Chapter 19
Chapter 19
Translator: Penny
Chapter 19
Same Bed, Different Dreams 3
Agron didn't react to Fabia's sneer for a simple reason:
Hmm? Lawrence has arrived.
His exceptionally keen hearing allowed him to detect the Third Prince's arrival at the Lord's Castle long before anyone else.
The sounds of Hunts, the Guard Knight, arguing with Lawrence at the entrance—"I don't want to deal with those nobles" and "I'll come in later"—reached Agron's ears.
Just then, Fabia began taunting him with the food.
"Is there human meat in today's dishes?"
"I don't care for it myself, but I didn't realize Duke Fabia enjoyed it. Disappointed there isn't any?"
"N-not me...! I was asking if the Barbaroi eat such things!"
Agron tilted his head, a slightly apologetic expression on his face.
"Well, I'm sorry, but I don't really know. You seem to know a lot about the Barbaroi. Are you from there?"
"Eek...!"
In truth, Agron hadn't intentionally tried to provoke Fabia or mock him. He simply hadn't realized that Fabia was trying to insult him. He was genuinely answering the question.
Conversations with nobles are so tedious. Lawrence would be a hundred times better.
When Fabia brought up the topic of food, Agron simply went along with it.
"So, what do the Barbaroi eat?! You can't possibly mean they eat the same food as us, do you?"
"Seeing Duke Fabia, it seems the Barbaroi eat the same food as us."
"I... I'm not some Barbaroi!"
"Oh, my apologies for the misunderstanding. You're from the same Kingdom as me, then."
Fabia's face flushed crimson as he ground his teeth.
Snickers echoed from all sides.
Showing off just because he's popular with the ladies...!
Initially, Fabia had simply wanted to humiliate Agron because of his good looks.
Despite being a close aide to the Great Lord, Fabia had never garnered attention in social circles. Yet this young upstart had instantly captivated the eyes of every woman present.
Even Lady Rosalyn, whom Fabia secretly adored, blushed at the sight of Agron!
You damned brat! I'll expose your true colors for all to see!
Fabia used this single thought to taunt Agron.
However, the conversation didn't flow in the direction he intended.
Instead, he found himself outmaneuvered by Agron's wit, his body trembling uncontrollably.
Cornered like a rat, he crossed the line and began to viciously attack Agron.
"I... I distinctly heard you ate strange foods at Veilain Manor—things no one else would touch?!"
"The human meat the Duke supposedly enjoys? I don't eat that."
"No! That's not what I meant! I... I meant you, not me!"
"Well, I've never eaten anything others wouldn't."
Frustrated by the lack of the answer he wanted, Fabia bit his lip.
"Have you eaten any meat besides beef, pork, horse, chicken, or duck?!"
"Meat... I did eat monster meat recently."
A long, triumphant smile stretched across Viscount Fabia's face at those words.
He had been steering the conversation toward this very moment.
"Hahahaha! See? Who in their right mind would eat such filth?"
"Hmm, why not?" Agron countered with a cryptic smile, prompting Fabia's voice to rise even louder.
By now, no one in the hall could avoid hearing their exchange.
Fabia's sneering voice cut through the music, echoing loudly through the hall.
"No! You can't eat it! What filthy bloodline would consume monster meat?!"
"Once you get used to it, it's not so bad."
"Ugh! Monster meat?! Even my slaves wouldn't touch that garbage! Only vermin-like commoners would eat such filth!"
At that moment, another voice interrupted their conversation.
"Why the fuck can't you just eat it? Can't you, you bastard?!"
"H-how dare some lowlife curse at me, a confidant of the Central Great Lord!"
"It's me, you son of a bitch!"
Fabia's face, burning with rage, turned deathly pale the instant he recognized the speaker.
"Y-Your Highness... Prince Lawrence...?"
"You worthless Viscount! How dare you badmouth me behind my back?!"
"I-I-I never badmouthed Your Highness!"
Even though the Third Prince had fallen far from the line of succession, he was still a Prince.
Moreover, House Kopellus, to which Fabia belonged, was a central noble family, located in the heartland where royal authority was strong, not in the weak, peripheral regions.
Unlike the local nobles who could align themselves with the Kazandor Empire in the South or the Jafarbad Kingdom in the West if things went south, Viscount Fabia was always bound to consider the Royal Family's interests.
"Silence! Guards, Hunts!"
"You called, Your Highness?"
"Immediately expel this scoundrel from the castle!"
"As you command!"
"W-wait, Your Highness! I never insulted you! I was merely... criticizing that Barbaroi scum, Agron!"
Viscount Fabia prostrated himself on the floor, clutching at Lawrence's trouser leg and begging for mercy.
Though every noble, servant, attendant, and knight in the castle was watching, he couldn't afford to care about appearances.
Being thrown out of the castle by the Prince wasn't just about being expelled from the banquet.
Extracted from the central aristocratic power structure.
Even if she didn't know for sure, it was clear that the ill-tempered Third Prince wouldn't remain silent upon returning to the Royal Palace.
It was as plain as day that he would immediately report to the King, spreading Fabia's name and family's reputation far and wide.
Moreover, Fabia had heard rumors that Lawrence, who had always been like a kite with a broken string, had recently captured a Troll Warrior, causing his standing within the Royal Palace to skyrocket.
The Third Prince, previously considered a perennial bottom-tier candidate for the throne, now showed faint signs of rising in the succession race.
The King will undoubtedly protest to Count Kopellus... If I don't clear up this misunderstanding here and now, I'll face Count Kopellus's wrath alone...!
Even as her lips grew parched, Fabia swiftly oiled her tongue.
"Oh, it's a misunderstanding, Your Highness!"
"A misunderstanding? What misunderstanding are you talking about?!"
"I... I would never doubt Prince Lawrence's character or virtues! I merely sought to correct Count Agron's Barbaroi habit of eating monster meat, as befits a noble of the great Kingdom of Astraria!" Viscount Fabia shouted, raising his plump hand to point at Agron.
Contrary to his expectations, Lawrence's expression remained unchanged. Undeterred, Fabia tried again to win the Prince's favor.
"I was overjoyed to hear of Your Highness's courageous and decisive slaying of the Troll Warrior! This will surely be remembered as one of the most remarkable events in the history of the Kingdom of Astraria!"
"So?" The corner of the Prince's lips curled slightly upward.
Realizing his flattery had struck a nerve, Fabia pressed on with renewed fervor.
"Even though they're both monsters, some are executed for the Kingdom's greater good, while others are devoured due to their beastly nature. As a noble, how could I possibly overlook such a distinction?"
"Ah, I see."
"Ah, Your Highness must have misunderstood when you heard the word 'monster'!"
Silence fell over the hall as he finished speaking.
The orchestra had long since stopped playing, and all the nobles were watching them with bated breath.
Finally, Lawrence spoke.
"First, I have three points to make."
"Huh? P-please speak!"
"Firstly, I am the one who forged the feudal contract with Count Agron, whom you call the Barbaroi. How dare a mere Viscount like you question and undermine a contract made by me, who holds the Kingdom's legitimate authority?"
"Ah, no, no! I didn't know!"
News among nobles traveled at varying speeds. Bad news spread like wildfire, while good news crawled at a snail's pace.
The news of the Count and Countess of Veilain Fief's accidental deaths had spread quickly, but the fact that the new Head of House had met with a member of the Royal Family remained unreported.
Moreover, at the time, Lawrence's standing in the Kingdom was so precarious that no central noble had paid him any attention.
"And secondly, is it wrong to eat monster meat? On the contrary, it's a privilege reserved for the greatest warriors. Have you, a knight, ever even fought properly on a battlefield?"
Fabia pressed his lips together, unable to answer.
As Lawrence pointed out, he had been knighted by Count Kopellus, but he had rarely acted as a knight.
Occasionally, when bandit hordes appeared in his fief, he would hire knights and mercenaries to suppress them, but he had never personally wielded a sword.
"And thirdly," Lawrence sneered, glaring down at Fabia, who lay prostrate on the floor. "It was Count Agron who executed that Troll Warrior, you bastard."
"Huh...?"
At those words, all the nobles' gazes turned to Agron.
Upon closer inspection, the thick muscles in his forearms, his massive chest, and his broad shoulders were clearly visible even beneath his formal attire.
Several noble ladies covered their mouths, their faces flushing as they observed Agron.
To be honest, when news first spread that the Third Prince had slain the Troll Warrior, no one in high society truly believed it.
Especially those familiar with Lawrence's usual character and behavior.
The Royal Family had deliberately promoted the Troll Warrior incident with Lawrence's name taking precedence over Agron's, all to honor the Third Prince's achievements.
It went without saying that there had been behind-the-scenes negotiations between the Royal Family and Agron.
Thanks to the Troll Warrior incident, Lawrence had taken a half-step closer to the throne, leaving him deeply indebted to Agron.
He had come to the banquet today out of gratitude.
"How dare a mere Viscount, relying on his connections, fabricate lies about the Count, openly slander him, and criticize him so brazenly?"
"I-I was wrong, Your Highness! Please forgive me!"
"I will report this matter to His Majesty the King and ensure Count Kopellus is informed."
"Y-Your Highness!"
"Hunts! Get this bastard out of here!"
At Lawrence's command, Hunts and the other Kingdom Knights dragged Viscount Fabia out of the castle in disgrace.
"Tch, can I finally eat and drink now?"
"As much as you like."
Agron smiled faintly at him.
Though there had been some initial commotion, the banquet brightened considerably upon the Third Prince's arrival.
Viscount Fabia, with Count Kopellus in tow, had been making harsh remarks, earning him widespread dislike. Lawrence, however, excelled at socializing rather than martial prowess, and his exceptional ability to smooth tensions proved invaluable in managing the atmosphere.
After mingling with other nobles for some time, Lawrence approached Agron, his face weary.
"Hey, His Majesty the King wants to see you."
"Me?"
Lawrence speared a dessert with his fork as he spoke.
"He's curious how someone like you could tear a Troll Warrior apart with your bare hands."
"You just need to pin it down with one hand and pull with the other."
"...That's not how most people tear apart Trolls."
Lawrence shook his head and averted his gaze.
Just then, a familiar face approached him.
"Greetings, Your Highness, the Third Prince."
"Ah... yes. You were invited here too, Sir?"
The man was clearly a central noble. Most of the nobles attending the banquet were likely based in the South.
"I wasn't invited. Duke Agron and I have no connection. It's a pleasure to meet you, Your Excellency, Count Agron."
Agron clasped the man's outstretched hand.
"Hmm."
He felt the man's firm grip through their handshake.
"I am Baron Wolfgang von Ulfert."
Wolfgang, the kingdom's strongest warrior and one of its most renowned knights, puffed out his bear-like chest, his eyes gleaming with intensity.
📝 Translator’s Note:
You may notice that certain lines or phrases in this novel appear both in their original Korean (or Hanja) form and in English translation.
This is intentional — these phrases are classical idioms, divine titles, or poetic expressions that carry layered meanings.
To preserve their original tone and authenticity, the raw text has been kept for reference, while the English interpretation is provided right before or after it. This helps convey both the literal and cultural nuance of the original work.
but if you guys dont want tha raw for future chapters or my future other novels u can just text me on discord and say so discord name Mr.Penny