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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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“That was… confusing.”
“You can say that again.”
Erica and Trie walked out the front gate of the chairman’s residence, still dazed. They hadn’t fully processed what had just happened.
The Crown Princess had appeared out of nowhere in a hooded cloak, casually exchanged an Elixir with Schlus, and then made a ridiculous joke about him taking a wife… It was all so bizarre.
“Schlus’s wife… Ha! That’s hilarious, right?”
“Why?”
“Who would want him? He’s arrogant, quiet, aloof, gloomy, and disrespectful.”
“I would.”
“…”
Erica stopped walking. Trie tilted her head, wondering if she’d said something wrong.
Erica’s face flushed as she stared at Trie.
“So… you… would you marry Schlus if you could?”
“Of course. My family might be strong, but we’re not a high-ranking noble family with connections like yours. Marrying Schlus is the best way for us to gain access to the Imperial family.”
“Oh… I see… So that’s Schultzenberg’s position. Hmph…”
Erica forced a haughty sniff and resumed walking. She pretended to be indifferent, but her mind was racing.
‘What? Am I the only one who feels this way about Schlus?’
Wasn’t marriage supposed to be about love?
That’s what her mother had taught her. That even if you married someone rich and powerful, you wouldn’t be happy without love.
But her mother had also said she was happy because she’d married someone rich, powerful, and loving… Erica had been waiting for the perfect man, just like her mother.
But if that man was Schlus—
‘Absolutely not!’
She could answer that without hesitation. Schlus was pleasant to look at, but not truly handsome.
He was considerate, but not genuinely kind. He fought with conviction to protect what he valued, but he wasn’t particularly dashing.
‘Damn it… This isn’t right.’
Just thinking about him made her heart race and her face flush. Honestly, Schlus was quite a decent man, for a commoner.
If he proposed, she’d agonize over it before reluctantly accepting. But there was a problem. Schlus was already in love. Or rather, he had been in love.
He loved a dead woman. He was trying to rekindle that impossible love through her younger sister. The thought left a bitter taste in Erica’s mouth.
“You should hurry.”
“What? What are you talking about?”
“Many are vying for Schlus’s hand.”
“What?!”
Erica’s face flushed even deeper.
Trie’s words, though playful, were half-serious. Schlus’s attendant, for instance, was desperately trying to win him over. Trie didn’t know her well, but she was undeniably bold.
Desperate enough to drug Schlus and get pregnant with his child… And then there was Iris.
She might be a Saintess, chosen by the divine, but she was still human. She was no different from any other girl.
Lately, she’d been beaming whenever she saw Schlus, her eyes following him with a soft smile. Anyone could see her affection.
If she was this obvious while trying to hide it, how strong were her true feelings…? Trie shuddered.
‘Do… do I not love Schlus?’
Trie’s expression turned pensive. Schlus was undeniably a good man.
Handsome, kind, magically gifted, a decent swordsman (though not as good as her), intelligent… His only flaw was his commoner status, but as a knight directly under the Emperor, his standing was practically on par with high-ranking nobles.
He was a perfect marriage prospect. But Trie didn’t feel the “fluttering” described in romance novels. Not entirely, anyway. There had been one time.
When she and Schlus had been trapped in the minefield, and they’d combined their magic to disarm all the mines… She’d felt a flutter in her chest as she’d stood beside him, witnessing that beautiful sight.
“Are you one of those vying for Schlus, Trie?”
“Well… yes?”
“I… I see.”
“I’m not going to go easy on you, you know.”
“I-I never said I was vying for him!”
Erica’s flustered denial was endearing.
From a man’s perspective, a cute girl like her would be more appealing than a muscular, strong woman like Trie.
The battle hadn’t even begun, and Trie already felt like she was losing. She sighed.
“If you keep being so dishonest, you’ll regret it later.”
“…”
Erica turned her back on Trie and walked away. She already knew.
Her inability to be honest had cost her dearly in the past… But some habits were hard to break.
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“Commander. A letter from the capital.”
“From Schlus Hainkel?”
“Yes. But… I didn’t do this.”
“…”
An envelope landed on his desk. His adjutant saluted and quickly left.
Roman picked up the envelope, puzzled, and quickly understood. It had been opened.
‘The command’s doing.’
No one in the legion’s postal service would dare do such a thing. His superiors must have intercepted and read the letter before delivering it.
They used to at least try to reseal it discreetly. Now, they weren’t even bothering to hide their surveillance.
“How disheartening.”
Roman chuckled and pulled out the letter.
Many envied his position as the youngest general, earned through his achievements in the Freya-Trude War.
Within the army, almost every general except the divisional commanders under his command considered him an enemy. He was a reformer, a thorn in the side of the old guard.
They’d used every dirty trick in the book to try and remove him.
This was the result.
“Hmm…?”
Roman’s eyes widened as he read the short message,
“Pfft…”
Roman burst out laughing.
Was he seriously asking for help? He could easily offer token assistance and later claim he’d done everything he could, blaming military law or the Emperor’s decrees. But Schlus Hainkel had given him complete autonomy.
Was he foolish? No.
Schlus Hainkel wasn’t a fool. He must have sensed Roman’s willingness to help, even without the favor. And the unnecessary addition, “within the confines of military law and the Emperor’s decrees…” was clearly meant to appease those listening in.
No, he wasn’t appeasing them, he knew they were listening.
‘What are you planning, Schlus Hainkel…?!’
Roman felt a thrill.
This was the man Sergei had told him to follow into the fires of hell. He’d been skeptical then. But now, he was starting to see Schlus’s true potential.
He was eager to see how Schlus would handle this impending crisis. He clutched the letter, a sense of excitement building within him.
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“Ugh…”
Iris groaned, lying in bed.
In her hand, she held a letter with elegant, understated decoration. It was clearly from the Holy See.
She didn’t want to read it. She rolled around in bed for a while before finally tearing open the envelope. She scanned the letter, hoping to finish it quickly.
“Sigh.”
She sighed deeply.
There was no way she’d finish this quickly. Royalty and the Holy See seemed incapable of brevity. And even this seemingly pointless introduction was laced with metaphors… It was practically a coded message, requiring careful decipherment.
“Huu…”
Iris placed the letter on her desk and removed her glasses.
To anyone else, it would seem like a simple well-wishing letter. But the hidden message was clear:
– The direction of the wind is set.
– Do not resist. Yield to the wind.
A more direct interpretation would be:
– Schlus Hainkel is a setting sun.
– His downfall is inevitable. Distance yourself from him.
“This is… problematic.”
Iris stroked her cheek, a smile playing on her lips. She’d recently seen a vision of the distant future.
A long, detailed dream of a far-off time. If that future was true, the direction of the wind would change. Not by natural forces, but by the actions of a single man.
“I apologize, Your Holiness.”
Iris decided to walk against the wind.
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