“Walter, are you nervous about receiving an award from His Majesty?”
On the way to the Imperial Palace, riding in a carriage to attend the New Year’s ball, Edith asked him, and he seemed a little more nervous than usual.
Walter was a little surprised by that innocent question.
“It’s not like I’m good at fighting for a day or two, so why should I be nervous?”
“Well, I guess that’s right.”
Edith had no choice but to agree with his playful answer. Whether trapped in Fortrion or serving in the Militia, Walter had always been exceptional, as if he were from a different world.
Walter smiled briefly as he saw her approvingly recognizing his skills. In his heart, he wanted to tell her. The reason he was nervous wasn’t because of the Emperor, but because tonight, he planned to propose to her.
Of course, since Lexion’s lawyers had begun work to annul the marriage between Edith and the late Viscount Fortrion, Edith somewhat anticipated his proposal. If everything goes well, he might present a large ring to her.
However, after listening to the Duke of Lexion’s words, Walter decided to advance the timing a bit.
⋙“It is said that if you propose marriage with a ring made by melting down a brooch given by His Majesty, it brings luck to the couple.”⋘
⋙“Good luck, you say…”⋘
⋙“Your grandmother said that I was able to overcome the danger of death several times thanks to the good luck from the brooch I gave her after winning a swordsmanship tournament.”⋘
The moment they made eye contact, Walter could tell that Franz wasn’t bringing up the brooch story to boast about his victories.
It was an unspoken request to do whatever it takes to safely overcome the magic problem and live a long and happy life.
Originally, Walter believed in himself and was not a person who sought divine intervention or wished for luck. Even if someone like Franz had advised him a few years ago, he would not have listened.
But now, he was willing to do anything to reduce the uncertainty that hung like a dark cloud over Edith’s and his own future.
『 Did I push myself a bit during the tournament?』
He was aware that the awakening had been completed rather hastily in order to share magic with their little one. Since the child received the magic safely, he had no regrets.
The problem was that, after giving away all his magic, the early years of his childhood, which he couldn’t remember well even in dreams, began to appear as if in a fleeting glimpse.
⋙“The sudden recollection followed by the rapid disappearance of your childhood memories… To be honest, it’s difficult to interpret that positively. It implies that there’s a rift in the tightly locked memories for some reason.”⋘
⋙“…”⋘
Now that Walter has heard those words from his doctor, just in case, he felt the need to mentally prepare for the worst-case scenario. He believed that he had to repeatedly brainwash the world and convince everyone that Edith was unquestionably his woman, the mother of his child, and was entitled to the legal protection of Lexion, to ease his conscience.
So, he had thought about proposing in a somewhat traditional way by using the brooch of the tournament champion.
However, contrary to his worries, Edith had already been clearly imprinted in the minds of the nobles.
“Long time no see. Have you been well during this time?”
“Nice to see you, Countess Coben.”
As she entered the ballroom, she had several people approach her to greet her.
In particular, Countess Coben was the envy of the nobility, thanks to her hyperventilating daughter, she met a woman who could soon become the wife of the Little Duke of Lexion.
As Edith kindly responded, remembering their names, Walter’s expression quickly soured.
『 Why are there suddenly so many people she knows?』
Walter didn’t like how it felt to be pushed out of her priorities. Edith also found herself gradually being pushed deeper into the ballroom as she responded to their greetings.
If it had been men who took her from him, Walter might have grabbed one of them by the collar by now. Then, dealing with one man will turn into two men, then three men…
As Walter took the wine, sipped it, and pondered something that had not even happened yet with a serious look on his face, someone approached him. It was the Imperial Consort, Patricia, and her son, Claude.
『 Seems like he’s getting confident about receiving the Emperor’s brooch soon.』
The reason Patricia crossed the ballroom and approached Walter was to suppress his recent overconfidence, which had been reaching new heights.
While she was not oblivious to Lexion’s authority, there was a distinct difference between the Imperial Family and the nobility. She planned to take advantage of that.
As Walter formally bowed, the Imperial Consort smiled brightly.
“We are truly grateful that Lexion, who is loyal to the Imperial Family, found their lost heir.”
“…”
Walter was so dumbfounded that he almost burst out laughing. The audacity of expressing gratitude for finding the lost heir after sending people to kill him was truly shameless.
『 This strategizing person, even becoming a consort, wouldn’t be doing this with pure intentions.』
Sure enough, Patricia subtly pushed her son forward and smiled.
“Especially our Crown Prince, Claude, was deeply impressed by the Little Duke’s performance.”
At first glance, he appeared to be a weak and obedient little boy with blonde hair, who simply followed his mother’s orders without any thoughts or stubbornness of his own.
Tap―
As soon as Patricia placed her hand on his shoulder, Claude, like a wooden puppet, squeaked.
“Yes, that’s right. It was very impressive to see you win even though you consumed the poison that Gerturk’s knight used for personal reasons. I would be happy if the Little Duke would become my knight.”
Walter’s eyes twitched briefly. This little boy with no blood on his head was asking him to be his knight with an innocent expression.
The intention was clearly evident. First, swear allegiance to the Crown Prince, next assume the role of his knight, emphasizing loyalty to the master, all with the aim of suppressing and controlling him.
『 Did you think that I would willingly accept an offer that I don’t know if it is friendly or malicious?』
For Walter, not allowing any room for negotiation was the best strategy for dealing with people who make these types of proposals.
“I’m sorry, but I have already pledged my allegiance to someone else. No matter how much memory I have lost, a sword wielder should not swear allegiance to multiple masters at the same time.”
The Imperial Consort was offended by the way he spoke as if he was addressing a child who had no idea about the world, rather than a future emperor. However, after hearing his actual answer, Claude asked as if he was genuinely puzzled.
“May I ask to whom you swore allegiance, Little Duke?”
This time, it seemed like the question came from the little boy himself, without the shadow of the Imperial Consort looming over, so Walter answered without difficulty.
“In my ignorance of unfamiliar feelings, I pledged my loyalty to that person, not knowing if my attraction to her was rational affection. It’s embarrassing.”
Edith returned to his side after discovering the presence of the Imperial Consort; she was momentarily at a loss for words at Walter’s statement.
『 Walter… appointed as my knight?』
Of course, Helen had temporarily assigned him as her escort knight, but it wasn’t as grand as he was presenting it now.
Edith knew that he had a lot of guts and was lying shamelessly in front of the Imperial Consort and the crown prince.
However, people, especially women, were swallowing their envy and bitterness as they watched the Little Duke calmly and modestly confess his feelings. Witnessing that sight was somehow heart-wrenching.
“Well… If you’ve already sworn allegiance to someone else, there’s nothing we can do. Claude must be disappointed.”
The Imperial Consort blatantly scrutinized Edith for a moment, then returned to her place under the pretense that the dance music had begun.
As he said, it was widely known that a knight could not serve two masters simultaneously, so she could not push it any further by pretending to be friendly.
“Edith, the dance music has started.”
Edith’s heart tightened the moment she heard him call her name, just as he had completely thwarted the Imperial Consort’s control with just a few words.
Using the excuse of the newly started dance music, she also approached him. His hand, firmly supporting her back, felt like it was touching her bare skin.
She moved her feet as he led and grunted softly.
“Handling situations with lies suits you, just like a professional.”
Then, Walter smiled slyly.
“Lies? How many times have I knelt for you, Edith?”
“…”
“I moved only for your joy. Isn’t that no different from being appointed as your knight?”
As their bodies drew closer to the melody, Walter lowered his voice and whispered softly each time.
As Edith caught the scent of his distinctive and refreshing aroma, accompanied by his playful smile, it seemed as if she could once again hear his low voice from that night when she couldn’t resist leaning on his broad chest.
“What if someone hears it…”
Edith, struck by the thought of the heat and exhilaration that had spread that night, secretly avoided his gaze.
Walter, capturing her cute reaction with his eyes, found himself unintentionally thinking that he should kneel before her once again, this time with a splendid ring, just to see her react like this again.
──────────✿◦•
When the ball was in full swing, Walter mingled with the crowd with a glass of wine to fulfill his role as the Little Duke.
“Sigh…”
Edith went to the balcony to cool her flushed face. If she kept recalling his face and voice like this, the reason for preemptively escaping to the secluded balcony, giving an excuse to Cassius, might fly out of her mind.
However, thanks to Elizabeth’s appearance on the balcony, she was able to calm her pounding heart.
“Long time no see, Elizabeth.”
In fact, her approach was what Edith had intended. When she discovered that Elizabeth was also watching her, she deliberately moved to a quiet place.
Likewise, Elizabeth, who had something to say to Edith, quickly exchanged greetings.
“You look well, Edith. Seems like you’re being treated well in Lexion.”
“Well, you know…”
“Is it strange not to be treated well when you’re pregnant with the Little Duke’s child?”
“!”
Before Edith could relax, Elizabeth revealed her cards. Due to the bright moonlight, she could clearly see Edith’s expression slightly hardening.
Elizabeth offered Edith one of the two glasses of wine she was holding. If she claimed that she made a mistake, Edith would likely drink this strong wine.
“… How should one respond when someone brings up pregnancy while offering alcohol?”
As Edith said this, she accepted the glass Elizabeth was offering.
As Elizabeth looked at her stomach with joy as she admitted her pregnancy, an unexpected rational voice was heard.
“Well, since you don’t care about the circumstances your daughter is in, you probably wouldn’t bother with what happens to someone else’s child either.”
Elizabeth’s eyes sharpened as she heard the words ‘her daughter.’ Her nervousness, anger, and anxiety swirled within her vibrant eyes.
Edith could be sure as she watched her tense up.
As expected, Elizabeth was unaware of the situation of her daughter, who was adopted by the Count and Countess.
In that case, she had the advantage.
“As you investigated, I am with child, Elizabeth. But your child, who was adopted by the Count and the Countess Gerturk, will soon be sold to the pedophile Baron Humphrey. Just to give the Gerturk a mere mine or something.”
“What do you mean…”
Before Elizabeth could grasp the situation, Edith poured the wine into Elizabeth’s glass and responded.
“In my opinion, you are more pitiful for being a spy without even knowing that your daughter is being sold than I am for having a pregnancy that I have to hide, so please drink my wine, Elizabeth.”
❀.°• ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ •°.❀
