The Noble Seat
The morning sun, bright and warm, pierced through the tightly closed curtains of Grand Duke Gares’s bedroom in the capital mansion. “Ugh……”
The sound of birds chirping made Gares clutch his splitting headache as he struggled to lift his heavy eyelids. His mouth was bone-dry, and every muscle in his body felt stiff and sluggish, as if he had spent the entire night doing grueling labor.
“Haa…… What the hell did I do last night……”
The moment Gares sat up and pulled back the blanket—
“……?!!”
He froze like a statue mid-breath. He wasn’t wearing so much as a thick bathrobe; he was completely naked. And then—
Slither—.
The warmth of someone nestled against his thick forearm, rubbing soft skin against him in peaceful sleep. Gares slowly turned his head, eyes filled with terror.
Disheveled red hair. A young woman with her face buried in his chest, breathing softly. It was the very same maid who had come to his room the night before, carrying a towel and crying.
She too was completely naked, sleeping peacefully in the Grand Duke’s arms. The sheets were damp, soaked with sweat.
“Ah……”
A groan escaped Gares’s lips. His memories after leaving the bathroom and collapsing into bed had been completely erased. Not a single second remained. Yet the undeniable evidence before his eyes cruelly proved that he had taken this maid in his arms and rutted like a beast.
“Rebecca…… Veronica…… What have I…… What have I done……!”
Crack.
Gares gripped his hair with both hands and tore at it. The masculine function he had regained after ten years. But instead of pouring it into his beloved wife Rebecca, he had unleashed it on a stranger whose face he couldn’t even remember. He had lost the chastity he wanted most to protect.
“I’m sorry…… I’m so sorry, Rebecca……”
He had betrayed his wife. He had been unable to control his lust and had sunk to the level of a beast. The heart of Grand Duke Gares was being ripped to shreds, plummeting into an endless abyss of despair and self-loathing.
Meanwhile, Gawain sat leaning back in his chair with the morning sun at his back, rolling a tiny, intricately crafted silver vial across his palm and admiring it. An irrepressible smile spread across his lips.
“Heh heh…… Hahaha!”
His suppressed laughter echoed through the study.
“Truly, coincidence is both terrifying and strangely marvelous.”
He stroked the vial’s smooth surface with his thumb and muttered in a cold voice.
“This poison was originally meant to strain the heart and cause seizures. But its effect is so weak that it relies entirely on luck, so it could only be used on the elderly.”
The very same poison I secretly slipped into Count Pirla’s teacup.
The sudden death of Count Pirla, the man who had ruined the Northside family and cut off Rebecca’s support. It had all been an assassination orchestrated by Gawain.
“And yet, isn’t it truly fascinating?”
Gawain lifted the vial to eye level and chuckled.
“The very poison that bursts an old man’s heart…… when mixed into warm tea for a young man and raises his body temperature, it temporarily revives a dead function and acts as medicine.”
Ten years ago, claiming it was for his older brother, he had diligently sent the finest “tonics” from the capital to the North every month. But the true identity of those tonics was a forbidden elixir once used in choirs to castrate young boys and preserve their high voices when women could not sing.
Gawain wore a satisfied smile as he recalled the secret and utterly shameless events of the previous night.
Last night, the maid Helena who had entered the Grand Duke’s bedroom had soon returned to him with flushed cheeks.
“Y-Your Grace Gawain…… His Grace’s medicine wore off too soon.”
The side effects of the long-term castration drug combined with the sleeping medicine had caused Gares’s temporarily revived masculinity to fade before he could even consummate the act, and he had passed out. That was her report.
Slap—!
Gawain coldly struck Helena across the cheek. After clicking his tongue at the maid who had ruined the plan, lust soon stirred within him. He headed straight to his brother’s bedroom and took Helena roughly right beside the unconscious, snoring Gares.
“Really now…… My brother requires so much hand-holding from start to finish.”
On the bed where his own older brother lay unconscious, Gawain had planted the seed of Arteta deep inside Helena in his brother’s place. A twisted ecstasy curled at the corners of his mouth.
By now, Grand Duke Gares would have woken up naked in his bedroom, seen the traces of the act, realized he had been deceived, and be sobbing in betrayal.
If my brother leaves the capital like this, I’ll spread the rumor that the Grand Duke took a capital maid as his concubine.
If that happened, the pack of hyenas in the capital who had been eagerly shoving their daughters forward to get a spoon into the Arteta duchy would finally shut their mouths. Arteta belonged solely to him—Gawain. He could not bear to see other bastards daring to put their spoons on that noble seat.
As a bonus, planting Helena in the North as both his brother’s concubine and a spy would be killing two birds with one stone.
The single purpose behind all these schemes was to become the master of Arteta. The most beautiful woman in the world, one that only the eldest son of Arteta could possess.
Rebecca.
Gawain’s eyes were dyed with greed.
Meanwhile, in the afternoon at the central commercial city of the Northern Grand Duchy.
The bustling market street was lively with merchants and residents from all over, filled with noisy chatter and the savory aroma of street food.
“Haa……”
Karin, walking beside me, let out a small, heavy sigh. Today she wore neat navy civilian clothes, but her tense expression was obvious as she anxiously glanced around at the surrounding shops.
Veronica’s birthday party was approaching. For Karin, it held far more meaning than simply her student’s birthday celebration.
Since my older brother, who went to the capital, is scheduled to return right around the time of the birthday party. For Karin, this will be the first time she formally greets him……
Her tightly pressed lips and rigid shoulders spoke volumes about her mental state.
A commoner-born sword instructor hired while the Grand Duke was away. To make a good first impression on the Grand Duke, she had to prepare a gift that would please Veronica the most and prove just how much she cherished the young lady and how qualified she was to be an excellent teacher.
“Don’t be so nervous, Instructor. If you stay that stiff, pickpockets will think you’re an easy mark and swarm you.”
When I playfully teased her from the side, Karin whipped her head around and snapped at me.
“W-who said I was nervous! I’m simply observing the market prices.”
“Sure, sure. Of course you are.”
I shrugged and laughed it off.
Ha…… I already have an idea for the young lady’s gift, but Veil is the problem……
“Sir Karin. Sir Veil’s literacy skills have improved so much lately that he’s been reading fairy tales by himself in his spare time.”
The casual remark Grand Duchess Rebecca had made that morning had stabbed heavily at Karin’s conscience.
……Even I think I’ve pushed Sir Veil too hard physically this past week. Every morning he’s covered in bruises, yet he endures it all without a single complaint.
Of course, it had all stemmed from her vow to apologize for her rudeness on the first day and turn him into the empire’s greatest knight. Still, Karin felt a sense of guilt.
So, although she was secretly embarrassed, she had quietly decided that while they were at the market today, she would buy Veil a small gift to make up for all the harsh training.
But what on earth should I buy? I don’t know much about Sir Veil……
My own head was just as tangled as Karin’s, completely preoccupied with the massive dilemma of Veronica’s birthday present.
Let’s recall the original novel’s description. What did Veronica like?
I frowned, desperately racking my brain. But no matter how hard I thought, nothing came to mind.
In the original novel The Rose That Blooms Only to Be Broken, Veronica was a fallen villainess. She was an extremely hollow and worn-out character who felt no interest whatsoever in material things like jewels or dresses. The only thing she had ever been obsessed with was violence based on the power and strength gained from swinging a sword and cutting down others.
Since the original never mentioned what she liked……
Frustrated, I was scratching the back of my head when—
“Sir Veil.”
Karin, who had been walking silently beside me, suddenly stopped.
“I have decided what to get for Lady Veronica’s gift.”
“Huh? Already? What is it?”
Karin cleared her throat, then lightly tapped the hilt of the sword at her waist.
“I am the young lady’s sword instructor. Therefore, I plan to gift her a custom-made real sword—the first one she will ever hold and swing in her life.”
“……What?”
My eyes widened. That was the best idea I had just squeezed out of my brain a moment ago!
“I-I thought of it first! I was going to do that too?!”
When I shouted in panic, Karin let out a snort.
“Ridiculous. I was the one who said it out loud first. And think about it logically, Sir Veil.”
Karin crossed her arms and looked me up and down.
“Wouldn’t it look far better for the instructor who personally teaches her swordsmanship to bestow her first sword? Wouldn’t His Grace the Grand Duke find the former much more natural and elegant?”
“Ugh……!”
I was at a loss for words. But I couldn’t just let her steal the gift I needed to score points with Veronica.
“Anyone can talk! There’s only one forge in the market anyway, and the best item goes to whoever buys it first!”
I flashed Karin a grin, then broke into a full sprint toward the forge at the end of the alley, black smoke rising from its chimney.
“Whoever reaches the forge first and pays gets to give the sword as a gift! Whoever’s late can go find something else!”
“Y-you sneaky bastard……! Stop right there, Veil!”
Karin refused to lose and chased fiercely after me. A large, scarred man and a nimble female knight having a childish running race through the bustling market streets of the North. Passersby jumped aside in surprise, but the two of us kept sprinting at full speed without yielding an inch.
“I called dibs first! Instructor, why don’t you go look for a hairpin for the young lady instead!”
“Shut up! Stop before I trip you!”
We jostled and shoved each other as we raced halfway to the forge. But as we passed the busiest intersection in the market—
“……Hic, sob…… Big brother……”
A sorrowful sob brushed past my ear.
“Hm?”
I slowed my pace and turned my head. In the corner of the crowded market, beside a large fruit stall, a small boy was squatting on a pile of straw, sobbing loudly. He looked about seven years old, dressed in ragged, worn-out clothes.
……It bothers me.
The competition to reach the forge was fierce, but my conscience wasn’t worn down enough to ignore a child crying bitterly as if lost while adults around him paid no attention.
With a short sigh, I abruptly changed direction and headed toward the boy.
Damn it, the birthday gift is gone now.
I clicked my tongue inwardly and approached the child. And then—
Screech! Thud!
“……?”
“…….”
Karin and I came to an abrupt stop with the crying boy between us, staring at each other. Even though it had been the perfect chance for Karin to overtake me and reach the forge, she too had turned back upon hearing the child’s sobs.
We looked at each other for a brief moment, then simultaneously burst into awkward laughter.
“What, you’re giving up on the sword gift?” I asked. Karin huffed.
“Look who’s talking. You’re the one who kicked away a race you were winning just to waste time here.”
“I’m just too soft-hearted, that’s all.”
After exchanging light banter, we both bent our knees and lowered ourselves to the boy’s eye level.
“Little one, why are you crying here all alone? Did you get lost?”
I tried to speak as gently as possible. The boy lifted his tear-streaked face, but the moment he saw my rugged, scarred face, his crying grew louder.
“Waaah……! M-monster uncle……!”
“Whoa, hey! Sorry, uncle’s face is a bit scary, huh?”
When I panicked and hurriedly stepped back, Karin sighed, pushed me aside, and approached the child.
“Sir Veil, stay back. You’ll make the kid faint.”
Karin took a clean white handkerchief from her pocket and carefully wiped the boy’s dirty cheeks and runny nose.
“It’s alright, little one. That uncle isn’t a bad person. Stop crying and tell us slowly what happened, won’t you?”
At her calm and gentle comfort, the boy finally stopped crying. Sniffling, he began to explain the situation in a trembling voice.
“Hic…… I came out with big brother…… to buy medicine for mom…….”
They had been on their way to the apothecary with his sick mother when a quick-footed pickpocket suddenly snatched the money pouch his brother was holding and ran off. His brother had told him to stay put and not move an inch, then chased after the thief. But even after a long time, his brother hadn’t returned. Worried, the boy had gone into the crowd to look for him, only to take a wrong turn and get lost.
“Goodness, what terrible people. Stealing medicine money from a sick mother.”
Karin frowned in anger and fiddled with the hilt of her sword at her waist.
“Shouldn’t we find his lost brother first?”
I almost stroked the boy’s head but stopped when he flinched, then spoke.
“You were going to the apothecary with your brother, right? Then let’s go there with us first.”
Karin nodded in agreement and gently took the boy’s small hand.
“That’s right. This uncle is correct. Whether your brother finds the money or not, he’ll eventually come to the apothecary where you were headed to buy mom’s medicine. We’ll go with you, so trust your brother and wait there.”
The boy finally seemed relieved. He wiped his tears and gave a small nod.
“Here, hold this uncle’s hand too. He’s tall, so you won’t have to worry about getting lost.”
This time the boy didn’t avoid it. He carefully wrapped his tiny fingers around one of my large ones. Holding the boy’s hands on either side, we slowly walked toward the apothecary tucked away in a corner of the market that he remembered.
The fierce race to the forge to claim Veronica’s birthday gift had already been completely forgotten by both of us.