Chapter 2: A Political Marriage
There’s no doubt that for a count’s daughter like me to marry into a ducal house was an exceptionally prestigious match.
Without the railway project, such a marriage would never have happened.
But actually, the reason I was chosen to become Lord Olivier’s wife wasn’t just because of the railway.
In our country, the nobles imitate the royal family by searching for talented inventors and engineers, then bringing them under their protection.
You could even say that wealthy noble houses investing in technological development had become something of a trend.
Our family had long continued investing in promising individuals within our territory, and one day, we happened to discover what could only be called a ‘genius.’
He was the child of a family that made cooking pots, but the pots they produced simply would not break, which eventually led even our count house to begin using them.
Pots are used over stoves for cooking, but they crack or develop holes surprisingly often.
Yet the pots made by this ‘genius’ family never suffered from such problems.
Apparently, it was because they began adding something to the copper traditionally used in ordinary cookware…
What exactly they added was beyond my expertise, but in any case, when it came to making durable, sturdy materials, no one could surpass this ‘genius.’
And the one who found it all fascinating and ordered the ‘genius’ to develop the strongest metal possible while funding the research…
Was actually me.
As I mentioned before, the Empire had been developing locomotives powered by steam engines that moved pistons.
But if those pistons broke easily, the entire thing would be worthless.
They absolutely needed strong steel for the outer framework, and naturally…
The ‘genius’ from our territory ended up being summoned.
And upon witnessing the genius’s brilliance firsthand, the king apparently thought:
‘Wouldn’t it be more profitable if our country manufactured these parts ourselves and sold them to the Empire?’
Well, after something like that, even the king would naturally begin viewing both me and the House of Karkoski in a more favorable light.
Though apparently the House of Lautavaara and my future husband, Lord Olivier, did not share that opinion.
This marriage was also a reflection of the royal family’s desire to ensure that I absolutely never left the country.
And so, even after we moved to the banquet hall that day, the groom spent the entire time sulking.
And when we later moved from the banquet venue to the ducal residence, something rather astonishing happened.
That beautiful young girl from earlier personally came all the way to my room while I was changing clothes and cried out:
“Lady Kastehelmi! My brother is normally a kind and truly wonderful person!”
“Please! Please don’t misunderstand him!”
She pleaded with tears streaming down her face.
Our country does not have any absurd custom where the groom must remove the bride’s wedding dress himself, so I was in the middle of being helped out of my gown by the ducal maids when this happened.
Needless to say, I was utterly shocked.
Fortunately, the butler, Glen Peltra, quickly came and retrieved the young beauty, but at that moment I truly felt that perhaps I had married into a completely outrageous household.
After that, I finished bathing, had sweetly scented oils carefully rubbed all over my body, and was ultimately tossed into the marital bedroom.
By that point, even I fully understood the situation.
So rather than waiting even a single second for the groom to arrive, I simply climbed into bed and went to sleep.
Yes, yes.
My family was merely a count house, while theirs was a ducal house.
The difference in status was obvious.
And if the groom refused to visit the bridal chamber on the wedding night, then naturally, society would conclude that the fault lay with the bride for lacking the charm to captivate her husband.
Beginning with that hostile glare he gave me the very first moment we met before the altar, he maintained a bitter expression throughout the entire ceremony, and even performed the wedding kiss in a way that clearly made it nothing more than an imitation.
Afterward, during the banquet attended by high-ranking nobles, he remained in that same foul mood and never once glanced toward the bride sitting beside him.
Well, perhaps I should say he never glanced at the bride because he was too busy staring longingly at that beautiful young girl seated among his relatives.
The noblewomen attending the banquet looked at me with pity, mocked me as a pathetic bride ignored by her husband, sneered behind their smiles, or wore anxious expressions.
The entire atmosphere was utterly restless!
Honestly, this little scandal would probably entertain high society all the way from summer into winter!
“Madam, are you already awake?”
A voice accompanied by a knock sounded from beyond the door.
“Yes, I am awake.”
I answered aloud.
Ours was a marriage with a clear disparity in status.
Ordinarily, it was rare for a count’s daughter to marry into a ducal house, and to avoid any suspicion of political scheming, I was made to marry into the ducal family without bringing even a single maid from my own household.
“Madam, I have prepared water for you to wash your face.”
“Thank you, Aira.”
Aira, a maid around my own age — perhaps eighteen or so — had been assigned as my personal attendant.
As I sat beside the bed while she prepared things for my morning wash, I beckoned her closer and pressed a small pouch into her hand.
“Um… Madam?”
“Oh no, you misunderstand.”
“I’m not giving this to silence you about the groom never visiting on our wedding night.”
As my personal maid, she was naturally the first person to confirm from my condition upon waking that the wedding night had never happened.
But that was not what I intended to hide.
“You see, just between us…”
“I was practically married into this ducal house as a hostage.”
Aira froze in shock.
I gently stroked her hand as I continued.
“You know the railway project currently extending tracks from the royal capital to the Lautavaara port, correct?”
“To ensure that the House of Karkoski would never betray the House of Lautavaara during such a major undertaking, I was married to Lord Olivier as collateral.”
Perhaps calling myself a hostage was a bit dramatic, but honestly, it wasn’t inaccurate.
“That’s why I wasn’t allowed to bring anyone from the House of Karkoski with me.”
As I lowered my gaze toward the floor with a sorrowful expression, Aira tightly grasped my hand and exclaimed:
“Madam! It’s alright!”
“I’m here for you!”
“I will serve you, so you have nothing to worry about!”
Mmhm.
At the very least, I’d successfully gained her sympathy.
“I truly was happy that you became my personal maid, Aira.”
“But as you can see, you are the only personal attendant assigned to me, a so-called hostage bride.”
“I imagine the workload placed upon you will be considerable.”
And indeed, Aira was the only maid introduced to me.
Normally, even if marrying the second son of a ducal house, a new wife would likely be assigned at least three attendants.
But this arrangement made my treatment here painfully clear.
“There is one gold coin and three silver coins inside that pouch.”
I stared directly into Aira’s round eyes as I spoke.
“Think of the gold coin as a special allowance for you, my sole personal maid.”
“I want you to use it for yourself.”
“And I also think it would be best for overworked little Aira to have people she can rely on.”
“So please give those three silver coins to three people you trust completely.”
Holding Aira’s hands, I smiled awkwardly as I continued.
“I believe both you and I need people we can trust to support us.”
“I may end up complaining from time to time.”
“Ordinarily, family would be the ones to listen to such things, but…”
“I doubt there is anyone here willing to listen to me.”
“Madam!”
“You can tell me anything at all!”
“I’ll listen to as many complaints as you have!”
“Thank you, Aira.”
“You’re the only person I can rely on here, so your words truly mean a lot to me.”
Aira’s eyes became watery with emotion as she looked at me with overwhelming sympathy.
After all, being a bride abandoned on her wedding night was already pitiful enough.
And then there I was, speaking of being a hostage and saying Aira was the only person I could trust — which was effectively the same as declaring I trusted no one in the ducal household.
She must have seen me as someone completely isolated from the very first day.
And after slipping her that money under the table — a single gold coin was equivalent to half a year’s wages for a commoner! — she likely concluded I was an extraordinarily kind person as well.