Chapter 12
Cassion gritted his lips as he sat in the carriage returning to the royal capital. The thought of returning to the capital empty-handed weighed so heavily on him that his footsteps felt like they would dig into the ground.
He hadn’t anticipated this outcome when he first arrived in Erel. Cassion Jereiht had looked down on Iberia Oberon. She was a woman who had always readily granted his requests with a smile, so he thought this time would be no different.
‘At most, she’d just say, “Then, please give me a kiss,” while tightly clutching her skirt.’
Until now, Cassion had faithfully complied with her requests. Such skin-ship was natural for an engaged couple. He considered it part of his duties as a fiancé. In exchange for her support in securing his succession to the throne, that level of service was a cheap price.
It was incredibly good luck that such a cheaply usable piece had fallen into his hands. His mother agreed. She said it was fortunate that Iberia had fallen for him and not Lidon, and she earnestly advised him to hold onto her until the very end.
Even when he fell in love with Catherine and notified Iberia of the annulment, he wasn’t overly worried. After all, it was Iberia Oberon, wasn’t it? The woman who blushed whenever she saw him, couldn’t even make proper eye contact, and was head over heels for him. He thought if he approached and coaxed her, she’d come around easily.
‘But she’s completely changed…’
Cassion recalled Iberia looking directly at him. Thinking back, her face didn’t even seem to blush when she looked at him.
‘Does she really not like me anymore?’
It was an affection he had taken for granted as his own. Although he had never cherished that affection, having something he held in his hand taken away was naturally unpleasant.
Moreover, Iberia’s affection was strategically important. He remembered his mother’s words, who always emphasized that securing influence was paramount.
‘Cassion, do you know how many Crown Princes in the kingdom’s history have actually ascended the throne? Twice. Only twice. Many Crown Princes were pushed aside due to opposition from other princes. Of course, I intend to make you the third case.’
His mother spoke confidently, yet cautiously.
‘But you must remember this too. Becoming the Crown Prince is not the end. Until the very moment the crown is placed on your head, the throne is not yours. You must gather influence and stand at its center.’
Among the many influential families, the Oberons were a prime catch. A family possessing honor, power, strength, and money. He couldn’t afford to lose them.
The Queen had opposed Cassion’s annulment. But Cassion couldn’t give up marrying Catherine. So he boasted confidently. Even if he annulled the engagement, he could still sway Iberia’s heart, and thereby secure the Oberons.
‘It’s an affection I once had. Getting it back shouldn’t be difficult.’
* * *
With Cassion gone, peace returned. Fragrant tea, sweet cake, a warm fireplace. And I had even neatly disposed of the nonsensical person spouting nonsense right before my eyes.
Could there be a more perfect daily life? There’s nothing I absolutely must do. While I lie around idly, wasting time endlessly, no one points it out. It was a very satisfying day.
Except for one demon who was diligently tormenting my hair with his finger.
“Contractor, are you happy?”
“Yes.”
“Really? I see. The contractor is happy. Meanwhile, I’m so depressed… Must be nice, contractor, being happy……”
Harry muttered vaguely. He was actively sending signals for me to ask why he was depressed, but I had no intention of taking the bait.
‘He probably wants to talk about wanting to see blood or kill people or something like that.’
If I started responding, it was obvious he’d become a nuisance. I pretended not to hear and sipped my tea, and this time Harry began to complain exaggeratedly.
“I did it for the contractor’s happiness! I even taught that unlucky blond guy a lesson! But the contractor doesn’t even care that I’m depressed! Ah, it’s so sad, so sad! Why is my life like this!”
“I appreciate that. Thanks to you, I properly humiliated that guy.”
I recalled Cassion’s face as he was slammed to the floor and the dumbfounded faces of the knights hastily helping him up. It was a satisfying moment, even in retrospect. A happy smile naturally spread across my face. Seeing this, Harry, as if he had been waiting for it, quickly beamed and shoved his face close to mine.
“If you think so, how about giving me a reward?”
“A reward?”
“Yeah! You wouldn’t just let it slide when your pet dog did such a nice trick, right? If you have any reward ethics, you shouldn’t do that.”
“Reward ethics? Is that something a demon should say? Demons are probably the least ethical beings when it comes to rewards.”
“There must be at least one demon in the world who talks about reward ethics.”
“And that’s Harry?”
“Exactly.”
If it was demon-like to only look for ethics when it was advantageous, then that was indeed demon-like. Well, he did throw Cassion to the floor even before I asked.
‘Should I give him a reward?’
“Okay. Good job, our Harry.”
I praised Harry and reached out to pat his head. His fine silver hair slipped smoothly through my fingers.
‘Demons have good hair texture too. His skin looks incredibly smooth as well.’
I marveled and moved my hand mechanically. Harry, who had been frozen in confusion, started to widen his eyes, and soon his face turned bright red. Harry pushed my hand away and took a step back.
“What are you doing!”
“You asked for a reward, right? So I praised you and patted your head.”
“That kind of thing is a reward for a dog!”
“You said, ‘When your pet dog does a nice trick, shouldn’t you give a reward?'”
Harry’s face turned crimson and he started fuming.
“Hey, contractor, you might not know this, but I’m not the kind of demon to be treated so lightly!”
“Ah, yes, of course you aren’t.”
I nodded as if I understood and pointed to the sofa opposite.
“I get it, so why don’t you sit quietly and have some cake, Harry. It’s quite delicious.”
“What do you mean you ‘get it’? You have no idea.”
Harry grumbled but obediently sat down on the opposite sofa. He picked up a plate, shoved a piece of cake into his mouth in one go, and snorted with cream at the corner of his mouth.
“Fine. It’s my fault for expecting anything from you. Just give me more cake.”
“Alright. How about some chiffon cake?”
“…The one with strawberries on top.”
Harry made a sullen face but clearly stated his preference before turning into a dog. I swallowed a laugh and pulled the bell rope to call Emma.
Not long after, Emma arrived in the room and her eyes widened at the sight of the empty table. She looked disbelief that all five slices of cake that had been there were gone. Of course, four of the five slices had ended up in Harry’s stomach, but Emma didn’t know that. To her and the other servants, I just seemed to be a huge glutton.
But being a true professional, Emma quickly adapted to my appetite—which was actually Harry’s. She asked calmly, as if she had never been surprised.
“Do you need more cake?”
“Yes. Could you bring some chiffon cake? The whole cake, not sliced.”
“Yes.”
Emma smiled as she cleared the empty plates.
“The kitchen is a bit busy, but they’d be happy to bake a cake for you, Young Lady. Shall I bring more tea as well?”
“Please do. But is the kitchen very busy?”
“We have many guests arriving soon, so we’re in the midst of preparing ingredients. It’s a familiar annual event for us, so it’s nothing for you to worry about, Young Lady.”
“Annual event?”
“Yes. Knights from the royal capital come to clear out the Black Forest.”
The Black Forest was the vast forest bordering the north of Erel. It was also where the Black Ironwood burning crackling in my fireplace came from.
“Knights from the royal capital come just to clear a forest?”
“Ah. Since you’re not from Erel, Young Lady, you might not know.”
Emma began to explain, as if it was something so obvious to her that she assumed it would be for me too.
“You know that Wyverns live in the Black Forest, right?”
Of course I didn’t. I didn’t even know what a Wyvern was, let alone that they lived in the Black Forest. But since Emma spoke of it as such common knowledge, I could only nod as if I did. Instead, I quickly asked Harry.
[Harry, what’s a Wyvern?]
[A Wyvern? You don’t know what that is?]
[No. I’ve never seen one before.]
[Well, you said you’re from the royal capital, right? Then it would have been hard to see Wyverns. They live deep in the forests, gathering in groups.]
Harry surprisingly began to explain properly. He seemed pleased to finally show off his knowledge to me.
[They’re a type of draconic magical beast, but they’re nasty-tempered and hard to tame. They’re carnivorous, so from a human perspective, they’re natural enemies. They’re big, strong, and can even fly in the sky, so they’re hard to defeat.]
[Even for you, Harry? Is it hard for you to defeat them?]
At my question, Harry made a disbelieving face. It was an expression asking why he was being compared to such things when there was no basis for comparison.
[You seem to think very little of me, but I am the Great Archmage of Blue Flames, the Demon Theoharis!]
[Ah. Sorry. I forgot for a moment.]
[Oh, if you only forgot for a moment, then that’s a relief.]
As Harry pouted and sprawled on the sofa, Emma’s voice continued.
“When the weather starts to warm up a bit, the eggs laid by the Wyverns begin to hatch. Even the newly hatched young Wyverns are quite strong, and their growth rate is incredibly fast, so we have to destroy all the eggs before they hatch. Otherwise, their numbers increase explosively, and it becomes impossible to manage.”
“…So knights come all the way from the royal capital just to break some eggs?”
“The adult Wyverns guard the eggs in their nests, so it’s not as easy as it sounds. The manpower of Erel alone is insufficient, so we receive support from the royal family every year. If the Wyverns attack the northern trade routes, the goods supplied to the royal family would be cut off, so it’s in the royal family’s interest to help us as well.”
The royal family is helping.
‘For some reason, I feel a bit uneasy.’
Hoping my unease was unfounded, I asked Emma.
“I see. Will all the knights be staying at our mansion?”
“Yes. But they will be staying in the annex, so you likely won’t run into them, Young Lady. Ah, but *they* will be staying in the main building.”
“*They*?”
“His Highness the 1st Prince and the Royal Knight Commander.”
“…The 1st Prince and the Royal Knight Commander?”
They were two of the fish in Catherine’s harem who despised Iberia.
‘First, I drove away the Crown Prince, and now these two are coming?’
From afar, I could already hear the sound of my peace crumbling.
* * *
News arrived that the Wyvern subjugation force dispatched from the royal capital had reached Erel. The party included the 1st Prince, Lidon Jereiht, and the Royal Knight Commander, El Loitz. Dealing with just one was tiresome enough, but for two to come at once? A headache was already starting from the预感 that troublesome events were about to unfold.
The relationship between Lidon and Iberia being the worst was a well-known story, but the relationship between El Loitz and Iberia was equally rocky.
The epitome of a righteous knight, a man who worshipped law and order, a noble among nobles. All were words used to describe El Loitz. How must Iberia, who never hesitated to use any underhanded method to torment Catherine, have looked in the eyes of such a textbook-perfect knight? Moreover, he held considerable fondness for Catherine, who was as saintly, kind, and upright as could be.
‘In the novel, his attitude was almost like looking at trash, no, even worse, like looking at human scum.’
The only saving grace was that he kept those thoughts to himself and never showed any outward action. El firmly believed that protecting Ladies was a knight’s duty. From his perspective, Iberia was, after all, a Lady that a knight must protect. So, he diligently despised Iberia in his heart.
Compared to the other fish who had directly messed with Iberia, he was relatively moderate, but still, a bad relationship was a bad relationship.
‘I must stay holed up in my room and not come out. After all, that’s what I’m best at.’
Even though it’s the same main building, its scale is considerable. If I minimize my range of activity, I shouldn’t run into them. I vowed to stay barricaded in my room and nodded vigorously.
