< Chapter 61 - Entering the Palace #2 >
&
Henry II, the King of Caillou at the time, had many children.
There were already three queens, and now there were seven concubines.
However, only the children born to the queen could officially inherit the throne, and among them, the children of the first queen were the highest in the line of succession.
‘1st in line to the throne.’
The direct descendants of the king of the time were higher in the line of succession than the king’s brothers.
In the Kingdom of Cailun, there was no distinction between genders in the succession to the throne, so Princess Daphne, the eldest daughter of the first queen, naturally assumed the first place in the line of succession to the throne as soon as she was born.
‘Crown Princess Daphne.’
In the Kingdom of Seilun, children of noble families were recognized as adults when they turned twenty.
It was a very late time for commoners, who were practically treated and worked like adults when they turned fifteen, but it was inevitable.
‘Nobles are different from commoners.’
So I had to take on more responsibility and demonstrate greater ability.
Of course, there were many who simply lived to the age of majority and became adults, but if they were a proper noble, and the eldest son at that, it was a different story.
I had to show a truly noble appearance.
‘Princess Daphne, anyway.’
To be exact, the crown princess.
She was a woman who was excellent in both literature and martial arts, almost like an all-rounder.
Of course, her natural talent played a big part in her success, but in reality, she was closer to a hard-working genius than a genius.
‘The next king will be the crown princess.’
It was something Princess Daphne had heard every day since she was a child.
Usually, when you hear something like this, you tend to procrastinate or slack off, thinking, “I’ll be the next king anyway!”, but Princess Daphne was different.
She had a sincere personality and worked hard every day to become a person fit for a king.
‘That older sister and that younger brother.’
Prince Dion, also born to the first queen.
He was two years younger than Princess Daphne, and he thought about his sister who was working like crazy.
‘If my sister disappears, I will have to become king. So I have to work as hard as my sister!’
It wasn’t, ‘If my sister isn’t here, I’ll be the next king, so I have to get rid of my sister!’
Prince Dion worked hard to prepare for the eventuality of his sister’s disappearance, and in the process, he learned of his sister’s great efforts and came to worship Princess Daphne.
‘I’m the number two. I’ll assist you perfectly!’
So Prince Dion turned to magic.
Princess Daphne studied and studied so much that 24 hours a day was not enough for her, including the study of monarchy, politics, swordsmanship, and foreign languages. The only area she did not touch was magic.
Princess Daphne found Prince Dion’s efforts particularly admirable – no, cute.
A younger brother who worships his older sister and a sister who cherishes and loves him.
Furthermore, since they were first and second in line for the throne, there could not possibly be any problems related to the succession to the throne in the Kingdom of Cailun.
‘That’s why Princess Darian was able to get along well with Princess Daphne and Prince Dion.’
Since Princess Daphne’s position was so secure, Princess Darian, the daughter of the second queen, could not be considered a rival who threatened her right to succession, but rather just a cute and pretty younger sister.
Thanks to this, Princess Darian was able to receive a lot of love from Princess Daphne and Prince Dion, and although not as much as Prince Dion, she was able to become a loyal follower of Princess Daphne and spend each day happily.
“It’s been a few months since my sister’s tea party, so I’m really nervous.”
Princess Darian smiled brightly, and Duke Spencer, a moderate but leading member of the noble faction, also smiled.
But in reality, Uther and Cordelia felt bittersweet amidst their joy.
‘Fate in the original.’
In the original, the plan to exterminate the royal family carried out by the Guardian King succeeds.
Not only Princess Darian in front of you, but also Princess Daphne, Crown Prince Dion, and the children of the concubine whose names were not properly mentioned in the original work.
In fact, all the children of the kings of that time who inherited their blood ended up dying.
Among them, the deaths of Princess Daphne and Prince Dion were particularly brutal.
The bodies of the two people who fought and fought to protect their younger siblings in a situation where there was no escape were not intact at all, and were torn to pieces by the devil followers who were enraged by the strong resistance, and then abandoned on the streets to be fed to stray dogs.
‘This time it’ll be different.’
A happy ending for the good guys.
It would have been nice to have a stale example of good triumphing over evil.
Because it is something that everyone hopes for, good people being blessed and evil people being punished.
Uther and Cordelia looked at each other and, without saying a word, laughed softly, realizing that they were thinking the same thing.
‘The person is kind.’
‘Even though he’s dark inside, our Yuder isn’t a bad kid.’
The two people smiled again and looked straight ahead, continuing their conversation with the excited Princess Darian.
About an hour like that.
After talking for quite some time, it was almost time to wrap things up.
Princess Darian aside, Duke Spencer, who had just recovered from his illness, had many things to take care of.
“Well then, enjoy the rest of the sword banquet. I look forward to the day we meet again in the kingdom.”
“Thank you for your kind words.”
“thank you.”
After Uther and Cordelia bowed in turn, Duke Spencer concluded the event by bowing to Princess Darian, who was the most senior person present.
And then again after ten minutes or so.
Cordelia, who had finally managed to leave the main building of the mansion, groaned as she tried to suppress the urge to stretch.
This was because the servant of the Duke of Spencer, who was in charge of guiding us to the annex, was still right in front of us.
[I want to go in quickly and stretch. And change into comfortable clothes.]
When I used message magic to vent my frustration, Yuder let out a small laugh.
[That’s right. If it were a wild land, I would have just carried him and then quickly returned to the dorm.]
[Ugh… It’s uncomfortable. The sword banquet is until tomorrow, right?]
[Oh, it looks like tomorrow is going to be a free-spirited gathering of promising prospects.]
[Sigh… It’s annoying. I should just hide behind Yuder and sit there.]
Cordelia liked socializing, but since it was a sword banquet where only swordsmen gathered, Cordelia, a magician, had no choice but to float around like oil floating on water.
[Anyway, I made a decent amount of money today.]
[Duke Spencer seems like a good guy. He spends a lot too. Woohoohoo. We’re rich now, rich.]
[I definitely felt that the scale was different.]
The annual income of the Count Bayer family was not that great. They were close to the bottom of the twelve northern families.
But still, they were a count’s family, and one of the twelve northern families.
To donate an amount equivalent to the annual income of the Count Bayer family was truly an act of spending befitting the Duke of Spencer, one of the wealthiest men in the Kingdom of Cailun.
[And there was also the story about our titles, right? We said that the titles of knights were already confirmed, right?]
[Oh, after this month, we will become Sir Cordelia and Sir Uther.]
[I want to receive the title of Baron······ Since Grandfather Duke Spencer said he would help me, I can receive it, right?]
[maybe?]
Yuder nodded happily and looked straight ahead again. He had already arrived at the annex.
It was already time for the sun to set, so the area around the annex was very quiet.
Most of the prospects staying in the annex were probably in their own rooms or gathered in a place like the living room to chat.
And that’s why I could feel it.
I’m talking about that sudden, stabbing gaze.
[Oh, please. I was just thinking about getting some rest.]
Cordelia, who also felt the gaze, sent a message magic as if grumbling, and Uther also smiled bitterly and looked away.
Under that tree over there.
A young man with dark blue hair standing with a smile.
[But we still have to meet, right? We have to become close?]
[We need to get to know each other. Should I meet you alone? Do you want to go in first and rest?]
[No, let’s meet up. I have a feeling that I shouldn’t let my guard down. He’s as sly as anyone.]
After saying that, Cordelia stopped the message magic and straightened up again, and Uder sent the servant away and turned completely towards the young man who was waiting for him under the tree.
“Your Majesty the Sword.”
“You were waiting? Why don’t you take a walk?”
The voice of the First Sword entered Uther and Cordelia’s ears as if it were a magic message.
‘It’s a telegram.’
‘Can you do it too?’
‘Oh, maybe it’s possible now?’
After exchanging brief glances, Uther and Cordelia walked towards the First Sword without delay.
“Did you wait for me on purpose?”
“Oh, I wanted to talk. Can I talk to you for a moment?”
At Jeilgeom’s question, Uther and Cordelia nodded almost simultaneously, and Jeilgeom laughed quietly again.
“This could have been a dull conversation between just the guys, but I’m glad Miss Cordelia is here.”
“I’m also interested in the story of Jeilgeom.”
When Cordelia answered in a bold manner, Jeilgeom smiled slightly again, then turned around and started walking away.
“Then let’s talk it out. It’s not my nature to drag things out.”
Jeilgeom continued talking as he walked towards the bench in the garden that was visible in the distance.
“To be honest, I was quite surprised today. I really didn’t think I would end up using the sixth move.”
Uder nodded as if he had expected this to happen at the words that Jeilgeom had naturally brought up, but Cordelia did not. This was because she had just realized something new.
‘Now that I think about it, it’s true!’
Jeilgeom defeated all the promising players except for Yuder within five moves.
He leads the way until the fourth turn and wins on the fifth turn.
In other words, the fifth number was a number that was quite close to sincerity.
‘There,’
When dealing with Uder, he even changed his sword style.
As if he could never give up the sixth number.
‘Isn’t it true that there was no intention of picking a winner?’
Surely there is no winner, so I will take this sword! Was he trying to say something like that?
When Cordelia looked at the First Sword with suspicious eyes, he waved his hand and said.
“I feel like there’s a huge misunderstanding going on, so let me say this directly: I was planning on ending it all with five moves.”
It was as expected.
Cordelia said, frowning.
“But, Master Jeilgeom, then there is no winner.”
“No, I’ll decide who the winner is. We had to use the same five moves, but this guy did the best. I think he’s the winner.”
Judging from the fact that he patted Yuder on the shoulder while saying that, it seemed that he had chosen Yuder as the winner from the beginning.
“I even changed my swordsmanship against this guy… Even if it ended in five moves, no one would have objected. Right?”
The last question was directed at Uther, who nodded awkwardly and spoke to Cordelia.
“And… In the first place, there’s no way that the First Sword Master could have intentionally lost. If he were to force himself to use the sixth move, that would be a problem in its own right.”
“Ugh… That’s true.”
When I heard it, it was true.
“Still, I guess I went a bit too far. Especially the sixth move.”
The sixth move by Jeilgeom.
Gwangikcheonsang.
It is said that he did not use the original charge technique as is, but only sent out a wave of energy, but it was a technique of the Ten Swordsmen – especially the one called the Sword Saint.
If it had been anyone other than Yuder, he might have been seriously injured or even killed.
“If that is on your mind······.”
“Oh, right. It took a while. It was a bit annoying.”
In fact, the sixth number was not necessary.
Even with five moves, he couldn’t subdue Yuder, so Yuder was the winner anyway.
The reason why the Gwangikcheonsang was used there was because the First Sword itself was on fire, which meant that the First Sword failed to control itself.
“But still… if the same situation arises, I’ll probably use the Gwangikcheonsang again. This time, I’ll just charge.”
“···Are you trying to kill me?”
“No way. They must just be excited by the emergence of a huge prospect.”
The first swordsman, who had been laughing playfully, took a deep breath and straightened his posture. Then he asked Yuder again.
“I asked this during the day, almost like an extension of the question… Are you, by any chance, a disciple of Landius?”
Cordelia opened her eyes wide at Jeilgeom’s question.
“Do you know Landius?”
“Is there anyone who doesn’t know the name of Ichigo Landius, who walks the path of the sword?”
When Jeilgeom asked back, Cordelia nodded without realizing it.
Since they say they argue among themselves, it would have been even stranger if they had reached the age of Ten Swordsmen and didn’t know about Landius.
However, there was a significant gap between what he knew about Landius and what Yuder assumed was Landius’s disciple.
That’s why Cordelia was surprised.
‘First of all, Yuder isn’t a muscular man like Landius!’
Of course, it’s not that Yuder didn’t have any muscles on his body.
It was Jude who had a body that could rival a Greek statue.
But Yuder’s muscles and Landius’ muscles were different. And very different.
‘Uder’s body is so cool, pretty, and beautiful? But Landius’s body is scary.’
That was a truly honest impression.
Landius’s body was truly terrifying.
He was 2.3 meters tall, and his arms were thicker than Cordelia’s own waist. He was almost ten times as big as Cordelia, so it would be strange if he wasn’t scary.
“I can tell what you’re thinking just by looking at your face… I didn’t notice it by looking at your muscles. I just got a feeling that you were a swordsman, even though you don’t use a sword.”
A swordsman who doesn’t use a sword.
But the strongest in the world.
“Anyway, it seems that he is indeed Lord Landius’s disciple.”
“Yes, I am Lord Landius’s disciple.”
Since we’ve come this far anyway, there’s no point in hiding it.
Furthermore, from the perspective of Yuder, who had to somehow make Jeilgeom an ally, the more material that could attract his interest, the better.
“That’s fortunate. The one who made me use the sixth number was a disciple of Iron Man Landius. I think it’ll be less embarrassing this way.”
Jeilgeom, whose face became playful again, put his hands in his pockets and continued speaking.
“I wasn’t originally planning on attending this sword banquet. If Cornwell hadn’t sung a song saying that I should see you at least once, I was planning on going straight back to the inspection after seeing you.”
Cordelia swallowed dry saliva at the first sword’s words.
In the first place, it was the first sword that was not even visible during the National Foundation Day ceremony in the original work.
“But I’ve changed my mind a bit. I think I should attend the National Foundation Day celebration this time.”
“Is it because of me?”
“What… this and that? I want to see how you will perform in the martial arts tournament, and I also want to see how that young lady performs. You are none other than the daughter of Count Chase of the Red Storm and the younger sister of the youngest captain, Adelia Chase.”
At the words of the first sword, Cordelia puffed out her chest without realizing it.
I felt proud because I heard stories about my father and sister.
“Of course, what I’m most looking forward to is the ball.”
The first blacksmith winked at Cordelia, and Cordelia pursed her lips.
Uder’s face became very proud.
“You can look forward to it. You will see the most beautiful woman in the world.”
‘hey!’
Cordelia wanted to kick Yuder’s shin for a moment – no, she did, but Yuder quickly dodged the attack and continued speaking while keeping his eyes on the First Sword.
“You absolutely must attend. You absolutely must.”
“Ah, yes. I’ll look forward to it. Not just for Miss Cordelia, but for you too.”
Jeilgeom winked again and turned around as if he had nothing more to say, waved his hand once to say hello, and then started heading towards the main building.
“What, are you just going to leave like that?”
“I’ve said everything I wanted to say.”
I apologized for what happened today and said I would attend the National Foundation Day celebration this time.
“There’s something I like, but I don’t like it.”
“Anyway, didn’t it work out well? You achieved what you wanted without putting in much effort.”
“That’s true.”
Jeilgeom is participating in the National Foundation Day celebration.
“Even the Guardian King can’t help but be nervous.”
“So the very existence of the First Sword is a burden?”
“Ah, and even if Jeilgeom belongs to the noble faction… he’s not the type to stand by and watch the royal family die right before his eyes. He’ll probably fight against the Guardian King.”
“Hahaha, so I guess I got rid of the biggest headache?”
“It might require some more fine tuning though.”
But it was true that it was a big burden.
I was trying to figure out a way to get Jeilgeom to attend the National Foundation Day celebration, and the problem was solved on its own.
“Whoa… I’m even more tired. I want to go in and rest quickly.”
“Okay, let’s go back and get some rest today. We have to start preparing hard again tomorrow.”
“Ready? What preparations? Could it be Princess Daphne’s tea party?”
“There are only three days left. Moreover, it is a tea party where all the popular ladies of the royal capital gather. So we have no choice but to prepare thoroughly.”
In some ways, it could be said to be a prelude to the National Foundation Day Ball.
“Hehehe… I’ll show you. How beautiful an angel our Cordelia is······.”
When Uther showed a sinister smile, Cordelia unconsciously flinched her shoulders and grabbed Uther’s sleeve.
“Excuse me, you seem a bit perverted right now?”
“We have to promote shampoo and conditioner too. Yes, that’s right. We have to start taking care of ourselves properly starting today. With your beauty, Cordelia, you’re going to steal Princess Daphne’s heart.”
Cordelia frowned as Uther clenched his fist.
“Princess Daphne is a woman too?”
“What’s the problem with that?”
When Uther tilted his head, Cordelia shook her head and sighed.
“Anyway, you keep thinking about dressing me up, so I’m going to dress you up too? I’m going to try being Prince Maker, right?”
“Of course. Let’s work together to improve our procedures.”
Uther smiled and reached out his hand to Cordelia, and Cordelia instinctively grabbed his hand.
“Then let’s take you to your room, beautiful lady.”
Cordelia, who eventually smiled again at Yuder’s polite words of escort, shrugged her shoulders and headed to the lodging with Yuder.
And that night.
Under the night sky where the moon and stars are extremely bright.
Something happened that Cordelia never expected.
&
< Chapter 61 - Entering the Palace #2 > End
