chapter_0041

41 – The Princess’s Dilemma

41 – The Princess’s Dilemma

The news of Hadem’s downfall spread across the entire continent in an instant.

Hadem was trash as a lord, but no one could underestimate his strength as a warrior.

He had even won the Holy Martial Arts Festival held on the Emperor’s birthday, making him one of the top powerhouses in the Empire. His knight order was also evaluated to be as strong as the Golden Knights Order in terms of sheer charge.

The fact that such a strong figure fell into ruin without being able to put up a proper fight was enough to pique the interest of many lords across the continent.

There were many factions watching the rise of the Crones Family.

However, they were still seen as a recently grown family, akin to a newbie who had lucked into becoming a great lord.

The power of the Crones had been an unknown until now, and it was judged that it would not significantly affect the outcome of the Game of Thrones.

Yet, mocking that judgment, the Crones Family showcased their strength.

They demonstrated overwhelming abilities that did not seem fitting for a young lord in his twenties, from the strategies that toyed with Hadem to the force that subdued him, and the political power that blocked the participation of other factions by taking orders from the prince.

And, as expected, the news reached her as well.

In the Imperial Princess Palace of Novarensia, the second princess, Selenia Lily Novarensia, was reading a report on Hadem’s downfall in bed.

“To bring down Hadem… Calix, impressive.”

The most interesting news for her these days was about Calix.

Unlike the predictable and greedy news about other lords, the news about him always exceeded expectations.

It was akin to the realm of fairy tales she had seen in her childhood.

However, this time, the news was a bit disappointing.

He had attacked Hadem under the prince’s orders.

“If he struck Hadem on the prince’s command… does that mean Lord Calix should be seen as siding with my brother?”

Selenia said while reading the report with a transparent expression on her face.

Her right-hand maid, Lumiel, adjusted her horn-rimmed glasses and replied.

“It doesn’t seem so, Your Highness. Lord Calix has maintained a close relationship with Lord Zeras and sent us a letter through Lana, asking us to understand that he had no choice.”

Calix conveyed to the princess through Lana that he had no other option.

If he had truly become part of the prince faction, there would have been no need for such a complicated approach.

However, Selenia was not pleased with Calix’s actions.

“While his political skills are impressive… this is essentially him testing the waters!”

“To put it bluntly… yes, Your Highness.”

Calix’s actions could be seen as demonstrating great political acumen, but on the other hand, it was also a way of testing the waters.

While it was said that not choosing sides until the very end was a way to increase one’s value, Selenia found it extremely frustrating.

She couldn’t believe that he was testing the waters even after sending her beloved Lana.

“Calix still hasn’t laid a hand on Lana?”

“Yes, according to Lana, he hasn’t touched her since their kiss during the wager.”

What Selenia found particularly unbelievable was this.

Calix had not yet laid a hand on Lana.

This was remarkable.

Because, in her memory, Calix was the first to not touch the gifts she had sent.

“Ha… Lumiel, has there ever been a lord who received our gifts and not touched them?”

“To my recollection… no, Your Highness.”

Due to the position of the prince faction, there were lords who rejected the gifts she sent, but none had accepted them and then not touched them afterward.

Yet Calix had received her gift and still did not touch Lana.

That didn’t mean he was treating her poorly; in fact, he was treating her very well.

From the emotions conveyed in the letters, it could honestly be said that Lana was already someone on Calix’s side.

“What is this? Could it be that Lord Calix is impotent?”

The first thought that crossed her mind was that he was asexual.

If Calix was unable to perform sexually, it would explain why he hadn’t touched Lana.

“According to Lana, he showed male reactions in the morning and expressed that he has feelings for her. This suggests he is heterosexual.”

“Then why is he being so defensive? It’s so defensive that nothing is progressing!”

If he had laid a hand on Lana, it would have been the start of charming her and bringing her to his side.

Selenia had learned how to utilize a woman’s weapon properly from her mother.

But now, the target was just standing there, watching, and it was driving her crazy.

After pondering her words, Lumiel said thoughtfully.

“My guess is that Lord Calix seems to have a ‘devoted husband’ tendency.”

“A devoted husband?”

Selenia’s eyes widened at the unfamiliar term.

Lumiel calmly explained.

“Yes, I’ve heard that there are men like that. They focus solely on their married women, not taking concubines, and concentrate only on the woman they love.”

“Is that like Zeras?”

Selenia thought of Zeras Silla.

He was the lord who had been the happiest to receive the princess’s gift.

He was so delighted that he defied the opposition of the family elders and took Ain, whom Selenia had sent, as his main wife.

Though the process was a marriage of convenience, it ultimately became a pure love, making it a bit complicated to compare, but Lumiel nodded in agreement.

“While the cases are somewhat different, I think they are similar.”

Selenia felt her thoughts beginning to clarify.

In other words, Calix valued his honor greatly and did not want to engage with a maid before marriage, as it would tarnish his reputation.

With that explanation, she felt she could understand Calix’s actions and why he had not touched Lana until now.

So how could she win over a lord who valued his honor so highly?

As she pondered this, an idea popped into Selenia’s head.

“Hmm… what if we play matchmaker?”

“Matchmaking?”

If he was a man who only loved his married partner, then all they had to do was get him married.

Coincidentally, she had heard that Calix Crone was still single.

Then the method was simple.

“Yes, we can arrange a betrothal between one of our lord’s daughters and Calix. Since Calix is alone, this way, he would become our ally in one go!”

“Indeed…”

Lumiel couldn’t hide her surprise at Selenia’s words.

The princess sometimes came up with solutions that she had never thought of.

If the princess arranged the matchmaking, Calix would likely find it hard to refuse, just as he couldn’t refuse Lana.

Of course, he had his free will, so they would need to find a match he desired, but the Imperial Princess Palace had information on all the beauties in the Empire.

Surely, they would be able to find a match that Calix would like.

“With this method, it seems we can definitely bring Lord Calix to our side.”

“That’s right! Please proceed, Lumiel. And I think I should take the lead on this, so keep that in mind.”

“You, personally, Your Highness!?”

Lumiel was shocked at the idea of the princess taking the lead.

While she was proactive in recruiting talents, she rarely took direct action herself.

If she stepped in, most lords would find it hard to refuse her demands due to her status as a princess, but at the same time, if she failed, it could tarnish her reputation.

“Calix seems to be worth that much… so please prepare well!”

“I will obey, Your Highness Selenia.”

Lumiel vowed to make this endeavor a success.

She swore to marry off Lord Calix and relieve the burden on the princess’s heart.

Chill—!

Just now, I felt a shiver run down my spine.

Killing intent? No, it was the presence of something targeting me, different from mere killing intent.

As I touched the nape of my neck, feeling the chill, Noah, who was working in the office with me, spoke up.

“Are you okay, my lord?”

“Ah… I’m fine, Noah. I think a slight breeze just blew.”

At my words, Lana began to look around the windows and doors with a questioning expression.

After checking all the doors, Lana said to me.

“That’s strange. All the doors are locked.”

At Lana’s words, Azel stared at my face intently.

Looking at her like this, Azel was indeed a beauty, just like Lana and Noah.

Azel, observing my eyes, said.

“It seems my lord is quite tired.”

“Is that so? Well, I suppose that might be true.”

I had been busy with the aftermath of the fight with Hadem.

It was no wonder that fatigue was piling up without me realizing it.

I decided to finish my work early for the first time in a while.

“How about we go to the Red Tavern for the first time in a while? What does everyone think?”

Sharen, who had fully settled into the Crones, had been doing various things.

One of those was brewing.

She had learned brewing techniques while traveling through various regions.

However, until now, she hadn’t had a place to use them, but here in the Crones, she had made alcohol for the first time and asked us to taste it.

The alcohol Sharen made was very delicious, and I used my personal funds to create a tavern for the nobles and myself.

That was Sharen’s Red Tavern.

At my words, Noah, Lana, and Azel responded joyfully.

“Sounds great!”

“I’m always ready.”

“Wherever my lord goes is my destination!!”

I also asked Hart.

“What about you, Hart?”

“Since I’m older, I’m feeling tired, so I think I’ll head in early.”

Hart looked at me and the others with a warm gaze, much like a grandfather watching his grandchildren.

Then Hart quietly said to me.

“Have a good time with the others; you don’t have to come into the castle tonight.”

“H-Hart!”

With that, Hart left for the day.

I headed to Sharen’s tavern with everyone.

As night fell, I could see lanterns being lit in various places.

Thinking back to when I first became Calix, the Crones had become very prosperous.

Yet, there was still a warmth that could only be felt here, and I liked that.

Sharen’s tavern was not far from the castle, and when we arrived, many people were already drinking.

“My lord!”

“Aila, is Sharen here?”

Upon arriving at the tavern, Aila welcomed us.

Aila was a mother and daughter saved by Sharen, and they had joined our territory together.

In essence, she was in charge of running the Red Tavern.

“Sharen went to provide medical support and hasn’t returned yet. She should be back soon.”

“Mom! I’ll go get Sharen!!”

Aila’s daughter, Laila, dashed outside like lightning to find Sharen.

I could feel that Laila, Aila’s daughter, was getting faster every day.

Was it because she was young?

So we settled into the second-floor terrace, which had essentially become our private space.

From here, looking down, we could see everyone merrily drinking, and that sight was quite uplifting.

“To our lord!”

“Cheers!!”

Men who looked like workers raised their glasses to me and shouted.

It didn’t feel bad at all. Just a bit embarrassing…

As the drinking party was being prepared, a sound came from the second-floor window.

Knock— knock—

When Lana opened the window, there was Sharen, who had flown in using Flight Magic.

“Sharen, you’ve arrived.”

“Long time no see, everyone!”

Sharen entered the second-floor terrace through the window.

And just in time, wine and snacks like bacon were brought up, completing the drinking party.

“Using Flight Magic to fly in, you must have been in a hurry.”

“Of course! It’s been so long since we’ve had a drinking party; I couldn’t miss it.”

I learned that Sharen was a heavy drinker.

She loved alcohol and tried to drink whenever she had the chance.

Coincidentally, I also liked alcohol, so we naturally became drinking buddies.

Cheers!

We clinked our glasses lightly, and the drinking party began.

As we chatted and drank, everyone quickly became drunk.

I learned that everyone had a common drunken trait.

It was the tendency to cling to me.

“My lord… don’t go anywhere.”

“Don’t worry, I’m not going anywhere.”

Noah was the weakest when it came to alcohol, and when she got drunk, she would crawl into my arms and half-fall asleep.

And Lana clung to me from behind.

“You can go wherever you want, but please take me with you.”

Azel, being a knight, didn’t drink much.

However, when we came to the tavern, she followed me more openly.

“I must follow you wherever you go, my lord. That’s my duty.”

The only two who remained sober were Sharen and I, sipping our drinks.

Sharen looked at us with a joyful smile and said.

“Our lord is quite popular, huh? Hehe.”

“Popular? It’s just that everyone’s drunken tendencies are peculiar.”

They were all women who were too good for me.

Honestly, I already felt like I had obtained everything I desired in this world.

I had gained something too great that I could never have in my past life.

To be greedy for more would be excessive.

I wanted to live comfortably here with them and die here.

I wanted to get married too.

Though it would be difficult to do so in this chaotic world, once everything was resolved, if I were to marry, I wanted it to be with one of them.

Dreaming of such a happy ending, I raised my glass with everyone, specifically with Sharen, who remained until the end.

As I was thinking this, a few days later, I received an invitation from Lord Zeras of the Princess Faction.

Something was about to happen again.

A word from the author (author’s note)

They say marriage is the grave of life.

The grave is approaching.

( ˶ˆᗜˆ˵ )