We began walking toward the entrance to the farm, making our way back to the carriage. I paused for a moment and turned around.
The grass seeds we’d planted had sprouted, and a vast carpet of soft green spread out before my eyes.
Before long, sheep would be wandering around the meadow, grazing on the grass. Just imagining the scene filled me with satisfaction.
I would shear them, spin their wool into yarn, dye the wool, and knit with it.
Knowing that gentle, peaceful life awaited me in the future gave me motivation to keep going.
Our carriage was parked at the entrance to the farm, and I noticed another man standing by our two guards. I squinted, trying to see who it was, and let out a gasp once I finally recognized the new person. Nonna had the same reaction.
“It’s Mike!” She sprinted off in his direction.
What’s Mike doing here? I thought nervously as I quickened my pace.
Mike belonged to the Third Order of the knights. In the kingdom of Ashbury, the First Order protected the royal family, the Second Order maintained safety in the capital, and the Third Order was basically a special missions unit. In other words, they were our spy organization.
“Victoria, Nonna. It’s nice to see you again.”
“How did you know we were here, Mike?” I asked.
“Well, gathering information is my specialty. I heard the Ashers started a business, so I came to see what was going on. This is a nice place you’ve got here.” Mike smiled as he looked around the farm.
“Did something happen, Mike? I know you’re busy, and this place is awfully out of the way…,” I said.
“You’re as sharp as ever, Victoria. The truth is, Prince Conrad will be hosting a ball soon. And since he’s so fond of Lord Asher, I’m sure he’ll be invited. I’m also certain the duke will tell Lord Asher to invite his wife, since she hasn’t appeared publicly in high society even once so far.”
“I see. I’m sure you’re right. I certainly can’t think of any other noblewoman who has never made a public appearance before,” I admitted.
Mike gave me a troubled smile.
“Since my features are quite forgettable, should I just continue saying I’m not Victoria? I go by Anna now, after all.”
“I think that will work with the king, the prime minister, and Crown Prince Conrad, but Lord Cedric will be there, too.”
“Oh, Lord Cedric…” Lord Cedric and I had seen each other’s faces at a close distance. We’d spoken to each other, too. But most importantly, we had engaged in combat against each other. There was no way he would buy that I was an entirely different person.
“Lord Asher says he can just forgo attending, but my boss has decided that if your husband does so, the king and the crown prince will grow suspicious,” Mike said.
“What should we do, then?”
“This is what my boss thinks…” Mike relayed the message, which was a bit risky.
His words were as follows:
“Since Lord Cedric and Victoria have met, there’s no doubt he’ll recognize her if their paths cross at the ball. In light of this, it would be best for Victoria to see Lord Cedric beforehand and request he not say anything to the king and the crown prince.”
Personally, I thought the idea would stir up trouble.
Lord Cedric was now a duke, but back when he’d been the second prince, he’d been quite insistent upon me training him, so I had the sneaking suspicion he would agree to keep quiet on the condition that I teach him martial arts.
“I’ll discuss it with my husband first,” I said.
“Of course. Go right ahead,” Mike agreed.
On the way home in the carriage, I started feeling down, and Nonna grew worried about me.
“Who’s the duke you were talking about? Do I know him?”
“He’s a very important person who came to Master Clark’s house once. Do you remember him?”
“Was he really…sparkly? I remember that guy.”
“Yes, that’s him. I might have to go meet with him.”
“Do you not want to?”
“I’d like to avoid it, but unfortunately, I don’t think I’ll have the luxury.”
“Because Dad became a baron?”
“You’re a very clever girl, Nonna.”
“Heh-heh-heh. I’m sure Dad will think of something.”
“I sure hope so.”
But Jeff wasn’t home yet when we got back. I wondered what was keeping him so long as I anxiously awaited his return. I’d suspected issues would arise with Cedric eventually, and I was beside myself with worry over how much trouble it would cause Jeff.
Perhaps the best course of action truly was meeting with Lord Cedric and asking him to pretend he didn’t know me.
Jeffrey returned from the castle at dinnertime. One look at his face was enough to tell me he had already heard about the situation with Lord Cedric. His brow was deeply furrowed.
“May I talk to you, Anna?”
“Yes.”
“Mike came to see me today and informed me about Lord Cedric. He spoke to you about it as well, didn’t he?”
“That’s right.”
“What would you like to do? We can both choose to not attend the ball, or I could just go alone.”
“Don’t you think going by yourself would damage your reputation?”
“If anyone has a problem with it, I honestly wouldn’t mind giving back my peerage. You’re more important to me than any title, after all.”
I knew he would say something like that. But that would be nothing but a loss for Jeffrey. Even if he did surrender his title, that wouldn’t sever his ties with Lord Cedric, and it wasn’t like the duke was our only problem, either.
Crown Prince Conrad was very fond of Jeff, and he would most likely refuse to allow him to renounce his title. In fact, I was certain he would press Jeff on why he would want to give it up, should it come to that point.
I felt like it was pointless to answer that question. We would have a lot of trouble on our hands if the duke became convinced that Jeff was leaving the nobility because his wife didn’t want to appear in high society.
“Jeff, I think I should meet with Lord Cedric. I’ll ask him to pretend it’s his first time meeting me when we see each other at the ball.”
“But you know he’s just going to ask you to train him again.”
“I realize that. I can train him once, and then that’ll be the end of it. I’ll tell him, ‘If you can’t land a hit on me in three minutes, give up.’ Or something to that effect,” I said.
“That might backfire on you and get Lord Cedric even more enthusiastic…”
“But what else can we do?” I asked.
We both frowned.
Nonna had been listening along quietly all this time, but suddenly, she spoke up with a suggestion. “What if I spar with Lord Sparkles? If he’s never seen Shenese martial arts before, I bet I could beat him on the first try.”
Jeff and I thought about it for a moment, then nodded. I had a feeling we were both thinking the same thing. Great idea, Nonna!
However, we both scolded Nonna at the same time. “Nonna, you mustn’t call Lord Cedric ‘Lord Sparkles.’”
After much hemming and hawing, Jeff and I arrived at a decision.
It took two weeks via carriage to reach the duchy from the capital, so even if we sent a letter to Lord Cedric immediately, it wouldn’t reach him in time. Consequently, Jeff decided to see the duke as soon as Lord Cedric arrived, in advance of the ball.
“Before the event gets underway, I’ll meet with Lord Cedric at the castle and ask him to act like he doesn’t know you when he spots you that night,” Jeff said.
If Lord Cedric asked for me to train him in martial arts in exchange for his silence, Jeff would say, “Only if you can beat my daughter, Nonna, in a match first.” Lord Cedric would never dream a twelve-year-old girl would be capable of defeating him, so there was no doubt he would accept.
“I can’t wait! Are you sure it’s okay if I go all out against Lord Spark—er, I mean, Lord Cedric? Should I avoid striking his face? What about his neck? What? I can’t aim for his face or his neck?! What about his back or his stomach?”
Nonna was unusually excited about all this, which was unsettling in and of itself. But we decided that this was the easiest plan.