the Empire’s tradition.”
I replied with a smile. Emperor Eckardt simply gave me a silent nod.
As usual, I had no idea what he was thinking. Was he being genuinely kind, giving me a chance to follow the local custom so his people would accept me?
Or was he, perhaps, planning to have me guided to a mine with no gems in it, so he could humiliate me by announcing, ‘The future Empress was only able to find this paltry amount’? Or did he have some other, hidden reason for wanting me to visit the Wolf’s territory?
Any of those seemed plausible, but I couldn’t get a read on his true intentions at all. I stared at him, trying to decipher his expression.
But just as quickly, I decided his motives didn’t matter. My goal was to get along with him, so whatever the truth was, I should just accept his kindness at face value and smile.
“Thank you, Your Majesty Eckardt! I will look forward to you joining us in the Wolff territory!”
I replied in a cheerful, excited voice, beaming at the Emperor.
The next morning, the Wolf Duke, Sigmund, and I departed for his territory.
We traveled by carriage and transfer gate. Sigmund rode in the carriage with me, for safety.
And so, I was alone with him in the carriage, but he barely spoke a word.
We were heading to his territory. I had expected him to be bragging nonstop about his lands, but instead, he just stared at the floor, unusually quiet.
I wondered what was wrong, but it felt like something I shouldn’t ask, so I turned my gaze out the window.
As I idly watched the scenery, it occurred to me that Sigmund had been at the palace for the entire three weeks I’d been in the Empire. The other dukes of the Eight Holy Ducal Houses rotated, returning to their own lands, but Sigmund alone had remained at the palace.
I’d thought he must have been entrusted with some important duty by Emperor Eckardt, but… perhaps he had a reason for not wanting to go back? No, I’d heard the Wolf clan cherished its kin and loved to be with them, so that seemed unlikely.
As I was mulling this over, we were told we had arrived at the transfer gate. A new worry began to surface: Will the people of the Wolf territory welcome me?
Sigmund always treated me with such hostility. I was worried his people would be influenced by their lord and treat me the same way. But, contrary to my fears, the people of his territory welcomed me.
When they saw my hair, their eyes went wide, and just like the citizens of the capital, they began to cheer, looking deeply moved.
“Goodness, is that pink hair!?”
“How wonderful! Our future Empress has the most supreme hair color!”
“Long live the Empress! May the Zaldein Empire prosper forever!”
I let out a sigh of relief at their happy faces. Grateful for their kindness, I waved to the crowd from the carriage window. But then I had a thought: Sigmund is probably going to hate that I’m being welcomed like this.
I snuck a glance at him, but my guess was wrong. He still had that same, tense expression as before, his head down.
Wow, he’s like this even in his own territory… I was surprised, but I figured he wouldn’t want me to see him like this, so I subtly looked away.
After a while, the imposing, majestic Wolff Castle came into view. As we got closer, I could see the details. It was a heavy, stately building that prioritized function over beauty.
“That looks like a difficult castle to attack.”
As a former commander, I couldn’t help but voice my thoughts from a tactical perspective.
Sigmund, who had been silent the entire time, looked up, his face twisting in annoyance.
“Difficult to attack? Don’t be ridiculous! This castle has been passed down through the Wolf clan for generations. It is impregnable! You should correct yourself: ‘It’s impossible to attack’!”
It would be difficult, yes, and a real pain, but not ‘impossible’ to invade. I thought this, but saying it aloud would only anger him more, so I put on a compliant expression.
“Yes, you’re right. It’s impossible to attack.”
I’d hoped that would improve his mood, but he just stared at the castle entrance, his jaw clenched. I followed his gaze, wondering what he was so fixated on.
About a dozen men and women with gray hair were lined up at the entrance.
His family, I suppose. I thought this as I stepped down from the carriage and turned to face them with a smile. But the Wolf clan members were directing undisguised hostility at me. Ah, well. This is what I should have expected.
The common people had mistaken my pink hair for a sign of the Witch and welcomed me, but I couldn’t expect one of the Eight Holy Ducal Houses to do the same.
This is the normal reaction, I told myself, and thanked them for coming to greet me.
After I introduced myself, they curtly introduced themselves as Sigmund’s father, mother, uncle, and cousins. It seemed that as a guest brought by the head of the family, they would at least show me a minimum level of courtesy.
Just as I’d studied, the Wolf clan has very strong family ties. But for some reason, Sigmund was standing all by himself, far away from the others, making no effort to speak to them.
Seeing him act like that, I felt again that this wasn’t like him at all, and I tilted my head in silent confusion.
Sigmund was sharp; he had to have known I was watching him. But he stubbornly kept his gaze fixed on a single point, refusing to look at me. It only made me wonder even more just what was going on with him.
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