IDMH - Chapter 13
I Decided My Husband
Chernosor, who had been walking ahead in silence, turned to look at me as we entered an uninhabited hallway.
"I'm sorry, Young Lady."
Then he slightly bowed his head and apologized, making excuses that didn't work.
"I didn't want to do that either, but I had no choice but to do it because the guard knights said that announcing that I had killed Pushik would help boost the morale of the people of the Empire."
The royal family is the face and symbol of the Empire, so what he said was true.
"And it's not good for the Young Lady to be known to know how to use a sword..."
This too was true.
Even though he was saying the right thing, I didn't want to admit it. Perhaps because the other person was Chernosor.
No, wait a minute.
Instead of just feeling bad, I can take advantage of this.
I nodded as I thought of a great way to kill two birds with one stone: giving Chernosor a shit and delaying his trip to the imperial palace.
"It's okay. Your Highness didn't do it on purpose, and I understand."
"Is that true?"
"Sure."
Only then did Chernosor smile with relief.
His eyes, folded like crescent moons, contained a mockery of me.
You probably think I'm an easy woman to deal with.
That's stupid.
You are the one who is easy to deal with, Chernosor.
I smiled brighter than ever as I mourned the end of a bug flying leisurely, not even knowing there was a spider web in front of me.
***
You can eat breakfast quietly in your room, but to lure Chernosor into a trap, you deliberately decide to eat it in the dining room. As I was eating breakfast at a leisurely pace, eating noticeably slower than usual, Count Martina came in.
"It would have been more convenient to eat in your room, My Lady."
If I had eaten breakfast in my room, he would have enjoyed it too, but he was secretly blaming me for not being able to do so.
"I want to distinguish between where I sleep and where I eat."
Even though I knew that, I pretended not to know.
Count Martina shrugged as if there was nothing he could do and sat down across from me.
Immediately the maid brought his breakfast.
Court Martina spoke in a slightly depressed voice as the maid left.
"I sincerely regret what happened to His Excellency the Duke."
When the words came out of here, I put down the fork I was using to stir up the salad.
"He was truly a wonderful person, but to die in vain like this..."
"My father will be satisfied because he died while saving His Highness the Crown Prince."
When I answered calmly, Count Martina looked at me with slightly surprised eyes and then smiled bitterly.
"The Lady is holding a grudge against His Excellency the Duke. Of course, you resented him. He turned his back on the world in vain, leaving you behind."
When I thought about the hardships I went through after that, I couldn't help but blame my father. But I didn't say that out loud and just quietly wiped my mouth. That was when Count Martina, who was looking at me blankly, was about to say something.
"Everyone was here."
The restaurant door opened and Chernosor came in. His collar was slightly pulled back and his hair was blowing in the wind, so he must have come in a hurry after hearing that Count Martina and I were in the restaurant.
Perhaps he was worried that I would tell Count Martina about Pushik, so he came running with his eyebrows waving.
Anyway, it looks exactly the same and is as small as a bean. A laugh came out naturally.
When Count Martina and I stood up to say hello. Chernosor smiled and waved his hand.
"It's done. There's no need to bother getting up and saying hello while you're eating breakfast."
It was disgusting to pretend to be flexible with just a greeting.
Chernosor naturally sat down at the head table and picked up the teacup that the maid had placed down.
I asked Count Martina as soon as he had put down his teacup.
"I heard at dinner last night that you are suffering a lot because of Pushik."
When the story of Pushik came up, Chernosor flinched and looked at me. His trembling eyes looked somewhat anxious.
Fortunately or unfortunately, Count Martina did not see Chernosor's face like that.
"You're right."
He said with a deep sigh.
"Perhaps because there is no food due to the heavy snow, the Pushiks keep coming down from the mountain. They attack people coming and going, causing a lot of damage."
"Well. I need to deal with Pushik quickly."
"Yes. I already recruited mercenaries for that reason."
"A mercenary? How did the Martina family's knights recruit mercenaries?"
"That is..."
Count Martina spoke with a slightly embarrassed expression.
"I don't know much about you, but Pushik is a difficult monster to deal with."
I know. I know it well.
"That's why you need expert help when dealing with Pushik. If you go out of your way, it's easy to get into trouble. That's why we hire mercenaries."
In short, they already sent the family's knights, but they were treated harshly by Pushik, so they hired mercenaries. Pushik was a monster that even veteran mercenaries found difficult to deal with due to its hard skin that could not be pierced by most swords.
Even if you knew their weaknesses, it wasn't easy to exploit them. So, it was no wonder that the Martina family's knights were hit hard by Pushik. However, from the perspective of the head of a family ruling a territory, it would have been embarrassing.
It would be a great shame that his family's knights could not properly deal with monsters and had to rely on mercenaries for help.
"For that reason, I don't think there's any need to hire mercenaries."
That was exactly what I needed to focus on now.
"Because there is already an expert here who knows Pushik well."
"You mean His Highness the Prince."
Naturally, Count Martina's eyes fell on Chernosor.
I also looked at Chernosor. He straightened his back and acted resolute, but his slightly shaking eyes showed an anxiety that he couldn't hide.
"Still, I heard in detail from His Highness the Prince last night how he defeated Pushik."
"Hoo, really?"
I rested my chin and looked at Chernosor intently.
"I'm really curious what His Highness the Prince would have said."
Yeah, I'm really curious. I wonder what kind of false saga he must have told when he fainted not long after meeting Pushik.
"Your Highness the Prince last night how he defeated Pushik."
Yeah, I'm really curious. Chernosor, who made eye contact with me, cleared his throat and hurriedly stood up.
"Hmm. After we finish breakfast, let's get ready to leave. We can't be late for the train."
"There are still more than four hours left until your train, Your Highness. There are only four hours left."
"There is no harm in preparing early, so let's get going."
It was funny how he made all kinds of excuses to get out of the place. Instead of standing up. I looked up at Chernosor and asked.
"Your Highness, how about participating in the suppression of Pushik? I think that would be a big help."
Chernosor's eyes widened.
"What...."
"The Count is also hoping that Your Highness will help him, right?"
There was no need to hear Chernosor's answer, so he immediately turned his arrow at Count Martina. Count Martina nodded quickly as if he had been waiting.
"Of course."
From Count Martina's perspective, it was a better way to save face by getting help from Prince Chernosor rather than getting help from me regarding mercenaries.
Is that all? He would be able to strengthen his relationship with Chernosor, so it was better to get help from him in many ways.
"..."
The problem is that, contrary to what Chernosor claims, It is not helpful at all in suppressing Pushik. It was fortunate that it wasn't disturbed.
"If there is something urgent, I can't help it, but otherwise, please help me, Your Highness."
Count Martina, who had no way of knowing that fact, asked Chernosor a favor
The Count Martina family was the second most powerful family in the northern part of the Empire after Duke Leopold. Now that Duke Leopold was gone, it was safe to say that Count Martna was the most powerful in the North.
There was nothing good about looking wrong to him, so Chernosor hesitated, unable to flatly refuse even if he didn't like it.
Okay, now that we've used the whip, let's try the carrot this time. Part of me wanted to just use the whip, but if the horse ran away before I could cut its head, it would be a big problem, so I had to moderate it until then.
"Now that I think about it. I am on my way to the capital after receiving a call from His Majesty and the former Emperor. I think I'll need His Majesty's permission to stay here any longer."
"You're right."
Chernosor quickly agreed with my opinion.
"I really want to help the Count, but it's not something I can decide on my own. I am sorry, Count."
"Then we just need to get permission from His Majesty the Emperor."
At my words, Chernosor turned his head and looked at me so violently that I made a loud noise, but he completely ignored me and continued speaking.
"Your Majesty the Emperor is a saint who thinks of the people of the Empire first, so if you tell us the circumstances, he will definitely allow it. Am I right, Your Highness?"
"That... Yes."
Saying no here would be like denying that the Emperor was a saint, so Chernosor forced a smile and agreed.
It was an artificial smile that anyone could see, so I was secretly worried that Count Martina would notice him and reject him.
"I will contact His Majesty the Emperor right away."
Count Martina left the restaurant without even looking back, perhaps because he was oblivious or just pretending not to notice.
As soon as Count Martina left, Chernosor came up to me and asked me for an argument.
"What on earth are you thinking, Young Lady?"
"What do you mean?"
When I asked innocently, as if I knew nothing, Chernosor paused for a moment and spoke again.
"The subjugation of Pushik. I am...."
***
" ... Also, Why did you say that if you knew?"
I couldn't hear everything because the voice suddenly became quiet in the middle, but I felt like I knew it without having to listen.
They're probably asking why I said that when I know I can't do anything. Instead of saying the reason right away, I drank my coffee.
"Tell me, Young Lady."
Chernosor frowned and scowled, perhaps feeling impatient.
"Why on earth is that so? It's not because you want to trouble me, is it?"
Huh. I did it for that purpose.
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