Translator: Nox

Chapter 23

Chapter 23.

‘As expected.’

Although the official documents had not yet arrived, Agatha had a premonition that her ex-husband would be included among the Mainyucor envoys.

It was an unofficial meeting, and no matter how much it was a matter of foreign envoys entering their territorial waters, it was not something for a commander to handle personally.

“Why the long face, Agatha? Is there a problem?”

“No, it’s not that.”

Agatha glanced at Enoch, who was sitting opposite her, before handing over the documents.

“I heard the Commander of the Eastern Navy will be accompanying the escort mission.”

“……”

The man, who had spent ten years on the battlefield yet retained his aristocratic sensibilities, immediately sensed something was amiss.

“It seems someone of high status is included in this Mainyucor delegation.”

“I’m not certain, but I heard the Crown Prince has a second prince.”

The Mainyucore Empire’s Second Prince, Fernand Mainumconti.

For a moment, the man’s gaze turned to Agatha. Agatha was engulfed in conflicting emotions.

While anxious about how her newly married husband would react to meeting his wife’s ex-husband, she also harbored a vague sense of anticipation.

Perhaps he would be jealous.

This was an expectation that bloomed even though she knew their marriage was a political alliance formed for mutual purposes.

“Is that so?”

The man, his gaze having shifted away, casually turned over the back page of the document. Agatha, who had briefly clenched the hem of her dress, reached for another document.

She didn’t know what she was expecting.

They were a couple who had married in less than two months, even after the wedding ceremony, spending the night together, and him treating her kindly.

‘I shouldn’t delude myself.’

The consideration he showed was merely the respect for a wife that she had requested before their marriage.

Just then, a gentle hand reached out and brushed Agatha’s cheek. Startled, she lifted her head, her vision filled with the man’s face as he drew closer.

“You still don’t look well.”

“……”

I shouldn’t be doing this.

Agatha found herself leaning her cheek against his hand without realizing it. Her hand covered the back of his large, slightly rough hand.

“You’ll be fine soon. You’re inside the castle now.”

“I will handle the meeting with the navy, so why don’t you go to the inn and rest first?”

“The commander will be difficult. Will you be alright?”

Agatha had summoned the Nobilis navy, but that was truly for escort purposes.

The Imperial Navy would be the one to formally greet the delegation and accompany them, so there was a possibility of a power struggle with the commander over jurisdiction.

“I’m not that easily swayed, Madam.”

For a fleeting moment, the man’s dry eyes curved slightly. Agatha stared, as if mesmerized, into his deep pupils.

“You still haven’t answered my question.”

Snapping back to attention, Agatha lowered her gaze.

“Then I’ll leave the military matters to you, and as soon as the ship’s supplies are replenished, I’ll head to the inn.”

“There’s no other way. You won’t listen even if I say more……”

He reached out with his other hand, taking the Nobilis navy roster and the ship’s interior map, and whispered softly.

“Don’t overexert yourself.”

“……”

Nodding slightly, Agatha suppressed the sudden surge of greed.

To think her heart fluttered so much just from his attitude of respecting her as a wife.

‘How happy would I be if this man started to love me?’

But the fantasy had to remain just that.

“Please take care of it, Enoch.”

The man pulled away their overlapping hands and deeply kissed the back of hers. The carriage soon arrived at the port.

\ \ \

Agatha alighted from the carriage and, leading her first aide, Ethel Masro, and her attendant maids, headed towards the Nobilis Family’s ships.

Enoch gestured to his second-in-command, Huber Carwen, with a warning.

—Do not stray from her side.

He, along with Aratus’s knights, had long noticed the gazes they had been feeling lately.

There was no killing intent, but the gazes were covert.

The first place that came to mind was relatives of the Nobilis or Aratus families.

Although they didn’t seem to intend immediate harm, complacency was forbidden.

Huber, after performing the military salute, followed behind her with dozens of knights.

Having secured his wife’s safety, he swept his dry expression once.

‘Was the strangeness all because of the Second Prince?’

The Mainyucore Empire’s Second Prince, Fernand Mainumconti.

The Second Prince’s scoundrel-like personality was well-known across the continent.

He had no shame, no honor, a complicated love life, and ultimately, even an illegitimate child.

Agatha was as concerned about her husband’s reaction as she was uncomfortable meeting him.

Frankly, it wasn’t a pleasant feeling.

Enoch was not so foolish as to show his displeasure.

‘Even if my displeasure is directed at the Second Prince and the Emperor who arranged this meeting, it wouldn’t have a good effect on her.’

She had been a more than adequate wife as the Duchess. Even as an indefinable feeling gnawed at his gut, Enoch had no intention of showing it outwardly.

Rather, he was worried about his wife.

He himself had no particular thoughts, but couldn’t his wife be anxious alone?

‘Especially when she’s not feeling well.’

Recalling her still pale complexion from the effects of the long carriage journey, Enoch’s demeanor subtly sharpened.

“We need to finish this quickly. Let’s go.”

“Yes, my lord.”

Enoch handed the documents in his hand to his adjutant and then walked towards the temporary governor and the group of navy personnel who were beginning to approach.

At that moment, Enoch had not yet realized that the unpleasant feeling had vanished without a trace when it touched Agatha.

Nor that the emotion was jealousy.

\ \ \

Booooooom-

“Set sail!”

With a resounding trumpet blast, the ship, with its sails fully unfurled, cut through the sea with increasing speed.

It was the Nobilis fleet and the Roxbard Empire’s Eastern Navy.

The journey from the port to Palavi Island would take another ten days.

Before setting sail, Agatha received an official document from the temporary governor, Baron Solano.

On the first page of the document was the name of the head of the Mainyucor delegation.

「Second Prince Fernand Mainumconti」

The hint from Crown Prince Antony Roxiva, heard at the banquet hall, had become a reality.

Time flowed relentlessly, and after approximately nine nights had passed.

Regardless of Agatha’s complicated feelings, the Nobilis Family’s ship and three warships, along with the Roxbard Empire’s navy, entered the waters of Palavi Island.

Jessie, an attendant maid who often went up to the deck, brought the good news.

“Madam. I can see the island!”

“Really? We arrived sooner than I thought.”

They had predicted that the journey would be delayed due to severe waves for several days. Fortunately, they had arrived at the island without exceeding the scheduled time.

Agatha, who went up to the deck after a long time, gazed at the island visible in the distance.

“So that’s Palavi Island.”

Since becoming an adult and setting out on a tour of her territories, Agatha had visited this island only once.

It wasn’t a particularly memorable island then.

The unfamiliar island, with trees densely growing on rocks, was more beautiful than she had expected. A port lay at the end of a plain surrounded by mountains.

“Even if the island is visible, it will take several more hours to dock.”

“Is that so?”

Agatha stood on the deck and admired the island until the ship docked.

“The island is pretty.”

It was a rather large volcanic island.

A castle stood prominently like a cone on the central highlands, with a spiral-shaped forest, farmlands, and a village below.

The port was immediately visible, and there were three accessible piers.

The rest were still under construction as they expanded the port’s capacity.

“The pier construction is scheduled to be completed within two weeks.”

Ethel, her aide, who had come up to the deck, joined the conversation.

“And the trading post building?”

“They are currently putting on the roof.”

As the island drew closer, the buildings under construction became faintly visible where Ethel pointed with her finger.

Once trade officially began, there would be a need for places for sailors to rest, official residences for officials from various countries, and areas for unloading and inspecting goods.

Agatha nodded, looking at the construction sites that were nearing completion, approved by her.

“Let’s look around the construction sites before we go to the castle.”

“Yes, I will make the necessary arrangements.”

As Ethel stepped away, a familiar voice drifted to her ear.

“Are you going straight to the construction site?”

Enoch, who had arrived without her noticing, was standing there.

“I heard that the Mainyucor delegation is approaching. I need to check the construction sites beforehand to prepare.”

Enoch’s gaze fell on his adjutant, Chad, who stood beside him.

“They should arrive in three days. The reconnaissance navy ships reported seeing the Mainyumconti Imperial Family’s flag.”

“Is that so?”

Agatha pondered the surprisingly swift arrival. It seemed time would be tight.

Of course, Enoch would be the one to greet the delegation.

They needed to move quickly to inspect the construction sites, prepare for the welcome ceremony, and the banquet before the negotiations.