abcnovels
Chapter 208
Chapter 208
By the time I got back to the Quordenze residence, I was suddenly exhausted.
Sitting on the sofa in the hall, my father and I silently waited for the tea to be served.
When the servant placed a tea cup filled with tea on the mini table, my father and I silently picked it up.
[How was the tour going?]
In the carriage on the way home, my father said, [We’ll talk about it after we get back to the mansion], shutting out my questions.
The first question after returning to the Quordenze residence seems to have started with a wait-and-see jab.
[It was interesting. There was a very unpleasant story at the end that made me frown a bit… Prince Dunkel smiled and forgave me.]
My father looked at me, a little taken aback. It seemed that he didn’t expect to receive such a clear backlash, and it turned out to be a strong cross-counter against the jab.
However, after this, it was clear that the worst topic since my reincarnation: the marriage of convenience between Quordenze and Levios, will have to be talked about. It is necessary to throw a check ball with the momentum to stab and kill the opponent.
[It seems that something happened at the tea party. Please tell me the details.]
In the Royal Castle, I couldn’t talk about anything in depth, and I was mostly silent on the way home.
My father didn’t know much about what happened between me and the Prince. If he had heard anything from the civil officers, it should have been only about how Prince Dunkel suddenly stood up in the middle of having tea.
I decided to explain in chronological order for the time being.
Being guided to the Royal Mausoleum, meeting Princess Alina there, and enjoying the tour of the palace afterwards. And the story progresses to where the Prince and I had a simple tea party in the garden.
[…..So, I heard that Father and King Levios are having a secret meeting. Something about a secret agreement between Quordenze and Levios for a mutual marriage.]
There was no change in my father’s expression.
[When I imagined how the Levios family would probably treat Fanny, I just couldn’t help it. A wee bit of malice leaked out in the process…]
Honestly speaking, it was a jerk reaction from my lower body, and not from my head. I don’t have the inclination to take pleasure from being netorare-ed.
Father asked quietly with a slightly stern look on his face.
[Is that why you blurt out?]
[Yes. I blurted out… Fortunately, I managed to regain control before anyone else other than the Prince could sense it.]
The leakage of magic power was extremely small.
At that moment, the Prince was shocked at my malice and stood up vigorously. However, the surroundings did not show the same reaction, including the civil officers of the Levios family. Rather, I was surprised at the Prince’s sudden action.
I was on the verge of panic after the leak. But after looking at the surroundings, I was able to guess that the scope of the leak was extremely narrow, and managed to calm myself down.
[…Hmm, that would have surprised even the Prince. But, he made a wise move there.]
The Prince was also the same as looking around and guessing the range of influence.
No matter what Prince Dunkel said, responding with menacing malice would be extremely rude. It is an action that could earn a formal protest from the Levios family.
However, if the only one who sensed it was the Prince, he could do anything…or rather, the Prince couldn’t do anything. He is the only one who can testify that he received malice.
Because if he reported it, he would just end up in a predicament. I could simply lie, saying [I didn’t release any malice. It’s just the Prince’s false accusation], and they won’t be able to pursue the matter further.
Since the magical power release leaves no physical evidence, it could be interpreted by the other Royal Nobles as the Levios family making up things to blame the innocent Quordenze family.
Prince Dunkel couldn’t complain about my magic leak.
[Yes, the Prince was quick-witted.]
However, that is just a matter of theory. When people receive a magic release filled with malice, they will become uncomfortable, and they could become emotional because of it.
However, Prince Dunkel was unusually calm. As soon as he hid his flustered expression, he could even afford to show a smile.
When I pretended that the leak was nothing by asking [Is there something wrong with my face?], he immediately understood what it meant, and responded with [Don’t be surprised. I was just reminded of something about Quordenze, wondering if something was wrong].
That was probably the best answer one could come up on the spot. I looked a little embarrassed and the Prince panicked a little….. It is a sharing of pain between both parties after adjusting the appearance that it was not a big event. Thanks to that, we were able to bring the story to a close peacefully.
However, from that point on, the topic changed to safe topics such as hobbies, and I couldn’t ask anything about the details of the marriage. As expected, the Prince was not so insensitive as to continue the topic that touched on my wrath once. It was hard for me to say the continuation before I got so excited.
[Looks like you two got along pretty well.]
Come to think of it, if I had suddenly heard about the marriage of convenience when I returned to the Quordenze mansion, I might have vented my ill will towards my father.
I should be grateful to the Prince for taking the fall instead.
[Yes. I’m looking forward to the social gathering now.]
I didn’t want to affirm my father’s words because the topic of marriage was coming up. But the civil officers will report to my father later anyway, so there’s no point in hiding it.
When I parted with the Prince, he said that he would like to organize another meeting with the other family heirs.
He may have deemed that I would decline the king’s proposal, thus wanting to connect with me further.
[Speaking of the social gathering, it was a good idea to get along with Princess Alina. She is very knowledgeable about fashion trends and is often the center of attention among young Princesses. It should make things easier for you in the social gathering the day after tomorrow.]
I wonder why that sounded like my father sales pitching on Princess Alina.
However, even though she hasn’t been asked anything yet, I don’t feel comfortable launching a preemptive strike because she’s not my type.
Perhaps my father is also wary of my reaction, he just off-handedly mentioned the character of the Princess and didn’t try to move forward. Women’s relationships may be a sensitive topic that is difficult to touch on, but I’m begging you to go into it more. Even though this one is ready to hit back.
[…..It goes without saying, but don’t blurt out at the social gathering, alright? Wilk Quordenze needs to be properly recognized as an amiable Nobleman.]
And with the counter sealed, Princess Alina’s story ended.
[Yes. I understand.]
I must not let my magic leak out… I, more than anyone else, am acutely aware of that.
As long as I remember today’s failure, something like this will never happen again. But to put it the other way around, it means that I will make the same mistake again when I forget. I haven’t found a definitive solution.
It’s evidently the result of me trying to win over Eve, so some kind of countermeasure is necessary… Next time I visit Nambonan city, I’ll try talking to Raeve. I should also consider whether I should let Eve meet her by then.
[I think I can keep it to myself the next time when an unpleasant topic comes up.]
I continued to appeal to my indecisive father.
Father, I don’t know what kind of nonsense King Levios whispered to you, but now you should worry about your son. If you do poorly, the Quordenze family might see its END due to ED.
I’m using my cock to threaten my father. If that sentence was read without context, it sounded like a ridiculous situation.
[…..Unpleasant topic, huh?]
My father whispered quietly, and sat on the sofa with his hands folded and staring at the floor.
It looks as if he is bowing his head and begging me for something… It’s a bad atmosphere.
[…..Tomorrow, Archduke Milendorva will come to apologize. Please be careful not to be rude, as this will be an exchange in a public place.]
It seemed that the controversy was settled with the Quordenze family’s great victory. Since it’s gonna be a public apology, suffice to say that the Milendorva family will lose a lot of face.
However, this is not the result of my father’s negotiation skills.
Starting the story from scratch and getting this result, the short time in the afternoon shouldn’t be enough. King Levios must have put together a good meeting point in advance so that the talk with the Archduke Milendorva could end quickly. One reason is that he wanted to use the time for other discussions.
When I heard from the Prince that our fathers were having a secret meeting, I could have predicted this conclusion. I was irritated with the marriage story and my head didn’t turn around.
Yeah, I don’t care about this now. This is not what I want to hear.
[I understand….. But, it seems that Archduke Milendorva has made a lot of concessions. Did the negotiation go awry?]
[It seems that today’s subject was not there for King Levios, and the talk ended soon.]
The conversation was getting closer to the point.
I could tell that my father was wary of every single thing he said. The words squeezed out are heavier than ever.
[…Wilk seems to have heard about it, but King Levios had a suggestion.]
My father took a deep breath before resuming.
[It’s a proposal for tying the next generation of Quordenze and Levios in marriage to strengthen their relationship, so that we can jointly solve the various problems we have…it’s to marry Princess Alina to Wilk, and Fanny to Prince Dunkel.]
I was hoping that the Prince’s deduction will be proven wrong. But unfortunately, that doesn’t seem to be the case.
Perhaps because I had already heard it once, I was surprisingly calm when I heard it.
[So, what did father think?]
A tinge of sharpness was accidentally mixed in my tone.
However, my father replied while looking straight at me.
[It was a proposal worth to be considered]
…..I didn’t feel any magic power leakage.
It’s a problem that can be prevented if I’m careful. However, the inside of my chest is quickly filled with black and cold. The illusion of tightness in my liver made me want to exhale.
I shouldn’t get upset here.
[I don’t understand your father’s thinking, so please tell me the reason why you made that decision. Marriage shouldn’t have been a realistic story to that extent in advance consideration… Prince Dunkel said that he’s lacking two major judgment materials regarding Quordenze’s consideration. One is the King’s political ideology, and the other is something I haven’t been able to hear… Are either of those involved?]
My father slowly took a sip of tea and quietly nodded.
[It’s true that we didn’t have enough material to consider. Especially the information that Wilk didn’t know is the main part…]
I was told to ask the Marquis Quordenze about the details this evening.
[Did father hear about it from King Levios? Prince Dunkel said he might not be able to convey it to his father either…]
[That must be his guile. When he didn’t want to give that information to Wilk, the Prince took care of it so that he could easily make an excuse that the king hadn’t told him anything.]
Then my father kept his mouth shut. Rather than hesitating to disclose information, it seemed that he was sorting out how to talk in his head.
Even though I felt frustrated, I silently waited for the continuation.
[The current Levios family…or rather, the current Levios King, Lugain-dono, is personally facing this problem… King Levios seems to be very reluctant to let Prince Dunkel succeed the family estate. Even if he succeeded, it would only be for a short period of time, and it seems that he was planning to change the head of the family when the successor grew up.]
I was at a loss for words after hearing such unexpected information.
[…..I did think they were on bad terms. But, to be that bad.]
[I can’t say it’s a matter of parent-child relationship. Prince Dunkel did not receive an education suitable for becoming the head of the Levios family, and was probably originally raised to be a member of the shadow house. King Levios seems to be very wary of that. From his point of view, compared to the deceased Princes, he feels that there are many radical parts in their way of thinking. If this is a Nobleman, a little adventurous spirit is preferable, but in the position of the Royal family, those who are in line of succession will be worrying, no, in the current times, they can even have suspicion. It’s too early to say, but…]
Father said that it would not be difficult for King Levios to turn him into a puppet if he was a hopelessly stupid son. Lugain Levios had that kind of skill.
[…..However, Dunkel is not stupid.]
[I agree. Once he is appointed as the head of the family, the longer his reign, the easier it will be to avoid interference from his father. If that happens, the Kingdom will move in a different direction than before.]
From what my father said, it seems that the King and the Prince don’t get along with each other in terms of political ideology.
Even with such a parent-child relationship, he was able to appeal to his good friends at the meeting. I was reminded once again of the thickness of the Noble mask.
[But, if Prince Dunkel is the head of the family, from where does he intend to bring the official successor?]
As the Prince himself said, he is the only male heir in the Levios family. No matter how you look at it, it’s a full-blown family feud to educate a young boy from a branch family or a shadow family just because you’re worried. Lugain Levios is in danger of rushing into the second generation course in the middle of the government road.
Well, it’s unclear if such a convenient young boy exists in the first place.
Another option would be to instill imperial studies into a child born from Princess Alina’s son, but since the number of Highlords has drastically decreased these days, there aren’t many Nobles who would want to send their son to the Levios family.
But, he is quite ambitious. The Levios family should have never had a female head. So whoever becomes Alina’s husband will have a certain amount of influence.
My question must have already been assumed, as my father continued.
[There are two choices. First, is the son from Prince Dunkel’s marriage. In this case, King Levios will manage all of the child’s education.]
In order to create an ideal family head, the child will be confiscated.
Even though the Levios family values education, it’s still a terrible story.
[Not to mention the Prince, but wouldn’t the Princess complain about this? Not only for the child, but also for her husband?]
It is quite conceivable that she would cry to her parents’ house that her child was taken away by her father-in-law. And Prince Dunkel may piggyback on the pressure of his wife’s parents’ house and make a secret move to gain real power with his child.
[That is possible. Therefore, Lugain-dono thought that it would be nice if there is a Princess whose Noble family obeys him personally. But it’s not going to be easy to find. If only there is a Princess from a branch family or shadow house, then it would be proper to raise her and take her as Dunkel’s wife.]
[Is there still a young Princess left in the Levios family?]
[As far as I know, the branch family has none. From today’s talk, it seems that there is no Princess in the shadows house either…otherwise Princess Alina would have been a candidate too. However, she has been consistently treated as a pawn of marriage diplomacy since before the Yersinia calamity.]
Princess Alina’s brand value is high. There are Nobles in the world who have erections not on their face but on their bloodline. A pedigree fetish, so to speak. A beautifully dressed Princess with good pedigree would be of interest to this kind of man.
But, I’m not one of them.
[In other words, the first option is to raise the Princess from the shadow house to become Prince Dunkel’s wife and give birth to a successor?]
My father nodded when I summarized everything in simple words so that there would be no discrepancies.
[Indeed… And one more thing, this is probably my favorite. After the Yersinia calamity passed, the Levios family called back one of the Princesses that they had given off to become wives. Do you know this?]
It’s not information that can be hidden, so any Noble of the Kingdom knows it to some extent. Of course I knew that too.
[I know. It’s Princess Ena, isn’t it?]
Prince Dunkel’s half-sister, Princess Ena Levios.
She had been married off to a medium-sized Royal Noble family, but was forcibly divorced due to a crisis in the family, and returned to the Levios territory.
[I heard Princess Ena resembles her late mother. Naturally, given that they’re parent and child.]
[…..is that so.]
Princess Ena’s mother was born among commoners and was a blessed child.
The young King Levios fell in love with her at first sight when she was caught in a Highlord hunt, and raised her as a concubine. By the way, she has already passed away due to a strange disease caused by the magical beast Yersinia.
To some extent, I could imagine how the story would continue.
[I heard that Princess Ena was assigned to the shadow house in order to strengthen the defense of the Levios territory, since it now lacked the Highlord’s presence…]
[It’s not wrong in terms of resolving the lack of Highlord.]
Princess Ena is still young. It might be just my imagination, but it’s almost like the Princess was called back to bear the children of her father…
The best way to efficiently increase the number of Highlords is for the King and Prince to hustle individually. The reason why he assigned the Princess of the shadow house to the Prince might be that the King can’t get an erection there. No, it’s the other way around. The King may have been convinced that he would get an erection against Princess Ena. After all, she’s the woman who most closely resembles the girl that he fell in love with at first sight.
…..I see, that’s probably the part that Prince Dunkel couldn’t tell me.
If the pure-hearted Wilk-kun became sexually impotent by talking about such a graphic lower body situation of a Nobleman, there is no doubt that he would receive a fierce protest from the Quordenze family.
[In other words, the successor will be his own son?]
Given such a question, my father affirmed it.
[There is a high possibility of that… However, both choices are possible.]
King Levios impregnates Princess Ena, and Prince Dunkel impregnates a Princess who has been withdrawn from the shadow house. In this way, they are trying to increase the number of Highlords in the Levios family, not just the successors.
In this case, King Levios, the current head of the Levios family, will be in charge of education regardless of who gives birth to the child first. If the coin comes up heads, the King wins; if it comes up tails, the Prince loses.
However, my father seems to think it would be quicker for Princess Ena to get pregnant. The shadow house’s Princess may not be very promising. Something about her face or something.
[There were a few people who guessed how Princess Ena was being treated, but everyone thought that the child she gave birth to would be in the shadows. I don’t think anyone thinks he’s worried about Prince Dunkel to the extent that it distorts the right path of succession to the family headship.]
The reason why Princess Ena was called back was to help create a child to be put in the shadow house, so even though the King and the Prince are at odds, there is no effect on the family succession… That’s how my father and the Royal Nobles were made to think.
The inside story that my father just told me would eventually become public knowledge, but it was natural to keep it a secret in the unstable current situation post-Yersinia calamity.
[As expected, he’s good at manipulating gossip that sways in society, and makes people dance on his palm.]
This man named Lugain Levios had led many Royal Nobles by their nose for many years. It’s a piece of cake for him to manipulate one or two rumors to disturb them.
[…..However, apparently this plan has been rearranged. It seems that the incident with Princess Orshian the other day convinced him that he should actively cooperate with the Quordenze.]
Oho…
[However, is it really okay to decide such a big policy change so easily? I don’t think the Royal Noble of the Levios faction… In particular, Nobles of the Lushna region would welcome the influence of Quordenze’s blood entering the Levios family.]
There is currently no blood tie between the Quordenze family and the Levios family.
If we were to form a relationship here, wouldn’t there be voices of objection from those around us? At least on the Quordenze side, the neighboring Noble families, led by the Sylopea and Evenafis families, will be noisy.
Marriage between Great Nobles is not just a problem for the parties involved, it also has a large impact on those around them.
[That’s right. Even within the Levios family, there will be those who oppose the sudden entry of Quordenze’s blood. …..If possible, the other side would have wanted to first create a track record through marriages between branch families that would have little impact, and then carry the story to marriage between the main families.]
[Is it a trial using the branch family? It’s a good way to check the reaction of those around you.]
[But, that is currently impossible. Thus, he had to make a choice.]
Father took a deep breath with a serious expression as if he was the one who chose it.
[King Levios has an ideal vision of the future of the Kingdom in his head. It’s not a short-term story like ten or twenty years from now, it’s a grand vision that looks ahead to 100 or 200 years from now. I believe that he felt that establishing a relationship with Quordentze will be a big step towards that future.]
This is probably what Prince Dunkel said about King Levios’ political ideology, one of the factors that the Quordentze family had not been informed of.
So, I asked my father for confirmation.
[It takes time to tell the whole story, and it is difficult to think that I have told the whole concept. I will omit the details here… To put it simply, the idea of the current King of Levios, Lugain, is to deepen exchanges between the Nobles of the Kingdom.]
My father said that he seems to have such an idea as a means to achieve his goals.
Basically, the Nobles of the Kingdom do things relatively freely.
This is partly due to the value of the Kingdom, which values self-reliance, but it is also because neighboring Nobles tend to clump together, so their dependence on the Kingdom is not high. As a result, they are less likely to be influenced by the central Levios family.
King Levios may want to review the customs around that. If the number of marriages rooted in the region decreases and the number of marriage proposals based on the framework of the Kingdom increases, the unity of the region will weaken. As a result, the relative weight of the Kingdom increases.
[There may be a lot of backlash from the people around him, but… it’s a decision that could completely change the values of marriage among the Royal Nobles.]
If the next generations of Quordenze and Levios are connected through marriage, the effect should be great. It will be a great opportunity to appeal to a marriage that does not depend on the distance between the Royal Nobles.
Well, there have been quite a few cases of marriages between Nobles whose territories are far apart, but it’s not a major idea. After all, if there is little interaction between a man and a woman who become husband and wife, there will inevitably be concerns about having children.
[It’s hard to make a decision up to this point. King Levios is by nature a temperament of a solid way of thinking. I guess he appreciates Wilk’s repulsion of Princess Orshian so much that he ignores some disadvantages.]
I didn’t really win, though. It’s Orshian who chose to lose.
But, why am I at a disadvantage? It is a story that is completely unbelievable.
[I understand what King Levios said. But to me, there is nothing to be considered there.]
And I couldn’t help but feel disappointed with my father.
[What is there to consider?], that was thought. It was my father who told me that I could impregnate Fanny, so I had to have him take full responsibility.
[And what will the Evenafis family do? I think it will affect future diplomacy with neighbors, and above all, I think it will make my mother sad.]
In the first place, I was allowed to sleep with Fanny because of the Evenafis family succession problem. If Fanny were to be married off to Levios family, that would mean cutting off the line of Evenafis family.
There’s no way you can force me and Princess Alina’s daughter. No, if I had made such a proposal from the beginning, there might have been room for me to accept it, but it would be useless after I unilaterally discarded it. Since it was the Quordenze family who broke the promise, it was inevitable that the relationship would deteriorate.
[Calm down a little.]
[I am calm.]
I took the tea in my hand and drank it all at once. My throat was hot.
My father resumed after saying that he also took me into consideration.
[Honestly, hypothetically? …..Even if Prince Dunkel marries Fanny, do you understand that it will take a considerable amount of time to have a child?]
[I don’t want to know, but I do know that.]
The Prince himself said something about that.
[In the meantime, what would happen if Princess Ena gave birth?]
Well, even if a bride came from somewhere else, it would be necessary to resolve the Levios family’s lack of ancestors, so Princess Ena would end up going crazy with surprise anyway.
[…..It would be impossible for a child born by Princess Ena to be the successor. Having received a legal wife from the Quordenze family, they can’t do such unfair imitation. If he does something like that, father will intervene. So I guess, the child will be put into the shadow house?]
[That’s right. The child born between Prince Dunkel and Fanny will be the legitimate heir to the Levios family. Now, King Levios would like to take care of this child’s education, but will it work? It’s almost certain that the Quordenze family can intervene through Fanny. Depending on the situation, I may reach out to Prince Dunkel, who has been deprived of real power, and plot to deprive the Levios family of some kind of profit.]
When my father said it, it made a lot of sense. Prince Dunkel might also expect it, as it will eliminate his father’s influence.
[But, didn’t King Levios have already factored in the matter before proposing a mutual marriage? Even if he accepted some interference from the Quordenze family, he thought that he would be able to gain the advantage from joining hands.]
[Yes. that’s why it is worth considering.]
“Here’s the point”, my father looked at me.
[A child with Quordenze blood will be difficult for King Levios to handle. He wants the status of marriage between the family, but wouldn’t want the Quordenze’s interference that might come from the joining…that is, unless the marriage produced no son. In that case, he’ll have no choice but to make the child born from Princess Ena to be the successor… In my heart, I think that such a development is the most desirable. In other words, it’s about building achievements through marriage in the branch lineage. If only marriage didn’t bring in an heir, the dissatisfied voices of the quarrelsome minor Nobles of Lushna would be lessened.]
[What kind of selfish thing are they thinking…? What do they think of Fanny then?]
It irritated me as her older brother that the desired result is my cute little sister’s misfortunate.
[Huh…that’s why we should propose this development here. We will give Fanny to be his wife, but we will adopt the child who was born over there and give them to the Evenafis family for adoption. Just negotiate like that.]
The Levios family may be saved, but will the Evenafis family be convinced?
The moment I was about to ask that question, my father raised his index finger and brought it close to my face.
[If you say that far, King Levios will understand… Let’s talk about what happens if a mutual marriage is established.]
In that case, Fanny will go to the Royal Capital because she is getting married.
It’s a very unpleasant future, but for the time being, it’s a hypothetical story, so I have no choice but to listen.
[When Wilk visits the Royal capital, Fanny, who has become the Prince’s wife, should show up here at the Quordenze mansion. The King will be happy to send Fanny away.]
[Oh…]
In other words, Fanny will marry Dunkel, but it’ll be me who impregnates her. A child-making affair with a real sister that is recognized by a real father/father-in-law is ridiculously immoral. It seems that a “tremendous amount” will come out with a sense of immorality.
[Nominally, the son will be the child of Levios family, but in reality…yes. It would be better to have a private talk with Count Evenafis about that. That old man has a temperament that emphasizes facts rather than public appearances, so I’m sure he’ll agree.]
A child who is difficult to handle can be released outside while maintaining the marital relationship
The Quordenze family can then pass the obligation to the Evenafis family.
The Evenafis family can adopt the child to extend their bloodline if they desire.
But what’s important, I can embrace Fanny and impregnate her.
[While Wilk will need to visit the Royal Capital frequently until she has a child, that is what the Levios family wants. It will also lead to an increase in authority, and above all, it will serve as a check on Princess Orshian.]
In other words, it’s Prince Dunkel who gets the short end of the lottery. With such a secret agreement, it should be difficult for the Quordenze family to interfere with the Levios family. Unable to lay a finger on Fanny, who is his legal wife, he will probably have children with the Princess of the shadow house as his concubine. The position will remain weak.
I slowly digested my father’s words in my mind and tried to understand. This is an important scene, and I can’t easily show my agreement.
Then, my father lowered the volume of his voice and whispered.
[Among Wilk’s favorites, is there a commoner named Lupetta?]
[Eh? Well, yes.]
[That girl seems to have a lover, but I have received reports that Wilk doesn’t seem to care much about it….. I suppose you won’t care in this case either.]
As long as I could have sex, I wouldn’t mind even if the woman had another lover or husband…that’s what my father wanted to say.
No, it’s completely different.
I don’t know what my uncle thought about women, but I want to keep the women that I like tightly, and I don’t want to give them to another man.
Lupetta is a special case. It’s just that I didn’t dare tear her relationship apart because it’s cute that she can’t cut off her feelings for Melgin. It can be said that it is the most delicious and enjoyable way to eat.
If Lupetta voluntarily abandons Melgin to be with me, I plan to keep her tightly guarded and make her my woman.
As I’ve always thought, my father tends to see me and my uncle’s sexual behavioral principles as the same.
Judging from what I’ve heard so far, I don’t think my uncle and I have much in common other than that we have a strong sexual desire, but the keyword may have too much impact and other differences may be ignored.
…..No, wait. Come to think of it, I didn’t force Oddie to break up with her husband either. If two examples are raised in a short time, can I still say that it is a special case? Among my mistresses are Anna, Mimon, Raeve and many other widows.
My father’s perception that it’s fine as long as I get to have sex may have some justification.
[I was the one who asked Wilk about Fanny. Consideration was a matter of course, but if there was no room for this negotiation, I would have refused on the spot today. …..However, this proposal would be a further humiliation for Prince Dunkel. But if I’m thinking of accepting King Levios’ proposal, I don’t think I’ll give up on this one.]
[Father…]
I found out that my father was positive about the proposal of mutual marriage, even though he said it was something to consider. However, I can feel the consideration and concern for me there.
Thanks to that, I didn’t have to feel betrayed by my father. After all, my father is kind to my lower body.
…..Well, I’m grateful for that, but unfortunately my father’s consideration is a little out of place. The process should not be judged at all in this matter, the result is what matters most.
I’ve already decided to consider Fanny as my own woman, so sending her to be another man’s wife is out of the question. If there was no previous talk about Fanny, and I was told to just hold her, I would have raised my hands and agreed.
I’m sorry for my father who is thinking of doing something through negotiation, but I want to refuse the mutual engagement itself.
But, that’s the last thing I’ll say. There is a risk that the story will not progress if there is a strong resistance here.
After all, I hadn’t heard all of the proposals yet.
[I understand what King Levios thinks, and about the room for negotiation… So, what will Quordenze benefit from accepting this proposal? Father first said that marriage would strengthen the relationship and solve the problems that each of us had.]
The benefits of mutual marriage itself are mainly on Levios’ side.
From Quordenze’s side, the possibility of suffering disadvantages such as expulsion from the Kingdom is greatly reduced by forming a relationship with the Levios family, but that’s it. In the first place, the situation in the Kingdom does not allow for such a violent act, so it is not at all worth it to send one cute girl.
In other words, the key to the proposal is the solution to the various problems that my father said.
I can make some predictions, but I would like to hear it from my father properly.
[…..Quordenze has only one task to solve: the destruction of the Spierzeig family.]
Yes, that’s the only task that still worries my father; obliterating the Spierzeig family.
[Is it a promise of reinforcements from the Levios family? At the dinner, we were advised to observe the mopping-up unit, but that meant cooperation in the mopping-up battle after the war…]
Of course, it’s not limited to military cooperation.
The Quordenze family, which swallowed the vast Spierzeig territory whole, will be like a snake that ate its prey and swelled up to the point it becomes immobile. A careless poke could cause the stomach to explode.
If they can help us politically, the defense of the Kingdom will be perfect.
However, my father shook his head.
[No, it’s more cooperation than that. Reinforcements led by the Highlords will come from the Levios and Zeldomitra families to invade Voistra. And it is also possible to ask for cooperation from the Levios army in the mopping up battle.]
[…Does that also take into account the post-war situation?]
The fact that the Highlord-led army will come from those two families will be a considerable scale, including the number of soldiers. The Spierzeig family is as good as doomed.
Then, what I’m curious about is how the land that was Spierzeig’s territory will be treated after the war.
The birth of the enclaves of Levios and Zeldomitra in a strange place will cause trouble in the future.
[Of course, the entire Spierzeig territory will belong to Quordenze.]
[That’s a very generous story. Then, what will the Quordenze family need to do instead? Considering that the Zeldomitra family is also involved.]
This perfect support system is impossible just by mutual marriage. In order to fill the gap, cooperation in resolving the various problems faced by the Levios family should be sought. And perhaps there must be a part where the Zeldomitra family is involved.
Father replied quietly.
[Cooperating with the invasion of St. Navenpos.]
[…I think it’s beneficial for the Levios family. But, is there anything good in it for the Zeldomitra family?]
If the Holy City were to be attacked, the Royal Army would unilaterally destroy the Free Cities located on the invasion route. If we can weaken the hostile independent Nobles and successfully destroy the cooperation between cities, it can be said that it will be beneficial for the Zeldomitra family. However, it is still questionable whether it can be said that it is profitable enough to send reinforcements to the Quordenze family.
[In the first place, the plan to conquer St. Navempos was brought up by the Zeldomitra family. And the invasion route is premised on the suppression of the Umon Islands.]
[Oh, so that’s their goal. That’s certainly a big benefit.]
The territory of the Zeldomitra family can be represented in the shape of a dragon’s head with its mouth wide open. The reason why it has such a strange shape is because it does not control Lake Umon and the scattered islands located there.
The Zeldomitra family is a navy… it might be more of a lake army, but it seems that the surface military strength is very poor. It is also said that they could not shake off the harassment from the independent Nobles based on the islands of Lake Umon for many years, even though they had no control over the sea or even the control of the lake.
[Rather than the Quordenze family, it is more like a referral request to the Evenafis family. The idea of the Zeldomitra family is to obtain the cooperation of the soldiers of Lake Hartinos and the navy owned by the Levios family as a foothold for attacking the Umon Islands.]
The home of the Evenafis family is Hartinos City, one of the largest port towns on Lake Meo.
The Evenafis army is skilled in ship battles and has many achievements. At least it’s the strongest army in Lake Meo. It may be natural for the Zeldomitra family to expect it.
[By the way, according to King Levios’ proposal, which one will be carried out first, the invasion of St. Navempos or the invasion of the Voistra Plains?]
[That will be the invasion of St. Navempos.]
I had a few thoughts about that answer, but I had a feeling that if it continued like this, it would turn into a slurp of strategy talk. Maybe it was my father’s strategy.
For the time being, I only have a general idea of the merits and demerits of mutual marriage.
Being able to safely and surely end the war with the Spierzeig family… This is probably the greatest merit that my father can think of. In exchange for that, he will even help the invasion of St. Navempos, as it will be much easier than facing the Spierzeig family alone.
Cooperation with the invasion of St. Navenpos desired by the Levios family.
The Quordenze family wants to cooperate if it can lead to the downfall of the Spierzeig family.
It is better to think of the main purpose of mutual marriage as a kind of contract to establish this exchange condition.
But, I’m against this marriage.
In order to prevent this from happening, one of the exchange conditions must be broken. For the sake of my beloved sister, it seems the time has come for me to make a stand.
[Father. I will do my best to invade the Spierzeig territory, and I won’t be needing any reinforcements. That’s why this marriage is not needed.]
[…Regarding Fanny treatment, I’ll consider it. Definitely.]
That’s not what I mean, Papa.
If a little while ago I could have sex with Fanny, I might have been able to endure the marriage. But, it is unbearable to have things taken away once they are permitted. What was wrong with the timing, no, Orshian.
But judging from the way my father said it, he’s sure that I’ll be willing to go along with the King’s proposal as long as the problem of me having sex with Fanny is sorted out. If you never stop.
[Since the Spierzeig family is preparing for a great decisive battle, things will be far easier. Once I return from the Royal Capital, I will obliterate them from the front. I think it won’t be that difficult since my grandfather is also here.]
No matter how strong my magic power is, there’s always risks when fighting Highlords. That’s why I would avoid conflict if I could.
But if I don’t stand up here, when am I going to stand up? If it’s to protect my little sister, I’m prepared to go to the battlefield.
[Putting aside whether or not to negotiate an engagement, I will never allow you to charge into the Spierzeig army, especially now that they’re preparing for a great decisive battle.]
[Father…]
[Battle between multiple Highlords is completely different from dealing with magic beasts. If you think it’s easy due to your experience in Operation Serpent’s Fang, then you should revise that thought immediately. A fight between multiple Highlords must be done with full preparations. Especially against well-equipped opponents… Never underestimate the magic power residual effects. There’s nothing more terrifying than that…]
My father stood up from the sofa and grabbed my shoulders with both hands. His grip was strong.
[Never do anything reckless in a fight against the Spierzeig family. You hear me?]
[…yes.]
It was an expression and voice that didn’t say yes or no. I can’t help but nod.
But I can’t afford to lose, so let’s spread out as much as we can.
[Other than that, Princess Alina isn’t exactly to my liking. Will we even be able to get along as a married couple…?]
By the way, I did tell my father that my partner in marriage should be “Beautiful Princess who is also beneficial for the Quordenze family”.
Apparently, my father evaluated these two requirements as a total value. Something like “The first condition is 150 points, the second condition is 30 points, and the total is 180 points, so the average score is 90 points! Meets the conditional expression! Yes, she passed!” when it should be “the first condition and the second condition each exceed 80 points”.
[Let’s include that in the negotiations. The shame of the bedroom is unavoidable. Fortunately, now that you’re considered a partiality, it should be easy to add it to the conditions.]
In other words, the shame of a bedroom is to recycle and pour semen produced elsewhere, and for a Noble Princess this is a disgrace that could lead to death. It is a last resort that is unavoidably performed between Noble couples who are not blessed with children.
Looking back at history, there are by no means a few examples of Nobles who could not bear this shame and committed suicide or suffered from mental illness.
In addition, this method cannot be said to have a great success rate. There are some male Nobles who, if they know in advance that their semen will be reused, will not be able to get an erection even with their preferred partner.
[…How do you feel about Fanny? If the story up to this point had come to fruition, Fanny would be far from Quordenze, her hometown, unable to get close to her family, and the child she gave birth to would be taken away.]
Fanny is hungry for family love. Even if my father and the King’s proposal come true, what awaits Fanny is a lonely life.
Just imagining her standing alone in a dark room fills me with unbearable feelings.
My father must have imagined it too, his expression distorted violently, and he spoke in a voice that sounded like he had been dragged from the bottom of the earth.
[…..if it can ensure the destruction of the Spierzeig family, then it must be done. That is the responsibility of those born in Quordenze…]
As someone who lives in a world of hereditary systems, this may be correct.
The reason that I can do whatever I want is because I was born as the eldest son of the Quordenze family. That’s why I’m grateful to the Quordenze family, and I sincerely want to see them prosper.
I’m not big-hearted enough to be selfish when it’s said to be the duty of a member of the Quordenze family. I’m sure Fanny will resign herself there as well. For the sake of the family.
But, I’m not going to allow that.
My father said over and over again that he will consider me.
From his attitude, I could see that my father was very positive about King Levios’ proposal.
This is a really bad development.
No matter what I propose, it will be cut in two by the treasured sword of duty.
[…By the way, it was said that the invasion of St Navempos would come first, but wouldn’t that take too much time? Considering the existence of the free cities along the way, it seems like it would take 10 or 20 years.]
I wanted to get rid of this air of “a political marriage is a regulated course”, so I returned to that topic. I didn’t like it because if I kept breathing like this, I would end up accepting Fanny’s wedding.
I don’t want you to take my word for it.
[Don’t you think so? That’s not the case… I guess this is why the Levios family was able to think of the invasion of St. Navenpos as a realistic story…]
My father also wanted to change the air. Father begins to talk about the invasion plan devised by the Levios and Zeldomitra.
I took a deep breath while watching my father talk a little faster. My thinking becomes clear.
It would be better to judge that persuading my father is difficult now. Besides, it will still take some time to reach a mutual marriage agreement. At least it won’t be announced during this social gathering.
Prince Dunkel seemed to be opposed to King Levios, so we may be able to cooperate. I should find out what he really means the next time we meet.
And the Spierzeig family… If I can do something about this guy, we won’t have to send Fanny out, and we’ll be able to bring everything back to a clean slate.
…..As expected, the conclusion remains the same.
I have to destroy the Spierzeig family with my own hands.
For sure.