CHAPTER 66

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***Elvin***

Elvin, Kyle's aide, was just returning to the Grand Duchy today.

And now that he had met Riddel, he was walking down the hall, thinking very hard about his upcoming schedule, while also thinking about what he said to Riddel Spencer earlier.

It was true to say that Riddel was, to some extent, well in her role as Archduchess.

As for Elvin who was in charge of collecting information, was already aware of the rumors at the Arcane Temple concerning her Highness that might become an issue in the social world.

'Well, not necessarily.'

Elvin had met Riddel multiple times in the past. It was a strange thing for him.

'When I first met her, she couldn't even look me in the eye.'

Yes, Elvin had encountered the original Riddel.

Without telling Kyle, he went to Riddel's villa. Everything was meant to lead to a smooth marriage between Riddel and Kyle. And it was also the first secret he kept from Kyle.

'I didn't mean to actually hide it.'

When they met again, however, she didn't show any sign. Elvin wondered what her impression on the situation was back then.

'Did it fade away like a little ember that would soon go out in a hazy daze.'

Elvin remembered what they talked about before at the villa.

"- Well, I'm… I will never marry the Archduke."

" - I'll turn a blind eye to you seeing Doman even if you get married. Of course, I'll also deliver his letter. Are you still going to decline?"

"…but I'm not going to do it. I'm Doman's fiancé."

In all honesty, Elvin didn't like Riddel.

Her qualifications as an Archduchess were also poor; her eyes not being able to see the true nature of people. It was the same now.

No, precisely, he was trying to keep Riddel in check now, because the woman who used to be arrogant turned into someone else overnight, besides, Riddel was strangely fascinated with her work.

'What the hell is she up to?'

While painstakingly walking and thinking over the whole situation about Riddel, there was something Elvin noticed.

Elvin soon grabbed a passing maid and asked.

"Betty, who made you reinforce this pillar? Was it Jean?"

"What? Oh, no. This was ordered by the house owner, her Highness."

"Her Highness?"

"Yes, the pillar cracked a lot, so it needed to be repaired. They also told me what materials would be good."

"… What?"

Elvin obviously looked puzzled.

However, this was only the beginning.

After a while, Elvin faced even more embarrassment. This was the next scheduled task that Elvin was talking about before; patrolling the Great Duchy. Coincidentally, after two weeks of absence, it was time to review the condition of the place. It was more important than anything, but…

"What?"

He responded with the same curiosity as a moment ago, but this time Elvin was visiting the stable, and coachman Matthias replied.

"Yes, I was worried that the horses have lost their energy, but when I changed them to the feed her Highness mentioned, they have improved noticeably!"

Elvin was speechless for a moment. Then, he slightly shook his head.

'Well, that's a coincidence. Anyone can order to change the horse feed.'

Continuing the inspection of the Great Duchy, the second unit made by Sejan was training hard, and Elvin was stunned to hear Noxis speak.

"- Since the arrival of her Highness, the captain never neglects a day of training for Unit 2!"

'The silent Sejan trains you without playing hooky?'

It was a bit vague to say it was thanks to Riddel Spencer. Perhaps it was a new wind blowing through the air.

When Elvin went to the kitchen, the staff was smiling this time.

"- 'When I switched to the grocery store that her Highness mentioned, the ingredients were fresher. Thanks to her, the pleasure of cooking has improved!"

As Elvin listened to the exciting stories of the kitchen staff, he turned around and headed to the library as if he were mesmerized. Another surprise could be found, the books were listed more easily than ever before.

"- Her Highness personally filled out the paperwork, saying we just have to list it as it is!"

Thanks to this, the new librarian happily said it was easier going to bed at night, feeling worry-free, and Elvin remained silent.

So, after looking back for a long time, Elvin was able to reach a conclusion. The conclusion was that there was no place in the Great Duchy that had not been influenced by Riddel Spencer.

As if the entire Great Duchy was cursed with "her Highness".

*** Elvin***

'… Her highness.'

After a long time spent on thinking, Elvin headed to the conference room with a sick look. The conference room was a public space for Jean and Elvin, only used to process documents.

When Elvin arrived at the conference room, Jean was seen resting on the sofa.

However, Jean looked at Elvin and asked with a grin.

"Welcome, Elvin. But what are you doing here today? There won't be any documents to deal with today."

"What?"

What was Jean talking about? Elvin blinked and asked back.

"Huh? What? Didn't you hear from her Highness? There's no backlog."

Elvin became embarrassed by Jean's actions again.

There were at least dozens of documents coming into the Great Duchy a day, and at most hundreds. There were more than a thousand cases when there were serious issues.

"… Did you finish the paperwork?"

Jean shook his head.

"Not alone, her Highness was with me."

Again, it came out, everyone kept on calling her "her Highness".

'But what, she took care of the paperwork?'

Elvin had an incredible look this time. Something was not right!

Elvin finally picked up the documents neatly placed on the desk to get to the bottom of it. Then he went through it quickly.

And went through it again.

"… who took care of this?"

Elvin asked in a deeply admiring tone.

Jean replied with a look of "What are you surprised about?"

"Who is it, who is it? Well, it was her Highness."

Even after hearing the answer, Elvin remained silent. It was hard for him to face the fact even looking through the stack. Annotations placed on each document appropriately, neither too long nor too short. A neat, recognizable, straight handwriting. The skill of stamping a seal without smudging ink. Riddel's way of handling the documents was so perfect.

'No way. Is this really Riddel Spencer's workmanship?'

With this level of sophistication, it was hard for anyone who even had access to a lot of paperwork to do.

At the moment, there was a thought that passed through Elvin's mind.

'Is there anyone better suited to the Archduke than this woman?No, there can't be… '

Jean quickly added as if he could read Elvin's mind.

"Isn't her Highness formidable? The one who can do everything and has the power to calm down the Archduke."

"…"

"Anyway, Elvin, you mean, that mouth…"

What was Jean trying to tell Elvin? He, who was lowering his eyes down, looked at Jean again as if he had misheard.

Then Jean put on a burdensome look.

"No, well, it's nothing. Oh - I should at least work out now that I'm awake."

Eventually, Jean glossed over and acted differently.

Nevertheless, Elvin left the conference room without further questioning. It was because his head was full of her Highness, "Riddel Spencer." Yes, he had been denying it so far, but Elvin had to admit it.

'This woman is a necessary person for the Great Duchy and even more for the Archduke. Whatever she does, she must stay by his side.'

At this time, Elvin also recalled the face of Doman Woodhill, then he bit his lips in anger.

She was so good at everything, but why did she have such a bad time judging people?

'If I knew this would happen, I'd have told you to shackle her when you signed the contract.'

If you betray his Highness and go to another man, his heart will explode.

As expected, Elvin, who was moving to the next place with a rather eerie thought, suddenly felt at odds. No, it had been this whole time.

Today, people in the Great Duchy felt something strange, why?

'Everyone's looking at me like this, right?'

Honestly, the gaze was more familiar to him than breathing. Intelligent and beautiful appearance that seems to have learned all the truths of the world. A clean and neat outfit without wrinkles or a speck of dust. The second son, called the pride of the Marquis May, the third-largest family of the Empire.

It was no exaggeration to say that it was rare not to look at a man who didn't miss anything, but for some reason, Elvin felt that their eyes were a little different today. Those were by no means, admiring gazes towards him.

Why?

'Why is everyone looking at me as if I was a rare beast?'