EEA Chapter 27

Sutton's Excalize

Ailea's eyes briefly closed as she stepped inside Excalize Castle.

The foul smell of blood still lingered within the castle. It seemed they had tried to wipe away the blood before their arrival, but it hadn't completely disappeared. The traces of war remained everywhere—walls were broken all around, and damaged furniture that would have been better off not existing at all was scattered here and there.

Moreover, the floors were muddy from people walking around in dirty boots.

Ailea soon raised her head and looked around the castle. While she was touring every space of the castle in admiration, Clint said casually in passing,

"We'll need to hold the banquet as soon as possible."

"Pardon?"

"Ah, what nice weather."

"Wait, a banquet?"

Clint's eyes darted around quickly. As he finished speaking and tried to escape, Ailea ran over and blocked his path with both arms spread wide.

"Excuse me? Your Grace?"

"Ah, I'll help. I'll help, won't I? Who said you had to hold the banquet alone?"

Cornered, Clint instead lashed out in frustration.

"Look, if we don't hold a banquet, all the nobles in the Sutton region will whine that they can't hold any banquets at all this year. Apparently it's Teniac etiquette that people of lower status can't hold banquets first. So ever since we recaptured Excalize, they haven't been able to hold any banquets in Sutton—how can I say we won't do it? I said we'd do it as soon as possible."

As Ailea listened in amazement, Clint's voice gradually grew quieter.

"The commoners probably don't care whether they're ruled by those Kanna Empire bastards or Teniac bastards—it's all the same to them. But we need to take care of the nobles' pride and dignity. We need to hold a banquet as soon as possible, even if it's just a simple one."

"But why are you only telling me this now?"

*I forgot to mention it, my lady...*

Honestly, Ailea's presence kept distracting him so much that he had completely forgotten about Excalize's circumstances. But if he said that honestly, even gentle Ailea would probably get angry. Having to bring up holding a banquet when they hadn't even unpacked yet was torment for Clint too.

Clint grasped both her arms with his hands and spoke in the coaxing tone he used when appeasing women.

"Your room is clean. Anyway. Come on, let's go quickly."

He forcefully dragged Ailea along and brought her to her room.

It was a place where the sun came in beautifully. Fortunately, Ailea was very pleased with her room and quietly looked around without asking more about the banquet. As she looked around her empty room, thinking it was the room where she would spend the rest of her life, it felt very warm.

Ailea felt like she might cry for some reason, so she deliberately smiled brightly and turned to look at Clint.

"Alright. I'll prepare the banquet. First, I should start writing the invitations."

"I'll help too."

"Won't you be busy enough just with official duties?"

"Well, that's true."

"Handle your official duties first, and help with other things when you're not busy."

At her words, a faint smile appeared on Clint's lips as he nodded.

He had expected her to snap back at him for nagging, but when he unexpectedly smiled, Ailea asked warily,

"Why are you smiling?"

"Hm? Me?"

Clint asked back as if he had no idea what she was talking about.

*Did I smile?*

He rubbed his chin with his hand for no reason. Her nagging was starting to sound sweeter and sweeter to him. Now that was strange indeed.

Clint spent almost all his time outside, repairing the castle walls and investigating the current situation of the Kanna Empire. And Ailea began preparing for the first banquet.

Inside Excalize Castle, everything was broken and there wasn't a single art piece, so it wasn't an atmosphere for holding a banquet. So they decided to hold the party in the garden where white wildflowers were blooming.

Even if it hadn't been broken, Excalize was a rough castle, the complete opposite of the splendid Calise Castle.

Still, somehow Ailea didn't dislike this castle. Looking at its solidity, roughness, and faithfulness to its purpose regardless of appearance, she thought she wanted to live like this castle too.

Regardless of outward appearance, she wanted to be used for the right purpose.

When she unexpectedly worked hard preparing for the banquet, Clint gradually became anxious.

The ball at the imperial palace had been terrible. In Clint's mind, there was no reason for her to be so absorbed in the banquet. Literally, it was just something they had to do once so other nobles could hold banquets—it would be fine to do it simply.

Originally, Excalize had served as a buffer zone between the Kanna Empire to the south, Teniac to the north, and Dipolia to the east. When Excalize Castle was strong, its lord held authority even stronger than the emperor.

But that was just an old story—Excalize, which had suffered under the Kanna Empire and was only just reclaimed by Teniac, had lost much of its authority in the meantime.

Unless they were nobles who had lived in the Sutton region for a long time, Ailea and Clint appeared to the people of Sutton as nothing more than an upstart couple from outside.

Clint was worried about Ailea, who was absorbed in the banquet to an excessive degree.

Since coming to Excalize, Ailea had been absorbed in banquet preparations without resting a single day. She didn't sleep and mixed with the maids to do sewing.

Clint was truly concerned and walked over to Ailea, who was sewing in a corner of the hall.

"Did you get some sleep?"

When he asked, Ailea looked up. She smiled.

"I did."

"Do it in moderation."

The reason Clint was worried was that he wondered if she might have high expectations for this banquet.

If she was hoping to live a glamorous life in Sutton's social circles, unlike in the capital, it would be better for her to give up those expectations. The territorial exclusivity of the Sutton region nobles would be even worse than the capital people. Even if they looked similar it would be like that, let alone for a woman with such distinctive features.

Clint deliberately spoke coldly.

"The people here won't easily accept you either."

Ailea nodded and said,

"Whether they're nobles who have lived in the Sutton region for a long time, or nobles who came to this region from the capital by imperial command, none of them will be particularly happy to see me."

"If you know that, why are you pushing yourself so hard? Just do it simply."

"You need their support to properly perform your duties as lord."

They needed to gain support from the local nobles. They couldn't be looked down upon either. 

Ailea said, "I want you to stabilize the border and make this region into a place that's livable, even if it's still difficult."

"......"

"The first thing I can do for that is not to ruin this banquet."

Ailea continued with her sewing.

Her sewing was excellent, but since she had never attended parties, even the lace she made trying to be glamorous couldn't match the splendor boasted in the capital.

Yet Clint found himself wanting to possess everything she made by hand for himself alone. He wanted to put everything her hands had touched among his possessions.

Clint said, "Stand up."

"I'll be done soon."

"Leave that as it is and let's go to the salon."

"Pardon?"

"You're going in the wrong direction with your efforts. It's a waste of time for a woman like you, who has no sense for design or anything else, to be doing this here."

"That's... too harsh..."

Clint took her, shocked by his brutally honest analysis, to the dressing room.

"I'll hire professionals, so instead of doing this, go to the salon and befriend famous intellectuals and artists in Sutton."

"Can I just go like this?"

"All the salon ladies will be hoping that our couple visits their salon first. Today, Countess Flora is inviting a famous singer."

He smiled at Ailea, who would be anxious about going to an unfamiliar place.

"The most important thing is..."

"......"

"At Countess Flora's salon, you're allowed to wear a mask."

"I want to go!"

Clint laughed and dragged Ailea to the dressing room. Then he pointed to an unfinished green dress.

"Put it on, we're going out."

"But it's not finished yet..."

"Just try it on first."

Ailea nodded in confusion. After changing clothes with the help of the maids, she could see how splendid the dress was. The dress pleats were continuously gathered in semicircular shapes, and the spaces between them were connected with roses made from the same material as the dress. While Ailea hesitated, Clint put the black fine mesh gloves he had chosen on her and asked,

"What part isn't finished? It looks perfect."

"I haven't attached the sleeves yet."

"You don't need sleeves. Why would you cover up such pretty arms?"

"But..."

"The south is hot and open, so you can dress much more freely than in the capital. Let's go quickly."

"Oh, but I was going to wear this to the banquet too—is it okay to wear it now?"

Having lived in poverty her whole life, Ailea seemed to think that such a splendid dress should naturally be worn to a banquet. Clint said firmly,

"I'm going to buy dresses until that dressing room is full. Give up the attachment."

"Yes, what?"

"What are you surprised about? It's empty. We need to fill it."

"...I wish I could have the wedding dress altered."

"If you were me, would you want to keep a wedding dress given by another man for life?"

At his rebuke, Ailea hesitated.

‘That kind of thing, you don't really care about it anyway.’

She was about to say that when Clint spoke first.

"Give me your right hand."

When Ailea carefully raised her right hand, Clint took off the glove again.

Then he held her palm and examined her slender fingers, saying,

"Your hands are red. Are you going to keep worrying me like this?"

"They're red because I was sewing when you suddenly dragged me out."

"From now on, you can't do this kind of work."

"How can that be? Then what do I do?"

When she asked, Clint jokingly teased,

"Normally, you'd have the maids do all this and stay in my bed all day—we're newlyweds, after all."

At his joke meant to embarrass her, Ailea looked at Clint with eyes full of guilt. Meeting her gaze, Clint would normally have said, "You don't need to feel sorry." 

If it had been the usual him, he definitely would have said that. But now those words didn't come out.

Lately, Clint found himself strangely wanting to be rough with Ailea.

It was the same now.

He had the selfish desire for her to feel sorry that she couldn't embrace him.

To first befriend the intellectuals of the region, the couple headed to the salon of Countess Flora, the most famous in the Sutton region. The most splendid entertainment district in Sutton was an hour's carriage ride from Excalize. Being far from the border, it had suffered little war damage.

Ailea felt at ease knowing she could wear a mask.

At the news that the Archduke and Archduchess of Excalize were visiting, everyone's expectations turned toward the door. And the moment the two entered, small screams burst from the women's mouths. A dazzling light flowed from the young lord walking in with his wife. Thanks to this, the masked Ailea completely disappeared from their sight.

"Wow, how interesting."

Ailea said as she naturally removed her hand from Clint's arm. Then Clint's firm hand grasped her arm again.

"Befriend Countess Flora. She's an important person in Sutton's social circles."

He brought Ailea to Countess Flora.

When the couple who had newly become masters of Excalize headed first to the salon's hostess, a smile spread across Countess Flora's face. Widowed and with no one to inherit her title, she was still called Countess and seemed free, with an abundance of ease in her actions.

"Welcome, Countess Flora."

"Your Grace the Archduke of Excalize, Your Grace the Archduchess, it's an honor to have you here."

"This is my wife's first time at a salon, so would you help her enjoy herself?"

"Of course."

Countess Flora immediately linked arms with Ailea. Flora pulled the startled woman close and said,

"Then shall we ladies spend time together?"

"Pardon? Oh... Yes, yes."

Clint was worried about Ailea, who was nodding frantically in confusion, but she wasn't a child, so he steeled himself and let her go, saying,

"Let's meet at ten o'clock in front of the door."

Though Clint had spoken, Ailea was already looking only at Countess Flora, wanting to make a 'female friend.' At this sight, Clint clicked his tongue.

Every woman in here was looking at him, but the woman he was looking at was looking at another woman.

It was so absurd he was left speechless.