The Grand Duke of Solignac listened to Judith's story with interest. The duchy was also aware of the fact that there was a struggle between the various forces that had gathered under the name of the United Kingdom.
The desert tribes tended to fight for what they could rather than seek a peaceful life under the rule of the strong. Some people predicted that the very fact that King Hibs proclaimed himself King was the seed of division, as they were inherently warlike.
“King Hibs is a very independent and proud person. When he formed the alliance, he must have put forward the slogan that everyone should come together as one, but once he took power, his thoughts must have changed. In the end, even if we leave it alone, it won’t be long before they split up, but we can’t afford to wait leisurely, right?”
The Grand Duke’s posture, which had been unruffled, showed signs of softening for the first time. Judith paused for a moment to examine her face, uncertain whether this was a good omen or not. However, it was very difficult to read her expression, as it was difficult to guess her age or her inner feelings.
The Grand Duke, who had a somewhat smiling expression on her face, said.
“Your Highness the Crown Princess uses the term ‘we’ quite naturally.”
Judith's lips moved slightly without a sound. Was this someone difficult to persuade after meeting her once? Franz guessed so and was about to step forward.
“Very well. The Duchy will accept this proposal.”
Both of them opened their eyes wide in surprise at the same time. The Grand Duke looked between Franz and Judith’s faces and then slightly opened her palm as if to ask what the problem was.
“Why is that? Isn’t that the answer you were hoping for?”
“No, you’re absolutely right.”
“I really need Melgan’s assistance on this matter. Thank you very much.”
She was flustered and answered quickly. Was it because the tension was relieved?
The desert tribes tended to fight for what they could rather than seek a peaceful life under the rule of the strong. Some people predicted that the very fact that King Hibs proclaimed himself King was the seed of division, as they were inherently warlike.
“King Hibs is a very independent and proud person. When he formed the alliance, he must have put forward the slogan that everyone should come together as one, but once he took power, his thoughts must have changed. In the end, even if we leave it alone, it won’t be long before they split up, but we can’t afford to wait leisurely, right?”
The Grand Duke’s posture, which had been unruffled, showed signs of softening for the first time. Judith paused for a moment to examine her face, uncertain whether this was a good omen or not. However, it was very difficult to read her expression, as it was difficult to guess her age or her inner feelings.
The Grand Duke, who had a somewhat smiling expression on her face, said.
“Your Highness the Crown Princess uses the term ‘we’ quite naturally.”
Judith's lips moved slightly without a sound. Was this someone difficult to persuade after meeting her once? Franz guessed so and was about to step forward.
“Very well. The Duchy will accept this proposal.”
Both of them opened their eyes wide in surprise at the same time. The Grand Duke looked between Franz and Judith’s faces and then slightly opened her palm as if to ask what the problem was.
“Why is that? Isn’t that the answer you were hoping for?”
“No, you’re absolutely right.”
“I really need Melgan’s assistance on this matter. Thank you very much.”
She was flustered and answered quickly. Was it because the tension was relieved?
For some reason, she felt like laughing. Judith quickly covered her mouth and pretended to look away, looking at Franz. She only glanced at him from the corner of her eye, but he didn’t seem much different from her.
“Then shall we now talk about the rest of the story? Your Highness the Crown Prince and Your Highness the Crown Princess. Please tell me in what order you plan to resolve this difficult problem. I believe you will give me confidence here.”
The winter sun was ashen, like faded bronze.
The castle, visible below the winding slope, was obliquely shadowed by clouds. If you squint your eyes and blur your vision, it looks as if a giant beast has taken a bite out of the castle.
The Duke of Laetian sat on his horse, looking down at the castle. It was a tranquil scene, but his mind was not at ease. The inside of his molars began to ache and sting and his head started to hurt as if his eyes were going to fall out. When the pain seemed to have subsided a little, he felt a stabbing pain all over his spine.
“Your Highness.”
Less than an hour after he set out on horseback, a soldier came up to find him. The Duke frowned and deliberately did not turn his head, even though he heard his name being called. It was obvious that something was wrong with Krald again.
“Your Grace, I think you should return to the castle immediately.”
“Why again? For what reason?”
The soldier hesitated in fear at the Duke's nervous reaction. However, he had no choice but to convey the message. The Duke's angry gasps were scattered everywhere along with the cold north wind.
“The Grand Duke is looking for you. He wants to negotiate with the King of Tien.”
“What kind of negotiation is that with that crazy guy? Just say it’s done.”
“I think you should go anyway...”
The Duke, who had been licking his lips, pulled the reins and turned his horse's head roughly. The soldier standing nearby stumbled under the Duke's slap and fell on his butt. The sound of the horse's hooves quickly disappeared without a moment's hesitation.
The King of Tien, Iland, was like a leech. He stuck to him and never let go. Since Krald had no interest, the Duke of Laetian had to deal with him all along. There was nothing good to be had from dealing with Iland, who only had absurd thoughts in his head. But now that he had been putting it off to himself, how could he negotiate?
'Damn it. I was just going to trick that idiot into giving me my share... There's a limit to being stupid. How on earth did my sister raise her child...'
The Duke of Laetian, who arrived at the castle, had to go straight to the Grand Duke's office without even having time to change his clothes. There, Krald and Iland were already sitting face to face. Although their appearances were completely different, the Duke was taken aback when their smiling faces looked the same for a moment.
“Listen, Uncle. No, Duke of Laetian. I just made a very good deal.”
The Duke of Laetian's gaze glared at Iland. Perhaps because he had a better judgment of the situation than Krald, Iland slowly avoided the Duke's gaze and approached Krald in a flattering manner.
“Your Highness, I don’t know what kind of deal you were making, but the interests that the King of Tien seeks have nothing to do with us.”
“What are you talking about? How rude. His Majesty Iland has come up with a very good idea. Let’s combine the soldiers we have with Tien’s soldiers, inform King Hibs, and go straight to beat up Melgan.”
The Duke almost uttered a curse. His small eyes rolled around blatantly.
“Are you out of your mind? Why on earth do you think we should help conquer Melgan? Your Highness, you do not rule a country. You are merely the Margrave of this district. How are you going to deal with the consequences of doing something like this?”
The corners of Krald's mouth twitched in displeasure.
“His Majesty Iland said so. He said that the noble Prince in the capital promised that the south would also help in the conquest of Melgan by Tien.”
“That’s ridiculous! The Crown Prince would never do something like that! Your Highness doesn’t even have the judgment to... No, no. Such talk is useless. In any case, it won’t work. If that’s the case, you should send someone to the capital to check first.”
“We have already wasted a lot of time. Thanks to whom?”
Iland interrupted the Duke mid-sentence. He was referring to the fact that whenever he tried to meet with Krald, the Duke would only give him a pointless sermon, or worse, treat him like a guest and not even meet him.
The Duke of Laetian looked back and forth between the two with a face of astonishment. If they were to ask why Iland had not been able to meet Krald until now, the first person to be held responsible would be Krald. Who on earth was it that had spent his days and nights immersed in alcohol and pleasure?
But it was clear that Krald would not admit his own mistake, which was well known to everyone. The Duke now bitterly regretted the fact that he had used Krald as an excuse twice out of three times whenever he had refused to meet Iland. If only he had been honest and said that he was drunk or something else and not in his right mind, this would not have happened.
“Even so, I am against it.”
“I am the master of this place, not the Duke. If you want to do the exact opposite, just go back to the Duke’s territory.”
The Duke of Laetian smiled bitterly. Even he, who was soft and had a dark stomach, was speechless in front of Krald's stubbornness.
“Why on earth would you want to touch Melgan, who you had no interest in until now? I’m curious about that. If it’s a good reason, I’ll change my mind.”
“I want to do it, so why do I need another reason? Isn’t this getting more and more presumptuous?”
A bluish vein stood out on the Duke's pale forehead.
“Your Highness, could it be that the woman sent by King Hibs, that government, whispered such words to you? To gather Tien, and the alliance and the military, and attack Melgan?”
Krald openly ignored the Duke of Laetian’s remarks. His habit of turning his head away as if he didn’t understand at all was proof that the Duke’s guess was right. The Duke, who had hit his forehead with a loud thud, spread his arms as if he found it ridiculous.
“Do you think that makes sense? Your Highness, think about it! Don’t you know why that woman said such things to you? She didn’t say such things for your sake! She doesn’t even love you in the first place! Why don’t you know that that government is nothing more than a spy sent by the King of Hibs to spy on you?”
“Watch your mouth! If you harm Saragan any further, I won’t let you off easy even if you’re a conspirator!”
He tried to shout, “What if I don’t leave her alone?” but the Duke’s mouth was shut tightly in the end. Even when he was young, Krald was completely out of his mind after coming here. There were many times when he would kill people as easily as flies on a whim. His temperament to act without thinking became even stronger, and he ended up becoming a person who you can’t tell where he’s going.
Queen Gilsis is gathering power without any hesitation to place her son on the throne. She also seems to believe that Duke Laetian will protect Krald until the end. Of course, if Krald had shown even a little bit of potential, he might have done so. After all, Krald is his nephew. He might have wavered at least a little.
'If this continues, I'll end up worse than a dog bowl rolling around. It's better this way.'
The Duke bit his lip as he pulled at the front of his jacket as if to show off.
“Very well. Do as you wish, Your Highness.”
“Who dares to give permission for this? This is outrageous.”
“But please leave me out. As Your Highness said, I must return to the Dukedom. Whether you join hands with Tien or with the Union, do whatever you want.”
Krald's eyes twitched in annoyance at the unexpected words of the Duke. Without the Duke of Laetian, everything would be a hassle. However, he was so arrogant and stubborn that he could not think of the future and bend his pride.
The Duke could lie to Krald with confidence, knowing his own temper and dull mind. Why would he do something so detrimental to his own duchy?
'I'll wait for this idiot to get hit, then I'll grab what I can and find a new spot.'
When Duke Laetian came down south, he had several plans. Now it was time to put one of them into action.
“Then shall we now talk about the rest of the story? Your Highness the Crown Prince and Your Highness the Crown Princess. Please tell me in what order you plan to resolve this difficult problem. I believe you will give me confidence here.”
***
The winter sun was ashen, like faded bronze.
The castle, visible below the winding slope, was obliquely shadowed by clouds. If you squint your eyes and blur your vision, it looks as if a giant beast has taken a bite out of the castle.
The Duke of Laetian sat on his horse, looking down at the castle. It was a tranquil scene, but his mind was not at ease. The inside of his molars began to ache and sting and his head started to hurt as if his eyes were going to fall out. When the pain seemed to have subsided a little, he felt a stabbing pain all over his spine.
“Your Highness.”
Less than an hour after he set out on horseback, a soldier came up to find him. The Duke frowned and deliberately did not turn his head, even though he heard his name being called. It was obvious that something was wrong with Krald again.
“Your Grace, I think you should return to the castle immediately.”
“Why again? For what reason?”
The soldier hesitated in fear at the Duke's nervous reaction. However, he had no choice but to convey the message. The Duke's angry gasps were scattered everywhere along with the cold north wind.
“The Grand Duke is looking for you. He wants to negotiate with the King of Tien.”
“What kind of negotiation is that with that crazy guy? Just say it’s done.”
“I think you should go anyway...”
The Duke, who had been licking his lips, pulled the reins and turned his horse's head roughly. The soldier standing nearby stumbled under the Duke's slap and fell on his butt. The sound of the horse's hooves quickly disappeared without a moment's hesitation.
The King of Tien, Iland, was like a leech. He stuck to him and never let go. Since Krald had no interest, the Duke of Laetian had to deal with him all along. There was nothing good to be had from dealing with Iland, who only had absurd thoughts in his head. But now that he had been putting it off to himself, how could he negotiate?
'Damn it. I was just going to trick that idiot into giving me my share... There's a limit to being stupid. How on earth did my sister raise her child...'
The Duke of Laetian, who arrived at the castle, had to go straight to the Grand Duke's office without even having time to change his clothes. There, Krald and Iland were already sitting face to face. Although their appearances were completely different, the Duke was taken aback when their smiling faces looked the same for a moment.
“Listen, Uncle. No, Duke of Laetian. I just made a very good deal.”
The Duke of Laetian's gaze glared at Iland. Perhaps because he had a better judgment of the situation than Krald, Iland slowly avoided the Duke's gaze and approached Krald in a flattering manner.
“Your Highness, I don’t know what kind of deal you were making, but the interests that the King of Tien seeks have nothing to do with us.”
“What are you talking about? How rude. His Majesty Iland has come up with a very good idea. Let’s combine the soldiers we have with Tien’s soldiers, inform King Hibs, and go straight to beat up Melgan.”
The Duke almost uttered a curse. His small eyes rolled around blatantly.
“Are you out of your mind? Why on earth do you think we should help conquer Melgan? Your Highness, you do not rule a country. You are merely the Margrave of this district. How are you going to deal with the consequences of doing something like this?”
The corners of Krald's mouth twitched in displeasure.
“His Majesty Iland said so. He said that the noble Prince in the capital promised that the south would also help in the conquest of Melgan by Tien.”
“That’s ridiculous! The Crown Prince would never do something like that! Your Highness doesn’t even have the judgment to... No, no. Such talk is useless. In any case, it won’t work. If that’s the case, you should send someone to the capital to check first.”
“We have already wasted a lot of time. Thanks to whom?”
Iland interrupted the Duke mid-sentence. He was referring to the fact that whenever he tried to meet with Krald, the Duke would only give him a pointless sermon, or worse, treat him like a guest and not even meet him.
The Duke of Laetian looked back and forth between the two with a face of astonishment. If they were to ask why Iland had not been able to meet Krald until now, the first person to be held responsible would be Krald. Who on earth was it that had spent his days and nights immersed in alcohol and pleasure?
But it was clear that Krald would not admit his own mistake, which was well known to everyone. The Duke now bitterly regretted the fact that he had used Krald as an excuse twice out of three times whenever he had refused to meet Iland. If only he had been honest and said that he was drunk or something else and not in his right mind, this would not have happened.
“Even so, I am against it.”
“I am the master of this place, not the Duke. If you want to do the exact opposite, just go back to the Duke’s territory.”
The Duke of Laetian smiled bitterly. Even he, who was soft and had a dark stomach, was speechless in front of Krald's stubbornness.
“Why on earth would you want to touch Melgan, who you had no interest in until now? I’m curious about that. If it’s a good reason, I’ll change my mind.”
“I want to do it, so why do I need another reason? Isn’t this getting more and more presumptuous?”
A bluish vein stood out on the Duke's pale forehead.
“Your Highness, could it be that the woman sent by King Hibs, that government, whispered such words to you? To gather Tien, and the alliance and the military, and attack Melgan?”
Krald openly ignored the Duke of Laetian’s remarks. His habit of turning his head away as if he didn’t understand at all was proof that the Duke’s guess was right. The Duke, who had hit his forehead with a loud thud, spread his arms as if he found it ridiculous.
“Do you think that makes sense? Your Highness, think about it! Don’t you know why that woman said such things to you? She didn’t say such things for your sake! She doesn’t even love you in the first place! Why don’t you know that that government is nothing more than a spy sent by the King of Hibs to spy on you?”
“Watch your mouth! If you harm Saragan any further, I won’t let you off easy even if you’re a conspirator!”
He tried to shout, “What if I don’t leave her alone?” but the Duke’s mouth was shut tightly in the end. Even when he was young, Krald was completely out of his mind after coming here. There were many times when he would kill people as easily as flies on a whim. His temperament to act without thinking became even stronger, and he ended up becoming a person who you can’t tell where he’s going.
Queen Gilsis is gathering power without any hesitation to place her son on the throne. She also seems to believe that Duke Laetian will protect Krald until the end. Of course, if Krald had shown even a little bit of potential, he might have done so. After all, Krald is his nephew. He might have wavered at least a little.
'If this continues, I'll end up worse than a dog bowl rolling around. It's better this way.'
The Duke bit his lip as he pulled at the front of his jacket as if to show off.
“Very well. Do as you wish, Your Highness.”
“Who dares to give permission for this? This is outrageous.”
“But please leave me out. As Your Highness said, I must return to the Dukedom. Whether you join hands with Tien or with the Union, do whatever you want.”
Krald's eyes twitched in annoyance at the unexpected words of the Duke. Without the Duke of Laetian, everything would be a hassle. However, he was so arrogant and stubborn that he could not think of the future and bend his pride.
The Duke could lie to Krald with confidence, knowing his own temper and dull mind. Why would he do something so detrimental to his own duchy?
'I'll wait for this idiot to get hit, then I'll grab what I can and find a new spot.'
When Duke Laetian came down south, he had several plans. Now it was time to put one of them into action.
A New Series, Traces of Moonlight was out now! For you who are tired of regression stories, you can check it out.You can check it HERE!
The New Series, Reincarnating As My Husband's Mistress is out now!
You can check it HERE!
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