One afternoon.
While I was clearing the documents piled on my desk, Alecia suddenly crossed my mind. Despite writing that the Razgrim domain would be the first stop on her provincial inspection tour, she hadn't shown her face since then. There was still some time before the Founding Festival, and if her schedule continued to be delayed like this, I certainly wasn't going to complain.
I pushed the last sheet aside and leaned back deeply into my chair.
"Hmm... at this rate, it looks like Alecia won't be coming for a while, right?"
The mere thought made my mood brighten instantly.
"No, she doesn't need to come at all! That calculating woman should just stay in the royal capital! I've finally settled down a bit—"
"Um... Master...?"
Mylene, who was standing by the door, had a strangely hesitant look on her face.
"Mylene? What is it?"
"If you are referring to Queen Alecia... she has already arrived."
"...Huh?"
From behind me, I heard a familiar voice.
"Oh... My apologies for being such a 'calculating woman.'"
When I slowly turned around, Alecia was standing there with a smile. Instead of the heavy formal attire she wore at the royal palace, she wore a cloak over practical traveling clothes, with the royal family's crest pinned to her chest.
"Ha, haha... What are you doing here?"
"I told you before that I would be coming for an inspection, didn't I?"
"I didn't mean it that way! Why wasn't I informed of your arrival!?"
When I turned sharply toward Mylene, she bowed her head apologetically.
"I—I did try to tell you... but I couldn't keep Her Majesty waiting at the front door, and while I was showing her in, Master was already..."
"Already saying, 'Don't come, calculating woman'?" Alecia added playfully.
"Don't just pick out that part!"
"I am not so generous that I can hear myself being called a calculating woman and simply pretend I didn't, you know?"
She had definitely heard everything. Even so, the fact remained that I hadn't received any prior notice.
"You said you'd inform me of the date in advance, didn't you? Don't just show up out of the blue."
"I sent a formal letter three days ago."
"What? It never arrived."
"It most certainly did."
This time, Clarice's voice cut in from beside my desk. She pulled a single sheet from a bundle of documents and held it out to me.
"Look... didn't you check this and stamp it yourself three days ago?"
I looked at the paper. My seal was definitely there.
"...I don't remember this."
"Is that because lately, you've only been paying attention to the portraits of young ladies sent for marriage proposals?"
"You—! Don't say that now!"
My voice cracked reflexively, but unfortunately, the damage was done.
Alecia’s smile froze.
"...Portraits?"
"No! Well, no, it's not like that... I was just checking the materials sent by the other houses!"
"You were carefully sorting out the ones with the faces you liked, weren't you?"
"Clarice! You're doing this on purpose, aren't you!?"
"I wonder what you could possibly mean?"
Clarice returned to her paperwork with a perfectly innocent expression. I was certain of it now—she was definitely doing this on purpose.
"Heh... young ladies with faces you liked, is it?"
Only Alecia's voice remained strangely calm.
◇
First, as befitting a provincial inspection, we gathered in the reception room so I could explain the situation within the domain.
I spoke about the maintenance of the highways, the restoration of the new domain, the expansion of the warehouses, the review of tax collection, and the allocation of personnel. Clarice supplemented my explanation with the necessary figures. Alecia, who had been smiling until a moment ago, shifted into work mode, verifying each point with serious attention.
"To think that restoration has progressed this far even in the newly added territories... Even though I granted you a thousand gold coins, I didn't expect you to move this much at once."
"I'm just fixing what needs to be fixed while there's money to do it. If I leave the ruined highways and warehouses alone, it'll only cost more in the long run."
"You really are remarkably steady in these matters... And yet, why do things suddenly get so strange when it comes to your personal life?"
"What are you talking about?"
Alecia closed the documents and wore a smile that felt different from her earlier one.
"By the way, Vain... do you remember what you said when you turned down my marriage proposal?"
I had a very bad feeling about this.
"...That's in the past. I've forgotten it."
"It was only a month ago. You said—you wanted to play around with women, didn't you?"
"...You have a suspiciously good memory."
"You said it in front of every noble in the Kingdom. How could I possibly forget? So, tell me, how many women have you 'played' with since then?"
I didn't want to answer. I knew if I gave her a random number, she'd demand to know their names next.
"...Not a single one."
"Wait, not even one?"
"Shut up! My workload has tripled since I became a Duke! Letters arrive from other houses every day! Where exactly was I supposed to find the time to play around with women!?"
Alecia pressed a hand to her mouth, clearly stifling a laugh.
"I see... so not even one?"
"Why do you look so happy about that?"
"Oh, it's nothing. I just thought that since you spoke so boldly, you would surely be enjoying yourself."
"That's why I said marriage proposals are coming in. There were several young ladies whose faces I liked, and once I have some free time, I might just see about meeting them."
This time, Alecia's smile vanished completely.
"...Oh?"
"What's with that look?"
"Nothing at all... I just thought I'd have you tell me a little more about those marriage proposals later."
"Why would the Queen of the realm investigate my marriage prospects!?"
"Whether or not it's my business hasn't been decided yet, has it?"
It seemed she truly had no intention of dropping the matter she had declared "on hold" at the coronation.
◇
After that, we left the manor to tour the highways and warehouses currently under maintenance. Finally, we headed to the barracks and entered the training grounds.
The soldiers were training today as well. I had been genuinely surprised to learn the number exceeded a thousand when including those stationed throughout the domain, but I was finally starting to get used to the scale.
At one end of the field, Raisa was barking orders, while on the other side, Lydia was refining their formations. As we approached, one of the soldiers noticed us.
"Lord Vain is here!!"
At that one shout, the surrounding soldiers all snapped their heads toward us. Even the ones who looked exhausted straightened their backs instantly.
"Continue as you were... I only came to watch."
At my command, the soldiers returned to their training with even more intensity than before.
Beside me, Alecia watched them in silence.
"What is it?"
"...They have quite impressive physiques, don't they? Are these the former bandits you mentioned?"
"Yeah. They were skin and bones at first, but this is what happens when you feed them three meals a day and train them properly."
"I see... and what happens when they get injured?"
"I have them treated, obviously. I replace their boots and gear when they wear out. It's only natural, isn't it?"
Alecia didn't answer. Instead, she began tracking their movements. At Raisa's signal, the soldiers scattered, and a moment later, they reformed their ranks perfectly at Lydia's command. To me, it just looked like they were moving a bit more in unison than before, but Alecia watched them for a long time.
Eventually, she turned to face me.
"Vain... these soldiers, they are more than you think..."
"More than I think? What's that supposed to mean?"
"...No matter. The day that is proven isn't far off."
"What are you talking about?"
"Don't worry about it for now. More importantly, you're aware that the Founding Festival is in one month, right?"
"Yeah. It's a hassle to travel all the way to the royal capital, so I've never attended."
I knew it was a festival where people crowded into the capital and made a ruckus for days. I also knew there was a Military Tournament where the various houses entered their private soldiers to compete, but I had never had the slightest urge to participate.
"You are to attend this year. And I'll have these soldiers enter the Military Tournament as well."
"Hmph. I refuse."
I answered instantly. Alecia didn't even blink, as if she had predicted my response.
"You are a Duke this year. You are no longer a Count. You played a pivotal role in the Royal Selection; if you don't even show your face at the Founding Festival or participate in the tournament, it will invite unnecessary speculation."
"Let them speculate all they want. Taking soldiers to the capital costs a fortune in food and supplies. If equipment breaks, it's more money for repairs; if men get hurt, it's more money for treatment. I have no interest in paying good money just to go and get beaten!"
"You don't need to take everyone. The number of participants in the tournament is limited. Besides, there is prize money. First place receives five hundred gold coins and the Kingdom Military Medal of Honor."
Five hundred gold coins, huh? Not that I gave a damn about the medal.
My heart wavered for a split second, but I remembered that House Eldran had won last year. There was no way we could compete with a house like that in military matters.
"Hey, what does fifth place pay?"
"...Why are you asking about fifth place immediately after I mentioned first?"
"Because it's more realistic. If we can make the top five, I might be able to recover the costs for travel, food, and repairs."
"I'm appalled... Fifth place is fifty gold coins."
"Then that might not be so bad... No, wait. I didn't say I was entering in the first place."
That was close. Even if they'd bulked up, my men were mostly former bandits. Competing against the elite soldiers of prestigious noble houses and coming home with a bunch of injuries simply wasn't worth the risk.
"It's impossible. My men are mostly former bandits. Just because they look impressive doesn't mean they can actually win against the soldiers of the great houses."
"I see... so you truly believe that."
After scanning the training grounds once more, Alecia turned back to me.
"Duke Vain Razgrim. You will participate in this year's Founding Festival and enter the private soldiers of House Razgrim into the Military Tournament."
It was the voice of a monarch, a sharp departure from her previous tone.
"You... you just said you wouldn't ignore my will..."
"Do not conflate a marriage proposal with state affairs. I have no intention of forcing a life partner upon you. But right now, as your Queen, I am commanding a Duke of the Kingdom."
"...And if I refuse?"
Alecia didn't hesitate. She smiled, but her eyes were firm.
"It is a royal decree."
I glared at her for a long moment. She claimed to respect my will when it came to romance, but she had no intention of letting me escape when it came to my duties. How utterly loathsome!
"Sigh... your personality hasn't changed a bit, even after becoming Queen."
"I don't want to hear that from you, of all people."