“He is the second son of the Melling family. Hank Melling. His conditions are not bad, he seems to have no greed, and there are no political issues connected behind him.”

“Are they close? Have they set a date?”

“Close? Have they even met once? Engagement is just a contract anyway, isn’t it? The date hasn’t been set yet. For now, we’re just going to exchange promises between families…”

“I see. That’s good.”

After saying that, the king suddenly picked up some documents that had been placed on a small table beside him and began to ruthlessly cross them out with a pen.

“Adjusting… the date…”

“Pardon?”

“No. As I said before, you have been selected again for the command of the subjugation force this time. The departure is in a month and a half.”

“What…? Why is the schedule so urgent, has something big happened?”

“Well, whether it’s big or small, it’s important. I’ll take care of the supplies. Since the heir of the Broen family is personally involved, you’ll be free regarding supplies. Anyway, it’s in a month, in a month! It’s not the time for an engagement!”

“Couldn’t we just get engaged and then wait?”

Jade’s opinion was reasonable, but it irritated the king. The king glared.

“Don’t you feel sorry for the future husband! No, for the one who might become one. You never know what might happen! What if you encounter a terrible monster during this subjugation!”

“Is that so…?”

Jade, who lacked enthusiasm for marriage, easily gave in.

Of course, the chamberlain standing nearby couldn’t understand all of this, but he kept his mouth shut. If the king said so, then so be it.

“Yes. That’s what I’m saying. It’s better to have the engagement after finishing the subjugation.”

“That family seemed to be waiting eagerly, wouldn’t it be impolite?”

“What’s impolite about it? If that’s the case, I’ll spread the rumor today that Jade Broen has been selected for the command of this subjugation force.”

“Oh, that sounds good.”

Jade nodded in agreement.

The chamberlain wondered whether Jade Broen actually wanted to get married or not, but seeing the renewed vigor on the king’s face, he simply nodded and said,

“I’ll prepare the documents separately.”

“Yes. Do that. Anyway, Jade Broen, I’ll let you know the other details later. For now, just be mentally prepared. And don’t do anything else! This subjugation schedule is going to be intense!”

By other things, he must mean engagement-related matters, right? Come to think of it, His Majesty is truly a considerate person. He’s even considering the feelings of someone who might become someone else’s husband.

Jade nodded, thinking it was rather fortunate.

Since the king ordered it, there was no choice but to postpone all marriage-related matters. Or perhaps it wouldn’t be bad to proceed with things only through letters while away on the subjugation.

It would be easier to endure if she was far away and didn’t have to see the process. Whether it was Hank Melling or someone else, she could meet them only on the day of the engagement ceremony.

As Jade retreated with quick steps and the sound of her footsteps faded away, the king suddenly stood up.

“Send someone to the front of Athanase Forest. Right now!”

Less than a week after visiting the royal palace, a letter arrived. The detailed information about the subjugation force that she hadn’t heard from the king turned out to be quite important.

“You don’t know who the commander-in-chief is?”

Jade frowned. Bernard nodded while carefully examining the documents.

“Yes. It’s not written down. However, Lord Rigel will be joining-”

“What did you say!”

An angry Jade snatched the documents Bernard was holding and started reading them line by line. Seeing this, Bernard shook his head.

“Why Rigel Hias again!”

“Lord Rigel has lived too academically. As the head of a family with vast territory and a powerful water attribute magician, it’s right for him to occasionally participate in subjugation forces.”

“If that’s considered powerful, even monsters would laugh.”

“Lady Jade, you’re exceptional when it comes to attacks.”

However, as she read the contents on the paper, the irritation on Jade’s face was disappearing. Instead, she seemed to be getting more interested.

“His Majesty has really made the goal clear.”

Jade finally put down the documents and said.

“What do you mean?”

“Last time it was the western border adjoining the Kingdom of Jisen, this time it’s the northern border adjoining the Kingdom of Jisen.”

Bernard’s eyes widened. He was competent enough to understand the implied meaning.

“Are they aiming for Jisen’s land?”

“Yes. The king of Jisen has fled to the coast, and the trust of the kingdom’s people has hit rock bottom. It seems they’re trying to push the border further at this opportunity. Is it better to gain land through war with monsters rather than war between countries?”

“I suppose there might be less animosity between the people of the two countries since there was no war between humans.”

Jade tilted her head and traced the border on the crude map with her finger.

“Yes, there are rumors that this area is full of undiscovered mines. There’s also a coastline…”

“But will the king of Jisen really give up?”

“I’ve never actually met him, but he seems like someone who would give up if given a good reason. After all, he’s a king who abandoned the defending army and fled alone without even issuing an evacuation order to his people.”

Bernard nodded in agreement.

“That’s true. So should we expect this subjugation to cross the border?”

“Probably.”

“It’s going to be a long schedule…”

He looked worried.

“Wouldn’t it be better if you got engaged before leaving?”

“Wouldn’t that be too cruel to that person?”

Jade recited exactly what she had heard from the king in a mature and polite tone.

“We wouldn’t be able to become close during the engagement period, and if I were to get hurt during the subjugation, it would really be a terrible thing to do to that person.”

“Please don’t say such things.”

Bernard frowned, but Jade just shrugged. It was the first time she had been this excited about going on a subjugation, but she couldn’t let it show.

Why? Because all the decisions related to the engagement were made by her in the first place. It wouldn’t do to reveal her pathetic state of not wanting to proceed after making those decisions.

“There’s less than a month left. Let’s focus on the task at hand for now. Try to exclude those from our subordinate families who went last time as much as possible. Especially check the situations of those with families.”

“Yes, understood.”

“It’s a bit annoying that Rigel Hias is coming along this time too, but I’m not the commander-in-chief, so I can put up with that much. Haha! Whoever the commander-in-chief is, they’re going to have a hard time! I’m going to thoroughly refute all of Rigel’s opinions!”

Jade started scribbling with her pen. Her movements were quite cheerful.

Bernard watched this for a moment, then shook his head as he left the office. Lady Jade, it’s all showing.

But since Jade’s happiness was the most important to him, he rather welcomed this turn of events.

Marriage could proceed when her heart was ready. The position of family head would surely return to her someday. No matter how stubborn Lady Mabel was, there were hardly any options.

However, once married, it was very difficult to undo. Changing one’s surname was such a matter.

Of course, in this case, it would be Hank Melling becoming Hank Broen, but anyway, all decisions had to be made carefully.

Although she didn’t know why everything was always handled so urgently, Jade quickly finished preparing for the subjugation.

Since the king had given a small favor, there wasn’t much to do regarding supplies, and after organizing the household affairs, it was enough to prepare only for herself.

Things like a thick cloak to withstand the cold of the night, or durable leather shoes.

All these items were inscribed with magic. The cloak was made warm by capturing the hottest sunshine of a summer day, and the leather shoes were made light by capturing the gentle spring breeze.

No matter how powerful a flame magician Jade was, water, earth, and wind attribute magic stones were also essential as they were needed in life.

“Hmm. Well made.”

However, she wanted to handle the Lazulite given by Axel herself, so it ended up being inscribed with flame magic.

Magic that maintains a gentle warmth, magic that ignites small sparks like flint, magic that raises a wall of enormous flames.

The last one was completed with great effort from processing to inscription, and the magic itself was so powerful that just in terms of price, it would be worth a small plot of land.

Jade packed the three Lazulites separately from other magic stones in a pretty colored pouch. After all, she was carrying them for peace of mind.

That was the last of it. Her preparations were complete. Now she just had to leave for the Enardi region where the subjugation force would gather.

At that moment, someone knocked on the door.

“Come in.”

Expecting Bernard or Mori, she was surprised to see Asela Broen enter with quiet movements. Jade’s eyes widened at the unexpected visitor.

Dressed in dark, calm clothes, Asela carefully opened her mouth after checking the cluttered surroundings filled with objects.

“Are you mostly done with preparations?”

Asela’s voice was gentle. Jade nodded.

“That’s right.”

“I see.”

Even as Jade swept the desk to tidy up, Asela just lingered around the table. Even at a glance, she looked a bit thinner, her facial flesh having decreased.

Jade frowned.

“Is something wrong?”

Asela blinked.

“Are you going to get married?”

“Well. Is that something you need to know?”

“Not really, but…”

The girl who used to be her closest friend in the past was now gone, but sometimes it seemed like that figure could still be seen. There was a lot in Asela’s eyes. At a glance, something like worry.

“Be careful.”

“Of what?”

“Everything.”

It was a statement that implied many things. It could mean not to get hurt in the subjugation force, or to be careful of something an angry Felix might do.

Asela, who had told Felix everything about herself.

She didn’t intend to fully understand. She wasn’t that kind of nice person.

But she clearly knew how difficult it was for a daughter to escape from her father’s clutches. Especially if that daughter was only about thirteen years old.

There are things that are hard to escape even as an adult.

So it must have taken tremendous courage for Asela to do even that much.

“Alright. You too.”

So this level of response wasn’t bad.

Asela gave a faint smile and left the room with quiet steps. Jade leaned back and pondered the many things Felix might attempt.