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"Pfft Hahahaha!!!"
The bellowing laughter of the Sunrise Empire's Sovereign Raikon silenced the chaotic ballroom.
Since he was the Emperor who usually only had a grim and sullen expression on his face, which eventually became his identity, his laughter was enough to shut the mouths of the people in the ballroom.
"Hahaha… that's hilarious…!"
The Emperor, who had been laughing alone in such absolute silence for a long time, wiped the tears that welled up in the corner of his eyes from laughing too much, then directed his gaze my way and said.
"You, can you take responsibility for those words you just uttered?"
"…That I do not know."
I responded rather calmly.
Of course, if he was any ordinary emperor, my remark could have been considered as imprudent and impolite. However, in the case of Emperor Raikon, it's the right answer.
"Pfft…Pwahaha…"
As expected, the moment the Emperor heard my reply, he once more began to laugh. Thus, he kept laughing alone for a while in this deep silence.
"Duke Frey, I don't know what you're thinking…"
Upon seeing the Emperor's reaction, I was relieved that things were proceeding according to plan, but suddenly the Empress hastily approached me and was about to whisper something.
"…Fine! Then, I'll discuss your request with the Empress!"
However, when the Emperor rose from his seat with a cheerful expression, the Empress frowned and urgently strode towards him.
"You, this matter…"
"It's been a long time since an interesting thing happened. What's wrong with you?"
The Emperor, however, showed a pleasant expression and headed to the prepared great hall designated for meetings. Meanwhile, the Empress chewed her lips and glared at me for a moment, then eventually began to follow him.
'…Mission accomplished.'
Judging from this, my plan seems to have succeeded.
Of course, I was almost certain of the success of this operation, so I wasn't surprised.
In the Sunrise Empire, where the Emperor has absolute power, the Empress dominates because of the Emperor's lethargic attitude.
Because of his behavior, the Emperor emerged as a symbol of incompetence, and the Empress was able to wield power in his stead.
In this Imperial age, he is enamored with stimulating and exhilarating affairs.
Therefore, long before I already predicted he would get involved in this matter if I somehow managed to relieve his boredom.
Of course, it's something only I could have done.
Because once this is over, the Emperor will revert to his lethargic behavior.
After that, the Empress, the Crown Prince, and Imperial Princesses will personally come forward, and the only person who can rival their status in the Empire is me, the heir and the Provisional Lord of the Ducal family of Starlight.
In other words, this plan was a strategy that only I could use.
Of course, I considered the possibility of the Emperor being annoyed or the Empress somehow finding a way to interfere, so I uttered the word 'covenant.'
Thanks to this, the Empress and her children must be in a pinch.
"Shall we leave?"
"…Hmm?"
Immersed in such thoughts, as I smiled triumphantly, an attendant came to my side and offered to escort me.
"Once the fiancé of Her Highness Third Imperial Princess has been decided, we were ordered to guide them to a room where they can spend time together with the Princess comfortably. Under the current circumstances, it seems that it would be fine for you to go, Lord Frey."
"…I see."
Upon hearing her words, I nodded and left Clana, who was staring blankly at me until then, and began to descend from the podium alongside the attendant.
"".....""
As I descended from the podium, numerous gazes were directed my way.
A gaze seething with envy and jealousy, a gaze filled with awe and astonishment, a gaze with opportunistic eyes that's brimming with greed, or a gaze assessing me as a little boy.
Countless eyes were pointed at me, but they were neither too burdensome nor suffocating.
Because I had always received such gazes.
"…You."
As I was heading to the room prepared in advance after ruining the fun of so many people, someone blocked my way.
"…..!"
And when I saw the face of the person blocking me, the calm expression on my face had no choice but to turn into a look of bewilderment.
"What… What is the meaning of this?"
It was because Serena, my fiancé, who would be the biggest obstacle to my future plans, who never gave up on me until the last moment in the previous timeline, and who I never wanted to meet at this point in time, was blocking my path with an icy expression on her face.
"Ar-Are you joking around again? I already know that you were never serious about cheating."
"…Huh?"
But something is strange.
I thought there would be proper interrogation concerning whether or not I remembered the previous timeline, or a system notification displaying murderous intent… because I have come across those notifications a lot in the past.
"Although… judging from your facial expression and gestures, I felt a bit of sincerity… No, rather you were quite sincere, but that's also acting, isn't it? You've considerably improved your acting, huh?"
"What do—"
"So, stop it. Stop acting… I know a scenic spot…"
"Get your hands off me."
Her trembling hand reached out to me, and my old habit of dealing with her involuntarily sprung up.
"Yes."
Then suddenly, the light in her pupils dimmed, and she withdrew her palm with an obedient look.
"…..?"
Her behavior seemed strange, then suddenly the light returned to her pupils, and she began speaking again.
"…Let's move over to that scenic sight and have a calm conversation. What the hell are you dissatisfied with, and why did you do this…"
"Silence."
Just in case, I gave her another order, and the light faded from her pupil as she closed her mouth.
"…Stop talking and leave."
I gave her a detailed order, thinking it won't work, but soon Serena's mouth twitched slightly and she began heading somewhere
There was something bizarre about her behavior, so I tried using my ❰Inspect❱ skill and the result was quite shocking.
[Stats]
Name: Serena Lunar Moonlight
Strength: 7.8
Mana: 7.8
Intelligence: 10
Mental Strength: 9
Passive Status: Familial Subordination / Absolute Obedience Magic
Disposition: Genius Strategist
Goodness Stat: 0
'…Absolute obedience magic?'
Of course, the curse that binds her ❰Familial Subordination❱ was expected. Because of that, she suffered quite a bit while trying to confront me in the previous timeline.
The phrase 'Genius Strategist' was also nothing surprising, as it best describes her disposition. It would be strange if she wasn't given the title of strategist, since she was the genius tactician who blocked Demon King's army for years with wounded and exhausted soldiers.
'But… Why is there absolute obedience magic?'
Absolute obedience magic, a magic spell that is designed for the subject to be loyal to only one target… It is an advanced-tier magic that forces the subject to obediently follow the orders of the said target without fail.
But why is such magic cast on her, and why am I designated as the target who she is loyal to?
"…Lord Frey? It's time to go."
While I was immersed in my thoughts, the attendant urged me to get a move on.
"Oh, apologies. Let's go."
Because of this, I came to my senses and quietly began heading to the room that had been prepared in advance.
'Serena, don't tell me you…'
Of course, on my way to the room, I was still thinking about Serena.
.
.
.
.
.
"…What is this place?"
When I arrived at the room, I couldn't help but feel flustered.
"This room is only for the fiancé candidate and the Third Princess."
"This is driving me crazy."
This is because the entire room was painted in pink color, and the cute heart-patterned decorations hanging around created a luscious atmosphere.
"What kind of crazy person designed this?"
"It was prepared by the Empress."
"On second thought, it's cute and pretty. It's pleasant because it gives off a newlywed atmosphere."
I quickly changed my words in order to avoid getting reprimanded by any chance and took my seat at the small round table where various snacks and desserts were arranged on top of it.
"…Did the Empress personally prepare this as well?"
"The Empress herself prepared all the snacks and desserts here."
When I was young, Serena gave me so many treats that my teeth almost rotted, so I was accustomed to desserts. As I tasted the desserts, I came to the conclusion that the Empress indeed had a good eye for dessert, and soon asked the attendant a question.
"So, when is Clana coming?"
"I-It's almost time for her to come…"
– Creak…
As I glared at the attendant, who seemed to be stuttering, I quietly reached for the cocktail next to me. Soon afterwards, the door opened.
"…Everyone, please leave."
When Clana entered the room and ordered coldly, the attendant and maids standing next to me looked at me.
"Leave."
And they only left the room once I gave them the order.
"…Ugh."
Clana, who watched such a scene with resentment, soon stared at me as if she was going to kill me and said.
"You, what the hell are you planning…"
"Take a seat."
But as I shook the cocktail in my hand, I cut her off with a stony expression on my face.
"What?"
"Take a seat."
Eventually, I pointed to the seat opposite me and stared at Clana condescendingly. Clana trembled for a moment, then slowly moved to the seat.
"…What the hell are you trying to do?"
Soon afterwards, she sat down and asked a question while glaring at me. I ignored her and began drinking the cocktail in my hand.
"Answer me, Frey. What the hell do you…"
"Fix that attitude first."
"What?"
"If you want to become my bride and want to embrace me, you must change that savage attitude first."
Soon when I said so coldly, Clana's expression distorted and she began speaking in a voice seething with rage.
"Do you think I… will embrace you?"
"If you marry me, you will have to embrace me even if you don't like it?"
"Sigh, that's never going to happen. So…"
– Bang!!
"…Heh!"
When I slammed the table hard, Clana flinched and stopped speaking. I laughed at her appearance and said.
"I don't think you understand the situation very well… You don't have a choice."
"....."
"If you don't accept my proposal, you will be imprisoned in a monastery or tower. You know that, right?"
When I spoke as if I was aware of everything, Clana kept her mouth shut, and I finally put the final nail into the coffin.
"Well, if you don't like me, you have the option to be with the bald old man with bulging belly, or that ugly womanizing sex offender…. How about it?"
"Ah… Ah…"
"Isn't it better to get married to me since we used to be friends back when we were kids?"
Having said that, I gently grabbed Clana's hand, who was quivering.
"Isn't it? Clana?"
As I said and firmed my grip around Clana's hand, she closed her eyes and began to concentrate solar mana in her hand.
"…Ugh."
Because of this, I got a deep burn in my hand as smoke rose from it. After examining my scorched hand for a moment, I sprung up from seat and began approaching her, but—
"Hello?"
At that moment, the Crown Prince and the First Imperial Princess entered the room, so I halted and took my seat again.
"…What are you doing here?"
"We're here to talk to you in private."
When I inquired as such with a slightly wary expression, the First Princess stepped forward as the representative and answered my question.
"Why don't you leave, Clana?"
Soon after, the First Princess glared at Clana as if to kill her and beckoned her to leave, then Clana stood up from her seat and walked out of the room with a drooping head.
"I never could have guessed that Lord Frey has such a unique taste?"
Eventually, they sat down on the fancy chairs brought by the attendants, and after a while, the First Princess crossed her legs and asked me a question with an intrigued look on her face.
"There is no need to hide anything. You know that as well."
After all, since I was the heir of the Ducal family, I was familiar with her to some extent, so when I smiled in response, the First Princess smiled back and continued speaking.
"Then you're going to keep pretending?"
"You are quite skillful at ignoring people."
"Hmm…"
The First Princess, who was staring at me for a long time while tapping her finger on the table, soon put her hand on her chin with a serious expression.
"So, what's your purpose?"
"It's simple. I want Clana to be mine."
"Why?"
After closing my eyes for a moment and taking a sip of cocktail, I answered with a sly look.
"…I want to break her."
I took another sip of the cocktail and quietly examined the faces of the Prince and Princess.
Both of them smiled upon hearing my answer.
"Hmm… Wouldn't a bribe be necessary for this?"
Eventually, when I emptied all the cocktails, the First Princess said so in a slightly excited tone and beckoned to the attendant.
After waiting for a while, the attendant returned with an antique-looking bottle.
"It's a wine from the Western Continent. It's aged for about 130 years."
Soon afterwards, the First Princess smiled, and the attendant opened the wine bottle and began pouring it into my empty glass.
"…I'll have a drink as well."
Then the Crown Prince, rumored to like booze as much as I did, ordered the attendant to pour him a glass, and soon both of us began exchanging glasses.
"Yes, I've had this thought since I was a kid. I want to break that ferocious personality of her… once."
"…It's a bad habit, but that bad habit of yours is something that we need right now."
After drinking for such a long time, the Crown Prince became somewhat drunk, and both sincerely began conversing under the influence of wine.
"Toy with her to your heart's content, break her and eventually shatter her heart… then throw her away. You can't hold on to such a defective object for the rest of your life."
"…Can you say something like that about her? Isn't she also a part of the Imperial family?"
"Then what about you? Why are you doing this to someone you're familiar with?"
Soon when the Prince frowned slightly and criticized me as such, I leaned against the chair and replied to him with a smile.
"Honestly, aren't you tired of calling someone who doesn't have the qualifications to represent the Imperial family, the Third Princess?"
Hearing this, the Prince smiled softly and picked up his glass.
"Don't you think we get along quite well?"
"I think so too."
After we made a toast and emptied all the drinks, the First Princess sitting beside us intervened in the middle of our conversation.
"By the way… What will you do with Lord Frey's fiancée, Serena?"
Upon hearing that, I remained silent for a while, then soon glanced at the moon that began to emerge in the sky and said in a composed tone.
"I'll throw her away for now, then pick her up later."
"Pfft!"
The Prince burst into laughter upon hearing my outrageous remark, while the Princess spoke to me with a satisfied look on her face.
"Are you confident?"
"Honestly, it might sound a little rude to the Empress, but… all the candidates she chose were idiots. Rather than imbeciles, it's better for an expert to handle this."
"Good, very good."
At that moment, while I was conversing with the royal siblings, one of the servants entered the room with a scroll.
"…The outcome of the meeting has come out."
Upon hearing this, both the Prince and the Princess took deep breaths, as I sipped quietly and listened.
"Frey Raon Starlight's engagement proposal will be on hold for one year."
And the next moment, the Prince, the Princess, and I all frowned upon hearing the words from the mouth of the servant, who began reading the scroll.
"This decision was made because the 'covenant' that Serena Lunar Moonlight just requested from the Emperor and the 'covenant' requested by Frey Raon Starlight contradict each other."
When Serena's name was mentioned, I heaved a deep sigh.
"In exchange, I will give Frey Raon Starlight all the rights reserved for Clana's fiancé for one year. Of course, his official fiancée is still Serena Lunar Moonlight."
The servant, who was reading the scroll calmly, coughed for a while and then read the last line.
"If Frey Raon Starlight's resolution does not change even after one year, I will acknowledge his engagement to Clana Solar Sunrise. However, if there is any change in his mind, I will pretend that there was no marriage covenant to begin with."
The servant, who declared in a solemn voice, folded the scroll and added a few more words.
"This content had taken effect under the sovereign authority of His Majesty Raikon Solar Sunrise, the Emperor of the Sunrise Empire."
And silence lingered for a while.
"Well, now that I've gotten my fiancé's authority… both of you should be able to do whatever you want."
When I consoled the Prince and Princess who had a grim look on their faces, they smiled and nodded their heads. Then both of them rose from their seats.
"Then we should get going, shouldn't we?"
"I wish you all the best in the future, Lord Frey. We will continue to provide you with monetary and non-monetary compensation and support for your hard work."
After leaving those words, they began to head for the door. After momentarily staring at them, I opened my mouth.
"Hold on! Since I've received such good wine… I have to give you a present as well… I don't have a present to give you right now, so I'll give you a piece of advice!"
Upon Hearing this, the Prince stopped walking, as I smiled slightly and tapped the brooch.
– He is ugly.
– Huh?
– Giving such an ugly man my first time… I mean… isn't it a bit sad for a woman?
Then the voice of Isabel, who was engaged to the Crown Prince, came out. The Prince's expression gradually turned rotten upon hearing it.
– …What about the Prince?
– Um… he's stupid and fat, so after dancing for the first time, he will be gasping for his breath and let me go, just like last time.
But my brooch kept pouring out Isabel's insults at him, and when the Prince finally trembled in rage, I spoke with a subtle smile.
"…If you meet the wrong wife, you will suffer for the rest of your life."
Upon hearing this, the Prince quietly gritted his teeth and answered in a serious tone.
"…Thank you for the advice."
The Prince conveyed his thanks and left the room alongside the Princess who had a frozen expression on her face.
"…Is the leftover wine mine?"
As I was left alone in the room, I quietly poured wine into the glass and smiled.
"…This is quite good."
Serena's intervention was something I didn't expect, but this could protect Clana from the threat of engagement for a year.
Also, since I have been given the means to contain Clana… the Prince and the Princess will have no choice but to be in my good graces. Just a moment ago, the hot-blooded Prince struggled to endure his wrath and conveyed his thanks for giving him the advice.
So… Now, how do I deal with Serena…
"…You're the most repulsive person I've ever known."
As I calmly brought the wineglass to my lips, Clana, who had tears in the corner of her eyes, slammed open the door and said.
"You remember nothing. Of course, how can someone who forgot about the promise they made as a child remember anything?"
Seeing Clana speaking with hatred and contempt, I sighed.
'…After all, she was eavesdropping and listening to everything.'
I could barely feel the solar mana beyond the room, so I had a rough idea of what Clana was doing.
Even the incompetent Prince and Princess didn't seem to have noticed.
"In any case… what happened today… I'm a fool to have expected for a moment that what you did today was in order to keep the promise you made in the past."
"…What are you talking about?"
– Clank!!!
The moment I asked with a dumbfounded look, Clana shot golden mana at my glass, shattering it in the aftermath.
Thanks to this, my clothes were covered in wine, and Clana, who was staring at me, opened her mouth with a cold smile.
"Then try embracing me after a year."
Having said that, Clana turned around and added a few words.
"…Of course, it's unlikely to happen."
Eventually, Clana left the room without looking back, and I briefly stared at her, then averted my gaze to the broken wine glass with a disappointed expression and muttered.
"…This was an expensive wine."
As I was regretfully looking at the red wine, whose each sip would have probably amounted to thousands of gold, I turned around when I suddenly felt a strange tug in my arm.
"Hoot-Hoot!!"
Then I saw a familiar-looking white owl tugging my arm.
"…The moon beyond the sun."
Apparently, it's time to see my fiancé.
You can read 505 episodes for $10. p.*atreon.com/Astrid02