The Abandoned Duchess Seems to Want a Peaceful Life - Chapter 73

Chapter 73: Deployment Preparation and Last Will

After deviating from the road heading from Soarasonne to the port town of Elban for several days, the spires of an ancient stone fortress come into view.

It is known as the Winter Castle, a fortress used exclusively for expedition stays during the winter months.

Surrounded only by wilderness, there are no settlements within walking distance.

It’s a desolate land where snow accumulates and winds blow incessantly.

Despite being unmanned except for a few days a year, it hasn’t even become a den for thieves.

After spending the night in rooms minimally arranged by previous soldiers, they wake up before sunrise the next day and don military attire for the march. During the suppression, non-combatants such as maids and attendants are not accompanied, but since adulthood, they have become accustomed to silently preparing themselves every year.

Metallic equipment used for bandit and thief suppression is not used for winter demon extermination. Armor and the parts that fix it do not use any metal.

Winter demons manipulate snow and cold. If metal parts are used carelessly, they freeze, and touching them with your body will take your skin with them.

The only metals used are swords, arrows, and spearheads. Both knights and soldiers wear leather armor and use tools with leather and wooden fasteners.

Double leather gloves are worn over cloth gloves, confirming the grip. If left exposed, the skin will freeze and rot, but sacrificing too much mobility will only scatter the demons.

“My lord, the troops are ready. We can depart anytime.”

“Yes, let’s go immediately.”

Without turning around, Alexis responds to August, who entered the room.

“We still have a little time until dawn. Shouldn’t we update your will?”

“Last year’s will is fine.”

Before expeditions, it is recommended to create a will in case something happens. As a senior noble, Alexis has been making one since he first participated in the expedition ten years ago.

Five years ago, since inheriting the ducal title and returning from the expedition, it has remained unchanged.

A successor has been appointed as guardian, and it has been agreed to hand over full authority of the ducal family to my nephew William. For Marie, it was also stipulated to inherit a detached small territory as a legacy from the ducal family near the capital and close to the sea.

The Oldrand family, where many men fall in battle against monsters and women often marry into warmer regions, has few blood relatives, so that was deemed sufficient.

Without waiting for a reply, when I turned around, the guard knight was staring at me intently.

“Are you sure about this?”

“Well, if you have something to say, say it plainly.”

“Your Excellency, there are clearly differences between last year and this year, aren’t there?”

Though he said it with a faint look of disbelief, August understood what he meant.

“It does seem rather odd to keep the will unchanged from your bachelor days, even though you’re married now.”

“…Indeed.”

While not intending to die in this campaign, the unpredictability of battling monsters means preparations should be made so that those left behind can continue without trouble.

If Alexis were to pass away now, Melfina would become a widow of the ducal family and one of William’s guardians, holding authority over the ducal affairs. However, she would likely not welcome this.

Regardless of the internal affairs of the ducal family, if they make a choice unrelated to the Crawford family, and since Alexis and Melfina have no children, young Melfina would probably return to her parents’ home and either remarry or enter a convent.

Alexis could probably anticipate the latter option.

“Just a brief investigation revealed plenty of evidence that the Crawford family and Lady Melfina didn’t have a good relationship. To dispel future concerns, it might be wise to leave a suitable will.”

“…She might end up married off to the northern regions. That seems likely.”

The northern regions are harsh and especially during winter, sunlight hours are short, leading to frequent melancholy among its inhabitants.

For women, particularly those who have moved from elsewhere, life in the north often brings psychological struggles. Mental illnesses range from severe depression and loss of appetite to incapacitating fatigue and overall decline.

While the engagement led quickly to marriage, there was little consideration that sending a noblewoman from the south to marry into the north, even if a political match without her consent, is quite a harsh fate.

“She was beloved in the Enkar region, and I believe Lady Melfina would do anything to avoid being sent back to her family home.”

August said with a frustrated shake of his head.

“It’s no secret Your Excellency isn’t the most eloquent speaker, and I’ve been warned not to speak out of turn. But regarding Lady Melfina, perhaps some effort to communicate her wishes would be beneficial?”

“What are you suggesting?”

“Lady Melfina gains nothing from a difficult life in the north. She could live just as well in the warm capital or southern regions. If you assured her that despite coming here as a formal wife, without intention of love or children, and that you’ll handle any financial burdens, she could live wherever she pleases. I think there’d be less misunderstanding.”

“I always find it hard to listen to your words.”

August sighed.

“But today seems particularly difficult.”

“That’s because the truth often hurts.”

August had known the articulate guard knight for a long time. He wouldn’t play with words lightly, especially not in this matter. It pained him deeply to see Lady Melfina, who wielded authority in the Enkar region as its lord, in such a position.

Nevertheless, deciding the fate of a widow as a husband and father was a commonplace responsibility. If she had been deeply involved in ducal affairs as a duchess for a long time, it would be different. But since they had been married for barely a year before his death, returning to her family home was a natural course.

If August had never seen Melfina in the Enkar region, he might have accepted this as a matter of course.

But to send away Melfina, who is so beloved by her subjects and even by her half-sister, would indeed be regrettable upon my death.

The Enkar region has already been transferred from the Oldrand family to Melfina. If she were to leave, there would be no one capable of managing that enriched place properly, and it would likely revert to poverty or be taken over by those with ill intentions.

Ultimately, stabilizing Melfina’s status herself, rather than as a daughter or wife, should lead to the best outcome.

“After I’m gone, what if I were to grant her one of the titles held by the Oldrand family?”

I proposed.

“That seems the safest option. A baronial title would be desirable. Surely, as a noble with title and land, she wouldn’t be easily coerced into returning against her will. And if there’s a high-ranking noble willing to act as her guardian, like the Marquis of Crawford, there would be no objections.”

August replied thoughtfully.

“Yes, indeed. At present, only Your Excellency and perhaps the royal family could effectively counter the Crawford family.”

“Then, please inform Rufus to arrange it accordingly. Include a clause in the will to follow the steward’s instructions before proceeding.”

I instructed.

Saying this, I couldn’t help but feel slightly irritated that I had been prompted by this guard knight.

“You haven’t updated your documents in quite some time either. Don’t you plan to rewrite them soon?”

I queried.

“I haven’t even recovered from being rejected by Lady Marie just a year ago.”

He retorted.

“We weren’t even officially engaged. It was practically a non-starter.”

“Well, I suppose I’m more delicate than I appear. Looks like I’ll be nursing a broken heart for another five years.”

He joked.

The Carlisle knighthood had served the Oldrand ducal family faithfully for generations. August, their eldest son and future head of the Carlisle family, had proposed to Marie shortly after she came of age.

The northern regions have a reputation for not being kind to longevity compared to other lands. There have been several precedents where the Oldrand family has taken in children of loyal vassals who lost their guardians early on.

They were well aware of Marie’s background and intended to handle her with respect. Should anything happen to August, the engagement was structured with the understanding that Marie could return to the ducal family.

Quietly, they had stipulated including a baronial title from those held by the Oldrand family as part of her dowry. August’s father had been enthusiastic about the match, but August himself had agreed only if Marie consented.

After confirming Marie’s intentions, the matter ultimately didn’t come to fruition.

“Please forgive me, Your Grace.”

I recalled my sister’s deeply respectful gesture without a hint of emotion.

As August had said, despite not yet a year passing since then, when I stopped by the Enkar region before winter began, her expression had been completely different.

Perhaps Marie was better off this way.

If she had married August, she would likely still be quietly internalizing everything, showing no emotion outwardly, no matter her rank or where she lived, as long as she could smile happily.

“That will be all. You may go.”

I dismissed the guard knight with a cold tone.

“As you wish. However, Your Excellency, it might be wise to consider that the most stable position Lady Melfina could obtain is as the mother of the next duke.”

He advised.

“Step aside.”

I ordered sharply.

Acknowledging with a graceful bow, the guard knight exited the room.

Despite his occasional irksome aspects, he was invaluable in many ways. Alexis often found his demeanor grating, despite his usefulness.

Yet, Alexis kept him close, knowing that despite his attitude, August was more loyal to the Oldrand family than anyone else.

I retrieved a neatly organized wooden box from among the brought-in luggage. Since steward Rufus handled the management of the lands during expeditions, its contents were spare parchment, ink, pens, and the item I sought was quickly found.

The will I wrote five years ago remained untouched, still looking freshly penned with slightly uneven handwriting. Remembering what I had been thinking at the time made Alexis feel uneasy.

Back then, my nephew William, now the sole heir to the Oldrand ducal family, was only three years old. Losing my brother, mother, and then father in quick succession left no time to shed mourning attire before the annual onslaught of monsters began.

Alexis, burdened with the task of stabilizing the entire northern region as Duke Oldrand, had no room for anything beyond fulfilling his role as duke.

His marriage to Melfina was ultimately just another part of the project to stabilize the north. In aristocratic marriages, such considerations were simply par for the course.

Alexis and Melfina had become engaged to each other without even having seen each other’s faces, and they held their wedding a few days later. There was no room for personal feelings in that arrangement.

Living beings simply carried out their roles impassively, without interjecting their own desires. It was inevitable that tension would arise.

Enduring that tension was the way of the aristocrat.

If personal feelings were prioritized, tragedy would be the only outcome.

Feeling his hand holding the pen grow cold, Alexis pursed his lips in annoyance.

He had distanced himself from affairs, keeping everyone except his closest aides at arm’s length and even rejecting women who were offered as wives, yet it seemed he was still ensnared by his past.

After clenching his fist several times, he added a clause at the end of the will, bequeathing to his wife, Melfina von Oldrand, the baronial title and corresponding assets owned by Alexis. He signed it again.

Though they had rarely interacted outside of a few negotiation deals, one thing was certain: Melfina was a rational person. She had refused the budget allocated by the ducal family to the wife of the duke, but if she chose to accept it upon leaving the Enkar region, she would consider what would become of the hard-working settlers who had struggled for years to cultivate the land, now finally thriving.

It became evident that the lands in the Enkar region where Melfina had been reluctant to settle had suffered more unjust treatment than the ducal family had realized. Each visit improved the mood of the subjects, and now it was the most hopeful land in the north.

Putting away the will in its box, Alexis donned his coat.

Heading forth now meant confronting the winter demons that threatened the north.

Many knights and soldiers, whose names were inscribed in the will I had penned, would fight in this perilous place, hoping for the future happiness of those they left behind.

It was my duty to command these knights and soldiers, urging them to fight with their lives on the line.

I took a deep breath, calming my mind. I needed clear-headedness to ensure the most efficient battle; any increase in casualties would only exacerbate the chaos beyond the famine, should I fall here. Until my nephew William, now only eight, was capable of leading, the north would plunge into disarray.

Beyond the city gates lay a desolate landscape of bare earth, dotted sparsely with weak, thin grass.

The land tainted by Pluina’s magic bore no viable crops; with each movement of Pluina, threatening humans, this desolation only spread.

Preventing this was the duty of Duke Oldrand.

“Let’s march!”

“Hah!”

“Duke Oldrand” was nothing more than a cog to keep the north running smoothly. A life dedicated to fighting, protecting, and supporting this land.

For without such dedication, all that awaited was a path of destruction, dragging down everyone around.

For Alexis, this was the harsh reality he had witnessed with his own eyes, day after day.