ATPL 53

Though Anais hadn’t brought up the matter of compensation due to Judy’s disappearance, Mrs. Baldwin discovered that the wall safe had been broken into that morning.

After some explanation, Anais told the Baldwins that Judy was responsible for damaging the safe.

Naturally, the Baldwins were shocked at first, but they quickly became incredibly apologetic in front of Anais. And just like that, they offered to pay for the damage.

But how could she just blurt out, “Really? Then you should pay for it!” right to their faces?

Feeling uncomfortable, Anais firmly refused their offer.

“To be honest, Lord Abel here is partly responsible for breaking it, too.”

“…But our daughter…”

“No, Mr. Baldwin. Your acknowledgment is enough.”

Anais sighed, still feeling uneasy.

Had she mentioned the compensation unnecessarily?

After all, the couple had managed this villa their entire lives. Maybe she’d been too harsh on their daughter…

“Hey. Stop thinking.”

Abelard tapped Anais on the head. She grabbed her bonnet and jumped in surprise.

“Why are you hitting me!”

“I’m not hitting you. That tiny head of yours is crammed with so many thoughts it’s about to burst. It’s noisy.”

“…”

“She’ll be fine on her own. You worry about your own business.”

For some reason, when he said that, Anais looked over at Elliot.

He seemed deep in thought, but when their eyes met, he quickly looked away.

Looks like he’s the one whose head might explode, not me…

* * *

“We’ll be reaching the Grand Duchy of Neuze soon.”

It took about a day of travel after leaving Langs to reach the Grand Duchy.

They followed the main road until they arrived at a large, gated city, and from there, they would continue to Heringen—the capital of the Grand Duchy of Neuze.

“So, what are your plans in the Grand Duchy?”

Cesar like Anais, was riding a mule, he didn’t know how to ride a horse either.

Watching the magician sigh and mutter, “I should’ve learned horseback riding! Then I could’ve ridden alongside my master,” Anais thought it was a blessing in disguise that he hadn’t.

From a distance, they made a comical sight—two horses and two mules.

“First, everyone should know a bit about the Grand Duke’s past.”

“By past, you mean…”

“He’s the only one who actually married a possessed woman, that’s what.”

Abelard snorted.

The Grand Duchy of Neuze had been ruled by the Neuze family for generations. In the north, there was an old legend: when evil returned to the world, monsters would awaken from the ice.

But even without legends, the north was a cold and unforgiving place. Naturally, the northern domains united, and the Neuze family rose to lead them.

“For your information, the Neuze family was also one of the first to align with the Empire when it was founded.”

“Ahem.”

Abelard raised his chin proudly. Elliot narrowed his eyes and continued.

“During the Third War, the Grand Duke of Neuze made a practical decision. Rather than oppose Brosuhart, the new ruler of the central continent, he joined him. In return, Brosuhart granted the Neuze family the title of Grand Duke and gave them rule over the entire duchy.”

In other words, like Belfast, they had a strong relationship with the Empire.

Because of their harsh environment, the people of Neuze were practical and quick to act. They were cold, calculating, and always moved with profit in mind. Their temperament differed greatly from the laid-back people of southern Belfast.

“But a major problem arose when several magical beasts awakened while the previous Duke of Neuze was still young.”

During an unusually warm winter, before spring had even arrived, several large magical beasts awoke in the northernmost part of the duchy. According to the records, there were about seven of them.

No one knows why they awoke.

The duchy fell into chaos. Nearly a thousand residents were evacuated in panic, which shows how serious the situation was.

Only after the previous Duke personally led the response were the magical beasts finally suppressed. But rumors soon spread that the ducal family had been cursed. Ten months later, the current Duke of Neuze was born.

A gloomy man with black hair and black eyes. Whispers surrounded his birth.

Some said the duchess became pregnant after being stained with the blood of magical beasts. Others claimed she’d been cursed.

In the already grim north, such rumors only made things worse.

After that incident, not a single woman was willing to marry into the north.

The magical beasts never reappeared for nearly 20 years.

Even so, the Duke of Neuze remained unmarried past the age of thirty, unusual for someone from such a prestigious house.

Even the northern nobles under his rule refused to marry off their daughters.

Marriages between lords and vassals were common and encouraged. There were plenty of noblewomen available.

But as time passed and he remained unmarried, more rumors spread that there must be something wrong with him.

Still, in the closed-off duchy, no one dared investigate what that something was.

Then one day, the Duke suddenly married.

A woman claiming, “This is a world inside a book, and I know the future,” appeared before him and proposed to the man who was said to be as cold as an ice mountain.

Everyone assumed she was insane but the duke didn’t.

“And that marriage fell apart in just a few months.”

Abelard hummed, amused. Everyone had heard the story. Around that time, quite a few “crazy women” had appeared.

And one of the people tormented by them was Abelard himself.

“I was out of my mind from the scandals, but I was still dumbfounded when I heard that story.”

At the time, Abelard had been embroiled in gossip about his supposed ‘preference for blondes’. But even he thought he had it better than the Duke of Neuze.

Of course. Which is worse, having four women claim to be your first love, or being married already?

“At least I never got married.”

“…”

“A woman who once acted as the crown princess…”

Abelard glanced to the side. Anais’s eyes naturally followed and landed on Elliot Resaloniki.

Abelard smirked and continued.

“…would never show the entire empire the spectacle of being dragged off by the Dragon Knights.”

Elliot Resaloniki’s expression darkened at those words. And then, Anais realized—

The Elliot standing before her had been the very one to take the former Duchess of Neuze to Mount Fortuna.

“For the Duke of Neuze, the family he’d finally built at thirty fell apart because of the dragon affair.”

“…”

His married life had literally been destroyed by a dragon.

Elliot personally subdued the Duchess and escorted her to the mountain range.

He looked at Anais, his expression dark.

“…That’s probably why you won’t get a warm welcome in the Duchy of Neuze.”

“It’ll be fine in Brosuhart. Princess Lidens is a close friend of my mother.”

Abelard shrugged. The Dragon Knight Order was still a respected force across the continent, and besides, Elliot was the son of the empress’s friend. He wouldn’t be treated poorly.

“But if they didn’t love each other, wouldn’t it be okay?”

Cesar chimed in quietly.

“They say it was a contract marriage anyway.”

“Most noble marriages are. But with the Duke’s personality, if he hadn’t wanted to, he wouldn’t have married at all.”

Abelard answered before anyone else could.