Chapter 75
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 75
Grand Duke Frezier had an insatiable appetite for land.
He possessed countless mountains and fields that seemed ripe for development, yet he left thousands of acres untouched, preserved in their natural state.
The fact that the Grand Duke was already the wealthiest man in the Brillant Empire, even without fussing over a single plot of land, only served to further irritate Emperor Alexander.
“You always pick such trivial things and put me in a difficult position,” Emperor Alexander said, glaring at Ferdinand.
“Tsk. Useless fellow.”
“Your Majesty, even if it is a jest, the Crown Prince might be hurt by such words.”
A soft, gentle voice drifted from beside him. Empress Carmi smoothed the Emperor’s shoulder with a practiced touch.
Only then did Emperor Alexander’s rising temper seem to subside slightly, and he leaned back against his throne with a dignified air. It had belatedly occurred to him that saying anything harsher in front of Schuls Schmidt, a Pneuma, would do him no favors.
“Crown Prince. You know His Majesty says these things in jest, don’t you?”
“Yes.”
The reply was mechanical and blunt.
However, since Crown Prince Ferdinand had always treated everyone—including the Empress—in that manner, no one thought much of it. Even Empress Carmi maintained the smile of a benevolent and kind mother.
“We cannot simply ask Grand Duke Frezier for the land, and since he is one of the wealthiest men in the Empire, a trade will not be easy.”
A muscle in Emperor Alexander’s brow twitched.
He was a man who always had to be the best, and though he sat in a position above all others, he hated the fact that he had to share the title of ‘the best’ in any capacity with the Grand Duke.
Naturally, the Emperor’s gaze toward Ferdinand grew sharper and colder.
A useless son with no eye for value. A piece of trash.
And that madwoman who gathered her divine power like a monster and poured it into him just to keep him alive.
The late Empress, Olivia.
Emperor Alexander’s face slowly hardened at the thought of that madwoman.
As always, Empress Carmi, who was secretly observing the Emperor’s complexion while pretending not to, easily noticed that he was thinking of Empress Olivia. Even though it had been over ten years since Olivia’s death, he still thought of her at the slightest provocation.
Empress Carmi’s expression also sank into an elegant coldness that no one would notice.
But she was a clever woman.
“Crown Prince.”
She spoke in a beautiful voice, showing no sign of her inner thoughts, as if merely trying to refresh the atmosphere.
“I have consulted with His Majesty regarding a gift for you. And we have come up with a very good idea.”
“What is it?”
The instances where Ferdinand showed curiosity toward Empress Carmi were few and far between. Thus, she answered with a smile, feeling a small sense of triumph.
“Enter into an engagement with the young lady of House Frezier.”
* * *
‘Hmm. Come to think of it, was it around this time?’
I looked out the window while eating the soup Adel had brought me.
It was late winter, and the weather was quite cold with falling snow. It was the winter before the third year since the start of the game’s story.
According to the setting of The Milk Bread, Crown Prince Ferdinand enters into an engagement with a lady from Grand Duke Frezier’s family around this time.
‘It was to receive a piece of land—no, a mountain—as an engagement gift.’
The name was…
‘Ah!’
Mount Louromans.
It was a fact unknown to others—especially Empress Carmi, who practically orchestrated the engagement—but that mountain was something Crown Prince Ferdinand desperately needed.
There was only one reason.
He needed a specific medicinal herb that grew only in that region.
‘Because that damn divine power of his keeps causing trouble in his body.’
He needed that herb as a temporary stabilizer.
Of course, very few people knew this. They didn’t know that Ferdinand was in pain almost every day, nor did they know the reason why he needed that herb so badly.
In the first place, because of that divine power, he was hated by the Emperor and despised by the Empress, and well…
He also ends up forming a connection with Corico because of it, right?
But for now, it was before the story officially began. It was before Corico had even appeared.
That was why one of the basic settings for Ferdinand Cassel Ewigkeit, one of the male leads, was this:
—Currently engaged to a lady of House Frezier.
‘Of course.’
That lady isn't me, though.
* * *
“…Lady Sophia Frezier?”
Schuls Schmidt was bewildered when he heard the news.
“That is… a bit much.”
That was the only way he could put it.
Objectively speaking, Sophia Frezier was a woefully inadequate match for the Crown Prince. Both in terms of lineage and status.
‘If it were Lady Tulia, perhaps.’
He didn’t let those words leave his mouth. He was extremely cautious, not letting a single name slip.
This was the Crown Prince’s Palace. There were no servants properly attending to them, and since everyone else had been sent away, there was no one to hear him except Ferdinand.
Even if someone had heard, they would have likely thought the same.
“Lady Sophia Frezier is the adopted daughter of Viscount Lilius Frezier, is she not, Your Highness?”
“She is.”
Every member of the Imperial family was expected to memorize the genealogies of the major houses.
Grand Duke Asis Frezier, who was one of the most powerful men alongside the Emperor, had three sons. The daughter adopted by his youngest son, Viscount Lilius, was Sophia Frezier.
Though she was on the family registry, her lineage was far too lacking to be the partner of the noble Crown Prince.
In the first place, it was uncertain if the marriage would even take place. Her parents would likely use the Crown Prince as a pawn for their own gain before eventually claiming an annulment.
The reason being…
“…”
Feeling Schuls Schmidt’s gaze lingering on him, Ferdinand moved his head as he dried his wet hair.
“Are you worried about my Cupid’s Disease?”
Caught off guard, Schuls Schmidt bowed his head a beat late.
“I apologize, Your Royal Highness.”
“You apologize for the strangest things.”
Among people who looked at him as if he were a beautiful monster, Schuls Schmidt’s concerned gaze felt almost warm.
Ferdinand caught his reflection in the window.
He was already a young man in years, yet he still retained the appearance of a boy.
A body that did not grow due to divine power.
A body that seemed as if it would remain young forever.
The Emperor had summoned countless priests, raging at them to find a way to fix it, but not a single person had found a solution. Every time, the Emperor’s fury would pierce the heavens.
“If you are not a hideous cripple, then what are you!”
Emperor Alexander would often vent his anger in such a way. The porcelain he threw would frequently graze Ferdinand’s forehead before shattering, leaving behind thin red scars.
However, Ferdinand was far too talented an individual in almost every respect to be confined by the nauseating label of a ‘hideous cripple.’
Noble lineage.
Immense divine power.
And a beautiful appearance that looked as if an angel had descended.
There was a reason why nobles bowed their heads before him and why priests looked up to him with adoration.
But.
Ferdinand believed that he might never grow out of this state. Just as the Emperor had given up long ago.
“It doesn’t matter, as all I want is that mountain. The engagement is merely a formality, so there is no need to even meet her.”
“Are you leaving for the battlefield immediately?”
“If we’re being efficient, yes.”
“That is a bit of a shame.”
Despite saying it was a shame.
Despite the mention of an engagement.
A certain girl who had once pressed a handkerchief into his hand briefly crossed his mind.
The young lady who, whether she knew her pink hair was being soaked by the rain or not, had handed him a pathetic handkerchief and fled, never to show her face again.