Chapter 17
Translator: True Detective
Chapter 17 - The Prince is Amused
When crossing swords, many things can be felt.
It was the same for Nataliya, who sparred with Edric.
At first, she thought he would be a despicable bastard like a snake.
However, Edric felt through the sword was completely different from her expectations.
It was an upright yet gentle sword, like a deep-rooted tree.
When she lost due to an unexpected blessing during the spar, he rather considered her honor by saying he had used a cowardly trick.
An upright yet not stiff, strong yet considerate sword...
It was a new experience for Nataliya, who had only ever faced the cold and sharp swords of the North, and Nataliya did not dislike it.
Meanwhile, she thought about the situation.
If the story flowed smoothly afterward, she might end up marrying the prince.
Looking into the prince's eyes, he did not look like a bad man, contrary to the rumors.
However, the position of a prince is one that inevitably comes with many responsibilities, and if she married him, she too would inevitably be crushed by that sense of responsibility.
From the perspective of Nataliya, who grew up facing the free winds of the North, that was a terrible future.
If so... Nataliya thought it wouldn't be bad to take a chance on this man who seemed like he would 'understand' her well.
Having made up her mind, Nataliya planted a kiss right on Edric.
The air in the training grounds literally froze.
The knights who had been sending thunderous applause just moments ago stiffened like stone Buddhas, and the escorts of the prince and the Grand Duke almost dropped the spears they were holding.
Among them, the highlight was the expression of the Grand Duke of the North, Sergei Lyudmila.
His face was beyond distorted, burning purple like the protagonist in Edvard Munch's 'The Scream'.
"......Na, Nataliya! Wh-what are you doing right now!"
The Grand Duke ran over like a bear and grabbed Nataliya's shoulders.
However, Nataliya puffed out her chest confidently with an unwavering gaze and spoke.
"Father, wasn't it a long-standing tradition for the women of the North to marry the man who defeats them? I staked my pride and lost to that man. Therefore, as per my vow, I will welcome Edric Noel as my husband."
"That! That's an outdated etiquette from a very long time ago! What era are we in now for you to say such a thing!"
The Grand Duke and Nataliya engaged in a bloody war of words.
Watching that sight, I felt a strain in the back of my neck.
Whether it was a side effect of the stimulant or because of my blood pressure, my vision seemed to be spinning.
But wait a minute... why isn't anyone asking for my consent?
I don't even remember agreeing!
Prince Leopold, who was watching this scene, no, this mess, suddenly grabbed his stomach and began to laugh loudly.
"Hahahahaha! Hahahaha!"
Even in my memories and Edric's memories, it was the first time seeing the prince laughing so amusedly and cheerfully.
What is it? What is so funny?
At the prince's laughter, everyone froze once again.
Is it because it's the North that everyone freezes so well.
"Truly amusing! The hospitality of the North is far hotter than I imagined!"
"I-I apologize, Your Highness the Prince! Due to my lack of education for my child, such a rudeness...!"
Grand Duke Sergei hurriedly tried to kneel.
The prince stopped him and wore a relaxed smile.
"Grand Duke, it is fine. And Lady Nataliya."
"Yes, Your Highness the Prince."
"I did not come here to suppress the Lady's freedom. If the proud female warrior of the North has made up her mind, that too is something that should be respected."
At the prince's words, Nataliya and the Grand Duke wore extremely surprised expressions.
And I was also flustered.
Excuse me... Your Highness the Prince? If you lead the matter like that, how do you intend to handle the aftermath!?
"I saw a very precious sight today. At the evening banquet, I shall repay this amusement."
With the prince's generous(?) handling, the situation was settled for now.
However, the gazes of the Northern knights looking at me changed from 'an amazing guy' to 'the thief who stole the Lady', and murderous intent could be felt.
The biting wind of the North and the murderous intent of the Northern knights assaulted my innocent skin.
Ugh... I definitely have to get a skin treatment when I return to the center.
Before the evening banquet began, the prince called me to his temporary office.
As soon as he sat down, he began to giggle and tease me.
"Edric, I thought your physiognomy was that of a snake, but was it actually a gigolo? To pluck and eat the flower of the North in one bite, amazing."
The prince laughed as if he was truly having fun.
But I couldn't laugh.
Thinking I might die if I laughed here, I planted my head on the floor just like that.
"Lord Leopold! I have committed a crime worthy of death! I have ruined Your Highness's marriage talks! Please send me to the guillotine! I think that would rather be more comfortable!"
This was sincere.
I don't know what Nataliya's goal is, but compared to becoming the son-in-law of the Grand Duke of the North like this, the guillotine looked cozier.
However, Leopold asked while resting his chin on his hand as if it was unexpected.
"Why do you think it is a crime worthy of death?"
"Pardon? That's... wasn't the goal of this inspection the marriage talks between Your Highness and the Lady? But I ended up ruining it, so..."
Nataliya kissing me... meaning, doing mouth-to-mouth, was seen by everyone.
It would instantly spread to high society as well, and the moment he even married the prince like this, it would be a huge dishonor to the prince.
At my words, the prince smiled and spoke.
"Edric. The problem with you is that you are sometimes too serious."
"Pardon?"
The prince poured alcohol into a glass and spoke lowly.
What is it? Is there something I missed?
"The essence of this inspection is improving relations with the North, my marriage itself is not the goal. A state marriage is merely the most certain means to prove that relationship."
"Ah..."
In other words, what the prince was saying was that even if he didn't necessarily marry, if I married and relations with the North improved, all problems would be solved.
Hahaha! What about my consent...?
"And... as for my companion, I wish to meet a woman like my mother..."
"Lord Leopold..."
The prince spoke with a wistful expression while looking out the window.
Seeing that appearance, I couldn't say anything.
Because the prince's emotional scars from his mother's death being the start of all the tragedy had appeared many times in the original work.
If I touched this, I really would be a bastard.
The prince looked at me and continued speaking.
"Edric, you... do you have no intention of marrying Lady Nataliya?"
"...Lord Leopold!?"
Damn, a bastard almost came up from inside my heart just now.
Why is the conversation suddenly flowing back in that direction?
"I am serious. Are you not a Chancellor who is no different from my alter ego. If you became the Grand Duke's son-in-law and served as a bridge between the North and the center, wouldn't that truly be the greatest achievement of this inspection? Even looking at the entire empire, there is no picture more perfect than this."
It might be a perfect picture for you!
I was flustered.
The prince's eyes were shining very brilliantly.
That meant he was in serious mode.
Sincerely, the prince... Leopold was trying to marry me off and back out himself!
"Lord Leopold, however, that must have been something the Lady said impulsively due to the exhilaration right after the spar. There's no way the greatest beauty of the North would sincerely like a man like me..."
The Nataliya I saw through the work was a woman who was like very hard steel on the outside, but very much like jelly on the inside.
After a very long and painful time, she eventually realizes that what she wanted was not a strong man, but a man who understood her.
Her actions right now also ultimately did not deviate from the framework of the original work.
To me thinking like that, the prince strangely raised the corners of his mouth and spoke.
"Well... is that really so? It doesn't seem like that from what I can see."
"Th... there's no way..."
The prince emptied his glass as if highly amused.
And patting my shoulder, he spoke.
"There is still a lot of time left for the inspection period. Slowly build a connection with the Lady, gain the Grand Duke's favor, and solidify the relationship with the center."
"Is that... an order?"
"The first is wishing for your happiness as a friend, and the second is indeed an order. Then, do your best."
My mind coming out of the prince's temporary office was like a complicatedly tangled skein of thread.
I planned a life of sucking honey by riding the prince's line, but now it was a crisis where I had to become the northern shield of the empire and live shoveling snow for the rest of my life.
This is a true violation of labor laws.
No matter how I thought about it, 1 billion won was not enough to go through this suffering.
Firmly suppressing the thought that I seriously wanted to sue him, I headed to the banquet hall clutching my head.
The great banquet hall of the Iron Gate was filled with the rough and hearty heat unique to the North.
Magic stone lamps shone from the massive chandeliers hanging high from the ceiling, and firewood burned in every large brazier, pushing away the bitter cold.
I sat right next to the prince in the designated seat as an aide, maintaining a stiff posture.
Perhaps because of the commotion earlier in the day, the gazes of the Northern nobles and knights gathered in the banquet hall were beyond stinging; they felt like they would pierce through my skin.
And the banquet began, and the prince opened his mouth.
"Warriors of the North! And the proud retainers of Lyudmila!"
The prince raised his glass and stood up.
His voice rang out clearly to every corner of the banquet hall even without sound-amplifying magic.
He was definitely not the scoundrel of the past.
"I, Leopold Minerva, have once again confirmed the strength of the North today. To commend the hard work of you who are the shield of the empire, I shall gift you the food, spices, and treasures prepared by the Imperial Family."
"Ooooh!"
"Long live Your Highness the Prince!"
There is no more certain way to win favor than material rewards.
At the prince's declaration, the atmosphere of the banquet hall heated up in an instant.
"For tonight at least, forget your status and formalities, and drink and enjoy passionately enough to forget the cold snowstorms of the North! We are one under the name of the empire!"
"Long live Your Highness the Prince!"
"Long live His Majesty the Emperor!!"
As soon as the prince's splendid speech ended, the band began to play a cheerful Northern folk song.
Thinking inwardly, 'I guess I can just quietly waste some alcohol and clock out now,' I breathed a sigh of relief and tried to sit down.
However, the world was not that easy.
"Sir Edric Noel, may I excuse myself for a moment?"
What blocked my path with a heavy bass voice was a man with a massive frame like a brown-haired bear.
It was Vasily, the captain of the 3rd Unit of the Volkov Knight Order, called the 'Shield of Steel'.
In his hand, he held a large silver cup the size of a human head.
"......What is the matter, Captain Vasily?"
I narrowed my eyes and asked.
Vasily smiled fishily and drew the attention of the surroundings.
"I have seen well the skill of the Sir who defeated Lady Nataliya, who is called the flower of the North. However, in the North, there is one more virtue just as important as swordsmanship. That is 'alcohol'."
The surrounding Northern knights began to flock around, making "Ooh!" sounds.
Vasily offered the cup and continued speaking in a polite yet provocative tone.
"If you are to claim the treasure of the North, shouldn't you prove a vessel befitting it? I would like to have a conversation with alcohol, how about it? Sir Edric."
In short, he had picked a drinking fight.
I glanced at the prince, looking for an excuse to politely decline.
"I apologize, but I am currently on official duty assisting Your Highness the Prince, so..."
"Could it be, are you afraid of the strong liquor of the North? Sir Edric."
At Vasily's words, I felt my blood pressure rising once again.
How dare this guy try to intimidate me with alcohol... Did his liver pop out of his stomach [is he crazy/fearless]?
Hmm... going by his looks, it was a face where it might have popped out.
At such provocation from Vasily, the prince giggled as if he had been waiting and patted my shoulder.
"Edric, the friendship of the North toward you is this deep, so it won't do to refuse. Do not worry about official duties. The Zeruel Knight Order is also here, so you go and have a 'conversation'. This is the permission of your lord!"
At the prince's words, my head started to ache again.
Does that man really intend to bury me in the North and leave?
I stood up from my seat and accepted the silver cup Vasily offered.
And flashing my snake-like narrow eyes, I stared at Vasily.
'You dare pick a drinking fight with me?'
I was the one who survived while holding my spot until the very end at countless company dinners in my past life.
Do you guys know the feelings of me who listened to nagging while drinking soju, beer, whiskey, Bacardi, and numerous other liquors with crazy bosses!
Thinking of the alcohol back then, the strong liquor of this other world was like sweet cola.
"If the conversation method of the North is that passionate, it wouldn't be polite to decline either. Instead, you will have to be prepared if you want to converse with me."
I smelled the aroma of the alcohol filled to the brim in the silver cup.
The strong liquor of the North, which felt like it would burn all my nose hairs even if it just brushed the tip of my nose, stimulated my nostrils like vodka.
But as expected, it wasn't at the level of the alcohol from my past life.
I drank it in one shot just like that.
Gulp-! Gulp!
"Ooooooh!!"
"That in one shot!?"
Along with the sensation of my throat burning, a pleasant energy of alcohol spread throughout my entire body.
Having drank all the alcohol in the silver cup at once, I turned the cup upside down on my head, proving that I had done a one-shot.
"Wow! To down that in one shot!"
"He's a real man!"
At my one-shot, Vasily also seemed flustered.
Now then, let's drink and see whose liver surrenders first tonight.
The banquet began to heat up very passionately.