"Give me your... seed of the Imperial family."
At Serenade's words, my mouth fell open. What the heck?!
'My goodness gracious! What is this woman saying?!'
It's improper, young lady!
In this fantasy world, the Red Dragon might be the supreme, but, hey?! Where I come from, it's the Confucian Dragon that reigned supreme! Be careful with such dialogue, or you'll be in big trouble!
The amount of cold sweat suddenly shooting up my back doubled.
I avoided Serenade's earnest gaze, dripping with sweat. Oh dear, oh dear, how embarrassing! I can't even meet her eyes!
And as I avoided her gaze, Serenade's voice grew suddenly heavy.
"You're always like this, my lord."
"Huh?"
"Day in and day out, you, a lascivious person spreading rumors with other noble daughters, for some reason, have never held me even once."
Serenade's head hung low, her fists clenched tight.
"No, not just holding me, but even looking into my eyes like now, you've always hated."
"No, this is..."
This is just because I'm shy, you know...
"Do you dislike young girls that much?"
"No, I, I don't dislike..."
"Because I'm from a lowly merchant family? Because I bought the position of your fiancée with money? If you embrace me, do you think I'll smell like dirty metal?"
Something trickled down Serenade's pale cheek. Huh?
It was a transparent droplet.
Serenade was... well... crying.
I froze.
Great heavens! I really don't know how to handle this kind of situation at all!
"I never expected your love from the beginning."
Serenade looked up at me, weeping without even wiping her tears.
"I know. You must dislike mixing the pure blood of the noble imperial family with such a lowly and filthy woman like me. But even if it's a contractual relationship, even if the adults arranged it, we still promised to become a couple, didn't we?"
"..."
"I'm offering everything I have to you, my lord, so why don't you... look at me just once?"
I wanted to comfort her somehow, but the situation didn't allow me to easily speak up.
Ash and Serenade's relationship was foreign to me, a strict relationship between strangers.
As a player who had merely taken over this body, could I interfere in this relationship?
Would it later turn into a greater wound for her?
While I hesitated, frozen, Serenade turned away, wiping her tears.
"I'm tired of begging you for attention and affection, my lord..."
"..."
"I'm sorry for whining and acting spoiled, and for possibly boring you."
"No, that's not it, I mean..."
"Seeing you after so long, I must have gotten overly excited, and my emotions got the best of me. I apologize."
Serenade waved her hand, calming her breath.
The captain steering the yacht turned the bow towards the harbor.
"It's getting quite late. Even though the Imperial Capital is relatively safe, it's dangerous for a member of the Imperial Family to wander the streets alone. I'll prepare a carriage, so please take it home."
"..."
"If you need anything, just send me a message. The festival is approaching, so the Imperial Capital will become hectic. Please don't wander around at night like this for a while..."
Serenade stopped, caught in her words.
"Right, you hate when I nag."
"..."
"Ha ha. How odd. How can I be so mismatched with your tastes, my lord?"
I remained silent, and the boat soon returned to the harbor.
"I'm sorry for being brash today, my lord."
Serenade bowed deeply towards me.
"Please forget about today, and feel free to visit me anytime... whether it's for money or a drink."
"..."
"Well, take care."
With tear-stained cheeks, Serenade smiled.
"I was happy to see you, my lord."
***
Inside the carriage returning to the Imperial Palace.
I was still lost in thought.
I had secured the architect and trade line I intended to get in the Imperial Capital.
With the Silver Winter Trade Line, the largest in the empire, it should be reliable enough.
I could easily proceed with the Crossroad's tourist city plan, the independent magical stone distribution line as well.
But only one thing.
'People.'
An unexpected problem had arisen.
'People are always troublesome.'
Such issues had never crossed my mind in Crossroad.
Since nearly all my relationships with others had begun from a zero base, built up by me.
It was about 'me', not 'Ash'.
However, in the Imperial Capital of New Terra, all relationships were 'Ash's.
The Emperor, the princes, court officials, servants, and even the fiancée I met today; these were all relationships Ash had cultivated and built.
Could I really tamper with them?
Even if I were to intervene, could I guide them in the right direction?
Relationships between people are like a Jenga puzzle.
You don't just pile them up endlessly; you remove the pillars from between and place them on top.
If you build as high as possible and then stop, that human relationship remains stable.
But now, I was pondering whether to touch the precarious Jenga puzzle that Ash had built.
Whether the tower grows taller or collapses altogether, problems could arise on either side.
'What should I do...'
I wrapped my head in confusion, pondering the matter.
- Why won't the Lord even look at the girl properly?
I recalled the image of Serenade, who was crying teardrops from her silver eyes and lamenting pitifully.
'Huh.'
This isn't just Serenade's problem.
I have come to the Imperial Capital, and I must keep clashing with Ash's people. Then I must clearly determine my stance.
Either not to interfere at all.
Or...
'To bear everything of Ash... myself.'
I clenched my mouth shut.
Either way, I had regarded Ash as someone else so far. I had thought of him as a separate person.
Can I really accept that stranger's life as wholly mine?
Do I truly have the resolve for that?
That's when it happened.
Thud!
Suddenly, the carriage stopped.
"Huh?"
I looked out of the window, puzzled.
The imperial palace was not visible. It was a dark back alley. What's going on? Did the carriage break down?
At that moment, the coachman who had descended from the coachman's seat came walking back.
"Hey, what's the matter..."
Bang!
Before I could even ask the coachman what was wrong, she flung the carriage door open, grabbed me by the collar, and pulled me out.
"What?!"
At the same time, she threw me.
I involuntarily screamed as I floated in mid-air.
"Wooaahhh?! What is thiiiis?!"
Thump!
Perhaps due to all the time I had spent wandering in dungeons and tumbling in defensive battles, I managed to straighten myself in the air and land upright. Thud!
"You, who dares-!"
I stopped mid-shout as I looked forward.
Rumble...
In front of me stood a woman in a maid's outfit, holding a massive polearm.
Elize.
It was Serenade's subordinate, the one who was driving the carriage to take me to the palace.
And from her whole body emanated a terrifying fighting spirit.
The materialized energy stirred up a wind, fluttering her maid's apron.
"Ash, Crown Prince."
Elize's chilling cobalt eyes were filled with creepy determination.
Like a finely sharpened blade, that determination.
"You are trash."
"Ex, excuse me?!"
I unknowingly responded with respect. Why, why suddenly like this?!
"Ten years ago, after becoming engaged to you, my mistress devoted herself to you. She lent you money for gambling, served you the finest wines from around the world. Most of your wasteful extravagances in the Imperial Capital were cleaned up not by the Imperial Family, but by our Silver Winter Merchant Guild."
Crunch.
Elize's teeth were ground together, fiercely.
"I hated seeing you like that, but I endured it. It was the wish of the previous Merchant Guild's head to shed the disgrace of a poor merchant family by forming a connection with the Imperial Family, and..."
Whoosh-!
Elize aimed the massive polearm she was carrying at her back forward.
"Because my mistress, Lady Serenade, loved you."
"..."
"But, I can no longer tolerate this. You are only causing harm to our Merchant Guild. Above all, you only wound my mistress."
Elize's emanating fighting spirit became even more vivid.
"To repay the kindness shown by the previous head of the Merchant Guild, and for the remaining life of my revered mistress."
And then, Elize said,
"You must die here."
She was going to kill a royal.
He had declared that the battle would be fought here.
Whether it was a twisted act of loyalty or something else, I didn't know, but I hurriedly drew my staff from my possession.
'Damn it! How do I calm this situation down?!'
I had already learned that Elize was an SSR-grade character from the mercenary guild. Even if I didn't know, she must be quite strong.
'First, let's subdue her!'
But I, too, had defeated countless monsters, and had grown through various hardships in the dungeon beneath the lake.
An SSR-grade character who had been comfortably living here in the Imperial Capital without experiencing real battles should be easy to subdue.
...Or so I thought.
Bang!
Elize slammed her coffin, which she had been holding like a club, into the ground.
I opened my eyes wide. Huh? What's she doing?
Then,
"Sword Coffin, deploy."
At the same time as Elize's murmur, the coffin opened to the left and right.
Shwoosh-!
And inside the coffin, there were all kinds of swords stored by type.
Greatsword. Longsword. Dagger. Rapier. Curved sword. Broad sword. Short sword. Tae sword...
All of them were at least SR-grade weapons.
'Damn, this is insane?!'
Only then did I realize who Elize was, and my mouth fell open.
I thought I hadn't seen Elize in the game. But that was not the case.
I hadn't recognized her just because the maid's outfit was unfamiliar.
'Why is the Funeral Swordmaster, Elizabeth, here...?!'
A monster that ranks among the strongest sword characters in all of "Protect the Empire."
The Sword's Funeral Director, Elizabeth.
She had appeared in the game wearing a dark funeral director's outfit and a funeral director's hat, so I hadn't recognized her at all in her current maid's dress...!
'Damn it, Lucas! You have to speak clearly!'
The unexpected catastrophe was not my fiancée, Serenade Silver Winter.
It was this woman, Elizabeth, Serenade's escort!
"I will make your end painless."
Selecting a sword from the Sword Coffin, Elizabeth ominously intoned,
"That's out of consideration for the man who almost became my master's husband."
Immediately after, Elizabeth pulled out a saw-blade sword, its blade jagged and uneven.
"Ah, this looks good."
No, that looks extremely painful, that thing-!
Whether I was alarmed or not, Elizabeth drew the saw-blade sword and charged at me.
She was truly intent on killing me.