Chapter 65 …
Elena sat at the tea table, completely absorbed in something.
She vigorously moved her quill pen, scribbling crooked letters across the paper.
“This should be enough, right?”
Holding the note up in the air, Elena smiled in satisfaction.
“Alright, hurry and take this to Aiden.”
She tied the paper to the leg of a carrier pigeon and sent it flying out the window.
She couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling from the way he had left yesterday.
Whether he was okay or not, whether he had eaten—
She at least wanted to hear how he was doing.
“Then, shall I finally enjoy some rest!”
Having been tense since morning, every joint in her body ached.
Whether her muscles were shocked or something else, she just wanted to lie down.
Elena dove onto the bed as if jumping into water.
“Ah, this is happiness.”
The soft bed felt as fluffy as cotton candy.
It made her want to rub her face all over it.
Soft and fluffy like wool—it felt like she was filming a bed commercial.
“I’m happy….”
Elena flinched in surprise at the words that slipped from her own mouth.
She had never imagined the word happiness would come out of her lips.
When was the last time she had said she was happy?
“Ha….”
Rolling onto her side, Elena gazed up at the ceiling painting.
She raised her hand into the air, repeatedly clenching and unclenching her fist.
Angels who looked happy floated through the sky.
“They look happy….”
Happiness was closer than she had thought.
She, who had always believed herself to be unhappy, had tried hard to find happiness.
Even when she was sad, she pretended to be cheerful; even when things were difficult, she told herself it wasn’t hard.
She thought that living that way would make her happy.
“This is strange….”
To feel like this without any effort at all.
When was the last time she had felt this comfortable?
It felt different from when she was with Aiden.
Warm and cozy—like she had found her own home.
“I wish this wasn’t a dream….”
Elena slowly closed her eyes.
It felt like she was floating atop pure white clouds.
The warm sunlight, the cool breeze—everything was perfect.
Yes, if she just fell deeply asleep like this now—
Knock knock—
“Ha….”
Startled awake by the knocking sound that echoed through the quiet room, Elena flinched.
How dare someone interrupt Elena’s precious nap.
She had just been about to fall asleep!
“Come in.”
Elena spoke in a slightly sharp voice.
She was clearly displeased at having her rest disturbed.
Creeeak—
“Miss, an urgent meeting has been scheduled. Please return to the conference room at once…!”
“What?”
The Grand Duke’s residence, conference room.
“So, what exactly is the reason you called me here?”
Elena entered the conference room in a half-dazed state.
Inside, the administrators looked as if they were all suffering from post-lunch drowsiness, their eyes half-closed.
“Yes, um, well. As you instructed earlier, we sent people, but it seems the situation is more serious than we thought….”
A sigh escaped her.
Did they really need to make her come all the way here just to say this?
Shouldn’t the head of the Security Bureau handle matters like this within the bureau itself?
How had Decarus managed to run the duchy with people like this?
She was starting to understand why he had always been buried in paperwork.
“I believe this is something the Security Bureau could handle on its own….”
An irritated tone slipped out unintentionally.
Now she understood why team leaders were always so sharp during meetings.
“That is… Ilott¹) has stated that unless the Grand Duke himself comes, they will not stop the riot….”
“Huh….”
So this was the famous “call your boss” situation.
They had the nerve to demand the Grand Duke himself, beyond the lord or bureau chief.
“As you all know, His Highness is currently unable to move freely. Therefore, Sir Breo—”
“That is why we believe it would be best for you, Miss, to visit the Delit region as the Grand Duke’s representative….”
“Pardon?”
Elena’s eyes widened in shock.
Attending meetings was one thing, but she had never been told she’d be taking on duties herself.
And a business trip, at that!
“I don’t have the ability for that. This should be handled by you, sir—”
“No, Miss. You already possess abilities equal to ours—no, greater than ours. This is not just my opinion; the other administrators are in agreement as well. We need your strength.”
The other administrators, including Isaac, all nodded.
All eyes focused on her.
Flustered, Elena blinked her large eyes and looked back and forth between their faces.
“Alright then, it’s decided? Miss, get ready and come outside. I’ll be waiting.”
Stretching lazily as if bored, Isaac grabbed his outerwear and left the room.
The administrators also bowed briefly and departed one by one.
Left alone in the conference room, Elena stared blankly at the open door.
“Ha….”
“Miss!”
From afar, Isaac raised his hand and waved.
But she was in no mood to return the greeting.
Elena forced the corners of her mouth upward, her expression stiff as if she were chewing on something.
“Miss, but your hair color changed?”
“Yeah. Karus told me I absolutely had to wear a wig when going out.”
Her face was clouded, as though misfortune had befallen her.
Watching her, Isaac soon burst out laughing, clutching his stomach.
“No, what’s with that face! Cheer up a bit!”
“If it were you, would you be cheerful? I’m so sleepy I could die, and I still have to go work! And it’s not even my job!”
“Hey, it’s just the beginning. Now you know why Karus always had dark circles under his eyes.”
“Yes! Thanks so much for letting me know!!!”
Elena puffed out her lips exaggeratedly and climbed into the carriage.
Her grumbling looked almost like she was hurling curses.
“Anyway, it’s not far. About an hour. Sleep if you want, or look around outside.”
Isaac, mounted on a pure white horse, spoke toward the window.
The carefree man actually looked quite like a knight commander today.
Wearing silver gauntlets, armor, and greaves, he looked unfamiliar.
“Yeah, got it….”
As if she had the energy to look outside.
She needed to get at least a bit of sleep so she’d have the strength to grab that damn lord by the collar.
Leaning her face against the window, Elena gently closed her eyes.
“Then, let’s depart.”
At Isaac’s shout, the carriage and its escort set off together.
The rattling carriage swayed rhythmically, like a cradle.
It wasn’t as comfortable as her bed, but being an expensive carriage, the shaking was minimal.
Well, she couldn’t expect buses or trains here anyway.
“Sigh….”
And so, Elena gradually drifted off to sleep.
The breeze slipping through the glass brushed lightly against the tip of her nose.
As they passed through the forest, the rich scent of green foliage filled the air.
The beautiful chorus of birds and the sound of water from a nearby stream tickled her ears.
After some time, someone gently shook her.
“…Miss.”
“……”
“Miss!”
“Huh…?”
As she opened her eyes, Isaac’s face appeared before her, his helmet lifted.
Elena looked at him like a baby kitten that hadn’t quite woken up yet.
“What… already?”
“Yeah. The lord is waiting at the gate. It’s pretty funny. Come out and see.”
The moment she heard the word lord, a sigh escaped her automatically.
Elena stretched, turning her neck from side to side, then rubbed her sleepy eyes and stepped outside.
“Oh my, Miss. You’ve finally arrived.”
Surprisingly, the man who looked like the lord bowed deeply the moment she exited the carriage.
His dark circles looked like they might reach his chin.
Seeing him, she felt a little sorry for him.
“Let’s skip the formalities and guide me to the problematic site first.”
“Yes, yes!”
The short lord stood before her, looking as if he were about to cry.
The way he moved was oddly cute, like a small mouse.
“The Ilott bastards have been incredibly violent. They’ve smashed the farms to pieces! Our forces can’t handle them!”
As if to illustrate Ilott’s misdeeds, he wildly waved his short arms through the air.
It was quite funny, but she pressed her lips together and endured it.
Thus, watching the lord’s performance, they headed toward where Ilott was located.
“My goodness….”
The situation was far worse than she had expected.
The vineyard was completely burned, reduced to wasteland, and the buildings were destroyed, leaving only bricks behind.
Black scorch marks, piles of ash, and the sharp stench of burning filled the area.
At the sound of footsteps, a tall young man emerged from the ruins.
“What? This time they sent a woman? I said I wouldn’t negotiate unless it was the Grand Duke!”
At the word woman, it felt like something snapped in her head.
How dare he use such a word in this era of gender equality?
“This is the administrator who has come as the Grand Duke’s representative. Show proper respect!”
It seemed the lord thought she was an administrator.
Since her status as a fiancée was being kept secret, it made sense he wouldn’t know.
Elena lifted her chin proudly and looked straight at him.
“Alright, I understand what you’re saying, so let’s move somewhere else first and—”
“Is your Grand Duke too scared and hiding? Did he send some useless woman he picked up somewhere?”
One thing her etiquette tutor had taught her was this:
“A noble must never show anger outwardly.”
Always maintain an elegant, dignified smile.
Yes, no matter what this oaf said, she should smile.
“Please calm down, and let’s have a proper discussion—”
“Get lost! You uneducated trash—!”
So this was why flight attendants had it so hard.
Having to smile even in front of lunatic troublemakers like this.
Maintaining her smile, Elena stepped closer and whispered to him.
“If you don’t want to die, shut up.”
Then she stepped back, still smiling.
The man’s face turned livid, and he began screaming like a runaway train.
“Y-you crazy bitch…!”
As he shouted, a group of people rushed toward them.
The guards around her quickly surrounded her, sensing danger.
“What’s going on? Why all the noise?”
“We told you to call the Grand Duke, and they sent some woman instead—!”
“Woman?”
At that moment, a man with messy black hair casually stepped forward, blocking the way.
Instantly, Isaac drew his sharp sword and threatened him.
“State your identity. You are not permitted to approach any further.”
“Liandro. No surname—just a lowly slave. I’m the boss here.”
