It seems that the boy's bouquet looked like a bouquet to other people, and everyone I met talked about marriage.
One of the reasons this story is coming out is because there are rumors going around that I will be getting married soon.
It was difficult enough just talking about marriage, but what made it even more difficult was when people kept praising me for getting along well with Perdes.
Even when Perdes is next to me, I don't know what to say or do.
I could see his expression.
That doesn't mean Perdes said anything.
He only laughed at people's jokes and didn't show any particular reaction.
That made me even more anxious, so I kept checking his expression.
I wonder if there is some strange misunderstanding.
Or maybe he was in a bad mood, etc., I was very concerned about each and every one of Perdes' reactions.
After many twists and turns, the inspection of the territory has ended, but my work is not over yet.
I talked with the managers about the problems I saw and heard while inspecting the territory and discussed what to do going forward.
Fortunately, there weren't many problems, so the meeting ended quickly.
Finally, as I was looking at the minutes of the meeting, Aldor, who had remained by my side even after all the administrators had left, asked:
“When will the inauguration ceremony for the Commander of the Knights be held?”
“Oh, now that I think about it, I should do that too.”
Duke Leopold was not only the head of the ducal family but also a knight commander of the Order of Leopold.
Until now, I had been acting as the Grand Master of the Knights, but now that I have officially become a Duke, I have naturally become the Grand Master of the Knights, so I must hold an inauguration ceremony.
Of course, it was a kind of custom that didn't have to be done, but it was better for the Knight Commander to do it if possible.
“Wouldn’t it be better to do it before March is over?”
After saying that, I realized there were only two days left in March and corrected myself.
“It seems like it would be difficult to do it within March, so let’s do it on the first Friday of April. That way, the reporters can enjoy it with peace of mind.”
“Yes. I will schedule it as you said.”
"Is it so."
“Are you going to practice swordsmanship then?”
“I guess I should.”
Because it was a long-standing tradition for the inauguration ceremony of the Knight Commander.
The opponents in sword-fighting duels were usually the most skilled knights in the knightly order at the time.
And now the most skilled knight in the Order of Leopold is...
“If we were to have a swordsmanship duel, Sir Aldor would be my opponent.”
“I guess so.”
“Please take good care of me. I’m telling you this in advance just in case, but please don’t even think about lenient treatment.”
When I threatened that I would not let that happen if I got any hints of it, Sir Aldor nodded with a faint smile.
“Of course. Even if you are my lord, I will treat you with sincerity when we spar.”
“That’s a good attitude.”
When I talked about swordsmanship, my body started to tremble.
I wanted to do it even more because I couldn't hold a sword for a few days after hurting my hand while going into the basement.
“Sir Aldor, if you’re not busy, would you like to have a sword fight for the first time in a while?”
When I casually brought up the subject, his gaze naturally fell on my right hand.
“I’m all better now. My doctor said I can do anything as long as I don’t overdo it.”
“Then swordsmanship training would be difficult.”
Oh, is that how the story goes?
“That’s what I mean, I’m really all better. Look. I’m fine.”
I waved my right hand and tried my best to show that I was okay, but Sir Aldor remained unmoved.
Seriously, I don't know who I take after to be so stubborn.
“Think about it carefully, Sir Aldor. Next week, at the inauguration ceremony for the Knight Commander, we will be sparring in swordsmanship. If I don’t warm up beforehand, I won’t be able to show the knights my true skills. Then I will become a laughing stock.”
When I emphasized that it would be a joke, Sir Aldor's eyebrows rose slightly.
Just a little more and it'll come over.
I was laughing inside, but on the outside, I pretended to be very depressed.
“I’ve just become a Duke, but if I become a laughing stock among the knights, I’ll be so sad that I won’t be able to sleep properly at night.”
“...If there are people who dare to mock Your Excellency, I will deal with them all.”
Oh, I think the story is going in a strange direction.
As Sir Aldor's expression turned ominous, I hurriedly waved my hand.
“That’s what they say, but it doesn’t mean it’s true. And you just have to be thoroughly prepared to prevent that from happening.”
“...So the conclusion is that you want to practice swordsmanship now.”
“That’s right. That’s it!”
As we clapped our hands and expressed our enthusiastic affirmation, Sir Aldor let out a short sigh and nodded helplessly.
“Understood. I will be your sparring partner, Your Excellency the Duke.”
While talking about Gnosis and the ancient magic circle, Perdes went to Adel's office to ask her something.
He thought she would be working there, but unexpectedly she was away.
When Perdes heard from May that Adele had gone to the private garden with Aldor, he immediately felt that the two were dueling in the training grounds.
But it was meaningful to an outsider who didn't know anything about it.
Late afternoon, as the sun sets.
The fact that an unmarried Duke went into her private garden alone with her equally unmarried escort knight...
“A secret meeting?”
Perdes, who was walking ahead, heard Gnosis muttering as if talking to himself and turned his head violently enough to make a noise to look at him.
“What did you just say, Gnosis?”
Normally, people would say that this was a slip of the tongue or a joke, but that wasn't the case with Gnosis.
He looked straight at Perdes and made his point.
“I didn’t say anything strange. Nine out of ten people who heard this situation would have the same suspicions as I did.”
“It’s not like that, so don’t misunderstand.”
“Then, Sir Perdes, do you know why Her Excellency the Duke went to his private garden at such a late hour with only her knights as her escort?”
The fact that Adel's swordsmanship training ground was there was a secret to the public, so Perdes couldn't say anything.
Then Gnosis laughed.
“I see, Lord Perdes was also suspicious.”
“I would have said no. And he is the Duke’s bodyguard. He may have simply followed her to escort her, so there’s no need to be surprised.”
“Then you wouldn’t have said earlier that the maid only took the escort knight to the private garden?”
“...”
Gnosis clicked his tongue as Perdes closed his mouth again at the sharp remark.
“Do you not know by any chance what kind of eyes that knight is looking at Her Excellency the Duke?”
“...There’s no way I wouldn’t know.”
Rather, it was a problem because he knew it too well. Gnosis tilted his head after hearing Perdes' sigh-filled answer.
“But how can you be so calm? If I were you, I would immediately take that guy away from Her Excellency the Duke.”
“That’s out of my reach. And...”
Aldor, that man will never confess to Adele.
So, even though Perdes knew that Aldor was looking at Adele with the same feelings as him, he couldn't bear it.
After swinging my sword for the first time in a long time, all the stress that had built up flew away.
Instead, my body felt heavy as if it weighed a ton due to accumulated fatigue, but after soaking my body in warm water, my fatigue was relieved.
When I returned to the bedroom after finishing my bath, I saw letters lying on the dressing table.
It looks like Haness brought it while I was taking a bath.
I sat down at the dressing table and looked through the letters.
Most of the letters were sent from families whose addresses I didn't even know.
This kind of thing is a waste of time reading, so I should just throw it away.
I would sort out the letters sent by high-ranking nobles and read them slowly later...
[Frankie Lloyd]
While I was sorting out letters to throw away and letters to keep, a name caught my eye.
It's finally here.
I laughed as much as I had been waiting for.
I immediately opened the envelope and took out the letter inside.
[To my dear Duke Adele Leopold.]
Neat and angular handwriting.
A design of twin horses with wings and horns, stamped at the end of the letterhead.
It was a letter sent by Prophetes IV.
In the past, we used to exchange letters under the name of Lord Logos, but after I got the feeling that Duke Lucien had caught on to something, I started using the name of a nobleman who had nothing to do with him.
[How have you been? I have been doing well. I am still a little disoriented since I became King not long ago, but I am still happy, so I guess I was made to be King.]
Is there such a thing as a constitution for becoming a King?
I just found out.
[I was very happy to hear that you had officially become a Duke. I wanted to rush to Leopold's estate right away and congratulate you with all my might, but I was very sorry that I couldn't do that. And I couldn't send you a congratulatory gift because I was worried about what would happen... ]
The useless introduction was too long.
I was curious about the main point, so I skipped over the beginning and read the main text carefully.
[...Four out of the seven kingdoms have agreed to join our plan.]
Our plan here was nothing less than war.
A war to wipe this damned empire ruled by the Emperor off the map of the continent forever.
In order for the relatively weak Allied Powers to defeat the Empire, it would have been better for all seven kingdoms belonging to the Allied Powers to join.
However, it was a bit difficult because only four kingdoms decided to participate.
[The three kingdoms seemed to be deciding whether or not to join depending on how the war was unfolding.]
They're going to watch the situation closely and side with the side that has the best chance of winning.
I didn't like the rat-like strategy, but I understood it.
War is not child's play, and since the existence of a nation is at stake, it is only natural that one would want to side with the winning side.
I fully understand how they feel, but the problem is that I have no intention of seeing it.
It was a shame that we didn't get help from the three kingdoms, but we didn't necessarily need their help.
Because I just have to go back a little bit.
I picked up my pen, pondering how I might explain the method to Prophetes IV.
One of the reasons this story is coming out is because there are rumors going around that I will be getting married soon.
It was difficult enough just talking about marriage, but what made it even more difficult was when people kept praising me for getting along well with Perdes.
Even when Perdes is next to me, I don't know what to say or do.
I could see his expression.
That doesn't mean Perdes said anything.
He only laughed at people's jokes and didn't show any particular reaction.
That made me even more anxious, so I kept checking his expression.
I wonder if there is some strange misunderstanding.
Or maybe he was in a bad mood, etc., I was very concerned about each and every one of Perdes' reactions.
After many twists and turns, the inspection of the territory has ended, but my work is not over yet.
I talked with the managers about the problems I saw and heard while inspecting the territory and discussed what to do going forward.
Fortunately, there weren't many problems, so the meeting ended quickly.
Finally, as I was looking at the minutes of the meeting, Aldor, who had remained by my side even after all the administrators had left, asked:
“When will the inauguration ceremony for the Commander of the Knights be held?”
“Oh, now that I think about it, I should do that too.”
Duke Leopold was not only the head of the ducal family but also a knight commander of the Order of Leopold.
Until now, I had been acting as the Grand Master of the Knights, but now that I have officially become a Duke, I have naturally become the Grand Master of the Knights, so I must hold an inauguration ceremony.
Of course, it was a kind of custom that didn't have to be done, but it was better for the Knight Commander to do it if possible.
“Wouldn’t it be better to do it before March is over?”
After saying that, I realized there were only two days left in March and corrected myself.
“It seems like it would be difficult to do it within March, so let’s do it on the first Friday of April. That way, the reporters can enjoy it with peace of mind.”
“Yes. I will schedule it as you said.”
"Is it so."
“Are you going to practice swordsmanship then?”
“I guess I should.”
Because it was a long-standing tradition for the inauguration ceremony of the Knight Commander.
The opponents in sword-fighting duels were usually the most skilled knights in the knightly order at the time.
And now the most skilled knight in the Order of Leopold is...
“If we were to have a swordsmanship duel, Sir Aldor would be my opponent.”
“I guess so.”
“Please take good care of me. I’m telling you this in advance just in case, but please don’t even think about lenient treatment.”
When I threatened that I would not let that happen if I got any hints of it, Sir Aldor nodded with a faint smile.
“Of course. Even if you are my lord, I will treat you with sincerity when we spar.”
“That’s a good attitude.”
When I talked about swordsmanship, my body started to tremble.
I wanted to do it even more because I couldn't hold a sword for a few days after hurting my hand while going into the basement.
“Sir Aldor, if you’re not busy, would you like to have a sword fight for the first time in a while?”
When I casually brought up the subject, his gaze naturally fell on my right hand.
“I’m all better now. My doctor said I can do anything as long as I don’t overdo it.”
“Then swordsmanship training would be difficult.”
Oh, is that how the story goes?
“That’s what I mean, I’m really all better. Look. I’m fine.”
I waved my right hand and tried my best to show that I was okay, but Sir Aldor remained unmoved.
Seriously, I don't know who I take after to be so stubborn.
“Think about it carefully, Sir Aldor. Next week, at the inauguration ceremony for the Knight Commander, we will be sparring in swordsmanship. If I don’t warm up beforehand, I won’t be able to show the knights my true skills. Then I will become a laughing stock.”
When I emphasized that it would be a joke, Sir Aldor's eyebrows rose slightly.
Just a little more and it'll come over.
I was laughing inside, but on the outside, I pretended to be very depressed.
“I’ve just become a Duke, but if I become a laughing stock among the knights, I’ll be so sad that I won’t be able to sleep properly at night.”
“...If there are people who dare to mock Your Excellency, I will deal with them all.”
Oh, I think the story is going in a strange direction.
As Sir Aldor's expression turned ominous, I hurriedly waved my hand.
“That’s what they say, but it doesn’t mean it’s true. And you just have to be thoroughly prepared to prevent that from happening.”
“...So the conclusion is that you want to practice swordsmanship now.”
“That’s right. That’s it!”
As we clapped our hands and expressed our enthusiastic affirmation, Sir Aldor let out a short sigh and nodded helplessly.
“Understood. I will be your sparring partner, Your Excellency the Duke.”
***
While talking about Gnosis and the ancient magic circle, Perdes went to Adel's office to ask her something.
He thought she would be working there, but unexpectedly she was away.
When Perdes heard from May that Adele had gone to the private garden with Aldor, he immediately felt that the two were dueling in the training grounds.
But it was meaningful to an outsider who didn't know anything about it.
Late afternoon, as the sun sets.
The fact that an unmarried Duke went into her private garden alone with her equally unmarried escort knight...
“A secret meeting?”
Perdes, who was walking ahead, heard Gnosis muttering as if talking to himself and turned his head violently enough to make a noise to look at him.
“What did you just say, Gnosis?”
Normally, people would say that this was a slip of the tongue or a joke, but that wasn't the case with Gnosis.
He looked straight at Perdes and made his point.
“I didn’t say anything strange. Nine out of ten people who heard this situation would have the same suspicions as I did.”
“It’s not like that, so don’t misunderstand.”
“Then, Sir Perdes, do you know why Her Excellency the Duke went to his private garden at such a late hour with only her knights as her escort?”
The fact that Adel's swordsmanship training ground was there was a secret to the public, so Perdes couldn't say anything.
Then Gnosis laughed.
“I see, Lord Perdes was also suspicious.”
“I would have said no. And he is the Duke’s bodyguard. He may have simply followed her to escort her, so there’s no need to be surprised.”
“Then you wouldn’t have said earlier that the maid only took the escort knight to the private garden?”
“...”
Gnosis clicked his tongue as Perdes closed his mouth again at the sharp remark.
“Do you not know by any chance what kind of eyes that knight is looking at Her Excellency the Duke?”
“...There’s no way I wouldn’t know.”
Rather, it was a problem because he knew it too well. Gnosis tilted his head after hearing Perdes' sigh-filled answer.
“But how can you be so calm? If I were you, I would immediately take that guy away from Her Excellency the Duke.”
“That’s out of my reach. And...”
Aldor, that man will never confess to Adele.
So, even though Perdes knew that Aldor was looking at Adele with the same feelings as him, he couldn't bear it.
***
After swinging my sword for the first time in a long time, all the stress that had built up flew away.
Instead, my body felt heavy as if it weighed a ton due to accumulated fatigue, but after soaking my body in warm water, my fatigue was relieved.
When I returned to the bedroom after finishing my bath, I saw letters lying on the dressing table.
It looks like Haness brought it while I was taking a bath.
I sat down at the dressing table and looked through the letters.
Most of the letters were sent from families whose addresses I didn't even know.
This kind of thing is a waste of time reading, so I should just throw it away.
I would sort out the letters sent by high-ranking nobles and read them slowly later...
[Frankie Lloyd]
While I was sorting out letters to throw away and letters to keep, a name caught my eye.
It's finally here.
I laughed as much as I had been waiting for.
I immediately opened the envelope and took out the letter inside.
[To my dear Duke Adele Leopold.]
Neat and angular handwriting.
A design of twin horses with wings and horns, stamped at the end of the letterhead.
It was a letter sent by Prophetes IV.
In the past, we used to exchange letters under the name of Lord Logos, but after I got the feeling that Duke Lucien had caught on to something, I started using the name of a nobleman who had nothing to do with him.
[How have you been? I have been doing well. I am still a little disoriented since I became King not long ago, but I am still happy, so I guess I was made to be King.]
Is there such a thing as a constitution for becoming a King?
I just found out.
[I was very happy to hear that you had officially become a Duke. I wanted to rush to Leopold's estate right away and congratulate you with all my might, but I was very sorry that I couldn't do that. And I couldn't send you a congratulatory gift because I was worried about what would happen... ]
The useless introduction was too long.
I was curious about the main point, so I skipped over the beginning and read the main text carefully.
[...Four out of the seven kingdoms have agreed to join our plan.]
Our plan here was nothing less than war.
A war to wipe this damned empire ruled by the Emperor off the map of the continent forever.
In order for the relatively weak Allied Powers to defeat the Empire, it would have been better for all seven kingdoms belonging to the Allied Powers to join.
However, it was a bit difficult because only four kingdoms decided to participate.
[The three kingdoms seemed to be deciding whether or not to join depending on how the war was unfolding.]
They're going to watch the situation closely and side with the side that has the best chance of winning.
I didn't like the rat-like strategy, but I understood it.
War is not child's play, and since the existence of a nation is at stake, it is only natural that one would want to side with the winning side.
I fully understand how they feel, but the problem is that I have no intention of seeing it.
It was a shame that we didn't get help from the three kingdoms, but we didn't necessarily need their help.
Because I just have to go back a little bit.
I picked up my pen, pondering how I might explain the method to Prophetes IV.
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