Transmigrated Into A Tragic Romance Fantasy – Chapter 36

Lady Sincere with Apologies

  The northern province of Winterfell, which briefly thaws in May, is a busy time for everyone, adults and children alike, but if one were to name the busiest person among them, it would undoubtedly be Logan Winterfell, the leader of the northern province of Winterfell.

  Especially this year, with the matrimonial contest overlapping, even a moment of sleep was a luxury for him.

  The task of overseeing the vast northern province and maintaining the long-standing traditions of the family were both significant, but he inevitably had to pay more attention to the former.

  The management of the northern province had to go through his hands.

  And the latter had been successfully led several times already by Central Advisor Gelwood.

  Of course.

  “Your Grace.”

  Logan was not skipping any intermittent reports that came in.

  “Please, take a seat.”

  Logan sat in the main seat on the sofa, and Gelwood sat diagonally to his left.

  The face-to-face meeting would take place tomorrow.

  The past face-to-face meetings focused only on the final candidates and were held in the main hall of the palace or the capital with only the concerned parties attending, but this one was planned to be grandly held in the central square of the grand duke’s city, carrying a different significance.

  It was to publicly reveal the veiled third grand duchess to all the citizens.

  Remian  Winterfell.

  It was the day when his youngest daughter would finally make her name and face known to the world, hence the specially prepared face-to-face meeting.

  “So, how are the preparations for the face-to-face meeting going?”

  “Yes, we have already completed the preliminary steps.”

  “Well, I knew you would handle it perfectly.”

  “You flatter me.”

  That concluded the report on the face-to-face meeting.

  Such was possible because he was the central advisor who had earned great trust from Logan Winterfell.

  Next, he lowered his voice to report on another agenda.

  Four pieces of paper were laid on the table.

  “These are about the issue you asked me to investigate previously.”

  Logan picked them up.

  “These are certificates.”

  “These were not submitted by the candidates but officially issued by the Royal Academy. They are tamper-proof.”

  “So, they are indeed valedictorians as stated. Were there no access to other personal information?”

  “Yes. As you know, due to academy rules, access to cadet information by others is forbidden, and in the case of the ‘royal’ academy, no access is permitted except by His Majesty the King…”

  “Hmm. So, essentially, we gained nothing useful.”

  “I apologize.”

  He had anticipated this.

  The academy was the only place in the kingdom that did not discriminate by status and was notoriously closed-off because of it.

  A place where all are equally educated and learned, where no one could exert influence based on their born status.

  Logan leaned back on the sofa, placing the papers on the table.

  Despite his desire to uncover the reasons behind his youngest daughter’s classmates being final candidates, he ended up without any substantial gains.

  It seemed too coincidental, but Remian  had dismissed it by saying, ‘I thought it would be better with those I’ve experienced rather than those I haven’t met before,’ prompting Gelwood to investigate behind the scenes.

  It was a reasonable choice, so he could neither question further nor overturn the final candidate selection.

  Moreover, Logan knew his daughter well enough to understand her stubborn insistence and determination, which had led him to let it slide.

  He could not forget that trying to break her resolve once had nearly cost her to wither away.

  The questionable reputations and conduct of those candidates were another matter.

  “Any testimonies from classmates?”

  “It seems there was some connection between the four candidates and the grand duchess, but not much is known.”

  “Hmm… is that so?”

  “During their studies, there was nothing special noted, and she was said to be a cheerful and bright student, enjoying her classes with passion and joy.”

  Logan smiled faintly, hearing about his daughter’s school days.

  The fact that she had been lively and joyful at the academy, enjoying learning while she had been sad and despondent about not being able to venture out into the world due to a curse, was a relief for him as a father.

  He had taken the risky step of falsifying her status to give her that life.

  Now freed from the curse, he had petitioned His Majesty the King for a lenient judgment on the past actions he had taken for his daughter.

  “Indeed. When she returned after graduation, she was bright and radiant. It was as if that place had been a cradle of life.”

  Returning satiated from quenching her thirst for knowledge and learning, his daughter

 had gained weight and her previously sullen complexion had brightened.

  The letters she sent during her studies were always filled with unrestrained joy, and she had expressed no regrets upon returning.

  He did not believe it was a lie.

  Could the doubt that there was something unclear about those four be merely a baseless suspicion?

  Could the worry that his daughter might disrupt the grandest festival of the northern province by violating the sacred traditions of their house be an unnecessary concern?

  Surely.

  His daughter would not deceive her father who believed and supported her.

  “Perhaps you should meet the candidates yourself?”

  At Gelwood’s suggestion, Logan momentarily showed displeasure.

  “Oh? Is that something a chief advisor should say? Have you forgotten that it is our sacred tradition and strict rule that any private meetings between the candidates and the head of the house are strictly forbidden until the matrimonial contest ends?”

  “I apologize. It seemed you were frustrated…”

  “The matrimonial contest of the Winterfell grand ducal family is also a festival for all the people. We have maintained our lineage without a single rumor because we have upheld those traditions and rules.”

  “I momentarily forgot my duty. Please forgive me.”

  Gelwood bowed his head.

  Calming his anger, Logan leaned toward him, curiosity piqued.

  As a father and as the head of the Winterfell grand ducal family, his daughter’s matrimonial alliance was as important as the affairs of the northern province.

  Therefore.

  He intended to exercise a special privilege, to snoop on his daughter’s ultimate decision.

  “By the way, has Remian  taken an interest in anyone?”

  However.

  The response added doubt to his curiosity.

  “…Hmm? Isn’t Prince Elden a forfeiter?”

Glance.

Swipe.

Glance.

Swipe.

With each turn of a page, Ariel glanced toward the entrance of the reading hall.

It was almost becoming a reading habit now.

When she got deeply engrossed in a story, it would take several pages before she suddenly looked up.

And seeing no sign of Elden, she would turn the page with a hint of disappointment.

It was a typical start to her day in the library, reading books while waiting for her reading companion.

Yet she eagerly awaited him because she had a [gift] for him.

A gift containing Apologies.

That was what Elden had said.

He had merely lost because he had forfeited.

Initially, she hadn’t taken his words seriously, just happy to be able to sit and read with him again, but on her way back to the library, a thought struck her.

‘…Wait.’

So, Elden never wanted to win in the first place, and she had meddled like a fool?

Even seeing him happy talking about his dream of a culinary journey, she had foolishly pushed him, saying, ‘You could become the grand duke’s son-in-law!’

Even after hearing his genuine reason for forfeiting, her own joy of possibly helping the third grand duchess had led her to offer premature support?

As this realization hit her, Ariel felt sorry for Elden.

The true meaning behind his forfeit, his dream of a culinary journey.

Despite seeing and hearing all this, she had let her own joy prevail and impulsively cheered him on, unintentionally burdening him.

Though Elden seemed not to mind, prioritizing her joy over her precious reading companion’s true feelings was indeed deserving of criticism.

In exaggeration, it was as if she had heard Elden’s story with one ear and let it out the other.

No.

It wasn’t an exaggeration; that was exactly what had happened.

She had inadvertently ignored his dreams and sincerity in her desire to help the protagonist of the novel.

‘Ugh… Fool. What were you thinking?’

Thud!

Ariel hit her own head as she arrived at the library, beginning to inquire among the librarians.

Regardless of the intention, she wanted to apologize to Elden.

She wanted to show her support for his dreams and sincerity.

Thus.

Ariel found herself in the fourth-floor basement storage, where elderly butler Rendler had once been arrested for unauthorized entry.

“It should be here… but whether I can find it…”

The troubled librarian quickly escaped, claiming to be busy with official duties.

Ariel was left alone in the dim basement storage.

Occasionally, the eerie sound of mice squeaking echoed through the space.

It was creepy enough to make her want to flee immediately.

However, determined Ariel began to rummage through piles of books.

“Cough! Cough! Cough!”

It was like a tomb of books.

Amid the old musty smell that made her nose sting and the dust that tickled her nostrils causing relentless coughing.

She relied on the torches on the walls to see, occasionally screaming when shadows from the books startled her, but Ariel did not give up.

And

 at last.

“Kyaa—! I, I found it—!!!”

She had found it.

Jumping around like a frog in excitement, Ariel left the storage and approached the librarian who had guided her there, managing to secure an indefinite loan of the book.

“…Impressive. If it weren’t for you, miss, it might never have seen the light of day. I’ll grant an indefinite loan under my authority.”

“Thank you—!”

It had taken a full day, and upon returning to her residence, her maid scolded her.

“Why?”

“…Did you roll around at a construction site today instead of the library?”

Filthy.

Her dress, face, and hair were covered in dust, leaving the maid no choice but to be shocked.

Nonetheless.

After all the ordeals, she had secured the gift, and the next morning, Ariel waited eagerly for Elden with it hidden.

‘When will he come~’

Eventually, seeing Elden enter through the side path of the reading hall, Ariel greeted him with a bright smile.

“Huh? Elden! You came?”

“Yeah. Were you waiting?”

“No? Why?”

Ariel nonchalantly denied it, her hand instinctively moving behind her back—a reflexive reaction.

“I saw you looking toward the entrance. I stopped by the cooking section today because I was looking for something.”

“Why?”

“I wondered if there was a book like a national guide to monster cuisine or something organized by region.”

“…!!”

Ariel could not hide her excitement at Elden’s casually dropped words.

“…Why are you acting like that?”

“He, actually… I have a gift for you!”

“You do? Why?”

“Oh… well, I just wanted to give you something?”

“What is it?”

Without great expectations, Elden sat opposite Ariel.

Then, what appeared in front of him was none other than a book titled [National Tour of Monster Cuisine].

“Ta-da—! With this, you’re all set for your culinary journey!”

Receiving the gift, Elden asked with a surprised face, smiling brightly.

“…What? This is exactly what I was looking for? I searched the entire section and couldn’t find anything like it, how did you find it?”

Recalling how she had been scared by shadows and had tears and a runny nose from the flying dust yesterday, Ariel just grinned and said,

“The librarian helped me find it. And guess what, it’s an indefinite loan! Do you like it?”

Her response was crafted to prioritize the happiness of her precious reading companion over recognition for the efforts she had made to find the gift.

“Yeah. Thanks. I’ll use it well.”

Thank goodness!

With that, Ariel relieved herself of the mental burden she had created, smiling contentedly.