21.

“Or just have a little. I can check and give you the proper medicine afterward!”

“…You.”

Edgick looked more interested in the aftermath than the ritual itself. Watching him eagerly shine with curiosity under the guise of ‘taking care of the Commander’s health,’ Jinpetsu ground his teeth in frustration.

Leo, wanting to change the subject, threw out a question. Since it wasn’t poison, there was no need to waste energy on something trivial. Besides, if the marriage proposal was broken off, there would be no reason for the topic of whether the princess had used poison or not to come up at all.

“Have you looked into the princess’s potential suitors?”

“Ah, just earlier, Nepi brought some news. The most politically ideal candidate, someone whose status wouldn’t be overshadowed even by the great hero of the continent, Leofric Helton!”

Edgick handed over a small, tightly rolled piece of paper. Leofric took it, carefully unrolling it with his thumb.

[Lucian Salem.]

The paper contained only a simple name. Lucian Salem.

A prince of Salem Kingdom, an ally of Thornfeld Kingdom.

Before the war, Salem had maintained friendly relations with Ledetian, though not a full-fledged alliance. But once the war began, they chose to take Thornfeld’s extended hand.

“He was the one engaged in marriage talks with the princess.”

“It wasn’t a confirmed engagement?”

“There’s nothing written about that here, so I can’t say for sure.”

Edgick exaggeratedly shrugged his shoulders.

“If it had been an official betrothal, there would have been more rumors. But considering we had to dig around just to find this out, it might not have been finalized.”

“Is that so.”

“Still, it’s worth raising an objection. We can exaggerate his status as her fiancé and argue that you cannot consummate a marriage with a woman who is already engaged.”

“Why not leak this to Salem Kingdom? Let them know their betrothed is here and tell them to come retrieve her.”

“That’s actually another issue. Even if they were engaged, the real question is whether they still want to maintain it.”

“Hmm.”

With their alliance broken and the empire fallen, there was a high chance that Princess Ateira was no longer seen as an appealing candidate for Salem Kingdom’s royal bride.

In fact, that possibility was much higher.

Even if Ateira held symbolic value, Salem, a nation that had not actively participated in the war, didn’t seem likely to gain much by officially taking her in—whether politically or economically.

Her marriage to Leofric Helton would hold far more symbolic weight.

Leofric tapped his chin thoughtfully.

“And what makes you think it’s still worth raising an objection?”

“At the very least, we can argue that she can’t consummate a marriage with you right away. Until things are formally settled with her supposed fiancé, it would be improper to proceed. Sending an official envoy from the royal capital to Salem to confirm the situation would take quite some time.”

“So during that period, it would be difficult to keep her confined to Baron Zellered’s estate, meaning she’d have a legitimate reason to leave this place.”

“Exactly.”

“……”

“The Commander could also claim he intends to honor the King’s decree, but given that the princess has a fiancé, he must handle the matter properly and take her to the capital to resolve it quickly…”

Edgick tilted his head uncertainly, as if he wasn’t completely confident in this plan.

Leofric stroked his sharp jawline in silent contemplation.

What should he do?

If Ateira and Prince Lucian Salem’s engagement wasn’t ironclad, and Salem Kingdom had no real interest in reclaiming her, then it would be difficult to use this engagement as a way to shut down the marriage talks entirely.

Truly, she had become an unwanted burden to the entire continent.

Even in this estate, the only one who genuinely welcomed her seemed to be Nepi.

Too frequent and too familiar to be mere coincidence, Nepi’s behavior left Leofric with an uneasy feeling.

“…Edgick. About Nepi.”

Before he forgot, Leofric decided to ask something that had been bothering him.

“Has Nepi ever followed a human so willingly before?”

“No matter how gentle Nepi seems, it’s still a malicious beast. That would be impossible.”

Edgick tilted his head, answering with certainty.

“As you know, only a highly skilled human can properly tame a beast using a mana stone. It takes time, of course.”

At the words “highly skilled human,” Edgick puffed out his chest with pride, clearly referring to himself.

Jinpetsu, who had been quietly listening, scowled deeply.

“The fact that you can say that about yourself is just…”

“It’s confidence born from being the continent’s one and only true expert.”

“…….”

Jinpetsu’s eyes narrowed.

He opened his mouth, as if he had a lot to say—then closed it.

He tried again—then shut it once more.

Finally, he gave up entirely, deciding that it would be better for his sanity not to argue.

“Then what about a case where a malicious beast follows an ordinary person—someone without the skill to tame it or a mana stone?”

“…I take back my earlier statement. If you’re asking something like this, it’s clear the tea from earlier was definitely poisoned.”

Unable to tolerate Edgick any longer, Jinpetsu smacked his hand with a sharp slap.

“Ah!”

“…….”

Edgick glared at Jinpetsu but was met with an equally fierce stare in return. Finally, he snapped his head away and turned to Leofric.

“Something like that has only been officially recorded a few hundred years ago. Even unofficially, it’s been at least three centuries. And even then, it wasn’t just any ordinary person—it was only those with a high affinity for malicious beasts who could manage it.”

“…….”

Yet, it still bothered him.

Nepi kept going to that woman, as if drawn to her. Not to mention, when another beast—one that had been forcibly agitated by an external force—appeared, it hadn’t been aggressive toward her. Instead, it had calmly sat beside her.

“What if it’s Ledetian blood?”

“…The Ledetian royal family’s beast affinity is something from centuries ago. You know that.”

Edgick’s tone was reluctant, as if he didn’t want to acknowledge the possibility.

“…That’s true.”

It was just a misconception, after all.

He had been too overwhelmed at the time.

Being suddenly pulled in—no, grabbed, then rolling across the ground, dealing with a rampaging beast, and having to cover it up—

It had been one thing after another.

Especially around her, his body felt off. He couldn’t have been in the right frame of mind to judge things properly.

Leofric let out a quiet sigh, forcefully dismissing his instincts as a mistake.

A knock at the door broke his thoughts.

It was one of Count Zellered’s knights.

“Count Zellered has requested an audience with you.”

The knight’s voice was flat and businesslike.

“What a shame. I have nothing I wish to say.”

Leofric waved his already healed left hand lazily, as if dismissing the thought entirely.

“Oh, and my hand hurts too much to move.”

He added the remark pointedly, as if driving in a wedge.

“If someone wants to talk, shouldn’t they be the one to come here?”

His voice turned cold.

“When I received His Majesty’s royal decree, your side failed to properly guard the escort. That’s how this situation even happened. And yet, you expect me to step into your unprotected den?”

“…….”

“I’ll be staying put. If he wants to talk, tell him he’s welcome to come here.”

His sharp gaze glinted dangerously.

“I have nothing more to say. Get out.”

The moment those words fell, Foven took a step forward. His mere movement was enough to silently direct the knight toward the door.

The Zellered knight clenched his teeth but ultimately left without another word.

And the moment his foot crossed the threshold, Foven—annoyingly fast—slammed the door shut with a loud bang.

“As if I’d run around at his command.”

“Oh, right—Commander.”

Edgick suddenly pulled another rolled-up piece of paper from his sleeve.

“Nepi brought this as well. This one seems… personal.”

Leofric’s eyes softened, just slightly, when he saw the light rose-colored letter.

[I miss you. See you soon. – L]

* * *

“But, Father—”

“That’s enough, Lucian.”

The man seated on the throne, his beard streaked with gray, looked at him with weary impatience.

For a fleeting moment, the King of Salem thought that his son Lucian was more exhausting than war itself.

“The war is over, and the negotiations are settled. What excuse do you expect me to make?”

“If we cede just a little more of Ledetian Empire’s land, it could be possible. Near the capital—”

“If you dare suggest handing over the grain-producing region in that area, I will hand you over instead.”

During the war, Salem Kingdom had sided with Thornfeld.

Wintran Thornfeld was a man filled with greed, much like his father. When the king of Salem had met him, he could see the insatiable hunger lurking behind Wintran’s gentle smile.

With men like that, one must tread carefully—but there are times when they can be useful.

That was why Salem had chosen to align with him.

And Thornfeld had not demanded much—Salem did not have to actively participate in battle. They could support the war from the rear, suffering minimal losses while still securing benefits.

And that was how Salem had gained its grain-rich territories.

Lucian knew how hard his father had fought for that land.

And yet, he still spoke of giving it up so easily.

The King of Salem let out a long sigh.

“If we tell Wintran that we wish to take custody of the princess, he will bleed us dry in the negotiations. And I have nothing I am willing to give—or wish to give—for her.”

“Father!”

“Lucian!”

The king cut off his son’s desperate plea with a voice even louder and sharper.

“Enough. Get a hold of yourself.”

“……”

“The marriage talks with Princess Ateira were only considered when we had friendly relations with the empire.”

“……”

“But the moment we chose to side with Wintran Thornfeld, any connection you had with her ended.”

If there was ever anything to begin with.

“Even if I were to concede—if we were to somehow find a way, think about it.”

The King of Salem pressed his temple, speaking as though this entire conversation gave him a headache.

“Would she still look at you the same way she once did?”

“……”

“Her heart is no longer the same. Forget her.”

Lucian bit his lip.

Enemy prince.

That was what he had become to Ateira now.

“…Leave me.”

At those words, Prince Lucian turned and walked away heavily.

Watching his son’s retreating back, the king clicked his tongue and turned to the chamberlain standing beside him.

“Do you think he’ll give up now?”

“…He is Prince Lucian.”

“So he’ll be back tomorrow?”

“If I may be so bold… most likely.”

The King of Salem let out a very, very long sigh.