Chapter 137: Trip preparations for the Marquis and the Knight (4)

We left the inn immediately after eating breakfast. The weather at the end of August was sunny.

It smelled more like summer here, despite only being slightly south of the Imperial Capital.

“We should arrive at the Lord’s Castle by evening, your highness.”

Benjamin commented. I nodded my head and looked at Christelle seated next to me.

Apparently she had chatted a while with Vice Captain Élisabeth before they fell asleep; she looked much better than yesterday.

“Dame Sarnez. Did your parents request to chat with you by chance?”
“Excuse me? No, both of them went to sleep early, your highness.”

She answered cheerfully.

I asked because Lady Isabelle said she would talk to her husband, but I suppose this was not a topic that would be concluded in a single night.

I patted the sleepy Demy and Percy on their backs and smiled.

She should still end up with the male lead since she was the MC of a Romfan.

‘I shouldn’t worry too much about it.’

– Clack, clack……

The carriage continued down the eastern road of the Empire.

Unlike the lush forests of the east and the rough terrain of the south, this side had a lot of flat plains and not many trees.

Thanks to that, I could see all the carriages passing by in the distance.

There were also small streams along the way, forcing us to cross over some bridges.

Overall, it was very open and peaceful.

I looked out the window for a bit before turning toward Christelle and whispering.

“Are you trying not to get married because you are worried about when your memories return?”

The MC’s eyes opened wide. I immediately apologized.

“I’m sorry I overstepped my bounds to make a guess at your feelings.”
“No, your highness, I was just surprised. You……”

‘Understand me deeper than I had imagined.’

That was how she finished her sentence.

Then she smiled brightly like the Sirius star in the night sky.

“That’s right, your highness. I might not like my betrothed when my memories return later. Both my family and my husband will be harmed if we divorce later.”

She then shook the glass bottle in her hand. The iced coffee spun around.

“Becoming the young Duchess is something that is expected, so I should not be very shocked even after getting my memories back. On the other hand, marriage is a difficult issue that can not be easily withdrawn.”
“……”
“Of course, I told the same to my father but he is firm about this issue. He says that there won’t be much difference to the results even if I get my memories back because Pair de Riester rarely get married for love.”

Silence filled the carriage for a moment. I could understand the reason she was upset.

I was the only one who knew about the existence of < I quit my job and ended up as a noble young lady in another world > and recognized that this was inside a novel.

Since the MC just ended up in someone else’s body and was living in it, she had no choice but to be concerned about the possibility of the owner returning to the body.

I would have acted similarly. Probably less than her, but that is the case right now as well.

‘…I wonder what happened to the real Christelle and Prince Jesse.’

It was a thought I had at least once a day.

Unfortunately, it felt as if that Christelle was no longer of this world.

Based on the disposition of the MC, it would be difficult for the author to get Crown prince Cédric and her together if that was not the situation.

“It is true that Duke Simon de Sarnez has never married for love.”

Benjamin commented before pulling out a small booklet. I smiled bitterly.

“He’s very mean. It should be okay for his daughter to marry for love.”
“I know, right?! I’m debating turning the conversation in that direction, your highness. Maybe I will tell them I want to date first.”

Although I was not a great talker, the thing I said to lift the mood was well-received by Christelle.

‘Yes, dating is nice. I really hope she and the crown prince are happy in a world without war.’

“Your highness, it is time to go over the information regarding the Sérénité territory you have studied.”

The middle-aged man opened the book.

The third item on our preparation list, as usual, was studying about our destination.

Ganael pulled out some gâteau St-Honoré wrapped in paper. ‘

Thanks.’

“There is a famous free city within Sérénité. The residents of the city fall under her Majesty’s purview, not yours. The name of the city is,”
“Answer! Haas!”

The MC raised her hand into the air and shouted. Benjamin maintained his calm.

“Haas. Now then……”

He was quite skilled at giving this quiz. I chuckled while looking at the jeering Christelle.

The middle-aged man continued to speak.

“Where do you think this name came from?”
“It is from the name of the original territory lord, Baron Haas.”
“Correct, your highness.”

I ate the cake in my hand to celebrate getting the correct answer.

The outside was crispy while the inside was full of profiterole that melted in your mouth. The puff pastry gently crumbled at the tip of my tongue.

The taste of chocolate, foam cream, and raspberry mixed together.

The sweet and smooth taste made me feel good. Christelle had a triumphant look on her face.

“Next question. The current Haas Merchant guild leader is Emille de Haas. What is his relationship to Baron Haas?”
“Answer! The Baron’s House of Haas crumbled during the late Emperor Romero’s reign. So…… He is the great grandson of the last Baron?”
“That is correct, Dame Sarnez.”
“Woohoo.”

Christelle said she was happy that her guess was correct.

This time, Ganael offered a piece of yogurt cake that was baked at the inn.

We could eat these at any time, but it was fun when it felt like we needed to get an answer correct to eat them.

I watched the MC cutely eat the dessert before asking a question.

“Why did the Baron’s House of Haas lose their title and crumble?”

I had looked through the book that Benjamin had brought back at the Imperial Palace.

However, the only explanation was that late Emperor Romero executed Baron Haas during the Warring Era and cursed his line forever.

I heard that the family was rich, so maybe they secretly embezzled some military resources to build their wealth.

Ganael lowered his voice and responded.

“Baron Haas betrayed his Majesty, your highness.”
“As I expected. Was it embezzlement?”
“No, your highness. He was said to be a spy of the Holy Kingdom.”

My eyes opened wide. Christelle stopped chewing as well.

Only the shaking of the carriage and the horses neighing could be heard for a while.

The young boy looked around, as if other people were around us, before continuing to speak.

“The west is on the opposite side of the border, making it easy for him to not receive any suspicions. The Baron dared to use the sea route to sell information about his Majesty to the Holy Kingdom. Nobody found them to be suspicious because their family had been investing money into commerce.”
“Then the current Haas Merchant Guild……”
“After the house crumbled, Baron Haas’s daughter, Vanessa de Haas, pulled the family together to set it up.”

Benjamin explained.

According to his explanation, Vanessa had great business ability and was extremely talented.

She had been said to be lacking for the role of young baroness because she didn’t have political intuition, but that became a meaningless flaw after the family had crumbled.

“Despite the territory and all of their wealth being taken by the Imperial family, she was able to recover about seventy percent of their wealth by the time her granddaughter’s generation came in.”
“That’s amazing.”

I gasped in admiration. Christelle asked.

“I heard that the current merchant guild leader is the second child. Why is that so?”
“There are rumors about the first child being trash. However, nobody knows whether she chose to give up her position or if she was kicked out of the house.”

Ganael explained. I knew about this as well.

The older sister, Joanne, was famous for being crude and foul-mouthed. Her younger brother, Emille, was calmer and had a better business mindset.

‘I feel like I’ve seen ‘Emille de Haas’ somewhere before…’

Unfortunately, French names were too long and hard for me to remember.

“I will ask the question this time. What is drawn on the coat of arms of our esteemed Marquis of Sérénité?”
“Ganael,”
“Answer! It consists of all things very fitting of his highness. A wing, lake, tulip, and shield… Oh and a moon as well as a symbol of the Church of the Almighty God are hidden in there as well.”

Christelle folded her fingers one by one as she quickly answered.

Ganael clapped before pulling out a galette full of mushrooms and goat cheese and handing it to her.

It smelled so delicious that I almost started drooling, but my face turned red and I looked away.

I became so embarrassed whenever the wing was mentioned.

*

“Oh esteemed Marquis of Sérénité. We will soon arrive at the Lord’s Castle.”
“Oo……”

Benjamin gently placed his hand on my knee. I half-heartedly opened my eyes.

Demy and Percy, who were now awake, were looking up at me.

The outside was growing dark with the sun half set.

I looked to my side because my right shoulder felt heavy and found Christelle asleep, leaning against me.

I grabbed the booklet that was almost falling out of her hand.

It looked like it would fall at any moment.

‘The world’s greatest show! Come see the continent’s most amazing treasures at the Haas Auction house!’

‘An auction.’

It seemed like something Christelle would like very much.

I chuckled and placed the booklet in her jacket pocket.

The Duke and his wife were on their way to meet the merchant guild leader and other people to celebrate becoming sister cities with Haas City.

Maybe our MC would be able to get a cool item from the auction.

As for me, I planned on doing one lap around the territory and then returning to the palace.

– Neeeeeeigh!

“Woah, woah!”

The carriage suddenly stopped at that moment. My center of gravity pushed forward.

I extended my arm to protect Christelle. She was jolted awake.

Benjamin and Ganael quickly regained their balance as well.

– Squeeeeee!

– Piiiiiii!

“It’s okay, it’s okay. We must have arrived.”

I hugged and consoled the red panda and the chimney bird that almost fell off my lap.

I was peeking at the window wondering what was going on when I heard an unfamiliar voice.

“……Do you know who I am?!”
“I should be asking you that! Do you not know who this carriage belongs to?”

Vice Captain Élisabeth responded in a cold voice. Someone seemed to have blocked the road.

The four people, one divine beast, and one divine item quietly paid attention.

The person’s voice was so loud that we could clearly hear everything.

“Step aside. We are the Imperial Guard under her Majesty’s revered Imperial decree.”
“What nonsense! It’s been one hundred years since a member of the Imperial family came this way!”
“……Drag them away.”
“Hey! Whose body do you think you are placing your hand on right now?! Do you know who I am? Huh? Do you know who my younger brother is?!”

The woman shouted sharply. Christelle and I started frowning at the same time.

This lady seemed to be out of her mind.

‘Is she drunk?’

“Hey guys, now!”
“Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!”

The woman raised her voice at that moment. We heard a lot of people shout in response.

Clang, clang! The Imperial Guard members immediately pulled out their swords. Benjamin tilted his head.

“It is quite small for a hazing ritual.”

I awkwardly smiled.

I had heard stories about the bandits all around the Empire who only attacked the luxurious carriages that traveled close to the Lord’s Castle.

Even if skilled mages and swordsmen were focused in the Riester high-ranking positions, they were not common.

As a result, many nobles were helplessly victimized by these hoodlums.

It was even reported in the < Biweekly Riester > if the damage was quite severe.

But to get in our way of all carriages…

I felt a bit sorry for them……

“Will Vice Captain Élisabeth let them live?”
“I think she will say that her hand slipped because she was tired. It looks like I will need to wash her sword for her tonight!”

Ganael, while looking like a cute little puppy, said something quite scary at Christelle’s question. I flinched.

“Is it immediate execution?”
“Even the Vice Captain of the Imperial Guard would go easy on them if they were civilians, but the opponents seem to be dedicated bandits. Your highness, I recommend you look away from the window.”

Benjamin answered my question. That made no sense.

I could not let there be a gust of blood on my first day in the territory.

I gasped and opened the carriage door.

“Your highness!”

Christelle tried to stop me.

The soldiers and even the horses they were on looked at me in astonishment.

“Marquis-nim, if you come out right now……!”

[Only the bandits will stop moving.]

– Paaaaat!

A wide Holy Land lit up the area as if it was the middle of the day.

The boulders nearby as well as the bushes the bandits seemed to be hiding behind started glowing gold.

I got off the carriage and walked to the front of the procession. The dirt ground sparkled like jewels.

Christelle chased after me. Vice Captain Élisabeth urgently got off her horse.

Her sharp grey eyes seemed to have calmed down.

“My deepest apologies, Marquis-nim. We took too long to take care of them.”
“Not at all, Vice Captain Élisabeth. I heard that things like this happen from time to time.”

I responded before glancing at the completely stiff people.

Around forty bandits were standing with their weapons.

The person who seemed to be the leader was grinding her teeth toward me.

She had a luxurious cloth covering her head and the stench of alcohol was all around her.

I couldn’t help but frown.

‘It really was a drunk causing a ruckus.’

“Who the hell are you?! Let me go right now!”

[Please shut up.]

“Mmph! Mmmmph!”

The woman’s mouth became closed.

She then turned red from anger and veins were visible on her forehead.

Thankfully, none of her subordinates seemed as drunk as she was.

They were all just pale as they looked at me.

To be more specific, they immediately looked down as soon as we made eye contact.

‘I get it.’

[You will all be arrested. You are going to jail.]

I smiled and pointed at something.

[Do you see the Lord’s Castle over there? I am the new owner of that place.]