MAD - Chapter 66




Blahar Mihanel Heglatan was famous as the only handsome Prince of the Heglatan royal family.

He was the only Prince who was physically healthy and handsome in the Heglatan royal family, which was full of ugly men, ugly women, and sick children due to hereditary diseases caused by incest.

Thanks to this, Blahar was popular among the nobles and the people of the empire. In addition, he had a brilliant mind and excellent swordsmanship skills, so he was the perfect and ideal Prince.

The fact that he was born out of wedlock to the Emperor was no problem to Blahar. In the Heglatan Empire, where the strong were revered, everyone secretly thought that Blahar was more suitable to be the Emperor than the sickly Crown Prince.

Blahar also knew this fact very well, and he looked down on the Crown Prince, who was his older brother and superior.

The Crown Prince also knew that Blahar looked down on him. So the two naturally became enemies.

“I heard rumors that you were behind this explosion, little brother.”

The Crown Prince shook his wine glass lightly and spoke to Blahar. Blahar, who was sitting across from him, snorted. It seemed as if he was trying to ask a leading question, but it was useless. Blahar looked at the Crown Prince in front of him and thought.

His opponent is not like this.

The ugly and sickly Crown Prince was no problem. Blahar was up against someone much stronger, a giant wall that could not be overcome.

Shan Cirxus...

When Blahar thought of him, he naturally thought of Elze. He wondered what she was doing now. He missed the warm feeling he felt when he held her in his arms.

He felt like he wanted to bring her back quickly. There were mountains of things he had to prepare for that. He didn't have time to waste on a useless argument with the crown prince.

“Where did you hear that ridiculous rumor, brother?”

Blahar put down his glass of wine and jumped up from his seat. He looked down at him and spoke haughtily.

“No, I’m not. I’m going to go now.”

“Blahar!!”

The Crown Prince shouted from behind, but Blahar did not look back. Serev followed Blahar as he walked quickly down the hallway.

“Your Highness, I have completed the preparations as you instructed.”

“Excellent, Kamish.”

Serev nodded slightly at Blahar's compliment. His arm was bandaged. It was a wound from the conflict with Targayel. Blahar glanced at Serev's wound, then clicked his tongue and muttered.

“We should get rid of the Heglatan Imperial Family quickly, oh my... We’re wasting time on useless things.”

Then he frowned for a moment and continued.

“I want to bring Elze back quickly.”

Serev spoke quietly from the side.

“But as you’ve seen this time, Shan Cirxus is no pushover. He was no pushover either, not even in the negotiations...”

“I know. That’s why I'm preparing so hard. The higher the wall, the more you want to overcome it.”

Blahar added with a smirk.

“If you can’t overcome it, just break it.”

Despite Blahar's mad words, Serev followed him without saying a word.

It was a later story that Blahar started the Prince's Rebellion, ascended to the throne, declared the revival of the Heglatan Empire, and waged war again.

However, Blahar and Serev had already started an invisible war by this time. A war against the Heglatan Imperial Family and Targayel.

***

January 1, 998 Ines Calendar.

Elze and Shan welcomed the New Year at the border campsite. Then they began preparing to tour the border territories in earnest. They were supposed to start the tour before the New Year, but the schedule was postponed due to an unexpected conflict with Heglatan.

As they headed to the first territory of the border with Shan, Elze questioned him hard, as Shan would not tell her anything about what negotiations he had with Blahar.

Whenever the topic of Blahar came up, Shan would avoid even mentioning the bastard, saying he didn't want to talk about him. But after Elze's persistence, he eventually told her the full story.

On the road to the first estate, Shan began to talk while riding alongside Elze.

“There was no negotiation. We both knew what we wanted.”

Shan and Blahar both wanted to bury the matter. Blahar did not want it to be known that he had attempted to assassinate the Crown Prince, and Shan did not want Targayel drawn into Heglatan's civil war.

In theory, it was a very peaceful negotiation, but the problem was that the parties to the negotiations were not at peace.

According to Shan, Blahar was very unscrupulous at the negotiating table. The first thing he said when he sat down was about Elze.

"How are Elze?"

"..."


Even after causing such a mess, he dared to bring up Elze's story. Even the most shameless of people had no shame at all. Shan barely swallowed the curses rising to his throat and spoke to him coldly.

"I guess you have no intention of negotiating."

Blahar responded to Shan's words with a giggle.

"Hey, why are you being so scary?"

Blahar would not have forgotten the memory of being driven to the brink of death by Shan. However, he did not show fear in front of Shan and behaved calmly.

It wasn't easy to play like this, knowing the fear of death. He felt that Shan was a great man in many ways. At the same time, he was definitely dangerous.

The conversation ended so quickly that it was embarrassing to even call it a negotiation. There were no differences of opinion, and the goals were clearly aligned. Since they were not close enough to talk to each other, they only exchanged necessary words and there was no useless chatter.

But after all the talking was over, Shan asked him one question.

"The border is quiet and free of conflict."

When the topic of borders came up, Blahar smiled silently. Seeing that smile, Shan spoke with confidence.

"I see that there are some among the lords who have joined hands with you...I wonder what the Prince thinks."

Blahar, who had always maintained a relaxed poker face, grimaced for the first time at the mention of the Prince.

Although the Heglatan Empire was downgraded to a kingdom, it still could not abandon its pride as an empire. The use of the title of the empire was widespread within Heglatan.

Shan's calling him a Prince was a proper title, but to Blahar it was a kind of sarcastic remark that hurt his pride. Blahar also knew this, so he made a face of annoyance for a moment but soon smiled.

"Well."

He said, giggling.

"What do you think? Guess."

"..."


Blahar's words, which did not deny, were no different from a clear answer. Blahar smiled at the sight of Shan's brows narrowing.

"There's one thing I'd like to tell you."

Blahar whispered softly, tapping the flamberge on his waist with his hand.

"We haven't ended the war yet, have we?"

And Blahar stood up. He looked straight at Shan and spoke word by word, pressing hard.

"I will go get Elze as soon as I become the Emperor of Heglatan."

The affection contained in the red eyes was mixed with madness. Shan snickered at the twisted appearance. It was like a mirror. Just as Shan could not let go of Elze, Blahar could not let go of Elze either.

Blahar also seemed to realize why Shan was laughing. He smiled coolly and whispered.

"Until then, take good care of her, Shan Cirxus."

And that was the end of the negotiations between Blahar and Shan.

“..."

After listening to the story to the end, Elze seemed to understand why Shan didn't want to talk. Since Blahar kept talking like this, it was only natural that he didn't want to tell Elze.

“Blahar will definitely become the Emperor of Heglatan. And he will start a war.”

Shan was convinced. Elze nodded slightly. In Elze’s eyes, Blahar was definitely the right person for the job.

“But maybe...”

Elze said, stroking the mane of the horse she was riding with her hand.

“War may be an opportunity. Troubled times are times that need heroes.”

“And Crown Prince Raymond is no hero.”

Elze smiled slightly at Shan's acceptance and continued speaking.

“That’s right. Baluar will find us and will have no choice but to give us his forces. He will certainly make you his commander. Or at least a general.”

Elze looked ahead. The knights of Targayel were riding in formation across the plain. She saw a black flag with a crow on it flying, and said,

“That would mean having an enormous army under your command that cannot simply be filled by Targayel’s vassals.”

“...That’s definitely true.”

“I don’t know how the situation will unfold in the future, but I think it would be okay for us to go along with the current of war.”

Elze looked back at Shan and asked for her consent.

“Shouldn’t we make the most of what we have?”

But Shan didn't seem to think so.

“But I don’t know if it will work out the way we want.”

When Elze gave him a puzzled look, Shan let out a small breath and said.

“First of all, Duke Seraph is in league with Heglatan, so we can never win until we defeat him.”

“...”

Shan was right. They can't expect to win with an enemy within, especially now that Raymond is relying on Duke Seraph.

“If we must go to war with Heglatan, it would be better to rebel first and take over Baluar. Blahar won’t be able to move right away anyway.”

The quiet winter plains were filled with the sound of horseshoes and the sound of squeaking. Elze looked out across the plains and suddenly felt Shan's gaze. Elze looked back at him.

The moment she met Shan's eyes, Elze felt like she was alone with him, even though there were so many people around. Shan spoke quietly as if whispering.

“There is nothing to be afraid of.”

His eyes were slightly darkened.

“The only thing I’m worried about is... whether this could be the beginning of another long war...”

Shan lowered his gaze to hide his gaze.

“Even if we go to war with Heglatan, I want to keep you hidden in a safe place.”

Although his eyes were not visible, Elze felt as if she knew what kind of gaze he had. A soft voice flowed out.

“I don’t want to feel the feeling that I might lose you again.”

In the cold air, Shan's words dispersed like white breath.

“...”

Elze was silent. If war were to start, Elze would never wait for Shan in the rear. She did not want to send him to war alone. However, she also understood Shan’s feelings. That is why Elze could not easily come up with an answer.

Shan also knew Elze's feelings, so he didn't force the answer he wanted. He just didn't say anything more and just quietly let the conversation flow.

***

The border was a frontier that the imperial family could not properly reach. Therefore, there were no cases of nobles with a certain degree of power having land there. It was just lords of average level who settled in their lands and acted like nobles.

But like frogs in a well, the nobles here have formed a sense of privilege by sticking together. While the nobles of the capital see this as a ridiculous child's play, the nobles of the border have great pride in themselves as if they are something.

The first territory on the border that Elzeb and Shan arrived at was the County of Mapel.

Before entering the territory of the Count of Mapel, Targayel sent a message to the Count informing him that they were entering the territory. They then gathered information about the Count of Mapel and made a final check.

The County of Mapel was the largest and most powerful of the border territories. Its lord, the Count of Mapel, was the highest-ranking nobleman living on the border, and he reigned like a King among the border lords.

In fact, Count Mapel inherited the title of Count by inheritance and only had some wealth. This was not even enough to be considered a calling card in central politics.

Rather, it was a family that had been driven out to the border territory due to the decline of its family since its predecessors and was sometimes ridiculed in the capital, being the lowest of the low.

However, he was the highest rank on the border, and those around him were all of a lower level. Adding to the unique sentiment of the border, Count Mapel thought he was the best in the world.

“Just hearing the explanation makes me sick.”

Shan nodded at Elze's words and said.

“These people don’t know how to get out of the well.”

He muttered with a twisted smile.

“While exchanging letters, I felt that he strangely wanted to trample on me.”

“You?”

Shan said calmly at Elze's surprised reaction.

“It seems he wants to take this opportunity to prove that he is greater than the nobles of the capital.”

“That’s ridiculous...”

It was a mystery why he wanted to prove it by sacrificing someone else. Elze was dumbfounded, but Shan showed her a letter.

“They are having a New Year’s party at the mansion with the lords of nearby estates, and they have invited us.”

Elze received the letter. It was a gilded letter. It was a letter that was flashy and without elegance, and it was suitable for show, but it was really frivolous.

Even though she only saw one letter, she felt like she already knew Count Mapel's personality. Shan opened his mouth cautiously next to Elze, who was reading the party invitation handwritten by Count Mapel.

“But there is one problem...”

“What’s the problem?”

Shan's face was quite serious. Even when he was talking about Blahar, he never had such a serious expression on his face, so Elze's heart started pounding for no reason.

Elze, who had been waiting to see what Shan would say, was startled by what he said next.

“According to information from Marle, Count Mapel recently remarried. To a woman twenty years younger than him.”

“Ugh! Twenty years old?”

When a woman turned twenty, she was almost always sold into marriage. Perhaps her family was going through a difficult time, so she had to find a husband from an old, wealthy noble family.

Elze wondered what kind of beautiful young woman had been dragged to the border to marry an old nobleman. Elze felt compassion for the woman whose face and name she did not know.

But at Shan's next words, Elze forgot all about her sympathy and froze in shock.

“The new wife of Count Mapel is Cecilia Epernon.”

Cecilia Epernon. Elze was truly taken aback by her sudden appearance.

Cecilia was extremely jealous of Elze during her honeymoon with Shan, and she tormented her hard. Elze still remembers well what she did.

Strictly speaking, the cause of all actions was ultimately love. Cecilia hated Elze because of Shan.

Since emotions are not something that can be controlled by humans if she had acted appropriately, Elze would not have been able to protect her, but at least she would not have taken revenge.

But Cecilia had gone too far and crossed the line. And Shan would not let the Epernon family get away with it.

Eventually, she was accused of being behind the attempted murder of the Dauphin of Epernon and was stripped of her title and reduced to commoner status.

After that, she had no time to think about her. There was no news from her, and a series of crazy events had occurred.

Who would have thought that such a Cecilia would appear before their eyes again as Count Mapel's wife? She thought that fate was truly cruel.

“...”

Elze could feel Shan sneaking a peek. Since he knew everything that had happened between Elze and Cecilla, it was only natural that he would be cautious. Besides, if she were to be exact, Shan was the culprit.

“It’s been a while since something like this happened.”

The tone of the words, “It’s been a while,” was subtle. At Elze’s words, Shan began to look at her even more intently. He took Count Mapel’s invitation back and put it out of sight as he spoke.

“If you don’t like it, then decline the invitation to the New Year’s party....”

“But it’s an important party. All the most prominent lords of the border will be there, so it’s only natural that we should attend. They’re all lords of the territories that we’ll be visiting one by one.”

“...I guess so.”

“I’m going to dress up nicely and go.”

In front of Shan, who seemed a little gloomy, Elze's fighting spirit burned.

***

The Epernon family was reduced to commoners. The Epernon family, once the most elegant and noble of nobles, no longer existed.

Cecilia Epernon could not accept the fact. But the reality was cold and harsh.

The moment Epernon lost his nobility, many things changed. The numerous interests and transactions that had been secured by using the title of Count were all blocked.

The merchants who had been licking the soles of Cecilla's feet no matter how lowly she looked down on them now spat. The young ladies who had been trying to look good to Cecilla looked at her with pitying eyes and felt sorry for her. They felt relieved as they returned the arrogant behavior and the sarcastic insults that Cecilla had secretly mocked.

After the humiliation, the debt feast followed as if it were natural. The beautiful pink marble mansion that had been the pride of Epernon was sold to a wealthy nobleman, and numerous works of art and furniture disappeared into thin air.

The Epernon family motto of never emptying a wineglass became meaningless because they did not even own a glass to hold the wine.

Epernon lost everything as if they had never had anything in the first place. Her father consoled her by saying that it was fortunate that they had saved his life, but Cecilia could not bear it.

She needed money. She couldn't live in such shabby conditions. So Cecilia traded her youth for money. She went to find a new husband with an old, rich nobleman. Her father was horrified when he heard that his young daughter was going to marry an old man with a child.

"Cecilia, why would you sacrifice your youth in such a place? No one forced you to make such a sacrifice!"

However, Cecilla ignored her father's earnest persuasion and headed for the border.

It was nauseating to sleep with an old man and whisper sweet nothings. But there were sweet cakes, soft down comforters, sparkling jewels, and silk dresses. That was why Cecilia could endure Count Mapel.

And there was another reason why Cecilia went to the border. If she was at the border, he would come looking for her.

Shan Cirxus.

When Epernon was found guilty, Targayel was also banished to the border. The reason Cecilia went to the harsh border to marry was to meet Targayel.

She thought to him every day. This time, she would crush them. She would tear Targayel apart, and claim Shan Cirxus for herself...

Cecilia waited like a snake coiling around its prey, and Targayel finally came to the border.

***

Targayel, who entered the County of Mapel, was given a grand welcome. The Count of Mapel provided Targayel's knights with a comfortable place to stay and also provided them with various other amenities.

Not only the Count and Countess of Targayel but also Targayel's vassals were specially invited to attend the New Year's party at the mansion.

Liv declined the invitation because he had to manage the knights of Targayel, and Ilwooz had not yet fully recovered his health. Epen declined, saying that Kalia had not fully recovered and could not enjoy the party alone. Elijah also declined, saying that they wanted to focus on their own training rather than going to the party.

In the end, only Shan and Elze attended the party.

In fact, it would be correct to view this entire series of actions, including the hospitality of Count Mapel and the invitation to the New Year's party, as part of an attempt to seize the initiative.

Count Targayel appears before Count Mapel, who is acting as King on the border.

Even though they were both Counts, Targayel was a noble of central politics, incomparable to Mapel, who was cavorting around in the borderlands. Count Mapel wanted to show off his superiority by showing favor to Targayel.

“By the way, why did Cecilla go to Count Mapel’s new home...?”

Elze muttered to herself in the carriage heading to Count Mapel's mansion. Shan, sitting across from her, answered her.

“Count Mapel is already widowed, and the Count has a son from his previous wife who would inherit the title. However, Cecilla also has a legal claim to some of Count Mapel’s assets.”

Shan continued speaking, folding his hands and placing them on his knees.

“Besides, the son of the former wife only has the right to inherit. If Cecilla can persuade Count Mapel well, it wouldn’t be a problem to transfer the Count’s family’s property to her name.”

“I see. He is the son of Count Mapel.”

Elze suddenly became worried about the son of Count Mapel, whom she had never met. She did not know how old he was or what kind of child he was.

Who would meekly accept the sight of their father pouring his heart and soul into a young bride? He must have been deeply hurt. The relationship between the father and son of the Count Mapel family did not seem to be very good.

While Shan and Elze were chatting about this and that, the carriage arrived at Count Mapel's mansion. Elze got out of the carriage and looked up at Count Mapel's mansion.

“Hmm...”

The mansion was quite splendid. However, the exterior was flashy, and the value and dignity of the building seemed to be somewhat lacking. Without going too far, even the Targayel mansion was not as splendid, but it was built with much higher-quality materials.

As they entered Count Mapel’s mansion, it seemed like the party had already begun. Soft music was in the air. They were guided into the party hall by the attendant, and Count Mapel, who was serving the guests near the entrance, greeted them with a loud shout.

“Oh! Count Targayel!”

And Elze was a little disappointed in her heart at the sight of Count Mapel. Count Mapel was a typical ugly old man. His face was covered with freckles and wrinkles and he was full of spite.

She expected charisma from someone who would act as a King on the border, but it seems that it is rare to find a cool old gentleman like Duke Wade, Heyla's father.

Count Mapel greeted me with a sagging cheek.

“Welcome. I’ve been waiting for you.”

Unlike the delighted Count Mapel, Shan received his greeting with such an expressionless expression that it almost felt a little rude.

“Thank you for the invitation.”

But Count Mapel just smiled and led Shan and Elze inside.

“I am grateful that you are here. Please take a seat.”

The party venue had a dance hall on the left and a long banquet table on the right, where people could enjoy food and drinks. Elze and Shan sat at the banquet table.

There weren't that many guests. There were about 20 people in total. Considering that they were a married couple, it was a very small group. Count Mapel's son didn't seem to be attending the party.

Elze and Shan were guided to the seats right next to the Count and Countess of Mapel, who were the most honored. As Targayel was the last to sit down, the party began right away.

As the servants began to carry the food, Count Mapel put his hand on the waist of the woman sitting next to him and said with a smile.

“This is my wife, Cecilia.”

And Elze was able to see Cecilia for the first time. She greeted her with a face as cold and frozen as a doll.

“It is a pleasure to meet you, Count Targayel. And..."

Cecilia looked at Elze and spat out challengingly.

“Countess Targayel.”

Cecilia had changed a lot. She used to be a childish and immature, well-bred only daughter of a noble family. But now, she was worn down by the storms and gave off a strong impression of a poisonous snake. At first glance, she was almost creepy.

"Nice to meet you."

Elze greeted her, but Cecilia turned her head away with a haughty expression. She ignored the greeting. Elze had a feeling that today's party would be quite the party.

But despite the cold start, the party went surprisingly smoothly. Count Mapel and Cecilla didn't bother Targayel much. Instead, they helped them get to know the other lords and led the conversation to general conversation.

Although Count Mapel occasionally showed a tendency to ignore Shan, it was to a level that could be overlooked.

It was when the party was in full swing and everyone had drunk a few glasses of wine that Count Mapel revealed his true colors.

“Come on! Shouldn’t we share some New Year’s pie too?”

Count Mapel shouted for pie with a face flushed with alcohol. A servant came running in, panting, carrying a large pie. The guests received a piece of pie divided into bowls according to the number of people attending the party.

Cecilla whispered something next to Count Mapel. Count Mapel chuckled softly and kissed Cecilla on the cheek. Then he lifted his pie plate and shouted.

“Let’s decide whoever has a doll in their pie will be the King of the party tonight! Let’s all enjoy it!”

“...”

It was shallow water that seemed to be completely visible. Elze grimaced slightly, trying not to show it, and cut the pie with a fork. There was no doll in Elze's pie. Neither was Shan's pie.

And, as was perfectly obvious, the doll came out of Count Maphel's pie. It was a small porcelain fish, the symbol of the Mapel family.

“Oh!”

Count Mapel held the doll in his hand and shouted happily.

“From now on, I am the King, so everyone will follow my orders during the party!”

The drunken guests clapped and agreed with Count Mapel's words. Count Mapel's eyes sparkled. He pointed to Shan with a fork in his hand.

“Targayel!”

Shan's eyebrows rose as he was poked with a fork. Count Mapel shouted proudly.

“I heard that your swordsmanship is quite famous. Show me your skills!”

Shan managed to suppress his anger despite the commanding tone of Count Mapel's words. However, it seemed that Count Mapel had already thought about all of this when he invited the party.

“Let’s see...”

He pretended to be troubled, then chuckled and said.

“I’ll bring in a wild beast, so kill it! Use this dessert knife as your weapon!”

The guests all turned upside down laughing at the words of Count Mapel, who waved a small dessert knife. They looked at Shan with eyes full of anticipation. They expected Shan to be scared or say that he couldn't do it. However, Shan only smiled and responded.

“As Your Grace wishes. However..."

He got up from his seat and nodded his chin slightly as he added.

“I hope you won’t regret it.”


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