The Red Dragon's Proposal
The red dragon did not roar and roast the insolent brat to a crisp. Unfortunately.
“Companion of the Saint’s Party. Do you know where the Saint and the Hero have gone?”
“Yes, I do!”
The brat, who had been trembling and sweating profusely, shot his hand into the air and shouted. The moment he uttered the word “auntie,” killing intent surged. Lue shrank like a rabbit overwhelmed by a beast’s roar. She seemed thoroughly cowed by the killing intent Ludmilla had radiated earlier. Her instincts had clearly recognized that this was no opponent to trifle with.
Those blood-red eyes filled with killing intent. The expression that had twisted into something vicious for a single moment. She had definitely struck a nerve with the princess’s spinster hysteria. The moment Lue finished answering, she darted behind me and hid.
“Then the Saint’s Party headed for the Kingdom of Gistard…”
“By now they may have gone even farther east.”
Ludmilla muttered while biting down on her fingernail. I added my own guess. East of the Kingdom of Gistard—perhaps they had gone to the Powder Keg Peninsula, where war and slaughter repeated endlessly.
“The Powder Keg Peninsula… That region is a hellish battlefield even the Demon King’s army gave up trying to interfere with.”
“It is only a guess, of course.”
The Powder Keg Peninsula. A battlefield where countless small and medium kingdoms had waged total war for over a century. Because of that long history of conflict, the kingdoms of the peninsula had created a hell born from hatred. After so many wars, one kingdom should have seized dominion over the peninsula. Yet because all the warring kingdoms possessed roughly equal strength, no victor ever emerged. Moreover, the hatred accumulated over those long years of war had only deepened their mutual hostility, so enmity and division continued eternally.
“They couldn’t have taken a child into such a dangerous battlefield.”
Ludmilla glanced at the shivering Lue and muttered.
“My lord.”
“Please speak.”
After listening to the story, Ludmilla had been deep in thought for a long while. Now she spoke in a heavy voice. I wondered what she wanted to say. She stared at me with her lips pressed tightly together. After a long, anxious hesitation, Ludmilla finally seemed to gather her courage. She set down her teacup and opened her mouth.
“Liza’s… no, Princess Elizabetta’s heart is deeply wounded.”
“Pardon?”
“She received a cold rejection from the man she has long yearned for. Of course her heart would be wounded. She has improved somewhat now, but until a few days ago she shut herself in her bedroom, refusing food and drink, and only wept.”
“……”
I have committed a grave sin. I will atone for it right here and now.
My chest tightened at Ludmilla’s remorseful words.
Don’t tell me she plans to demand an even higher compensation? Or perhaps she intends to hold the House of Hohenberg responsible again… This spinster came here to avenge her youngest sister!
Perhaps her search for the Saint’s Party was only a pretext. This had to be a scheme to squeeze the House of Hohenberg dry. I felt uneasy at Ludmilla’s decision to bring up Princess Elizabetta’s broken engagement and waited anxiously for her next words.
“I have a request for you.”
“I will bear all responsibility. So please, in your great mercy, spare the House of Hohenberg from annihilation.”
“That is not what I meant…! I only wish for you to persuade my younger sister.”
“Me?”
It was an incomprehensible request. She wanted me to “persuade” her younger sister, Princess Elizabetta? Why ask me? She probably hated me just as much as she hated my brother, the one who had broken the engagement. Even if she did not hate me openly, it was only natural that she would find the younger brother of her damned fiancé unpleasant.
“Are you not Maximilian’s younger brother? Surely Liza will listen to your words. Besides, you are an excellent speaker. I have no doubt you can persuade her.”
“……”
On what basis did she trust me like a close friend? I had never tried to win her favor. If anything, I had only earned her disfavor by opposing the Valtaria imperial family. I looked at Ludmilla with open suspicion. Yet when I met her blood-red eyes filled with genuine trust, I realized she was speaking from the heart. Cold sweat ran down my back in even greater streams.
“If it is Your Highness’s command, I would of course obey with joy… but I worry that those who hold a grudge against the Saint’s Party may target the county again. I have a duty to protect the county and its people. It pains me deeply that I cannot follow Your Highness’s command.”
If I accompanied Ludmilla to the capital, I would be subjected to one bizarre situation after another. I might become the target of Princess Elizabetta’s wrath, or I might be handed over to the Emperor, who would view the House of Hohenberg as his mortal enemy. Either way, I wanted to refuse. I only wanted to live quietly in the County of Hohenberg. So I had to escape this terrifying disaster by slipping out of the cunning princess’s trap.
If nothing had happened, I would have been forced to comply. But I have the perfect excuse.
I brought up the defense of the county. The attack on the County of Hohenberg had, ironically, given me an excellent justification. Knowing roughly how Ludmilla would act, I put on a performance of genuine concern for the safety of my family and citizens. Ludmilla nodded, accepting my words.
“Of course. How could I overlook that?”
“Then…”
I answered with a hint of hope. The princess smiled benevolently.
“Do not worry. To ease your concerns, I brought the Central Knights, renowned for being worth a hundred men each.”
“……?”
“The moment we depart, the Central Knights will be deployed to defend the County of Hohenberg. With the might of the Central Knights who guard the capital, no ruffians would dare approach.”
“I-I see.”
I’ve been had. Completely had.
So that was why she had brought the Central Knights. What a terrifying spinster. I saw through her intention to lure me into a trap under the guise of goodwill. It was truly a scheme worthy of a sociopath. Having been completely played by the cunning princess from beginning to end, I could only weep tears of blood in my heart while maintaining a relieved expression. The humiliation of being outmaneuvered by the sly spinster washed over me.
* * *
Ludmilla valued honor and pride above all else. To her, Edanant von Hohenberg was both an object of respect and a symbol of excellence.
His brother, the Hero, had disappeared. The broken engagement had made an enemy of the Valtaria imperial family. He had also been forced to shoulder an astronomical compensation that would be difficult to repay in a single lifetime. Disasters that seemed like forces of nature had struck one after another. Yet Edanant had not fled from his position. He had done everything in his power to protect the House of Hohenberg. Even in a desperate situation where everyone else cried out for surrender, he had done his utmost as a scion of a noble house to safeguard his family and its people.
Edanant von Hohenberg…
Gray hair. Sharply honed golden eyes. A handsome physique and features that proved he was the son of a distinguished house. Though he did not receive the same adoration and praise as Maximilian, who was called the “peerless nobleman” by the empire’s noblewomen and young ladies, Edanant’s appearance was also quite striking. If not for his characteristically sharp sanpaku eyes, he would have received far more favorable evaluations.
—If it is Your Highness’s command, I would of course obey with joy… but I worry that those who hold a grudge against the Saint’s Party may target the county again. I have a duty to protect the county and its people. It pains me deeply that I cannot follow Your Highness’s command.
Those words had been filled with sincere appeal. His voice had also carried unwavering pride and dignity. Recalling the sight of Edanant speaking without the slightest hesitation, Ludmilla smiled.
He is truly a perfect man. He possesses both outstanding character and ability. He is also someone who values pride and honor. Such a man cannot be kept confined to the County of Hohenberg. To prepare for the crises that lie ahead, I need talented individuals like Edanant.
It was a hasty thought, but Ludmilla briefly considered recommending Edanant as Princess Elizabetta’s new fiancé. If Edanant were betrothed to Elizabetta, it would be possible to mend the relationship between the Valtaria imperial family and the House of Hohenberg, which had reached the point of severance. Furthermore, she expected that Elizabetta would not outright dislike Edanant, given his excellent character, ability, and handsome appearance.
If her sister still reacted strongly even then… ahem. Then she would have no choice but to step in herself.
But Edanant always… smells of gunpowder.
She had heard he fought a gun battle against the intruders who attacked Hohenberg Castle. That lingering scent of gun smoke was probably from then. But that was not the only reason. Even when they first met, Edanant had always carried a strong smell of gunpowder.