Chapter 227
Chapter 227
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: The Wolf's Decision (2)
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Upon arriving at the theater, a magnificent platinum building came into view.
It was attached to the stately Imperial Academy building, where the students' concert was scheduled to take place.
Countless parents had gathered to hear their children's music.
Since all of them held prominent positions in the empire, the concert transcended a mere competition.
Moreover, this particular concert was graced by the emperor's presence.
As such, guests from neighboring countries who had timed their visits perfectly were also in attendance.
"The Imperial Academy even has its own theater...?"
I recalled the rundown brick barracks where I had trained as a commoner knight.
That place had been shabby, yet the prestigious academy before me now felt almost like the imperial palace.
"Yeah, they train talents in all sorts of fields, not just knights. They've produced quite a few famous musicians."
Irina explained to me in a matter-of-fact tone.
However, as if her tailbone suddenly itched, she fidgeted with the hem of her thin dress.
Oblivious to this, I leisurely crossed the bridge over the river flowing in front of the academy alongside her.
There, I ran into a middle-aged man and woman who had been chatting ahead.
"Oh, that's..."
"Princess Irina. Goodness, she's grown into such a beauty...!!"
The two, dressed in a black dress and tuxedo, had imperial councilor badges pinned to their chests, symbolizing their roles.
"Aren't you Councilor...? I didn't expect to see you here."
Irina faced them, momentarily forgetting the ticklish sensation plaguing her body.
It seemed they were well-acquainted.
"Haha... My son's playing the violin at the concert today."
"My daughter's on piano."
Irina introduced me to the proud pair.
"Bale, say hello. This is Councilor Merhen, mayor of Rastium, and Chairman Darren of the imperial council."
Mayor and imperial council chairman, no less.
The regressed Irina had grown splendidly into a proper member of the imperial family.
Perhaps proud of her poise, I flashed a sly grin with my sharp eyes and bowed politely to them.
"Pleased to meet you. I'm Bale Mikhail."
Irina seemed dissatisfied with my curt introduction and gently hooked her pinky finger with mine.
Then, with a friendly pat on my shoulder, she added,
"Isn't that introduction a bit too modest? You should say you're a marquis now."
"Indeed, Sir Bale. We've heard you've ascended to the Empire's Greatest Swordsman and inherited the Bertie marquisate."
The two councilors beamed, echoing the princess's words.
The council chairman, who appeared the more seasoned of the two, made a particularly striking comment.
"You certainly look the part of Marquis Bertie's eldest son. The spitting image."
"Do you... remember my father?"
When I asked in earnest, the middle-aged man nodded eagerly.
"Of course. We were classmates here at the academy."
Hearing that my father had graduated from the Imperial Academy made the building feel anew.
"He had exceptional talent in swordsmanship. Reached swordmaster at such a young age..."
He gazed wistfully, reminiscing about my birth father, stroking his cleanly shaven chin as he studied my face.
"Having become the Empire's Greatest Swordsman yourself, Sir Bale, you must take after him perfectly. Especially those fox-like, elongated eyes."
The middle-aged man chuckled, tipping his bowler hat lightly in a roguish gesture.
"His nickname was the Black Fox."
"That's right. Bertie was incredibly popular at the academy. A cartload of noble ladies fell for those eyes."
Mayor Merhen smiled dreamily, as if she'd once harbored a crush on Bertie herself.
Evidently, my father had been quite the heartthrob at the academy.
"With you looking just like Bertie, Sir Bale, you must have been quite the ladies' man yourself?"
At the middle-aged woman's question, Irina swallowed hard.
She glanced up at me, wondering about my childhood days.
"Ah, I came from the commoner knight barracks, so I hardly ever crossed paths with noble ladies."
Irina inwardly sighed in relief at my nonchalant reply.
Lately, she'd been feeling an inexplicable surge of jealousy without knowing why.
"Then this must be when you're truly feeling your popularity—!"
Chairman Darren, a fellow alumnus of Bertie's, drove the point home.
Irina shot me an anxious glance.
At that moment.
"Well... haha...!!"
I scratched the back of my head with an awkward smile.
Irina's flushed face instantly paled and stiffened.
She understood the implication of that smile.
Leah, Lydia, Miya, and even Princess Christina from another kingdom.
Come to think of it, Bale's popularity was staggering.
"Haha... I knew it."
"This calls for seeing you at a wedding soon enough."
The middle-aged pair roared with laughter, welcoming Bale warmly.
Yet amid the joviality, Irina couldn't bring herself to smile.
Instead, unfamiliar feelings of anxiety and jealousy began to creep over her.
She realized it stemmed from the werewolf elixir she'd consumed earlier.
The instinct suppressed by the wolf's elixir—which decreed a single lifelong mate—was awakening.
Irina subtly pressed down on the lower part of her dress over her abdomen.
After forcing a smile, she addressed the group.
"Well then, shall we head inside? Father must be waiting..."
"Ah, of course. Time's gotten away from us."
Mayor Merhen and Chairman Darren led the way.
Following them, we entered the theater.
Thanks to the two councilors at the front, we headed straight to the third floor where the emperor awaited.
Before entering the viewing seats, we arrived at a prepared reception room.
Light refreshments were served there prior to the main concert—fruits, various cheeses, and desserts.
However, our attention wasn't drawn to the delectable fare.
First, we had to meet Leonhardt, the continent's ruler and the emperor who had summoned me here.
"You've arrived, Mikhail."
"I greet Your Imperial Majesty."
After the two councilors paid their respects, Irina and I bowed in unison.
Leonhardt, clad in white uniform, greeted us with a kindly smile.
"Darran and Mayor Merhen, whom I also invited, came together. Please, sit."
The two councilors sat flanking the emperor.
That left the seats directly opposite him for Irina and me.
'Facing His Majesty head-on is a bit intimidating...'
The emperor who had vowed to repay the debt to my late father.
I dreaded what burdensome, troublesome honor he might bestow next.
"Irina's here too."
"Yes, Your Majesty. I joined since there was a concert."
Perhaps due to Irina's image as a lover of theater and music, Leonhardt didn't seem suspicious of our companionship.
"Very well. Make the most of it and enjoy the performance."
No, he didn't openly disapprove of our growing closeness from the start.
He had learned of our pre-regression memories through Rosanna.
However, his concern lay elsewhere.
Could I withstand the scrutiny and pressure from other high officials if Irina and I began dating?
He had summoned me to this gathering teeming with powerhouses to test just that.
"Do you enjoy music often, Sir Bale?"
The high officials focused on me.
The forlorn expressions from outside the theater were long gone.
They drew a strict line between casual greetings and formal occasions, all wearing serious faces.
'In a way, this is my debut in political circles...'
Even as Irina's guard captain in the past, I had attended such events.
Back then, as the protector of a powerless princess, I was constantly ignored, and I knew nothing of noble society.
'But this time is different.'
"No... To be honest, I don't know much about it."
The emperor pursed his lips, seemingly disappointed by my candid admission of musical ignorance.
But.
Even if elegance eluded me, I was confident in honeyed words.
"That's why I'm all the more excited."
"Excited...?"
The emperor rested his chin on his hand, intrigued by my follow-up.
He eyed my sly, smiling gaze.
"I've heard the Imperial Academy gathers the empire's most exceptional talents. Especially the children pursuing music—they're said to be remarkably skilled."
I subtly praised the offspring of Chairman Darren and Mayor Merhen, whom I'd just met, to curry favor with the emperor.
"So I'm seizing this chance to open my eyes and ears properly."
"Hmm... Humbling yourself to learn—impressive, marquis."
Pleased by my bold response, the emperor replied with a faint smile.
Emboldened, I continued.
"Though I'm no expert on orchestras, as a knight, I know the 'duty' of each instrument well."
Duty.
The lofty term caught the ear of the emperor and officials.
"The sons of these two gentlemen are handling violin and piano, correct?"
"Indeed. They've taken on roles beyond their station."
I fiddled with Irina's rosary necklace around my neck as I replied.
The cross was embedded with the finest ruby and platinum.
"The violin commands a commanding presence in music, often stealing the spotlight with its beauty."
I'd rarely heard music, but in key parts, the violin always shone.
Drawing on that vague sense, I lavishly complimented the councilors' sons.
"It's like beholding the radiant Imperial Knights amid our empire's knights."
Chairman Darren, well aware of the Imperial Knights' prestige, nodded in satisfaction.
The emperor smirked, finding my knightly analogy refined.
"The piano accompanies from the opening notes to the finale, ever-present through every moment. It evokes our empire's undefeated command staff."
The Leon Empire boasted an extraordinary war record.
In truth, command staff recruitment at the academy was highly competitive.
With odds of 1:800, it was immensely popular.
Of course, as a commoner cadet back then, I hadn't even dreamed of applying...
"Oh my, comparing it to the empire's command staff. What a splendid metaphor."
Mayor Merhen covered her mouth with her hand, blushing shyly.
Having elevated the piano—a part often overshadowed in orchestras—she seemed delighted.
"Heh heh... Expressing music through knightly orders. Quite novel."
"Indeed, a fitting assessment from a steadfast knight."
The councilors' moods lifted even before the concert, their expressions softening.
Reassured, Irina flashed a bright smile and tightly gripped my hand under the table.
*Well done, Bale...!*
*Heh, basics.*
But.
A situation soon arose that overshadowed our quiet celebration.
"I'll step out briefly for some business. Feel free to converse among yourselves."
With the mood harmonious, Leonhardt excused himself to give us time to mingle with the officials.
Unforeseen tension erupted the moment he left.
"You're Sir Bale, correct?"
"Yes, that's me."
Besides Merhen and Darren, another high official present.
Grand Duke Coldman of the North eyed me with thinly veiled hostility.
"Comparing music to the military—quite intriguing."
A middle-aged man with black hair like mine and a scar over one eye.
He exuded a chilling aura, like a black tiger descended from the northern mountains.
He was one of the largest factions backing the crown prince.
"But a freshly reinstated marquis who's never heard music before coming here..."
This concert, attended by the emperor and top officials including the grand duke.
In truth, it was more like a fraternity for the empire's most influential figures.
"A bit presumptuous, no?"
Only those with lifelong ties to the emperor could barely gain entry.
Even as the Empire's Greatest Swordsman, bringing in a green twenty-year-old without consultation irked Coldman.
'Well, well...?'
I stared squarely at the stuffy black tiger.
Then, with a sly glint in my eyes, I smirked.