Chapter 81
The carriage heading to the banquet hall was a sleek black, adorned with golden emblems of the Maindulante Ducal House carved onto plaques on both sides and at the front and rear of the carriage.
Even the coachman wore a uniform with gold buttons, drawing admiration from passersby.
Since Diane had never had any direct contact with Cledwyn, this was her first time meeting him.
Still, when he said, “Nerys will ride with me in my carriage,” she firmly cut him off with a bold, “Don’t be ridiculous.” Cledwyn’s mouth had dropped wide open.
But in the end, after seeing Nerys and Cledwyn speak a few times, Diane agreed to them going separately.
Nerys found this surprising since there hadn’t been anything particularly special in their conversations, but she accepted it gratefully—there certainly were plenty of secrets worth discussing between just the two of them.
The golden ornate wheels rolled almost noiselessly. After listening to the rhythmic clatter of the horse hooves outside for a moment, Nerys asked,
“So, what’s really going on here? Is everything fine?”
Cledwyn, seated across from her, replied nonchalantly.
“Stopped by Sedona, figured I’d drop in while I was at it.”
Sedona? That Sedona, known for housing the Moriér merchant group’s primary goods?
Aside from that, there wasn’t much else worth seeing. Nerys gave a cold smile.
Up close, Cledwyn’s face was even more handsome than when she had seen him in the parlor.
His sculpted features and elegant harmony remained from his youth, but his eyes had deepened, his nose stood sharper, and his jaw had grown firm, giving him a strikingly mature appeal.
His graceful gray eyes reflected her smile and curved slyly. Nerys couldn’t hold back her question.
“You even had the dress ready in advance?”
“If I didn’t make it in time, I wouldn’t have come. I’ll admit that.”
“Why’d you go to Sedona?”
“To keep an eye on things.”
“On who?”
“Don’t worry. I wasn’t suspicious of you, darling little tycoon.”
Nerys’s current wealth was likely only about a third of the MacKinnon merchant group’s. Even so, that alone was already impressive—but next to the Maindulante Duke, it really would seem “cute.”
She didn’t think for a second that Cledwyn was unaware of the wedgepouch.
So, without any visible reaction, Nerys pressed further.
“Then who? Robb?”
“Not Robb either. Even the new people you hired are clean.”
Cultivating wedgepouch didn’t require any special technique.
As long as the climate and soil were right, wedgepouch grew like weeds. Just mix in a bit of halograss and you had an herb now praised in high society for its “magical effects.”
Which was why by the second year of farming, Robb couldn’t handle the workload alone anymore.
But workers had to be people she could absolutely trust. Even someone honest couldn’t be brought in if they might slip up and say the wrong thing.
Even if someone eventually discovered how wedgepouch was cultivated, that day had to come as late as possible.
The limited supply actually increased the wedgepouch’s popularity. After all, competition among buyers made things sell better.
Nerys had feared a spy from a rival might have slipped among the workers, and now felt a quiet relief. Cledwyn gave her a crooked smile.
“Then who?”
“It’s not about you. It’s about me.”
“The rumor that the Duke of Maindulante hasn’t left the North in years—does that have anything to do with it?”
Though her question came in a gentle tone, it cut straight to the point. Cledwyn stared at her for a moment, then nodded.
“Yeah. Why people think I’ve been staying put.”
“I know.”
There weren’t many routes from the Bistor Empire to Maindulante, and the most important and commonly used one passed through the lands of Marquis Tippian.
The same man who had tried to sell off his own grandson—Cledwyn—to the imperial family.
If five years ago, after nearly dying, Cledwyn had foolishly gone crawling back into that territory, Nerys would have called him a complete idiot.
But for now, that despicable old man still needed to stay right where he was.
If Cledwyn went head-to-head with the Marquis Tippian, victory would ultimately be his—but the imperial court in Bistor would leap at the opportunity to interfere.
So to avoid conflict, he had come and gone only through unofficial paths. That’s how cautious he had to be.
“The retainers of your house, or as you Maindulante people call them—‘elders,’ right? You haven’t gotten rid of all of them yet, have you?”
The cryptic exchange between the two was full of rapid leaps in logic and vague word choices that made it hard for outsiders to follow. But for the two of them, it left their expressions rather refreshed.
Maindulante was a powerful, insular region steeped in tradition. The elders there were said to behave like dukes within their own territory.
So it was clear they had every intention of manipulating Cledwyn, who was not only young but also alone.
That wasn’t all. Cledwyn’s right to inherit the duchy was granted from birth. Even so, they had the audacity to oppose his ascension—proof of just how arrogant those elders were.
Some among them had surely been complicit both when he nearly died and when others led a rebellion.
With few loyal subordinates, Cledwyn had survived by acting on his own like this.
Nerys’s sharp eyes sparkled.
“I heard the elders who opposed the young heir’s succession right after graduating from the academy are all dead. That rumor’s reached even here. But that’s not the whole truth, is it? The nastiest and most cunning ones are still alive.”
Cledwyn shrugged. She was always easy to talk to because she understood everything.
“Yeah. There are three I still need to watch. Three of them escaped, and one was reported heading toward this area. Even if they erased their trail.”
“We’ve exchanged letters for years, so there’s a chance they know about me.”
“They’re likely more suspicious of the connection between the Elandria family and me than of you personally.”
“Probably. But even if they suspect the Elandria family, I’d be the one they’d go after. Aidan’s not around anymore, after all.”
Aidan, who was a few years younger than Cledwyn, had stayed at the Academy even after his lord graduated. Likely under his orders, he had accompanied Nerys on her outings to Sedona, acting as ‘Mr. Gavin.’
So when she naturally referred to him as a senior, Cledwyn’s eyebrow twitched for the first time since their reunion.
“You seem to have gotten quite close with him.”
“We’re not close.”
Nerys shut it down firmly. She had never really considered herself close to anyone.
If she had to name someone, maybe Diane—but even then, since she’d never truly been close to anyone before, it was hard to say exactly what “close” meant.
But with Aidan, she definitely wasn’t. He had accompanied her when needed. That was all.
Cledwyn gave something like a wry smile. Nerys didn’t know why he made that face, but she maintained a calm expression.
“You stopped a few things Megara and Valentin tried to do, didn’t you? By using Aidan. You must have been busy. Thanks.”
“…I told that guy not to get caught.”
The grumbling tone felt unexpectedly familiar. Cledwyn and Aidan must have been closer than she thought. Then again, if he hadn’t trusted him, he wouldn’t have even revealed Nerys’s existence.
Nerys leaned back against the crimson cushion of the carriage and tilted her chin slightly.
“Now I understand why you tried to recruit me when I was still a child. You have so few people you can trust. Both outside and inside your home.”
“Exactly.”
This time, Cledwyn truly gave a bitter smile. Nerys’s eyes flared slightly.
“My mother’s doing well, I hope?”
Three years ago, Cledwyn had faked an accidental death to smuggle Madam Truydd away. If it looked like she had gone to Maindulante of her own accord, Nerys—still at school—might have been put in danger. It was a necessary choice.
But for the kidnapped party, that didn’t make it easier to accept. Believing she had been abducted by the Elandria family, Nerys’s mother had been furious.
Only after multiple letters of explanation from Nerys did she finally agree to begin a new life in the Maindulante ducal castle.
In that foreign place, with no friends or foundation, the only one ensuring her safety was Cledwyn. Of course, Nerys had thought being with him was safer than staying in her hometown of Rohez.
Cledwyn’s eyes softened slightly.
“She’s doing well. She’s even been a great help to me. Without Madam Truydd, the ducal castle would’ve been terribly dreary.”
“Really?”
When Nerys was younger, she thought she’d grow up to be just like her mother. She also thought every adult in the world would be just like her. As every child does.
But living together again as an adult, she realized her mother was remarkable. Cheerful and bright, yet also sharp and quick-witted. Even from Nerys’s seasoned perspective, her mother was impressive.
Her mother could light up any place she went. So why hadn’t her daughter turned out more like her?
A faint, involuntary smile formed on Nerys’s face. Noticing the shift in mood, Cledwyn casually brought up a story about ‘Madam Truydd.’
“It happened not long after she came to the castle. An assassin snuck into my room. Madam Truydd caught him.”
“What?”
That sounded absurd. Nerys’s eyes widened. Cledwyn chuckled.
“Maybe she thought he was a thief. In the middle of the night, she ran around yelling at the top of her lungs to catch the intruder. The assassin panicked, and we caught him without incident. Thankfully, he was a clumsy one.”
“That could’ve ended terribly. For both of you.”
“True. She deserves all the credit.”
Nerys felt dizzy, her thoughts spinning. Watching her expression, Cledwyn continued laughing.
Dressed for the graduation ball, she looked stunning. Her peers had prepared for this once-in-a-lifetime event since childhood and were brimming with excitement.
But Nerys—only she looked like a flawless noblewoman with no gaps for even a needle to slip through, even today. Even when she barged into the parlor earlier, with her buttons undone, she seemed to do it on purpose, like posing for a portrait.
And now, to see her so flustered and unsettled—
It wasn’t a bad feeling.
After enjoying her complex expression for a while, Cledwyn finally explained,
“If it had been a real threat, Madam Truydd wouldn’t have even seen him. The residence is perfectly secure, so don’t worry.”
“Judging by her letters, she’s definitely being treated well. But she never mentioned anything like that. There’s a limit to how much she can hide things to avoid worrying me.”
Cledwyn’s logic was sound, but Nerys couldn’t help but grumble a little. Of course, if it had been a real assassin, her mother—a civilian—wouldn’t have even noticed.
Still, anyone could die just from sheer bad luck.
Seeing her expression now, Cledwyn gave a bitter smile. A face filled with genuine concern. There were only a few people Nerys ever showed that kind of emotion for.
At least before—he believed that person was only Madam Truydd.
What about now?
“The previous head maid was the wife of one of the traitorous elders. That rat must have opened the door for him. They’ve all been dealt with, so don’t worry.”
“Got it. I’m sure you handled it well.”
He was someone who had survived those ferocious childhood years, after all.
Accepting his words, she murmured and nodded. Cledwyn wondered for a moment if she might be feeling a bit down. But fortunately, when Nerys lifted her head again, her eyes sparkled once more.
“You’ve heard that I fulfilled the early graduation requirements, right? Once I graduate, am I heading to the ducal castle too?”
Cledwyn gave a gentle smile and nodded.
“Yes. Right after the ceremony, I’ll send a carriage and escorts to bring you. You seem pretty happy about graduating.”
“Why wouldn’t I be? Does anyone actually want to stay in school forever? Besides, Nellusion keeps acting like he’s my guardian, and it’s really annoying.”
