Andrea, who had been staying at Count Elbern's estate for several days, felt uncomfortable about everything.
Unlike the capital, where the autumn sun was still warm, the cold air of Elbern's territory seeped into the buildings and grated on his nerves.
“How on earth do people live in a place like this?”
He shivered as he closed his thick fur coat.
"Why haven't those guys from the Magic Tower contacted me yet? Are they even doing their job properly? Are they just slacking off somewhere?"
Andrea shouted through the closed door of the living room.
“Hey! Is anyone there? Let’s put some more wood in the fireplace!”
The butler, who had entered the drawing room after hearing the nervous command, spoke cautiously to Andrea.
“We’ve run out of firewood, so the servants have gone out to chop wood. Please wait a moment...”
“Are you out of firewood?”
Andrea snorted in disbelief.
"You should have prepared well in advance when I said I was coming! How dare you treat the royal family so rudely?"
“That, that’s not it, I was pressed for time due to the sudden visit...”
“What’s so great about preparing some firewood that it takes so much time?”
“I’m sorry.”
The butler bowed his head.
It was actually an unfair thing for the butler.
The plan to station troops in the Elbern territory under the pretext of military training was a sudden development.
Since Kavala wanted this to remain unknown to the other nobles, the Elbern Estate had to make all preparations as quietly and quickly as possible.
It was quite a task to prepare to feed and house Prince Andrea and his troops.
Even in the military alone, they had to find a place to house so many people. No matter how strong the men were, it was impossible to have them sleep outside at this time of year when winter was approaching.
If that continued, the army might be annihilated before even reaching Ronheim.
But preparing to feed and house an army was a much, much easier task than entertaining Andrea and his party.
'You're saying this is confidential when you bring this person in?'
Andrea was accompanied by dozens of servants and maids, along with their attendants and maids.
Not only that, but dozens of imperial knights, their attendants, porters, and even Andrea's personal chef accompanied them.
Count Elbern's castle was filled to the brim with Andrea's attendants.
The butler was having the busiest days of his life, having to house and clothe them all and provide entertainment to keep them entertained.
'Even schedules that were supposed to last just a few days are now stretching into weeks.'
Andrea was eating and drinking in Elbern County, which took about twice as long as expected.
'It costs twice as much...'
All of this was being provided free of charge, simply because Andrea was a member of the royal family, and with the expectation of future rewards. But instead of being grateful, Andrea grumbled every day.
"Why on earth aren't you heating the castle with magic? You still have fireplaces. What era is this?"
Even though he was wearing clothes with insulating magic, so he shouldn't be that cold, Andrea acted as if he couldn't tolerate even the slightest bit of cold.
At that very moment, Count Elbern, who had just returned from a pre-dawn visit to the army, entered the drawing room.
“Your Highness, did you have a peaceful night?”
Count Elbern smiled kindly and offered his usual greeting.
Meanwhile, the butler ran away with a look of life on his face.
He decided that it would be better for the Count himself to quickly disappear, as he might get caught up in something if he lingered around Andrea.
Andrea snorted and looked Count Elbern up and down.
“I was hoping so, but the castle is too cold.”
Andrea always wanted to show off his elegant and compassionate side as a royal in front of those in power.
However, Count Elbern was not a person of power whom Andrea could care about.
Andrea's attitude, which changed depending on who he was dealing with, was extremely twisted in front of Count Elbern.
Ronheim, located at the northernmost tip of the continent, and the nearby County of Elbern were in a location that could be called a frontier.
Moreover, the northern fiefdoms, where farming was difficult, were all equally poor.
It was inevitable. There wasn't much tax money to be collected from farming.
However, even in the northern territories, where there were many mines and abundant resources to sell, the situation was somewhat better, but even that was not so good for Elbern County.
So, let alone heating the castle with magic, it was difficult for Count Elbern to even provide a warm magical cloak for himself.
In these circumstances, Count Elbern was spending an entire year's budget on Andrea.
'He said that if this goes well, he would grant me the fertile territory in the south.'
Count Elbern forced a smile, suppressing Andrea's openly humiliating attitude.
If they were granted the southern territories, the taxes they received would quickly fill their empty coffers.
"I'm sorry you had an uncomfortable night's sleep. I should have made more thorough preparations to ensure Your Highness's comfort. It's all my fault."
“If I had known the Count’s castle would be this shabby, I would have personally hired magicians from the Magic Tower.”
In the capital, it was rare to use such direct language toward the nobles.
High-minded words tend to plant bones, but Andrea didn't even want to put in that effort with Count Elbern.
He was afraid that Count Elbern might not know how uncomfortable and irritated he was, so he spoke frankly and irritably.
"Oh, and the butler said there's a firewood shortage. Does that make sense? The Count's butler seems incredibly incompetent. He can't even do the basics."
Andrea tapped Count Elbern on the shoulder.
"I'm saying this for your own good. If this had happened during my official visit, how embarrassing would it have been for you to show such poor hospitality?"
Count Elbern forced a smile and changed the subject.
"Have you contacted the wizards in Ronheim yet? I'm worried because it seems like things are taking longer than expected. I wonder if something is wrong..."
“Oh.”
Andrea frowned and cut off Count Elbern.
"Don't say that. Words can become seeds. Then all my hard work will be in vain."
Count Elbern couldn't understand what Andrea had been up to during the few days he had been here, lounging around the fire, but he said nothing.
The Count tried to endure it, thinking of the southern territories, but he simply couldn't bring himself to stand by Andrea's side without showing any signs of displeasure.
He was also a nobleman from a family with a long history.
If it weren't for Andrea, no one could have treated Count Elbern like a servant.
The Count's pride had been wounded to the core these past few days.
“I need to go and check the military one more time so that I don’t mess things up before the time comes.”
There was a subtle bone in the words.
Andrea, who had a keen eye for such things, sat crookedly on the sofa and looked at Count Elbern with a face that said, "Surely he's not telling me to listen."
Count Elbern smiled as if to say, “How could that be?” and asked kindly.
“Would you like to go together?”
He asked because he knew Andrea would never agree to go with him.
As expected, Andrea shook his head in disgust.
"Marquis Dnieper Blanco will take care of everything, but you're worried, Count. I have much work to do, so you should go alone."
Count Elbern fled from his seat.
Andrea, who had been looking at his back with displeasure, grumbled when Dnieper appeared in the living room a little later.
“It seems that Count Elbern despises me.”
Dnieper asked calmly, drying his snow-soaked coat by the fireplace.
“Why do you think so?”
"Otherwise, there's no way he'd treat me like this. Besides, he's wandering around alone, leaving his guests behind. He's definitely ignoring me."
Then he glared at Dnieper with an annoyed look.
"Even this insignificant Count from a remote village ignores me? Is this because I can't pay my bills? Has the rumor already spread? Huh? Is that so?"
“...”
Dnieper didn't respond.
Andrea was getting irritated by the sight of such a taciturn Dnieper.
“You should have funded me before things got to this point!”
A spark flew to Dnieper for no reason.
“...”
"Tell me, did you even discuss with my mother whether or not to lend me the money because you felt it was a small expense? If it weren't for you, how could she possibly know my situation so clearly? Huh?"
“...”
"Oh, really. I'm dying of frustration. Please say something."
The longer Dnieper's silence continued, the more Andrea became enraged.
"You're my biological father! Instead of complaining to my mother, you should protect me! Think about it. If I were to sit on the throne, would that meager money be of any use? Then, as your own son, I'd be so devoted to you."
Only then did Dnieper let out a small sigh.
"Andrea, watch your mouth. It's not something you should be saying lightly in a place like this."
When Dnieper, who had always addressed Andrea with the title of "Your Highness" and treated him with respect, fiercely spoke to him, Andrea felt a pang and shouted outside for no reason.
"Is there any firewood yet? The fire is about to go out. Why are you all dawdling around like this?"
Unlike the capital, where the autumn sun was still warm, the cold air of Elbern's territory seeped into the buildings and grated on his nerves.
“How on earth do people live in a place like this?”
He shivered as he closed his thick fur coat.
"Why haven't those guys from the Magic Tower contacted me yet? Are they even doing their job properly? Are they just slacking off somewhere?"
Andrea shouted through the closed door of the living room.
“Hey! Is anyone there? Let’s put some more wood in the fireplace!”
The butler, who had entered the drawing room after hearing the nervous command, spoke cautiously to Andrea.
“We’ve run out of firewood, so the servants have gone out to chop wood. Please wait a moment...”
“Are you out of firewood?”
Andrea snorted in disbelief.
"You should have prepared well in advance when I said I was coming! How dare you treat the royal family so rudely?"
“That, that’s not it, I was pressed for time due to the sudden visit...”
“What’s so great about preparing some firewood that it takes so much time?”
“I’m sorry.”
The butler bowed his head.
It was actually an unfair thing for the butler.
The plan to station troops in the Elbern territory under the pretext of military training was a sudden development.
Since Kavala wanted this to remain unknown to the other nobles, the Elbern Estate had to make all preparations as quietly and quickly as possible.
It was quite a task to prepare to feed and house Prince Andrea and his troops.
Even in the military alone, they had to find a place to house so many people. No matter how strong the men were, it was impossible to have them sleep outside at this time of year when winter was approaching.
If that continued, the army might be annihilated before even reaching Ronheim.
But preparing to feed and house an army was a much, much easier task than entertaining Andrea and his party.
'You're saying this is confidential when you bring this person in?'
Andrea was accompanied by dozens of servants and maids, along with their attendants and maids.
Not only that, but dozens of imperial knights, their attendants, porters, and even Andrea's personal chef accompanied them.
Count Elbern's castle was filled to the brim with Andrea's attendants.
The butler was having the busiest days of his life, having to house and clothe them all and provide entertainment to keep them entertained.
'Even schedules that were supposed to last just a few days are now stretching into weeks.'
Andrea was eating and drinking in Elbern County, which took about twice as long as expected.
'It costs twice as much...'
All of this was being provided free of charge, simply because Andrea was a member of the royal family, and with the expectation of future rewards. But instead of being grateful, Andrea grumbled every day.
"Why on earth aren't you heating the castle with magic? You still have fireplaces. What era is this?"
Even though he was wearing clothes with insulating magic, so he shouldn't be that cold, Andrea acted as if he couldn't tolerate even the slightest bit of cold.
At that very moment, Count Elbern, who had just returned from a pre-dawn visit to the army, entered the drawing room.
“Your Highness, did you have a peaceful night?”
Count Elbern smiled kindly and offered his usual greeting.
Meanwhile, the butler ran away with a look of life on his face.
He decided that it would be better for the Count himself to quickly disappear, as he might get caught up in something if he lingered around Andrea.
Andrea snorted and looked Count Elbern up and down.
“I was hoping so, but the castle is too cold.”
Andrea always wanted to show off his elegant and compassionate side as a royal in front of those in power.
However, Count Elbern was not a person of power whom Andrea could care about.
Andrea's attitude, which changed depending on who he was dealing with, was extremely twisted in front of Count Elbern.
Ronheim, located at the northernmost tip of the continent, and the nearby County of Elbern were in a location that could be called a frontier.
Moreover, the northern fiefdoms, where farming was difficult, were all equally poor.
It was inevitable. There wasn't much tax money to be collected from farming.
However, even in the northern territories, where there were many mines and abundant resources to sell, the situation was somewhat better, but even that was not so good for Elbern County.
So, let alone heating the castle with magic, it was difficult for Count Elbern to even provide a warm magical cloak for himself.
In these circumstances, Count Elbern was spending an entire year's budget on Andrea.
'He said that if this goes well, he would grant me the fertile territory in the south.'
Count Elbern forced a smile, suppressing Andrea's openly humiliating attitude.
If they were granted the southern territories, the taxes they received would quickly fill their empty coffers.
"I'm sorry you had an uncomfortable night's sleep. I should have made more thorough preparations to ensure Your Highness's comfort. It's all my fault."
“If I had known the Count’s castle would be this shabby, I would have personally hired magicians from the Magic Tower.”
In the capital, it was rare to use such direct language toward the nobles.
High-minded words tend to plant bones, but Andrea didn't even want to put in that effort with Count Elbern.
He was afraid that Count Elbern might not know how uncomfortable and irritated he was, so he spoke frankly and irritably.
"Oh, and the butler said there's a firewood shortage. Does that make sense? The Count's butler seems incredibly incompetent. He can't even do the basics."
Andrea tapped Count Elbern on the shoulder.
"I'm saying this for your own good. If this had happened during my official visit, how embarrassing would it have been for you to show such poor hospitality?"
Count Elbern forced a smile and changed the subject.
"Have you contacted the wizards in Ronheim yet? I'm worried because it seems like things are taking longer than expected. I wonder if something is wrong..."
“Oh.”
Andrea frowned and cut off Count Elbern.
"Don't say that. Words can become seeds. Then all my hard work will be in vain."
Count Elbern couldn't understand what Andrea had been up to during the few days he had been here, lounging around the fire, but he said nothing.
The Count tried to endure it, thinking of the southern territories, but he simply couldn't bring himself to stand by Andrea's side without showing any signs of displeasure.
He was also a nobleman from a family with a long history.
If it weren't for Andrea, no one could have treated Count Elbern like a servant.
The Count's pride had been wounded to the core these past few days.
“I need to go and check the military one more time so that I don’t mess things up before the time comes.”
There was a subtle bone in the words.
Andrea, who had a keen eye for such things, sat crookedly on the sofa and looked at Count Elbern with a face that said, "Surely he's not telling me to listen."
Count Elbern smiled as if to say, “How could that be?” and asked kindly.
“Would you like to go together?”
He asked because he knew Andrea would never agree to go with him.
As expected, Andrea shook his head in disgust.
"Marquis Dnieper Blanco will take care of everything, but you're worried, Count. I have much work to do, so you should go alone."
Count Elbern fled from his seat.
Andrea, who had been looking at his back with displeasure, grumbled when Dnieper appeared in the living room a little later.
“It seems that Count Elbern despises me.”
Dnieper asked calmly, drying his snow-soaked coat by the fireplace.
“Why do you think so?”
"Otherwise, there's no way he'd treat me like this. Besides, he's wandering around alone, leaving his guests behind. He's definitely ignoring me."
Then he glared at Dnieper with an annoyed look.
"Even this insignificant Count from a remote village ignores me? Is this because I can't pay my bills? Has the rumor already spread? Huh? Is that so?"
“...”
Dnieper didn't respond.
Andrea was getting irritated by the sight of such a taciturn Dnieper.
“You should have funded me before things got to this point!”
A spark flew to Dnieper for no reason.
“...”
"Tell me, did you even discuss with my mother whether or not to lend me the money because you felt it was a small expense? If it weren't for you, how could she possibly know my situation so clearly? Huh?"
“...”
"Oh, really. I'm dying of frustration. Please say something."
The longer Dnieper's silence continued, the more Andrea became enraged.
"You're my biological father! Instead of complaining to my mother, you should protect me! Think about it. If I were to sit on the throne, would that meager money be of any use? Then, as your own son, I'd be so devoted to you."
Only then did Dnieper let out a small sigh.
"Andrea, watch your mouth. It's not something you should be saying lightly in a place like this."
When Dnieper, who had always addressed Andrea with the title of "Your Highness" and treated him with respect, fiercely spoke to him, Andrea felt a pang and shouted outside for no reason.
"Is there any firewood yet? The fire is about to go out. Why are you all dawdling around like this?"
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