Chapter 3: The Final Straw
In front of the office where Duke Aselton resides, Edwina placed her hand on the door and spoke with a polite attitude.
“Young Master, I will knock now.”
“Alright. Go ahead.”
“I will really knock.”
“Edwina, should I do it instead?”
“…No, I’ll do it.”
The statement “If you don’t do it, I will” was still strong here. Edwina fidgeted with her fingertips, bit her lower lip slightly, and took a deep breath. Only then did she manage to knock on the door.
Knock, knock.
I watched Edwina’s back closely.
“Will he be able to hear it?”
“…”
“Try knocking a bit louder.”
It seemed she couldn’t bring herself to knock louder. Instead of knocking, Edwina chose to slightly open her mouth and speak. Her bead-like eyes continually darted between the office door and me.
“Uh, Your Grace. The Young Master wishes to see you.”
My father, Duke Aselton, responded in a clear voice.
“Come in.”
“Young master, then I shall leave.”
“Bring the maid in as well.”
Edwina suddenly stopped moving. Her expression remained indifferent, but her complexion turned pale.
Her pink lips trembled, showing she was extremely nervous. Indeed, visiting high-ranking people was always a daunting task. I comforted the trembling Edwina, who seemed like a duckling tossed into a storm.
“Don’t worry. Father won’t pay much attention to you.”
“Young Master…”
Warmth began to appear on Edwina’s previously cold face. Her bead-like eyes were filled with warmth.
“He’ll be too busy being angry at me to pay attention to you.”
“Young Master!”
She quickly dried up like a drop of water thrown onto a sandy desert. Still, the gloomy atmosphere dissipated. I stepped back and opened the office door myself.
The first impression was… smaller than expected?
Upon entering, the small room had several windows. Bright and clean natural light poured through the bars, illuminating the room. Thanks to this, the neatly and stylishly arranged furniture seemed to absorb the sunlight, creating a bright atmosphere.
In the middle of the room was a desk, with extinguished candles, a long piece of charcoal, and a stack of papers neatly arranged on it.
Duke Aselton let out a small sigh and placed the piece of charcoal he had been holding on the side.
“Narva, you’ve come because you have something to discuss.”
Although the duke tried to maintain a strong appearance, it was useless. His eyes were more troubling than his sigh. The eyes, which should have greeted visitors with firmness and resolve, were subtly looking elsewhere.
He probably guessed the reason for my visit. It’s not that he was not unaware of the rumors, he just had not actively sought them out by asking around.
It was clear that Duke Aselton knew this marriage arrangement was not normal.
“Your Grace, since you hold me to the duties of a noble, I shall act accordingly.”
“Is that so?”
“However, please tell me the valid reason for advancing this marriage, as if you are selling off your youngest son.”
“That is none of your concern.”
The response was as cold as ice, enough to make Edwina, who had followed, flinch. Hmm, it was a reaction I somewhat expected. After all, what would a twelve-year-old know?
Medieval people did not consider children as capable of understanding or being persuaded. But I had my own methods of persuasion.
“Then I will examine her body.”
“What?”
“Regarding the daughter of Yubas. After the marriage, as the husband, I have the right to verify if I have maintained my fidelity. By examining her body, we can determine if the rumors are true.”
“Are you out of your mind? To do such a thing to Yubas’s daughter?”
“If Your Grace cannot persuade me, I will seek the evidence for my own satisfaction.”
The provocation was highly effective. Duke Aselton was not the type to overlook his son’s indecency. The eyes that had been elsewhere now burned fiercely with anger directed at me.
“How dare you intimidate your father!”
“Intimidation is what Yubas is doing. Are we dealing with a marriage alliance under duress?”
It was truly a critical situation. Duke Aselton shoved his chair aside and stood up, ready to unfasten his belt at any moment. He seemed prepared to use a whip rather than slap.
However, it appeared he despised yubas more than the insolent son making unreasonable demands. Duke Aselton’s flushed face turned pale. He slumped back into his chair as if collapsing onto it.
“…It’s not without merit. Although they act outrageously, the rumors contain some truth.”
“That’s something only you, Father, can tell me.”
“Would you be able to understand?”
“I just wish to share some of your burden.”
It’s often more admirable to witness someone who, despite occasionally acting unpleasantly, is sincere, than to encounter someone who only acts sweet. After a moment of hesitation, Duke Aselton spoke in a subdued voice, sharing various details. It didn’t feel like a real conversation.
Duke Aselton’s lengthy lamentation resembled more of a complaint than an insightful opinion.
But by the end of the Duke’s long-winded complaints, I was able to reach a conclusion.
“This marriage alliance must be canceled.”
It wasn’t because I wanted to avoid responsibility, but for strategic reasons.
***
I mistook my dream of possession for a game I often played.
Fantasy Monarch.
It was essentially a medieval historical simulation with a slight fantasy element, allowing for various intellectual evasions. It was truly a wise approach. Among the many recent game developers, this one excelled in making excuses.
In response to recent controversies in the gaming world, some use ‘historical accuracy’ as an argument, while others defend the game’s quality by invoking ‘fantasy’ elements. They often respond to user complaints with, ‘If you don’t like the game, then stop playing it.’
Sadly, there was no alternative to Fantasy Monarch.
Fantasy Monarch was an RPG-style game where players became lords in a medieval fantasy world, involving elements of strategy. It was clearly a game that no capital or companies wanted to invest in, as it was suited to a limited audience.
Instead, it gained a cult following because its gameplay allowed players to engage in cunning political maneuvers. This was most pronounced in multiplayer mode, contrasting with the more restrained single-player AI.
From my experience, Yubas was a particularly vile character.
“Yubas not only uses us as a shield but also seeks to strip away our family’s honor and bloodline.”
“…Is there a reason you think so?”
“If you permit, I’d like to explain using a map.”
“Go ahead.”
The map was at the bottom of a pile of sturdy papers. Compared to modern maps, it was crude. There were no contour lines or proper symbols, and of course, it wasn’t surveyed, the coastline was jagged, and there was no scale, making it a mess.
It was decent enough for reference, though not without its flaws.
“Surrounding Yubas are four duchies, including ours. The individual forces are small, but each has deep-rooted noble backgrounds. The trust of the locals and centuries-old family connections are assets that Yubas lacks.”
Nobles take pride in their differences from commoners. They are not the sort to easily accept outsiders. Naturally, the local noble cartel thoroughly excluded Yubas.
“However, we are not receiving support from the other duchies because Yubas have specifically targeted us. Using their overwhelming military power, they’re intimidating us.”
Instead of dealing with multiple adversaries, Yubas target just one. This is an effective strategy against a fragmented alliance. When a group focuses on a single threat, they often feel reassured and are thus more likely to remain passive.
It seemed that Duke Aselton had experienced this reality painfully, as he rubbed his face with both hands.
“Narva. Noble honor is ultimately just a facade. When someone bares their teeth, it quickly becomes a mirage.”
“What if this is a scheme to sow discord?”
“…A discord?”
Yubas is a capable individual. To surpass established families built by ancestors, one must possess superior skills, be it in strength or cunning.
“It is natural to target the weaker side rather than face a formidable opponent. If Yubas raises an army to conquer the duchies that do not recognize him, what will happen to us?”
Having said this, Duke Aselton seemed to realize.
An overwhelmingly strong opponent was less pressing. Instead, the smaller, troublesome foes were more infuriating, akin to how a meddlesome sister-in-law is worse than a mother-in-law.
When Yubas embarks on serious conquests, the anger directed at Yubas will also be directed at us. And Yubas would likely watch idly as his enemies are distracted.
“I understand your concern. However, it is unnecessary worry. Even if there are disconcerting rumors, Yubas is still a noble. He would not neglect his alliance…”
“There’s more to gain by not helping an alliance than by helping it. Therefore, it is unnecessary.”
I don’t know Yubas’s ultimate goal. What’s important is that he has an intention to expand. Whether he plans to take everything for himself or just to make us vassals isn’t clear, but his intent is evident in this marriage arrangement.
“yubas will either wish for the death of you, my father, my brothers, and my nephews, or drag this out until that happens. Alternatively, he might hope for the fall of the nation, using me—bound to his daughter—as a means to seize everything.”
“…it could be to that extent?”
Even though he tries to dismiss it, Duke Aselton seems quite shocked. He clenched his chin and furrowed his brows in disbelief. This is the opportunity. I decided to drive the point home.
“The reason they are attaching a pregnant woman to the alliance is likely because of this.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“To ensure a legitimate heir in case I die before seeing my offspring, wouldn’t it be wise to have a child who can claim the rightful position?”
– In Fantasy Monarch, merely raising an army doesn’t guarantee unthinking conquest.
One needs to claim rights to the land or provide a grand justification to make conquest possible. This is necessary for the locals to accept a new ruler peacefully. Players often agonized over how to gain such justification.
The method they came up with was shockingly ruthless.
In a society where monogamy and illegitimate children are seen as sins, one player found a groundbreaking solution after struggling with a daughter who became pregnant before marriage:
[Marry off her to target’s child, and then claim the land using the child’s name!]
First, use the child’s name to seize the land. Next, invoke the guardian’s name to take the land. If they resist, just decapitate them, since they are not my bloodline. This way, I protect the family’s honor, increase land and wealth, and marry off my daughter—all in one stroke.
Upon hearing this plan, Duke Aselton sighed deeply.
“Narva. Even if what you say is true, Yubas would consider our refusal as an insult to his honor and would invade.”
The plight of a powerless country is such. Duke Aselton hung his head in despair, uttering groans of distress. It must be an overwhelming situation. However, this method has a fatal flaw.
I conveyed this fact to Duke Aselton, who seemed distant from such schemes.
“This elaborate and large-scale scheme can be easily disrupted. Ultimately, if we can only induce a cancellation, this scheme can be simply thwarted.”
“Yubas will be aware of this and will try to interfere…”
Duke Aselton’s concern is valid. Such schemes usually wouldn’t lead to a cancellation easily. They’d make every effort to prevent it, given the elaborate setup.
But the success of a scheme depends on swiftness and being unreadable. Given the time needed and how it can be anticipated, thwarting this plot is actually quite simple.
“I have a countermeasure. An extreme strategy that could induce a cancellation by making it known who the unborn child belongs to. However, avoiding the marriage might be unavoidable.”
“…”
I gave Duke Aselton a confident smile while observing his worried expression. Fortunately, Duke Aselton seemed deeply impressed by my thoughts and arguments.
“I thought you only played around with a bright smile.”
Given that I was playing around was a fact I couldn’t deny…
“But you have a deep strategy capable of deceiving even a father. Proceed as you wish. If you need help, you may use my name.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
“It would be better to address me as ‘father.’ If a low-ranking noble dared to act against me like this, I would have had them executed.”
“Yes, Father.”
I immediately changed the form of address. Duke Aselton then smiled, shaking his head.
“You’re quite cunning.”
***
Only after leaving the office did Edwina, who had been silent, finally speak up.
“Young Master, I must say, I am genuinely surprised.”
“I told you, he’ll be too busy being angry at me to pay attention to you.”
Even if the body is this way, the heart is still that of a man. I’ve learned not to use the word ‘must’ carelessly. With a confident shrug, I noticed Edwina’s eyes, usually stern like a scolding teacher’s, softening with a faint smile.
“The Young Master’s insight and confidence in expressing opinions to His Grace are impressive.”
As Edwina’s usually stern face broke into a faint smile, she added with a slightly trembling voice:
“I trust you’re not actually planning to cut open the belly, are you?”
“Haha, why would I cut open the belly?”
Why would I throw someone, who has done nothing wrong, into the path of a medieval surgical knife?
Edwina’s thoughts now seem a bit chilling.
Moreover, there’s an important reason:
“Cutting open the belly means war.”
“Pardon?”
“Hmm?”
The response was somewhat odd. As I looked at Edwina, she had turned her head away slightly.
