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Chapter 1:
Ariel Azbahan. Who was she?
The Grand Duchess and Knight Commander of the Northern continent, who had become the true ruler of the Empire—an asymmetric force that ravaged battlefields always clad in light armor and a white helmet that concealed her face entirely.
I myself had once caught a glimpse of her from afar during the Battle of the Wasteland, one of the most pivotal clashes against the Northern Army.
'...Funny, that. Someone with such a slender build and a face like that. She was that terrifyingly powerful White Knight I saw back then?'
Wasn't this exactly the kind of development you'd only find in a full-on fantasy novel—the princess on a white horse?
The mysterious female knight who'd been shrouded in secrecy this whole time, and when she removes her mask, she turns out to be an impossibly gorgeous Northern ice beauty?
"....."
She was leaning her head against the carriage wall, gaze fixed toward the outside.
Every so often I caught her glancing at me, as though she might have some interest, but she would quickly look away again, clearly making an effort not to meet my eyes.
Come to think of it...she probably had plenty of her own grievances about this marriage.
Being told to marry a complete stranger—I was in the same boat, but from Princess Ariel's perspective, it must have felt like a bolt from the blue.
And on top of that, I was by Northern standards just an unremarkable, ordinary man. Looks do carry quite a bit of weight in a marriage, after all...
'....Ha. Should I start working out and build up my body?'
"....What is it you are staring at so intently?"
"Pardon?"
"....You've been doing it, for a while now."
".....Ah. I apologize. You are so strikingly beautiful that...I seem to have let my eyes wander without realizing it."
"......"
It wasn't flirting.
It was simply the kind of thing one said as a matter of Imperial etiquette.
Whether the person was actually attractive or not was beside the point—complimenting a noble lady on her looks was more of a stock phrase, like saying 'We should have a meal sometime.'
Having been born with a face like hers, she would have heard compliments on her appearance hundreds of times by now...
....And yet, the atmosphere.
Something felt off.
"....Are you mocking me right now?"
"P, pardon?"
Princess Ariel's expression was anything but ordinary.
Of course, even her slightly twisted expression was unreasonably beautiful, but that wasn't what mattered right now.
'.....W, what? Did I touch a nerve somewhere?'
It felt like I'd struck a raw nerve somehow, but I couldn't for the life of me figure out where.
All I'd done was compliment her looks....?
There's no woman who dislikes being told she's pretty...it was something I'd said without a second thought.
"......"
A contemptuous gaze filled with an unfathomable hatred.
Whatever I'd done had upset her so much that a faint glimmer of tears had gathered at the corner of her right eye.
As though she had nothing more to say, she turned her head away and fixed her gaze on the window.
"......."
Clatter—
Clatter—
To the sound of the carriage rattling over hills, I quietly closed my eyes.
'.....Yeah. I'm done for.'
My life in the North going forward was not going to be smooth in the slightest.
***
Thud—
Thud thud—
'....Wow.'
The first thing that greeted me the moment I stepped out of the carriage was the Frost Knight Order—the personal guard of Adel Azbahan, said to be the finest knight order in the Empire.
Trudge—
Trudge—
A woman stepped out from inside the carriage.
The Northern knights began stamping their feet once more in time with her steps.
The Empire called it a barbaric, shamanistic display—but honestly, from where I stood, it just looked cool.
In the Empire, all you ever got at events like this was beautiful women leading the procession while scattering rose petals.
"Present arms—!!"
"Present arms for the guest from the Empire!!"
A massive altar stood before us.
To reach the top—the residence of Adel Azbahan—we began climbing the stairs.
I'd noticed it before when I visited the North with the Imperial envoys and held Elise's hand, but it really was a bizarre taste in architecture.
Counting roughly, three hundred steps.
I had no idea what madman had designed the place, but the thought of having to climb and descend a ten-story staircase every single day somehow struck me as genuinely impressive.
"....Hah, huh...hh...."
"....."
The people climbing the stairs alongside me glanced over at me as I struggled to catch my breath.
....Was this the North's way of hazing newcomers?
Come on, a man's allowed to take a breather...
At last, the top of the altar.
The structure closely resembled the Imperial Audience Chamber, except that it was open on all sides.
Apparently Adel Azbahan had grown so accustomed to living and sleeping outdoors that he kept up this open-air lifestyle.
...Honestly, it just seemed unhinged to me, but he was to become my patron going forward, so I'd better look at it with generous eyes.
"It has been a long time since I last stood before the master of the North."
The Fifth Imperial Prince, Edward, knelt and paid his respects in the refined manner of Imperial etiquette.
A middle-aged man with hair beginning to streak with grey. His eyes were the same shade of blue as Princess Ariel's, and while the bold, towering presence he had carried in his youth seemed somewhat tempered, he now wore a slightly gentle look about him.
Duke Azbahan appeared to recognize me and widened his eyes slightly, a quiet smile crossing his face.
"....Mm? That runny-nosed little brat has grown quite a bit."
"I am honored that you remember me."
".....Hm. Yes, yes. So you are the one who is to become my youngest daughter's husband..."
Flinch—
.....Ah, well.
I'm fairly sure I just took a massive hit to my score with the youngest daughter in question, for reasons I can't quite pin down.
"A distinguished guest has arrived—hold a feast!! Lift the prohibition on alcohol for the first time in ages and let us celebrate to our hearts' content!!"
Waaaaah—!!!
'...Wh, what?!'
As though they had been waiting for nothing else, the Northern knights who had been standing fierce watch began pumping their fists and breaking from their posts.
It was naturally the last thing I could have imagined...but honestly, it looked far more refreshing than the stiff Imperial etiquette I'd endured all this time.
The knights who had vanished somewhere now returned, hauling in enormous wild boars.
Were these really the same knights who had been glaring at me with cold eyes just moments ago?
Honestly, I'd never been particularly fond of the stuffy Imperial social gatherings...but this was a bit too spectacular.
"Hey, come on! Your Highness."
"Right, if you're going to be the Princess's husband—aren't you practically family from now on?"
"......"
Oh well, forget it.
***
A party exists to be enjoyed.
The 'refined' banquets of Imperial types were nothing but a masquerade—mere role-play behind a mask, not a true celebration.
At social gatherings, someone always took the role of the protagonist according to a predetermined script, while the rest existed as little more than extras—supporting characters there to lift up a select few.
And so, Duke Azbahan had never been particularly fond of Imperial nobles.
'....Ha, making himself right at home.'
It was all because of an earnest request from Ariel—his youngest daughter, and the one who tugged most at his heart.
He had a vague memory of how his youngest daughter had come to be connected to that fifth prince, who looked like some kind of kept man.
Long ago, at the very first swordsmanship tournament Ariel had debuted in as a child during her time in the Empire—a boy who had helped her greatly.
It had been nothing more than a trivial, unremarkable gesture, but for Ariel, who had been left out at every social gathering she attended, the presence of Prince Edward seemed to have left quite a deep impression.
".....Hmm, I don't like this."
He didn't like the way his youngest daughter kept stealing glances at that man while pretending not to care...and beyond that, he simply didn't like it, full stop.
"Pfft...that strongly?"
Lloyd Azbahan, the eldest son of House Azbahan.
He downed his beer in one go and grabbed the Duke's shoulder with a hearty laugh.
"...Still, this is the first time that child has ever asked for something she wanted."
"You always said she takes after her mother most of all. We all have a special place in our hearts for Ariel too...."
"It's not particularly like—"
".....Hmm."
Lloyd idly toyed with his greatsword, watching Prince Edward with an intrigued expression.
Then, looking up at Ariel, who as always was watching everything from the second floor of the banquet hall, he realized this was precisely the moment to make his move.
"Shall I go and test the waters?"
"....."
"....."
"....."
"....Okay. I'm heading out."
.
.
.
"Yeahhh—!! I was worried since he's a prince but he's a real man's man?! Bwahahahaha!!"
"....This is enough. At least he hasn't drunk enough to get drunk...."
"You've drained three barrels already and you're still not drunk?! Hey, bring more drinks!!"
"....Urgh, hold on....?"
Insane.
Thank goodness I'd learned elemental magic from Elise and was purging all the alcohol from my body, or I would have been completely obliterated and dropping dead from the sheer amount they were forcing on me.
'Not even freshman orientation was this bad....how much do they have to pour into someone before they go down.'
The hand is quicker than the eye.
In my life before becoming the Fifth Imperial Prince, my hands—which had maxed out every social stat imaginable—moved busily, quietly stacking a steady accumulation of alcohol into the Northern knights' livers, one drop at a time.
Thanks to that, all the knights who had been pestering me had gone down one by one...and now the only one left was.
"Hm! So you're the one my sister is marrying. Good to meet you. I'm Lloyd, the eldest son of Adel Azbahan."
"...Oh, nice to meet you."
So...my brother-in-law. Or in other words, the man I'd have to call 'brother.'
Setting aside this easygoing fellow, I knew that Princess Ariel had four more older brothers above her...and the thought of having to exchange greetings with all of them made my vision go dark.
Glug glug glug—
First things first, let's add another stack of that slow burn.
I'd have to keep stacking carefully before I could calculate my escape from this mad feast.
"Hm, good to meet you! Kuhh, it's been a while since I've had a proper drink—puts me in a good mood."
"....The honor is mine."
Right then, our primate—no. Our very beast-like Northern man here.
I had no idea which genes he'd inherited, but I did think it would be nice if he'd put down the greatsword he was holding.
"....If I may ask, what brings you over...?"
"Hahh!! You know what? The North has a long-standing tradition. Before welcoming a new family member, we hold a sparring match to decide whether they have what it takes to be family."
".....Pardon?"
"What are you all waiting for!! Set up the sparring ring!!!"
"Sir!!!"
"Hahh!! No celebration is complete without this—that's Lloyd for you!!"
"Oo! Oo! Oo! Oo! Oo! Oo!"
"Oo! Oo! Oo! Oo! Oo!"
"Oo! Oo! Oo! Oo! Oo! Oo!"
....The hell?