May is the time when the snow begins to melt in the Northern Region, making it a busy period for everyone, young and old alike. But if one were to name the busiest among them, it would undoubtedly be Logan Winterfell, the head of the Northern Region.
This year was particularly hectic due to the Grand Ducal Betrothal, making even napping feel like an extravagant luxury.
Caring for the vast Northern Region and upholding the long-standing traditions of his family were both significant tasks, but he had to prioritize the former.
After all, managing the Northern Region was something that couldn’t be done without his direct involvement.
As for the latter, his Central Advisor Gelwood had successfully handled several previous ceremonies, giving Logan a bit of relief.
Of course.
“Your Grace.”
Despite his busy schedule, Logan made sure to receive reports regularly.
“Please, have a seat.”
Logan settled into the main seat of the sofa, while Gelwood took a diagonal position to his left.
Tomorrow marked the Unveiling Ceremony.
In the past, unveiling ceremonies mainly focused on the final candidates, held in the main halls of the castle with only the relevant parties present, but this one was different, set to take place grandly in the outdoor central plaza of the Grand Duchy.
It would be the first official appearance of the Third Grand Duchess in front of all her subjects.
Lumia Winterfell.
It was a significant day for his youngest daughter as she would finally make her name and face known to the world, thus a specially prepared ceremony.
“How are the preparations going?”
“Very well, My Lord. The preliminary arrangements have already been completed.”
“I see. With you in charge, it will surely be perfect.”
“You flatter me.”
And with that, the report on the unveiling was concluded.
Such was the level of trust Logan had in his Central Advisor.
Then, lowering his voice, Gelwood brought up a different matter, placing four pieces of paper on the table.
“These are the issues you had previously requested an investigation on.”
Logan picked one of them up.
“Certificates, I see.”
“They weren’t submitted by the candidates but were officially issued by the Royal Academy. They cannot be forged.”
“So they all graduated at the top of their class. But does that mean we still lack information on their other personal details?”
“Yes. As you know, according to the Academy’s rules, personal details of students cannot be accessed by others and in the case of the ‘Royal Academy,’ no one aside from His Majesty has any means of access.”
“Hmm, so in the end, we have no tangible results.”
“My apologies.”
He had anticipated this.
The Academy was the only place in the kingdom where social status meant nothing, making it a sort of sanctuary. As such, it was imposing restrictions.
A place where no one could exert external pressure based on their birthright.
The Academy was an institution where everyone could access education equally, and it was a place where, aside from the King, no one could assert any kind of influence.
Logan set the paper down on the table and leaned back into the sofa.
He had hoped to understand why the four Royal Academy top graduates had been chosen as final candidates, especially given his daughter’s silence about her experiences there.
However, his inquiries provided no fruitful insights.
While it might have seemed like chance that led to this situation, he sensed something remained unclear. Lumia had dismissed his worries with, “I’d prefer to be with people I know rather than strangers,” and instructed Gelwood to investigate them instead.
Her choice seemed reasonable, and he hadn’t pressed further or questioned her selection of candidates. Furthermore, he knew well that once Lumia made up her mind, she wouldn’t easily change it. He had learned that the hard way when he had tried to suppress her dreams.
Despite his unease about the four candidates’ reputations and personalities, it was a separate concern he wrestled with.
“And what of the testimonies from her classmates?”
“It seems they had intersected at some points, but no one could provide specific details.”
“…Is that so?”
“It appears nothing particularly special occurred during their academy days; she was simply described as a bright and cheerful student. She was said to participate actively in lectures.”
Logan smiled faintly upon hearing about his daughter’s life in the Academy.
The reports offered him comfort. The once depressed and melancholic daughter, who had been unable to venture outside due to her curse, now flourished as a cheerful student embracing her learning journey with joy.
To ensure that she could engage in such experiences, Logan had even taken the risk of identity forgery, breaking significant laws of the kingdom.
Now free from the curse, he received leniency from the king for his past actions done in service of his daughter.
“I remember when my daughter returned from the Academy; she was truly radiant. It felt as if she brought life back into this palace.”
When his daughter came back from her quest for knowledge, her health had visibly improved, her once pale complexion glowing bright.
The letters he received from her during her academy days were filled with joyful expressions, and she had declared her choices to be regret-free upon her return.
He could hardly fathom having doubts about her intentions.
Perhaps his concerns about the four candidates possessing dubious intentions were merely figments of his imagination.
And the worries that his daughter might violate their family’s traditions or spoil the grand festival were perhaps overreactions.
Indeed,
She wouldn’t lie to her father.
She wouldn’t betray the trust of the father who believed in and supported her.
“Maybe you should meet the candidates yourself?”
Gelwood’s suggestion momentarily unsettled Logan.
“What nonsense are you speaking, Advisor? Have you forgotten that private meetings between the candidates and the family head are strictly forbidden until the end of the contest? It is our sacred tradition, and I will not allow any breaches of it.”
“My apologies, my Lord. It just seemed you were feeling a bit trapped…”
“The Grand Ducal Betrothal is a festival for the entire populace. Our lineage has thrived uninterrupted thus far because we have upheld our traditions and rules fiercely, and it shall be no different this time.”
“I momentarily forgot my place. Please forgive me.”
Gelwood bowed his head.
Seeing the advisor’s sincerity, Logan softened his demeanor, leaning forward, curiosity brightening his expression.
As a father, the betrothal of his youngest daughter was as crucial as any event in the Northern Region.
Thus,
As her father and the Grand Duke, it was only natural that he was intrigued and wanted to exploit his privileges.
Such as,
Secretly figuring out what decision his daughter would ultimately make.
“Oh, and is there someone Lumia particularly likes?”
However, the answer to his inquiry only whetted his curiosity further.
“…Hmm? Isn’t that Elden boy the one who withdrew?”
Glance.
Swipe.
Glance.
Swipe.
With every turn of the page, Ariel kept looking towards the entrance of the reading area.
At this point, it had almost become a reading habit.
Then, when she’d get completely engrossed in the story, she’d only raise her head after flipping through several pages.
And when she found herself still reading in Elden’s absence, a slight sense of disappointment would overshadow her excitement.
Today was no different.
It was just another morning where she woke up early, headed to the library, and read books while waiting for her reading buddy.
Yet, despite that usual routine, she was eagerly anticipating his arrival because she had prepared a [gift] for him.
It was a gift of apples.
Elden had said that he had merely withdrawn by his own choice.
Initially, she brushed it off lightly, happy just to spend more time reading with him. But on her way back to the library, a wave of guilt washed over her.
‘…Wait a second.’
Didn’t she just impose her own silly expectations on him, even though he had no desire to win in the first place?
There she was, pushing him towards the idea of becoming the Grand Duke’s son-in-law after joyfully listening to him talk about his culinary dream.
Ariel had foolishly rushed to cheer him on, despite knowing the true reason behind his withdrawal.
Once this realization hit her, Ariel felt a pang of regret for Elden.
His sincerity behind that withdrawal, his dreams of culinary adventures.
Though she had heard him speak about them, she had put her own desires above his, offering support that inadvertently became a burden.
Of course, Elden didn’t seem to mind at all, but Ariel felt her actions deserved some scolding.
It was as if she had heard Elden’s dreams with one ear and let it slip out the other.
Indeed, that’s precisely what had happened.
Driven by the urge to help a cherished character from her favorite novel, she had unknowingly overlooked Elden’s genuine aspirations.
Ugh… I’m such an idiot… What was I thinking?
Thump!
After knocking her head against a wall at the library, Ariel found herself asking the librarians for something.
She wanted to apologize to Elden.
She wanted him to know she was rooting for his dreams.
So, off she went.
Ariel arrived at the fourth sub-level of the library, the spot where Elden’s butler had previously been caught in a minor scandal.
“Hmm, it should be around here… But where…?”
The librarian who accompanied her hastily claimed to be busy with official matters and made a quick escape.
And so, Ariel found herself alone in the dim underground storage.
Occasionally, the eerie sounds of rats squeaking added to the creepy atmosphere, but Ariel steeled herself, digging through the stacks of books.
“Cough! Cough! Cough!”
This place truly resembled a graveyard of books.
The musty odor twinged her nose, and clouds of dust kept tickling her sinuses, causing her to cough continuously.
With only a flickering torch on the wall as her guiding light, her eyes felt weary from searching, and she would sometimes shriek at the shadows that danced around her.
But even amidst the ambience of despair, she did not give in.
“Ahhh—! Found it—!!!”
After what felt like an eternity, her perseverance finally paid off.
Ariel jumped around the sub-level, barely able to contain her glee.
Once out of the storage, she quickly sought out the librarian who’d helped her and rented the book without hesitation.
“……That was an extraordinary find, My Lady. If it weren’t for your efforts, this book might never have seen the light of day, so I’ll authorize an indefinite loan on my authority.”
“Ohh~ Thank you!”
After spending an entire day searching for the book, Ariel returned to her quarters, only to be greeted by her confused maid.
“What?”
“……My Lady… Did you perhaps… Roll around a construction site instead of spending time in the library?”
The sight of Ariel, utterly covered in dust from head to toe, left her maid shocked.
Anyway, after all the ups and downs she went through to secure the gift, the very next morning, Ariel hid her prize and eagerly awaited Elden’s arrival.
‘When is he coming~’
Eventually, as she spotted Elden walking through the reading room entrance, she greeted him with a bright smile.
“Ah! Elden! You made it!”
“Yeah. Were you waiting for me?”
“No? Why would I~?”
Ariel cleverly feigned innocence, her hands instinctively reaching behind her back in an effort to conceal her gift.
“I keep seeing you glancing towards the entrance. I actually stopped by the cooking section on my way here.”
“Huh?! Why?”
“Well, I was wondering if they had any books about monster cuisine or a guide about edible monsters.”
“………!!”
Ariel struggled to suppress her excitement at Elden’s suggestion.
“…Is something wrong, Ariel?”
“Tehehehe~ Actually~ I have a gift for you…!”
“You do? Why?”
“Ah… well… it just popped into my head that I might want to give you something?”
“What is it then?”
Elden sat across from her, not expecting much.
Then, she dramatically presented the title of the book: [The National Guide to Monster Cuisine].
“Ta-da! With this, you’ll be all set for your culinary journey!”
Elden’s face lit up with a wide smile as he accepted the book.
“…This is exactly what I was looking for… I searched the entire section, and nothing even remotely similar could be found… How did you come across it?”
Her mind briefly drifted to the moldy smell, the dust, and her ordeal in that eerie space, yet Ariel simply smiled brightly without revealing the truth.
“Oh, the librarian helped me find it! And guess what? He granted me an infinite loan! Do you like it?”
Her response came out of the desire to prioritize her dear reading buddy’s joy over any recognition for the effort she’d put into finding the gift.
“I love it, Ariel. Thank you, I’ll make good use of it.”
Phew!
Ariel sighed in contentment, feeling like she had lifted a heavy burden off her heart.
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