Chapter 268
Chapter 268
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: crow
Chapter Title: A Deep Dream on a Midsummer Night (1)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
“Sir Arthur is back to his captain training, I see.”
Emperor Hodrian regarded me with seasoned eyes.
Decades of wisdom and cunning were melted into his gaze.
“Good. I knew he’d pull through.”
I thought the conversation would end on a warm note, allowing our southern trip to wrap up smoothly.
But Emperor Hodrian was no pushover.
“Still, I can’t quite wrap my head around it.”
The ruler of the south, Hodrian, slowly stroked his unmasked face.
His symbol was the black eagle.
“Even allies might stab each other in the back someday in this world.”
Even if it was a bird of prey that cleaned up corpses...
It was the worst nightmare for a wounded beast showing a “weak spot.”
“And to aid our greatest asset when we’re still just verbally allied? It’s a bit suspicious.”
The emperor hadn’t let his guard down yet.
He was asking why I’d helped Arthur, the South’s Greatest Sword.
“...”
I had to navigate this carefully.
This was the final step toward imperial peace.
“It was to demonstrate our sincerity toward the alliance with the Hawson Kingdom.”
But there was no need for us to get anxious.
We were the empire; they were a kingdom.
Why would the strong hand over the reins?
“The strong can’t easily empathize with the weak’s plight, so it’s only right to show it directly.”
Strong and weak.
The royals grimaced at words highlighting the gap between them and the empire.
“...”
But that was my intention.
Good words taste even sweeter after tossing in some bitter ones first.
“I myself started as a lowborn knight and rose to this position.”
It was wisdom learned from my adoptive father, who’d fed me bitter medicine before handing out candy as reward.
“In that process, I realized people care less about others than you’d think. They’re more likely to envy those who succeed.”
Intrigued by my lowborn origins, the emperor set his mask down on the table.
He rested his chin on his interlaced hands and listened quietly.
“Once I grasped that truth about the world, I knew that to show true sincerity to others, I had to extend my hand first.”
I glanced at Lea sitting beside me.
“The imperial family, including Lady Lea, has no intention of turning the Hawson Kingdom into a vassal state.”
She smirked and nodded at my words.
“We see you as equal partners and aim for a healthy alliance.”
The emperor half-closed his deep eyes at my words.
Then, with his eagle-like sharp gaze, he shot back.
“A healthy alliance... What exactly do you mean?”
“A balanced relationship where both nations grow together, without favoring one side. To prove it, I merely gave Sir Arthur a bit of advice.”
I’d helped a foreign hero to convey our genuine alliance.
As the pieces fell into place, the emperor’s wary eyes softened slightly.
“You’re quite mild-mannered for someone of your caliber.”
But that was it.
“Perhaps because you’re still just twenty.”
“Mild-mannered” wasn’t a compliment.
“Mildness is a tool for the weak. For a strongman like you, it comes off as rather soft.”
If anything, it meant he still found my demeanor suspicious.
“What if we strike Arthur after he grows stronger from your advice?”
True to his strategist nature, Hodrian calculated multiple scenarios.
He showed a cold pragmatism that would exploit an opponent’s goodwill.
“And if I sow discord between you and the imperial family by mentioning your aid to Arthur then? What’s your plan?”
Uniting nations wasn’t just about military might.
It required the influence of politically savvy figures like the emperor.
“You’ll come to regret your actions then.”
I fell silent after his words.
Lea waited quietly to see my response.
Everyone stared as I stood on trial before the wily old king.
“...”
If I were an ordinary twenty-year-old, his rhetoric would’ve toyed with me.
But this life was different.
The moment I spoke, Lea and even Mago wore faint smiles.
“Since you brought it up, allow me to ask.”
I met his seasoned eloquence head-on with bold confidence.
“Does Your Majesty see our empire as so easily swayed by petty intrigue from another nation?”
My forceful question hushed the table.
Even Duke Luke tensed.
“L-Lord Veil...?”
The atmosphere clashed with the bustling party around us.
Ignoring the duke, I pressed my point firmly.
“My aid to Sir Arthur and my proposal for a healthy alliance aren’t the whims of a naive youth.”
I placed a hand over my left chest.
With a voice ringing true, I declared.
“I have more than enough power to stand by my words.”
To take responsibility for one’s actions and words.
At that declaration, Emperor Hodrian seemed momentarily speechless.
“...”
My boldness reminded him of someone, and he chuckled.
Then he posed an unexpected question.
“By chance... is your family name Andalusia?”
He pointed to his illegitimate son, Duke Luke, and continued.
“Like my son Luke, are you Leonhardt’s hidden boy?”
He resembled Emperor Leonhardt’s son that much.
A great compliment, but I disagreed.
“No.”
Now, I could reveal my cherished connection.
“I am Veil Mikhail, raised under Marquis Verty Mikhail and Hans Clever.”
The emperor nodded in acknowledgment.
He then explained why he’d thought I resembled the emperor.
“Remarkable... You’re a grandmaster, and you match that bloodthirsty friend Leonhardt’s personality to a tee.”
He stared at my face.
The emperor had the resolute features of a lion, while my sharper eyes clearly marked me as no kin.
But what caught his attention was my parting shot.
“When I tested that friend, he gave the same answer as you.”
Hodrian recalled his meeting with Leonhardt.
A decade ago, during the Conqueror King’s days.
“After all those wars, he’d make the whole world his enemy, I said. And he replied just like you.”
The emperor donned his eagle mask again.
Hiding the admiration he’d felt then, he quoted.
“I can take responsibility for my actions.”
Proving the Conqueror King true ruler of the continent.
“And Leonhardt’s led the empire steadily ever since. He was right.”
The emperor glanced at his sons as if to say they should learn from it.
Duke Luke and Crown Prince Juan nodded in understanding.
“He does resemble him, doesn’t he?”
Lea chuckled softly and placed a gentle hand on my shoulder.
Like an intimate lover, she bolstered my stance.
“I share Your Majesty’s sentiments. And I can boldly promise you this.”
The empire’s First Imperial Princess spoke with eyes like her father’s blue.
“No need to worry about the alliance Lord Veil mentioned.”
Like the emperor, Lea veiled her eyes with her she-lion mask.
With the dignity of a white tiger queen, she added.
“I guarantee it.”
At her words, the emperor’s black eyes flashed.
The deep shadow in his gaze lifted.
“This man’s influence will become the empire’s wind.”
Mago stared at Lea’s hand on my shoulder.
Then she quietly gripped my lowered hand tight.
“Indeed... A grandmaster deserves that. I underestimated you for being young.”
Hodrian chuckled behind his mask.
Pleased with my response and the heir’s guarantee, he stroked his chin.
“I thought the continent’s strongest was just brute force, but you have a ruler’s qualities too.”
“We’re grateful Your Majesty sees our sincerity.”
Hodrian waved it off amiably.
And apologized for his rudeness.
“No need for thanks. Like a small beast full of wariness, a border kingdom like ours has no choice but to be cautious. I hope you understand.”
Who’d have thought I’d live to hear a foreign king apologize?
I shared an awkward laugh and shook his hand.
“Then, no more doubts about the alliance?”
“Of course not. Leonhardt that young buck is rough but honorable.”
The emperor alternated pointing between my eyes and his own black ones.
“I sense something similar in your gaze. So, I’ll trust this time too.”
We released hands.
Hodrian reverted to the gentle, virtuous gaze from our first meeting.
“Now, let’s enjoy the party.”
He picked up his wine glass.
Gazing respectfully at Lea, he said.
“Wouldn’t Lady Lea Imperial Princess offer the toast?”
The empire’s First Imperial Princess’s lips parted slightly at Hodrian’s high regard.
She glanced at me, smiling as if crediting me for this honor.
“Certainly. Everyone, raise your glasses.”
The heir gracefully lifted her wine glass.
In her signature noble tone, she said.
“To the everlasting peace and cooperation of our two nations. Cheers!”
――――――!!
The clear clink of crystal glasses echoed across the table.
We exchanged eye contact with all and sipped champagne joyfully.
As alcohol warmed our veins, the mood livened up.
Emperor Hodrian, drinking after so long, looked utterly exhilarated.
“Kuh... It’s been ages. This citrusy apple scent and fizzy bite...”
“Father... The physician’s away, but you can’t drink this much suddenly...!”
Duke and crown prince tried intervening from the sides, to no avail.
Hodrian chuckled, savoring his rare indulgence.
“With such fortunes for our nations, how can a king stay sober? Let’s enjoy a day like this.”
He boomed heartily, staring right at me.
Then clinked glasses abruptly with a quip.
“By the way. Our Marquis Veil turns twenty this year, right?”
“Haha... Yes, Your Majesty.”
Hodrian stroked his chin with a meaningful smile.
Quietly, in a low voice, he said.
“I’m not one to say this often, but...”
With alcohol loosening his guard, the emperor turned disarmingly simple.
“I have a daughter your age. Any interest?”
“...!!”
At those words.
I swallowed hard at the chilling killing intent prickling both cheeks.
Never had I tensed like this against any foe.
I smiled brightly and replied to the emperor.
“My apologies, but I already have a fiancée...”
Hodrian glanced at Lea at my refusal.
Her mask hid her face, but he could sense it instinctively.
That same menacing aura from facing the Conqueror King.
“Haha... I see. The world wouldn’t leave talent like yours alone.”
Hodrian cleared his throat.
Calmly, he continued.
“I don’t wish to haggle pride here either. What about as a second wife?”
A king offering his daughter as second wife.
No small blow to pride.
But then.
At “second,” Lea’s hand caressed my thigh under the table.
With a very provocative, noble touch.
“Second wife would be difficult too...”
The emperor’s eyes flashed in surprise.
Clearing his throat awkwardly, he pressed.
“Is that so...? The empire moves fast in these matters. Then third...?”
“Third as well...”
His lips parted wider at repeated refusals.
“Wha...? Fourth, then...”
Still no answer from me.
Exasperated, Hodrian slapped his palm down.
“Surely not fifth?”
“Yes... Sixth is already...”
At “sixth,” Mago’s hand lightly settled on my other thigh.
Sandwiched by the two women’s teasing sensations, I drew the line with the emperor.
“My apologies, Your Majesty. A fine offer, but I’m afraid it won’t work.”
Hodrian finally nodded.
But still unsatisfied, his lips wouldn’t close easily.
“It’s fine, it’s fine. I got ahead of myself. Natural for the continent’s strongest.”
Faint smiles played on the masked women’s lips.
I ducked my face into my fox mask to hide mine.
Crown prince and Duke Luke stared enviously.
Through my mask, I shot them a look of pure grievance.
‘Should I take back a marquisate and flee to the countryside...?’
Amidst that thought, Lea’s caressing hand on my thigh grew hot.
Sticky sweat beaded on her palm, flushed with drink.