Chapter 240: It Would Have Been Different If It Were You (3)
Chapter 240: It Would Have Been Different If It Were You (3)
Rewinding time...
Immediately after Ava was kidnapped.
"Ooh... Ohhh..."
Prince Dawson wore an expression of genuine admiration.
When he first kidnapped Ava, his plan was to use her as a hostage to threaten the Lord and lure out Princess Isabella. However...
"To think such a beauty existed... She is far too exquisite for a mere countryside lord."
the moment he saw Ava, all his plans changed.
Prince Dawson stared at Ava with enchanted eyes. Ava found his gaze utterly repulsive.
Having always been surrounded by good people, she had rarely, if ever, been subjected to such blatant and unpleasant scrutiny.
As she shuddered with a horrific sense of loathing, as if snakes were crawling all over her body, Prince Dawson spoke.
"I shall take you back to my kingdom. I will ensure you enjoy a life of luxury on a level incomparable to living as a rural noble."
"Are you truly the prince of a nation?"
He was a bastard who possessed not a shred of the dignity or intellect expected of royalty.
That was Prince Dawson.
At Ava’s contemptuous expression, Prince Dawson bared his teeth in a smile and said, "It seems education must come first. Drag this woman to the basement."
"Yes, Your Highness."
Ava was dragged down to the underground wine cellar.
Prince Dawson followed her inside, ordered the knights back upstairs, and told them to lock the door tight.
"Hehehe. No matter how much you cry or scream here, it will be of no use."
"Please, don't do this. I... I have a husband."
"Sometimes, that only makes the fire burn hotter."
Prince Dawson began to strip off his clothes without hesitation as he stepped forward.
Even Ava, with her resilient spirit, trembled slightly.
Facing the greatest crisis of her life, she backed away from the approaching, disrobing Dawson as if trying to escape.
"Don't come any closer. If you do... if you do, I'll resist!"
"Hahaha. Go ahead and try."
Prince Dawson approached with a laugh.
And the moment he reached out for Ava’s body...
"Nooooo!"
Ava thrust her bound hands forward with all her might. The moment those two hands struck Dawson’s body...
BOOM!
"Gah-huuuck!"
It was a Double Palm Strike of terrifying destructive power.
Prince Dawson usually wore a physical resistance artifact to protect himself. It was a high-quality item capable of withstanding a kick from a horse.
However, the moment Ava’s palms touched his chest, a destructive force far exceeding the artifact's defensive capabilities slammed into his body.
As a result, Prince Dawson screamed and was sent flying into the distance.
"...Huh?"
Ava was bewildered.
Staring at her own hands, she wore a look of utter incomprehension.
"How did I...?"
She wondered if it was a fluke, but it wasn't.
A moment later, as Prince Dawson tried to regain consciousness...
"Take that!"
"Wha—Guh-urk!"
CRACK!
This time, he was slammed into the floor.
Crushed by the powerful downward double strike, Dawson coughed up blood, crumpled into the ground, and lost consciousness once again.
Only then did Ava realize.
"I'm... actually strong."
It wasn't just a matter of being "strong," though...
* * *
Ava Schneider.
She had originally possessed a Blocked Meridian Constitution. While not as severe as April’s, she had lived her entire life with a frail constitution.
After giving birth to Petrick, her health had declined further, leaving her with days where she could barely even get out of bed.
However, Petrick, realizing his mother's condition, had begun teaching her an Internal Energy Method when he was five years old.
As a result, her constitution improved, and she became healthy. Even after regaining her health, she never missed a single day of practicing the Internal Energy Method her son had taught her.
This was because she could constantly feel her body getting better.
In other words, a woman who had cured her Blocked Meridian Constitution and attained a body close to a Heavenly Martial Body had practiced internal energy cultivation consistently for fifteen years.
Her period of cultivation was much longer than even April’s.
Combined with the mana density of this world, which was far higher than that of the Central Plains...
[I didn't know, but I'm actually strong.]
Ava had become strong enough to easily overpower a profligate prince who had never properly trained.
There was no technique involved.
Just a slap from her palm sent her opponent flying as if kicked by a horse. And so...
[Ugh... Where am I...]
[Oh dear, you're awake again.]
[D-don't come near me! Gwaaaaah!]
Whenever he tried to get up, she hit him back into unconsciousness. Whenever he tried to wake up, she hit him again...
She had been repeating this all day.
The soundproofing of the basement cellar was so excellent that the knights guarding the top simply thought the Prince was playing "rough," their minds filled with lewd assumptions.
"Phew..."
April, having grasped the entire situation, sheathed her sword and let out a sigh of relief.
"I am glad you are safe, Madam."
The kidnapping of Ava, which had sent the entire territory into an uproar, was thus brought to a close.
* * *
The kidnapped Ava returned safely.
However, this did not solve all the problems.
A prince of one nation had kidnapped the wife of a noble from another; this was nothing short of a massive international incident.
Count Schneider immediately informed the capital of the facts.
He demanded that Prince Dawson be given lawful punishment and that justice be upheld.
It was a perfectly logical and righteous response.
However, the man who had rushed down from the capital via the shortest route said...
"Release him immediately."
That was his response.
At first, Count Schneider thought he had misheard.
"Release him?"
"That is correct."
When the same answer was repeated, Count Schneider’s expression contorted.
"Are you telling me to just let go of a criminal who committed a blatant crime against my wife in my own territory?"
"It is an order from the Royal Family. Count, you must prioritize the King's command."
"Marquis Panola!"
Count Schneider shouted, but the man before him didn't even flinch.
He spoke calmly, as if he had expected this level of resistance.
"Look at the bigger picture, Count. If you execute the justice you desire here, do you have any idea what kind of repercussions that will bring?"
"Repercussions?"
"Must the young men of this kingdom shed blood in a war against the Harbor Kingdom all because of your one wife? That is what I am saying."
"..."
At the word "war," Count Schneider fell silent.
Though his anger was boiling over, he couldn't help but hesitate in the face of the word "war."
Marquis Panola looked at Count Schneider with cold eyes and said, "As you well know, Count, if we look at it objectively, the national power of the Harbor Kingdom exceeds our own."
"So you're saying we should just cover this up?"
"Yes. We must."
"What did you say?"
Count Schneider was actually taken aback by Marquis Panola’s nonchalant affirmation.
Regardless, Marquis Panola continued calmly.
"According to the report you submitted, nothing actually happened to your wife, did it?"
"She was kidnapped! And two of my territorial knights nearly died! Are you saying that's 'nothing'?"
"The knights may have been injured, but aren't they both recovering safely? And your wife eventually returned without anything happening to her."
"But..."
"Do not overreact. If you act like this, people might misunderstand and think something actually did happen to your wife."
"Marquis Panola!"
Count Schneider stood up with a roar.
Marquis Panola gave a small smirk and said, "I'm just saying. Just saying."
"..."
Count Schneider grit his teeth.
He had suspected this from the moment Marquis Panola arrived as the official representative from the kingdom to handle the case.
He knew things wouldn't be settled easily.
After all, the House of Panola and the House of Schneider were entangled in a bitter ill-fate.
When Petrick entered the Academy, he had gotten into a conflict with the children of Marquis Panola, and as a result, the Marquis's two sons had become half-crippled and dropped out of the Academy.
Count Schneider knew this well. But on the other hand, he had thought...
Are we not nobles of the same kingdom?
He believed that if the Marquis could distinguish between public and private matters, he would at least take the side of his own countryman.
But...
"Is this truly the will of the Royal Family?"
At Count Schneider’s question, asked through gritted teeth, Marquis Panola flinched for the first time. But he quickly regained his composure and spoke.
"His Majesty has delegated full authority over this incident to me, the Captain of the Royal Knights."
This was true.
To be precise, when this problem arose, no one wanted to step forward, and Marquis Panola had snatched the opportunity by raising his hand.
From the Royal Family's perspective, they honestly didn't want to get involved in such a delicate and awkward incident.
So, they had delegated full authority to Marquis Panola, who showed such active enthusiasm.
Of course, had they known he would handle things this way, they might not have given him full authority.
Marquis Panola actively exercised the power he had received from the Royal Family.
"Representing the will of the Royal Family, I officially command you. Count Schneider, release Prince Dawson of the Harbor Kingdom and apologize for the unfortunate diplomatic incident that occurred."
"..."
"Do as you are told. If you do, this matter can be settled amicably."
His words made it sound as if Count Schneider was the one at fault.
Count Schneider remained silent with a hardened expression before finally managing to speak.
"Give me time to think."
"I cannot give you long."
"..."
"Make your decision by tomorrow."
And without even waiting for Count Schneider’s reply, Marquis Panola stood up and left.
Left alone in the reception room, Count Schneider brought his hands to his face, rubbing it tiredly as he let out a deep sigh.
* * *
"Hey, did you hear?"
"Damn it, how could I not?"
"How can the Royal Family do this to our Lord? Does this make any sense?"
"Of course it doesn't! Those goddamn bastards..."
The drinkers gathered at the tavern were grumbling about the recent news.
The kingdom had pressured Count Schneider.
The rumor that he had to release Prince Dawson and publicly apologize for the incident spread rapidly throughout the territory.
It was as if someone had spread it on purpose.
"No, why should our Lord apologize?"
"Who knows... damn it... Has the Royal Family gone mad?"
"The Schneider family has been loyal to the Royal Family for generations, for hundreds of years, and this is how they're treated?"
"We don't even need to go back hundreds of years. Who do you think is producing the food that's feeding the entire nation during this great harvest failure?"
"Everyone is surviving on the food from the land our Young Master reclaimed! And they dare treat us like this?"
"To hell with the Royal Family, does this make any sense?"
The drinkers vented their fury.
At the table next to them, a man wearing a robe subtly chimed in.
"But is it really okay?"
"...What is?"
At the man's sudden intrusion, the drinkers looked at him with confused gazes.
He continued.
"I'm talking about Count Schneider’s wife. I heard she was held for over half a day after being kidnapped?"
"...So? What are you trying to say?"
"I heard the Countess is a legendary beauty. Isn't it obvious what must have happened...?"
"You son of a bitch!"
"Hey! What did you just say?!"
"Do you want to die?!"
In an instant, everyone in the tavern leaped to their feet.
Even the tavern owner rushed out of the kitchen and shouted.
"Who's the bastard who just spouted that bullshit?!"
"That guy... he's running away!"
"Hey! Get back here!"
"Come here! You're dead!"
After running out of the tavern and sprinting for a long time, the man hid in an alleyway and let out a sigh.
"Damn it. What kind of territory is this?"
He was one of the members of the Harbor Kingdom's delegation.
He had been going around the taverns at night to manipulate public opinion, spread rumors, and disrupt information.
He was experienced in such tasks. However, this Schneider territory was not just difficult to work in; it was nearly impossible.
The entire populace was as loyal as knights—no, even regular knights rarely showed such life-or-death loyalty to their lord.
But here, the entire citizenry acted as if they were the Schneider family's devoted servants.
Thanks to that, he had only achieved half of his goal.
"Well, at least I achieved half..."
Count Schneider would officially apologize to the Harbor Kingdom's delegation.
As long as this fact spread widely, the Harbor Kingdom's pride would be preserved.
To cover up the fact that Prince Dawson had been beaten to a pulp by a married woman he tried to kidnap and violate—and was still recovering from his injuries—this level of rumor was necessary.
It would have been perfect if they could cover one scandal with another by spreading rumors that the Countess had been defiled, but...
It's impossible. I can't do it.
Whenever he even tried to open his mouth about that, the locals tried to beat him to death.
It seemed he would have to give up on that part.
"It can't be helped."
Still, half the goal was met.
Since the rumors had already spread throughout the territory, the moment Prince Dawson was returned safely and an apology was received, Count Schneider’s reputation would hit rock bottom.
* * *
Late at night.
Count Schneider, who had uncharacteristically had a bit to drink, visited the bedroom where his son lay sleeping.
"My Lord."
April, who was guarding the bedroom, stood up quickly at the Count's visit.
Count Schneider gave her a small smile and said, "Could you leave me alone with my son for a moment?"
"Yes. Of course."
If it were anyone else, she might have hesitated, but Count Schneider was Petrick’s biological father.
April obediently withdrew, and Count Schneider, left alone with his son, brought over a chair and sat in front of him.
"You're sleeping well."
"..."
"You lucky brat."
He stroked his son's forehead once and spoke.
"I've risen in the world thanks to you, but no matter how much I think about it, I don't think I have the vessel of a Count."
"..."
"I want to punish those who threatened your mother, my wife, Ava. My heart wants to fight the Royal Family, regardless of war, and demand they handle this properly."
"..."
"But I cannot."
"..."
"My vessel is too small to choose war. I don't have the guts to ignore the people of my territory who would die or be injured in a war just to hold a prince of the Harbor Kingdom accountable."
"..."
"It would have been different if it were you. Yes. It would have been different if it were you."
"..."
"I wish it were me lying here like this instead of you..."
Count Schneider lamented as he stroked his son's face.
In truth, doing this changed nothing.
His son could not wake up right now, and handling the problems of the territory was his job as the Lord.
But his actions here were merely a vent.
Feeling suffocated, he had simply come to his dependable son to pour out his heart.
"Wake up soon. Until you do, I will somehow protect this territory safely."
After stroking his son's face once more, Count Schneider stood up.
He looked at his son's face blankly for a moment, then turned his back and left the room.
And immediately after he left the room...
Twitch.
It was a small but distinct movement.
Petrick’s finger, which had been still as he lay in bed, moved ever so slightly.