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109. Childhood Friend – House of Marquis Gaidan

“What brings you here?”

Upon arriving in Nevis, Reb immediately sought out the House of Marquis Gaidan.

The Marquis’s residence, located on Veda Jin Street, was rather small for the mansion of a prominent great noble in the Orun Kingdom, yet it was made of a peaceful green stone known as serpentine.

“I wish to see the Marquis.”

Dismounting, Reb handed over the letter envelope he received from Bosspo’s Grand Officer.

The envelope bore the seal of the Grand Officer, so the guard promptly admitted him inside. His mount, Bante, was taken by the guards, and Reb met with the butler.

“We’ll hold on to your sword for now.”

The butler confiscated Reb’s sword before showing him the way.

While it would have been acceptable to charm the butler as he did the guard at the city gate, Reb meekly entrusted his weapon.

“This way, please. The Marquis is meeting another guest right now. It shouldn’t take long.”

Reb raised an eyebrow at his confidence. It’s not easy for someone below in rank to speculate on how long it might take when the Marquis is with guests…

But the butler’s certainty proved correct.

As he waited in the reception room with a cup of tea, a disgruntled voice suddenly rang out from outside.

“I have no idea how to deal with this insufferable man!”

It appeared to be the Marquis’s guest. He was so angry that he stepped outside and continued shouting.

“I’ll say this one last time. Even if you secure connections with Duke Tertan, if you keep up that lukewarm attitude, the Gaidan family won’t last long!”

The voice and footsteps drew closer.

“I… I’ll think about it. And by the way, we’re not even engaged yet. Don’t jump to conclusions.”

“What? Look here. Soon everyone will find out your daughter went to meet the heir of the Duke. Whether the engagement is finalized or not, you already…”

A nobleman passing by the reception room caught sight of Reb, who was obviously an outsider, and furrowed his brow.

A middle-aged nobleman, small in stature but seemingly tenacious. He realized his mistake and opened his mouth, but Reb spoke first.

“I am aware that Lady Hirie Gaidan is meeting Palace Tertan in Bosspo. So you don’t need to worry about my tongue being loose.”

The nobleman cleared his throat awkwardly.

“Ah, see that? Yet another person informed me. I’m not sure who sent you, but if you’re planning to widen the rift with the Gaidan family, you ought to consider me too. Be sure to convey that… Hm? Ah, very well. Understood.”

Duke Harvey placed a hand on the nobleman’s shoulder, signaling him to stop.

The boastful noble grumbled but retreated.

What a surprising turn of events.

It was exceedingly rare for a noble to touch another noble’s body, unless it was to request a dance from a lady.

Thanks to this, Reb could immediately identify the man.

‘It’s Marquis Evni Dragin.’ He was the Duke of the northern border of the Orun Kingdom and a close friend of Marquis Gaidan. Reb recalled hearing about their camaraderie during a previous visit to the Orun Kingdom.

‘But they seem to be much closer than I had heard…?’

Reb settled back in his seat as Marquis Harvey Gaidan briefly accompanied his friend out before returning.

He had already noticed this, but the Marquis was tall. He thought it was due to the short stature of Marquis Dragin, but it turned out he was genuinely tall, resembling a scarecrow.

Despite being exceedingly thin, he didn’t appear sharp-edged. The short eyebrows and long ear lobes made him seem like someone easy to befriend.

After reading the Grand Officer’s letter, the Marquis sincerely apologized.

“I am sorry. My friend’s words seem to have been excessive. However… you’re a teacher? Of Grand Officer Wilter?”

Curiosity lingered in his gloomy green eyes.

It was understandable to be suspicious.

The Grand Officer was an elderly gentleman, while the “teacher” who brought the letter was a bright young man.

Nevertheless, Reb remained calm.

After all, Marquis Gaidan would be charmed to the brim, and he needed to meet the king.

Yet amusingly, the Marquis possessed none of the blessed items.

Though he wore several rings and had a fancy brooch on his clothes, none of them were enchanted.

This stood in stark contrast to Marquis Evni Dragin, who was dripping with blessed items as he left.

‘Seems like a nonbeliever… How intriguing.’

In a world where few didn’t believe in a deity, Reb found this intriguing indeed.

Given how the priests’ healing demonstrated clear efficacy, and miracles established by saints were common, it was unlikely for anyone to doubt the mere existence of a god.

Thus, the presence of someone actively rejecting enchanted items was truly a wonder.

Regardless, this worked out in Reb’s favor, and he lied smoothly.

“No, I came on behalf of the teacher.”

“…I see. I was surprised by your youth. Shall we sit and talk?”

He feigned politeness as he took a seat opposite Reb.

“So, what brings you here? Ah, may I ask you to excuse me for a moment?”

Upon seeing the young man’s fingers interlace subtly, the Marquis instructed the butler to leave.

His fingers, linked in a way that indicated discretion, signaled there was something private to discuss.

This was among the most ancient courtesies of the Acaian Empire, piquing Reb’s curiosity, but it turned out to be a mistake.

As soon as the butler stepped outside, the young man commanded,

“Swear your loyalty to me.”

“What…?”

Faced with Reb’s blood-red eyes, the Marquis resisted. Although his loyalty to the royal family had been waning, it was inconceivable for such a prominent noble of the Orun Kingdom to pledge loyalty to a mere stranger.

However, as Reb’s eyes glowed brighter, the Marquis’s resistance slowly faded.

He knelt.

“I, Harvey Gaidan, pledge my loyalty to you.”

[ Achievement: Master-Servant Bond – ‘1’, As long as loyalty is unwavering, those who have sworn allegiance will trust and follow Leo. ]

‘Is this a success?’

The Master-Servant achievement seemed to synergize well with [Charming Eyes].

Those enchanted by Reb would harbor goodwill, but it didn’t mean they would unconditionally trust and follow him.

They would merely twist things to fit their understanding, and if doubts arose, they would escape enchantment quickly.

With excessive investment in divine power, he could potentially fix it, but that would be wasteful.

So, Reb considered utilizing the achievement.

If he could extract loyalty just once through charm, he hoped the resulting ‘favor’ from the charm would transform into ‘trust’ through the achievement.

Once trust began, he surmised that doubts would lessen, creating a positive cycle extending the charm’s effects…

The outcome was satisfying.

Marquis Gaidan knelt politely without questioning why he was doing so.

Reb adjusted his posture comfortably and asked a question he fully expected to backfire.

“Feel free to sit comfortably. What kind of person do you see me as?”

“…I don’t quite understand what you’re asking.”

“I’m asking how you perceive me.”

“I believe you are a splendid lord. While this is our first meeting… It’s strange to reflect, I don’t even know your name…”

“My name is Reb.”

As the Marquis’s short eyebrows furrowed, Reb cast the charm once more, revealing his name. Seemingly at ease, the Marquis unconsciously relaxed his previously tense body.

‘In this state, it seems to be fine. Though I do feel slightly guilty…’

He didn’t want to toy with people’s hearts. Although this system forced him to meddle with human emotions, he planned to achieve his purpose and then move on.

To ensure it wouldn’t be a loss for the Marquis either.

“By the way, the person who just left was Marquis Evni Dragin, wasn’t he? What brought him to raise his voice so?”

“…It sounds like a long story. As you might have heard, I arranged for my daughter to meet the heir of Duke Tertan.”

There was a brief discussion about Hirie Gaidan.

Just the other day, he received news from his daughter that she had promised love to Palace Tertan.

However, according to Palace, Duke Tertan would refuse their engagement, so she wondered if it was acceptable for him to seek permission from the Duke’s house.

“You received permission, did you?”

“Yes. Otherwise, I’d have to marry my daughter off to the princes. What is the kingdom coming to…”

He aired out some grievances and shared his feelings, while Reb attentively listened.

He had grasped enough of the political situation in the Orun Kingdom from his earlier travels, but surely the information a commoner collected off the street couldn’t compare to what a great noble knew?

He took the opportunity to ask probing questions, gradually piecing together the circumstances.

The Orun Kingdom was grappling with two princes encroaching upon the political arena.

Reb already knew this, so he thought it wouldn’t be that interesting, yet the process was astonishing.

According to the Marquis, the twin trash princes, Aton de Lognum and Alzeor de Lognum, were not mere libertines.

Curiously, they displayed astute political skills that did not wane with their wicked natures.

It all began when the two princes, who had been close, quarreled severely and became estranged.

The young princes ended up in a physical tussle that turned violent, and from then on, they hurled curses at each other and spat on the ground whenever they met—displaying animosity from an early stage in their succession rivalry.

Then, as they reached adulthood, the first prince, Aton de Lognum, excessively flirted with several young ladies.

It was natural for the noble families involved to be furious, yet with no means to retaliate against a prince, it made sense to seek vengeance by siding with his brother.

The second prince, Alzeor de Lognum, also couldn’t remain idle. He too harassed several young women, and their noble families aligned themselves with Aton de Lognum.

It seemed the struggle for successorship was heating up with the rise of factions. But one day, to everyone’s surprise, the two princes announced that they were reconciled.

“We have reconciled, and our brotherly bond will never waver!”

Furthermore, they decreed that regardless of who ascended to the throne, their relationship would remain unblemished…

What Reb knew—that they sometimes bought a sex slave to share amicably—was merely a show of their deep connection politically. At least that was how Marquis Harvey Gaidan perceived it.

As a result, the positions of the nobles allied with either faction became quite difficult. They had declared they would stick to one side, and with how large the factions had grown, it was challenging to pull away.

Ultimately, many nobles began to fawn over the princes wielding political power, and the princes continued to expand their factions.

Of course, their pursuits of young ladies never ceased.

Now, seeing the two roaming together, it became clear that this was ultimately not just a political issue, but an inherent nature.

Reb asked,

“Does the king have nothing to say about this?”

“No. He’s fallen deeply for the late-blooming princes… He seems pleased that there are two potential candidates to be king.”

‘What a mess.’ — he thought as Marquis Gaidan continued.

“Recently, we received a message from the princes. Being aware that our families have grown distant, they asked if we might not consider forging an engagement to solidify our ties. Both seemed fond of Hirie, and they said either of them could take her.”

He wore a bitter expression.

“I feel sorry for my daughter, but I couldn’t easily refuse. However, Hirie pleaded with me, asking if she could not marry a noble from another kingdom.”

“…So you’ve issued an ultimatum.”

An engagement between the two dukes along the border. This wasn’t merely a matter of friendship; there was potential for an entire family to transition to another kingdom, making the royal family’s surveillance a given.

“Yes. I have no intention of doing so, but if I put this in place, it should deter any interference with our family for the next decade or so, even if it results in being treated like a bat.”

I am parched.

Reb casually lifted his teacup.

Not a single drop remained in the cup he had sipped from while waiting for the Marquis.

Since Reb wasn’t the host, he was hesitant to ask for more, and Duke Gaidan, being a “vassal,” couldn’t easily take the initiative either.

Had he known it would drag on like this, he should have asked for more tea.

Reb licked his dry lips and pinched himself.

“That shouldn’t be solvable by just that, you know? The princes are young.”

“…Yes. That’s why Marquis Dragin came by. He warned me that if I chose to live that way alone, I would face more severe consequences.”

“Did he have a solution?”

“He insisted we need to create factions to hold our ground. But how long will that last? If any of the princes ascends to the throne, we will still end up in the same position…”

Duke Gaidan seemed parched too, licking his lips discreetly. The two men, caught in this bizarre dynamic, continued their dull conversation.

“Then wouldn’t your actions have been justified? Isn’t it better to rely on a foreign power while simultaneously forming a faction?”

“Marquis Dragin had different thoughts. He said that would amount to completely severing ties with the royal family. We would be labeled as traitors and attacked at any moment, so he argued that we should tightly bond among ourselves without external help while waiting for a future virtuous king.”

“…He seems to have quite a temperament, yet he showed more patience than expected.”

Duke Harvey Gaidan smiled dryly.

“That’s correct. If one were to evaluate that friend, the idiom ‘wind, forest, fire, mountain’ suits him well. He believes one should strike fiercely when in action but lie low when waiting.”

“I see…”

Reb hesitated for a moment before speaking.

“However, it would be best to prevent your daughter from going to the Duke’s house.”

“…Why is that?”

Because it’ll end badly.

But he gave a good-natured lie, knowing Bart would attack Palace Tertan in a few weeks.

“I have information that the Duke of Tertan will absolutely refuse this marriage.”

“What information might that be? To be truthful, I was puzzled upon receiving my daughter’s message. If he was going to refuse, why would he even send a prince? Moreover, it stands to reason that he wouldn’t lose anything by being engaged…”

As he had remarked, the Duke’s house wouldn’t lose anything even if it was tied to another family outside of the kingdom, unlike the Gaidan family.

This was because Duke Rupert Tertan was the maternal grandfather of Prince Eric de Yeriel, who would soon ascend to the throne.

There might be concerns that the Duke’s house would grow excessively large, but they wouldn’t raise suspicions about leaving the kingdom.

Reb firmly replied, “That’s information that’s hard to verify. But you can trust me on this. Please call your daughter back.”

“…Understood. I shall do so.”

The Marquis sighed.

“Then what on earth should I do with my daughter… I can’t help but feel she’s under suspicion for having already sent her off per Evni’s words. If the Duke of Tertan had never sent a grandson, such events wouldn’t have occurred… Now I truly must marry my daughter to the princes.”

He recalled the image of his beloved daughter, who had forgotten her etiquette and wept while pleading, and his heart felt heavy.

Having exhaled a dry sigh before his ‘lord,’ the Marquis realized his mistake and apologized.

“I’m sorry. This is a family matter I am responsible for…”

“No need. I appreciate your honesty.”

After a brief silence, Reb carefully suggested,

“Please arrange for me to have an audience with the king. There may be a solution.”