After riding all day without rest, the Astel domain was just ahead. Lucas stopped on a hill overlooking the entire territory.

“Hmm.”

Even though it was twilight, the whole domain was shining as brightly as the imperial capital.

“Strange.”

Cedric tied the two horses to a nearby tree, then stood beside Lucas who was surveying the area below.

“What’s the matter, Your Highness?”

“Didn’t I tell you to call me ‘my lord’!”

Lucas jabbed Cedric in the side. Born with noble lineage and talent, Lucas had acquired great insight and outstanding experience at the mere age of 20, but he still retained a boyish stubbornness.

“Your High— I mean, my lord. It hurts when you hit me like that now.”

Just a few years ago, Lucas’s punches lacked strength, but now his robust physique made his thoughtless blows painful for poor Cedric.

“Think of it as training.”

Lucas said shamelessly, then quickly turned his head to look down at the domain again.

“Look. Doesn’t something seem odd?”

At those words, Cedric followed Lucas’s gaze. True to its reputation for fertility, the Astel domain had vast farmlands spread out before them, and smoke was rising from the chimneys of every house.

“To my eyes, it looks like the typical scenery of an agricultural domain.”

Lucas clicked his tongue at Cedric’s answer.

“It seems the eyes that have toured the entire empire are of no use.”

It wasn’t just his physique that had grown strong during his six years of wandering the empire. The insights cultivated by the crown prince, barely twenty years old, would be difficult for anyone to match.

“The farmland is overwhelmingly vast, but something feels out of place.”

Lucas raised his hand to point at an unfamiliar type of building.

“Have we ever seen buildings like that as we traveled the empire?”

Indeed, upon closer inspection, Cedric noticed a few buildings with unfamiliar shapes.

“And it’s too bright.”

Lucas narrowed his eyes and widened his view.

“This isn’t a street where the capital’s nobility live, so how can it be so brightly lit at night?”

Usually, when observing other domains, he could immediately spot the lord’s house. It was typically the lone mansion with lights visible in the dark night.

However, here in Astel, the entire village seemed to be filled with bright, warm light.

“Wasn’t Astel originally a fertile domain, and recently they’ve been making great profits by distributing specialty products?”

Lucas and his party had heard rumors about Astel berries. They hadn’t deliberately investigated; the berries were so famous that word had naturally reached their ears.

“Are you saying that just by selling handmade products named after the domain, all the people could become this wealthy?”

Lucas had learned much during his six years of wandering. He had seen the real lives of the people, not just the life in the imperial palace he had known all his life or the streets of the capital where only powerful nobles could live.

“There’s something about Astel.”

What Lucas was seeing now was not just the appearance of a prosperous domain.

Most people engaged in agriculture had to worry about winter no matter how hard they worked, and the further from the capital, the more impoverished even the lords often were.

“That seems to be the ducal residence.”

In the direction Lucas was looking, there was a particularly large mansion. Judging by its classical architectural style, it seemed to have been built long ago, and above all, a flag with the duke’s crest fluttered on the roof.

“Let’s go there first.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Lucas glared at the loyal Cedric with dissatisfaction upon hearing his response.

“Have you already forgotten the plan? You should call me ‘my lord’. I’m a knight, and you’re my servant.”

“Yes, my lord…”

Lucas never changed his mind once he had decided on something. It meant they had to continue this foolish act.

“First, as usual, let’s pack the items with the imperial family’s crest and anything that looks valuable in a sack. Just in case, I’ll cover them with some worthless things on top.”

“Hmm, that’s not a bad idea for you.”

Cedric hurriedly sorted and packed several items into a large leather sack, then put some shabby clothes on top. It was a trick they had learned from Lucas’s enjoyment of going incognito.

“Um, Your High—”

Usually, they didn’t visit the lord’s house and ask for lodging like today, but there was no better way to grasp the real situation than entering a domain without revealing the crown prince’s identity.

“How many times do I have to tell you to call me ‘my lord’?”

“Sigh… Yes, my lord. If there’s something wrong with the lord of Astel, will you handle it as usual?”

More than a few malicious lords had lost their heads due to the eccentric crown prince’s hobby, so it was a disaster for some and a blessing for others. Cedric was asking if the crown prince’s fiancée would be included among those targets.

“Be quiet and don’t say things I haven’t asked about.”

For some reason, Lucas avoided answering and took out an old hood from his luggage, putting it on. Cedric had no choice but to silently follow him. He could only hope that the crown prince’s fiancée wouldn’t coldly turn away the prince in disguise.

* * *

It was just as Serena had finished preparing for bed. Unusually, Peter requested an audience. Even Anna, who was checking Serena’s bedchamber, tilted her head in curiosity.

“My lady, I apologize for the late hour.”

Peter immediately bowed. If Peter, who always faithfully observed etiquette, had come to her chambers at this hour, there must be a reason.

“It’s alright. What’s the matter?”

“I heard from the servant guarding the door that a wandering knight came a little while ago and requested lodging.”

“A wandering knight? Do those really exist?”

Serena furrowed her brow at the unfamiliar term. Although she had been in the Astel domain for six years, this was the first time she had encountered such a situation.

“There are occasionally such individuals.”

“If it’s just that, you could have handled it yourself, Peter. Why are you reporting this to me specifically?”

Peter was prudent and capable. Serena highly valued this and entrusted him with the management of the mansion’s affairs as the head servant.

“Something felt suspicious.”

“How so?”

“While their hood and luggage looked shabby, their boots were very clean and made of fine leather.”

It was certainly suspicious, but that alone wasn’t enough to jump to conclusions.

“I only caught a glimpse, but the face under the hood was quite refined as well. Almost like… a noble from the capital.”

Peter had been a promising head servant for the Astel ducal family even in the capital. Naturally, he had met many people and developed a keen eye.

“What exactly did they say?”

“The tall man called himself a wandering knight, and said his companion was his servant. He said their journey had been delayed due to rough roads, so they requested to stay at the ducal residence for a night. And they wished to greet the lord of this place when day breaks.”

Serena pondered for a moment, then looked at Peter.

“Indeed suspicious. Astel already has many excellent inns, and everyone knows that our lord is always traveling the continent.”

“I wanted to mention that point as well. The servant who received them specifically said ‘acting lord’. They must have come knowing that you are acting in place of the duke, my lady.”

That’s not all, Peter hurriedly continued.

“The man claiming to be a wandering knight showed an imperial travel pass. I’ve seen it a few times before, and I’m certain it was genuine.”

Now Serena understood why Peter had bothered to report this news. An imperial travel pass was not something an ordinary wandering knight could possess.

Only individuals like Serena’s father, the Duke of Astel, used such passes to freely traverse the continent. How could a mere wandering knight have one?

“If the travel pass is real, they’re not just some riffraff. Besides, how many people have been interested in our Astel lately?”

Regardless of who they were or what they were thinking, it was clear they wanted to meet Serena herself, who had led Astel’s recent prosperity.

“Could they be spies aiming for Astel’s internal information?”

“No. If that were the case, they wouldn’t have openly acted suspiciously as wandering knights and presented a continental travel pass.”

Peter nodded at Serena’s logical words.

“You’re right, my lady. Then, shall we make an excuse and refuse them?”

For a moment, Serena was lost in thought, then shook her head. The visitors were unknown individuals with an imperial travel pass. Moreover, this could be seen as a direct challenge to Serena.

“We’ll receive them. However, since they’re also hiding their identities, they’ll have to bear with somewhat clumsy hospitality.”

Serena’s blue eyes sparkled mischievously, and one corner of her mouth curled up.

“Anna, we were recently renovating the unused annex, weren’t we?”

“Yes. But the furniture is still covered with sheets, so it’s not suitable for guests.”

It was the perfect place, as the suspicious individuals had asked for lodging, and Serena had no intention of providing proper hospitality.

“It doesn’t matter. They’re not guests, but scouts with some other motive.”

Astel’s reputation was growing by the day. It wouldn’t be strange if someone came to scout for secrets now.

“As the acting duchess of Astel, I’ll accept their challenge.”

Serena’s blue eyes shone with confidence.

Astel was her dream and her achievement. Even if the visitors were spies, she had nothing to fear or hide; rather, she wanted to show it off.