The Son-in-Law's Conditions (2)
The bakery located in the bustling central district not far from the main square boasted such overwhelming popularity that lines formed from dawn onward. As a result, the irresistible aroma of fresh-baked bread never ceased to fill the air. Soft butter cakes. Strawberry tarts bursting with bright, tangy fruit. And the chocolate macarons that were limited to just one hundred customers per day. Provincial nobles who had recently arrived in the capital went to ridiculous lengths to get their hands on the macarons, which were considered one of the imperial city's signature delicacies. Some nobles, completely blinded by obsession, even mobilized the full prestige of their houses just to win the macaron wars.
“What is this, a bunch of brainless teenagers…? These are grown adults who’ve lived long enough to know better.”
“You can say that again.”
If Emperor Barbarosa had witnessed the disgraceful chaos the nobles were causing over desserts, he would have flown into a rage and torn the bakery down on the spot. Why were fully grown men acting like this? I let out a deep sigh and left the bakery with Lue.
“Hehe! Looks yummy, looks yummy!”
The stubby little fairy hummed a cheerful tune as she marched along with energetic steps. She seemed incredibly excited at the thought of eating the sweet cakes. As if to reflect her inner feelings, the hair on her head swayed back and forth like the second hand of a clock.
“I never said I was giving any to you.”
“Aww, Edan, you’re such a tease! I stood in line since the crack of dawn just to shower you with praise for your dazzling performance today!”
If Lue hadn’t quietly warned me about the foul stench of the demon disguised as Darilek Brannon, who knows what would have happened. A truly horrific tragedy would have unfolded—one I didn’t even want to imagine. If they were to pick the greatest contributor to this subjugation operation, it would undoubtedly be Lue. She was the first to see through the demon’s identity. Well, technically she had stumbled backward and accidentally provided the clue, but still.
Since her achievement had already been reported all the way to the Valtaria imperial family, there was no doubt she would receive a massive reward.
“Well, that’s true. It really would have been tough if you hadn’t tipped me off.”
“Hehehe! I’m getting shy now.”
I praised her sincerely. In response, Lue grinned brightly and scratched the back of her head.
“Cake! Cake!”
The moment we arrived at our lodgings, Lue began jumping up and down and clinging to me. She looked exactly like a tiger throwing a tantrum and shouting, “If you give me one rice cake, I won’t eat you!” I quietly stared at the little girl. She nodded confidently, then trotted over to the washbasin and washed her hands.
“Hands washed! I scrubbed them squeaky clean with soap!”
“Just wait a moment.”
I took out the mountain of assorted desserts I had bought—enough to fill both arms—from their packaging boxes. Then I arranged them one by one on the table and lit the candles on a silver candlestick.
What is he doing? Lue tilted her head and came closer. Ignoring the little one’s confusion, I proceeded with the ‘ritual.’
"The devotee you cherish offers these tributes with utmost sincerity. Please accept them graciously."
“Hieek! Edan’s gone crazy all of a sudden!”
Originally, gods and their followers were connected through a master-servant relationship mediated by faith. That was why blessings were granted based on the depth of one’s devotion. However, I was a special case—an exception to the rule. I paid the price for using blessings with ‘offerings.’ It was closer to a purely business relationship, where holy faith was nowhere to be found.
I had used blessings during the moment I defeated the Bomber, as well as when confronting the demon. That was why I had prepared a lavish feast of the bakery’s most popular items to pay off the accumulated debt all at once.
“He must have taken a huge blow to the head while fighting that demon! Hospital…! We need to get him to a hospital first!”
Setting out colorful desserts on the table and performing a ritual was naturally a bizarre sight that could easily be mistaken for the behavior of a madman. It probably looked like some clumsy children’s game. The way Lue was panicking with a horrified expression proved that point perfectly.
“Uwaaaang!!”
Eventually, Lue collapsed onto the floor. Just as I was about to explain the situation to the despairing girl—
“Edanant von Hohenberg!”
“His Majesty summons you! Prepare yourself at once!”
Bang! Bang! Bang!
A thunderous shout accompanied the violent knocking. The dull impacts rang out one after another. The knocking was so fierce it seemed the door would shatter at any moment.
Damn it. Surely they hadn’t caught me in the middle of a children’s tea party ritual.
As if refusing to allow even a single second’s delay, the door was smashed open. Immediately afterward, knights clad in full armor burst in without warning. Judging by the vivid golden lion emblem engraved on their chests, they appeared to be forces dispatched directly from the Valtaria imperial family.
“His Majesty summons Lord Edanant! The fairy over there as well!”
The burly knights poured into the reception room like a flood. It looked exactly like a raid on a drug den to arrest the perpetrators.
“…Yes?”
“Hieek!”
The muscular knights seized both of my arms. True to their reputation as the imperial guards known for blind loyalty, they showed not a shred of consideration. Moreover, the knights offered no explanation whatsoever. And so, in broad daylight, I experienced the absurd situation of being openly kidnapped.
The red dragon spewed hellfire, incinerating all the monsters that had been threatening the Fugh Kingdom in a single breath. But that wasn’t all. The fifteen portals installed along the border, as well as the dark mages secretly working behind the scenes, were all wiped out completely.
The citizens of the kingdom who had witnessed a scene akin to the second coming of legend let out thunderous cheers. Ludmilla’s strength, which had displayed power that could rival a thousand soldiers, had reached a level that surpassed even the Sword Saint.
The citizens, who had been abandoned by their king and nobles, naturally gathered around Ludmilla. They shouted with such fervor it seemed they were ready to crown her as their ruler on the spot. In response, Ludmilla acknowledged them with a polite bow and walked past the crowd that had swarmed around her like clouds.
“Princess Ludmilla!”
“We knew we could trust the Valtaria Empire all along!”
The empire’s red dragon had descended and repelled the demonic monsters of the underworld. The king and nobles, who had holed themselves up in the fortress like rats while abandoning the kingdom, hurriedly rushed out. Despite having fled like cowards, they now strutted about with an air of majestic dignity as if nothing had happened.
Ludmilla frowned. The king and nobles, who had cast aside duty and responsibility in favor of their own survival, were the type of people she despised most in the world. Nevertheless, the clueless king and nobles were busy praising Ludmilla for her unparalleled feat, completely ignoring the suffering of the citizens who had screamed in mortal terror.
“I am Eric von Fugh, First Prince of the Fugh Kingdom. It is an honor to meet Your Highness Ludmilla, the Red Dragon renowned throughout the empire for defending it.”
“I am Ludmilla Draig Valtaria.”
The crown prince of the Fugh Kingdom, displaying his handsome features, greeted Ludmilla with polite courtesy. It seemed he believed that his charm—which had toppled countless noblewomen and young ladies—would surely captivate the empire’s old maid princess.
However, his dazzling smile only evoked strong disgust in Ludmilla.
What trash. To think he would wag his tail like a dog after abandoning the citizens and running away. If he weren’t the first in line to the throne, she would have slapped him across the face right then and there.
Watching the shameless king and nobles, she felt a surge of skepticism. After all, she had saved the lives of these wretches who deserved nothing but condemnation. These pathetic survivors would return to the royal palace and once again wield their power.
“We have prepared a banquet. Please come to the royal castle at once. A lavish feast awaits you.”
“No need. I will be returning to the empire.”
Although she had annihilated the monster army that had threatened the kingdom, she could not prevent the damage. Countless homes had been destroyed. The farms preparing for harvest had also been turned into wastelands. And yet they had prepared a lavish banquet in this situation? If they had even the slightest concern for the citizens, they would have mobilized manpower for relief efforts first.
If it had been Edanant, he would have stood against the monsters even if he had to do it alone. That’s the kind of person he is.
It had only been half a day. Yet she missed Edanant terribly. Was it because they had faced each other every day and shared casual conversations? The sense of naturalness she had taken for granted had now turned into a longing akin to homesickness.
Just thinking of Edanant calmed the heart that had been filled with disgust and anger. Through him, Ludmilla realized that the goodwill she had felt toward Edanant had, at some point, deepened into genuine affection.
It was time to go back. She had eliminated all the enemies threatening the kingdom.
She coldly turned away from the king and nobles, who were persistently showering her with flattery. Then she activated her blessing and unfurled the wings of the red dragon.
Ludmilla, who had returned at full speed, arrived at the imperial palace of the Valtaria Empire.
The princess has arrived.
Cecilia, one of the empire’s Seven Strongest, greeted the red dragon who had returned from the Fugh Kingdom. Ludmilla, who had been absent for a short while, learned from Cecilia about the events that had taken place in the imperial capital. As the report continued, Ludmilla’s expression changed moment by moment.
“Edanant defeated a demon?”
“If the young lord had not been there… a terrible catastrophe would surely have occurred.”
The battle against the cultists had been so precarious that even Cecilia—who had been tasked with guarding Elizabetta—had felt a sense of crisis. She trembled at the fingertips as she recalled the demon clad in solid metal and the unidentified monster that had targeted the princess’s life. If Edanant, the Holy Sword user, had not confronted it, countless lives would have been lost. In the worst case, the empire’s princess might have been kidnapped by the demon.
It was only natural that Cecilia, who had witnessed the fierce battle firsthand, would lavish praise on Edanant’s heroism. With absolute conviction in her voice, she hailed him as a ‘hero.’
“I see… So once again, Lord Edanant has protected the empire.”
He had subdued the Bomber and saved the imperial capital. And this time, he had defeated a demon and protected her younger sister as well. How could she not be pleased? The Valtaria imperial family had received help from the young lord of the Hohenberg family twice now. Ludmilla smiled faintly as she imagined Edanant fighting more bravely than anyone else. Then she walked down the corridor with determined steps. She intended to report her victory to her father and then meet Edanant immediately.
“Your Majesty, I have returned from the Fugh Kingdom after achieving victo—”
Ludmilla strode confidently into the audience hall. When the princess raised her head, she saw the scene before her and momentarily lost the ability to speak.
Father, Liza, and even Edanant…! What on earth is going on here?
Her father’s face was flushed red with what appeared to be fury. Her younger sister was blushing shyly. And Edanant was lying flat on the carpet, pale as a ghost.
She had no idea. What exactly was this situation?
Ludmilla, who had entered the audience chamber to report her victory, froze in place.
Could it be…
Something flashed across her mind. Although she wasn’t as obsessed with romantic stories as her younger sister Elizabetta—who was more interested in romance than anyone else—Ludmilla was still a woman who enjoyed reading romance novels like any other. The bookshelves in her bedroom were packed full of them.
Perhaps that was why. The current situation began to overlap with a scene from one of the romance novels she had read before.
“Please give me your daughter, Father!”
“Over my dead body! Get lost, you scoundrel!”
The male protagonist requesting formal courtship. The female protagonist’s father fiercely opposing it. Ludmilla, who had been feeling doubtful, suddenly began interpreting the situation in her own way.
Ahem! So Edanant has finally come to beg for permission to court her officially…
Seeing Edanant trembling as he lay prostrate, it was unmistakable. Hehe. To think he would dare ask to court a princess. Edanant looked so adorable. After denying it so strongly until now, he had finally taken such a bold step. She simply couldn’t stop smiling.
With her judgment completely clouded by affection, Ludmilla pushed her father to the back of her mind and wholeheartedly rooted for Edanant.
But why is Father so furious…? Is it because Edanant is the second son of the Hohenberg family? He definitely wouldn’t allow it even if dirt got in both his eyes.
Throwing dirt into the emperor’s eyes would naturally be an act of disloyalty and filial impiety. But what if it was only one eye? Wouldn’t that be overlooked as a minor incident?
Having concluded that the man who perfectly matched her ideal type had come to the imperial palace to seek permission to court her, Ludmilla even began to entertain somewhat dangerous thoughts. This was because she had already become a twenty-seven-year-old spinster. Even though she had no intention of acting on it, she was feeling desperate enough to have such thoughts.