The Abandoned Duchess Seems to Want a Peaceful Life - Chapter 82

Chapter 82: Homecoming and an Unexpected Visitor

“Lady Melfina, Rad has returned!”

At Anna’s cheerful voice echoing from downstairs, the members in the living room exchanged glances and smiled wryly.

Anna, recommended by Lutz as a hardworking, bright, and energetic girl, was hired for her vibrant demeanor. Though she was frequently reminded to act quietly and gracefully, especially with the Crown Prince staying at the mansion, she struggled to change her ways.

“I’m sorry for the noise, Serleine.”

“No, I’m used to it now. Lately, it even feels lonely when it’s too quiet in the lord’s residence.”

“It’s understandable during winter.”

Both nobles and serfs feel the same reluctance to go outside in the cold. In winter, outdoor work is minimized, and even when there is work, people tend to be silent, making the daytime very quiet.

Descending the stairs, Rad’s carriage was just arriving in front of the entrance. The horses were exhaling puffs of white breath as Rad got out of the carriage.

“Lady Melfina, we have returned.”

“Welcome back. It must have been cold outside. Please warm up inside. If you’d like, your men too.”

When addressed, the soldiers regretfully informed her that they had to return to the barracks to report the completion of their mission to Roland and expressed their disappointment.

“That’s unfortunate. I’ll send a special treat to the barracks.”

“I’m looking forward to it!”

The young soldiers’ expressions brightened. After seeing them off, and leaving the task of returning the horses to the barracks to Cliff, Melfina urged Rad to come inside, though he appeared puzzled and hesitant.

“Um, Lady Melfina, actually, there is a guest in the carriage.”

“A guest?”

“It was a guest of the Duke’s family. They were about to depart for Enkar Village and asked if I could take them along. Since it was also requested by Lord August, I agreed, but they fell asleep, complaining that the carriage ride was boring.”

“Who is it? Do you know their name and status?”

If August was involved, it would be considered an official visit from the Oldrand family.

It’s unlikely they would outrank Serleine, but to determine how best to accommodate them, Melfina asked for their rank. Rad glanced briefly at the carriage.

“The name is Lord Julius, and he is said to be an alchemist. He is likely a noble, but I didn’t receive any explanation about his title.”

It’s rare for nobles and commoners to converse, and when it happens, the noble usually introduces themselves with their family name and title. If not, commoners can’t ask nobles about their rank.

Since Rad interacts regularly with Melfina and Serleine, he might not be too afraid of nobles, but accompanying an unknown noble from Soarasonne to Enkar Village must have been quite uncomfortable.

“Wait, did you say Julius?”

Cedric, who had been standing behind, spoke with a slightly rough voice. As Melfina turned to look at him, the carriage door opened, and a tall man slowly descended.

“I thought I heard my name. It’s you after all, my friend!”

“Julius… why are you here?”

“Oh, my friend Cedric! Not a day has gone by since you left the capital that I didn’t think of you!”

Julius, speaking loudly and spreading his arms as he approached, drowned out Cedric’s flustered voice. Cedric looked exasperated and shook his head.

“You’re still as you were…”

“And this lady here is Lady Melfina, Duchess of Oldrand, correct? It’s a pleasure to meet you. I am Julius von Savini, a resident of the Ivory Tower and Cedric’s childhood friend. I heard you were looking for an alchemist, so I came to visit.”

“Lady Melfina, I understand you’re surprised, but despite being a research-obsessed eccentric, I’m not much of a threat.”

“Y-yes. I apologize for my surprise. — I am Melfina von Oldrand. I am also the lord of this Enkar region.”

Though she was momentarily speechless with shock, she managed to respond.

She looked at the tall man dressed in travel attire, with his glossy blue hair tied loosely at mid-back, and quickly averted her gaze.

The Ivory Tower is an organization of the foremost mages in the Kingdom of Francesca, and it refers to the royal magic research institution. If he claimed to be a resident there, it’s undoubtedly true.

— Julius the mage.

He is one of the potential targets in Maria of the Kingdom of Hearts known for being one of the foremost hedonists and epicureans in the story.

Depicted as a madman who immerses himself in research, disregarding manners and customs as trivial, he becomes infatuated with Maria, the unique saint, after their encounter. His character, with a playful attitude and decadent charm, was popular among players.

While players enjoyed his character’s obsessive pursuit of the heroine, he also engaged in disturbing behavior within the game, such as driving Caroline, the heroine’s fiancée, to madness and causing a breakup.

Cedric said he was harmless, but only when outside of his interests or hostilities. As a dangerous and seductive target in the game, he was someone Melfina would prefer to avoid in real life.

“Lord Julius, indeed, we were considering hiring an alchemist, but why are you here?”

“Recently, I received a request from my friend to recommend an alchemist. Since he rarely makes requests, I felt responsible to send the most capable alchemist available.”

“I requested an alchemist, and you are a mage, correct? Moreover, I specified that I wanted someone convenient to send in the spring. I never mentioned wanting someone in the winter.”

Cedric immediately corrected Julius’s flippant words with a gruff voice.

Yes, Julius should be a mage. He is a magical genius who manipulates all elements and possesses more magical power than a human can bear, which has destined him for a short life.

With the appearance of the saint Maria, his body, ravaged by magical power, was healed, and he became fascinated by the saint’s mysterious abilities.

— Before Maria appeared, his character was supposed to be hedonistic and unrestrained due to his short lifespan.

Though his eccentric behavior as a noble stood out, it was because he believed his future was so limited that it was worth adhering to the manners of noble society. Those around him also tolerated his behavior due to his short remaining time and overwhelming talent.

However, the Julius before her now laughed with a cheerful tone that showed no hint of these circumstances.

“I actually hold a qualification as an alchemist too. The Ivory Tower has quite a number of alchemists, and I’m involved in research, so I should meet your requirements.”

“But you belong to a royal institution. You shouldn’t be wandering around here.”

“You may not know, but even at a royal institution, one can take a vacation. Especially now, it’s a slow period, and the Ivory Tower is practically inactive. Receiving such a rare request from you felt like a divine revelation.”

“I took advantage of the opportunity to take a long break. Isn’t that just perfect?”

As Julius continued, Cedric pressed his forehead with his palm, a clear display of frustration.

Julius deftly dodged Cedric’s words. It seemed their childhood friendship was genuine, as Julius showed no hesitation in responding to Cedric’s remarks, and Cedric appeared quite accustomed to Julius’s behavior.

— Why do potential targets keep appearing?

Alexis is Melfina’s husband, and Cedric was a knight serving Oldrand before becoming the captain of the knights, so that’s somewhat understandable.

Serleine came to the north because the corn Melfina grew made it one of the less famine-stricken areas in the country, so that was somewhat inevitable.

But Julius was completely unexpected.

Melfina told herself to stay calm.

For now, only Melfina knows that Julius is a dangerous person. Cedric, his childhood friend, doesn’t seem to be trying to keep her away from him, so he must not be aware of Julius’s latent coldness.

Melfina hoped to have him leave as soon as possible, and without any hard feelings.

“Anyway, let’s not stand around talking outside. Please come in. Rad, could you give me a report on what happened?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Cedric, show Lord Julius to the reception room and have Ed prepare something warm for him.”

“No, I’ll stay by Lady Melfina’s side. He’ll be fine on his own; he always does what he likes.”

“Such a terrible thing to say. I hurried all the way to this far northern end for you. It was a tough journey, with food shortages everywhere and people staring at me with suspicious eyes.”

“You brought it on yourself by insisting on traveling during this season.”

With a childish pout, Julius’s golden eyes turned toward Melfina.

A shiver ran down her spine at his probing gaze, and she quickly looked away.

In her previous life, she had, of course, played through Julius’s route and liked him to some extent.

But seeing him in person was unsettling.

In the game, Julius acted frivolously but exuded a lot of charm, and despite his short life, he was an attractive character. The scene where he tries to seduce Maria by saying he’s found something brighter than the truths of this world was exceptionally beautiful.

But that was only a story happening on the other side of the screen, which she could enjoy innocently. Knowing he would destroy his fiancée, chosen by her parents, for her own romantic interests made it hard to interact with him casually.

— It’s scary.

To value only what interests him means that everything else is considered insignificant.

Julius wouldn’t hesitate to crush something, just like an ant on the roadside, if it were in his way, or even if he didn’t consciously notice it.

Knowing that Julius is such a person makes the fact that his gaze is directed at her terrifying.

Why do problems keep arising?

Even though Melfina’s original plan to develop her territory, build wealth from it, and live a leisurely, carefree life in a place without entanglements has changed somewhat, her basic goal has remained the same from the beginning.

She wants to live safely and peacefully, without being tossed around by others.

It seems that this wish will take a while to come true.