Chapter 179. Childhood Friend – General
The lord’s castle was steeped in gloom.
Just as the castle had regained its liveliness with the recovery of the Marchioness Sierra, it was shrouded in silence again when Lady Harriet Guidan fell ill.
Harriet wept for days and nights on the blood-soaked stone bridge, clutching the mortally wounded Phalas.
The shock was so overwhelming that she failed to recognize her mother, losing focus in her eyes just as her mother had during the incident.
The Marchioness never left her daughter’s side, her appearance growing more haggard from tending to Harriet, who would wake up screaming even in her sleep.
“I think wearing the bracelet is a good idea,” Lev concluded after some contemplation. “We should take credit from the Marquis for treating Lady Sierra, but in this state, it’s neither here nor there.”
Lev made a rapid decision, but Prince Leo de Yeriel sitting at the desk wore a conflicted expression. Only one of the Barbatos bracelets remained.
Although limited and only effective for eliciting temporary goodwill, it was a precious item that could turn situations around depending on its use. And Leo had already designated its use.
Leo regretted that the plan had gone somewhat awry and said, “…Alright. It can’t be helped. I’ll manage Count Ogerton somehow. Go and cast the charm.”
Knock Knock.
Lev went to Lady Harriet Guidan’s room. “Come in,” a weak voice granted permission, and he stepped inside.
In the room adorned with sky-blue curtains were Harriet and the Marchioness. Harriet sat on the bed, staring blankly out the window, while Lady Sierra’s eyes were red as if she had been crying.
“Is there something wrong? Is the prince looking for me?” Harriet asked without strength.
Lev did not answer. He approached silently, sitting beside Lady Sierra near the bed. Normally, this behavior would warrant punishment, but the Marchioness let Lev be. Strangely, seeing him made her soften her solid resolve.
“Please don’t worry too much,” Lev said, hiding his bracelet-adorned left hand behind his back. “As you have done, the young lady will also recover. It just takes time for the heart’s wounds to heal.”
Lev needed to make eye contact. He gently reached out and took Harriet’s hand, pulling it as her head turned, and shattered the hidden orb behind his back.
“Be strong.”
[Achievement: The Man Who Melted Harriet Guidan’s Heart – Obtained Weak Affection from Harriet Guidan.]
The expected dramatic change did not occur. Unlike Lady Sierra, who had mistaken Lev for her son and bawled, Harriet did not display an overt reaction.
She blankly stared at Lev, then a tear rolled down. That was all.
Lev returned Harriet’s hand to Lady Sierra and quietly left the room. Through the slit of the door, he saw the Marchioness hugging her daughter, sobbing.
Lev wondered where the necklace coveted by Barbatos had gone but decided, ‘…She must have put it somewhere,’ and forgot about it.
* * *
The Marquis of Guidan, Harvey Guidan, arrived two days later.
He rushed to the castle upon hearing that his wife had regained consciousness. Exhausted from a three-week forced march, he burst through the front gate and went straight to find his wife.
“My dear! You…!”
The Marquis embraced his wife warmly. Despite the chill of his clothes, the Marchioness didn’t mind, burying herself into her husband’s embrace and shedding tears.
“I’m sorry. If only I hadn’t asked for the blessing…”
“It’s not your fault. Never.”
The Marquis caressed his wife’s cheek, wiping away her tears with his thumb while the attending servants turned their nose up.
The couple, both now just shadows of their former selves, held on tight. The Marquis, a tall man like a scarecrow, and the woefully emaciated Marchioness couldn’t part from each other. Neither mentioned it, but both carried the grief of their deceased son in their hearts.
“My dear. Come with me. There is someone I need to introduce to you.”
“Just a little longer… let me hold you a bit longer.”
How much he had longed for this. How tough it must have been to endure alone.
Trying to forget their dead son and his fallen wife, the Marquis had buried himself in work. It pained him to see his daughter resembling his late wife more and more each day. He had struggled to suppress his emotions, pretending to be a cold nobleman.
The Marquis tried to hold his wife’s slender waist again, but Lady Sierra gently urged him to meet the person.
“I won’t go anywhere. I’ll hold you as much as you want later. But now, we need to meet someone.”
“…Alright. Please lead me to the prince. But how is Harriet?”
“She has improved a lot. This way.”
The prince was in the drawing room. Though he was a prince, it was improper for a guest to welcome the host in their room, so he had waited there for a long time while the Marquis and Marchioness paid their respects together.
“It is an honor to meet you. Prince Leo de Yeriel. I have heard all about you.”
“It is my pleasure to meet the shield of the Orun Kingdom, Marquis of the borderlands. I hope I am not interrupting your reunion.”
“Your humility is overwhelming. Had it not been for you, I would not be able to find such joy today.”
“Haha. Thank you for saying that. But I must give credit where it’s due. It wasn’t I who helped the Marchioness, but my close friend and escort knight, Lev.”
There was a brief exchange of compliments.
As is usually the case with meetings between royals and nobles of different countries, they carefully observed the proper etiquette. Eventually, the Marchiones Sierra fulfilled her role as the hostess.
“Oh my- look at me. I will prepare some simple refreshments. Please continue with your conversation.”
It was customary for men, whether royals or nobles of this era, to take a step back for a noble lady or young mistress.
The Marchioness created a break by making a joke, ending the endless exchange of pleasantries. The prince, as the guest, and the marquess, as the host, could both take their seats without the need for further prompting.
“So… what is it that you seek from me, Your Highness?”
The Marquis asked directly without beating around the bush. Having already decided to offer his help, he had no intention of probing the prince’s true intentions.
Leo, after a brief pause, replied.
“I need an army.”
The marquess stifled a sigh that was about to escape. It was the strongest demand among the requests he had anticipated.
“I figured as much. However, I cannot achieve your reinstatement as a prince on my own. Unless there is a faction within the Conrad Kingdom that supports you.”
“No. I am not asking because I wish to become a prince of the Conrad Kingdom.”
Then why in the world would he need an army?
The Marquis raised a puzzled eyebrow, and Leo glanced at Lev standing behind him and continued.
“I intend to become the king of this kingdom of Orun.”
“…I apologize, but what do you mean by that…?”
Leo leaned forward. Before the marchioness returned, he quickly got to the point.
“I have heard that the Marquis of Guidan is currently in quite a difficult situation. The princes are pressuring you to marry off your daughter, and the Count of the Borderlands failed to betroth her to the Duke of Tartan from our Conrad Kingdom.”
“W-Wait a moment. How do you…”
“Can you handle it? Or will you slowly decline, pledging loyalty to those young, mad princes?”
The sound of the marchioness’s footsteps grew louder. Leo lowered his voice accordingly.
“I can be a good alternative for you. I bet your close friend, ‘Marquis Drageen,’ might think the same. Ah, come in. We’ve been waiting.”
“Was the wait long? These are freshly baked from this morning. I hope they suit your taste, Your Highness.”
“Haha. I have already tasted them many times, but they are always delicious. My Lady.”
Leo got up from his seat.
Receiving the tray from the marchioness who personally brought the refreshments, he switched the topic to trivial matters as if he hadn’t had any conversation of substance.
“You taught my sister how to cook and even the etiquette… Thanks to your thoughtfulness, she is spending her days lacklessly.”
His sudden thanks were a signal. The marchioness understood the prince’s intention and returned the favor with gratitude, as if attempting to commend her husband.
“Oh my… I only did what I ought to do as a benefactor.”
It took quite a long time for the Marquis of Guidan to return to the main topic.
They talked about topics like the imminent war between the Kingdom of Belita and the Kingdom of Astin or the succession ceremony of the Orun Kingdom, ‘Akine,’ which was speculated to be held early next summer…
Leo de Yeriel changed the subject several times while the Marchioness of Sierra was present. When the marchioness discreetly excused herself, he had already indirectly conveyed all he wanted to say.
Lev, standing quietly behind, blushed at Leo’s shameless eloquence.
I feel embarrassed for him.
* * *
The next day, Lev left the lord’s castle.
Persuading the marquess seemed unnecessary for him, and though the marquess hadn’t yet given a definitive answer, he felt it was okay to leave it to Prince Leo.
So Lev headed south of the Orun Kingdom to gather the barbarians.
He was disappointed that his younger sister, Lena, bid him farewell with a peculiar bluntness, but he rode his horse Kuss up and down the hill road. Along the way, he couldn’t help but think of Leah
Has Leah arrived well?
It was frustrating to leave the village without seeing his friend, whom he had met after so many years, more often. He hadn’t had much conversation with his mother, whom he met for the first time, and he didn’t have time to share a drink with his father, who had become more talkative.
To become a king, he had left everything behind.
– Clop-clop.
The broad-hoofed Kuss ran well along the snow-covered forest path.
In fact, Kuss was a breed more suited for farming than horseback riding, but Lev had taken a liking to him.
Not quick-witted like Bante.
‘I wonder where Bante is doing well. No, he’s someone who doesn’t need my concern. Woody would’ve become a farming horse by now…’
Lev tried to clutter his mind with idle thoughts. And on one winter day, cold enough to be unbearable, he reached a barbarian village.
“Who are you!”
It was a fairly large tribe surrounded by a high stockade. Five young barbarians guarding the main gate stopped Lev in sharp voices.
“I am not a suspicious person. I have come to see the leader of the ‘Dwiner tribe’.”
“Who are you?”
When asked if he had the ‘qualifications,’ Lev momentarily froze. He finally realized that he was being tested and swallowed his tension.
Do I have the qualifications to become a king?
To raise his own banner over the vast land and to rule over millions of subjects, honorable knights, and noble aristocrats, he had to show fitting actions as a ruler.
If he couldn’t even handle the five young men before him…
He would have no qualifications.
It would be better to understand his situation and think, as Minseo had done so far, of how to marry Leah off to a prince. Miserably.
‘That cannot happen. Never.’
Lev gritted his teeth. Now he had to become a great royalty – no, a hero of the barbarians, and so he lifted his head high.
Endless self-assurance and arrogance.
The young men took hesitant steps back at his transformed demeanor.
[ Quest: Warmonger 10000/10000 – {Leadership} ability level increased. ]
[ Quest: Noble Slayer 50/50 – {Nobility} ability level increased. ]
[ Quest: Rebel 10/10 – {Royal Blood} ability level increased. ]
“I am the one who will become your general.”
And further, become a king.
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