LIGHTNOVELSTORY EP.7
“…Is it you again?”
“What do you mean ‘again’? I hardly ever see you.”
Yom’s expression soured upon hearing that the Elector’s son had just shown up. Clearly, he didn’t think much of me either. Well, I didn’t expect him to, considering I wasn’t too fond of him either.
He let out a heavy sigh at my brazen attitude and lowered his head.
“I’ve heard my subordinate committed a rudeness. I’d like to apologize on his behalf.”
“I’m not exactly pursuing it. It just didn’t sit right with me how he was being so presumptuous because of his status.”
“Is that so?”
Though he said that, even if I wanted to hold him accountable, there wasn’t much I could do about it. At most, I could only insult that Baron’s flunky.
The fact that my father was an Elector could elevate my status, but it wouldn’t grant me the authority to act on it.
Of course, I could handle matters with a Baron or even a Baron family member without breaking a sweat, but those from Count or Marquis families were a different story altogether. Especially the eldest sons, who were typically treated as a rank lower than their fathers.
If they had backing, I couldn’t just demand punitive measures against someone who was, after all, the son of an Elector’s child. Yet, the rudeness couldn’t simply disappear, so the higher-ups had to step in to apologize—that was just the protocol.
After that, no one else needed to step in. It wasn’t anyone’s business what happened to the flunky whose lord had been made to bow in apology.
“Since you’ve apologized, we’ll consider this matter closed.”
“Agreed.”
Luckily, despite our personalities not aligning, Yom was a reasonably rational person, so the matter was resolved quickly. It wasn’t because of his reasoning, but both of us disliked unnecessarily complicating things. That was a point of understanding between us.
For me, I’d rather travel than get caught up in the power tussles of the nobility; for him, he desired efficient handling of affairs. So the differences ended there.
We’d addressed the issue of rudeness, and the matter of serving food to the knights had also been conveniently smoothed over with the arrival of the Elector’s son. Now, I was about to head back to Maria.
“By the way, I don’t recall inviting Sir Wilhelm. How did you come to attend the banquet?”
It was common for participants to bring partners, so I didn’t mind answering without hiding anything.
“I came as Princess Maria’s partner.”
“…What?”
However, Yom’s reaction was rather extreme. He blocked my path and inquired again.
“Did you just say you’re here as someone’s partner?”
“I said I’m here as Princess Maria’s partner.”
He glared at me with wide eyes.
“How could you…?”
I squinted at him in response. His reaction seemed more than just curiosity.
“I have a close relationship with Princess Maria. She chose me personally.”
At my words, his gaze grew sharper. I glanced down at his arms; his fists were clenched and trembling.
It was obvious to anyone seeing him that he was brimming with jealousy.
The moment I realized that, it clicked—no wonder Maria had rushed to bring me as her partner on her very first day in the capital.
“Now that I think about it, holding a coming-of-age ceremony means she’s eligible for marriage.”
Was she using me to dodge any pressure concerning marriage?
In other words, it meant she didn’t have anyone she liked politically or otherwise. And judging by how he was reacting, Yom must have expressed his feelings about her one way or another long ago.
“Did you not know? People were gossiping when a crowd gathered earlier.”
“…I was attending to the VIPs, so I didn’t have time to care about what fools were saying outside.”
I shrugged.
While I didn’t know the exact reason, it was clear he was interested in Maria, so I decided to offer him some consolation.
“Sorry to say, but it looks like she—”
“What on earth did you do?”
I was about to continue my thought.
“What?”
“Her Majesty was always cold-headed and never made decisions lightly. In fact, when it came to marriage, she once said she would remain single for life unless someone met her standards politically and economically!”
He moved closer, trying to grab my collar. Reflexively, I grabbed his arms to stop him, but he shouted without a care.
“That’s why I’ve worked so hard until now, and someone like you…! You must have done something! There’s no way she would choose you without some sort of threat or curse!”
“Isn’t being the Elector’s son somewhat valuable?”
“If that were the case, she wouldn’t have turned down the proposal from the Duke’s family so harshly!”
Well, that was a valid point.
Besides, being the third son didn’t really mean anything other than forming a marital bond with that family; it was far too insignificant for a Princess’s worth.
In a Western-style system like the Apellian Empire, where women also had inheritance rights unlike in the East, it was even more significant.
But that’s not the issue here; there was one thing I absolutely couldn’t let slide.
“By the way, are you seriously suggesting I did something to Princess Maria?”
“If not, then there’s no way she would have selected you as a candidate!”
This was something I couldn’t overlook.
While I didn’t have strong feelings for Maria, I had no intention of letting her get dragged into a marriage she didn’t want. If she had brought someone to a banquet as a partner after seeing them for a few months, it meant she greatly disliked the situation.
As someone who values pure love, I wouldn’t take kindly to a friend getting entangled in such matters. If the Emperor were pushing such a thing, I’d have no choice but to get involved (but there’s no option of not getting involved).
If it were something else, I was determined to support the pure love that should exist.
A relationship formed through coercion, drugging, or political marriage could never be pure love. Such a filthy bond held no value.
Just think about it.
A complete stranger, for no coerced reason or price, purely because they found the other person appealing, entrusts their body and heart to that person. How beautiful is that?
Pure love could already be described as a living romance. Of course, that only applies when observing others, not when it comes to my own situation.
“Sorry, but honestly, I didn’t do anything. Maria chose me purely on her own.”
“Everyone says that. Even criminals don’t go around bragging about their crimes.”
His words made my eyebrows twitch.
It was irritating. I was trying to let things slide smoothly, and here he was crossing a line.
Withdrawing now would not be allowed by my pride.
“Don’t you just want to deny that you weren’t chosen?”
“What did you just say?”
I shoved him back, pushing my fist into his chest and repeating myself.
“I’m saying you’re throwing a fit because you lost the girl you were aiming for!”
Fire sparked in Yom’s eyes.
—
“Your Highness, this is fur from a beast found only in our territory—”
“Your Highness, what was your relationship with that Prince from earlier?”
“Your Highness, this is a magical cream that’s great for your skin. Would you be interested?”
“Oh, thank you.”
As always, I was casually dealing with the crowd of people around me, but my thoughts were elsewhere.
Bill.
Wilhelm von Brandenburg.
That romantic, forever chasing after romance, yet subtly pushing women away and flipping emotions upside down—the wandering man I finally succeeded in binding to my side.
Just that alone made today one of the best days of my life.
This is no exaggeration.
After my mother passed away from illness, and even my nurse left me due to sickness, I was merely surviving day by day until Wilhelm brought purpose into my life.
When he vanished, leaving behind a body that couldn’t live without him, I felt like I was going to lose my mind.
But in the end, I managed to keep him by my side.
‘Given his personality, he must be thinking of running away again.’
Of course, I knew that the restlessness he felt wasn’t something easily shaken off. He was the kind of person who seemed instinctively unable to tolerate staying in one place for too long, almost like a nomad at heart.
So, to keep him around, it wasn’t enough to simply lighten his emotional burdens. I was sure that would only serve to temporarily pin him down, insufficient for keeping him with me forever.
If it were up to me, I would like to suppress him with sheer willpower and tear off his arms and legs just to keep him by my side, but that was impossible. He was stronger than most knights.
Thus, I thought up a new plan.
‘The plan is progressing steadily.’
If it’s hard to bind him physically, then I could tie him down socially.
Entering the banquet hall together as partners was just the beginning.
‘If I can get him to stay in a place meant for affairs and one-night flings, tarnishing my reputation and spreading scandal, then it would lead to formal ties between our families, and that would be a complete victory.’
Although my plan almost fell through when my mother suddenly called for Bill, it turned out to be a blessing in disguise, making everything run smoothly.
I successfully secured my mother’s consent.
Of course, it was a step I would have to cross eventually, but I never expected it to happen so swiftly today.
‘…Now that I think about it, this feels a bit unpleasant.’
It’s just that the reason wasn’t entirely to my liking.
After leaving me one note and then disappearing, Wilhelm wandered the world.
Sometimes in noble circles, sometimes in the realms of other races, and sometimes, he even legally entered foreign royal palaces. The way he could gain entry to places that were reportedly difficult to access was perplexing.
Even the stalking organization I created under the Princess’s identity, pouring power and resources into it, found it hard to keep tabs on him.
And annoyingly, wherever he went, he charmed women. The way he pretended not to, just made him all the more malicious.
I understood this well because I had experienced it myself.
He likely shouted about romance and made a ruckus, and in doing so, anyone with an emptiness in their heart must have felt a fulfillment that was almost bursting.
And once tasted, escaping that sweetness was difficult. If it were that easy, I wouldn’t have had to resort to these lengths.
In that process, he caught the attention of the Eastern Empire’s royal family, particularly showing interest in him and attempting to approach him.
My mother regarded this as a significant concern.
After all, our family’s origin was closely tied to a prestigious family from the Eastern Empire, and even now, we felt a greater affinity toward the kingdoms and various races of the Eastern Empire than toward the Imperial family.
So, when the kingdom began to show signs of pursuing a marriage alliance with the Margrave of Brandenburg through him, it must have seemed like a severe threat to our security.
Thanks to this, the justification of me marrying him to strengthen ties between our families and draw support for the future Emperor’s selection worked quite well.
…The result is good, but I’m not thrilled with the process.
Even so, by bringing him in openly as my partner, those who had been clinging to me would surely back off.
“Your Majesty, may I have a moment to speak…?”
As I was handling a group of people trying to please me for quite some time, a servant approached me.
“Your partner is scheduled to duel with Prince Yom.”
“…What?”
In that moment, I had to doubt my own ears.