Chapter 5: The Grand Duchess’s Stubbornness
“Wouldn’t it be better to just leave her at the campsite?”
“Are you planning to start a war with the Marquis’ house by letting her be eaten by beasts?”
As the argument among the knights grew more heated, a younger knight suddenly interrupted.
“That’s too much! How could you say such things about a noblewoman?”
‘Yeah, take that, you awful knights!’
I vigorously nodded in agreement from behind the carriage where I was hiding.
But before I could savor the moment, I sensed someone standing beside me. Turning my head, I flinched. A middle-aged knight with an imposing aura was silently staring down at me.
Yikes! I wasn’t spying—well, not really…
Without giving me a chance to explain, the man walked past me and approached the knights.
The others straightened up immediately.
“Vice-Captain!”
“You’re here, sir!”
The knight, now identified as the vice-captain, glanced briefly at the shabby carriage before speaking.
“What’s going on?”
After hesitating, Perel, the man in charge of my escort, answered.
“…We are escorting Her Grace, the Grand Duchess, to Blenheim.”
A tense silence followed, as if the vice-captain disapproved. Finally, he cleared his throat softly. It was a signal for me to come out.
Pretending I hadn’t just been eavesdropping; I stepped forward as casually as I could.
“I greet Your Highness.”
The middle-aged knight bowed politely, his expression unreadable.
“I am Hedrick Gastant, Vice-Captain of the Blenheim Knights.”
“Ah, n-nice to meet you, Sir Hedrick,” I stammered, forcing an awkward smile.
Up close, he looked every bit the part of an honorable and upright knight.
“So, Sir Hedrick, are you the one joining us?”
“I was informed of your travel plans. I will ensure your safety on the way to Blenheim.”
Though I wasn’t sure if he meant it, at least he didn’t seem like the type to abandon me in the middle of nowhere. I sighed quietly in relief.
“Where will we rest for the night?”
“We plan to stop at Marhen. There’s an inn there where we can spend the night before taking the gate tomorrow.”
The gate, a massive, magical portal that allowed instant travel between locations, was a crucial part of the journey.
“Marhen? Isn’t that a bit far? The sun is setting already.”
“There’s nowhere else to stay on the way. If we don’t make it to Marhen, we’ll have to camp outdoors.”
“What about the Rowgee Inn? I’ve heard it’s quite good.”
Perel, looking troubled, interjected cautiously.
“With all due respect, that inn is near the city’s entrance. It’s always fully booked by this time.”
I smiled sweetly.
“You never know. Let’s check it out anyway.”
“But Your Highness, it’s highly unlikely that—”
Perel turned to Hedrick for support, but the vice-captain, studying me with an unreadable gaze, unexpectedly nodded.
“Let’s head to the Rowgee Inn, then.”
Perel looked utterly flustered by Hedrick’s easy agreement.
“But Sir Hedrick, even if there are rooms, there aren’t enough for everyone.”
“Then we’ll secure a room for Her Grace, and the rest will camp.”
“And if there aren’t any rooms at all…?”
“Then we’ll move on to Marhen, as planned.”
“But if we leave Rowgee late, we’ll arrive at Marhen quite late at night!”
Hedrick, his expression firm, clearly wasn’t swayed. Perel reluctantly gave up.
“Prepare to leave for Rowgee Inn,” Hedrick ordered.
Though no one openly protested, I felt the sharp glares of several knights. They were clearly annoyed that I insisted on checking a fully booked inn.
When Perel escorted me back to the carriage, he hesitated as if he wanted to say something, but eventually shut the door without a word.
‘He’s such a softie,’ I thought.
It was obvious Perel felt bad for me. I wasn’t blind—I knew I was the unwanted Grand Duchess in their eyes. He probably worried that my stubbornness was only making things worse.
Still, Hedrick’s compliance with my request felt off.
‘He’s probably thinking, “If this is your decision, then deal with the consequences.”’
But I had no doubts.
‘Once we get to the Rowgee Inn, everything will work out.’
I couldn’t help but smirk as I stared out of the carriage window.
‘They’ll all be in for a surprise.’
***
“We’re here, Vice-Captain.”
“Is there a room available?”
“None, sir. It seems a large group is already staying here.”
The youngest knight, Leon, returned with an apologetic expression. He was the one who had defended me earlier and was still brimming with enthusiasm as a newly appointed knight.
From his horse, Hedrick glanced toward my carriage.
The infamous Grand Duchess seemed different from the rumors. She didn’t come across as reckless or thoughtless, just… young and naive.
Still, she was stubborn. Was she insistent on staying here because it was a famous inn, or was it a power play against the knights? Hedrick wasn’t sure.
‘At least she’s not whining to go back to the capital.’
Hedrick sighed, resigning himself to the situation.
“Let’s have dinner here before continuing to Marhen.”
With that, the group prepared to enter the bustling Rowgee Inn.
Perel approached my carriage to deliver the disappointing news.
“Your Highness, there are no vacant rooms here. We’ll have dinner and rest for a while before heading to Marhen.”
‘Will she come down, or will she insist she can’t go any farther?’
Hedrick handed the reins to a servant and casually pricked up his ears to catch the grand duchess’s response.
“What? That’s… Oh, I understand!”
Whatever the grand duchess had said left Perel visibly startled. He hurried into the inn without another word.
A moment later, the aide rushed back to Hedrick, looking flustered.
“Sir Hedrick, Her Grace the Grand Duchess… well, she’s already reserved rooms for us.”
“What did you say?”
‘The Grand Duchess? Reserving rooms?’
“What do you mean by that?”
“Her Grace has already booked rooms at the Inn. For all of us. Rooms and dinner included.”
“…?”
Hedrick and the knights turned to the Grand Duchess in unison, clearly taken aback.
The Grand Duchess, anticipating their reactions, gave them a sly smile.
Oddly enough, the mischievous grin—a rare sight among noblewomen—seemed to suit her remarkably well.
***
“There’s plenty, so don’t hesitate to ask for more.”
The cheerful innkeeper placed an appetizing appetizer spread on the large table. Behind him, servers brought a variety of roasted dishes, pies, and fresh vegetable sides.
The knights stared at the feast, their expressions unreadable.
‘I thought they’d be at least a little impressed… Was I wrong?’
Feeling slightly deflated, I hid my disappointment and addressed them as their superior.
“It’s a pleasure to finally meet the famous Blenheim Knights. I look forward to working with you all.”
The youngest knight, Leon, couldn’t hide his hunger, his eyes darting to the food like a starved pup.
“It’s not a grand banquet, but help yourselves and rest well tonight.”
“Thank you, Your Grace.”
In the tense silence, Hedrick calmly gave his thanks.
“Her Grace has gone out of her way for us, so eat freely.”
“Th-thank you.”
“Much appreciated!”
At Hedrick’s nod of approval, the stiff knights finally began eating.
They didn’t seem particularly pleased or grateful, but hunger clearly took priority as they quickly dug into their meals.
The knights had only arrived in the capital that morning. Though they’d stopped by the Duke’s townhouse, it seemed they hadn’t had a proper chance to rest or eat before heading straight to the cathedral.
‘They must’ve been starving.’
At least seeing them eat was a good sign.
Leon, with his cheeks full of steak, reached out for the chicken near me. When our eyes met, he froze mid-action, clearly embarrassed by his poor manners.
Even so, I found this far preferable to the overly formal noble dinners where forks were switched a dozen times for show. I slid the platter closer to him in encouragement. Grateful, he nodded and grabbed a hefty portion of chicken.
The sight of him trying to keep up appearances while devouring his meal was oddly endearing.
‘So, you’re the one who sided with me earlier? Eat as much as you want.’
Just as I was smiling to myself, Perel hesitantly broke the silence.
“Your Grace, how did you manage to reserve the rooms?”
“Hmm? I sent someone ahead to arrange it.”
“But how did you know…?”
“You mean how did I know we wouldn’t return today?”
“…Yes.”
I gave him a playful sidelong glance.
“I did a bit of digging on you all.”
The knights’ hands froze.
In an instant, the table’s warm atmosphere turned icy.
Love this