Chapter 45
“What do you think, Priestess?”
Izabo’s question made Count Serpine turn his head. His eyes burned as he glared at the deputy envoy who had come to represent the Priestess delegation. Noblemen had once feared the eyes of the Priestess, but that was old news. They were now mere vermin carrying the weight of their past glory on their backs, forced to live in poverty. Count Serpine had warned them with a scorching gaze to behave themselves, yet the deputy envoy looked troubled and glanced at Raymond Danier. “Perhaps we should first hear the royal position. The gods’ will is firm, but even the heavens and the earth are too distant for it to flow exactly as the gods desire.” It was obvious that the entire matter was solely Count Serpine’s fault. Yet the moment the Priestess declared guilt, everything would become irreversible. To ensure Count Serpine suffered later, the Priestess delegation deliberately shifted the timing to the royal side, a faction that was not on the best terms with Serpine. “You must question the Priestess first. After you ask the Chamberlain, once you receive his answer, Serpine will fabricate a conspiracy theory that the royal family and the Auds colluded. Serpine is the center of the north, Your Highness. Even if the Auds flourish, they belong to the central region. The royal family resides in Lid, which is in the north. If Serpine remains stone-faced and acts aggressively, the royal family might side with him. So pull the Priestess in and question them first.” When Arian spoke those words, Izabo wondered if she was merely trying to protect her own father. In such a sensitive matter, she might have been controlling Arian so that she could not question the Chamberlain. Yet Arian’s words had struck home. “I guarantee the Priestess will answer you and then ask the royal family first. That is how the sequence must unfold. Then the royal family will be answering the Priestess’s question, not the Auds’. The Chamberlain of the palace is the only person who can answer the most sensitive statement in the world with the most neutral response.” Raymond Danier stroked his beard and gave a thoughtful hum. Even now he maintained a kind face. Soon he spoke. “The royal family has decided it will not interfere in the Aud Duke’s marriage at all, so I have nothing to say….” He looked at Amori Serpine with pity. “You are the master of Serpine and a fine young man. Perhaps your lowly status is something Serpine and the Auds both despise.” Izabo’s face hardened as she nearly interrupted Raymond, but she managed to hold back. Raymond’s gaze swept across Izabo’s face. His eyes were smiling, yet Izabo could feel the silent urging: wait a little longer. As instructed, Izabo maintained her haughty, icy demeanor befitting the Duchess of Aud. Arian had advised that if her words threatened to spill out, she should at least clench her tongue. Hearing that, Izabo thought Arian Danier was truly an insolent child, yet right then she was secretly biting her tongue. Raymond continued, “Could the future master of Serpine possibly have aimed for such a lowly woman? It is inconceivable that such an unwise action was taken, is it not?” “Of course! I know nothing of such women!” Amori, foolishly, had fallen into the Chamberlain’s trap. ‘This damn bastard.’ Count Serpine ground his teeth in the depths of his heart. He had clearly told his son to stay silent, yet the boy had crawled into the trap. Before Count Serpine could open his mouth, Raymond struck first. “Since the Priestess is here as well, we must check whether the innocent descendant of the great Serpine has not fallen into a grave misfortune. Let the Priestess use the divine power to verify whether a child is present in that woman’s womb and whether that child carries Serpine’s bloodline. Would that not settle the matter clearly? Who is at fault, and who must compensate whom. Everything will be laid bare… ah, of course, this has nothing to do with the royal family. As you know, the royal family cannot interfere in the Duke’s marriage. This is simply the situation as it stands.” Seeing Amori’s face turn pitch black, Raymond smiled. “Do not worry. The truth will be revealed in the name of the gods. Is that not so, Deputy Enclave?” “Indeed. One who stands beside the king possesses such clear reasoning. The Priestess has no complaints. What say you, Duke?” “Clench your tongue and endure it. Then everyone will reach the best conclusion for the Auds and deliver it to the Duke wrapped in beauty. Serpine has provoked the king too much. The king must crush Serpine at once. Conversely, the Priestess needs powerful patronage. Count Serpine proclaimed himself protector of the merchants. It is impossible for merchants and the children of the gods to be protected together, so the Priestess will seek a more splendid protector than Serpine. The Duke need not make any promises. Simply maintain a cold face, carry the air of a ruler who can do anything, and watch everyone dance without uttering a word.” Everyone was dancing. A twelve-year-old girl had subtly set the floor. “The Auds agree. Simply treat that woman as someone belonging to the Auds, not Serpine. Since trust between Serpine and the Auds has collapsed, the woman must be protected by the Auds. As for my marriage,” Izabo glanced once around the banquet hall. The guests could not even breathe properly while watching the Auds’ and Serpine’s marriage collapse during the ceremony. She gave them a faint smile and addressed them all. “Today’s betrayal occurred, but the gods sent me here for a reason. It was to save that pitiful woman. Therefore, Izabo Aud swears here. If any pitiful souls are trampled by power, status, or force, I will protect them. If the gods pity them, they shall receive the protection of the Auds.” In the banquet hall where the sacred star-like flower, the chador, was in full bloom, Izabo Aud declared herself the protector of the weak. Compared to Serpine, who had proclaimed himself the protector of merchants, she looked far more noble and sacred. Her beauty, the ordeal she had endured, and her calm demeanor blended together, causing people to slowly rise and gather their hands toward her. Someone shouted, “God, bless the Auds, the protector of the weak!” The shout soon became thousands of fervent prayers. People cried to the god, begging him to bless the Auds. The voice reached the heavens as if it would echo over the chador gifted by Serpine, which had been transported at great expense. The Auds’ vassals knelt one by one on the chador and swore loyalty to Izabo. Count Serpine, his family, his vassals, and his knights watched the scene without hiding their bewildered faces. The true master of the hall was Izabo Aud and the Aud family. Serpine had lost his place and had become nothing but a spectator. *** David Danier woke up and immediately threw off the blanket, bursting into laughter. “Hah hah hah hah!” Yesterday had truly been the best. Haha, living long enough to witness Serpine falling apart like that. The same idiots who had always treated the Danier family like a goldfish’s droppings clinging to the king were now rolling in the mud, and it was too funny to laugh at. It was torture to hold back the laughter. Later, when the female captives were brought before the Danier knights and the Priestess demanded that Amori Serpine shed blood, the most entertaining sight was Amori fiercely refusing. What a disgusting spectacle! Looking around, the others were desperately biting their lips or pinching their hands to suppress laughter. Everyone was grinning, thinking Serpine deserved it. To David, the Aud Duke—Izabo Aud, who led his vassals and knights out—was not even that angry. She had gained far too much and trampled Serpine too thoroughly. Watching her beautiful profile glide by, David clicked his tongue inwardly. Izabo Aud was damned beautiful yet damned unlucky. She had turned down the prince’s proposal, thinking that marriage would make the Aud Principality his own. The thought was free, but the prince had gambled his lands on it. Apparently he believed it would become his. Of course, it was legally impossible, and the prince later called it a joke. Yet the opponent had shown him a bond written while drunk, demanding that the Aud lands be formally acknowledged in writing. Laughing at him for being crazy and demanding payment to drop it, the man had sent the bond to the Auds. Naturally the Auds had exploded in fury, and the prince had admitted his mistake while claiming, “Well, he was drunk, and once married it would be meaningless anyway.” The Auds had seen the royal family’s ambition to swallow the Auds under the guise of marriage and had raged, claiming they had been aware of it even before the wedding. Izabo had immediately canceled the engagement. She had then publicly announced that she would either apologize to David or never interfere in his marriage, and the prince had chosen that option, suffering humiliation. The fact that the engagement had been exposed was impossible; otherwise the only woman who could marry the prince would have been one without inheritance rights. Yet the second suitor had impregnated a mistress before the wedding. Even so, Izabo had calmly fought back for her interests. David truly admired her. She had stolen the spotlight from the stage Serpine had built, taken every climax for herself, and even closed the curtain personally. She had been born a ruler. Even after leaving Serpine, David could not get Izabo’s face out of his mind. “David! David!” Not long after Serpine’s departure, Raymond suddenly called to David as he pulled the horses to a halt. David snapped out of his thoughts and approached. The vanguard was led by the Danier knights, and David had been trailing behind to guard against ambush. That was why he could not ride alongside his father. “Yes, Father.” His father had looked uneasy since last night. What was wrong? The entire party was silently worried, yet it was only now that his father had called for David. While they paused briefly, everyone began preparing, feeding water to the horses and scattering around. In that moment Raymond placed a hand on David’s shoulder and whispered in his ear, “Go to Hamilcar at once and bring Arian back.” “…Father?” David found the idea of Arian going to the Mount of Light unpleasant. But the mother had allowed it, yet taking her away like this so suddenly would cause problems later… David was still stammering when Raymond lowered his voice further. “Arian is at Serpine’s. Count Serpine is even talking about their engagement. Hurry and bring her back before anyone notices.” David’s face darkened. “Yes, Father. I’ll bring her right away.”