Tulpe Edelweiss.
The person currently governing the city as the Duke’s Proxy was my elder sister.
Whether she was hearing the name for the first time or simply curious, the Little Witch turned to the merchant, Mr. Speck, with a question.
"Does Saint Iris have a sister?"
"Yes. However, Lady Tulpe is, well—"
"What? You promised to give us the full story, so don't hold back."
"—It is quite difficult to say, but... Lady Tulpe is an illegitimate child. A daughter born out of wedlock."
I, Iris, had been born as the only daughter of the Duke and Duchess of Edelweiss. I was raised as the heir, the eldest child.
But then, one day, I suddenly became the second daughter.
That was the day an elder sister from a different mother was brought into our home.
"Unlike Lady Iris, Lady Tulpe’s mother was a commoner. It seems she was officially welcomed into the House of Duke Edelweiss only after Lady Iris became engaged to the royal family."
Until then, I had been educated as the sole heir to the House of Duke Edelweiss. However, once my engagement to the Second Prince—the Hero—was finalized, the family faced a succession crisis. I would eventually join the royal family, leaving the Edelweiss line with no one to carry on the name.
As a solution, Father brought his own biological child into the household.
Naturally, the discovery of Father’s secret child was a bolt from the blue. It caused quite a stir within the estate, as one might imagine. But in this era, it wasn't particularly rare for high-ranking nobles to have children hidden away. My mother eventually made the difficult decision to accept the girl into our home.
That was how Tulpe, who was one year older than me, arrived. Since I was the younger of the two, I was demoted from the eldest daughter to the second overnight. I had spent my whole life believing I was an only child, so it came as a massive shock.
Most people assumed our relationship as half-sisters was fraught with tension. To an outsider who knew nothing of our private lives, that was only natural. In reality, however, we weren't on bad terms at all.
For one, I spent most of my time living and training at the Saint Cathedral in the Royal Capital, while Tulpe lived a quiet, almost reclusive life back in the Duke’s territory. Because of our different paths, I could count the number of times we had met face-to-face on one hand.
Besides, Tulpe was... a bit eccentric.
Regardless, the Duke welcomed her warmly and ensured she received a proper noble’s education. Given that history, I didn't understand why Mr. Speck seemed so hesitant to mention her status. When I was still living as Iris, the people of the Edelweiss territory seemed to have accepted her.
Mr. Speck sensed my confusion and explained further.
"Lady Tulpe was intended to take a husband to serve as the heir in place of Lady Iris, whose marriage had already been decided. However, immediately after Lady Iris passed away, those marriage talks fell through."
"What? They were canceled?" I blurted out.
If I recalled correctly, Tulpe was supposed to marry the second son of a Marquess.
"An annulment was unilaterally declared by royal order. Since then, no other noble house has stepped forward to propose an engagement. The common folk rumor that it is because of Lady Tulpe’s status as an illegitimate child."
To think all of this had been happening since I died...
But wait a moment. No matter her status, there should have been countless noble sons desperate to marry into the House of Edelweiss, one of the most powerful families in the Kingdom of Gardenia.
Furthermore, Tulpe’s mother had been a famous dancer, and Tulpe had inherited her beauty. I hated to admit it, but her figure had been much more refined than mine. She should have had her pick of suitors. I couldn't fathom what had gone wrong. And a royal order to cancel an engagement? That was almost unheard of.
"There are other whispers as well," Speck added, lowering his voice. "Rumors that the House of Duke Edelweiss is being blackmailed by the royal family. They say the Duke cannot even hold his head up high in the presence of Saint of the Lamp Zelma..."
Zelma. She was the one connected to the Witch Queen. Since Rufe had heard her name mentioned in the Witch’s Village, there was no doubt about it.
Was that girl interfering with my family?
That Shitty Junior... Stealing my fiancé and killing me wasn't enough? Now she was laying her hands on my home? If the rumors had reached the ears of common merchants, then Zelma must truly have some sort of leverage over my father.
But my family was clean—no tax evasion, no illegal dealings. Why would Father be unable to stand up to her?
Wait... I felt like I was forgetting something important.
Speck continued, unaware of my internal turmoil. "The Duke is reportedly making various backroom arrangements to regain His Majesty’s favor and secure permission for Lady Tulpe to marry. One of those efforts involved the presentation of Saint Nectar."
That explained why the Duke had issued strict orders to the city’s trading companies to procure large quantities of the substance. And it was why the Pilz Trading Company was so overjoyed when we arrived with our shipment.
I finally had a grasp on the current state of my former home. Things were much worse than I had imagined. Between the broken engagement, the friction with the crown, and whatever was happening with Zelma, the House of Edelweiss was in a precarious position.
As Speck finished his explanation, the Little Witch, who had been uncharacteristically solemn, finally looked up.
"Hey, can I ask you something?" she asked slowly.
"Yes? What is it, Rufe-san?"
"What does 'illegitimate child' actually mean?"
I stared at her. Was that why she’d been so quiet? She didn't understand the terminology? It was likely the first time she had ever heard the phrase. Mr. Speck and I were both momentarily speechless, but the kind merchant took the time to explain the concept to her as gently as possible.
After concluding our business, Mr. Speck shared one final piece of news.
"This information is quite recent, but the situation in the western part of the Kingdom of Gardenia is looking suspicious. There is a steady influx of refugees from the west, and the population of Edelweiss is growing by the day."
The western Kingdom was a mountainous region. I had visited it a few times back in my Saint Iris era, but I wondered what could be happening there now.
Leaving the Pilz Trading Company behind, we headed to an inn Speck had recommended. We stabled the Wood Horse Golem and made our way to our room. The ground floor was a bustling tavern, while the upper floors were for guests.
Wrapped in my cloak to hide my monstrous nature, I managed to reach the second floor along with the Treant and Kiri the fairy. Eating in the common area was out of the question, so I asked Rufe to bring our dinner upstairs. We had more than enough money now, and the innkeeper was happy to accommodate us for a small extra fee.
As Rufe and Kiri munched on bread, the Mandrake and I were treated to a fresh watering in our pots.
Ah, the water tasted wonderful.
But as I sat there, I realized something. What did the Treant usually eat?
"Hey, Treant. Aren't you going to have anything?"
In response to my question, my "little sister," the Amazoness Treant, simply shook her head and patted her stomach with a satisfied look. Apparently, she was already full. I couldn't help but wonder what she had been eating in secret.
"Still..." I murmured.
Staying in a human inn with this group felt incredibly surreal. An Alraune, a Witch, a fairy, an Amazoness Treant, and a potted Mandrake. We were all used to the forest, but none of us were particularly accustomed to life in a human settlement.
We had come so far—all the way from the Alraune's Forest near the Tower City to the heart of Edelweiss.
As I was lost in thought, Rufe finished her bread and gave one of my leaves a playful tug.
"Hey, Alraune. What are we doing tomorrow?"
"Well..."
Edelweiss was being targeted. If those bandits were indeed from the Demon King's Army, they would strike soon. I had fought to defend this city as Saint Iris before, but those had only been minor skirmishes.
The main force of the Demon King's Army rarely penetrated this far into the Kingdom. The front lines were far to the west. The southwestern border was held by Margrave Manfred Turmburg at the Tower City, and the west was protected by a natural fortress of mountains. Beyond that lay the Duchy of Kelber, a small but militarily powerful ally that had held the line for generations.
If Edelweiss were to face a full-scale invasion, it would mean either the Tower City or the Duchy of Kelber had fallen. And even then, several fortified cities stood between the border and here. Until those fell, Edelweiss was safe from a total siege.
Therefore, whatever force was approaching was likely a small, elite unit. That was how it had always been.
Rufe interrupted my tactical analysis with a whisper. "Hey, Alraune. About tomorrow..."
"Did you... think of a place... you want to go?"
"Yeah. I want to meet the Duke’s Proxy."
I nearly fell out of my pot. "What?"
She still hadn't given up on meeting the Duke? And since he was away, she was settling for his deputy.
"They said the Proxy, Tulpe Edelweiss, is Saint Iris’s sister. I want to meet her."
I looked into Rufe's eyes and saw that her mind was made up.
"...Fine. Tomorrow... we'll try to go... to the Duke’s mansion."
"Yay!"
"But Rufe... we're just traveling merchants. We don't have an appointment... so don't expect... too much, okay?"
"I know!"
However, the next day brought a shock none of us expected.
As we were preparing to leave for the estate, a messenger arrived at the inn—sent directly from the House of Duke Edelweiss.
The messenger looked straight at Rufe and declared, "I am here to escort the beast-ear merchant, Rufe, to the presence of the Duke’s Proxy!"
It was a formal summons. My sister, Tulpe, had called for her.
Next time: The Little Witch's first visit to the Duke's mansion.