“Kyle, that arrogant brat is coming back?”
“Yes. According to the carrier pigeons sent by the sentinels, he should be arriving here sometime today.”
At the marquis’s flickering gaze, the Bojwagan involuntarily swallowed dryly. Lately, this old noble’s baseless hysterics had increased.
“Hah! What on earth is that guy still coming back for? To look for his dead mother? Has he found someone to back him up?”
“Well… as you said, Lord Kyle has company.”
“What? Who?”
“The Grand Prince of the Republic of Lepent. The one recently known as the ‘Red N.’ Along with Lady Tessa of the Lindelway family from Arian.”
“Why is this only being told to me now?!”
Smack!
The marquis suddenly threw a wine glass, which struck the Bojwagan’s teeth.
This wasn’t the first time something like this happened, but today was especially unlucky. Usually, he barely hit his mark, but today it was right between the teeth. Still, it was a relief that the glass had been replaced with an unbreakable one beforehand.
“Kuuk, I-I’m sorry, my lord.”
The most frustrating part was that this report wasn’t new. They had talked about it some time ago, but the marquis dismissed it as a useless statue story.
Was he planning to erect a huge golden statue resembling himself?
But judging by his current state, it seemed he didn’t remember it either. The marquis’s memory wasn’t as good as it used to be lately.
“You stupid fool! If it’s the Red N, isn’t he that famous rogue from Lepent? And he’s coming with that kid? This will seriously disgrace the Riberton family’s honor. Has Kyle lost his mind?!”
“The Grand Prince Glenn and the Knights of Glenn have supposedly cleaned up several bandit groups on the way here. Thanks to that, the locals are quite fond of them.”
“Bandit groups? Those bastards are still in my domain?”
“… Yes, my lord, you did not order a full-scale purge.”
“Hmph! You want me to disband the mercenaries I paid good money for because of some enemy scum? What if the Empire crawls in during that time?!”
It began again.
The expressions of those in the study darkened automatically. It wasn’t the first time the marquis spouted baseless paranoia like this.
One of the knights waiting stepped forward.
He was the captain of the Riberton Knights—the only knightly unit in the domain.
“My lord, there is no sign that the Empire intends to invade the Riberton Domain. Therefore, I suggest sending mercenaries to drive out the bandits. These scoundrels must not be allowed to stay.”
“Are you serious? You want to pull back the mercenaries because of those petty thieves? Not only the Empire, but Lepent, Arian — even those damn barbarians — are constantly eyeing this place!”
“But, my lord…”
“Silence! If you have any concerns, get out of my sight at once!”
The knight grimaced and left the study.
The marquis always reacted this way whenever bandits were mentioned. Early on, those enemies could be easily suppressed, but thanks to this, their forces had fearsomely grown.
There were even rumors that they had begun collecting taxes from the residents.
“Bojwagan, what happened to the orders I gave earlier?”
“… As you instructed, we are currently investigating the cause of the recent unstable slave supply.”
“What I asked was what the cause is, you stupid brat! You haven’t figured it out yet?”
Damn it, it was only two days ago. The Bojwagan cursed inwardly but managed to respond.
“Apologies. There are so many possible factors that it takes some time to consider, my lord.”
“Incompetent fool! I told you this before. It’s the Emperor’s plot! Do you think the Empire has only once or twice targeted my family’s businesses? That’s why I told you to focus on this!”
Recently, the slave supply had become unstable, making the slave trade far from what it used to be. Given this report, the marquis’s suspicion naturally fell on the Emperor. Of course, there was no concrete evidence. It was merely his intuition.
But it was indeed strange.
The war within the Empire still raged on, and the northern regions overflowed with bandits. Naturally, there should be plenty of people to enslave. Even gathering lowly beggars would suffice to meet demand.
Yet it wasn’t enough—far from it.
It was as if someone had swept through, making beggars hard to find in every city and village.
If the marquis was right, the Emperor was behind this. But for what purpose would the Emperor be gathering northern slaves?
Of course, the marquis himself didn’t know the exact reason.
“But, your grace, suspecting His Majesty the Emperor without cause could cause a huge backlash…”
“This is Riberton! Here, whether it’s the Emperor or a goddess, they’re all under me. Here, I am the law, and I am the Emperor!”
The marquis forcefully waved his walking cane with a piercing glare. The Bojwagan quickly bowed his head.
Even a normally distracted marquis never hesitated to cut down anyone who doubted his authority.
“Of course, no one in Riberton would dare question your authority. I will finish investigating immediately!”
“In the north, the Sailer family is acting like loyal dogs of the Emperor. Focus the investigation on them.”
The Sailer Counts.
The family was second only to the Lepent family in the Republic of Lepent’s hierarchy. In the north, they were known as staunch Empire loyalists and thus called traitors in Lepent.
They would buy anything if ordered by the Emperor—from slaves to drugs. If there was suspicion, it should clearly be directed at them.
“If you fail, I will cut off your head and hang it at the city gates! Go find out immediately!”
This was no idle threat. Since the start of the year, dozens had lost their heads on the marquis’s orders.
The Bojwagan hurried out of the study.
“Y-yes, understood!”
“Damn, not a single useful person around. What’s next?”
“Your grace, it’s time to meet with the Arians and the Empire’s envoys.”
When the relatively young steward answered, the marquis’s eyes narrowed sharply.
“What? Those bastards are still at my mansion?”
“Yes, the negotiations have not been finalized yet…”
The steward cautiously gauged the marquis’s expression.
The incomplete negotiations were entirely due to the marquis’s unreasonable demands.
“Damn it! Arians and the Empire alike don’t listen to a word I say! How long must I waste time like this?”
“Sh-should I send the envoys away?”
“You blockhead! That’s exactly what the Emperor wants! He’ll use the excuse that we treated the envoys coldly to bring troops into Riberton. Hah! That Emperor brat, who does he think he is!”
A faint sneer was on his lips. At the same time, his ramblings about baseless conspiracies bordered on madness.
The marquis was not himself.
He had not always been like this.
Greedy and endlessly paranoid, yes, but once a man who made colder, more astute judgments than anyone.
But not now.
“It’s the Emperor’s doing! That bastard Emperor is after my head!”
His empty screams once again filled the study.
***
“Dad, Mom!”
“Sophie!”
“Sophia!”
Sophia, who recognized her parents at a glance, nearly flew over. It was no wonder; this was a reunion with her biological parents after almost half a year. No matter how much Isabel tried to fill that void, a child could not replace parents.
Watching Sophia’s tearful reunion with her parents, Kyle quietly approached and stood beside Glenn.
“Are you feeling sentimental?”
“… About what?”
“Just the feeling of watching a daughter getting married off.”
“Even if you say it nicely, you’re still the younger one.”
“Hah, I’m always surprised whenever I hear that. The Prince is younger than me.”
Kyle raised one corner of his mouth, clearly teasing.
“I get teased too because you’re older than me.”
“… What do you mean?”
“Nothing.”
While the two bickered, Sophia’s parents approached Glenn.
“This must be your first time, Prince Glenn. I’m Edwin Alstair.”
“I’m Elena Alstair, Prince. We’ve heard a lot about you from Princess Isabel.”
Both parents were lively and bright people. Indeed, Sophia’s resemblance was clear.
A brief moment of polite greetings passed.
“But why are you two staying here instead of the marquis’s mansion?”
The place where the couple stayed was a building a bit away from the Riberton marquis’s residence. Surely it wasn’t because there weren’t enough rooms at the huge marquis’s mansion.
“Oh, we are preparing for diplomatic emergencies. It’s better for all of us to be in one place in case something happens so that we can’t be reached back at our home country.”
“I heard Sir Puruka is here as well?”
“Sir Puruka stays inside the marquis’s mansion and mainly handles diplomatic duties. When needed, he comes here, or we go there to discuss.”
Indeed, Riberton was not a place especially close to Arian. Hence, such contingency arrangements were necessary.
“Well then, I will take my leave. Princess Sophia…”
“Glenn!”
Feeling the impending farewell, Sophia hugged him again. Glenn couldn’t hold back a smile.
It was truly amazing.
Whenever he was with this little princess, smiles came naturally.
“Eek… Does this mean we won’t see each other again?”
“I’ll be in Riberton for a while. Come visit often.”
“… You have to come often.”
He expected some whining, but fortunately, there were no signs of it.
Perhaps she remembered Isabel’s warnings?
Glenn almost felt a little wistful, but looking at her eyes, tears were slightly gathering. Moreover, from earlier, her small hand was tightly entwined with his finger.
He chuckled softly and gently patted her head.
“I’ll get you some chocolate. Then…”
“Please, Glenn!”
At the word “chocolate,” Sophia’s eyes sparkled.
… Does she want to see the chocolate, or me?
Tessa and Kyle also finished their farewells with Sophia.
Fortunately, the building where Sophia would stay was quite luxurious. Her parents were Arians’ diplomats, so it made sense. Seeing the guards nearby, there seemed little to worry about.
Glenn moved on without hesitation.
***
The Riberton marquis’s mansion was lavish and grand.
Here, to clearly flaunt that he was a king in his own right, all kinds of luxury items filled the massive residence.
Endless long corridors, magnificent ceilings, and huge marble pillars stood here and there.
The luxurious red carpet, statues, masterpieces, and golden artifacts demanded the visitor’s gaze everywhere. The atmosphere was overwhelmingly imposing.
At this scale, it rivaled even Contrat’s royal palace in Arian.
“Do you want to go see your father first?”
“Indeed, unfortunately.”
“Isn’t that a bit too honest?”
Glenn asked, and Kyle shrugged. Tessa, watching them from behind, quietly warned.
“Those two? The marquis’s mansion is crowded with people, you know?”
“Glenn…”
It was a warning similar to what he heard from Isabel.
Glenn clicked his tongue internally and was about to move on when—
Crash—
A maid collided with Glenn and his parents, falling down.
“Oh dear, are you alright?”
He quickly helped the fallen maid up. Judging by her build, she was still quite young.
But the arm he held was too limp.
… Is she malnourished?
“… I-I’m sorry.”
The slightly pale maid quickly bowed her head.
Her hair color was unusual—a shade of violet.
… Wait, violet?
“Alright, be more careful next time… Prince? Why are you like that?”
Glenn remained still as Kyle lightly scolded the maid.
But Glenn’s condition was odd.
His eyes were wide open, and his face was rigid. Upon closer look, his fingertips were trembling slightly.
As if he had witnessed a shocking sight.
… Diana.
Glenn steadied his trembling fingers and looked at the maid again.
Much smaller and thinner than he remembered, but still gloomy with clear blue eyes. And the unmistakable brilliant violet hair.
And finally, that face—slightly younger, but exactly the same as the one in his memory.
… How could I forget?
“… Diana?”
“How do you know my name…?”
Diana’s eyes were filled with hesitation. Meanwhile, Glenn’s eyes held a far stronger emotion.
How could he forget?
Her—the violet-haired girl.
Diana.
The last lover of Riclang in his previous life.
Glenn’s heart began to race wildly.