CH 109

Author: rolypolyEditor: Tam

“In the end, Sir Damon drew his sword.”

At the murmur of Belters, Falden clicked his tongue briefly.

“I just don’t understand. I remember the brothers weren’t that stupid, though.”

“Sir Damon has not changed much like before. He’s a successor, but he doesn’t have a mother to support him. On the other hand, his brothers had Marchioness, and they had been successful in appeasing some of their vassals.”

Damon has the support of more of the vassals, but his brother must have been able to get them on his side.

Especially while he was in the Elbash forest, he must have been sure that it was finally his time to take over the family.

“But it probably didn’t go as planned, and he must have gotten more impatient as the days went by. When Sir Damon came back after a few months, he must have been scared by how different he looked.”

Falden’s expression sharpened.

“Duke, don’t you feel the same way? The person who changed the most on this journey was Sir Damon. He must have known that he and his brothers, who were competitors, would fall behind if they didn’t take advantage of the moment.”

Belters had many brothers, but no one objected to taking over the family because of his superiority.

No one was jealous of him from the outside.

He had already reached the level of a swordmaster by the time he was in his late teens, so he wouldn’t be able to understand because he had never been in a power struggle. 

The position of the person who has no choice but to fight even though he is likely to lose.

“Even so, Sir Damon’s way of dealing is certainly extreme.”

“If it were him before, he would have locked up his brothers with the evidence he had in his hands, then negotiated with the Marchioness and pressed the whole thing.”

He would have taken the risk without making many sacrifices.

“When the Marquis wakes up, I don’t know if there will be a real fight.”

Will he ever believe that his two sons poisoned him? Can’t he see that it’s a trick by Damon?

The Marchioness, who had lost her children, would go on the rampage.

If the Marquis sides with Damon, he will fight with his beloved Marchioness, but he will lose his only son if he sides with the Marchioness. 

That would be quite a burden even as a Marquis. On the other hand, it was also likely that the vassals would protect Damon, who had won the battle for the line of succession. 

“Under the circumstances, he will not be able to accept His Majesty’s dinner invitation soon.” 

There is no way that the family’s affair can be settled. 

“When will you move, Your Highness? It wouldn’t be too bad to just wipe it cool like Sir Damon did.” 

“You’re saying good things to sell.” 

The circumstances of the Imperial family and the Marquis Spendar were similar but different. First of all, Falden had to deal with a lot of enemies. 

The 1st Prince was an ambitious fool, but not with the Empress.

She had a lot of people and things behind her, and her strength was strong. 

What about the 3rd Prince and the other Emperor’s wife? 

As expected, the Emperor’s wife also had a lot of power in her hands.

Besides, the 3rd Prince— was the type of person who had no idea what he was thinking, and it was impossible to know exactly what his abilities were. 

The fact that his sword skills are not bad is the only information he knows about him.

Even though it was Falden, that didn’t make it any less frustrating, he can’t hold his breath forever, but he’ll be hit right away if he acts like Damon.

“Do you want me to sweep it cool? Then stick to this side. Don’t just sit on the sidelines.” 

Belters didn’t answer Falden’s provocative question but instead smiled at him.

“Is this why I hate the Duke? Don’t act like you’re going to help if you’re going to take a step back at an important moment.”

With all that said, he trusted Belters quite a bit.

He liked his character.

Only a few people were as high and consistent as Belters.

He looked arrogant, but he wasn’t. He also didn’t ignore his weaker opponent, even though he had never been weak for a single second. 

“Haha. If I help you, what will Your Highness do for me?” 

“Do you want anything from me, even though you already have everything? Tell me if you have. I’ll do everything I can.”

“Not yet. But it might happen sooner or later.”

With a meaningful remark, Belters lowered his eyes.

“Then, it’s late today, so let’s go back.”

“I was going to go.”

With sullen words, Falden turned around. 

“I wasn’t being sarcastic, I was just joking.” 

“I know.”

“If you know, give me strength.”

Whining, he walked away.

******

Serdel closed her eyes as she listened to the sound of the carriage’s wheels turning. Then she felt a vibration in the ring and pressed it with her thumb.

[I’m calling because I have something to tell you urgently. People say that the Marquis of Spendar is sick with poison. Sir Damon was almost falsely accused, but he escaped by killing both of them.]

Serdel slowly opened her eyes at the report that had flowed into her mind.

She didn’t feel uneasy when she looked out the window and saw nothing but darkness.

When the status window said he would be rewarded by getting the title faster, she knew this would happen. 

Power can’t be taken easily, and someone else has to fall for someone to rise.

[We’ll contact you again as soon as we get new information. Then.]

The carriage arrived at the mansion just in time and stopped.

When the carriage’s door opened, she saw Cartal. 

“Did you have a good trip?” 

He held out his hand to Serdel and glanced at Blenn, who was sitting opposite her.

He got off first and bowed his head toward Cartal.

“Did you have dinner?”

“I ate. How about you? Did you eat a lot of delicious food there?”

“Not much. My drunk sister grabbed me and forced me to dance, leaving me with nothing to eat.” 

Cartal’s brow wrinkled.

The head maid and Monem, who was standing behind him, were surprised and, with a short sigh, covered their mouths with their hands. 

“Dame Addis can’t dance, right? A long time ago, I remember when some dance teachers left, saying that it was the first time they had ever taught someone who couldn’t get better—.” 

When the head maid sneakily asked Monem, Monem coughed heavily.

Serdel’s eyes widened.

“Our master was stepped on several times in the past…”

“Stop it.”

Monem shut the head maid’s mouth.

Then she looked at Serdel with pitiful eyes. Cartal’s gaze somehow seemed to be looking at her feet.

It looks like a foot that she never stepped on.

“…You’ve worked hard.” 

“…It’s nothing.” 

Silence fell for a moment. 

To make things less awkward, Cartal turned and walked toward Blenn. 

“Take it. It’s your and your sister’s Imperial citizenship. I was going to give it to you right away, but you went outside.”

Blenn’s eyes widened a little.

“And this is an identity card.”

The citizenship was stamped with a seal symbolizing the empire along with the words that they would accept the two as citizens of the Empire. 

The mark of Count Robbesta was crafted on the ID card, and when Blenn touched it with his hands, he fell to his knees. 

Cartal seems to be trying to end it all at once.

“I recognize you as the official knight of the family.”

He even gave the knight a badge to him.

As a result, he became a citizen of the Empire and, at the same time, became a member of Count Robbesta and a knight.

He went from an escort with an uncertain identity to a full-fledged man.

“Please take care of Serdel.” 

“I’ll give my life.”

“I’ll believe you.”

With those words, Cartal entered first.

Blenn got up after being on his knees for a while. His face was flushed. 

A status window appeared above Blenn’s head.

[Edward Blaine (Blenn) – Recognized by the Count family. His luck increase, and his presence get stronger.]

“Congratulations, Blenn.”

Cerdel, who naturally looked down from the status window, congratulated him.

Blenn’s mouth was also drawn with a gentle smile.

“Thank you.” 

“Get a good rest today. And tomorrow, I’ll give you and Laura a vacation, so go get some fresh air with her. Even though you’ve seen her again after a long time, my work has kept you from spending enough time with her.”

“It’s okay, Lady.”

“You may be okay, but I’m not.”

“…Thank you.”

Yeah, with a short answer, Serdel went inside.

She handed a pocket of money to Monem, who followed her. 

“Give it to Laura. Tell her to buy something delicious with her brother.”

“Yes, I understand.”

Serdel entered her office and sat down at her desk again.

– Do you have time?

She was about to look over the papers she had seen before she left when she heard the voice of the Lord of the Wizard Tower. 

– Even if you’re busy, if you take the time to talk to me, I’ll be very happy.

It seemed like it was wrong to handle the work today.

‘Well, I was going to call you tomorrow or the day after tomorrow.”

Serdel covered the papers and took out the magic bags from the drawer instead.

“I have time.”

“Thank you.”

The Lord of the Wizard Tower, who appeared in a sparkling silver mist, put out his hand.

“What is it?”

“I have something ready for you.”

Confused, he put his hands on each other, and her view changed instantly. The destination was his laboratory.

A big table was in the middle of the still-chaotic area.

It was full of fancy food. 

“I wanted to be the first to tell you congratulations, but the Young Lady was surrounded by so many people. Oh, and now you have become the successor—it’s not Young Lady, right? What should I call you?” 

“You can call me Lord Serdel.”

“Aha, Lord Serdel. It’s cool and nice. Please sit down.”