“Hoho.”
Pleased with Rose's answer, a satisfied smile spread across the King's lips.
“To have such a magnificent jewel beside the Duke, the light of the magic stone fades in comparison.”
I had intended to finish the tribute ceremony as quickly as possible.
But seeing the King praise Rose, my mouth moved on its own.
“Your words are most reasonable.”
“……?”
Rose looked at me as if asking why I was agreeing there. Unyielding, I continued in a calm voice.
“My wife made a tremendous contribution to mining this magic stone.”
“Oh, is that true?”
“Yes. She researched the Magical Device diligently, saying she had to mine the magic stone to present to Your Majesty.”
The process was different, but the result was the same.
Thanks to the resonant blasting method Rose developed for fast excavation, we could mine the raw stones without destroying the surrounding walls.
“To think our kingdom had such a talent.”
The King stared at Rose in apparent surprise.
“To have a wife well-versed in magical studies join Schmaichel, there could be no better match.”
“That is true.”
Normally, it was wise politics to unconditionally agree with whatever the King said, but in this moment, genuine agreement flowed from me.
‘Every word of it is true.’
Just as I was inwardly nodding my head,
“…….”
I spotted Arikx staring intently at Rose with eyes full of interest.
‘…Oops.’
I should have held back.
I had openly declared in front of Arikx that Rose was beautiful both in appearance and in character.
Just as I was clicking my tongue at my own stupidity,
“Seeing Schmaichel, the protector of the North, so robust, my heart is satisfied.”
Fortunately, the King signaled to a servant as if to wrap up the conversation. The servant approached and took the box containing the tribute.
“Come closer, Duke.”
As the King gestured to me, the surrounding atmosphere shifted.
The royals who had been watching silently, and the nobles watching from afar, began to focus their attention here.
‘He must have been quite pleased.’
Calling Schmaichel last among the four Ducal houses was close to a preemptive strike.
Nevertheless, seeing the tribute I offered and the still-mighty Schmaichel seemed to have put him in a good mood.
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
As I stepped closer and bowed my body, the King whispered in my ear.
“It feels like just yesterday you came here with the previous Duke, yet you have already grown up so much.”
His voice was lowered so only I could hear.
“You resemble your father exactly. It is truly like seeing the previous Duke in his youth.”
“I am overwhelmed by Your Majesty's grace.”
“So, is the 'cleaning' going well? If there is too much dust, it must be hard to breathe.”
Through the wrinkles around his eyes, the King's golden eyes shone clearly. His gaze briefly swept over where the nobles stood before returning.
‘He hasn't lost his edge yet.’
He was the King who built and maintained a strong royal authority in his youth. No matter how old he got, his dignity remained.
Right now, he was asking.
He knew of the feud between the collateral branches and me, and he was asking if the household was being kept in line well enough for me to securely take the seat of lord.
“Of course.”
I replied in an even voice without any change in my expression.
“The cleaning will soon be finished, and it will be spotless.”
“Do you perhaps need a broom? Wouldn't it be easier to sweep it all away at once?”
It was an offer to support us militarily or to purge the collateral branches by royal decree.
But that would be tantamount to admitting Schmaichel was an incompetent house that couldn't even handle its own internal affairs. Furthermore, owing a debt to the royal family would return as a much larger price later.
“How could I use Your Majesty's broom to clean up my household trash.”
I raised my head and looked directly into the King's eyes. Then, I answered politely but with arrogant confidence.
“I will burn it all to ashes.”
I drove the nail in with a cool smile.
“I will handle it quietly and definitively so that the smoke will not reach Your Majesty's throne.”
I finished speaking and thought to myself.
‘He must not know what his second son is up to.’
If he did, he couldn't have spoken like this.
I had no intention of playing my card here. So, I silently bowed my head.
“Yes, that is fitting for the master of the North.”
Pat. Pat.
The King's wrinkled hand patted my shoulder a couple of times before withdrawing.
“I will look forward to it, Duke.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
The King lightly waved his hand, signaling we could step back.
Thump.
Rose and I slowly stepped down from the dais.
Feeling Arikx's gaze lingering on Rose until the very last moment.
“Haa……”
As we stepped down, Rose's body staggered slightly.
“Careful.”
I reached out to support Rose,
“I'm fine.”
Rose steadied herself and replied composedly.
“You shouldn't overexert yourself either, Your Excellency. Your injured arm hasn't completely healed yet.”
The bone in my left arm was slowly knitting together, but there was a throbbing pain whenever I put strength into it or twisted it.
I couldn't let anyone know I had sustained such an injury. That was why I had placed a thin splint inside my clothes so it wasn't visible from the outside.
Rose also merely feigned holding my arm, only lightly resting her hand on it.
“I am not particularly overexerting myself.”
“You always say that, Your Excellency.”
Rose gave me a sidelong glance before letting out a soft sigh.
“It's finally over. I was so nervous.”
“It's nothing. Just think of it as visiting a neighbor with a lot of money and land.”
“It's not that you're wrong, but……”
Rose laughed hollowly and whined lightly as if throwing a small tantrum.
“You surprised me earlier by praising me in front of His Majesty. Why did you do that? It was a burden.”
“I only spoke the truth.”
I said while looking straight ahead in a calm voice.
“Everyone will envy me. For having such an excellent wife.”
Rose opened and closed her mouth with a slightly flushed face.
“It's not to that degree……”
“No, it is.”
I nailed it shut with a tone so firm not even a needle could slip through.
“I assure you, among the noble ladies here, you, Rose, will be the most beautiful.”
I could tell just by looking at Arikx's gaze.
The gaze that marveled, 'Where did he find such a jewel? He has great skills.'
However, I didn't bother telling Rose about this fact. Because I didn't want her to have even the slightest interest in Arikx.
“…….”
Rose looked at me for a moment, her lips parting slightly. But she didn't say anything more.
It was because we had to stand together where the nobles were waiting.
“Ahem.”
“Hem.”
Though we kept our manners and said nothing, the gazes flying our way were all different.
Most of them were probing gazes, knowing that Schmaichel was a powerful family, close enough to converse with the King, and that I was undoubtedly the head of Schmaichel.
I could be certain that amidst those gazes, Henrik's angry glare was mixed in.
“-Count, enter!”
The ceremony proceeded as the head servant continued the roll call.
‘This day is truly long.’
That place will likely be the highlight of today.
**
Royal Grand Banquet Hall.
The chandeliers on the ceiling cast a soft orange glow.
Flags crested with the coat of arms of each territory hung on the walls, and ornate silverware was set on every table.
To the backdrop of the court orchestra's lively string performance, the sounds of people laughing and conversing mingled softly.
Rose and my seats were at the round table right below the head table where the King sat, the most prestigious seats.
Screech.
The servants pulled out our chairs, and Rose and I took our seats.
As soon as I sat down, I checked Arikx's location.
Arikx was swirling a wine glass at the central head table,
“-!”
As soon as he saw me, he grinned brazenly for all to see.
‘Why is he grinning like that since earlier?’
He was normally a slyly smiling bastard, but today it particularly annoyed me. It was because his smile looked beyond joyful—it looked happy.
Well, it made sense. A beautiful woman who perfectly caught his fancy had appeared, so how could he not be happy?
‘They say a person changes when they fall in love.’
It seemed Arikx was no exception.
But Rose was already my wife. With me keeping a sharp eye out, he shouldn't be able to try anything.
So, I planned to prevent Arikx and Rose from being alone together as much as possible.
However.
‘If Rose…….’
It was just a hypothetical.
But what if Rose said she would break the contract and go to Arikx? What should I do then?
“Huu.”
I stared at Rose as she arranged the hem of her dress with an innocent face, unaware of anything.
If those words came out of those luscious red lips, if those transparent green eyes looked at someone other than me.
Clench.
Strength flowed into my fist without me realizing. Just the imagination alone completely ruined my appetite.
I truly didn't know what I would do then. It felt like I would do anything.
“This year's abundance is all thanks to your loyalty.”
When all the nobles took their seats, the King raised his golden goblet high.
“For Roserk!”
Glasses clinked amidst countless shouts. At the same time, servants began diligently bringing out food.
I gestured to the servant standing beside me.
“Something non-alcoholic.”
When we were at Schmaichel Castle, Rose often drank the wine recommended by Fabri. And within a few sips, her face and the nape of her neck would turn completely red.
Rose was really weak to alcohol. I shouldn't give her anything with even a slight alcohol content.
As if to show off the power of the royal family, the dishes were extremely lavish and abundant.
Peacock tongue dishes, pheasant consommé, bird's nest soup, and so on.
They used the specialties tributed from each territory without sparing anything, allowing everyone to taste dishes from all regions evenly.
“Mmm.”
Seeing Rose savoring the food with a happy face brought back my lost appetite a little.
I also slowly enjoyed the food, trying hard to suppress my anxiously fluctuating heart.
Clack.
The main course was a tender veal tenderloin steak.
Which meant I had to fix the steak with a fork in my left hand and cut the steak with a knife in my right hand.
“Hmm.”
I pretended to slowly drink wine and got lost in thought.
I could endure the pain and move, but my clumsy cutting would eventually give away the fact I was injured.
Just as I was fretting, feeling Henrik's sharp gaze land on my forearm,
Clatter.
Rose placed her plate in front of me. It was a plate topped with finely cut veal steak.
“I thought my meat looked more tender.”
Rose, who had swapped my plate with her own, smiled brightly.
“Isn't it a wife's heart to want to give the tastiest parts to her husband?”