Ch.154154. Amber

Wellesley Duchy.

“Father. I think you need to make a decision now.”

Ember urged her father again. It was already the third time since returning to the territory.

“Ember. Your father is… No, never mind.”

Gregory Hyde, who had been just one of many elite officials in the Imperial Capital.

He was a man without greed.

More precisely, he was in a position where he couldn’t be greedy even if he wanted to. He had already hit the promotion ceiling anyway.

But at some point, he had received a series of exceptional promotions.

When Erick was a Count, he was the Vice Count governing the county, and later he was called by the ambiguous title of ‘Acting Marquis’ while governing a marquisate. Coincidentally, that territory was the only rapidly growing one in the Empire.

And now Erick had become a Duke.

Not just any Duke either.

The Wellesley Duchy was merely a ‘subsidiary title,’ while the higher title that needed to be placed above it was the Grand Duke of Microssia.

Thanks to this, Gregory Hyde had inadvertently found himself serving His Highness the Grand Duke. The territories he had to manage had also increased to three.

And Ember had come to elevate her father to a position befitting that responsibility.

“I’ve heard that the administrator of a duchy cannot remain a baron. Since you don’t have a choice in the matter anyway, wouldn’t it be better to accept it graciously?”

Administrator and Count of the Wellesley Duchy.

This was the new position to be given to Gregory Hyde.

It was an exceptional promotion, but the person in question didn’t seem pleased. It wasn’t simply because of increased responsibilities, but likely due to the influence of the bloodbath that had swept through the Imperial Capital.

After all, climbing the ladder over other people’s corpses was certainly a burdensome affair.

“Actually, among the nobles who died that day, there was a friend who attended the Academy with me. I’m not daring to resent His Highness the Grand Duke, but…”

“You’re worried about people’s perceptions. I understand. Especially since I helped with that incident, it must be even harder for you.”

“……”

But he couldn’t just keep sighing forever.

“Father. Do you know Lord Ordellon?”

“Isn’t he a member of the Hero’s party?”

“I heard he’s been designated as the commander of the Black Iron Knights. And Sir Garland has gone to the Grand Duchy of Microssia to identify and bring back children with martial talent. After all, the Grand Duchy needs to maintain its own military force in the long run.”

“…Ember?”

“Garland’s vacancy will be filled by a young female knight named Katie. She’s the youngest in the Hero’s party, and though still young, she’s apparently quite skilled thanks to her achievements in the Demonic Land. Oh, and Sir Holan, the Holy Knight, is also coming here.”

“……”

“Everyone’s been promoted, I suppose. The Hero’s party has essentially taken control of state affairs… But Father, don’t you think they’re also pitiful in a way? The Hero’s party, who risked their lives to successfully subjugate the Demon Lord, are inspiring fear rather than receiving cheers.”

At Ember’s quiet words, her father fell silent again.

Only after some time passed did he look back at Ember with clearer eyes.

“…Yes. As you said, if it’s already decided, it’s better to accept it gracefully.”

“Father, you’ve made the right—”

“But let me ask you one thing.”

“…?”

It didn’t seem like he was asking if the position of being the second-in-command of a duchy was too burdensome. He was probably concerned about Ember’s personal happiness.

“Are you really satisfied with this?”

Ember decided not to put on airs in front of her father.

Her assistance in the bloody banquet and her dedicated help in governing the territory weren’t simply for advancement. While it’s true that Ember had admired the life of a ‘true noble’ since childhood, she had never even dreamed of this level of advancement.

All her efforts had been to please Erick.

It wasn’t simply that she wanted to live as Erick Wellesley’s assistant. She clearly wanted more than that.

But.

“I don’t think I can ask Erick to take care of me too right now.”

“Hmm.”

“Actually, I spoke with Erick last night too. He told me he’s going to try using something called luminous ore centered around the duchy. He said it could greatly change the economic structure of the Empire.”

“So he’s busy indeed.”

“I don’t think Erick is likely to start a family in the midst of all this. He’ll probably only have time once the foundation is established.”

Gregory Hyde’s expression darkened somewhat. He seemed to know that the longer they waited for that foundation to be established, the lower the chances of a marriage being arranged. Perhaps Ember might even end up settling as just another retainer of the Grand Duke’s family.

“There’s nothing we can do about it, Father.”

Ember forced a smile and stood up energetically. She didn’t want to make her father, who was about to be promoted to Count, feel depressed.

‘Maybe I should ask Erick for a position while I’m at it?’

It was an impulsive thought, but it didn’t seem like a bad idea.

A respectable position… something like Master of Ceremonies would be nice, allowing her to diligently take care of the territory. That way, she could gain a sense of achievement and avoid feeling empty later in life.

Although it wasn’t what she had wanted, it didn’t matter.

‘How many people in the world get to do exactly what they want anyway?’

Ember stepped out onto the terrace, took a deep breath, and composed herself. Then she sequentially recalled several issues that needed to be addressed.

The problem of refugees who had belatedly arrived after hearing rumors that “you’ll get a house if you go to the Hero’s territory,” possibly due to the aftermath of Iclit; the issue of inviting dwarf technicians to gauge the coal mine’s reserves and install precise support pillars; and so on.

It seemed better to focus on work for a while and set aside thoughts of Erick.

However, that resolution quickly became meaningless.

It was because Erick suddenly flew in riding a wyvern.

“W-wow, a wyvern!”

Although many of the territory’s residents were initially frightened, before long they began to cheer, saying that His Excellency the Hero (or His Highness the Hero) had returned riding a dragon. This was a reaction that couldn’t be seen in the Imperial Capital.

Meanwhile, Ember tilted her head in confusion, not understanding what was happening.

***

…A villainess obsessed with money and power who served as a puppet of the Hero’s party.

This was the current opinion about Ember in noble society. Some even seemed to whisper that Ember had volunteered to act as their agent.

‘Right. Ember must seem 100 times more approachable than me.’

The very fact that such whispers reached my ears even when I was just sitting still was proof that I had control over the Empire.

However, I couldn’t deny that Ember was suffering damage.

Restoring this ruined reputation was… honestly impossible.

I had the shields of the Goddess’s blessing, the imperial family’s support, and the Papal State’s cooperation, but Ember was someone who had suddenly appeared and pushed great nobles into a pit. It would be difficult to restore a reputation that didn’t exist in the first place.

How should I repay this dedication?

The answer had been decided long ago. Since settling in my territory with Baron Hyde, there was only one thing Ember wanted.

And I was willing to grant that wish.

Ember was one of the few people I could completely trust, and she was also beautiful. Though she had no talent for magic or swordsmanship, she possessed skills more valuable than military power in the current situation.

“Erick. Did something happen?”

No, there seemed to be no need to remind myself that she was an excellent partner.

I also decided not to dwell on the fact that I would need to ask Ember for concessions and compromises for political reasons. There was no need to dampen the mood. For now, I wanted to give her joy.

“Ember. I hope you won’t misunderstand what I’m about to say. Have you ever thought about what situation might have unfolded if Gwon Heejin hadn’t given me Cordana?”

She hesitated for a moment at these words, but soon smiled and agreed with me.

“Yes. Of course. Um… if it weren’t for Cordana, we would have married already, right?”

“Of course.”

“Honestly, we probably would have had some arguments about Cordana early in our marriage. I’m sure I would have begged you to invest in Cordana. But it wouldn’t have been too bad. After all, the Royal Order has many missions abroad, right?”

“That’s true. Tell me more.”

“With your talent, you probably would have become a Master before thirty… so I could have lived the life I admired. Living in a big house in District 2, employing three or four servants, and raising beautiful children.”

Ember discussed the life we might have had with a strangely excited expression.

Moderate honor and wealth, and a stable family, without having to worry about the fate of the nation.

Come to think of it, that was exactly what we wanted.

This alone would have been an upper-class life, so it couldn’t be called a modest wish, but it wasn’t excessive either. Of course, there was no chance it would have actually happened.

“But Ember. No matter what choices we made, we wouldn’t have lived peacefully.”

“Well, that’s true, isn’t it? The disaster would have happened anyway. If Erick had lived unrelated to the Cordana market, the scale of the disaster would have been even greater.”

“Yes. Perhaps there might have been a civil war in the Empire. Or we might have seen Gwon Heejin joining the Demon Lord’s army.”

“My goodness.”

Ember shook her head, saying it was terrible just to think about. She was probably reacting this way because she knew my words had credibility. She must have also realized anew that it would have been impossible for us to live peacefully under any circumstances.

But I didn’t say such things to disappoint Ember.

On the contrary, it was the opposite.

“Looking back now, we might be lucky. No matter what disaster came our way, we gained the strength to overcome it. And we actually did overcome it.”

“That’s true for you, Erick. But for me…”

“No. You’ve become stronger too. You can read people’s inner thoughts, and you’ve even developed the skill to manipulate them. Yet you haven’t lost your humanity. You must have had many painful moments while helping me with my work.”

“……”

Did she sense something? Ember opened her eyes wide, and I gently embraced her.

Lightly enough not to crush her, but firmly enough to clearly feel each other’s warmth and weight. And in that position, I calmly continued speaking.

“I’m sorry for making things difficult, but I desperately need you. I want you to stay by my side from now on. I don’t just mean helping with work.”

“…Erick.”

I slightly pulled away from Ember whom I had been embracing.

It was only right to say these words while looking into her eyes. Tears were already forming in Ember’s eyes.

There was no need for flowery language in this situation.

“Marry me, Ember.”