“Attention! Salute to the Lord!”

“Yes! The soldiers under Baron Weizen, summoned by the Grand Duke for monster subjugation, hereby swear loyalty to Grand Duke Inkhart!”

“I thank Baron Weizen for his loyalty and efforts.”

“Inkhart!”

“Long live the North!”

The sound of three thousand soldiers proudly calling Inkhart’s name was deafening. It was a sight I had been seeing every day recently.

“Inkhart!”

“Darius Inkhart!”

“With so many soldiers gathered, it’s amazing that no one is causing trouble. Lord Lucian’s thorough preparations have paid off.”

I whispered in admiration to Darius’s ear, sitting next to the golden chair. Darius heard and smiled, then responded in a different way.

“Lady of the North!”

“Darius!”

“Lady Anette!”

“Our lady from birth, unimaginable as a Southerner!”

‘Why are you denying my place of origin? If you respect me, why not try loving the South too?’

As even the Inkhart castle knights joined in, the wave of cheers became unstoppable.

“Anette Inkhart!”

“Glory to the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess of Inkhart!”

“How does it feel to hear it directly?”

“May God protect you both!”

I turned bright red and covered my face with both hands.

“Why are you embarrassed by such an obvious fact? Isn’t Anette my wife? The Grand Duke and Grand Duchess of Inkhart, to be honored forever.”

“This isn’t my style!”

What have I done to deserve this? As Darius leaned in close to whisper, I pushed him away, and the people laughed heartily.

Why are they laughing when I hit the lord?

“Please save my face. Everyone’s watching.”

Darius said slyly.

I used to think he had no talent for acting, but these days it seems he’s improved. He’s really perfect at being sly now.

“I thank the Weizen family for their loyalty in following the orders of the Grand Duke’s house.”

By the time I finally managed to utter those words, quite some time had passed. The people were delighted by it again.

“Seems like something’s missing? Why didn’t you say ‘Grand Duchess’?”

“Oh, stop it!”

Annoyed by Darius constantly shoving his handsome face at me, I elbowed him hard in the side.

“Ow.”

“Stop pretending to be hurt.”

Darius bent over and couldn’t lift his head.

“…Does it really hurt?”

Surely not.

“Ah, wait a moment…”

“What is it? Let me see.”

Why does this man keep avoiding me when I try to look? Is he really in that much pain?

“Darius.”

“…Kuk.”

“You were joking!”

As I worriedly burrowed into his arms, the face hidden there couldn’t conceal a bright smile.

Realizing I’d been teased, my face flushed hot.

“No, I’m really hurt. I’m telling you, I’m in pain. It hurts more than I can express in words.”

“I lost out by worrying about you even for a moment!”

“How can there be loss between husband and wife?”

With a clatter, I stormed out of the reception room.

“Are you angry?”

“…”

“I’m sorry.”

Darius chased after me.

“It really did hurt earlier, you know?”

Hmph. No use saying that while grinning, my lord.

“Front line forward! Shield bearers, raise shields and hold!”

As I walked for quite a while with Darius trailing behind me like that, Lord Lucian’s voice could be heard booming even though we were still far from the training grounds.

“The knights have been working really hard lately.”

“They all want to look good to each other.”

“When I heard that soldiers from all over the North were gathering in one place, I honestly thought there would be security issues. But Inkhart has become an even better place to live than before.”

“If anyone were to cause trouble now, they’d become a laughingstock among the gathered Northern lords. They’d be seen as someone who can’t even properly control their own subordinates.”

I stopped my angry walk alone. Those invited to the North now must be on high alert, wondering if the lord and lady are getting along well.

I needed to treat Darius well.

“Are you forgiving me now?”

“Just know that I’m letting it slide because there are many guests in the castle right now.”

“Then I should invite many more next time. So Anette will let things slide again.”

“There’s really a lot of money to feed them all.”

Of course, the costs for the army’s stay are borne by the inviting lord.

Seeing these enormous expenses, I understood why the Inkhart domain was always poor in the original work. They become poor by feeding an army every winter.

“I hope this friendly atmosphere lasts long. Men always end up fighting when they gather.”

It was something Lord Lucian had said before too. If you’re looked down upon, you’ll be eaten alive. So you can’t neglect training.

“Is there any need to worry?”

There was really no need to worry about this issue, at least.

“You’re the strongest, after all.”

Darius raised one corner of his mouth.

“Of course I am.”

Darius came over and took my hand.

“If Rose marries the heir of the Eastern Count’s family, we can raise the Temery family above the rank of count.”

“Was the Temery family a viscount before?”

“Technically, treated as a viscount. As the Grand Duke’s house holds multiple titles, I’ve wanted to give the Temery family a count title for a while now.”

The Temery family was the direct knight commander family of the Inkhart Grand Duchy. They deserved a high position.

“Not everyone in the North is loyal to Inkhart, right?”

The North is harsh, and everyone fends for themselves. In other words, it’s a place that doesn’t trust its ruling monarch.

“I heard that Count Spinel’s family has set out with their army.”

“The Spinel family?”

“They’re the most powerful domain in the North, aside from the Grand Duke’s family.”

“Will the pride-driven fights between the knights happen then?”

“Who knows. If Lucian trains the army very strongly, the Spinel family might get scared in advance and behave this time.”

“This time, you say.”

That means it has happened before.

I smiled slightly.

“Should I prepare fried food again?”

Darius raised both hands in surrender.

* * *

“Well, time to meet the patients again today.”

Schmidt opened the clinic doors on time. It was a public clinic opened with Anette’s help.

Simply by washing hands and feet, sterilizing surgical tools, and emphasizing the importance of hygiene, Schmidt’s clinic had an incomparable recovery rate compared to other hospitals.

Without any special promotion, Schmidt’s clinic was always bustling just through word of mouth.

Among those patients, there was a voice that particularly stood out.

“Twenty people waiting?”

“Dr. Schmidt usually spends time teaching other doctors, so the clinic isn’t open many days. That’s why it’s always busy on the days it is open.”

“I don’t care about that. So, there are many patients and he teaches other doctors too, is that right? Seems he does have some skill.”

The receptionist’s smile twitched. The man continued arrogantly.

“Listen, the person who just arrived is a very important person, though they can’t speak. They’re not someone who should be made to wait here like this. Just arrange for them to be seen next, without any fuss.”

“Our clinic treats all patients equally.”

As Schmidt’s reputation grew, such troublemakers appeared. People who claimed they shouldn’t have to wait like commoners, flaunting their status.

〈Ignore such talk. What’s there to worry about when I’m backing you?〉

This clinic was a public one supported by Anette, the lady of the Grand Duke’s house. As the receptionist maintained her smile and stood firm, the man turned back with a troubled look.

“What’s going on? When did they say we can see the doctor?”

“Well, Count…”

Soon after, the troublemaker who had been making a fuss at the reception desk could be seen reporting something to his companions.

“Let’s pay money. How much would it take to see the doctor right away?”

Then he came back and casually tossed a money pouch, saying:

“If you want a quick examination, please go to another clinic. We don’t have a system for expedited fees here.”

At this, the waiting patients around them started chiming in.

“That’s right! We’ve been waiting since morning too! Who are you to try and cut in line?”

“Do you think money is everything?”

“The doctor takes such care with each patient. Why are you bothering someone who’s just doing their job diligently?”

“You people! How dare you speak so carelessly in front of us? Be quiet!”

“What? You be quiet! Some nobody we don’t even know!”

In an instant, the reception area became noisy.

Tsk, the count clicked his tongue and raised his body’s energy.

“Everyone be quiet.”

Wooong, suddenly the gravity around them seemed to intensify, pressing down on all sides. The people who had been making noise unconsciously closed their mouths.

“Is this the fluid that Schmidt’s clinic boasts about? The one that’s different from other clinics?”

The count walked over to a jar filled with water, opened the lid, and tasted the fluid. The glucose solution developed by Anette and improved by Schmidt was like a symbol of Schmidt’s clinic.

A slight salty and sweet taste spread on his tongue.

“Tsk.”

The count scoffed as if dumbfounded.

“It’s just plain water.”

“What’s going on out here?”

Schmidt hurried out of the examination room at the prolonged commotion. However, the count’s interest had already waned.

“I had high hopes hearing it was a new clinic favored by the Grand Duchess. What a waste of time coming here. Let’s go.”

“S-sir! You need to take this back!”

The receptionist belatedly held up the pouch the count had thrown earlier. But the count paid no attention.

“Oh my…”

Inside the pouch the receptionist reluctantly opened were gold coins.

“This would have been enough for expedited treatment.”

The receptionist inadvertently blurted out words that should have remained only in her mind.