Raising the Northern Grand Duchy as a Max-Level All-Master
Chapter 102.2

o return to Earth, I would have to marry Arina and produce an heir.

But if I did that, could I truly leave without regrets?

Wouldn’t I be more attached to my wife and child in this world than to Jin Industries back on Earth?

This feels like the reversed tale of the woodcutter and the heavenly maiden.

I chuckled softly, lost in thought.

The Renslet Duchy’s peculiar lack of heirs makes this even trickier.

Even if I considered a secondary branch of the Renslet family as a backup plan, the lineage had always produced only a single heir since the first Grand Duke. It was as if the family were cursed.

There’s Mary… Mary is the solution!

The long-standing No Groups of More Than Twenty Northerners Law was abolished by imperial decree.

At the same time, Emperor Canbraman made another significant decision.

“The Crown Prince’s talent cannot go to waste. I will grant him a position.”

The Emperor formally appointed Julian to a newly created post.

“From this moment, the Crown Prince shall serve as the Overseer of Commerce!”

This unprecedented position carried the responsibility of inspecting and regulating trading companies and factories across the Empire.

In the North, however, another solution presented itself.

Fortunately, the Renslet line still had a female heir—Mary.

If Mary were to marry, the problem would be resolved.

I began to consider possible matches for her, much like I had done with Arina.

Unlike with Arina, Mary’s potential suitors offered more variety.

Candidates of slightly lower rank could also be considered.

But there was a problem.

Why does this bother me?

For some reason, imagining Mary marrying another man left me irritated.

Why do I feel this way?

“President?”

Lost in thought, I was startled to hear Mary’s voice.

“Huh? Oh!”

For once, I was visibly flustered as I turned to face her.

“Are you all right?”

Mary seemed just as surprised by my reaction, as she had never seen me so unsettled.

“I’m fine. I was just deep in thought.”

“If you’re tired, you should rest. You haven’t looked well lately.”

“No, no, it’s not that kind of exhaustion.”

“You seem to have a fever.”

Before I could respond, Mary placed her hand on my forehead.

“……!”

What was this strange current? This inexplicable surge of emotion?

My heart raced, and warmth rushed to my cheeks.

“?”

Suddenly, I noticed the necklace Mary was wearing.

At that moment, my pounding heart and flushed face quickly calmed.

“Huh? You had a fever just a moment ago.”

Mary tilted her head, confused, as she removed her hand from my forehead.

What’s going on?

I was just as puzzled as she was.

I know Mary’s necklace contains a mental enchantment similar to the Fence Rule.

Analyzing the situation with a clearer head, I came to a realization.

Have my feelings for Mary included love all along? Was it not just admiration for her talent?

Thinking back, the emotions I felt when I discovered Mary’s value were subtly different from those I experienced with other subordinates.

In other words, I’ve always liked Mary as a woman, but the enchantment on her necklace kept me from realizing it… until now.

The question was, why did I suddenly realize this?

Because I imagined Mary marrying another man?!

The most plausible explanation was a minor flaw in the enchantment—an inconsistency not uncommon in mental magic.

“……”

I stared blankly at Mary’s face, my thoughts in turmoil.

Once again, my heart raced, and my cheeks grew warm.

“Huh? You’re heating up again?”

Startled by her observation, I forced myself to focus on her necklace.

“……Now it’s gone?”

Mary sounded intrigued.

“Are you conducting another strange experiment?”

She looked at me suspiciously, as if she had expected as much.

“Let’s say that I am.”

The newly realized feelings of love were proving difficult to manage.

“What brings you here?” I asked, feigning composure as I fixated on her necklace.

“Entir Bishop is expected to arrive at the High Tower around noon tomorrow.”

“I was already aware of that.”

“The issue is that the imperial envoy is traveling with his company.”

“So, it’s finally happening.”

“It seems so.”

The purpose of the imperial envoy accompanying the Bishop Trading Company was clear: me.

They intended to pressure me into returning to the Empire.

“What will you do?”

“Does the Bishop Company include only the imperial envoy?”

“They also brought four representatives from banks and lending firms, as you predicted.”

The imperial envoy, on one hand, was meant to provoke me and the North. On the other hand, the bankers were there to placate me with gifts.

“Entir certainly knows how to walk a tightrope.”

“Is that what’s important right now?”

“Any other news?”

“There’s a rumor that the No Groups of More Than Twenty Northerners Law has been abolished by imperial decree. We’ll confirm it with the envoy, but it seems likely to be true.”

“……!”

The abolition of the discriminatory law caught me off guard more than the arrival of the imperial envoy.

“We must act quickly.”

I sprang to my feet, a rare sense of urgency gripping me.

Until now, I had thought I was advancing my plans as quickly as possible, but evidently, I had underestimated the pace of change.

The North is not safe yet.

One consolation was that the pressing circumstances helped push thoughts of romance out of my mind—for now.

***

For the first time in years, an imperial envoy arrived in the North.

Since the discussions regarding Arina’s marriage, there had been no formal visits.

“The lord of the North, Monarch of the Snowfields, Her Highness Arina Rune Renslet, Grand Duke of the North. I am Marquis Haima von Sedes, envoy of His Imperial Majesty.”

The leader of the delegation was an aging high noble with faded platinum hair and red eyes, clearly of imperial lineage.

“It is an honor to meet Your Highness in person. Seeing you in reality surpasses the portraiture we’ve admired. No mere image could capture even half of Your Highness’s beauty.”

Flowery praises spilled effortlessly from the envoy’s lips, filling the audience chamber.

“For the Emperor to send envoys unannounced is quite surprising. Were it not for Lord Entir’s presence, we might have mistaken you for spies and executed you all.”

“……”

The Grand Duke’s response, echoed by her advisors, was cold—bordering on outright hostility.

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