Chapter 199
Chapter 199
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 199
Chapter Title: Major General Jaeger, Beloved by His Imperial Majesty (4)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Right now, it feels like I'm facing the greatest crisis of my life.
Anyone who hears this might accuse me of hypocrisy... but it really is the greatest crisis of my life.
Thinking about it, my current father-in-law is the Reich Empire's Marshal, the man who just declared himself my prospective father-in-law is His Imperial Majesty the Emperor himself, and my brother-in-law is His Highness the Crown Prince.
My chest feels so swollen with grandeur that it's on the verge of bursting from the pressure.
But there's a Korean proverb: even if you enter the tiger's den, keep your wits sharp and you'll survive, right?
So, for now, I'll cling to my sanity, spit out the obligatory polite refusal, and somehow find a way to live.
"Haha, I already have a principal wife named Laura, so marriage to Her Highness the Princess is far too heavy a burden for me. If Your Majesty could reconsider..."
As I uttered this perfunctory line, His Imperial Majesty clutched his belly and burst out laughing.
"If you've stirred up trouble, you have to take responsibility, Major General Jaeger. I know you well enough to tell that wasn't said with any ill intent. But if it had been anyone else, I might have taken offense, haha. You get what I mean, don't you?"
...
At least this gives me the bare minimum justification so that even if word spreads to the Noble Council or elsewhere, I won't be branded as some mannerless fool.
And rightly so—it's basic etiquette to refuse a free gift once or twice before accepting. If a man who already has a principal wife just gobbles up the Princess offered by His Majesty without hesitation, it looks terrible.
Judging by the incredibly nuanced expression on the face of someone who clearly understands this, if I'd shown even a hint of genuine discomfort instead of rote politeness... I shudder to think what might have happened.
Not enough to cause real political or military harm, but I'd probably get dragged out of vacation to keep serving as home tutor—or playmate—for His Highness the Crown Prince's son.
Or hauled off to every school and academy in the Empire for congratulatory speeches, ribbon-cutting, event-hopping, lectures to wide-eyed kids, and so on.
The lectures would go something like this.
'Everyone, if you work as haaaard as I did, you can shine on the battlefield too and one day become a starred general. The Empire is always open to soldiers who strive and prove their talent. Long live His Imperial Majesty the Emperor! Long live His Highness the Crown Prince!'
...
Dozens of such over-the-top, passion-fueled rants laced with middle-school edginess... I'd have to trot out my own achievements from my own mouth, spinning from kids not even eight years old to full-fledged academy cadets—forcing along the conscripted stragglers, shaking awake the ones dozing off, event after endless event...
"Her Highness Princess Louise is far too good for the likes of me. So please, cherish her as much as..."
"Call her Louise. She'd be heartbroken if you didn't."
"Yes, I'll cherish Louise to the best of my ability."
With that, His Majesty finally nodded, looking somewhat satisfied.
"That's a relief. Louise herself said you'd be far better than any prince or great noble from another empire or kingdom. I've pushed political marriages on my sons and daughters countless times before, but to orchestrate one where the husband and wife actually love each other like this—it feels wonderful."
...
Louise—Her Highness Princess Louise, I mean—is not just beautiful; she has a fantastic figure and an incredibly kind personality.
Plus, her interest in military studies and the 7th Guard Division led to several debate-style discussions, where I discovered she's remarkably eloquent and savvy for her age, with a deep grasp of the Empire's political landscape.
That said, to me right now, she's a 'wise and wonderful person'—not yet a 'beloved partner or wife.'
Considering how many generals and officers around me marry strangers they've barely glimpsed, this is practically a blessing.
"That aside, let me tell you about the remaining merit rewards and the role I expect from you. I think you'll like it."
"I am always grateful for Your Majesty's grace."
"Oh? Then going forward, think of Louise and give me even greater performances. For your merit awards, you're receiving the Horn County and Melk County. On top of that, a bonus of 60,000 gold."
Combining these two new counties in western Ostrica with the territories I've accumulated so far puts me, in terms of sheer influence, on par with the Reich Empire's great nobles.
It's wild to think back to my first days at the Academy, a commoner orphan enduring every humiliation imaginable—human fortune really flips in the blink of an eye.
"Thank you, Your Majesty. I will repay your grace with utmost sincerity."
"Ah, there's more for you yet. Butler, fetch those documents. And come to think of it, you seem surrounded by beauties who genuinely adore Peter Jaeger. Laura von Venner, Anastasia Kergitz, even Charlotte your exclusive maid."
"I suppose I have good luck with people."
His Majesty picked out a few documents, laid them before him, and spoke with a wicked grin.
"So, with this new marriage, tidy up your romantic entanglements once and for all. Once you're taking Louise as your wife, I'd really prefer you not add any more women."
"For me, it's only Louise and Laura..."
"Don't give me that nonsense—read these documents. This is the political marriage proposal I sent Colonel Kergitz via the Imperial Noble Council. Even you, hailed as the Empire's foremost dullard when it comes to women's hearts, will grasp the situation from the contents."
I tamped down my pounding heart and took the letter stamped with His Majesty's imperial seal, reading it over.
[To Baroness Anastasia Kergitz, White Wolf of the North. After the Northern Expedition ended, your tribe's first surrender allowed the Empire to swiftly secure vast northern territories. As Emperor, I sincerely thank you for your devotion. That said, now that you're twenty, it's high time you wed a noble befitting the Empire's stature. (Omitted)... Should you accept this political marriage, I guarantee your appointment as 1st Brigade Commander of the Northern Army and promotion to brigadier general. In recognition of your great contributions to stabilizing the North, I shall grant you a countess title and a county therein. I await your favorable reply.]
In Korea, if the President sent a letter like this—offering promotions and vast real estate—it would be an outrageous insult, a profound humiliation.
But across the Europa continent, including the Reich Empire, political marriages are an absolute necessity among nobles, men and women alike.
For her, who seeks to protect the White Wolf tribe and countless other northern tribes, this proposal is an essential matter.
Yet the proposal bore no stamp indicating Colonel Kergitz's approval.
"This was the conclusion after His Majesty and the Imperial Council debated it as a formal agenda. With her approval, we'd have married her off to a suitable young heir from a great noble house and proceeded from there. But Colonel Kergitz refused outright, saying: 'Even for a political marriage, I cannot wed anyone but the esteemed Major General.'"
"I knew Colonel Anastasia followed me loyally, but to set aside the prosperity of her northern tribes—something she prizes as dearly as her own life—for my sake."
"You're the only one who didn't know. Grab any private from your division; they'd confirm Colonel Kergitz has fallen for you. Anyway, to the point."
His Majesty regarded me first with a father's displeased frown, then with the stern visage of the Empire's sovereign.
"The North is a total mess right now. Frankly, if you or Colonel Kergitz dies or steps down, it'll split clean in half—pro-Stockholm Kingdom faction versus pro-Empire faction. As Emperor, I absolutely cannot allow that."
"From the Empire's strategic standpoint, if the Stockholm Kingdom swallows half the North, our hegemony will be at risk."
"As a father, I'd prefer your wives not multiply beyond Louise and Major Laura—but what choice is there? You need a child between you and the Colonel to serve as the symbol uniting the North. And personally, that petition Colonel Kergitz sent rejecting the marriage proposal lingers in my mind. Louise read it too and agreed."
Hearing that, two thoughts raced through my head.
The first: even without any such intent on my part, strategically and personally, I now bear responsibility for Anastasia Kergitz.
The second: where my next posting would land.
"There's one more, but Louise will handle that herself, so I won't mention it. Finally: your next assignment is Commander of the Northern Army. Even Peter Jaeger, Major General and the Empire's champion in obliviousness to women, can't be ignorant of this, surely?"
"...... It means rooting out and butchering those destabilizing the North, then exacting brutal vengeance on the Stockholm scum defiling the snow-blanketed white lands Colonel Kergitz holds dear."
"Spot on—perfectly so. Go pacify the North just as you've envisioned. Deliver results, and leave the aftermath to me. His Highness the Crown Prince and I will take care of it. The wedding is set for one month from now, so whatever you do, don't lay a hand on Louise until then. I'd be quite disappointed if you broke that promise."
With the conversation wrapped up, as I moved to head home, His Majesty held me back.
"Ah, right now Michael and the 7th Guard Division's officers and generals are holding a banquet in the palace gardens—so stay and party through the night. Otherwise, Michael will be heartbroken. And we've already sent word to your house, so no worries there."
...
My stomach was already queasy from dinner with His Imperial Majesty... and now the Crown Prince's liquor on top...
"Understood, Your Majesty."
As one might expect, that night—thanks to His Highness the Crown Prince chanting my name hundreds of times while pouring endless drinks—I learned with every fiber of my being that a man can indeed drink himself to death.
And whether it was my imagination or not, His Highness poured moderately for the other generals... but for me alone, the beer never stopped flowing.