TGDHC Chapter 183

Chapter 183 – A Polite Refusal

“What is she planning all of a sudden?”

Loic ran a hand through his hair, looking annoyed.

“Could rumors about Her Highness’s holy power have spread?” Perel asked carefully, trying to guess the Empress’s intentions.

“If that were the case, we would have received a warning,” Loic replied, shaking his head. He said their spy in the imperial palace would have contacted them somehow.

I couldn’t think of any reason either.

“What should we do?” Perel asked after thinking for a moment.

“I’m absolutely not going.”

I rubbed my arms, feeling chills. The invitation was clearly suspicious.

I ran away to the North to survive, and now they want me to crawl back to the capital? No way.

Loic nodded, relieved by my reaction.

“Then the answer is clear.”

“But we need an excuse,” Perel said.

“The Grand Duchess is weak,” Loic said firmly.

“She gets hurt even after moving a little…”

His eyes suddenly dropped to my waist.

“Pardon? Is Her Highness unwell somewhere?” Perel asked.

“No!” I shouted quickly, my face turning red.

“I mean— anyone would feel sick after riding in a carriage for a week. Right, Cecilia?”

“Of course! Even healthy people would struggle with that,” Cecilia said, nodding innocently.

After thinking for a moment, Loic told Perel,

“Send word that the Grand Duchess is in no condition to travel to the capital. Politely decline the invitation.”

“…Understood.”

Just as Perel nodded uncertainly—

Knock knock.

Whitley entered with a troubled expression and handed Loic a tray.

“An invitation has arrived for Her Highness from the Crown Princess.”

I choked on my juice.

What in the world is going on?

At least the Crown Princess sent the invitation directly to me.

She congratulated me for officially becoming part of the imperial family and said she would like to invite me to the palace to introduce me to important people in high society.

Only after reading her letter did I understand.

The Empress and the Crown Princess were currently fighting over influence regarding the next heir to the throne.

They wanted Loic’s support.

And they were trying to use me to get it.

Loic’s appearance at the theater must have caused a much bigger impact than I expected.

Of course, I refused both invitations.

But I had a feeling this was only the beginning.

Still, worrying wouldn’t solve anything.

I pushed those thoughts away and focused on the administrative meeting.

Recently, I had been receiving reports about the shopping district instead of Loic.

“And the number of tourists coming from Rondoris continues to increase,” the administrator said, comparing numbers from last year.

“It hasn’t increased as much as we hoped,” I said, slightly disappointed.

“The biggest issue is the lack of accommodations for nobles,” the chief administrator explained.

Goldrain only had two hotels, and they were too small to handle the increasing number of visitors. They were also quite old.

So most nobles visiting the North stayed at friends’ mansions or rented townhouses.

“If we don’t act now, this growth will stop,” I said.

After “Marie’s Inn” became popular, more inns opened, but they weren’t suitable for high-ranking nobles.

“I should have built a hotel earlier…”

But regret wouldn’t help now.

“We need to find land to build a hotel,” I said.

“Now? Isn’t it too late?” one administrator asked carefully.

“Starting late is still better than not starting at all. Are we planning not to accept tourists next year?”

They quickly pulled out maps.

“There aren’t many good spots left,” someone said.

I pointed at one place near the Fogen Mountains.

“Why is this area erased?”

“That village, Poslin, was absorbed into the Grand Duchy a few years ago,” the administrator explained.

Because monsters kept invading, people couldn’t live there safely. Loic bought the territory and helped the residents relocate, leaving it empty.

“But now all monster nests nearby have been eliminated. It’s safe,” he added.

“Is the lord’s castle large?” I asked.

“It’s an old castle, but not small. There are also several annex buildings.”

An idea came to me.

“What if we renovate the castle and turn it into a hotel? That would save time.”

Building a hotel from scratch would take too long.

“But Poslin is far from Goldrain,” someone said.

Distance was a problem.

I was thinking hard when another idea suddenly came to me.

“What if we build a gate?”

“Your Highness, Blenheim’s gate is currently closed,” the chief administrator said awkwardly.

I knew that. It was because of Marquis Freys.

“But what about gates inside Blenheim? Just for internal travel?”

Everyone looked confused.

“Gates are normally used between territories, not within one,” someone said.

Adem spoke up.

“It’s not impossible. There’s no law against it.”

Another administrator nodded.

“Blenheim is so large that traveling from one end to the other is like crossing several territories anyway.”

“If we installed gates at major locations…”

“Travel time would decrease dramatically.”

“Trade would also speed up.”

“Why hasn’t anyone else done this?”

“Because it’s expensive. Installing even one gate costs a fortune. No lord would spend that much just for internal travel.”

The room fell silent.

Then everyone slowly turned to look at me.

“How… how much does it cost?” I asked nervously.

At the Theater

It was an extremely busy day.

Still, I had to visit the theater.

Cecilia told me earlier:

“The noble ladies are watching the opera multiple times! They’re even competing over who has seen it the most.”

That meant we had gained real fans.

Feeling proud, I went to the theater through the back entrance.

Even from there, I could feel the excitement filling the lobby.

“What are all those?” I asked.

“They’re gifts and flower bouquets for Antonel.”

The gifts were piled high outside the waiting room.

“Are you sure you want to watch from backstage?” Alchent asked worriedly. “It’s very cramped.”

“I’m used to it,” I smiled.

Before I possessed this body, I always watched performances from backstage. It felt natural to me.

Alchent placed a chair beside the stage where I could see both the actors and some of the audience in the front rows.

Watching from backstage was even more fun than I expected.

Especially whenever Antonel appeared—the noble ladies waved their fans wildly.

Their reactions made me excited too.

***

Near the end of the performance, someone quietly sat beside me.

“…Your Highness?”

It was Prince Lucion, dressed casually this time.

Cecilia had been pushed aside and stepped back silently.

“What brings you here?” I whispered.

“I heard you were here, so I came,” he replied softly. He sounded slightly out of breath.

“So that’s why you weren’t in the audience. You took the better seat,” he joked.

“I’m better than the theater director, right?” I teased.

He laughed quietly.

We watched until the curtain call.

Just as the curtain slowly began to fall—

Clank.

A strange sound came from above.

I looked up, feeling uneasy.

The rope lifting a backdrop had gotten caught and was pulled tight.

Before I could warn anyone—

Snap.

The hook connected to the ceiling broke.

A massive backdrop tilted and fell straight toward Lucion.

“Your Highness!”

I quickly grabbed the back of Lucion’s clothes and pulled him toward me.