It Turned Out She Wasn't a Favored Concubine - Episode 49

I brushed away the goosebumps on my arm as I read the diary carefully. While commoners scrambled to survive day by day with their hands and feet, nobles sat comfortably on sofas, engaged in nerve-wracking mental battles. A single decision could destroy an entire family.

According to the diary, the Edelheit family hadn’t attended the autumn hunt until the previous generation. Though they had tradition and a high title, the head of the family hadn’t made any notable achievements, and surviving solely on the income from their territory meant they couldn’t possibly rank within the top hundred families of the empire.

But things changed when Giscal became the head of the Edelheit family.

The emergence of a war hero who defeated the long-standing nuisance of the empire—the Kingdom of Zaren—instantly elevated the Edelheit family to great heights. They gained power rivaling that of the empire’s most influential nobles, and naturally, one of the invitations to the autumn hunt was addressed to the Edelheit family.

The problem was that Giscal was the only direct male descendant of the Edelheit family. It wasn’t feasible to summon a commander from the battlefield to the capital just for a hunt. Though the family received invitations every year, Giscal had never attended.

But this year was different. Giscal had completed the war victoriously and was staying in the capital during the hunting season.

There was about a month left until the autumn hunt, and the invitation was expected to arrive while I was staying at the Edelheit estate.

Naturally, Giscal would attend this time. I realized it late, but there was no way he didn’t understand the significance of participating in the hunt or the purpose of the bracelet.

Yet Giscal hadn’t mentioned anything to me—more precisely, to Arne—about the bracelet used to forge relationships with other noble families.

Arne was the only direct female descendant of the Edelheit family. If Giscal intended to use the bracelet to express goodwill toward other families, Arne was the ideal messenger.

Even if the Edelheit family was at its peak, Giscal surely understood the danger of standing alone without allies.

Was he too fond of his sister to assign her such a role? Or was he worried that Arne’s poor reputation might backfire?

Thinking about how Giscal treated Arne always brought two conflicting thoughts. He clearly cherished me—as Arne—not just as a sister, but as a treasured guest. Yet he was also a war hero known for fairness and competence. Could such a man overlook Arne’s misdeeds simply because she was his sister?

It was contradictory.

Giscal was someone who didn’t care about social status—he even knighted a commoner woman named Martenal. Despite opposition, he fairly assessed her swordsmanship and obtained the emperor’s approval. He also believed that a pickpocketing boy should be punished regardless of his circumstances, because the act was his own. He was that committed to fairness.

Yet he treated Arne differently. When he looked at me, it was as if he completely forgot Arne’s past wrongdoings.

Why?

Of course, the easy answer was that Arne was his only sister. But the more I got to know Giskal, the harder it was to believe he acted differently toward Arne just because of that.

Was there something between Giscal and Arne that I didn’t know?

Sigh.

Unless I could time travel and observe their past, I had no way of knowing.

I set aside the unanswered contradiction and fiddled with the metal plate for the bracelet.

I planned to ask Giscal about the bracelet during dinner—if there was a noble family I should deliver it to. I didn’t want the family to suffer losses just because he was being considerate toward me. Given how much he cared, that kind of request was nothing. Besides, I had to make one for Erich anyway.

I stared at the bluish metal plate and the carving knife. I remembered making art with a carving knife in school. I hadn’t touched one since, but I had received a decent grade back then.

Well, I’ll manage somehow.

I boldly picked up the carving knife and brought it to the metal plate. Just as I was about to apply pressure, I realized something—I hadn’t decided what to engrave.

“…What should I write?”

I reread the diary, but even though it was like an encyclopedia, it didn’t contain specific inscriptions. I definitely needed help.

“A phrase to engrave on the bracelet for His Majesty?”

Rui looked back and forth between me and the metal plate on the table, slightly surprised.

“Oh my, you already received the bracelet materials from the temple?”

“I got them from the market last time. You were off calling the carriage, remember?”

“If you’d told me, I could’ve picked them up from the temple. You waited in line yourself?”

“It wasn’t a long wait. Anyway, since this is my first bracelet as a concubine for His Majesty, I was wondering if there’s a good phrase.”

Rui answered immediately.

“Quoting a passage from the temple’s scripture is the safest choice.”

“A scripture passage?”

“Yes. Nobles usually engrave phrases from the scripture in the ancient language. There should be a copy in the study—I’ll fetch it.”

Rui brought out a scripture from the temple. Decorated in gold leaf, it was thick despite being printed on thin, dictionary-like paper filled with tiny letters.

A scripture from the temple of this world’s god. I flipped through it with curiosity. The smooth paper rustled softly. Rui pointed to a section on the open page.

“Important phrases are written in the ancient language, with translations below. Find one you like and engrave the bold ancient text onto the metal plate.”

“I see…”

I was glad I asked Rui. I almost engraved something like “Wishing for health,” “Abundant harvest,” or “Long life”—short and unimpressive phrases that would’ve been dismissed immediately.

“And it’s best to practice first. Of course, with the Edelheit name, you can get unlimited materials from the temple, but we usually practiced on these. Much less pressure.”

Rui laid out some bent metal plates on the table—probably brought along with the scripture.

“Wow, these are perfect for practice. No need to go back to the temple.”

Even with my decent art grades, this was my first time engraving a long phrase on metal—and in an ancient language, no less. The unfamiliar script looked almost like drawings.

“Let me know if you need help.”

“Got it. By the way, do you know when Giscal will return today?”

“He left early for the palace again. I think he’ll be back late tonight. Why do you ask?”

“I just wanted to ask him something.”

“What is it?”

“About the bracelets exchanged between families before the autumn hunt… No, never mind. I’ll just pick a phrase before he returns.”

There was no need to tell Rui. I didn’t think she knew much about noble politics. She looked disappointed, but I asked her to bring some fruit and sent her off.

Sigh. Let’s look through the scripture.

It was my first time reading this world’s scripture, and though unfamiliar, it sparked curiosity. Thankfully, it wasn’t all stiff and formal. While many passages praised the greatness of the god, there were also short stories meant to teach lessons, making it enjoyable.

Then I paused at one story. It was strikingly similar to the origin of the idiom “discarding the hunting dog after the hunt” from my original world.

At the end of the story, a phrase in the ancient language read: “Foreseen danger is not danger; the foolish ignore it, but the truly wise prepare for the next step.” It was more of a warning than a blessing, but it resonated deeply.

After realizing Erich’s true nature, my worries about the future grew more specific. It wasn’t just vague anxiety anymore. And it wasn’t just my future at stake—I had more people to worry about.

My close maid Rui, the maids of Arlin Palace, the Edelheit family members. I hoped they wouldn’t suffer from my downfall. And my fate depended on Giscal von Edelheit’s decisions.

I hoped Erich wouldn’t discard Giscal like a used tool. For Giscal’s own sake.

Erich had said Giscal would soon be deployed to the western front. The only threat to the empire’s borders now was the Western Confederation of Small Kingdoms. Giscal had to prepare for what came after that war. I believed a man like him surely had a concrete plan. But I couldn’t suppress my concern.

If Erich truly intended to discard Giscal, then Giscal couldn’t stand alone. He needed to use the bracelets or whatever means necessary to build alliances with other families—tie them together with mutual interests so the emperor couldn’t abandon him.

At first, I only worried about myself—Arne’s only brother, the Edelheit family, the palace servants. I was overwhelmed by my own problems and couldn’t think about their futures.

But as I called the names of the Arlin Palace servants, exchanged letters with Giscal, and greeted people in this mansion, they became part of me. If Giscal fell and the Edelheit family collapsed, even if I survived, I wouldn’t be at peace.

Even though I wore Arne’s mask, underneath it—I was still me.

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