The Abandoned Duchess Seems to Want a Peaceful Life - Chapter 156

Chapter 156: Advance Notice and a Knight’s Request

Melfina greeted the arriving August with surprise, near dusk that day.

Even though the Enkar region is experiencing longer daylight hours at the height of summer, it was almost time for the sun to set completely; it would have been a tight race for him to arrive on horseback. Though she ushered him into the reception room, it was actually almost dinner time.

“Arriving at this hour! I thought you were due tomorrow, weren’t you?”

She had sent a letter about the beginning of the wheat harvest and the completion of new tools, intending to share the information with the ducal family; that was about a fortnight ago.

The response had indicated that he would arrive tomorrow morning, and she had assumed he would stay in a nearby town and leave early tomorrow morning to arrive at the lord’s manor.

August had often visited the Enkar region alone to share information, but surprisingly, Alexis would be accompanying him this time.

It must be a busy time in the ducal territory as well. The civil servants might be crying because they couldn’t go home.

“I came ahead as an advance notice. Actually, I have a request for Lady Melfina.”

August’s “requests” were nothing new, so even he, usually so carefree, seemed slightly embarrassed. Melfina smiled wryly and agreed.

August possessed an excellent sense of balance; even if the results were sometimes flawed, his “requests” weren’t usually unreasonable.

“I’ll hear you out first.”

“That is, I was hoping to obtain permission to include Lord William… His Excellency’s nephew… in tomorrow’s inspection.”

But this “request” was sudden and completely unexpected.

“Lord William…?”

“Lord William has repeatedly asked His Excellency for permission to meet Lady Melfina, but His Excellency refused. He was very insistent on accompanying us for this inspection, and His Excellency had to reprimand him quite strongly… I thought he had given up, but today, it was discovered that he had slipped into the ranks disguised as a page.”

A page was the lowest rank among knight trainees. Around the age of ten, they were entrusted to another family’s knightly order and learned etiquette while tending to the knights’ needs.

“A new page joined at the end of spring, and we hadn’t yet memorized everyone’s names and faces. He slipped in unnoticed. Even though young children don’t attract as much attention, it was a lapse on our part.”

While adults would be more cautious, adults tend not to pay much attention to children, particularly boys and girls who haven’t fully grown. The fact that William didn’t hide in the baggage but among the children suggests he knew this.

“Remarkable initiative. Isn’t the ducal family in an uproar?”

“It’s not uncommon for Lord William to sneak out of his room, but his disappearance for two whole days was unusual, causing quite a commotion. A swift messenger was sent to His Excellency, and when they investigated the page’s tent, they discovered him.”

It takes about three days to travel from Soarasonne to the Enkar region by horse-drawn cart. That means it was discovered in the nearer town today, leading to August’s visit to the Enkar region.

“His Excellency said he would either leave him in the town with a knight escort or send him back to Soarasonne, but he said it was best to confirm Lady Melfina’s intentions first.”

August, unusually, seemed thoroughly perplexed.

She had heard soon after the wedding that Alexis had designated his nephew, William, as the heir to the Oldrand family, but it hadn’t been mentioned much since.

She’d never heard before that William had wanted to meet Melfina.

“Why does Lord William want to meet me so much?”

Even if Melfina wasn’t interested, Melfina, Alexis’s wife, and William, his brother’s child and designated heir to the Oldrand family, were potentially political rivals.

If Melfina were to bear Alexis’s child, William’s position would be shaken, and those supporting William would certainly not view Melfina’s presence favorably.

To avoid any awkward precedents should a divorce occur, even when August had told her to return to the ducal house during the winter or to receive her allowance as the Duchess, Melfina had refused and kept her distance from the ducal family.

In fact, she had never returned to the ducal house since her departure, and she only met Alexis when he visited the Enkar region.

“He is probably curious about the person his beloved His Excellency has taken as his wife.”

“Is that enough reason to sneak in among the pages?”

“He’s the embodiment of action. In that way, he’s quite similar to Lord Christoph.”

Melfina put her hand to her cheek and tilted her head slightly.

She had given up both her duties and rights as Duchess to avoid conflict. She was confused by the sudden prospect of meeting the Oldrand heir and felt that she was in for trouble.

“Lady Melfina, of course, you may refuse. This is my “request”, and once I have your answer, I’ll mount my horse at dawn tomorrow, rejoin the ranks, and return Lord William to Soarasonne.”

If that were the case, August didn’t need to make a personal request; they could have simply sent him back to the capital once he was discovered.

As she pondered if there was something else, Marie, who had been sitting silently beside the sofa, raised her hand slightly.

“My Lady Melfina, may I?”

“Yes, Marie?”

“If we send him back this time, I think Lord William will likely sneak onto a hired cart or into a merchant caravan, and he’ll eventually come again.”

The ducal family’s escort would have tight security, but merchant caravans and hired carts were not guaranteed to be safe. Melfina was dumbfounded at the idea of the pure-blooded ducal heir doing something like that.

“Of course, His Excellency and Sir August know this. Therefore, I think that after being sent back to Soarasonne, Lord William will be sent somewhere far away… perhaps to the capital for schooling.”

“…He’s only eight years old? That’s a bit much.”

Melfina stopped speaking, and looking at August, saw an unusually grim expression on his face.

It’s not uncommon for the children of lords to be sent to townhouses in the capital at a young age— ostensibly for networking with other nobles concentrated in the capital, education, and social opportunities.

But that typically applied to children who weren’t the eldest sons—the heirs.

In this world, noble families, especially the heads of families, held strong authority, and primogeniture was strictly enforced. This created fertile ground for bitter disputes over the right to succession.

Therefore, isolating those with lower succession rights in the capital until adulthood—until marriage or religious vows—was a common practice.

Melfina herself was an example, and she had heard that Marie’s younger brother, though still young, was also in the capital.

Being placed in the capital as the heir to the north was hardly favorable treatment.

“In reality, that’s the only way to stop him. He’s the type to do exactly what he says he’ll do.”

“I hear that men in the north are usually cool-headed, but he’s quite… passionate.”

“He’s exceptionally capable and strong, as befits an Oldrand male, but… well, he’s quite troublesome to manage.”

That was quite a statement about the heir to the main family, but Alexis must find him challenging as well.

That someone who commands the respect and awe of grown knights, even after a severe reprimand, would act again confirms that he possesses remarkable determination, as they say.

“…Just to be sure, is there… no ill-will toward me?”

“I don’t think so. I think he also wants to meet Lady Marie, as well as Lady Melfina.”

“…What a troublesome person.”

Marie sighed and said heavily,

“I don’t know who told him, but despite his youth, Lord William is considerate of my “position.” He keeps calling me aunt, and for about two years before Lady Melfina’s arrival, he even changed the house where he worked from the main residence to a secondary one.”

It could simply be described as the inflexibility of a child.

But hearing that Marie harbored no ill intent, Melfina made up her mind.

“Alright, I’ll meet him. Bring him.”

Refusal would be easy, but sending a young child far from his home would leave a bad taste.

It would also invite the wrath of the northern nobles who support William.

“However, August must supervise him closely. I don’t know him, so I don’t know how to assess Lord William, but please ensure he doesn’t harm me, Marie, or the servants of the lord’s manor.”

“Lady Melfina, I thank you for your generosity.”

August stood from the sofa and performed a formal knightly bow.

“If there’s anything I can do, please do not hesitate to ask. I promise I will help you.”

“I can’t think of anything right now, so I’ll keep it on file.”

“Please collect it anytime. Being at your beck and call is my pleasure.”

When Melfina joked, August finally displayed his usual mischievous smile.

“To think I’d miss not having him kick my shins…”

“Yes. It truly is so.”

They laughed, then fell silent for a moment.

This eased some of the tension Melfina felt about the unexpected encounter with William.