Chapter 231: A Different Turn of Events
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 231: A Different Turn of Events
"An, it’s... it’s been a while."
After a few moments of internal struggle, Muen steeled himself and climbed into the carriage, meeting his personal maid’s meaningful gaze.
An remained as dignified as ever. Dressed in her form-fitting maid uniform, she sat with her back perfectly straight and her hands resting on her knees. Every movement was elegant and precise, as if measured by a ruler.
"A while? It hasn't been that long, has it? Didn't we just see each other a few days ago? On the other hand, Young Master..."
An’s gaze drifted over Muen, a half-smile playing on her lips.
"Why is the Young Master soaking wet?"
"Ah, this..."
I can’t exactly tell you I jumped into the river on purpose just to hide the scent of something else...
Muen forced a smile and said, "Well, I was just so excited to see you, An, that I thought I’d take a quick bath before coming over."
"Oh? A bath... and why are even your clothes soaked through?"
"That... well, washing the clothes at the same time shows even more sincerity, doesn't it?"
"Is that so? Then why..."
An’s delicate nose twitched slightly. Her gaze swept over Muen’s lower half before casting a fleeting, subtle glance toward the distance outside the window. She smiled.
"I can’t help but feel there’s a rather... strange scent on the Young Master."
"Wh—"
Muen shuddered, nearly jumping out of his skin.
He had gone so far as to ruin his own image, jumping into the river under the "he's a lunatic" stares of the Silencers, yet she could still smell it? An, is your nose even sharper than a Snake Person’s?
However, he forced himself to stay calm.
Experience told him that in moments like this, he couldn't afford to panic. The more he panicked, the faster he’d meet his end!
"It’s... it’s perfume. The scent you’re smelling, An, is probably just some leftover perfume on my clothes," Muen said with a straight face, talking absolute nonsense.
"This perfume... has a very unique scent, doesn't it?"
"It’s all-natural. It’s normal for it to be unique. Haha, perfectly normal."
"..."
An narrowed her eyes, staring at Muen for a long time. The atmosphere in the carriage turned stagnant.
In the midst of this stifling pressure, Muen felt his heart racing. Just as he was about to snap, An suddenly broke into a bright smile.
"Why is the Young Master so nervous? As your personal maid, do you really think I would doubt your word?"
"No... no, of course not. I trust you unconditionally too, An. You’re one of the people I’m closest to," Muen said, wiping droplets of water from his forehead.
"Hearing the Young Master say that makes me incredibly happy."
An beamed. On her usually dignified and beautiful face, a rare hint of bashfulness appeared.
But then, her expression turned serious.
"Alright, I’ll stop teasing you. I came here for official business."
"Official business?"
"Two things. First, earlier today, the Imperial Palace and several noble houses suddenly sent over a large number of gifts."
"Gifts... why now?"
"The people from the Palace said it was a reward personally bestowed by His Majesty to commend the Campbell family for its outstanding contribution during this crisis. As for those nobles, they send things all the time, but the volume increased significantly today. I handled them as usual and sent them all back."
"Outstanding contribution?"
Muen raised an eyebrow in surprise, feeling confused.
What outstanding contribution?
During this entire incident, Duke Campbell was away leading troops, and the Duchess was in the countryside tending to her pregnancy. It wasn't just that they hadn't contributed; they were practically uninvolved.
At most, Muen had dived into the center of the vortex alone to save his Senior Sister.
But he hadn't mobilized the power of the Duke’s Estate.
Furthermore, the moment he saw so many Silencers surrounding the area, Muen realized that his actions in this massive storm weren't exactly "turning the tide." At best, they were the icing on the cake.
Even without him, the Evil God’s plan likely would have failed anyway.
Nothing would have changed... except for the fact that his Senior Sister probably would have died.
Oh, and the Moon might have struggled a bit more.
But regardless, what Muen had done couldn't be called an "outstanding contribution."
Not to mention...
He had only just emerged from the Dark Moon Mist. If the gifts from the Palace arrived before he did, the timing didn't make sense at all.
"I heard that after this incident, many nobles in the Royal Capital suffered heavy losses," An hinted pointedly.
"Is that... so?"
Muen blinked, quickly catching on.
Thanks to the Emperor’s brilliant maneuvering, the noble factions of Belland had taken a massive hit. They likely wouldn't be able to cause trouble for a long time.
Meanwhile, the Campbell family—as die-hard members of the Royalist Faction—had indeed done nothing, but they had also lost nothing. With the Imperial Authority now solidified, the Campbells had gained immense influence by default.
Though, this would likely make them even more hated by others.
"I suppose having a small family has its perks," Muen sighed with a complicated expression.
Generally speaking, the higher a noble's status, the more they wished for the decline of Imperial Authority.
Yet, among the Great Nobles, the Campbell family was an anomaly.
With only one heir per generation and a sparse household, they lacked the primary tool for noble factionalism: political marriage.
After all, there was only one Duke Campbell, and only one son of Duke Campbell. You couldn't expect the two of them to marry the daughters of dozens of different nobles.
Because of this, the Campbell family could only rely on the Duke’s prestige to gather a group of minor and mid-tier nobles, becoming the leaders of the Royal Faction.
Thinking back, in the original novel, Muen Campbell was stripped of his nobility and met a miserable end after 'that incident.' The fact that the Duke’s Estate wasn't allowed to interfere definitely wasn't as simple as it seemed on the surface. It was most likely pushed for by the other nobles, Muen thought to himself.
Many people didn't want to see a high-ranking Duke standing so close to the Royal Family, let alone entering a marriage alliance with them.
However, even after the original host committed such an atrocious act—doing that to the Princess and causing such a scandal—he was only demoted to a commoner. The status of the Campbell family itself wasn't shaken in the slightest. This spoke volumes about the Emperor’s trust in the Campbells.
"Wait, no. That’s not right."
Muen suddenly thought of something and looked up in confusion.
"That still doesn't explain why the Palace would send gifts at a time like this. Isn't that just intentionally drawing aggro to our family?"
"Regarding that, the messengers from the Palace left a message when they delivered the gifts."
Muen wasn't sure if it was his imagination, but An’s tone suddenly sounded uncharacteristically strange.
"What message?" Muen asked curiously.
"They said..."
An paused for a moment, her voice tinged with a hint of jealousy.
"That the Duke’s Estate should begin preparations. In a few months, it will be the time for the engagement ceremony... between the Young Master and Her Highness, Princess Celicia."