Winter Field Chapter 29

“Of course, there will occasionally be formal occasions that require the Grand Duchess to accompany. At such times, it will suffice to apply a transformation spell as was done at the wedding ceremony and cover the face with a veil. Since no one has yet seen the Grand Duchess’s face properly, there is no need to worry about someone recognizing. The Grand Duchess of Oldenland does not wear a veil… but if we say it is a long-standing habit of the princess who came from Cornia, I believe there will be no problem.”

The rigid face relaxed. Rensley, who had been stiff as a frozen fish, now wore a smile tinged with mischief and put on an air of ease.

“That was a lie. In truth, there is no such custom in Cornia either.”

“…Is that so. However, since we do not know the customs of Cornia, the possibility of being caught in the lie is very low.”

“Everything Your Highness says is correct.”

Rensley replied, smiling even more brightly. Gisel, who had been facing that smile in silence for quite a long while, pointed to the armchair placed before the fireplace.

“Please sit. Let us discuss the matter in more detail.”

Rensley’s face, seated before the fire in the hearth, had softened considerably. His eyes, which had been rigid with doubt and suspicion, were now gazing at Gisel, filled entirely with bright curiosity and favorable interest.

His eyes, into which the golden light of the flames shone, looked almost like raw stones of dark ruby or amethyst. With an expression as if he had countless questions but did not know where to begin in this situation, Rensley kept his mouth closed and waited for Gisel to speak. Gisel merely observed his face quietly for a moment, then, as if suddenly coming to his senses, began his explanation.

“If you pass the entrance examination… you may live as Rensley Malosen, like an ordinary resident, just as you first petitioned me. To do so, you would also need a room of your own, Lord Malosen, not the Grand Duchess’s room.”

“If you give me a little time, I will save my salary and find a place to live as quickly as possible.”

“No. Even after passing, you must stay in the castle. Only then can you immediately assume the role of the Grand Duchess when necessary. You, Lord Malosen, are already known as an attendant to the Grand Duchess, and as a guest who has come from a distant country, no one would think it strange for me, as the lord of the castle, to provide you with lodgings.”

Gisel reached out his arm toward the small desk situated on one side of the bedroom. Even though his hand did not touch it, the notebook and pen that had been lying on it flew across and landed on Gisel’s lap. It was just as he opened the cover without waiting.

“Ah.”

A small exclamation tinged with dismay escaped from across him. Gisel quietly looked down for a moment at the leather-bound notebook he had opened to explain. He had naturally expected blank pages, but inside the cover, recent memos and scribbles were scattered about in chaos.

<I want to eat delicious food, mushroom pie from the Celestine Market, cream fritters, rose cake, onion soup, oxtail stew, the taste of wine is different too, I’m bored, it keeps snowing, I wonder if the people of Cornia are doing well, I want to bask in sunlight…>

While disjointed, fragmented monologues were scattered about in a hastily written script, there were also small drawings of animals, people, and landscapes. The pictures drawn only with a pen, without any other pigments, were hard to evaluate as artistic, but they were not bad either.

“It’s something I occasionally scribbled when I was bored… They are just doodles I did on the spur of the moment without deep thought, so please pay them no mind.”

Rensley’s cheeks and ears colored faintly. Gisel merely nodded and turned the pages until a blank sheet appeared.

He adjusted his grip on the pen, pulled the side table closer, and placed the notebook on it. He drew a rough layout of the castle and continued his explanation to Rensley.

“The Grand Duchess’s bedroom here is on the 4th floor, and my bedroom is on the 5th floor, the topmost floor of the main tower. If a room is made for you, Lord Malosen, it seems it would be suitable to empty and use the end room among the guest quarters on the 2nd floor. Though it is not set up now, it would be best to install movement devices in each room in the future so that we may easily come and go between them.”

As he listened to Gisel’s words, Rensley, as if slightly excited, opened his eyes wide and asked.

“By movement device, do you mean that mysterious stone slab that was in Your Highness the Grand Duke’s room?”

“That is correct. If you can move directly from Lord Malosen’s room to the Grand Duchess’s room and to my room, you would be able to carry out the role of the Grand Duchess without being seen by others. It would also be convenient when there is a matter to discuss from time to time.”

“Even to Your Highness the Grand Duke’s bedchamber? I don’t think I should be entering without permission… With just that device, could anyone enter Your Highness’s bedchamber? Is it not dangerous?”

“Let us agree to enter only when each of us has business. My room has security measures in place, so you need not worry about such aspects, My Lord.”

“A magical movement device…”

Rensley murmured quietly, looking down at the simplified layout of the castle showing only the necessary parts. Though his words had decreased, his sparkling eyes looked buoyant with excitement.

Gisel kept silent to give him time to think. The guest from Cornia raised his head, as if he did not require much time to organize his thoughts.

“I do not know how to express my gratitude for your gracious care for this lowly person with such boundless benevolence. If you grant me this opportunity, I will certainly pass the examination, if only to not disappoint Your Highness.”

On Rensley’s face, deep admiration, and in his eyes, firm resolve, were brimming. Gisel, staring at him while slowly blinking, closed the notebook.

“Even if you, My Lord, should fail the examination, there is no reason for me to be disappointed.”

“Oh, yes. That is true, but…”

Gisel rose from his seat. Having obtained the agreement of the person concerned, only the proceedings remained.

“I will inform Knight Commander Sorel of your wishes, Lord Malosen. He said he would prepare the entrance examination if you desired it… It seems it would be best for the three of us to speak together. How about coming with me to my office for a short while?”

“Yes. Then I will get ready right away!”

Rensley jumped up and hurried to prepare. After boldly stripping off the shirt he was wearing and tossing it aside, the presence of the Grand Duke, who would be watching from behind, occurred to him. He swiftly picked up the shirt that had fallen to the floor.

“I was going to tidy it up right away.”

“Leave it and have the maids take care of it later.”

Fortunately, Gisel did not seem to pay much mind to Rensley’s flighty conduct. And indeed, why would a person of the Grand Duke’s standing take a detailed interest in every single action of a guest?

The bewilderment Rensley had felt at Gisel’s indifferent attitude, so unlike his own self, completely elated by the unexpected proposal, was only momentary. As his first impression suggested, he was a rational and reasonable person.

He had said there was no reason for him to be disappointed if Rensley failed, but most people are not as rational as Gisel Siebendad. If he received such an opportunity and still did not pass, people within the knight order would surely emerge who would privately speak ill, not of himself, a mere foreign guest, but of the Grand Duke’s discernment and judgment. He absolutely did not want to create such a situation.

It was awkward to undress in front of the Grand Duke, but it was something he had already experienced before. Rensley pushed his body into the dress, leaving only a single piece of underwear that clung to his thighs.

Unlike those of Cornia, the dresses of Oldenland were made of thick fabric and had ample room in the sleeves and waist, so they did not accentuate the figure. Since it did not cinch the waist tightly to emphasize the silhouette, the fastenings to close the garment were also relatively simple. It was highly advantageous for a man’s body to pretend to be a woman.

It was the first time wearing a dress since the wedding ceremony. At that time, since it was a ceremonial dress, the ornamentation had been splendid and there had been many parts requiring another’s hands to complete the attire, but the dress he was trying to put on now was a comparatively plain everyday garment. It seemed he could manage to wear it sufficiently even without the assistance of the maids.

…Or so it seemed…

“Your Highness, please wait just a moment. The ties are at the back, so it seems it will take a little time to put on.”

Rensley’s tone grew anxious. To make His Highness the Grand Duke wait just because he was getting dressed. Why hadn’t Madam Samrit prepared a garment with ties at the front?

As his mind grew hurried, his hands, usually nimble, kept fumbling uselessly instead. While he was struggling, reaching his arms behind him to thread the leather cord through the holes pierced on both sides of the fabric, Gisel, who had been waiting in his chair, rose to his feet.

Yes. It would be better for His Highness to go ahead to the office. As he was murmuring inwardly, Gisel approached not the bedroom door, but Rensley, who was busy putting on the dress.

“Turn around.”