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I slowly opened my eyes again. I was always tired lately, so I might have seen it wrong.

[Are youuuu really going to marry the Mage Duchesssss?]

Nope, I saw it right.

Dear God.

A sense of dismay washed over me once again. I had heard that the Emperor gave the Dukes their title, but what was he thinking when he named someone like this ‘the Wise Duchess’?

If the Emperor had any sense, he might have wanted to call her ‘the Drunkard Duchess’ or ‘Boozer Duchess’ instead. Perhaps he fought that urge and settled on the ‘Wise Duchess’ to encourage her to live up to the name.

She does live up to it, though...

Thinking about the Wise Duchess, or rather, the Drunkard's abilities, I sighed again. Unfortunately for the Emperor, the Wise Duchess was a monster who possessed both intelligence and a fondness for alcohol.

Maybe her tendency towards alcoholism was a way to balance things out. It seemed like Enen overdid adding the intelligence stat when creating the Wise Duchess, so he had to add the constant drunkenness as a passive trait to keep things balanced.

"This child will surprise the Empire when she grows up."

When the Wise Duchess was just a little kid in the past, a visiting cardinal at the Duke's household said those words upon seeing her.

Of course, it could have been mere lip service to the Wise Duchess's devout father, who was a staunch believer in the Dawn Sect. But, in the end, the Wise Duchess did astonish the Empire, albeit for reasons other than her abilities.

It was indeed a bit strange but surprising nonetheless. The cardinal truly had a way with predictions.

[Are you going to answer me or nottt?]

Damn it.

I was trying to take a moment to clear my mind, but the Wise Duchess wasn't about to let this weary civil servant off the hook. She just had to hound me for a reply as soon as I allowed myself a brief distraction.

Moreover, it seemed like she was sobering up, judging by how her texts were becoming more coherent. This meant that she would keep pestering me until I replied.

I guess I have no choice.

If I had to choose between being briefly annoyed now and being harassed for days, then I’d obviously pick the former.

I activated the communication crystal with a small sigh. Since I couldn't decipher a drunk person's text messages, I figured I might as well see her face.

— My dearrrr~ nephewww!

A voice loud enough to haunt my dreams greeted me as soon as the call connected.

Her dear nephew?

But I was her husband's nephew and not her nephew.

"Successor of the Krasius family, Executive—"

— Oh, come on! Why are you using that kind of formality between us?!

The Wise Duchess laughed heartily and took a swig straight from a wine bottle.

I thought she was sobering up, but she was actually drinking more. How she managed to send a coherent message was a miracle.

I lowered my gaze slightly, unable to bear looking at that mad spectacle.

Between us?

And now, she was talking nonsense. I didn't want to have anything to do with her. I hope she didn't go around claiming we were family.

…Not that she had anyone to tell since she rarely left her territory.

— Hey, nephew, nephew!

"Yes, Your Grace. I'm listening."

— Oh, enough. Don't call me that!

"...Yes, Auntie."

The Wise Duchess nodded quickly in satisfaction.

What a pity. She was young and good-looking, but why did she have such a cursed personality?

Long, green hair and golden eyes. She honestly had the makings of a mystical beauty, but alas, she was an alcoholic.

— My dear nephew. It's so hard to see you, so I reached out to you first.

"The last time we met was at the New Year's Ball, so it has been a while."

I politely phrased my words to imply that she rarely left her territory except for the New Year's Ball.

However, it didn't get through to the invincible drunkard. Maybe she was too drunk to understand, or maybe she was pretending not to.

— Right, right, I thought I wouldn't see you until next year—but your name's been all over the news lately, you know?

I couldn't respond to that. If even a reclusive drunkard like her had heard the gossip, it meant that the entire empire was buzzing with the news.

She chuckled and took another gulp of wine while I fell silent.

— So, even the Mage Duchess is shy!

"Pardon?"

Her incomprehensible comment made me reply impulsively. Who did she say was shy?

In what way?

She publicly confessed at the Crown Princess's birthday banquet and even spread a rumor so widely that the entire empire knew about it.

That was far from shy. Even someone overflowing with courage and confidence would hesitate to take such actions.

— She’s too shy to tell you, so she just keeps wandering around.

But the Wise Duchess seemed unaffected and continued speaking.

— She confessed but she didn’t even come to see you and only met with your mother instead. She’s basically saying, ‘I like you, so notice me!’

She banged the table, laughing so heartily it was almost hysterical. It was so cheerful that it felt annoying.

Either way, it made no sense and had no basis. If someone else had said it, I would have dismissed it as drunken babble.

But this is the Wise Duchess.

The credibility of a message depended on the messenger. Unfortunately, anything the Wise Duchess said couldn’t be ignored no matter how nonsensical it sounded.

What, she shouldn’t be trusted because she was drunk? This was the person who was rumored to be perpetually drunk except at her parents’ funeral and her own wedding.

Despite being always drunk, she managed to govern the troublesome duchy of Cheness, the empire’s key agricultural region and a hotbed of conflicts, without any issues. Her words couldn’t be ignored.

"Auntie, what exactly do you mean by that...?"

— Oh, are you curious too, my nephew?

I swallowed the urge to retort that it was her fault for making me curious.

After laughing for a while, the Wise Duchess took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, releasing a reddish smoke from her mouth that was visible even through the communication crystal.

This was something only the Wise Duchess could do. It was a unique magic that burned off the alcohol in her system using mana.

It’s over.

I closed my eyes tightly. A world where such magic existed was too frightening.

— My dear nephew~ The Mage Duchess kept spreading rumors and meeting people around you. It must have been scary, right?

The Wise Duchess was still high-spirited, but she seemed more sober now.

"Not really. It wasn’t that bad."

I almost admitted to it, but I barely held back. It was too embarrassing to acknowledge.

— But nephew, do you think the Duchess would stop at just that if she really meant it?

"No."

— Right?

I quickly answered that one. No, definitely not.

In the empire, a duke's power was absolute. If they wanted something, then they would have it. But targeting those around me instead of me directly? It wasn’t just ineffective, but also too time-consuming.

— She made a public confession but did nothing afterward and just appealed to those around you. It’s obvious!

Nodding to herself, the Wise Duchess then smiled broadly and raised her index finger.

— She wants your attention so she confessed, but she’s too shy to go further.

And then quietly raised her middle finger.

— But she’s also spreading rumors to keep other ladies away.

After saying that, the Wise Duchess collapsed onto the table, her shoulders shaking with laughter.

— Our Mage Duchess is so girly! Maybe it’s because it’s her first love, but even I would’ve believed that she’s 12 instead of 120!

Her words made my blood run cold. How did she get the courage to say what even the Emperor wouldn’t dare to?

Was alcohol really a potion of courage? The Wise Duchess’s remarks might not reach the Mage Duchess, but saying such things about her would surely cause some concern.

"...Wasn’t she just giving me time to sort out my feelings? She said she would wait for the New Year's Ball."

— That’s just her running away so she could give herself some time to gather her thoughts.

Despite my fear, I forced myself to speak, but the Wise Duchess responded firmly.

— She’s probably rationalizing it as giving you time to prepare. Since she’s an elf and a mage, she can fool herself quite well.

It was something I had never considered. So, was she saying that the Mage Duchess made an excuse to buy time to run away?

— Nephew, if you feel like Mage Duchess is hesitating, then make the first move. She’ll be caught off guard.

_ Have you ever met an elf before?_

The Wise Duchess's additional comment left me staring blankly at the communication crystal.

***

The chaotic and maddening conversation ended with the Wise Duchess opening a new bottle of whiskey.

— Then, to my nephew's brilliant marriage!

She drank half the new whiskey without stopping then poured the rest over the communication crystal, ending the call.

Is this really a wise person?

It was genuinely puzzling, but glimpses of her actual wisdom made me tolerate her more.

Even now, her perspective and thoughts could only possibly come from a drunken madman.

The Mage Duchess is hesitating.

Summarizing and organizing the information, that was the gist. The confident Mage Duchess was also in a state of confusion just like me and was taking a moment to gather herself.

Is that really it?

It was plausible assuming that the Wise Duchess’s words were true.

There had been no contact since the confession. I thought it meant that she was giving me time to prepare for the New Year's Ball, but there was no reason for Mage Duchess to wait for me. Was that time for her to gather her own thoughts?

She also spread rumors around me. She could be placing pressure on the other ladies not to outbid her claim. If so, then Marghetta had bid first, but still.

— She’s probably rationalizing it as giving you time to prepare. Since she’s an elf and a mage, she can fool herself quite well.

And if the Mage Duchess herself was pretending to be calm, rationalizing her actions...

— Nephew, if you feel like Mage Duchess is hesitating, then make the first move. She’ll be caught off guard.

She would be thrown into confusion if I approached her first.

Could that be true?

I felt conflicted. It seemed both plausible and ridiculous.

The way to confirm it was simple. I could go to the Magic Tower and meet the Mage Duchess directly.

If the Wise Duchess's words were true, then the Mage Duchess wouldn’t be able to react.

If not...

Then I'd be walking into the tiger's den. The Mage Duchess might think that I voluntarily came because I liked her too.

I needed to think about this more. No matter how reliable the Wise Duchess's words might seem, this was by no means an easy decision.

...Besides, going to the capital anytime soon was a bit frightening.

***

I looked away as I felt an intense gaze.

How strange. I shouldn't be feeling her stare through the communication crystal.