143 – First morning as head of household
The night of the succession ceremony was over, and when Edgar woke up the next day, the castle was quite quiet.
Although there were a few people who hadn’t returned yet, it was probably because there were a lot less people compared to yesterday.
He was able to greet the morning as usual because Yulken said that he and Helene would be in charge of seeing off the guests, and that he and Ariel had a lot of trouble yesterday, so get some rest.
‘It’s nice that I don’t have to strain my neck.’
Edgar, who was strolling through the corridors after finishing his morning routine, smiled with satisfaction at the quiet atmosphere in the castle.
It’s not that he’s not the type to uselessly hold weight, but yesterday’s seat was a seat, so it couldn’t be helped that he was somewhat stiff.
But today, I was just glad that I was finally freed from that intimidating feeling.
To deliver this happy news to Ariel, he went straight to her room as usual.
and there,
“… What, what are you staring at so closely?”
There was a woman looking at him with a completely different outfit and a pouty face than usual.
White clothes that felt a bit clinging to the body, and golden decorations on both shoulders.
At first glance, it wasn’t a simple outfit to wear on a daily basis, but it was neat and tidy without being too flashy.
However, what caught Edgar’s attention was the dark red cloak that was placed on her shoulder rather than the clothes.
It is an object that symbolizes the ruler of the north, and until recently it was always worn on the chair in Yulken’s office.
Edgar didn’t show me wearing it after yesterday’s succession ceremony, so Edgar thought it wouldn’t be something he absolutely needed to wear, but it was revealed that he was wearing it only today.
Certainly, he felt the dignity befitting the title of ruler of the north.
Rather than Ariel herself, mainly in her outfit.
“Well… Do you want to look good?”
“No, are you kidding me!?”
“What is teasing… Pooh!”
“You’re kidding me!”
Saying that this is why she didn’t want to show it, Ariel screamed and punched Edgar in the stomach.
Unfortunately, it was not enough to pierce through his trained body and inflict a blow, but I didn’t care much because it was a regime that had the mindset that it would at least take out resentment knowingly.
“I just laughed because it was awkward. Do you think the outfit itself suits you quite well?”
“That… they say? Isn’t it strange?”
Ariel looked up at him, still suspicious, and wiggled her fingers.
Shuri, who changed her clothes, also told me that she definitely looked good on her, but it wasn’t anything to her.
To put it bluntly, it felt like a newborn baby wearing adult clothes.
“It’s majestic and nice. Now that you are the owner of the grand duke’s family, isn’t this much acceptable?”
“Something is awkward. It felt strange to hear people calling me Highness last night.”
“You just have to get used to it. Majesty… No, did your father do that too?”
“A subject you are unfamiliar with.”
When Edgar called Yulken, he hesitated for a moment at the title, and Ariel, who caught it, felt a sense of sympathy and smiled lightly.
There are still many aspects that we are not familiar with, so it will gradually get better.
Just as the two were talking about this and that, Shuri, who had finished tidying up the room, carefully closed the door and went outside.
Then, when he confirmed that the two people he had assumed had headed for the office earlier were standing in front of the room, he widened his eyes.
“Your Highness, you should go to the office soon.”
“ah… yes, that’s how it should be Anyway, it feels strange to hear that title from you as well.”
“Actually, me too.”
Shuri, who stuck out her tongue and agreed, gave an awkward smile as she loosened up her somewhat stiff body today.
It was because today was the first day her owner had to perform official duties after taking office as head of household, so she naturally had to put strength on her shoulders.
“Anyway, I should see my father before I go to the office. Do you know where you are?”
Ariel had something to ask for a moment, and more than anything else, as today was her first start, she wanted to receive strength from Yulken to sew buttons well.
However, unfortunately, that wish was shattered mercilessly due to Shuri’s words that followed.
“Yes? You went out with the madam this morning… … ?”
“… did you go out? today?”
Ariel, dumbfounded by the news she had never heard of, secretly looked in Edgar’s direction.
It’s like, ‘Did you know?’ He shook his head slightly at the questioning look in his eyes.
The positions were all the same.
“Didn’t you hear? Since he was released from his position after a long time, he said that he would act as a husband that he had not been able to do before… … .”
“… … .”
For some reason, Ariel had mixed feelings, feeling that she had seen another side of her father today.
On the outside, he was acting as a fairly dignified family head, but in reality, I wondered if he had a fairly freewheeling personality.
“… Anyway, I get it. Then I should go to the office without having to go the other way.”
“I think you should. But fortunately Lord Elfelt is still in the castle, so if something happens, ask him… … .”
“Elfelt is trustworthy. Not bad.”
Ariel also learned from Elfelt when she first learned practical skills, so she knew his skills better than anyone else.
Unless it’s a very serious matter, you can ask him about most things.
If there wasn’t even that, there might have been some trouble, but it was really fortunate that the last bastion remained.
“Ed, are you done with your morning routine?”
“I just finished it.”
Edgar shrugged his shoulders and replied deftly.
As soon as I woke up, I finished the training that had become my daily routine, and after dressing up, I came straight to Ariel’s room.
“Then, let’s look at the work to be done first and start a little later if the work is free.”
“Do it. By the way, will the meal be okay?”
“Yeah, maybe it’s because I drank yesterday, so I don’t feel very tense. Shuri, ask for a quick bite to eat later.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
As the two women smiled bitterly at each other’s unfamiliar names, Edgar, who was watching them, smiled one after another.
Anyway, I just believed that time would solve everything.
* * * * * * *
Contrary to the expectations of the two, the amount of papers in the office was not large.
It was thanks to Yulken’s early arrangements of big tasks in consideration for those who might be burdened with the first day.
In the end, after briefly handling a few things, time was running out of time, so we decided to have a tea time out of nowhere, but a small disturbance occurred on the way.
“Ariel, what is this?”
“it? It must have been the contents of the letter you sent to the imperial family at the request of your father a while ago?”
“No, I don’t mean that… The contents written inside are unusual.”
A document in Edgar’s hand contained most of the contents of the letter Yulken personally sent with a seal.
Excluding the greetings and miscellaneous content that followed the introduction, it was quite heavy when I picked out only the main points.
“The right to arrange immediate execution of prisoners, so it seems that the Loveheim family has never had the right to treat prisoners.”
“Yes, it doesn’t matter if you kill an enemy you encountered on the battlefield, but you had to get permission for the prisoners you captured. It’s an old custom.”
No matter how grand dukes are, they belong to a country, so it can be seen as natural, but considering their autonomy and achievements so far, it was a fairly unexpected rule.
In fact, it would be correct to say that the previous family heads didn’t really care about this, so it was passed on.
There was no reason for the imperial family to first give up authority they didn’t want, just like a child needs to cry to be nursed.
“Is this what your father allowed you to do?”
“of course. Do you think I would have been rude to my father?”
It was something that Yulken also had in mind, so he only granted Ariel’s request.
Because it was the Loveheim family that inevitably had to come into conflict with foreigners due to geography and position, if only this could be accepted, the work would be reduced.
Of course, I can’t say that Ariel didn’t send me a letter because she was so aggressively requesting it.
“Seeing that you’ve pushed for things like this, it looks like you’ve had a change of heart or something.”
As Edgar remembers, Ariel in the past did not openly show his displeasure toward foreigners.
To put it a little more accurately, it seemed that there was no hostility towards them.
However, the fact that he tried to obtain permission from Yulken even before he inherited the position of head of the household must mean that something clearly aroused hostility.
Curious about the reason, he asked, and Ariel’s red eyes clearly lit up.
Rather than the usual brilliant and bright feeling, it has a more static and heavy feeling.
“right. do you remember The one I asked the other day on prom night.”
“Well… Oh, is that it? You asked what I would do if the day came when the beliefs and duties I wanted to fulfill collided?”
“right. Actually, in the past, I didn’t mind foreigners that much.”
Hearing the story for the first time, Edgar shifted his body from standing and sat across from Ariel.
At the same time, the fragrant aroma of tea passed through his nose, but he did not feel any particular desire to drink it.
Right now, I was more curious about the story the girl in front of me wanted to tell.
“It’s not really a big story. Is it just a curiosity that has been going on since childhood? Whenever I saw my father go to battle, I always wondered why we were fighting the aliens.”
When Edgar looked at him as if to continue without answering, Ariel took a sip of tea, quenched her throat, and continued.
“Then one day I realized that war is never good. So, I thought that if I become the family head, I would like to try to understand the situation between you and us without possible war.”
“You are very different from the present you.”
“right. In fact, because of that, I wondered if I could inherit the family headship.”
The Yulken that Ariel saw was the ruler of rulers who cared for the inhabitants of the north more than anyone else.
He truly grieved together when someone died, and that is why he showed his teeth of anger toward the foreign people.
On the other hand, Ariel had no clear hostility towards the aliens.
Rather, there were times when I wondered if they might also be residents of the same north, and I thought that they also had their own circumstances.
Why did she ask for the right to summarily dispose of prisoners?
It was because of the change of heart brought about by the incident that had happened to Edgar along with Yulken this time.
“It might just be stupid rather than extraordinary. At least I’ve never seen my family or anyone around me killed or injured, and I’ve never been sad. That’s why I didn’t know.”
Eliciting human hostility is simpler than you think.
The more pain or tragedy occurs close to the surroundings, the easier it is for humans to enmity and vengeance towards the target.
Ariel was just one of many.
“In the first place, we also had our circumstances. They always used to crush and stomp on it miserably. They didn’t try to understand us, so why do we need to understand them?”
“… … .”
As the memory of that day came to mind, the red mana flowed through her body and filled the office.
Despite facing this head-on, Edgar was not greatly shaken.
Whether her choice will go in the right direction or not is a fact that he cannot know.
But one thing is certain: vengeance doesn’t always bring tragedy, and understanding doesn’t always bring peace.
In the end, you have to open the lid to know the results contained within.
All he can do is ride along with Ariel on the new journey she has decided to take, and help her not be biased.
“… Please make a choice with no regrets. Either way, I’m on your side.”
“don’t worry. ‘Cause I’ve already made up my mind At least I don’t intend to look at my father and the guys who made fun of you as equals anymore.”
As if to prove her words, Edgar smiled bitterly at the vitality that disappeared from his eyes for an instant.
Having made the current ruler of the north so angry, I thought that the future of the aliens would not be very bright either.
It wasn’t anything he was concerned about.