It had been three days since the Royal Selection.
True to my word, I had done absolutely nothing.
I woke up around noon and spent my time in the manor’s living room, sipping wine and snacking on the smoked meats and fruit Mylene prepared. My work coat remained draped over the back of a chair, untouched. I had even instructed that the sealed letters arriving from the domain office be piled at the edge of the table, as long as they weren't urgent.
I had spent my own money hiring people and delegating tasks specifically so the domain would function without me. It wasn't a sin to finally enjoy the fruits of that labor and savor a well-earned break.
Clarice sat across from me, sipping her tea. Normally, she was the type of woman who would reach for a stack of mail the moment she laid eyes on it, but today she hadn't spared it a single glance. It seemed she was serious about joining me on my vacation.
"This is the life... No one rushing me since morning, just drinking wine and doing nothing. This is the lordly lifestyle I’ve always dreamed of."
"You could do that without being a lord, you know..."
"Being a lord is exactly why I can do it so shamelessly in my own home! You need a certain amount of status to be this lazy without anyone breathing down your neck."
Just as I finished my declaration, the living room door opened quietly.
Mylene bowed, a slightly troubled expression on her face.
"Master... His Grace, Duke Eldran, and Lady Lydia have arrived."
"What? Who told them I was back?"
"I believe many are aware that you left the royal capital the day after the Royal Selection... For someone of His Grace's stature, I imagine it didn't even require an investigation."
There went the whole point of fleeing the capital so early!
As I set down my glass, Clarice picked up the coat from the back of the chair and held it out.
"Vain... at least put this on. Your guest is a duke."
"They're the ones intruding on a man during his vacation. The guest should be the one to adapt to me."
"Normally, the master of the house adapts to the guest!"
"I've already called him a stubborn old man to his face. What's a single coat going to change now?"
◇
The moment Galvas Eldran stepped into the room, he looked between my disheveled appearance and the alcohol lined up on the table, then gave a loud snort. Lydia, standing half a step behind him, seemed incensed that I was receiving her father in such a state, her brow furrowed in a deep, sharp scowl.
"...Only three days have passed since the Royal Selection, and yet you have already fallen into such a state of sloth."
"It's not 'only' three days. I've rested for three whole days. At this rate, in another four days, I'll finally be back to the version of me that existed before I started working."
"If this is your natural state, you should probably work a bit more."
"If you're just here to lecture me, please leave... I'm on vacation."
The Duke's official reason for coming was to collect the hundred soldiers he had stationed within the domain. Now that the Royal Selection was over, there was no longer any reason to continue the surveillance or protection, and it seemed he had already ordered them to prepare for their return.
"I'm returning all hundred of them without a scratch. The horses and equipment are in the same condition as when I received them... I expect to be reimbursed for the food and lodging as per the contract, though."
"I have already brought the funds. I did not expect you to forget about the money."
Galvas placed a leather pouch and a document on the table. Clarice inspected the contents, verifying that the amount and the seal were correct.
"There's no problem here... In addition to the stay expenses, the cost for repairing the horse tack is included as well."
"I appreciate you being quick about it. Once you take the soldiers home, don't interrupt my vacation again, alright?"
"That is not my only business... I am also carrying a message from Her Highness Alecia."
My hand, reaching for my glass, stopped mid-air.
"She mentioned she would visit here personally before the Coronation Ceremony. She was quite incensed that you fled the royal capital on your own without even letting her offer a word of thanks."
"I didn't flee! I went home because the job was done. If I had waited in that crowd, I wouldn't have been able to leave the royal palace until after sundown."
"What use is there in making excuses to me? Explain yourself when Her Highness arrives."
I had finally decided to spend my days doing absolutely nothing, and now the next monarch was planning to barge into my home. As I let my displeasure show plainly on my face, Galvas continued.
"She also mentioned that she would grant a reward to the one who contributed most to her victory, separate from the compensation set by the contract..."
"What?! An additional reward?"
I sat bolt upright on the sofa.
"Lead with that! If Alecia is coming, I suppose I should prepare some fine wine and food... She certainly is a sensible future queen, isn't she?"
"...Do not change your attitude the moment you hear the word 'reward.'"
"It's common courtesy toward the giver to show honest joy when receiving something, isn't it? If it's money, I want to hear the amount. If it's land, I want to see the location."
"...You truly make no effort to hide your greed."
"Will hiding it get me a bigger reward? If not, then it’s a waste of breath."
Galvas looked exasperated, but for some reason, he also seemed a little amused.
"Well, rest as much as you like for now... I suspect you will be quite busy from here on out."
"...What are you talking about? My contract was only to ensure Alecia won the Royal Selection. Once I receive my reward, I plan to live a life of leisure in my domain."
"Whether you wish for it or not is irrelevant... You defied the First Prince, supported the next monarch, and acted as the catalyst that moved the lords of the West. If you think you can simply go back to being an ordinary lord—"
"Aah, enough, enough! Old men are far too long-winded... I'm on vacation, remember? If you want to lecture me, save it for when Alecia is here so I can listen to you both at once."
Clarice hurriedly leaned forward, looking panicked.
"Vain! How can you speak to Duke Eldran like that!"
Galvas waved his thick hand, seemingly unbothered.
"It is fine! If this fellow suddenly started using polite language with a solemn face, it would be even more unsettling!"
"Even if Your Grace forgives it, it won't fly with anyone else! I'm cautioning him for his own sake."
"Clarice, you're my aide, aren't you?"
"Right now, I'm an ally of etiquette!"
◇
Thinking that the business was finally concluded, I went to refill my wine. However, Galvas made no move to stand.
"Furthermore, young man. You haven't forgotten that I lent you my strength during the Royal Selection, have you?"
"I didn't ask you to choose Alecia. I only told you to choose the monarch with your own eyes."
"Do not quibble with me. If I had not stood up, the other lords of the West would not have followed, and you would have lost by a single vote... Since you were saved by my actions, I consider this a favor you owe me."
I wanted to deny it, but he was right. Normally, I would have ironed out the method and deadline for repayment beforehand. However, having just heard about an additional reward, I was in an exceptionally good mood.
"Well, you were a help this time. Fine, fine! I'll let it count as one favor."
"Is that so... Then I shall have you repay it here and now."
"Already? You're a restless old man, aren't you? If it's money, name the amount."
"I have no need for money... I will take the hundred soldiers back with me. In exchange, I am leaving Lydia here."
I froze with my glass tilted halfway to my lips. Beside me, Lydia whipped her head around to stare at her father in shock.
"Wh—Father?! I have heard nothing of this!"
"That is only natural... for I have only just decided it."
"Then there is no possible way I could have been prepared!"
"...Wait. How does me repaying a favor connect to you leaving your daughter behind?"
"Take charge of Lydia for six months. Teach her how to read people and how to run a domain... and we’ll call it even."
"I'm on vacation, you know."
"You can teach her after your vacation is over."
Despite her youth, Lydia was excellent with the sword, horses, and commanding troops. However, as long as she remained in a ducal house, those around her would treat her only as a highborn lady, and she would be surrounded by people who thought exactly like her father. Learning how to view and lead people of different social standings or pasts was something she couldn't easily do within House Eldran.
"One can learn horsemanship and the blade even in our house... but what you lack now is not that. In this domain, there are former knights, former assassins, and even those cast aside by other noble houses. Sharpen your eyes among those who cannot be measured by your own yardstick alone."
"...I can learn those things under you, Father!"
"What will you learn surrounded only by those of the same mind? There are things you can only see when you are serving under someone you dislike."
The term was six months... Lydia would assist with the domain's work as a guest officer, and House Eldran would cover her salary, equipment, medical fees, and stay. He even had a contract ready and waiting.
I ignored the document for a moment and looked at Lydia.
"The girl herself looks miserable. If you're just dumping her here on a father's whim, I won't take her."
"If you truly hate it, you are free to return with the soldiers... nothing is gained by staying simply because you were ordered to."
Lydia pursed her lips, her gaze darting between her father and me. After a long moment of hesitation, she straightened her back.
"...I will stay. Not because my father ordered it, but because I will see with my own eyes whether Count Razgrim is truly a person worth learning from!"
"Personally, I wouldn't mind if you didn't bother."
"I did not ask for your opinion!"
"...Even though this is about you staying in my house?"
I scanned the contract. All expenses were covered by House Eldran. Her martial skills were the real deal, and she had agreed to stay. I had no reason to refuse.
"Fine... It's not costing me anything, and she's capable. If she wants to stay, I'll take her in. However, I have no intention of keeping you as an ornament just because you're a duke’s daughter. You'll do the work assigned to you, and if you can't follow my instructions, I'll send you home."
"That is exactly what I expect! I have no intention of seeking special treatment."
"Sort out the fine details of the contract with Clarice... I'm still on vacation."
"...You're delegating her to me the second you accept?!"
"It's a lord's job to delegate work to capable people."
Clarice pressed a hand to her forehead, but she took the document nonetheless.
◇
By evening, the hundred soldiers of House Eldran had formed their ranks and finished their preparations to depart the Razgrim domain. In front of the manor entrance, only Lydia remained with her bags packed.
"Father, you really should fix that stubborn streak of deciding where people go on your own!"
"I hope your own head has softened at least a little six months from now... Young man, I leave my daughter in your hands."
"I hear you, I hear you. For one favor, you're leaving behind a pretty heavy burden, old man..."
"Do not refer to the daughter of a ducal house as a burden..."
Galvas remained in high spirits until the end as he led his soldiers away.
Once their backs were no longer visible, Lydia turned toward me.
"Let me make this clear... it is not as if I have acknowledged you."
"I know... and I'm on vacation, so I have no intention of working to earn your approval."
"...Do you intend to keep up that attitude for the next six months?"
"At the very least, I'm keeping it up for a few more days."
Lydia looked like she was developing a genuine migraine.
And so, the hundred soldiers left, and in their place, a single duke’s daughter remained. Based on numbers alone, the headcount had decreased significantly, but for some reason, I felt as though the troubles of the manor had only multiplied. To make matters worse, an angry Alecia was supposedly coming before her coronation.
I was supposed to have four days of vacation left.