Olmati's Dark Counsel
“So you want me to become a lecherous lord even though I already have a wife?”
“There is no other choice, my lord. This is an opportunity the family absolutely cannot afford to miss.”
He continued, “If you merely watch from afar like a flower in a greenhouse, someone else will snatch her away in the blink of an eye. You must make the first move. She is a princess of our kingdom—the key that will elevate House Richard to greatness. Since you have no blood relatives of your own, you cannot use political marriage as a card. There is no other way to bind her to you permanently.”
Olmati gave a sinister chuckle. “Rather than that, my lord, you should step forward and become her master yourself. Impregnate her so she can never leave House Richard, and place a noose around her neck. Hehehe……”
The dark laughter made him sound less like a loyal retainer and more like a scheming sycophant who enjoyed plotting in the shadows.
“Are you trying to turn me into Lord Cain of Cluiston, that half-mad lecher? I am not a beast in heat.”
“Oh, it wounds me that you would interpret my sincere counsel in such a manner, my lord!”
Though my expression had hardened, Olmati did not stop. “If you intend to love only Lady Dana for the rest of your life, then so be it. Simply impregnate Princess Irene and be done with it. Once she is with child, you may cast her aside at once. Just let her bear the child. After that, you need never look at her again.”
Olmati smirked. “If you leave her alone, she may secretly form an attachment with another man and hand all the glory over to him. Become a lecher before someone else makes a fool of you. Should misfortune ever befall the royal family and leave no heir, your child could become king. You would rule the Kingdom of Ingibar in your child’s name.”
Olmati spoke with genuine excitement, as though the matter concerned him personally. I could not agree with his opinion. I pointed a finger at him in warning.
“You seem quite comfortable in your position. I did not appoint you chancellor so you could sit around indulging in fantasies. All you need to do is report the current state of the territory. Keep your unnecessary opinions to yourself.”
“Hic!”
Olmati flinched and quickly covered his mouth. “M-my apologies, my lord. This foolish mouth of mine spoke without thinking.”
Perhaps I was being too sensitive. Upon reflection, Olmati’s words were not mere fantasy—they held a certain realism. Princess Irene had been sent to me as a hostage. Rather than leaving her untouched, I needed to find a way to make use of her. That would be to my advantage.
Yet the thought of taking her as a concubine weighed heavily on me. I already had Dana and Adelia. While a new concubine might please me, I could not ignore how Dana and Adelia would feel.
To calm the nervous Olmati, I patted his shoulder and softened my tone. “Your words are not wrong, but right now I wish only to think of my wife. I do not want to disappoint her, whom I cherish as dearly as my own life.”
“O-oh, how wise of you. Lady Dana would surely be deeply disappointed if a concubine were to appear. It was my mistake for failing to consider that.”
Olmati bowed respectfully and withdrew. Yet the ripple he left behind was immense. A sudden wave of anxiety rose within me.
What if I simply watched and another man suddenly appeared to claim Princess Irene? How would I endure the rage that would erupt like a volcano the moment another man tore her maidenhead? If such a thing truly happened, I would be driven mad with fury.
If I had a child or sibling, I could marry them to her, but in this world I had no blood relatives at all. That meant, just as Olmati said, the best course was for me to take Princess Irene’s body myself.
This may not be a matter of considering Dana’s or Adelia’s feelings. It is not simply about lustful desire to possess Princess Irene’s body. This is purely a question of one man’s ambition and dreams. I want to govern and protect my territory well. If I make Princess Irene mine, the royal family’s focused attention will make safeguarding my lands far easier than before.
After thinking it over, I turned to Mateus, who was waiting behind me.
“Hey, Mateus.”
“Yes, my lord.”
“Would you rather be a pure-hearted romantic who is satisfied with the reality given to you and loves only two women for life, or a great conqueror who pursues power and glory as a true man?”
“If it were me…… could I not be both?”
“A conqueror and a romantic?”
“Yes.”
“No such thing exists. Choose one.”
“If I must choose only one……”
Mateus answered seriously. “My lord, take Princess Irene as Olmati suggested. Lady Dana will understand. She is a wise woman.”
His unexpected reply made me chuckle despite myself.
“……You’re both incorrigible.”
Olmati’s words seemed to have left quite an impression on Mateus as well. From then on, without any order from me, Mateus began to keep a strict watch over Princess Irene on his own initiative. Out of loyalty to his master, he assigned two female guards from the personal guard to Princess Irene at all times, cutting off all contact with any men except her escort knight, Ristein.
As a result, whenever Princess Irene left her chambers, she had to move under the strict control of the female guards. The only people allowed to approach her were Ebuni, Peggy, and the maids who attended her. That was what it meant to be a hostage. There was no freedom.
I did not restrain Mateus’s actions in the slightest. I simply watched in silence. To be honest, I was uneasy.
Truthfully, I had never properly conversed with Princess Irene. We had spoken only twice—once when we first met in Nobern and briefly during the journey to Lanchester. After arriving in Lanchester, I had not even looked at her. Perhaps that was why I felt less guilt about tightening the reins around her. It was fortunate that we did not know each other well.
“She took a one-hour walk in the morning before returning to her room. She had lunch in her room with Ebuni. According to Ebuni, in the afternoon she received massages from the maids and then planned to view the flowers growing in the garden……”
“Mateus.”
“Yes.”
When Mateus entered the office and began reporting Princess Irene’s every movement in detail, I could not help but interrupt.
“There is no need to report everything like a diary entry. Only report when something unusual occurs.”
“Understood.”
“You may go.”
“Yes.”
As Mateus turned to leave, I called him back.
“You seem overly enthusiastic lately. There is too much fire in your eyes. It is almost frightening. Ease up a little.”
The Mateus who had first joined the mercenary group was gone. After being appointed captain of the personal guard, he seemed like a completely different person. He still had some awkwardness, but as they say, the position makes the man. He must have developed a special sense of mission—perhaps the mission to make his lord successful.
In truth, when Mateus had signed the contract with me, he had been overjoyed to be the first to form such an agreement with a lord. On top of that, he had been genuinely honored that a mere ordinary knight like himself had been entrusted with the important post of captain of the personal guard, and he had burned with determination to work hard.
“As captain of the personal guard tasked with protecting you, my lord, I cannot afford to relax my vigilance. Please rest assured. I will definitely protect Princess Irene from any man with a certain appendage.”
I let out a sigh.
“At this rate, she might die of stress from you before any scoundrels even try to covet her.”
“Then before she dies of stress, grant Princess Irene her freedom as soon as possible.”
“Send her back to the royal palace?”
“That is not what I mean.”
He spoke firmly. “If the princess conceives your child, she will be free from that day onward. She will no longer be a hostage. She will be happy.”
After leaving those words, Mateus closed the door and left. Though they seemed like ordinary words, they carried an unexpectedly profound meaning, and I found myself frozen in place.
“Freedom…… An unexpected perspective I had not considered.”
Once Princess Irene became pregnant, Mateus’s ironclad surveillance would naturally be lifted. As a concubine, she would also be able to speak with authority. She would no longer be a hostage and would have no need to live in fear. That, too, was freedom.
“Mateus has quite the head on his shoulders.”
I could now view Princess Irene’s situation from a new angle. It was refreshing.
“Hmm……”
I pondered again and again. In the first place, why had King Mikelan given me Princess Irene when I had no blood relatives? It was as good as telling me to take her. I could tell from the letter he had sent long ago.
Reject the proposals from both families. I shall grant you marriage with Dana and bestow upon you a title and territory. Become a lord and form a contract with our royal family. If you do not trust us, you may keep our youngest princess as a hostage for the duration of your contract as lord and vassal. If you have any blood relatives, it would be fine to send her to them in marriage. I await your favorable reply. It would be acceptable to send her in marriage. As long as you remain loyal to the royal family, you may do as you please with Princess Irene.