Chapter 86

The night before leaving for Ionad, Adi discovered all their packed belongings had been completely replaced.

“…”

What was delivered to Adi wasn’t just knight’s attire.

“A red dress.”

Comfortable chemises and trousers, women’s undergarments and corsets, various tools whose names they didn’t know, and dresses. Not having expected their closet to be so full of dresses, Adi had pushed them aside, keeping only what they might actually wear visible.

Naturally, when packing, they had only considered how practical things were.

But now.

“What am I supposed to do with this?”

Adi lifted the flowing red dress with their fingers. This type of summer dress would surely cling to the body when worn. Was this why they had been told to hold their breath then? No wonder they had been given unnecessary things like corsets.

It seemed the ducal house was prioritizing their femininity. Though Adi hadn’t forgotten they were a woman, they wondered if there was really any need to emphasize femininity with such attire. They were a knight. That identity was stronger.

But seeing everything reorganized like this, were these clothes necessary? Why? Would there be occasions requiring female dress? If they just left them… that probably wouldn’t work? Adi set down the dress with a serious expression.

Even if the dresses were given in advance, that was one thing, but…

“Why the jewels…”

They didn’t know how to take the small jewelry box in their luggage containing dozens of jewels and accessories.

❖ ❖ ❖

Summer in Grimaldi was always faint. Whether the weather was good or bad, it was always hazy, gloomy, and humid as if wrapped in fog.

Palesa’s summer wasn’t bad either, but it felt unreal. When humidity rose, it became irritating. Though some people liked summer, Adi disliked it.

But the journey through Woodpecker territory was beautiful. The territory’s forests, the paths along the waterways, the small towns’ parks and fountains, the endlessly drooping willows and newly formed green fruits.

All the places they visited while passing through Woodpecker territory were small and beautiful, comfortable whether on clear or cloudy days, and the wide roads and fields where no people could be seen felt peaceful.

The subsequent journey to Ionad wasn’t bad either. The two-week journey along the coastal road didn’t feel tedious. The accompanying servants and other guard knights didn’t seem to find this moment boring either.

Perhaps it was because they didn’t need to camp. While they had mostly camped when hurrying from Palesa to Woodpecker, the road to Ionad was just peaceful.

Also, since many nobles traveled to Ionad during this season, the hotels were full. Some people often invited the Duke to dine together. Some nobles even made offers without knowing who the Duke was.

The Duke sometimes accepted such offers. Less frequently than he refused. Though he seemed to have his own criteria, Adi couldn’t understand them.

One thing was certain: where there was a large city, its outskirts also developed. The suburbs of Ionad, the royal capital, had many noble mansions.

Though there were some within Ionad too, when planning the city, the king hadn’t given nobles large plots of land. On the small plots where mansions couldn’t be built, there were more small buildings suitable for visiting nobles to stay briefly for business, and these buildings seemed to be rented out to citizens who didn’t stay often.

In contrast, the suburbs were open. There were no separate walls, and it wasn’t much different from Ionad proper. With overlapping living areas, even this felt like Ionad. Though there were city gates marking the royal capital, these too seemed merely formal.

Just riding through in a carriage showed this was a planned city. Buildings were erected in square blocks like a chessboard. The roads between them could accommodate one to four carriages and had stones set in the middle to divide the path left and right so traffic wouldn’t get confused. With no curves, it was convenient for carriages to move.

Though lacking the classical feel of Palesa, the splendid streets showed diverse clothing, suggesting people not just from Dalkatir but other countries were present. It might have been intended to show an exotic scene.

“All roads lead to the royal palace,”

Bert said. Adi tilted their head as Bert gestured, saying the roads extended straight from the walls.

“It would be easily conquered if war broke out.”

“They guaranteed there wouldn’t be war. The king was that powerful then.”

“Is it still like that now?”

At Adi’s question, Bert gave a bitter smile.

“Not as much as back then.”

Compared to then, the current king’s authority had declined. Everyone acknowledged this. Except the king. He didn’t want to acknowledge it. Though the treasury had stabilized and the country had developed overall, he seemed to blame everything on the simple fact that he hadn’t been crown prince.

But Dalkatir was still precarious. Though the treasury itself was stable, it couldn’t afford to aid other countries. And if such aid failed, Dalkatir itself could become endangered.

“The Crown Prince too…”

Adi stopped mid-sentence. It was a dangerous statement. Setting aside whether the Crown Prince would become king, it wasn’t the time to discuss his capabilities. Though Bert glanced at Adi, he didn’t ask further.

“Look, the palace is visible.”

Saying this, Bert moved beside the Duke’s carriage. When he knocked on the door, the window opened.

“Your Grace, we’ll soon arrive at the royal palace.”

Adi couldn’t see how Yuls responded. After a brief exchange, Bert headed to another carriage. The carriage ahead held Dimitri. He knocked on that window too.

Bert spoke with him as well and received a document.

The entrance to the royal palace was visible. Unlike Palesa with its stone walls, this palace’s iron fence was somewhat open, allowing the interior to be visible. At least in appearance. Adi had heard numerous mages resided in the Ionad palace, protecting it. This openness was the king’s display of power.

“Halt!”

The soldiers at the palace entrance crossed their spears.

Bert approached the fence. There was a small window in the white wall between the iron fences. It was where the mage in charge of palace entry sat. Bert inserted the documents there.

The mage examined the documents from various angles before placing his palm on them. Light flowed from the documents.

“Verified. Welcome to Ionad, my lord.”

The mage spoke and gestured. The soldiers withdrew their spears.

“Welcome to Ionad, Your Grace!”

The soldiers’ salutes followed. Though no one was there, the iron gates opened automatically. Bert turned his horse’s head and entered. All the carriages followed, entering the palace grounds.

❖ ❖ ❖

As always, the palace consisted of outer and inner courts.

Unlike Palesa where the palace was isolated, Ionad’s palace was in the city center, and to show only what the royal family intended, they placed a vast garden between the outer and inner courts. It was so difficult to walk that even within the palace grounds, one had to travel by carriage.

The inner court housed royal family members and invited nobles, while the outer court contained institutions handling royal and state affairs. Reporting institutions were located at the very edge of the inner court.

Yuls was given quarters in the inner court. The small residence in the eastern inner court, which his father had used when he was a prince before becoming Duke, hadn’t changed much since then.

Though the furniture’s fabrics and curtains were periodically replaced, the furniture itself was what his father had used. Others had used it before that, but they were just unknown dead people anyway.

Since people only cared about their own perspective when attaching meaning to things, Yuls similarly regarded it merely as his father’s furniture. It had meaning, but not necessarily positive meaning.

The Duke alighted at the residence entrance. Bert, Adi, and other servants did the same. The servants and coachman moved to the stables at one side of the residence.

Joel, who had arrived at the residence ahead of others to select palace staff including guard knights, stood at the entrance greeting the Duke and his party.

“Welcome, Your Grace.”

Joel said. His face showed slight confusion. Reading his expression, Dimitri said quietly, “Is something wrong?” Joel nodded. When Dimitri brought his ear close, Joel whispered. Dimitri’s expression also hardened as he received the message.

“Your Grace.”

Dimitri called to Yuls.

“A guest has arrived.”

Yuls narrowed his eyes. A guest? Anyone who would visit him in Ionad would be limited. Yuls nodded as if understanding and entered the residence. The servants and guard knights followed behind them.

“Where are they?”

Yuls asked while climbing the stairs.

“In the second floor reception room.”

Joel said. Without hesitation, Yuls climbed the stairs and turned right immediately. The room at the corner seemed to be the reception room. Servants quickly moved ahead of Yuls to open the reception room door.

A man stood in the well-lit reception room. Though the backlight made it hard to see clearly, he soon said, “Yuls.”

“Claude.”

“Yes, it’s me.”

Claude, who approached Yuls with welcoming open arms, froze his expression upon seeing the knight behind him.

“What’s this.”

There was no way he could forget that blonde hair and appearance.

“So you really were alive?”

And that day when the Count abandoned his child.

“Adrina Grimaldi.”

How interesting, father and daughter. Claude showed a sly smile. Adi stiffened. Yuls too looked unsure of how Claude had found out. But among the people here, the most shocked was…

“…Grimaldi?”

Dimitri.