Common Sense of a Duke's Daughter

Mother II

When I returned to the mansion, I first went to see my husband.

… My husband was sleeping with a peaceful face.

Although I can not tolerate to say that he's okay because I'm not a doctor, his complexion is getting better and better.

When I look at such appearance, I breath out relieved and sat on the chair at the side of his bed, while stroking his head.

My husband has been working too much.

He was worried about Iris, he wanted to go with her to the meetings to support her, he wanted to help so many times, but… as he was not in condition to get out of bed, he worked as hard as he could to support her with what was within his possibilities… I also wanted to support my children, but.. I couldn't endure to leave him in this state. To a greatest extent, I was worried about his condition.

…… Recently, my worries for his health incremented.

While the royal palace conflict intensified, he still kept walking along the limit and working restlessly.

He accumulated more and more physical as well as spiritual weariness.

Every time he looks at us, I know that all his thoughts are about the country and its people. I really want for him to give more thought to his health… But it's not possible…

Many people were suffering by the disaster and the false gold coin case… and he knows that many people depend on him, his subordinates, the Count of Sagitaria … and Prince Alfred and his people.. if they were not there to keep the country, we couldn't imagine what it might be at this day.

Many of those who wanted to get a position in the palace by following Queen Elle and Marquis Maras every whim, were digging into the interior of the state government, trying to manage them as puppets when Edward takes the throne.. but they didn't even know of the existence of Prince Alfred and his sister at that time.

Therefore, I didn't prevent them from doing so.

Speaking about it, those nobles just made more obvious the actions of Queen Elle and the Marquis and made it easier to be charged for their crimes.

But.. thinking about it, even if those nobles were not there to make their actions obvious, when Queen Elle and the Marquis Maras reach the top, they would have taken the initiative themselves. So it was a matter of course for that to happen anyway…

Rather I think it's a shameful memory for those who followed them blindly.

And… the fact that the administration of the country is stagnant… thinking about it…The core administration is for organizing the people's lives and managing the country and that part not working properly greatly affects the lives of the people now and in the future…

Even if I do not engage in political affairs, I know that.

Being the things like that, sooner or later, this country will self-destroy itself or will it await being attacked by other countries …?

The fact that this country will self-destroy itself before being attacked is neither a metaphor, nor an exaggerated expression.

Under such circumstances, I'm worrying more about my husband who kept working soon after I was absent.

"I wonder if Iris workaholic personality comes from my husband.. that possibility is very likely."

I murmured while thinking.

The next moment, my husband opened his eyes thinly for a while.

"…Have you come back, Mary?"

"Have you woken up?"

"More or less… Do you know anything about Iris?"

He asked me worried with a hoarse voice.

"Do not worry husband, Iris is safe, my father just said me that Prince Alfred was victorious, the circumstances of the Duke of Almeria house will also turn around … that means, this is a victory for Iris too"

"… Really … I'm relieved to hear that…"

As he muttered and relaxed while breathing out of relief, my husband closed his eyes again.

I am worried about my husband's physical condition so I continue to check the situation, yet I hear his restful and regular sleep, and I feel relieved.

Am I worrying too much?

Every time he closes his eyes, I think that it might be an eternal sleep this time, that's my greatest fear.

When I kissed my husband's forehead, I got up and left from a separate door from the door I came in.

This door doesn't look like a door at first sight.

It is perfectly assimilated with the wall, and it will be impossible to open without knowing its existence.

Hidden rooms and hidden passages connected by these entrance doors are always present in a nobleman's mansion.

In this mansion, and also in the territory mansion, there were not many such rooms.

It is a small room that can be safely called a storeroom what lies beyond the door.

It doesn't have any decoration nor furniture.

Only a small round table and a chair paired with it that were placed in the center of the room.

I sit on that chair.

It is not luxurious, cushioned like our usual sitting.

It was more like a block of wood.

After I sit there, I pick up the sword that I casually placed on the desk.

As for that sword, like the furniture in this room, it has no decorations.

I grasp it for a while… Then, I pull the sword out of the sheath.

It is a real blade what you can see at a single glance. It has many years of being used, but carefully maintained.

I put the sword close to my forehead and closed my eyes.

This sword that usually is training with me, my partner, is now accompanying me…While remembering I calm my breathing. Like praying…

Then, I started to do maintenance for that sword.