Chapter 18: Before the Wedding ⑰ ~Won’t You Come to Our Side~

While Viscount Earclut and Jessica were frozen in shock from Edel’s startling confession, Aria was receiving detailed information about the hidden passages and the likely destination beyond them.

“Hmm.
It seems Edel and the others are in an old manor located in that forest over there.”

Among the elite troops she had brought were those skilled in tracking and locating people, and this time their talents had proven useful.

“Viscountess, do you know anything about that manor?”

“A manor?
It is likely a property that belonged to those who ruled this land previously.
Our household does not manage it.
There is a chance it has become little more than a ruin.”

Viscount Earclut’s wife was a sharp, capable woman.
She handled matters efficiently, and even with her husband missing, she had not uttered a single complaint, calmly managing guests and household affairs.
She had been startled when Aria arrived so suddenly, but she readily granted permission for the border troops to search the manor.

“Come to think of it, before the Earclut family governed this land, it was ruled by another viscount house that later fell, wasn’t it?”

The land had always been a granary region, but in the past it had belonged to a different viscount family.
That house had apparently caused some trouble and was destroyed, after which the Earclut family took over governance.

“Yes.
Strictly speaking, that manor was also built by the viscount family that ruled at the time.
When we inherited the land, we investigated to some extent, but there were simply too many hidden passages to grasp them all.”

Because it was a rural estate, they had assumed it would never become a serious problem and left it as it was.
That negligence had led directly to this incident.
They should have investigated everything thoroughly or rebuilt it altogether.

“From the look of it, the manor is of an old design.
Being a structure from wartime, it likely has numerous hidden passages for emergencies.
Viscountess, how about this?
Our people have damaged the manor to some degree during this incident.
The Margravate of Lodnight will provide support, so why not rebuild it entirely?”

At Aria’s proposal, the viscountess looked surprised.
Being approached with such an offer by a margrave with whom they had little prior interaction was naturally startling.

“May I ask why?”

“Of course.
It is only natural to question it.
To be frank, it is troublesome to have such a manor in a neighboring territory.
For now, the Earclut family manages it, but if that were no longer the case, it could become a den for outlaws.”

Aria’s candid words made sense.
If the country were ever divided again as it once had been, this manor would be a hindrance.
From Aria’s perspective, if Lodnight were on the defensive side, there would always be the risk of infiltration through hidden passages, and if on the offensive side, enemies could escape from anywhere.
It was the kind of place she wanted destroyed while the era was still peaceful.

Even so, having unknown hidden passages used against them, as in this incident, put lives at risk.

In that case, rebuilding it properly would be best.
Fortunately, the margrave was offering support, and since Count Faberti, a central noble, was also involved, the nobles of the capital were unlikely to make much noise.
If they did complain, they could simply be asked whether they wished to be killed in their sleep.

“Understood.
We will rebuild the manor.”

“That would be appreciated.
We will provide materials and manpower, so please think about what kind of manor you would like.”

“Oh my, not my husband, but me?”

Ordinarily, that would be the viscount’s role.

“You oversee the household, so it makes sense to design it in a way that suits you.
It would also be wise to hear the opinions of those who work there.
After all, it would be inconvenient if the laundry area were on the opposite side of the manor from where it is dried.”

“Well, that is certainly true.”

The viscountess laughed softly.
For a margrave to think in such a down-to-earth way was unexpected.
She did not dislike this practical, utility-focused mindset over mere appearances.
This was not a mansion in the heart of the capital hosting nightly balls.
There was no need for excessive decoration or obsession with appearances.

“Margrave of Lodnight, could you refrain from pulling the Earclut family to your side?”

Up until then, Raffaello had listened quietly, but now he sighed.

“What do you mean?”

“I am merely removing future threats as a margrave and lending a hand to a neighboring house.”

“You know exactly what you are doing, which is what makes it irritating.
The Earclut family belongs to the Twilight side.”

“Fufu.
The two nations that once existed have already united into a single empire.
There is no Lodnight or Twilight anymore.
We are all citizens of the Ielshahar Empire.”

“…If only that were truly the case, things would be easier.”

“Well, if you insist on dividing things into two sides, you are welcome to come to this side as well.”

With an amused smile highlighting her beauty, the margrave said so.
In response, Count Faberti, a noble of the imperial capital Escala, that is, the Twilight side, made a displeased face.

“We have already cleaned up most of the useless trash here, so the air on this side is quite fresh.
Besides, my husband is your close friend, is he not?
Should you not help your friend’s wife?”

The margrave’s smile seemed to reach its peak.
She was clearly saying this with full awareness that Escala was currently in the midst of a fierce power struggle.

“My friend’s wife is strong in every sense, so she hardly needs help from someone like me.”

“Oh?
Rejected, then.
My apologies, Edel.”

Having been turned down, Aria apologized to her husband, who was not present.

“I wished to help because you are Edel’s friend, but since you have chosen of your own will to remain in that struggle, there is little we can do.”

“It’s not like I chose it because I wanted to.”

“Oh?
I do not know which side you belong to, but if anything were to happen to you, Edel would be saddened.
So do your best to survive.”

“…I really don’t like the way you put that.
I knew it already, but to the margrave, my value really is only as ‘my husband’s friend,’ huh.”

With a rough snort, Raffaello showed his irritation.

“Whether the First Prince and Second Prince are fighting over succession, whether the Empress is joining in to drive out a consort, or whether the Emperor himself has a dubious lineage, none of that matters to me.
Do as you like in Escala.
But if you get carried away and reach out toward the frontier, that is another matter.
Be prepared for the consequences.”

“Ugh, seriously, I hate this.
You have everything figured out…”

Raffaello tilted his head back and closed his eyes.

In recent years, it was true that the struggle for succession had intensified.
As a result, the palace was now split into two factions.

Both the First Prince and the Second Prince were sons of the Empress.
Normally, there would be no dispute and the First Prince would become the next Emperor, but the Empress had begun to interfere.
She favored the Second Prince, whom she had raised herself, over the First Prince, who had become independent early as a future emperor, and began whispering unnecessary things to the Emperor.
This was also tied to her hatred of a certain consort.
That consort had originally been the First Prince’s attendant.
The Emperor had taken a liking to her and made her a consort, but she supported the First Prince, whom she had known since childhood.
The Empress wished to eliminate both the First Prince and the consort together.

“I have no interest in a muddy palace drama of love and hatred.
Though Edel might find it interesting.
There are many such plays, after all.
If you like, tell Edel the details.
He might compose a new song.”

“That kind of song would not suit Edel.
The songs he prefers are clean and fantastical.
He said he was not fond of dark, heavy compositions.”

“Hmm, that is true.
They would not suit him.
Still, Edel might find true love even within that and turn it into music.”

“That would only end in tragedy.
…Margrave, how much do you know?”

“Even if I rarely go to Escala, I still gather information.
If that place falls into chaos, it will affect us as well.”

“You mentioned earlier that the Emperor has a dubious lineage.”

Succession disputes were common enough throughout history and not particularly unusual.
The real issue was the other matter Aria had mentioned, the questionable origins of the current Emperor.
That rumor had surfaced only recently.

“I do not know who started it, but it is an interesting tale.
It means nothing to me, but it surely does to you.
If the Emperor does not carry the blood of the Twilight royal family, then all the current power struggles are meaningless.”

There was a claim that the Emperor might not be the true son of the previous Emperor.
Someone had suggested that a fever the former Emperor suffered in his youth had left him unable to father children.
No one knew who had spread the rumor, but once voiced, such suspicion lingered.
If it were true and the Emperor was not the former Emperor’s son, the succession struggle would sink into even deeper mire.

“Just thinking about it is exhausting.”

“Fufu.
The people of Escala are always fighting over power.”

The empire’s other empress laughed, looking thoroughly amused.