***

The outstretched hand touched Blush’s hand.

Blush gulped and didn’t say a word.

The hands of a woman who was raised as a noblewoman all her life were excessively soft.

It was unfamiliar and strange.

But it was only for a short while.

“Father.”

The sad voice brought him back to his senses.

Blush’s brow furrowed.

The woman was still asleep.

It wasn’t him that Symphonia was staring at.

Blush clumsily brushed her hair.

Satisfied with the warmth of his hand in hers, the sleepy Symphonia closed her eyes tightly.

The sensation, once recognized, could be easily erased.

* *

‘Did he leave already? If he woke up first, why didn’t he wake me up?’

I chugged a glass of water while looking at the empty seat.

When I woke up, I was the only one in the bedroom.

It was only seven o’clock, but my husband didn’t seem to have slept in.

Or maybe he just got tired of me being drunk and used a different room.

But in my memory, it didn’t seem there was anything wrong.

If anything, I got drunk and he even supported me.

“Yeah, well. Nothing wrong with that.”

I rationalized and got up from my seat.

Yesterday was the end of my drinking and relaxation.

Starting today, I had to fill my time with fulfillment.

****

“Starting today, I will be serving Your Highness! Please take care of me!”

Melcy bowed quickly.

I looked at her and nodded.

We were already acquainted with each other.

“Good morning. We’ve met again.”

“I’m sorry about that!”

At my greeting, Melcy bowed her head once more.

After showing me such behavior, and perhaps thanks to the scolding of the higher authority on the way to Mona Chareuteu, Melcy’s demeanor had changed considerably from the first time we met.

“Are you serious?”

“Yes! Yes, yes! Of course I am!”

Melcy answered hurriedly.

I laughed as I stared at her, who bowed her head all the way down.

Frankly, I had nothing against her.

“Just get up already. Your back looks hurt.”

“Will you forgive me?”

“I’ll see.”

“Oh, please.”

“Don’t you like it?”

“Oh, no, no.”

Melcy shook her head violently.

I chuckled.

Our first meeting wasn’t good, but I’d heard about her skills beforehand.

I wasn’t going to spend the whole time blushing.

“I’m sure you’ve heard that now you are my guard and maid of honor.”

“Yes, I know.”

Melcy nodded obediently.

She looked more relaxed than before, and her face had a childlike quality to it.

“Let me tell you in advance, I’m from the capital, even if I try not to show it as much as I can, I might unintentionally say and act against Mona’s culture or manners, and I will need your help every time.”

“Yes, I understand.”

“Of course, there would be times when you deliberately misinterpret or silence me in order to make me feel terrible. I wouldn’t even notice if you did that anyway.”

“I would never do such a thing.”

Melcy waved her hands hastily, and I smiled deliberately.

“Of course you won’t. At that moment, you might be able to laugh at me for being a laughingstock, but you never know what will happen after that.”

“After that?”

“I’m telling you in advance, I’m not going to put up with it.”

The focus of Melcy’s eyes quivered as she glared at me, her expression tightening at once.

Not many words were needed to warn her.

She had already experienced in person that I would not hold back.

I patted her shoulder, still smiling.

There was a lot for her to do from now on.

* * * *

“I’d like to read today.”

“You’re going to read all these books?”

“I’m a fast reader.”

I shrugged lightly, grabbed one of the books, and sat down.

Melcy paled and followed my order, stacking all the books on the desk.

“All done, My Lady.”

“Then take a seat in front.”

“What?”

“I’m going to read a lot of books today, but you can’t just stand there. Sit down and answer my questions.”

I didn’t take my eyes off the book as I spoke.

There was nothing like a book to get basic information quickly.

“I don’t know if I’ll be able to answer your questions properly.”

“You’ll be fine.”

I asked Blush to send me someone who had some basic knowledge, so I didn’t think he would send just anyone without thinking.

I flipped over the book I was looking at and showed it to Melcy.

“You know these shoes that allow you to walk on snow?”

“Are you talking about snowshoes?”

It seemed to be something unfamiliar to me but not to Melcy.

The name of the shoes described in the book came right out of Melcy’s mouth without hesitation.

“The book says that if you wear it you can walk on snow, but I can’t see it.”

“Sulpi is something you use when there is a lot of snow on the ground. You tie it to your shoe.”

“I don’t think this is what I saw last time.”

“I think you’re talking about Eisen.”

“Eisen?”

As I tilted my head, Melcy cautiously extended her hands.

“Can I have the book, please?”

“Here.”

After taking the book from me, Melcy hurriedly flipped through the pages and found a picture.

“Perhaps this was what you saw. Like the sulpi, it’s something Mona Chareuteu can’t do without.”

I compared the two things, alternating between the shoes with eisen and the ones with sulpi from earlier.

While the Sulpi had a round shape made of bent wood, the Eisen had a pointy shape like a claw made of iron.

“What’s the difference between the two?”

“In short, Eisen is kind of like Sulpi, but in general, Mona Chareuteu considers Eisen to have a higher performance than Sulpi.”

“Higher?”

“Sulpi is useful in snowy conditions, but on the frozen ground it won’t work. There are limits to its use. That’s why we came up with Eisen.”

“What about Eisen?”

“Eisen is less slippery on ice and easier to climb ice walls. It’s more durable because it’s made of steel.”

“They are not that expensive, are they?”

“They are.”

Iron was a fine resource, but there were limits to how it could be used.

Iron was needed to make weapons and armor.

It was difficult to find more than a certain amount of iron in a situation where most of the iron mined was heavily controlled for the purpose of advancing military power.

“Because the iron has to be processed and special treatment has to be given to it. There’s also a saying that you can identify a person’s wealth with Eisen.”

“What kind of special treatment is it?”

“To prevent iron from corroding, or to make it lighter. Walking in the snowfields is exhausting. The lighter the eisen, the better.”

“It makes sense.”

“But don’t make them absurdly light. Because eisen will break easily if it’s too light. It’ll be useless.”

Melcy fidgeted with her hands over and over, trying to explain it with words. She seemed to be struggling to find a way to explain it better.

“If what you’re saying is right, then it would take quite a bit of skill to make them. Are there many such technicians in Mona?”

“There are many people who make Eisen, but not many craftsmen who can make the good ones.”

“I suppose that means there still are.”

“You may misunderstand me when I say this, but………….” Melcy hesitated.

“It’s all right. Speak comfortably.”

“Many people claim to be Mona’s best blacksmith, but in my opinion, there is only one person who deserves the title.”

“One person?”

“Marton Brown.”

“Brown……..”

Melcy had the same last name.

I narrowed my eyes, and Melcy scratched her head awkwardly.

“Yes, he’s my grandfather.”

“Really?”

“Don’t get me wrong! Not because he’s my grandfather, but because he’s a really great blacksmith! His Highness’s sword was made by my grandfather!”

Melcy shouted with all her might.

I stared at her. She was flustered, but her sparkling eyes were filled with pride.

“If a granddaughter was confident enough to recommend, he must be very talented.”

“….”

Merci’s eyes widened.

I smiled and took the book back.

“When you get a chance, please talk to your grandfather. There’s something I want to talk to him about.”

“You mean about this?”

“Yes. In the meantime, we’ll have to make some more progress first. But it won’t take long, thanks to the teacher.”

“Teacher?”

“Despite your lack of confidence, you did answer well.”

I smiled and turned the page.

Melcy’s cheeks were flushed red when she raised her head for the next question.