Chapter 34 Some History
Abélie cleared her throat before beginning her explanations.
The Duchy of Wingfall has a reputation for being grim, and from what I can tell, the reason for that reputation is not very well known among aristocrats. But that is only an assumption; I haven’t been able to question any aristocrats so far. What I have been able to do, however, is look into the duchy’s history as seen by its inhabitants, and they had quite a few interesting things to say.”
She paused for a moment. The three men waited for her to continue. Despite Oscar’s slight irritation, Abélie enjoyed holding the entire narrative tension in the palm of her hand.
“Before the duchess arrived, the duchy suffered from particularly harsh winters. Of course, winter is never a very gentle season, but in those lands it was worse. The cold was intense, and all the crops and livestock died. Winter also brought with it its share of epidemics. One of those epidemics, in fact, carried off the duchess’s parents, and—”
“Lady Brynn’s parents died?” Oscar interrupted, genuinely taken aback by the information.
Once again, the majordomo raised an eyebrow.
“You didn’t know?”
“I… yes,” he admitted.
Abélie did not quite know what to say and simply continued her explanations, while in Oscar’s mind, questions swirled. So the duchess was an orphan as well. He hadn’t known. He himself had lost his mother very young, but he still had his father—even if their relationship was… complicated. The young lord had never known whether Andreus held him responsible for Maria’s death. If that were the case, the duke had never said so openly. It was also after her death that the duke had begun making disastrous financial decisions… As it turned out, grief was enough to transform a person.
“…and monsters", Abélie continued, her nose lifted to the wind.
Oscar came back to his senses and frowned.
“You said monsters?”
“Yes, monsters. Apparently, Wingfall was one of the last duchies of the Empire still suffering regular monster invasions.”
The young lord remembered that Lord Voston had mentioned monsters in the area. So the Emperor must be aware of it. That was not particularly surprising, since he demanded regular reports on the situation in each duchy. His own father sent one every month.
“I hear what you’re saying. But no monsters have been reported recently. And Lady Brynn has mentioned neither epidemics nor the presence of monsters at the very heart of the duchy.”
Then again, perhaps that explained why most of Wingfall’s troops were not stationed in the duchy’s capital.
“Well, as I just explained to you,” she retorted, taking care to underline his inattention—under Günther’s amused gaze—“since the duchess became… well, the duchess, the monsters, epidemics, and ruined harvests have stopped. Better still, the duchy is prospering.”
“Do you think it is more prosperous than the other duchies?”
She shrugged, shaking her head.
“I cannot know without visiting those famous ‘other duchies’. However, it is in a better economic situation than Rivière, which is, nevertheless, a coveted duchy and generously doted on by the Emperor himself.”
“Be that as it may, all of this is rather intriguing,” the man-at-arms remarked. He wore his ever-cheerful expression, yet Oscar detected a far more serious glimmer beneath that jovial exterior, though he could not yet determine its cause.
“All of this tells us very little that is concrete. Certainly something strange is happening, but as for what exactly, it is impossible to say.”
He shook his head, then cast a sidelong glance at his majordomo. She returned it with a puzzled look.
Later, once they had returned from their walk, Abélie trotted behind Oscar until they reached the study.
“So then, Young Master. Why the conspiratorial glance earlier?”
Oscar sat down behind the desk, thoughtful and very serious.
“I would like to act.”
“Act—but how?” she asked, placing her hands on the desk. “We don’t have many more leads.”
“We have one we haven’t explored yet: the Eastern Forest. We’ve known for some time now that this forest is strange.”
“True, but neither the servants nor the soldiers speak about it. As for the inhabitants, they have little to say. It’s a normal forest, according to them, though admittedly a good place for ambushes. There are already mushrooms and other common herbs in the forest south of Mulberry. The only one who really complains about the prohibition is the apothecary. I questioned him, but aside from talking about particularly rare plants, he had nothing to offer.”
Oscar remained in thought for a moment, his hands clasped together.
“We must enter that forest.”
“…Excuse me?” The young woman raised an eyebrow, genuinely confused.
“You heard me. It is the only way to obtain information about what might be going on there.”
Abélie straightened, her ponytail slightly dishevelled.
“First of all, my Lord, it’s a forest—it’s huge to search. And second, didn’t you hear when literally everyone warned you about the bandits who would like nothing more than to rob you?”
“Most of the criminals have disappeared over the past few months. And why doesn’t the duchess send any troops to patrol that forest instead of banning access to it?”
Abélie shook her head disapprovingly.
“Young Master, whatever the duchess’s reasons may be, everything suggests that this forest hides something dangerous. And it would be foolish to risk your life there and—”
“I intend to go alone, if that reassures you.”
She sighed, frowning.
“No, that doesn’t reassure me very much. Couldn’t you take Günther or Frédéric with you?”
Oscar shook his head.
“You know as well as I do that they will do everything they can to prevent me from going.”
“For good reason,” she muttered, before sighing audibly. “Very well. I will accompany you.”
“That’s not what I asked of you, and it’s out of the question. I—”
“Young Master", she interrupted, slamming her hand onto the desk. “Either I come along, or I report you to Günther, to Frédéric—even to the duchess if necessary. It’s non-negotiable.”
“Abélie, it could be dangerous,” he tried to argue.
“Non-negotiable.”
Faced with her serious gaze, he pinched the bridge of his nose. He wasn’t going to win this argument.
“Hm. Very well.”
She twirled a finger in her ponytail, pouting.
“I had hoped you would abandon the idea, but very well…”
“We need to know what’s going on there. But we’re not going without preparation, and that’s why I’ll need you to find me a map of the forest—the most recent one possible.”
She grumbled.
“I’ll go search the library,” the young woman conceded. “Our preparations must be perfect.”