After completing the Knight Academy and beginning to study statecraft in preparation for ascending the throne, the Crown Prince had little time to meet Mina, who had entered the Royal Guard as a trainee knight.
Yet perhaps because of his characteristic stubbornness, the Crown Prince’s feelings did not change easily. Whenever he found the opportunity, he sought Mina out and confessed his true feelings. He was relentless despite the attempts of many people to dissuade him. Gradually, Mina’s heart began to waver in response to his devotion.
She had begun to recognize Dviers not as the Crown Prince, but as a man.
However, like a fleeting spring dream, everything changed overnight.
“I am sorry, Your Highness. I can no longer meet with you.”
Mina declared that they must break off their relationship, her expression rigid. From her appearance, the Crown Prince could tell that her grandfather, Marquis Williams, had given her a stern warning. Yet he did not give up easily.
“That cannot be. In all the world, you are the only woman I love.”
“I am sorry, Your Highness. Please forget me forever.”
Leaving behind only those words, Mina departed. From that day onward, the Crown Prince never saw her even once. Marquis Williams had ordered the Royal Guard knight whom Mina served to report for duty in a remote frontier region. Mina, as his trainee knight, had no choice but to accompany him to that distant wasteland. She had left three years ago, yet the Crown Prince still could not forget her.
‘Mina…….’
The very man responsible for forcibly separating him from the woman he loved stood before his eyes. Thus, to the Crown Prince, Marquis Williams could not help but seem unbearably hateful. Recalling what had happened back then, the Crown Prince could no longer restrain himself and let his true feelings slip out.
“Just how inadequate am I that you are so determined to keep me at a distance? If I am unworthy even of loving a woman, do I truly need to receive the loyalty of you all?”
“That is not so, Your Highness.”
A lonely expression appeared on Marquis Williams’s face as he answered.
‘I am sorry, Your Highness. Do you truly think I would dislike seeing you and my granddaughter joined together? I, too, would dearly like to have such a wise and discerning man as you for my grandson-in-law. But for the sake of the greater cause, there is no other way.’
Having reached that conclusion, Marquis Williams continued in a deliberately suggestive tone.
“Lady Shennon, the daughter of Duke Pershtein, is one of the most beautiful women in Pelzentin. Her graceful and lovely appearance sets the hearts of countless young men aflutter. In my opinion, Lady Shennon’s dignity is in no way lacking for the future mistress of the Great Crossen Empire.”
The Crown Prince’s sneer continued unabated.
“Not her dignity, but her background. If she were not the daughter of Duke Pershtein, you would not be pressuring me like this……”
“……….”
The two loyal subjects remained silently mute. In a way, this was an extremely shameful affair.
They were attempting to marry their liege to the daughter of a powerful vassal in order to protect their own safety. It was something unimaginable in the days when the Great Emperor of Crossen had still been alive. Yet, recalling the formidable power wielded by Duke Pershtein, Theodore forcibly composed his expression.
‘It cannot be helped. If this marriage does not come to pass, we can never guarantee the Crown Prince’s safety…….’
Duke Pershtein’s power grew stronger with every passing day. It would not be an exaggeration to say that nearly all the division commanders of the Imperial Army obeyed his orders. Moreover, the power of the Duke Knights under his command was increasing exponentially as time passed. Thanks to their generous salaries and systematic administration, graduates of the Academy already preferred the Duke Knights to the Crossen Order.
In addition, the Duke Knights had the advantage of making it easy to build connections, as the sons of numerous nobles who followed Duke Pershtein were stationed among their ranks. Thus, Academy graduates who were free to choose their path were liable to select the Duke Knights without giving the matter much thought.
Only those rugged men who had devoted everything to the sword dreamed of becoming trainee knights of the Crossen Empire, and the number of applicants dwindled with every passing year. As such, it was impossible to predict the future of the Crossen Order. The Duke Knights had long since surpassed the Crossen Order in terms of numbers. The Crossen Order still held an overwhelming advantage in quality, but no one knew when that advantage might be reversed.
‘The moment that superiority is reversed will be the day the Crossen Imperial Family comes to an end.’
Theodore’s expression darkened sharply. He was ashamed that they had to resort to such means to preserve the Imperial bloodline, but at present there was no other way.
The unexpected marriage proposal Duke Pershtein had put forward had come only three years earlier, delivered in secret by one of the duke’s closest aides on the night the Crown Princess selection ceremony had been announced.
—I wish to join Crown Prince Dviers with my daughter, Shennon. If the Crown Prince is willing, I ask that he select my daughter at the ceremony.—
The letter was brief and steeped in arrogance, but Theodore could not simply disregard it. Upon receiving it, he immediately sought out Marquis Williams, the commander of the Royal Guard, and the two reached an agreement without difficulty.
—For the sake of his safety, the Crown Prince must marry into the Helfrain family.—
They had reached this decision under the assumption that, no matter how consumed by ambition Duke Pershtein might be, he would not harm his own son-in-law. Marquis Williams, who had agreed with Consul Theodore, immediately separated his granddaughter Mina from the Crown Prince. It was precisely when the relationship between the two had begun to blossom.
“G-Grandfather, please……”
Mina, who had already fallen in love with the Crown Prince, pleaded with him through her tears. But, thinking of the greater cause, Marquis Williams separated the two without so much as a twitch of his brow.
“Forgive me. To preserve the Imperial Family, there is no other way.”
To separate Mina from the Crown Prince after she had finally managed to accept the situation, Marquis Williams had the Royal Guard knight she served transferred to a distant frontier post. Needless to say, Mina, as his trainee knight, accompanied him.
Once everything had been arranged, Marquis Williams and Theodore actively promoted the marriage between the Imperial Family and the Helfrain family. The rumors quietly spread throughout the intelligence agencies of the various nations were their handiwork. Moreover, they had persistently persuaded the Crown Prince, who had stubbornly refused, and barely managed to change his mind. After their painstaking efforts, the Crown Prince had been nearly convinced. Recalling that fact, Theodore drove the point home before the opportunity passed.
“Lady Shennon of the Helfrain family is not only exceptionally beautiful, but also unrivaled among Pelzentin’s young noblewomen in education and etiquette. Based on my own meetings with her, I found not a single fault.”
Theodore’s words were by no means false. Despite being the daughter of the most powerful man in the Crossen Empire, Shennon was a modest and proper young lady who was never arrogant and maintained impeccable decorum.
Duke Pershtein was as thorough in educating his children as he was lofty in his ambitions. In addition to his only daughter, Shennon, the duke had three sons, each of whom was far from ordinary. Just as a tiger never gives birth to a puppy.
Normally, the sons of high-ranking nobles were prone to becoming wastrels. Pampered by those around them from an early age, blessed with material abundance, and able to rely on their family’s prestige, they were highly likely to grow into immature young men who thought of no one but themselves. But Duke Pershtein thought differently.
“If you spare the rod, you cannot properly educate a child. Rather than raise a child to be weak, it is better to weed him out entirely.”
Because of this almost merciless philosophy, his three sons had been raised strictly from childhood. They could not even imagine spending money as they pleased, and whenever they made a mistake, they were subjected to severe punishment. Duke Pershtein had even given the household stewards and servants the following instructions:
“If my children commit a wrongdoing, I will richly reward anyone who rebukes them. But anyone who shields them from the consequences of their mistakes or simply turns a blind eye should prepare to face severe punishment.”
Perhaps because of such teachings, none of the duke’s three sons went astray, and all grew into fine men. Every one of them became a paladin in his early twenties.
His eldest son, Crancia, in particular, had earned the wholehearted respect of the knights under his command as a deputy commander of the Duke Knights. The prestige of the Helfrain family had played no part in it. It was an achievement he had earned entirely through his own efforts. Of course, the same was true of his only daughter, Shennon. The fact that her name had never once been involved in the scandals so common in aristocratic society was proof enough.
For that reason, Theodore could recommend Shennon to the Crown Prince without hesitation. But the Crown Prince himself seemed far from willing. He muttered weakly, as though utterly drained.
“In the end, I must marry the daughter of my enemy?”
The perceptive Dviers had a vague idea of why his father lay bedridden in a vegetative state. He had no concrete evidence, merely a strong suspicion, but he believed without a doubt that Duke Pershtein was the culprit. That was why he could not easily make a decision. Even so, he knew very well what choice he had to make.
‘To bring that detestable Pershtein down, I must survive by any means necessary.’
But the more he thought about it, the more Mina came to mind, and he could hardly endure it. Mina was an archetypal female swordsman who never wore makeup and always showed her bare face, yet to Crown Prince Dviers, she was the most beautiful woman in the world. In a way, Mina was the partner best suited to the Crown Prince’s gentle and vulnerable nature.
She was a woman who could perfectly compensate for the Crown Prince’s somewhat indecisive nature. And therefore, she was also a woman he now had to forget. Recalling that, the Crown Prince let out a sigh.
‘The world will not permit a relationship between her and me. If only I were not the Crown Prince of the Crossen Empire, but an ordinary young man, I could continue my love with her…….’
Of course, the perceptive Dviers knew that such thoughts could only remain fantasies. Having made up his mind, the Crown Prince nodded reluctantly.
“Very well. In accordance with your wishes, I will choose Lady Shennon at the selection ceremony to be held in a few days.”
The faces of Theodore and Marquis Williams brightened at once.
“That is truly a wise decision, Your Highness.”
The Crown Prince disliked the expressions of joy on their faces, but he remained silently still. He knew very well that they were promoting this marriage solely for the sake of their own safety.
Judging by Duke Pershtein’s actions thus far, it was obvious that the two men would soon be forced to leave his side. He did not know about Marquis Williams, an outstanding swordsman, but Consul Theodore, a civil official, would almost certainly be purged, and he had no power to prevent it. That was how immense Duke Pershtein’s power had become. The Crown Prince sighed inwardly.
‘Ah, if only our founder, the Great Emperor of Crossen, could come back to life and take his place here…….’
After finishing his reverie, the Crown Prince silently rose.
“I shall pay a brief visit to the Imperial Memorial Hall. For some reason, I feel like visiting my ancestors today.”
“Understood, Your Highness.”
Marquis Williams bowed respectfully and made a subtle gesture. At once, the Royal Guard knights who had been waiting rushed forward and surrounded him. There was not even a gap through which water could pass.
“Is all this really necessary…….”
The Crown Prince glanced around at them with displeasure, then began to walk slowly. Theodore and Marquis Williams watched his departing back with troubled expressions.
Not far from the Crossen Imperial Palace, another man was lost in thought. He was none other than Duke Pershtein. An ambitious man who had seized control of most of the Crossen Empire through his brilliant strategies, he possessed extraordinary abilities worthy of his ambitions and enjoyed the wholehearted loyalty of countless trusted retainers. And now, he was deeply troubled.
“Will the red dragon of Trubenia truly act according to my wishes?”
He had received a definite answer from the red dragon Berchis, but that did not mean he had no cause for concern. To begin with, the fact that the red dragon, who hated humans to the extreme, had readily accepted his proposal was suspicious in itself.
He had already grasped the full story of the racial war that had taken place in Trubenia through ancient documents. Hundreds of scholars had spent night after night researching the matter at his command, and the reason the dragons had gone to war had already been thoroughly uncovered. Lost in thought, Duke Pershtein narrowed his eyes.
‘That creature undoubtedly intends to weaken Arcadia’s power through the slaughter of humans. If so, an invasion will soon follow as surely as day follows night. The timing will probably be four years from now, after all the dragons have awakened from their slumber. Therefore, I must finish the war of conquest by any means necessary before then.’
It was by no means an easy task, but the duke had confidence in himself. Of course, there was a clear prerequisite. The ninth-circle dark mage, along with the bone dragon and Death Knight under his command, had to stand on the duke’s side.
As he pondered, the face of his only daughter, Shennon, suddenly came to mind. A troubled light entered his eyes.
‘Poor child. Forgive your father for being forced to arrange a political marriage for you. But if I am to place your brother Crancia on the throne, I have no choice but to sacrifice you.’
When the red dragon launched its attack, he planned to keep his daughter Shennon right beside the Crown Prince. If the dragon unleashed a wide-area attack, the odds of her surviving would be slim.
But the duke intended to carry out his plan for the sake of his ambition.
No one would suspect the man who had arranged the dragon’s attack of being the mastermind simply because he had lost his only daughter. If the Crown Prince died alongside his daughter as planned, the duke would be able to take control of the Crossen Order without arousing the slightest suspicion. Of course, that was only something he could consider if the red dragon acted according to their agreement.