During my travels, I met many people.
It was only natural, considering the sheer volume of places I had been to.
In the past few years, I had traversed more territories of the Empire than I had not. Sometimes, I even ventured outside the Empire, forming relationships and exchanging help with various individuals.
I had visited every Duke’s Family, and I had connections with the Imperial Family as well. It was hardly surprising. If a talent of the Knights Order, as valuable as a vice commander, suddenly appeared out of nowhere, any nation would naturally seek assistance.
“Ah, Dad, really this time it wasn’t my fault—”
“Wilhelm von Brandenburg. Do not test my patience.”
“Yes.”
However, the moment I heard the reference to the Imperial Family and the Duke’s Family, I could easily pinpoint two specific places.
The Imperial Family and the Duke’s Family of Pomerania.
The reason they immediately came to mind was simple. Among those I had formed relationships with, if both the Duke’s Family and the Imperial Family were mentioned, it could only be them.
My father, looking like he might shoot lasers from his eyes due to the stress he had been under, had me at a loss for words. Though I was of a youthful age and had indeed become entangled with various women during my travels (I can firmly state, however, that I had never engaged in any intimate relationships), those two held a somewhat special significance. They were the only ones among those I had contracts with who were daughters of noble families and dealt directly with me.
Their common trait was that they would inflate the deposit amount to a terrifying degree to keep me tied down. Perhaps my services were to their liking. Personally, I felt a sense of pride, but if I had to do that twice, I would definitely decline.
‘The atmosphere was quite intimidating, those two.’
As I was dragged along by my father, held firmly in his grasp by some invisible force, I pondered why they had sent someone after me.
I had certainly been doing well and had introduced high-ranking knights and mercenary groups, so they wouldn’t have been dissatisfied with my abilities. Though they might have acted rudely, I also had some dignity; I had trained those who had undergone physical education (in a very direct way), so they wouldn’t have been excessively rude.
…Or perhaps I had exposed my past favors?
“Is that really it…?”
“What?”
“Never mind!”
Yes, they certainly were individuals with solid skills and assured character (I had sent away anyone who was not). But how could it be that such individuals only surrounded me?
Even so, the reason I had introduced them was due to a written agreement that a portion of their earnings would be sent to me upon receiving payment. I mean, I had to make a living, didn’t I?
That said, I hadn’t done a shoddy job—I had surely introduced individuals who would far exceed the expected standards.
“We must be arriving soon.”
Just as I was deep in thought, my father’s voice jolted me back to reality.
“Get ready now.”
“Ready? For what?”
My father smirked with one corner of his mouth twitching upwards as he looked at me.
“Do you have any idea how long your mother has been waiting for this?”
In an instant, my vision blacked out.
This was my future.
“WIL—HELM CAL—HO—EN—BERN!”
The figure pointing at me was unmistakably my mother.
–
It didn’t take long for me to escape from my mother’s furious grasp (this is not a metaphor, her eyes were genuinely blazing with anger). Rather than her anger resolving quickly, it was more that guests had already arrived, and she couldn’t hold onto me for too long.
Perhaps that was why most of her slaps landed on my back. Even with my knightly physique, my back felt hot; I couldn’t fathom how my older brothers had survived this.
…Or was it simply that she didn’t hold back with me because I was a knight?
Shaking off the sudden onslaught of red ointment, I opened the door to the parlor. There were two guests seated at a table, enjoying tea with my eldest brother.
“Oh, Maximilian! Long time no see.”
“Enough chit-chat, sit down quickly.”
My brother, likely nervous from dealing with such high-ranking guests, welcomed me while breaking into a cold sweat. I hurried to sit down in place of my brother, feeling a bit guilty.
“They are from the Imperial Family and the Duke’s Family of Pomerania.”
I bowed deeply as instructed and sized up the guests. The person representing the Imperial Family was obscured by a cloak pulled tightly over their face, but that was to be expected. It was not unusual for this family to operate in secrecy. Judging by the Imperial brooch, they were indeed part of the Imperial Family.
After offering a respectful bow, I turned to the person next to them.
“Georg! It’s been a while. It’s good to see you.”
It was Georg, the firstborn son of the Duke of Pomerania and my buddy since childhood. We had maintained a close relationship over the years, sharing the commonality of being knights, making him the person I contacted the most frequently outside of family (though that only amounted to two or three times a year).
“Indeed, it has been a while.”
While we exchanged greetings with a sound of clapping hands, Georg didn’t seem particularly thrilled.
Noticing the dark circles under his eyes, it was clear he was exhausted. If a knight was that worn out, there must have been some intense training going on.
“Well, I can’t say it’s a pleasure. Do you know how much I’ve suffered because of Freya?”
“Freya?”
Although she had caused a ruckus trying to catch me at the end, my memory of her was of a calm and composed girl. It was surprising to hear that someone who seemed so gentle could act otherwise.
“Yeah, when you ran away without a word, she went on a rampage, demanding we bring you back. Do you get how nobody could stop her until Father scolded her?”
“Uh, seriously?”
Well, considering I had just thrown in my resignation and bolted, it made sense for her to be upset.
But I had my side of the story too.
“Hold on, I did say I was only staying for three months and even set up a three-month contract! I left because the contract was over, so how is that my fault?”
“That’s obviously—agh, seriously!”
Georg seemed to have something to say but ultimately held back his words. Judging by his reluctance to speak, it didn’t seem that important.
“Anyway, I didn’t come here because I had business with you; I have something to pass on from my father.”
He quickly composed himself and handed me an envelope. I was flabbergasted that Georg came all this way for something so trivial, but then I caught sight of something I shouldn’t have seen.
“Uh…?”
The seal bore the Duke of Pomerania’s emblem. In other words, this was a summons not as a friend but as a Duke.
If it were someone else, especially someone who had never encountered a Duke’s request, it wouldn’t have been a big deal. They’d only ever received letters sent in the Duke’s capacity.
But for someone like me, with a personal connection, it was an entirely different matter.
Typically, when someone with whom you have a friendship calls upon you using their title, it signifies one of two scenarios. Either there’s a transactional business matter at hand or they’re trying to leverage their position to pressure someone. While it’s true the Duke had recently gained some notoriety, he wouldn’t summon the likes of me for a business deal—there must be something I had seriously messed up.
‘Did I actually do something wrong?’
With trembling hands, I broke the seal and opened the letter.
The contents were short and to the point.
[Come to Pomerania. Right now.]
Chills ran down my spine.
I could feel a cold shiver creeping up my back. This was clearly a threat. Well, it probably wasn’t too severe. If it were a grave matter, the commander of the Knights Order would have come instead. My father and mother wouldn’t have been so gentle either.
…But thinking back, it seemed like my mother hadn’t been gentle at all.
“Do I need to leave right away?”
“Well, Father said to do so,” Georg replied.
But that only made me feel more anxious.
There’s a saying: if a friend suddenly calls out your full name, you’re really in trouble.
Although the Duke didn’t use my name, a person who had always called me by a nickname now addressed me through formal titles. I was completely at a loss for what was happening.
Was there really a pressing reason they needed to drag me in?
“Sigh, then Georg, as soon as you guys are ready—”
“No.”
At that moment, the cloaked figure spoke up. Perhaps they had cast a spell, as their voice resonated low and ominously.
“Sir Wilhelm must go with us. Unfortunately, it seems we can’t head to Pomerania just yet.”
Whoever they were, Georg frowned at their response.
“I don’t know who you are, but the Duke summoned him directly. No matter how royal, unless His Majesty himself requests it, the Duke’s summons should take precedence, right?”
However, the royal figure didn’t budge in response to Georg’s statement. Casually taking a sip from their teacup, they paused before speaking again.
“You’re correct.”
The royal then set down their cup and pulled out an envelope from their robe. Both Georg and I couldn’t help but widen our eyes in astonishment.
“And that’s exactly what I’m trying to convey to you.”
The seal on the envelope was unmistakably marked with the Emperor’s insignia.
“His Majesty has summoned you, Sir Wilhelm.”
The Emperor wanted to see me? That was utterly bewildering.
In my humble position, why on earth would the Emperor be concerned with me? Sure, I had done various tasks, but there were plenty of others who also did similar things. Of course, I may have been the only one who had done all of them, but that didn’t seem like such a big deal.
Crawling around, barely managing to complete some knightly duties, I found myself in a bit of a predicament.
“They say His Majesty wants to see the face of some brat who’s been running around without even a proper coming-of-age ceremony or an audience with the Emperor, causing his parents grief.”
“Ah.”
“Ah.”
Come to think of it, my engagement party had been planned to coincide with my coming-of-age ceremony and my debut into society. Usually, such ceremonies for the scions of esteemed families were officiated by none other than the Emperor himself.
And I had pulled a disappearing act right before that.
It seemed there was no choice but to comply.
Georg couldn’t even muster a nod in disagreement.
—
Departure was immediately set for the next morning. Georg was to face a lengthy reprimand from Mother for daring to visit after so long, but thanks to the royal summons, I could just hightail it from home.
The royal family had insisted on returning to the capital quickly, which prevented any prolonged stay.
I didn’t need to pack anything. After years of living as a wanderer, all I had was my gear and some emergency rations.
This time, however, I had no choice but to ride.
While I was fine trekking, the members of the royal entourage rode in a carriage and mounted horses. It wasn’t exactly a good look for me to be wandering about on foot while they were all mounted. Besides, this journey didn’t seem to require such a frantic pace.
The Emperor summoned me, but that was merely for a fleeting appearance. It didn’t seem like any urgent matters needed addressing.
“Alright then, let’s check on the condition of our horses after a long time~”
As I hummed a little tune, pondering which horse to ride, a member of the royal maid staff called out to me.
“Sir Wilhelm.”
“Yes?”
“Please come this way.”
“Um, I’m sort of in the process of selecting my horse…”
The maid shook her head at my response.
“No, that’s not necessary.”
“Ah, yes.”
I didn’t dare comment on how absurd that sounded. If a royal maid said so, then that was that.
Despite being a maid, she was no ordinary staff member. A royal maid wouldn’t just be assigned to anyone. Given her position close to the royals, she likely hailed from a family with some reputation.
I didn’t have any inheritances from my father’s fief or title; I planned to live by whims as a knight until my older brother succeeded Father and I was honored with a promotion to commander of the Knights Order. Treating her disrespectfully wasn’t an option.
I followed her obediently.
“Please step inside.”
She stopped in front of a carriage adorned with luxurious embellishments.
“…If I’m not mistaken, wouldn’t this be a carriage meant for very high-ranking officials in the royal family?”
“That’s correct. It’s a six-horse coach permitted only for nobles of Duke rank and above.”
Her answer caused my brain to buffer, struggling to process the implication.
So, someone inside that carriage was of equal rank to a Duke, or perhaps even deserving of greater honors?
Yet, as far as I could recall, only the Emperor, the Empress, and their noble offspring received such treatment among the royals.
As that thought settled in, my cheek twitched uncontrollably. My lips quivered slightly.
There was no reason for the Emperor to be present here. Nor the Empress, for that matter. The Crown Prince was always busy, and the Emperor’s other children were far too significant to be summoned for a minor event like my appearance.
That left only one possible visitor who could warrant such an effort.
With a sound like a trumpet, the carriage door swung open. The royal figure cloaked in shadow was revealed.
“What are you doing? Hurry up and get in.”
The princess of the Hofburg Imperial Family had come all this way chasing after me.
Tossing her long silver hair, she shot me a sidelong glare.
Unlike my mother, I felt a different kind of pressure building up in my throat.
“Hurry up, get in.”
The maid shoved me into the carriage.
“Wait, just a moment—”
*Thud.*
Before I could react, I was swiftly pushed inside the carriage, and the door slammed shut. In the not-so-spacious interior, it was just the princess and me left.
She glared at me with piercing eyes.
What was I to do now?
Even though this luxurious carriage was the pinnacle of craftsmanship, equipped with cutting-edge technologies, I felt like a butterfly caught in a spider’s web.
“We certainly have a lot to discuss, don’t we?”
The Emperor’s second daughter, Maria Hofburg, a spider with a name, was fixing me in her sights.
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