Chapter 38
The ‘Lady Incident’ of the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess sent shockwaves throughout the North.
It was not just anyone, but the Grand Duke himself—the youngest Sword Master—at the center of it.
There were those who opposed and those who supported the declaration that he would make his own wife his Lady, and that she, in turn, would become his Lady and his alone.
The noblewomen and other aristocrats, led by the ladies, criticized them for disregarding tradition and being improper.
“They say even becoming a Sword Master was because he found true love.”
“Is that really possible?”
“Come to think of it, he did become a Sword Master right after getting married.”
“And the commander’s skills only improved once he started coming home every day, didn’t they?”
Could it be that meeting a destined love truly enhances one’s skills? Maybe my own stagnation is because I neglected those close to me, chasing after illusions of pure affection and loyalty?
The knights were disturbed and found themselves sympathizing.
It was the same for the lovers and wives of the knights. They, too, didn’t feel comfortable with their men serving some highborn noblewoman as Lady.
As things escalated, sharp glares from the nobility fell upon Yulia.
She wasn’t even a true noble herself, just a cunning vixen who’d managed to marry the Grand Duke thanks to the Empress’s support as it was about to run out.
There had always been nasty rumors—about homosexuality, about misogyny—but now that Yulia had snatched up the North’s best groom, and on top of that the Lady Incident had wounded the noblewomen’s pride, the aristocrats’ feelings became truly unpleasant.
Of course, with the Sword Master Grand Duke right beside her, none of them dared criticize her openly. Still, the nobles awaited the upcoming subjugation during the monster flood season.
If the Grand Duchess failed to properly prepare for the North’s most important event, as nobles of the North, it was their duty to protest and reprimand her.
Rumors of her being a genius or whatever were deliberately ignored, no matter how much the story spread.
“Those are just rumors circulated from within the Grand Duchy to support the Grand Duchess’s weak position. Do they take us for fools? Even those raised and educated for this from childhood find it hard.”
Just then, an interesting bit of news spread. It was said that the Grand Duchess had sold the jewels the Empress had given her as wedding gifts, and was building a greenhouse far from the capital.
She’d gathered all the greenhouse craftsmen to build it openly and on a grand scale, so there was no one in the North who didn’t know about it.
“Hah! Oh my, excuse me. To think that the first thing she does as Grand Duchess is build a greenhouse in her villa. Is it because she grew up poor? How vulgar.”
“Exactly. She doesn’t know what’s important and only chases after luxury… How disappointing. The Empress must regret her decision.”
Nobles who used their greenhouses mostly for show and parties were busy ridiculing Yulia.
This was the behavior of incompetent nobles, mistaking their own views as representative of the broader noble class.
Other nobles, meanwhile, were gathering information through various channels and realizing Yulia’s true worth, trying to build good relationships with her.
Everyone who worked with Yulia, from high officials to low-ranking staff, praised her as a genius. Everyone working inside the castle agreed that the Grand Duke was completely smitten with his wife, making ostracizing her downright crazy.
Just seeing that the political rivals of those nobles who had tried to place their daughters in the Grand Duchy had been summoned by the Madam was enough to prove her sharp political sense.
Even the greenhouse itself, built near the monster-preventing barrier and within a day’s travel from a village, made its purpose obvious. The fact that various magically protected vegetable seedlings had also been moved was proof enough, and only a fool would miss it.
The greenhouse design was all about practicality, not luxury, but the critics were too busy gossiping to even look into it properly.
“They’ll soon be off the noble registry, I’m sure.”
Finally, the last meeting before the subjugation campaign.
“To provide delicious and fresh food to all those who work so hard to defend the North!” shouted the Grand Duchess, and all the knights present paid the highest respect as the meeting concluded.
Ah, our noble Grand Duchess.
Aside from a few stony-faced nobles, everyone felt a deep sense of respect taking root in their hearts.
– It would be an honor if Your Majesty the Empress allowed us to name the greenhouse after you. –
Upon receiving Yulia’s letter, the Empress happily bought back the jewels she had given away, and even sent a family heirloom necklace as well, spreading heartwarming news throughout the Empire.
After that, everything progressed quickly.
A simple departure ceremony. Amid cheers from the people, the entire group rode at full speed along the northern highway for a week, reached the barrier, rested for a day, and then opened the barrier gates to begin battle.
With Raymond pouring all his power as a Sword Master into the fight, the monster population was eradicated faster than ever before.
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