115. Childhood Friend – Conditions

Somehow, it felt familiar.

‘Where have I seen that before? No, more importantly…’

I was tempted. For some unknown reason, Reb wanted the jewel resting on Hirie’s cleavage. But this feeling was so sudden that I couldn’t help but be flustered.

“Excuse me for being rude on our first meeting, but I have a request.”

Hirie calmly opened her mouth to gain his attention. Nevertheless, Reb’s gaze remained fixated on her cleavage, and Hirie Gaidan’s brow slightly furrowed.

‘But why did Father say I should seek his permission?’

In the trade city of Bosspo in the Orun Kingdom, she had met her destined partner. It was undoubtedly someone the gods had ordained for her, ‘Prince Palace Tertan.’

At first, it was merely an escape route to avoid marrying some trashy princes, but the more she spoke with him, the more Hirie fell for his kind and beautiful nature.

Fortunately, Palace Tertan felt the same way, and the two shared a kiss on the terrace as the sun set.

At that moment, he informed her that his grandfather, Duke Rupert Tertan, was unwilling to bless their union and sought her help.

He asked her to accompany him to the Duke’s house, and Hirie gladly accepted.

She would have agreed even if he had suggested going to hell instead; there was no hesitation in her acceptance.

But then, she received a message from her father.

Though he had earlier permitted her to go, he suddenly commanded her to return to the capital.

Hirie felt truly sorry for her father, but she didn’t want to do that.

How could she possibly leave this man behind?

Ignoring her father’s orders, she began to prepare for her departure. However, the Grand Officer and knights vehemently dissuaded her from leaving, and Palace, hearing of the Grand Officer’s complaints, comforted her.

In the end, the two lovers promised to meet again.

Palace vowed he would persuade his grandfather, while Hirie firmly promised she would plead with her father to allow her to visit the Duke’s house.

Leaving the exhausted handmaidens behind in Bosspo, Hirie hurried back to Nevis.

Without even a moment to freshen up, she rushed to her father and pleaded that she loved him and wanted to go to the Duke’s house.

However, her father’s reaction was strange.

He hesitated and did not easily grant his permission. It was apparent he had something to say but was reluctant to speak.

The truth was that Palace Tertan was already dead. He had been ambushed while crossing the Irotashi River, and Duke Harvey Gaidan had learned of this in advance.

It was fortunate that he had ordered his daughter to return. Had things gone differently, his daughter might have been swept away to her death as well.

The Marquis Gaidan was astonished by his lord’s insight, but there was a tragic circumstance. His daughter had fallen in love with the young man named Palace Tertan,

She was so enamored that she forgot her noble status and joyfully listed his merits.

Her father recognized that he would have been a fine son-in-law and made her plead for the Duke’s permission to marry a man who no longer existed.

It breaks my heart.

Though I must inform my daughter of his passing, the Marquis chose to wait for his lord’s return.

It was to determine her fate. It would be unfortunate for her, but her future remained undecided.

After all, the unmarried Hirie Gaidan had yet to pay the price for the lavish life she had enjoyed as a noble lady.

If she did not want to end up as a burden left without a husband, becoming the subject of gossip among other nobles and growing old as a spinster, she would need to bury Palace in her heart and search for another suitor.

That would be the better choice for her.

And in fact, her intended had already been determined. Palace Tertan was merely a contingency.

With the engagement to the Tertan family rendered null, Duke Harvey Gaidan now had to decide whether to marry his daughter off to princes or accept the isolation of their family as payment.

At that moment, items sent by his lord began to flood in.

Thirty large carts filled with weapons.

The Marquis quickly grasped his lord’s intentions. Surely, he was preparing to incite a rebellion.

He hid the incoming weapons.

It was inconvenient that the carts had been sent to the mansion, but he discreetly had them sent off to the Gaidan territory in the northeast.

Then he visited Marquis Evni Dragin. Although he had just claimed to the lord that he was doing nothing, he too had been preparing for rebellion in mind.

He did not want to marry his daughter off to princes.

Following his lord’s wishes would mean that their family would not be isolated.

His master had assured him not to worry when he met with the king, so there must be some clever plan…

“That’s nonsensical!”

Duke Drazin objected firmly.

“Are you suggesting we recklessly raise a rebellion without justification? I sympathize with your daughter’s situation, but that’s impossible. It’s utterly absurd!”

“……”

“If you’re really worried about your daughter, find her another suitor and marry her off. And join us. Baron Guanin has agreed to align with me. If you join too, that makes two Dukes from the border. If we can persuade ‘Count Ogerton’ as well, the royal family won’t dare to move against us.”

Count Ogerton’s household.

A noble family where a magician named ‘Soarel Demetri Ogerton’ was the head.

The Ogerton family was not a family of magicians. Magicians are born rarely and are not bound by bloodlines; they just happened to have one born under the Count’s lineage.

As his name ‘Demetri’ suggests, Count Ogerton was a magician who studied at the ‘Bolinyu Magic Tower.’ That tower, located in the western region of the Orun Kingdom, is known for having the most developed ‘Mana Overlap Theory’ among the five towers that exist on the continent. The middle name ‘Demetri’ represents the school, signifying that magicians from Bolinyu Magic Tower carry that name.

Thus, the power of the Ogerton family was not inferior to the Gaidan or Dragin families.

Most of the wizards dispatched throughout the Orun Kingdom were from Bolinyu Magic Tower, and while they might be working as mercenaries for money, the bond between wizards is tightly interwoven through intellectual resonance.

Duke Dragin nailed it down.

“I don’t know what sudden thoughts made you consider rebellion, but my friend, you should reconsider. The time is not yet right. More importantly, do you wish to join us? If you do, we can surely overcome this hardship.”

However, the Gaidan Marquis ultimately hesitated and left without giving a definitive answer.

His friend was right, and the allure began to wane, causing his resolve to waver. If it hadn’t been a lord-servant relationship, perhaps the allure would have completely broken at that moment.

So, Duke Harvey advised his daughter to wait. He found himself at a loss, mumbling aimlessly as he awaited his lord’s return.

Hirie also viewed her father strangely, yet she did not resist.

She couldn’t even imagine that Palace was dead, and she was filled with hope that if she received permission from the guest her father spoke of, she would be able to go see Palace.

‘But why did my father say I should seek permission from this man?’

Hirie Gaidan felt uncomfortable seeing her father’s emphasized guest staring at her cleavage but didn’t mention it.

She carefully pondered the relationship between this coldly imposing young man and her father.

According to the butler, he seemed to be someone related to Grand Officer Wilter…

“I wish to go to the Tertan Duke’s house. I’m not sure if you know, but I met a person named Palace Tertan. That person is…”

“I know.”

The young man rudely interrupted Hirie’s words.

“I know you met the heir of the Tertan Duke’s family in Bosspo, and I also know why you wish to go there, so there’s no need for you to elaborate further.”

Hirie Gaidan was taken aback and glanced at her father.

Who on earth was this person who not only knew about her family’s situation but also spoke to her condescendingly in front of her father?

And how should she respond to this?

However, her father remained silent, showing no reaction.

This was strange.

Hirie felt that unspoken affirmation was unsettlingly odd.

Even if this young man were the king of the Orun Kingdom, her father would have expressed discomfort at such disrespectful treatment.

He would have at least raised an eyebrow to signal her to endure or reacted in some way…

Having grown up as a great noble lady, she took this unease seriously.

Something was wrong.

Perhaps there was an anomaly concerning her father’s wellbeing…

“More importantly, what is that necklace? Where did you obtain it?”

Hirie met the gaze of the man, his eyes burning crimson.

At that moment, she found that his lewd stare at her cleavage felt less bothersome.

In fact, she thought that his disdain shouldn’t be such a big deal and chose to respond with honorifics.

“This was a gift from Palace, the person I am promised to love.”

“…Is that so.”

Reb hesitated. He couldn’t understand why that jewel felt familiar, why he was so tempted by it, and thought, “Why am I feeling this way?” —while Hirie asked,

“Um… then can I leave for the Duke’s house? My father said I should seek the guest’s permission.”

She anxiously awaited his answer.

Although she still didn’t understand why her father had said she should seek this man’s permission, she felt somewhat convinced.

Reb stole a glance at Duke Harvey.

Palace Tertan was already dead… judging by his expression, he seemed to know but chose not to mention it.

“Very well. You may go.”

Hirie’s face lit up, and just then, a question appeared in Duke Harvey’s eyes as Reb added,

“But not just yet; it’s better if you wait until after this winter to leave. Traveling in the cold winter is unwise, plus there’s a chance Palace Tertan may have gained his Duke’s permission by then. It would be less of a waste to plan for your meeting after preparations for marriage.”

“Are you serious? Thank you! Thank you so much!”

“However, there is a condition.”

“What is it?”

What with her joy glowing and her expression crumbling, Hirie clasped her hands together, seemingly prepared to accept any condition. Unbeknownst to her, Reb’s eyes gleamed with desire.

“That is…”

– Bang!

At that moment, a loud crashing sound resonated from outside.

Startled, the Marquis sprang up and called for the butler.

“What’s going on?”

“I’m sorry. I’ll go check it out right now.”

“All right… no, I’ll go check for myself. I’m sorry for interrupting, but please excuse me for a moment.”

Duke Gaidan noticed Reb’s discreet hand gesture urging him to leave and changed his mind. He quickly went to find the source of the commotion, leaving his daughter and lord to converse.

– Heeheeheeheehee!!

It turned out to be the stable of the mansion, where the servants were also rushing out. Upon checking, the sound they had just heard was from Reb’s horse kicking down a partition wall.

The great black stallion, now furious and robust, known as ‘Bante,’ bellowed wildly.

He had smashed through the partition and was now attempting to mate with the mare in the adjacent stall.

Trying to forcibly separate them was fruitless, as the beast swung its head vigorously, showing its teeth, so Duke Harvey ultimately ordered to let the raging stallion be.

Such unnatural breeding practices would harm the female horse, and as someone knowledgeable about horse physiology, the Marquis felt uneasy, but ever since the death of his son, he had lost interest in the horses.

Duke Gaidan returned to the reception room where his lord and daughter had been speaking.

“I apologize for the delay. It was Reb’s horse that caused the commotion, but thankfully, it’s nothing serious.”

As he entered the room and explained the situation outside, his eyes fell upon Hirie’s flushed face and Reb’s satisfied smile.