Chapter 48
“When people think of the Grand Duchy, they usually imagine a place filled with monsters and cold weather, but in reality, there are many beautiful sights as well. For example, if you go to the northern part of the Grand Duchy, you can see the aurora.”
“When you say aurora, do you mean the phenomenon where colorful, silk-like fabrics spread across the sky?”
“Yes, I traveled with my parents and got to see the aurora in person.”
“Is it true that the entire sky is covered in such beautiful colors?”
“Absolutely. Especially there, there’s a large lake where you can enjoy the reflection of the aurora in the water. The fantastic scene filled with auroras both above and below is something you’ll never forget once you see it.”
This time, a young man asked me.
“Is it true that, as the rumors say, Clano Beach gets a lot of snow in winter?”
“Yes, it truly lives up to its nickname as the city of snow and wind. Because of that, you can do everything that can be done with snow.”
“When you say things that can be done with snow, what do you mean?”
“For example, you can build houses out of snow. When I was a child, I used to make them with my friends and play inside.”
“I can’t believe it snows enough to build houses. Doesn’t it melt?”
“Even if you light a fire inside, the outside temperature is so cold that it freezes quickly. Once you make it, it usually stays until spring arrives.”
I also shared other things that can only be seen in the Grand Duchy.
“There’s an event that happens every winter, which is riding sleds pulled by dogs on the frozen ice.”
“With that much weight, isn’t there a risk of breaking the ice?”
“The entire river freezes very thickly, so that rarely happens. But it’s true that you have to be careful. Accidents can always happen unexpectedly.”
If asked to talk about the Grand Duchy, I could go on all night. However, I couldn’t just keep talking by myself, so I was about to stop when suddenly an out-of-place voice interrupted.
“It’s quite unusual to hear about dog sledding in a place like this.”
The voice came from among a group of young ladies chatting nearby.
I turned to look at the owner of the voice. A beautiful woman with a glamorous face was fanning herself and glancing at me.
“Delphina, please lower your voice a little. Someone might hear you.”
But despite the young lady next to her trying to dissuade her, she raised her nose high.
“Really, what’s so great about dog sledding that it’s talked about like this?”
From the name Delphina, I realized that she was the daughter of the lady who had been gossiping about me last time.
As the other ladies said, she was indeed beautiful. Her skin was as white as milk, and her voluptuous figure combined with her reddish-blonde hair was attractive.
But what was with that venomous hostility towards me? As I pondered this, the duchess whispered softly to me.
“Since you danced with the prince after Hyun, some young ladies have been giving you disapproving looks. In the end, they’re just looking for something to criticize. Just ignore them. They’re of a status that can’t even greet you first anyway.”
I nodded at the duchess’s words. It would be endless to deal with people like that one by one.
Instead, I lifted my head and smiled brightly.
“Actually, there’s a special reason for riding dog sleds in winter.”
As I continued speaking, the people’s attention turned back to me.
“It’s to sprinkle herbs on the ice that neutralize the monsters’ poison.”
The eyes of the people widened.
“Neutralizing the monsters’ poison?”
“When monsters are about to die, they instinctively go to places with water. That’s why many corpses accumulate near the water. It’s fine in winter, but when warm spring comes, problems arise. The accumulated corpses start to decay and emit toxins.”
“So you purposely sprinkle herbs in winter?”
“Yes, on the ice, you can spread the herbs evenly, and using dog sleds is much more efficient than moving directly.”
“Oh, I see!”
“When winter passes and warm spring comes, the monsters’ corpses rot while the ice melts, allowing the herbs to seep into the water. Thanks to this, the monsters’ poison is neutralized. The poison is special; if it’s not neutralized early on, it becomes difficult to detoxify later.”
“Then I’m also benefiting from this. My family’s territory is just below the Grand Duchy.”
I smiled.
If the work to neutralize the monsters’ poison in the Grand Duchy is not done in advance, the damage will extend to the regions around the Grand Duchy.
“Therefore, riding dog sleds is an absolutely essential task. It’s for the Grand Duchy and the surrounding territories.”
With this, Delphina’s statement, which belittled the important task of neutralizing the monsters’ poison as merely something related to dog sledding, became utterly ridiculous.
I let out a small sigh, as if my heart was aching.
“Of course, there will be people who don’t understand this. It’s truly unfortunate.”
I didn’t target anyone specifically, but it was clear who my words pointed to. As people’s gazes suddenly turned toward her, Delphina’s face instantly flushed bright red.
“Pfft!”
Then, starting with one or two people, others began to laugh. Delphina, unsure of what to do, eventually covered her face with her fan and dashed out of the banquet hall.
There was no need to confront her directly. With that final sight, I leisurely turned my back.
“You seem to be having a very interesting conversation.”
At that moment, the princess appeared before me. Everyone knelt before her. The princess’s gaze was directed straight at me.
“Lady Arcadia Iskas.”
At the direct address, I formally greeted her.
“It’s an honor to meet you, Princess Casia Castoria.”
“I’m glad to meet you too.”
The corners of the princess’s lips lifted into a smile.
“I couldn’t help but intrude as it seemed you were having an interesting conversation. However, unfortunately, it seems that the important part has already passed.”
“In fact, we were talking about the Grand Duchy, and I was feeling a bit embarrassed talking by myself, so I was about to listen to others.”
“In that case, I’ll have to hear it separately from you, my lady. No matter how interesting the story is, I can’t let those present hear it twice.”
The princess smiled at me.
“Will you visit the palace later and tell my mother and me some interesting stories?”
I slightly bent and then straightened my knees.
“Thank you for the invitation. I would be happy to do so.”
With this, I had received invitations from both the queen and the princess twice. If I were to refuse this invitation, it would mean openly breaking ties with them.
It seemed that the princess had intended to invite me from the beginning; after exchanging a bit more formal conversation, she left her seat.
As I thought, the princess was a bit more difficult than the prince. It was hard to read her feelings. In contrast, the prince wore his true feelings on his face.
“Oh my, it looks like there’s going to be fireworks.”
With someone’s shout, a loud bang echoed from outside. The large glass door leading to the garden swung wide open. Soon, colorful fireworks began to adorn the dark sky.
The nobles, who had been chatting, all headed to the garden to watch the fireworks. I moved to join them.
Fireworks are an event that can only be seen on very special days. I didn’t know there would be fireworks at the debutante ball, so I watched them with a sense of wonder.
How much does all that cost? Wow, royal families really waste money on a different level. If only they would give that money to me, I could buy food and weapons and build roads and schools…
“Achoo!”
Suddenly, I sneezed. Now that I thought about it, the garden was quite chilly compared to indoors. While I was rubbing my arms to warm up, I witnessed the sight of women in revealing clothing who seemed completely unfazed by the cold.
Aren’t you cold? You’re exposing your arms and shoulders, and you’re fine? Am I the only one feeling cold?
How can they be less sensitive to the cold than I am, someone from the North?
Watching the duchess, who never seemed to tire from long shopping sessions, and the women who were unaffected by the cold while exposing their bare skin, I thought to myself, perhaps I’m the weakest one here.
“Lady Arcadia.”
At that moment, Derek approached me, taking off his outer garment.
“Are you cold? I’ll have a shawl brought right away, but until then, here…”
In that instant, another garment was draped over my shoulders. I turned to see Hyperion had taken off his outer garment and given it to me.
“…”
Derek stopped mid-motion as he was taking off his clothes. Upon making eye contact with Hyperion, he hurriedly began to put his clothes back on.
helloworld15
Thank you for the chapter!