Chapter 49
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 4
Chapter Title: Between Two Extremes
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Eisen and I stepped into Archduke Carl's office.
Radians, who had entered first, had taken a step back.
"Eisen Baron. And Sir Wintersword."
Carl flashed us a smile.
"Thank you for coming all the way to this humble place."
"Thank you for your warm welcome, Your Highness."
I bowed politely as well.
Carl glanced behind me and asked,
"I saw Kairun rushing out after spotting you two. Wasn't he with you?"
"Ah, His Highness went to attend to the Grand Duchess for a moment."
Eisen answered calmly.
"It seems the Grand Duchess has been quite frail lately, both in body and mind, and requires his care. He is truly devoted to his filial duties."
"...I see."
Carl gave a wry smile.
He seemed convinced, recalling his brother's sweat-drenched appearance earlier as he grabbed medicine.
"Kairun... you've been through so much."
Carl composed himself and turned to me.
"And... I'm grateful to be able to thank the benefactor who saved my brother, even if it's just like this."
"......"
"Sir Wintersword. If not for you, I would have lost my only brother. This favor... I will never forget it as long as I live."
Carl was genuinely delighted at the fact that he could be of help to someone and that he was facing the person who had protected his brother.
Feeling awkward, I scratched the back of my head.
"It was just coincidence. And... I have a family I want to protect too, so I couldn't just walk by."
"Haha, so humble."
The atmosphere softened.
Carl's attitude was extremely friendly.
I had a good feeling that things would go smoothly from here.
Eisen seized the moment and got to the point.
"Your Highness. As I mentioned in my letter, I've come to discuss the dormitory issue for the Wintersword couple."
"Ah, yes."
Carl nodded.
"Worry not. Though I am lacking, I will mobilize every connection I have. I'll find a safe staff dormitory near the academy where Lady Wintersword can stay as comfortably as possible."
Carl, who had been enthusiastic, soon frowned.
"However... the academy's rules are so rigid and prideful. Even for a married couple, I'm not confident about allowing them to share the same room. The headmaster is my mentor, but he's a stickler for principles...."
"That makes sense."
Eisen agreed.
It was a wall too tough to breach with a simple request.
So Eisen played his prepared card.
"Your Highness. That's why I'm asking this... For your sake as well, and for the Winterswords' shared room, I have one more shameless favor to ask—one only you can do."
"One more...?"
The baron's glasses glinted.
"We would like Your Highness to come to the academy as well."
"...Pardon?"
Carl's eyes widened round.
"Me... you say?"
"Yes. The academy's medical center boasts the empire's finest facilities and staff. How about receiving advanced rehabilitation treatment there?"
"Treatment...?"
"Yes. And... you would share accommodations with your brother Kairun upon enrollment."
Eisen drove the point home.
"With the pretext of brothers living together, where the younger assists his ailing older brother... the academy would have little grounds to refuse. They'd even welcome it as promoting familial bonds."
This was Eisen's first extreme proposal.
Same-sex family members.
Brothers from a grand ducal house sharing a room.
For Carl, a chance at treatment and restored self-esteem.
For Kairun, a way to keep his brother away from their mother while protecting them both.
Externally, it showcased brotherly love; internally, it naturally isolated Carl from Karla.
'So that's the extreme he mentioned earlier.'
I was impressed inwardly, but a question arose at the same time.
'Wait, didn't the baron say "between extreme and extreme"? If this is the first... what's the other one?'
Brothers sharing a room was an exception, but not entirely unreasonable.
It wasn't strong enough to push for the couple's shared room on its own.
Something bigger was needed.
Carl looked visibly flustered.
"But... if I go, I'll just be a burden to Kairun...."
"A burden? What nonsense!"
At that moment, Prince Radians interjected abruptly.
"See? Told you! Baron, we're really on the same wavelength!"
Radians clapped excitedly.
"Your Highness...."
"Carl, you heard him? Let's go to the academy medical center now. It's not that I don't trust Northguard's healers, but you have to try everything! You can't just rot away!"
Color bloomed on Radians' face.
Having a pretext to pull his friend into the light seemed to thrill him more than anything.
"Leave convincing the Grand Duke to me. I'll show the true value of a prince's name. No way he'll refuse when this prince insists on studying with his friend."
"......"
Carl's resolve was wavering.
The longing to move his body again and help someone.
The desire as an older brother to mentor from his sibling's side—it stirred him.
"...But."
Carl still hesitated.
"Will brothers from a grand ducal house sharing a room be enough to shake the academy's ironclad rules? To secure the Winterswords' shared room... the justification still seems a bit thin."
He was spot on.
Carl was sharp.
He saw that his privilege wouldn't extend to others without a stronger link.
"Exactly."
Eisen nodded as well.
"That's why... we need one more."
The baron pulled an envelope from his breast pocket.
"Your Highness. Actually, there's one more enrollee this term."
"Who?"
"None other than... Princess Elysia."
"......!"
Carl's eyes widened again.
"Princess Elysia?"
"Her Highness will enroll alongside Kairun, the Winterswords."
Eisen explained calmly.
"She came to Eisen guard for the Grand Duke's letter of recommendation and joined us. But due to an unfortunate incident, I came in her stead to get his approval."
"I see...."
"However, her status is so unique that mixing with regular students raises concerns. Especially potential conflicts with a roommate."
Eisen glanced at Radians.
"This would trouble both the academy and the grand ducal house. If the princess's safety is threatened, the blame would fall on the house that recommended her."
"True enough."
Carl agreed gravely.
"So I thought."
Eisen paused dramatically.
And dropped the second extreme.
"Wouldn't it be best for Princess Elysia to live with family too?"
"Family...?"
"Yes. With a guardian—trusted blood kin."
Eisen's gaze naturally, blatantly, turned to Prince Radians.
"......Huh?"
Radians let out a dumb sound.
In that instant, a light bulb went off in my head too.
Between extreme and extreme.
'No way... the irrefusable extremes are...'
The first extreme: brotherly cohabitation.
The grand duke's two sons sharing a room.
Pretext of treatment and care; same sex.
Acceptable as a special circumstance.
And...
The second extreme: sibling cohabitation with Prince Radians and Princess Elysia sharing a room.
Pretext of royal protection and unique status.
Even half-siblings provided blood safety net.
"Royals as siblings sharing a special isolated zone for protection. If that's allowed...."
Eisen smiled faintly and pointed at me.
"Then a formal couple like Sir Wintersword sharing a room becomes 'perfectly healthy and sensible,' no?"
"......!"
Insane.
This was an insane strategy.
First unleash the massive shock of royal siblings cohabiting to stun the academy, then slip the 'couple cohabitation' in between.
Sandwiched between two huge extremes, our couple's room would seem like an obvious right to the academy.
"Wh-what...?"
Annoyingly, Radians' face turned ripe tomato red in an instant.
Gone was his usual foolhardy expression, replaced by fluster... and strange glee.
"What...? Me and Elysia? Same room...?"
"Yes. Of course, separate bedrooms, but sharing living spaces in an annex-style dorm. As an academy professor, Your Highness can protect her as dorm supervisor."
"Th-that's... too extreme...."
Radians covered his mouth.
Yet his eyes crinkled with delight.
"The academy might find it convenient... but me... with Elysia...."
He couldn't say no.
He was struggling to control his ecstatic expression.
I pressed my forehead watching him.
'...My head hurts. This is solving the problem, so why does it hurt?'
This was the curse of knowledge.
Radians von Croa.
The sub-male lead secretly in love with Elysia in the original, the tall uncle figure.
Though he hid his feelings to the end due to their forbidden half-sibling bond, playing the good older brother and never uniting.
But inside, a black wolf... maybe.
'That guy's genuinely embarrassed right now. Heart about to burst.'
Was shoving the princess at that wolf Radians really right?
This wouldn't turn the genre from romance to taboo incest drama, would it?
But.
'One thing's certain...'
With extremes like this, our couple's cohabitation was 100% guaranteed.
'It's weird to agonize this much from the start. Kara's pregnant now... Noble society is tough...'
"Ahem! Well, Eisen. If it's for Elysia's safety... I'll sacrifice myself! I agree."
Radians coughed through his twitching lips after brief thought.
I wanted to mock how long he "thought," but my head hurt too much.
The key player in the massive royal sibling extreme had approved.
Elysia's opinion?
'She'll throw a tantrum but agree anyway.'
I decided not to overthink.
Now, only one left.
The most crucial party's decision.
After deep silence, Carl raised his head.
He gazed at me, Eisen, and his friend Radians in turn.
"......Understood."
No hesitation in his reply.
"I'll go. To the academy."
"Your Highness!"
Eisen's face lit up.
"I'm barely able to care for myself... but if I can help someone."
Carl gripped the desk with trembling hands.
He tried to push his upper body up with force.
"Carl... don't push yourself."
His arm muscles screamed, but he didn't give up.
Ultimately, his legs failed, and he slumped back into the wheelchair.
But his eyes burned intensely, like a man standing tall on two feet.
"I'll try to rise again."
With that gaze, he declared he'd break free from self-doubt and defeat, stepping out into the world.
Radians grinned and patted his friend's shoulder.
"Good call. You're too good to rot there, Carl."
"If Your Highness says so... I must muster courage."
"I told you not to call me Highness."
A warm atmosphere filled the room.
Preparations were complete.
All that remained was convincing the Grand Duke.
It was then.
Thud-! Thud-!
A heavy sound shaking the ground came from the lord's castle main gate.
At the same time, the soldiers' chants outside the window halted abruptly.
In the chilling silence, Eisen walked to the window.
He peered out and whispered lowly.
"...He's here."
The Northguard Grand Duke's carriage procession, finishing patrol, was entering.
Jet-black carriages pulled by massive dark horses.
Its mere arrival blanketed the entire castle in heavy silence.
Passing servants bowed breathlessly; escort knights tensed in formation.
I swallowed dryly, staring out the window.
The carriage door opened, and a man stepped down.
A giant figure dwarfed by his massive head, cloaked in black fur.
Straight-backed despite the years, eyes sharp as if to cleave foes.
'That's the Northguard Grand Duke... father of Kairun and Carl. And...'
He was the one who plotted to kill my father Gorgon in old Norheim, so hostility should have surged first.
But.
'Definitely different. The aura.'
His presence alone ignited my fighting spirit on first sight.
"Let's go."
Eisen adjusted his glasses resolutely.
"Time to settle this."