Chapter 77

* * *

Time flew by like the wind.

During the day, I inspected various parts of Bellamare. In the evenings, I held meetings with those involved. At night, I reviewed documents with Ramon and several officials brought in from the Capital.

I cut back on sleep and threw myself into work, but every single day felt enjoyable.

Maybe I was born to be an incurable work slave.

At first, the people of Bellamare treated me with extreme caution. But after I went in and out of the villages so often that the thresholds wore down, we grew close enough to feel like family.

“Madam!!”

“Don’t run. You’ll bump into something.”

Today was the day to finalize the site for the smelting facility.

Since smelters produced a lot of smoke, they couldn’t be built near densely populated areas. Taking worker travel into account, we also planned a separate residential district.

Housing, dining halls, and even a small market would be built, enough to become a village on its own.

The children who spotted me ran out excitedly from the village entrance.

“Madam, look at this! We found a frog hibernating!”

“Don’t touch sleeping people… no, amphibians. Bury it back where you found it.”

“I don’t want to go alone. Can’t you come with me?”

“Hey, Mom said we shouldn’t bother Madam when she’s busy!”

The people who had nearly died together in the cave were the first to volunteer when I said I was recruiting workers.

They’d lost their entire livelihoods because of the governor, so they had no hesitation about relocating.

The children who moved with them were tied together by the bond formed in the cave as well.

I already liked children, but I couldn’t help growing especially attached to them.

“Laura’s right. Madam is doing something important right now. Let’s ask her to play next time.”

“Okay, Mom… but please play with us again next time!”

Just then, Gibson’s wife Greta and several other women came outside carrying laundry.

After exchanging greetings, my gaze dropped to Greta’s belly.

It felt like I’d seen her not long ago, yet her stomach had swollen like a gourd. Walking already looked difficult for her.

“You’re full term. Is it really okay to be moving around like this?”

“Everyone’s busy. I can’t be the only one resting. I’m still doing fine.”

“When’s the due date?”

Greta smiled shyly and said there were about two weeks left.

No wonder Gibson had been completely out of it lately.

“I hope the baby takes after you more than Gibson. You’re beautiful, so the baby will be adorable too.”

“If you say things like that, Madam, I can’t even lift my head.”

“It’s true, so what. Gibson really married well. If he has any conscience, he should serve you for the rest of his life.”

Just then, the baby another woman was carrying suddenly burst into loud tears, clearly unhappy about something.

She looked burdened with all she was holding, so I held out my hands and asked for the baby.

Maybe three months old.

As soon as I held the baby and gently patted its bottom, it soon started smiling.

“Oh my, so cute. Whose baby could be this lovely, hm?”

“Ung—”

The soft little breathing sounds and the baby specific scent were comforting.

As I played with expressions and made eye contact, the surroundings suddenly grew quiet.

I had no idea what they were thinking, but gentle smiles spread across the women’s faces.

“Oh dear, look at Madam’s eyes. That’s the look of someone waiting for good news.”

“You’re being ridiculous. She hasn’t even been married into Lombard for that long and you’re already saying things like that!”

“Both the lord and Madam are in their prime. Won’t we hear happy news soon? Then we should all hold a festival in the square!”

The moment I understood what they meant, my face turned bright red.

So they were talking about, um, that. About me and Edwin having a child.

As a great noble, producing an heir was the most important duty. I knew that with my head, but still.

Once it became about me, my mind went completely blank.

‘Come to think of it, things between Edwin and me aren’t bad lately…’

Things were different from when I’d just married in.

Back then, Edwin treated me like a stranger, but now we shared meals, talked about our days, exchanged opinions, and slowly grew familiar with each other’s preferences.

When I overworked and my condition worsened, Edwin sometimes stayed by my side all night to care for me.

‘He’s a great noble, but how long can we keep putting off our duties as a married couple?’

Edwin’s low gentle voice. His long firm fingers rough with calluses. The solid muscles and heat I felt wherever he touched.

When those thoughts drifted too far, I screamed internally.

As my face burned like it was about to explode, the women burst into mischievous laughter.

“H-How dare you tease the duchess! You’ve got some nerve!!”

I shouted angrily, but it didn’t work at all.

They already knew me too well.

I was merciless to incompetent officials and corrupt rulers, but endlessly warm toward powerless people. I wasn’t the type to throw around authority.

My image was completely ruined.

Grumbling, I fled the scene like I was running away.

* * *

People were gathered at the smelter site, some distance from the residential district.

After hearing about the inspection, everyone from supervisors to engineers and workers had come out. Among them was a very welcome face.

It was Sten, the head of the smelting guild, whom Boric of the miners’ union had strongly recommended and vouched for.

Their main base was in southern Lombard near the inland gate, but I’d heard they decided to settle here in Bellamare after placing their trust in me.

Their arrival couldn’t have been timed better.

“Madam! It’s an honor to meet you. I’m Sten of the smelting guild.”

“Good to meet you. You made a difficult decision.”

“Our lives follow molten metal wherever it flows. And your achievements, Madam, are well known even in the south. Whenever Boric opens his mouth, all he talks about is you…”

Sten had a cheerful personality.

After greetings, he began the inspection in earnest, explaining in detail how ideal this site was for a smelter.

The engineers and workers who followed him all looked full of anticipation.

Far more ore passed through Bellamare than through the inland gate, so the current manpower wasn’t enough to handle the volume.

In the long run, they needed to teach skills to junior workers and help them grow into craftsmen.

Unlike when they hid away in caves, now a future they could carve out themselves lay beneath their feet.

‘This feels good.’

This was exactly the Lombard I had dreamed of.

And unlike before, there was no one left to stop me.

I was the most noble woman in the north, and Edwin, the lord himself, firmly supported me, except for when he spouted nonsense about duchess direct rule.

My body was exhausted, but my heart felt fuller than ever.

“Madam, I’m sorry, but it looks like it’ll be hard to pass through this path.”

“It certainly does.”

I came back to my senses and looked around.

The modified carriage Edwin made could pass through narrow alleys with ease, but it was useless on unpaved ground like this.

Realizing the situation, Gareth quickly stepped forward.

“I’ll carry you.”

“No need. I want to walk for once.”

“But…”

The people still found Gareth intimidating.

Those who’d experienced him up close were fine, but those like the smelting guild, who’d never dealt with him, felt pressured by the duke’s closest aide.

Since Edwin had even made me new crutches, it was better to walk short distances myself.

“Madam, then I’ll support you.”

“Please do.”

When I waved Gareth off, Sten stepped in instead.

Because of etiquette tied to status, he couldn’t take my hand, but he could offer his arm. For that, I had to get down from the carriage first.

Gripping the handle, I carefully stepped down.

Maybe because I hadn’t rested properly under the crush of work, sharp pain stabbed through my ankle that had been quiet for a while.

“…!”

As my foot slipped, my vision flipped in an instant.

Sten shouted in alarm and Gareth rushed over, but it was already too late.

Just as I shut my eyes tight, wondering how much it would hurt to roll on the ground—

“It’s been a while, Elicia.”

A fresh breeze brushed against my cheek.

The warmth of the arm firmly wrapped around my waist felt familiar.

I never imagined I’d meet him here.

“You’ve picked up more unnecessary injuries while I wasn’t looking. Just where and how did you tumble this time?”

Brother Vincent smiled as our eyes met.