SWTI 02

Chapter 2

“I’m sorry, but you can’t enter right now.”

I stared incredulously at the person blocking my way.

Getting on a train headed straight for the north had been easy enough. Though I had cursed quite a bit under my breath.

‘Why isn’t there a direct train to the Grand Duchy?!’

I had known this was the case, but experiencing it firsthand made my blood boil. No wonder all the major merchant guilds avoided going north.

After switching between trains and carriages several times, I finally managed to arrive in the north.

I got off the train with my bag in hand and marched toward the castle gates.

And, as you can see, I was immediately stopped.

“A knight?”

“Can’t you tell by looking? I’m an officially appointed knight who has completed my knighting ceremony…”

“This is the Grand Ducal Castle. Why is there a knight from another family here?”

When I saw the crest of a different family instead of Runein’s symbol, the roaring wolf, and questioned him about it, the pompous knight faltered.

“Hah. What does a commoner like you know about that? Anyway, you can’t enter, so that’s that.”

Since nobles rode carriages even when passing through the castle gates, he must have assumed that because I’d come on foot, I was obviously a commoner.

Realizing the situation, I gave a derisive snort.

“Bring me your superior.”

“What?”

“I said, bring me your superior. You’re telling me I can’t enter, right? Then I want to know why.”

The fact that he was a knight from another family—I could let that slide for now. I could simply ask about the circumstances directly.

But there was another problem.

‘He doesn’t recognize me?’

He couldn’t recognize Elysia Seton—

No, Elysia Runein?

It had only been a week since my marriage, but I was undeniably a Runein now.

No matter how much he was a knight from another family, how could an employee fail to recognize a member of his employer’s family?

“Are you not going to call him? I’d really like you to do that soon.”

“Who are you talking about?”

Just as our confrontation-that-wasn’t-quite-a-confrontation continued, a familiar voice came from behind me.

I had been standing there with my arms crossed in a rather unruly posture, but the low voice that settled softly in my ear made me jump.

“Oh, my!”

“Goodness… Excuse me.”

When I stumbled, the man gently wrapped an arm around my waist.

“My lady.”

I blinked while being held in the arms of the man—

Shubel Runein.

“…Why are you here?”

“Because this is where I live.”

At those words, I went, “Ah.”

Then Shubel slowly blinked and asked,

“Shall I kill him?”

His voice was as gentle and soft as a spring breeze.

I was horrified.

“No! I was basically asking for some refreshing resolution to this frustrating situation! I wasn’t asking for a funeral?!”

“But it’s troublesome to restrain myself…”

“What did you say?”

“Hmm, I see. Understood. Then I’ll deal with him appropriately, in an ordinary manner…”

I didn’t believe him for even a second.

I turned a stern look on the knight.

“Call your superior.”

“…Yes, ma’am!”

After that, everything was taken care of in an instant.

The knight who had arbitrarily blocked my path was docked a year’s pay, demoted, and expelled from the Grand Duchy.

I sighed at the mess that had occurred the moment I’d arrived, then turned to Shubel.

“Why on earth is there a knight from another family at the Grand Ducal Castle?”

“Because we don’t have enough money.”

“Excuse me?”

“Knights belonging directly to the family are expensive. The cost of maintaining knights is truly absurdly high.”

Well, that was true.

“…You don’t have even one?”

“That’s not quite true. The First Order of Knights remains.”

Apparently, however, they had been scattered throughout the north to handle security across the entire region.

He kindly explained that most of their manpower was concentrated in fortresses along the border, especially in areas where monsters frequently appeared.

I was already feeling dizzy before I had even set foot inside the Grand Ducal Castle.

‘This situation is much worse than I thought.’

The solution I had devised for clearing Runein’s name was simple.

Increase Runein’s power.

Although its reputation had declined considerably by now, this had once been a family whose name had resounded across the entire continent, even beyond the Imperial Family.

The Great Runein.

I thought that if I could build up enough power to match that reputation, we’d be able to crush the false accusation before it ever became a real problem.

“What about the items Seton sent as part of my dowry? With those, we should be able to deal with the immediate problems.”

“They arrived safely today, as it happens. Thank you, my lady.”

Shubel smiled.

“That was part of our ‘contract,’ after all.”

I drew a clear line between us.

“And could you please stop calling me ‘my lady’? I’m getting goosebumps.”

“I don’t think I can do that. You are my lady, after all.”

He could be as smooth as ice cream melting on the tongue, yet become unexpectedly sharp in strange places.

‘Was he like this in the original story too…?’

I wasn’t sure.

Our married life had been described so briefly that I had never had a chance to learn what Shubel had been like before he became obsessed with revenge.

‘He was certainly portrayed as an extremely cold and ruthless man after becoming a vengeful monster.’

A merciless man who had executed everyone even remotely connected to the false treason accusation, down to their nursing infants.

As befitted a protagonist, he possessed inhuman abilities, and there was something in his portrayal that made it feel as though part of his humanity had been worn away.

[This is the story of a man who loses everything and seeks revenge.]

The merciless absolute being I had read about in the original story and the man standing before me now seemed to have absolutely nothing in common.

I stared intently at Shubel.

“Let’s go for now.”

“Where…?”

Shubel slowly blinked with an innocent expression.

I looked at him as though he had asked the most obvious question in the world.

“Obviously, your home.”

And, from now on, it would be mine too.

“Welcome back, young mas—”

The experienced butler managed to complete his greeting even after seeing the sole heir of the Grand Ducal House enter carrying a glittering hot-pink bag.

“…ter. And the young mistress as well. It is an honor to meet you. I am Vikal, the head butler of the castle.”

Oh.

As expected, the butler of a prestigious, centuries-old grand ducal family was something else.

He had somehow even remembered to acknowledge me, who had entered behind Shubel.

I gently waved at the servants who were sneaking curious glances at me.

Yes, nice to meet you. I’m Elysia. I’m a Runein now, not a Seton.

I flashed them cheerful smiles, giving them a little fan service, before turning toward Shubel, who had stopped with an expression that said he’d only just realized something.

“You must have been surprised that I suddenly came here. I didn’t want to arrive empty-handed, so I brought a present.”

“A present, you say?”

It was Butler Vikal who questioned my words.

When I held out my hand, Shubel obediently handed me the handle of the bag.

I opened it and pulled out a thick bundle of papers.

“The train station was terribly run-down when I arrived.”

Fwoosh.

As I unfolded the papers, the intoxicating scent of money seemed to waft through the air.

I sat down on the sofa in the hall, crossed my legs, and spoke meaningfully.

“So I thought I’d have a new one built.”

It was a book of blank checks.

[How much did the “Empire’s Greatest Heiress” spend on today’s outfit?]

[An In-Depth Look at Elysia Seton’s Lavish Spending Habits!]

[A Prodigal Daughter of Luxury and Indulgence—Can This Continue?]

Whenever I appeared in public, newspapers would race to publish articles like those.

So, did that mean all of it was a lie?

‘No? What’s wrong with enjoying luxury?’

I liked luxury.

I was the kind of person who believed that everything I owned and everywhere I stayed should be the best.

‘So naturally, shouldn’t the people around me receive the best treatment too?’

From my perspective, the Grand Ducal Castle was an unequivocal failure.

‘Rather than the dignified grandeur characteristic of an ancient noble family, it’s just a decrepit old castle… Bland servant uniforms. And when was that chandelier last replaced? A hundred years ago? Are they still keeping relics from the Thousand-Year War on display?’

We needed to strengthen the Grand Ducal House’s standing anyway.

So I came to the conclusion that the entire Grand Ducal Castle, from the floor to the ceiling, needed to be completely renovated.

And the very first thing I chose to tackle was the railway station.

“Then shall we meet the finance minister first?”

With Shubel guiding me, we decided to go meet the family’s financial officer.

But then—

“Here we are.”

The place Shubel led me to was none other than the Grand Duchess’s room.

“…?”

I was caught completely off guard by the prospect of meeting my mother-in-law without any preparation.

“Wait. Hold on a second.”

“I’m not ‘wait,’ my lady.”

“…”

“Please call me Shubel. Or, well, ‘dear husband’ would be fine too…”

“Shubel.”

“Yes.”

I clenched my fists as I looked at that annoyingly handsome face smiling with the corners of his eyes crinkled in delight.