Chapter 31
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 31
Chapter Title: Bad Fate
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"Glory? What glory."
I waved my hand dismissively.
"I'm good."
"...Pardon?"
"I have no intention of marrying the princess."
Sir Heinrich's eyes widened.
Lize tilted her head.
"Why noooot? She's a princess, right? Isn't she pretty?"
"Does being a princess mean she's automatically a beauty?"
"Well... that's true, but..."
"Even if she were a beauty, do you know what happens if you marry a princess?"
"...You become her consort?"
"You end up waiting on your wife hand and foot."
Lize blinked.
"Waiting on her?"
Even in my previous life, where male superiority was strong, consorts in many cultures had to observe chastity toward the princess. And in this world, with mana making the gender gap virtually nonexistent, it was even more so.
I had no such intentions anyway, and even if I became a duke, the princess would receive a ducal title as well, making her equal or superior in rank to her husband.
"But young master, a connection to the imperial family..."
The knight who had come as the messenger tried to say something, but I cut him off sharply and asked,
"Do you know what kind of life I want?"
"...No, I don't."
"A rich layabout."
It was a heartfelt truth that pierced to the bone.
"...Pardon?"
"Moderately researching history, moderately traveling the world."
This fantastical fantasy world had so many places to go and see. And...
I shrugged.
"With three wives and four concubines. That's the life."
I emphasized it deliberately.
Three wives and four concubines.
Even the imperial family would wave this off, I thought.
But unexpectedly, the messenger nodded.
What the hell?
"Truth be told, the court... doesn't expect the son of the Duke, famous for his womanizing, to devote himself purely to one woman."
"...What?"
"The imperial family anticipates that, having inherited your father's military genius, you've also inherited... that side of him."
They expect me to philander because I take after my father?
And they still propose marriage knowing that?
"Hold on. The imperial family tolerates the princess's husband cheating?"
"It's not so much tolerance as... they won't make a big issue of it."
It was strange.
Too strange.
It tarnishes the imperial family's dignity.
Normally, something they'd never accept.
Yet it's okay?
"Is the princess from some lowly concubine's lineage?"
That would make sense if they were just shipping her off without much care.
A daughter of a concubine, with weak maternal relatives.
Such a princess might not fuss over her husband's fidelity.
But.
"No. She's the daughter of Her Majesty the Empress."
"Who the hell put my name forward? Father?"
It could be Father. The Duke of Krushtein, the empire's greatest warrior. If he pushed it, even the imperial family couldn't ignore him easily.
But.
"His Grace the Duke... shows no particular interest in this marriage proposal."
"No interest?"
"Yes. He simply said to handle it as you see fit."
Handle it as I see fit.
A very Father-like response.
In fact, that indifference probably made the imperial family even more desperate. They want to tie down House Krushtein, but the man himself couldn't care less. From their perspective, they have no choice but to push harder.
"Then who pushed for it?"
"Her Grace Duchess Clara, His Majesty's aunt... advocated strongly for it."
Silence fell.
I could feel Lize's breathing stop beside me.
Sir Heinrich's expression had hardened too.
Duchess Clara.
That old hag who tried to kill me last time.
The poisoned sandwich. The dawn assassin. All her doing.
And now she's pushing a marriage proposal?
"...Ah. Her."
I said no more.
I had plenty to say, but I couldn't call the emperor's aunt 'the old hag who tried to kill me' in front of the messenger.
Lize cautiously opened her mouth.
"Young master, that lady last time..."
"I know."
I cut her off shortly.
Having failed at assassination, now she's trying another method.
A marriage proposal.
Put me under imperial control through a political marriage?
Or is it another trap?
"And... His Grace the Duke will arrive here in a few days."
I turned my head.
"Father?"
"Yes. He wishes to meet you in person."
Father is coming.
After suppressing the southern rebellion, all the way here.
"I see."
Two weeks later.
The cavalry approached.
Thousands of them, at least. The lead rider stood out especially. A frame half a head taller than the others. Even from afar, an overwhelming presence.
It was Father.
But.
"What is that?"
Lize's voice trembled.
I saw it too.
Something hung from the horse's flank. Round, black, swaying things. At first, I thought they were sacks. Supplies or spoils of war.
No.
As they drew closer, the shapes became clear.
Human heads.
Not just one. Not just on Father's horse, but strung up in rows on the mounts behind him. Ten, twenty, countless.
And the smell.
The wind shifted.
A rotten stench stabbed at my nose. Sickly sweet, the smell of decay. My brow furrowed involuntarily.
Someone retched behind me.
The prisoners.
The Kuman tribesmen bound in a line. Their faces were pale. Some trembled, others stumbled back and fell.
They must have realized whose heads those were.
Father's cavalry halted.
Silence descended.
Father dismounted. Heavy footsteps. Bloodstains on his armor still fresh.
He'd encountered Kuman remnants on the way, they'd said. A thousand strong.
Those thousand's traces were those heads.
"Greetings, Father."
I bowed first.
Father's gaze brushed over me. He nodded once. That was all.
"Hail to our lord."
Sir Heinrich and the knights bowed in unison.
Father's steps halted.
In front of Sir Heinrich.
"Heinrich."
A low, thick voice.
"Yes, my lord."
"Heard you had some fun with Adrian. How many did you kill?"
Sir Heinrich paused briefly.
"Two."
"...Two?"
Father's eyebrow rose.
"Just two?"
"Yes. Two."
Father's gaze shifted from Sir Heinrich to me.
A wordless question.
I turned and looked back.
"Bring them."
At my command, the soldiers moved.
The prisoners we'd set aside earlier were dragged out.
Kuman warriors. Shackled and roped. We'd fed them well as promised, so they didn't look too bad. But their eyes were filled with terror.
It was only natural.
Behind Father hung the heads of their kin, row upon row. Reeking of rot. Eyeless sockets glaring at them.
"Ho."
Father murmured.
His eyes scanned the prisoners carefully.
"This is unexpected. Not killed, but captured."
"Yes."
"Explain, Adrian."
I stepped forward.
"First, I assessed the enemy's internal situation."
"Internal situation?"
"Yes. These are the witnesses."
I pointed to Kuulruk.
The former great warrior, mana-suppressing shackles on. He flinched under Father's gaze but quickly straightened.
"Speak."
I ordered.
Kuulruk opened his mouth.
"...The northern plains are in poor shape."
His voice trembled slightly, but it was clear.
"This winter has been unusually harsh. Not enough grass for the livestock, and deaths from the cold are rampant."
"So you came down to plunder?"
Kuulruk nodded at Father's question.
"Yes. But that's not all."
"What else?"
"The Ice Dragon has awakened."
Silence fell.
Father's expression shifted subtly. A tiny change, hard to notice. But I saw it.
His eyes narrowed.
"...Continue."
"The Ice Dragon's awakening pushed several tribes southward. Land is shrinking, competition between tribes fierce. It's like starving wolves tearing at each other."
I took over.
"I exploited that."
"How?"
"The tribal alliance is only on the surface. In reality, each chieftain looks out for his own tribe. So I used bait to scatter them deliberately."
Father nodded.
"Bait?"
"Yes. Wagons loaded with grain as bait. The starving ones couldn't resist and rushed in, and I struck while they were divided."
Father snorted.
A sound that could have been laughter or scorn.
"Then I challenged them to single combat. I stepped up."
Sir Heinrich added.
Father looked at him.
"They accepted?"
"Yes."
"You took both?"
"Yes."
"How many exchanges?"
"The first in two. The second in one."
Father chuckled.
"Not rusty, then."
"You flatter me."
It was a short exchange, but the air between them was different. Comfortable. The trust of lord and vassal over long years.
I felt a moment of exclusion, but decided to ignore it.
"But tell me, Adrian. If I'd challenged them to single combat, would they have accepted?"
I was momentarily speechless.
A joke?
Father's face was impassive, as always, hard to read.
But faint laugh lines at his eyes.
A joke.
Probably.
"I don't think so."
I answered.
"Why?"
"Fighting Sir Heinrich is like facing an ogre head-on. With my life on the line, it's worth a shot."
I paused.
"But fighting you is like facing a dragon. No matter how brave, even I know that's suicide."
Father snorted.
This time, definitely a laugh.
"Yes, a joke."
Father turned his head. His gaze toward the north. The direction of the heads. Beyond the plains. And further, where the Ice Dragon slumbered.
A brief silence flowed.
"The Ice Dragon."
A low mutter. But the weight in those words was heavy.
"A real dragon awakening. Makes my blood boil."
Blood boiling at the thought of a dragon?
Is this guy really human?
Of course, just talk.
He wouldn't seriously mean to hunt the Ice Dragon. Just warrior bravado. The instinct to want to fight upon seeing a strong foe. Something like that.
"You often seem like a child, Your Grace."
A seasoned voice rang out.
My heart nearly stopped.
"Dragon slayer, indeed. At your age, I'd think you'd outgrown such dreams."
I turned.
Behind Father's cavalry. The place I'd been avoiding looking at.
White hair. Wrinkled face. But eyes sharp as ever. Serpent's eyes. Staring at prey.
A status where no one batted an eye at her not honoring Father with formal speech.
And.
The poisoned sandwich. The dawn assassin. The mastermind behind it all.
The old hag who tried to kill me.
Duchess Clara.
Our eyes met.