The Calm Before the Storm
The gazes the northern nobles leveled at Gosek as he arrived late to the mansion were anything but friendly. It wasn’t just that he’d failed to show up on time; the way he strutted around as if he were the true star of the ceremony grated on their nerves. More than anything, though, very few of the northern houses held any goodwill toward the Valeri family. Everyone already suspected—though no one said it aloud—that the Valeris had been behind the expulsion of Lady Ethan’s first wife. Isabel had earned the respect of these proud northern nobles through her genuine devotion to Ethan, not because of the Valeri family’s influence from the capital.
If word had ever leaked that Isabel had conspired with the Valeris to harm me, neither she nor Gosek would be standing in this main hall right now. No one wanted to turn a celebration into a bloodbath. Even so, the atmosphere was already tense enough.
Yet Gosek showed no sign of intimidation. He waddled through the crowd with the heavy, lumbering steps that matched his bloated belly. My eyes naturally drifted toward my uncle—the man I would have to play the dutiful nephew for.
So that’s Gosek? Ha, he looks exactly like Masha described, down to the last sarcastic detail.
Watching him waddle in person felt like observing a pig that had spent its life crawling on the floor and had only just learned to walk on two legs today. It was hard to believe the graceful, modest woman walking obediently beside him belonged to the same species.
She’s too good for a man like Gosek.
Isabel must have noticed my gaze lingering on Gosek’s wife. She leaned close to my ear and whispered softly.
“It’s ridiculous. No matter how you look at it, he’s visiting his nephew’s family, yet he brings his concubine instead of his legal wife. Some people never outgrow their crude habits, even with age.”
There was no trace of warmth on Isabel’s face as she looked at her older brother. Her eyes burned with wariness, like a wolf that had invaded her territory. It made sense. If even Masha, who had only lived in the Valeri mansion for a year, shuddered at Gosek’s pettiness and filth, how must Isabel feel after spending her entire life as his twin?
“You’re right. Still, we can’t exactly tell him to leave over something like this, so let’s just watch for now,” I replied, playing along while studying the woman known as Gosek’s concubine.
Isabel clicked her tongue and shot her a look full of pity.
“Yes… Cassandra couldn’t have followed him here willingly.”
Isabel hadn’t meant to reveal it, but her perfectly timed remark told me the woman wasn’t my aunt by marriage. No wonder Masha’s description had seemed off. She had said the woman shared Gosek’s temper and looks, but this lady was far too elegant for that.
Cassandra Pagan, whose family name I hadn’t known until now, possessed hair the color of sunlit grass—an enchanting pale green that shimmered. Her soft lashes gave her an even gentler appearance, the kind that stirred a man’s protective instincts. Even her careful steps couldn’t hide the seductive curves of her body, which naturally drew every man’s eye. In short, she embodied the submissive beauty that proud men fantasized about.
Of course, as the concubine chosen by the primary heir of the Valeri family—the leaders of the central nobility—she would have to possess breathtaking beauty. Anything less would have been strange.
Whether or not he knew his nephew was admiring his concubine’s appearance, Gosek lumbered straight toward me. What was the hurry?
When he came within two steps, I bowed to him despite my reluctance. After all, he was my uncle and a guest who had come to congratulate me.
“Thank you for making the long journey, Lord Gosek. It is an honor that you attended. And Lady Cassandra as well.”
When I raised my head and met her eyes, Cassandra offered a gentle smile. The fragrance drifting from her matched her hair color—a refreshing scent like fresh green leaves.
“It is a pleasure to meet you. I am Cassandra Pagan.”
Unlike Cassandra, who responded with perfect courtesy, Gosek glared at me with twitching eyes as if something had gotten into them. It seemed he had never intended to return his nephew’s greeting in the first place. He waved his hand dismissively like he was shooing away a fly, then ignored the anxious look his concubine was giving him and opened his fat lips.
“Is what my nephew Arwen just said true?”
“…What do you mean by ‘just’?”
Irritated by my uncle’s rude attitude, I forced my reluctant tongue to move and asked him in return.
“I mean the part where you said Isabel has become your concubine.”
“That is correct. Mother has graciously agreed to help preserve the Reinhardt bloodline.”
At that, my uncle’s rat-like mustache twitched as his eyes widened. The oily flesh around his neck bulged as he raised his voice to a shout.
“Nonsense! Isabel carries the proud blood of the Valeri family! Did you really think we would tolerate her acting without the family’s permission?”
The northern nobles who had been silently watching Gosek’s outrageous behavior toward their liege lord began to radiate open hostility. Some even reached for their waists as if grasping for swords they weren’t carrying. I fully understood their desire to punish the white pig rampaging in the heart of the north, but now was not the time, and it wasn’t their place to do it.
I raised my hand to signal that I was fine. Once I saw their aggression subside a little, I continued my conversation with Gosek.
“Permission… whose permission are you referring to?”
My innocent question made Gosek answer in a voice thick with barely contained rage.
“Mine, of course. Gosek’s permission.”
Exactly the answer I had expected. I gave Gosek, who was trapped in his own narrow mindset, a bright smile.
“Hahaha. I had no idea you had taken the position of head of the Valeri family without my knowledge.”
“W-what?”
As Gosek’s eyes widened at his nephew’s mockery, I continued in a calm, measured voice.
“The glorious position of head of the great Valeri family still belongs to Grandfather, who lies in his sickbed. Or so I understood.”
“T-that may be, but I handle all the actual administration—”
I nodded vigorously, making no effort to hide how exaggerated my gesture was.
“Yes, of course. I can only imagine how much your head must ache from worrying about the family every single day.”
Then I stopped nodding and looked straight into Gosek’s eyes.
“But you have not yet become the family head, have you? If you had, then just as you personally rushed here to congratulate me, I would have gone to the Valeri mansion myself, wouldn’t I?”
“You—how dare you mock me?”
It was surprising. Despite his dull appearance, Gosek had accurately caught the true meaning behind my words: I am the head of the family, but you are not. Stop playing leader when you aren’t even the patriarch.
To that Gosek, I offered a gentle smile. At the same time, I spread both arms wide and swept my gaze across the room.
“Now, now. Everyone gathered here today to celebrate, didn’t they? For your nephew’s sake, let’s put the discussion about Mother aside for later.”
Gosek, following my gaze around the room, finally seemed to notice the hostile atmosphere of the surrounding nobles. Surrounded by battle-hardened men with faces full of scars and killing intent, he took a step back from his nephew.
“Ugh… I’ll let it go for now. But remember, that doesn’t mean I’ve approved of the relationship between you and Isabel.”
With those words that made him sound like a third-rate villain to the very end, Gosek took the frightened-looking Cassandra with him and disappeared into a corner of the main hall.
Isabel watched him go, then quietly patted my shoulder. A refreshing smile spread across her face, as if a hole clogged with filth had finally been cleared.
I returned her smile, then raised a glass from the table high into the air and shouted.
“Shall we continue the banquet? A toast to the glory of the North!”
“Cheers!”
“Long live Reinhardt!”
The nobles called out Reinhardt’s name in their own voices and drank the strong wine as if it were cold beer from an ice glass. Their roughness was of a completely different nature from the nobles of other regions I had met at the Academy. Strangely enough, it didn’t feel unpleasant. In fact, I liked it far more than the rigid atmosphere of endless fake smiles.
Still savoring the satisfaction of having landed a solid blow on Gosek, I chatted with the northern nobles about this and that.
“So you’re saying you personally applied the principles of magic potions to develop a new fertilizer, Lord Arwen?”
A man with a white beard that spoke of advanced age asked with eyes sparkling with curiosity.
“Not at all. It wasn’t my power alone, but thanks to the new members who have joined the Reinhardt household.”
“Even so, it’s impressive. I never dreamed you possessed such deep knowledge of magic potions.”
“Haha, you flatter me, Sir Felix. I hope the new fertilizer proves very helpful for the barley fields in the Malbec territory.”
Felix smiled with satisfaction and yielded his place to another noble.
Before I knew it, the area around me was packed with nobles hoping to exchange even a single word with me.
“A new trade route?”
“Yes. Josef, the eldest son of the Sigmund family, suggested it. He asked what I thought about creating a new path that could efficiently supply the central region with high-quality northern timber.”
“Hmm… I’ll consider it.”
A thin man wearing glasses stroked his chin and moved away from me.
Besides that, we discussed various topics—immigrant tribes crossing the borders, monster attacks, new dungeons, and more. Surprisingly, most of the nobles in the main hall seemed satisfied with our conversations. All except Gosek, of course.
And when the banquet was winding down and the nobles began leaving one by one, I noticed Gosek approaching Isabel. He whispered something in her ear, then left the main hall with Cassandra without even saying goodbye to me.
Isabel turned to look at me. I nodded to tell her it was fine. She nodded back, then followed Gosek out of the main hall.
Finally.
I had already known Gosek hadn’t come here simply to congratulate his nephew. He would make his move once the other nobles left—just as we had predicted.
The mansion is about to get noisy.
Preparing myself mentally for the storm that would soon arrive, I sent the nobles off with bright smiles. Completely unaware of what was about to happen in the mansion where the banquet had just taken place, they returned to their territories one by one.