Ruben Ether was released from detention this morning.
Although the Knights' basement is not as harsh as a regular prison, a prison is still a prison. Perhaps because it is a dark and damp place where no sunlight reaches, his body felt heavy no matter how much he slept.
As he came up, Orpheus was waiting for him.
"Please come this way."
He felt relieved by Orpheus's polite behavior. In truth, he had been tense, fearing he might die unnoticed in the Knights' underground.
'I didn't know Grand Duke Erna was this strong.'
Ruben lightly drew a magic formula with his fingertips. The letters, possessing a weak power that stirred up a gentle breeze, vanished immediately the moment his hand withdrew.
It was proof that the protective magic created by Erna was still working well.
He, too, had noticed the anomaly while heading toward the Knights with Vanessa. Since it was palpable even to those who were not wizards, it struck him as an even more vivid sensation as a wizard himself.
He got goosebumps the moment he realized that a massive power had destroyed the Grand Duke's castle's protective magic.
'Did Ether succeed?'
The fact that Ether is touching the protective magic of the Grand Duke of Hessengard's castle.
That statement was not a lie.
Ether had long looked upon the fact that the vassal state of Hesengard possessed protective magic capable of neutralizing external forces. Therefore, when they first conquered Hessengard, they tried to somehow destroy the protective magic, but they did not achieve any particularly satisfactory results.
This was understandable, as the wizards of the Ether who had come to Hessengard had expected it would take over a year just to figure out the protective magic, and at least dozens of wizards and several months to destroy it.
He hadn't heard any news that such a large number of wizards had entered Hessengard, so while he was wondering what on earth had happened, a new magic covered the Grand Duke's castle.
And as Ruben entered the Knights, he realized that it was Erna who had destroyed the protective magic and cast a new one.
'King Havand will be rolling on the floor.'
It is enough to make his heart explode just knowing that the child he abandoned was a great wizard, but finding out that she is a wizard powerful enough to surpass the Magic Tower on her own would be truly devastating.
So they will desperately try to drag her back again.
No matter how powerful a wizard is, they are not invincible. Magic power is depleted, and it takes time for it to recharge. If attacked during that period, they will eventually be defeated.
Guided by Orpheus, he stayed at another guesthouse opposite Adelaide's quarters. However, the treatment he received was quite different from that of Adelaide.
"These attendants will serve Sir Ruben for the time being."
Ruben clicked his tongue at the title 'Sir Ruben.'
'So you're saying you're still deliberating on how to handle the exiled Prince.'
Thinking that at least he wasn't being sent back to Ether immediately, Ruben entered the room. Knights dressed in servants' clothes were standing inside his room at a glance.
"Please stay here comfortably until Grand Duke Erna comes looking for you."
“...I will.”
Ruben didn't know how on earth he was supposed to be at ease, but he decided to keep quiet for now. A few hours later, as night fell and he was about to drift off to sleep, he received a call from Erna.
Ruben, having changed into the clothes that had been prepared in advance, was escorted to the main building of the Grand Duke's castle.
This is a place he could not have entered when he was concealing his identity. He could not understand why he was suddenly being summoned here.
Ruben followed behind Orpheus, who was guiding him, feeling even more nervous. As he walked up the hall stairs, Ruben once again felt the wealth of Hessengard.
The Duchy, devastated by war, restored most of its damage thanks to the swift actions of the Council, even though the number of Grand Dukes had increased to two.
This magnificent Grand Duke's castle was also one of the things that boasted of Hessengard's wealth.
No wonder they kept sending them, even though members of the royal family were dying off.
A duchy nestled in the center of the continent, embracing the most fertile land. A land that still boasts overflowing abundance despite being constantly plundered. What would it feel like to become the master of this place?
While Ruben looked around, Orpheus approached the large door and knocked. A short reply telling him to come in came from inside, and Orpheus opened the door.
"Please enter."
“...”
He naturally assumed Orpheus would follow him in, but she simply opened the door and stood there.
As Ruben went inside, he heard the sound of a door closing behind him. Ruben looked into the room.
A large desk was visible among the numerous books and documents, and Erna was sitting in front of it.
"You're here. I'd like you to sit and wait for a moment."
Erna, who was writing something with a pen, glanced at him once and then focused back on the documents.
Ruben sat on the sofa in the center of the room that Erna had pointed to. Only the scratching sound of a pen echoed in the room. Ruben's gaze naturally turned toward Erna, who was working.
Was she feeling lazy while working? With her long hair tied loosely back, Erna was looking at documents with a slight frown. Because the tie was loose, a few strands of long golden hair had slipped out and cascaded down the nape of her neck.
Under the light created by magic, a white nape with a touch of downy hair was visible. His eyes were also drawn to Erna's casual clothes, which somehow revealed her shoulders and chest more clearly than usual.
Gulp.
Ruben unconsciously swallowed hard.
When he was young, he heard the story told by the knights who had escorted Callion when he left for Hessengard.
“It was quite a sight to behold. To be honest, I was so embarrassed before going... I was worried people would call him a Prince for being the representative of Ether, but even the Princess of Havand wasn't in a position to say anything. I was actually worried that Lord Callion might get crushed to death beneath her on their wedding night.”
"They're just kids, aren't they?"
"They're not young at all. Sixteen is the age to have a lot of fun."
The vulgar conversation continued. Ruben listened to it without thinking, thinking it was fortunate that he hadn't gone to Hessengard.
In fact, King Ether asked Ruben before sending Callion if he intended to go.
Ruben immediately rejected the offer.
Aside from his life, the thought of traveling far to a foreign country to be forced to embrace a stranger made him sigh. After hearing the knights' words, he felt even more relieved that he had refused.
However, seeing Erna Hessengard not even casting a single glance at him now, Ruben regretted his decision from back then.
No, he had been feeling regret ever since he first saw Erna while sneaking in under the name Abel.
Who would have known 10 years ago that Hessengard would recover so quickly and that Erna Hesengard would end up like this?
Ruben thought of Callion.
'What a lucky guy.'
He tenaciously clung to life even after eating poison for the first time, and now he has obtained the position of Grand Duke of a prosperous land and a beautiful wife.
Even though he knew it was pointless, Ruben imagined what would have happened if he had accepted the King's proposal 10 years ago.
Bam.
Just as he was about to sink deeper into delusion, Erna put down the pen. Ruben snapped back to reality at the sound.
"I'm sorry for making you wait so long."
Erna untied her hair tie as she stood up from her seat.
Golden hair rippled and cascaded over her shoulders. Despite the dark night, Ruben blinked, feeling a brief dazzling light.
He clenched his fist under his sleeve as he watched Erna approach him.
'What are you thinking?'
At this hour, he was brought into the room alone, without even her aide present. Moreover, she even let her hair down comfortably, as if she paid little attention to etiquette.
'She's probably doing this on purpose.'
Ruben looked at Erna, who was sitting in front of him, with suspicious eyes. It was a temptation that was obvious, if you will. In fact, if one wanted to win others over, there would be no better method than this.
Even though he thought she was being far too blatant in her seduction, Ruben's gaze swept over Erna's chest area. Her curves were clearly revealed in the slightly form-fitting clothes, rather than loose attire.
Even though he knew he had to stay alert to survive, his mind kept wandering. He couldn't understand at all what Erna Hessengard wanted from him by acting this way.
'So you're telling me to spill the truth?'
Is she planning to dig deeper because the sudden asylum request is suspicious? But rather than going through such a hassle, it would have been better to just take care of it secretly in the Knights' underground.
As Ruben was racking his brain, Erna sat with her legs crossed. Then, she rested her arms on her knees and propped her chin on them.
Her exposed legs were dizzyingly white and slender. As she bent over, her breasts jiggled, and Ruben cursed his body for constantly trying to react, even though he knew it was an obvious ploy.
Then Erna said.
“I understand that Prince Ruben has an illegitimate child. Is that correct?”
“...That is correct.”
His father had taken a beautiful commoner woman as his mistress early on. Having been with her for quite some time, they even had a child together. He had told her to leave far away before he fled from the Ether, but she might have already been captured and killed. In any case, it was not a matter of much significance to Ruben.
More than that, he couldn't understand why Erna was suddenly bringing up that story.
"In that case, there shouldn't be any problem with reproductive ability."
"Ahem!"
Ruben cleared his throat at the embarrassing story that suddenly came out.
“Grand Duke Erna. Why on earth are you suddenly telling me such a story...”
"As you know, I have no children with Callion Hessengard."
“...”
“But right now, I need a child. As you might have guessed, I don’t really intend to go back to Havand. So recently, I’ve been making a conscious effort.”
It was a well-known fact. After all, it wasn't a big secret that Erna and Callion were sharing a bedroom after the two countries notified each other.
“But there were no results. And the reason is... Sigh.”
Erna turned her head to the window for a moment and clicked her tongue in disdain.
“What good is having a field? You need the right seeds to grow.”
“Ahem, ahem!”
Ruben was stunned again by the blatant remark. Yet, a wry smile escaped his lips. Callion. That bastard who acted so high and mighty was actually a man without a seed?
Ruben shrugged at what he had heard from Erna. Suddenly, he felt as though he were a far superior human being to Callion.
Erna screamed inwardly as she watched Ruben, who was acting all tough in front of her.
'I'm sorry, Callion. I castrated you.'
It was obvious that if he found out about this later, he would make a huge fuss and try to prove it wasn't true, but she couldn't help it.
She knows that Ruben Ether will suspect her. Even if she tries to persuade him in various ways, he will not let go of his suspicious gaze. In that case...
'It’s better to go a step further and just be stubborn.'
So Erna spoke to Ruben again.
“You really resemble Callion Hessengard. Enough to me to mistake you for him at first glance in the darkness.”
Unless he is an idiot, there is no man who doesn't know what she is proposing.
'As expected.'
Ruben Ether's face was seen flushing so intensely that it could not be hidden even in the dim light.
Although the Knights' basement is not as harsh as a regular prison, a prison is still a prison. Perhaps because it is a dark and damp place where no sunlight reaches, his body felt heavy no matter how much he slept.
As he came up, Orpheus was waiting for him.
"Please come this way."
He felt relieved by Orpheus's polite behavior. In truth, he had been tense, fearing he might die unnoticed in the Knights' underground.
'I didn't know Grand Duke Erna was this strong.'
Ruben lightly drew a magic formula with his fingertips. The letters, possessing a weak power that stirred up a gentle breeze, vanished immediately the moment his hand withdrew.
It was proof that the protective magic created by Erna was still working well.
He, too, had noticed the anomaly while heading toward the Knights with Vanessa. Since it was palpable even to those who were not wizards, it struck him as an even more vivid sensation as a wizard himself.
He got goosebumps the moment he realized that a massive power had destroyed the Grand Duke's castle's protective magic.
'Did Ether succeed?'
The fact that Ether is touching the protective magic of the Grand Duke of Hessengard's castle.
That statement was not a lie.
Ether had long looked upon the fact that the vassal state of Hesengard possessed protective magic capable of neutralizing external forces. Therefore, when they first conquered Hessengard, they tried to somehow destroy the protective magic, but they did not achieve any particularly satisfactory results.
This was understandable, as the wizards of the Ether who had come to Hessengard had expected it would take over a year just to figure out the protective magic, and at least dozens of wizards and several months to destroy it.
He hadn't heard any news that such a large number of wizards had entered Hessengard, so while he was wondering what on earth had happened, a new magic covered the Grand Duke's castle.
And as Ruben entered the Knights, he realized that it was Erna who had destroyed the protective magic and cast a new one.
'King Havand will be rolling on the floor.'
It is enough to make his heart explode just knowing that the child he abandoned was a great wizard, but finding out that she is a wizard powerful enough to surpass the Magic Tower on her own would be truly devastating.
So they will desperately try to drag her back again.
No matter how powerful a wizard is, they are not invincible. Magic power is depleted, and it takes time for it to recharge. If attacked during that period, they will eventually be defeated.
Guided by Orpheus, he stayed at another guesthouse opposite Adelaide's quarters. However, the treatment he received was quite different from that of Adelaide.
"These attendants will serve Sir Ruben for the time being."
Ruben clicked his tongue at the title 'Sir Ruben.'
'So you're saying you're still deliberating on how to handle the exiled Prince.'
Thinking that at least he wasn't being sent back to Ether immediately, Ruben entered the room. Knights dressed in servants' clothes were standing inside his room at a glance.
"Please stay here comfortably until Grand Duke Erna comes looking for you."
“...I will.”
Ruben didn't know how on earth he was supposed to be at ease, but he decided to keep quiet for now. A few hours later, as night fell and he was about to drift off to sleep, he received a call from Erna.
Ruben, having changed into the clothes that had been prepared in advance, was escorted to the main building of the Grand Duke's castle.
This is a place he could not have entered when he was concealing his identity. He could not understand why he was suddenly being summoned here.
Ruben followed behind Orpheus, who was guiding him, feeling even more nervous. As he walked up the hall stairs, Ruben once again felt the wealth of Hessengard.
The Duchy, devastated by war, restored most of its damage thanks to the swift actions of the Council, even though the number of Grand Dukes had increased to two.
This magnificent Grand Duke's castle was also one of the things that boasted of Hessengard's wealth.
No wonder they kept sending them, even though members of the royal family were dying off.
A duchy nestled in the center of the continent, embracing the most fertile land. A land that still boasts overflowing abundance despite being constantly plundered. What would it feel like to become the master of this place?
While Ruben looked around, Orpheus approached the large door and knocked. A short reply telling him to come in came from inside, and Orpheus opened the door.
"Please enter."
“...”
He naturally assumed Orpheus would follow him in, but she simply opened the door and stood there.
As Ruben went inside, he heard the sound of a door closing behind him. Ruben looked into the room.
A large desk was visible among the numerous books and documents, and Erna was sitting in front of it.
"You're here. I'd like you to sit and wait for a moment."
Erna, who was writing something with a pen, glanced at him once and then focused back on the documents.
Ruben sat on the sofa in the center of the room that Erna had pointed to. Only the scratching sound of a pen echoed in the room. Ruben's gaze naturally turned toward Erna, who was working.
Was she feeling lazy while working? With her long hair tied loosely back, Erna was looking at documents with a slight frown. Because the tie was loose, a few strands of long golden hair had slipped out and cascaded down the nape of her neck.
Under the light created by magic, a white nape with a touch of downy hair was visible. His eyes were also drawn to Erna's casual clothes, which somehow revealed her shoulders and chest more clearly than usual.
Gulp.
Ruben unconsciously swallowed hard.
When he was young, he heard the story told by the knights who had escorted Callion when he left for Hessengard.
“It was quite a sight to behold. To be honest, I was so embarrassed before going... I was worried people would call him a Prince for being the representative of Ether, but even the Princess of Havand wasn't in a position to say anything. I was actually worried that Lord Callion might get crushed to death beneath her on their wedding night.”
"They're just kids, aren't they?"
"They're not young at all. Sixteen is the age to have a lot of fun."
The vulgar conversation continued. Ruben listened to it without thinking, thinking it was fortunate that he hadn't gone to Hessengard.
In fact, King Ether asked Ruben before sending Callion if he intended to go.
Ruben immediately rejected the offer.
Aside from his life, the thought of traveling far to a foreign country to be forced to embrace a stranger made him sigh. After hearing the knights' words, he felt even more relieved that he had refused.
However, seeing Erna Hessengard not even casting a single glance at him now, Ruben regretted his decision from back then.
No, he had been feeling regret ever since he first saw Erna while sneaking in under the name Abel.
Who would have known 10 years ago that Hessengard would recover so quickly and that Erna Hesengard would end up like this?
Ruben thought of Callion.
'What a lucky guy.'
He tenaciously clung to life even after eating poison for the first time, and now he has obtained the position of Grand Duke of a prosperous land and a beautiful wife.
Even though he knew it was pointless, Ruben imagined what would have happened if he had accepted the King's proposal 10 years ago.
Bam.
Just as he was about to sink deeper into delusion, Erna put down the pen. Ruben snapped back to reality at the sound.
"I'm sorry for making you wait so long."
Erna untied her hair tie as she stood up from her seat.
Golden hair rippled and cascaded over her shoulders. Despite the dark night, Ruben blinked, feeling a brief dazzling light.
He clenched his fist under his sleeve as he watched Erna approach him.
'What are you thinking?'
At this hour, he was brought into the room alone, without even her aide present. Moreover, she even let her hair down comfortably, as if she paid little attention to etiquette.
'She's probably doing this on purpose.'
Ruben looked at Erna, who was sitting in front of him, with suspicious eyes. It was a temptation that was obvious, if you will. In fact, if one wanted to win others over, there would be no better method than this.
Even though he thought she was being far too blatant in her seduction, Ruben's gaze swept over Erna's chest area. Her curves were clearly revealed in the slightly form-fitting clothes, rather than loose attire.
Even though he knew he had to stay alert to survive, his mind kept wandering. He couldn't understand at all what Erna Hessengard wanted from him by acting this way.
'So you're telling me to spill the truth?'
Is she planning to dig deeper because the sudden asylum request is suspicious? But rather than going through such a hassle, it would have been better to just take care of it secretly in the Knights' underground.
As Ruben was racking his brain, Erna sat with her legs crossed. Then, she rested her arms on her knees and propped her chin on them.
Her exposed legs were dizzyingly white and slender. As she bent over, her breasts jiggled, and Ruben cursed his body for constantly trying to react, even though he knew it was an obvious ploy.
Then Erna said.
“I understand that Prince Ruben has an illegitimate child. Is that correct?”
“...That is correct.”
His father had taken a beautiful commoner woman as his mistress early on. Having been with her for quite some time, they even had a child together. He had told her to leave far away before he fled from the Ether, but she might have already been captured and killed. In any case, it was not a matter of much significance to Ruben.
More than that, he couldn't understand why Erna was suddenly bringing up that story.
"In that case, there shouldn't be any problem with reproductive ability."
"Ahem!"
Ruben cleared his throat at the embarrassing story that suddenly came out.
“Grand Duke Erna. Why on earth are you suddenly telling me such a story...”
"As you know, I have no children with Callion Hessengard."
“...”
“But right now, I need a child. As you might have guessed, I don’t really intend to go back to Havand. So recently, I’ve been making a conscious effort.”
It was a well-known fact. After all, it wasn't a big secret that Erna and Callion were sharing a bedroom after the two countries notified each other.
“But there were no results. And the reason is... Sigh.”
Erna turned her head to the window for a moment and clicked her tongue in disdain.
“What good is having a field? You need the right seeds to grow.”
“Ahem, ahem!”
Ruben was stunned again by the blatant remark. Yet, a wry smile escaped his lips. Callion. That bastard who acted so high and mighty was actually a man without a seed?
Ruben shrugged at what he had heard from Erna. Suddenly, he felt as though he were a far superior human being to Callion.
Erna screamed inwardly as she watched Ruben, who was acting all tough in front of her.
'I'm sorry, Callion. I castrated you.'
It was obvious that if he found out about this later, he would make a huge fuss and try to prove it wasn't true, but she couldn't help it.
She knows that Ruben Ether will suspect her. Even if she tries to persuade him in various ways, he will not let go of his suspicious gaze. In that case...
'It’s better to go a step further and just be stubborn.'
So Erna spoke to Ruben again.
“You really resemble Callion Hessengard. Enough to me to mistake you for him at first glance in the darkness.”
Unless he is an idiot, there is no man who doesn't know what she is proposing.
'As expected.'
Ruben Ether's face was seen flushing so intensely that it could not be hidden even in the dim light.
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