WBWB | Side Story 20 | End

Mael ripped the letter to 6b090df69b shreds, roaring with a fury 0db018f3d9 for the first time in df0452a9dc his life.eed6e245e6e6690d

“This is invalid! Invalid!”1eaae6da83a8e4b5

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He cried out desperately. But even though e05215509a he now knew dd5902132a he had been 90b535e43b tricked, there was ab31ffce45 nothing he could e8acdcdc63 do. He was the 60dc609136 one who signed cb047e204a the petition without 167db83007 even reading it 45c4e942f5 properly.2e6fa15b3b71fc56

‘Since when?’785ddb8f48fbf46e

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It wasn’t difficult to guess. Probably during her exile. But then, another question arose. Why did the Duke send Jeanne back to Franc after her exile was lifted? And why did Jeanne return? He couldn’t understand the reason, but suddenly, the truth dawned on him.fa0226e69b3d3908

‘…You deserve a wife far better than me. Someone you can respect and love completely.’ba16a4b75492dcc0

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Jeanne, with her troubled expression as she rejected him, hadn’t simply refused him because she was uncomfortable with the position of mistress.03755a75e1a277aa

But he couldn’t let her go. Fueled by rage, Mael sent another carriage and letter to the Skadi Duchy.b1f15092d335c399

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 0d268b39661a8a29

Duke, you have e241ca6ad5 insulted and deceived 743cbfcc1a me. Did you truly a9ea356a7c not know that e513b02edb I loved her? Did you not read ba1e40c2f8 the letter I sent 9b6daad994 when she was exiled 9f10ace133 to your territory?0e2b73a6a1c7fca1

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Furthermore, this marriage is invalid. Your liege lord 6c79d1a202 is still His 5c26a3e56c Majesty the King, bb272e354f my father, and 08e53473a8 he did not ed60a924db approve of your 58ff4b5387 marriage. If you undo this cb8141798f now, I am still 9a3dccb76f willing to forgive you.98ebc79a2f5e1774

For the sake a2900c4503 of our friendship, 2420ebd219 return Jeanne to ad7b860d90 me now.f1765eb2b04bdddc

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If you do so, aaed5017fe I will forget everything d68ba88072 that has transpired between 15c1a74fb8 us.a090d4fb60b58060

 da10378d8832d232

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But the servant in 9aec27fd4c the carriage returned with 3ff6ac7d03 a letter from the d04ac4408e Duke, not with Jeanne.c919b45398f75e0f

 01f8a4da3a1c8e3c

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My marriage to 2d0cfe8705 Jeanne, the Duchess ccb7d1acb6 of Skadi, was 83cb6f5eb3 conducted in accordance 4d4362e519 with all laws d715a8e2f7 of Lances. My marriage to my wife c1062adc1f is sanctioned by God and 1e2333abea what God has joined together, 45c4b2e284 let no man put asunder.305bc35b837b29c1

Furthermore, my marriage harms neither 55a5539cd7 the interests of Lances nor 245b7fff84 His Majesty the King, and 03382f219e my loyalty to Lances remains 90fc8b42b9 unchanged.e74f599c250ec035

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As His Majesty has 42ced19c5f entrusted Your Highness with 2afe91a1f2 the affairs of state, 7e46485c49 I obtained your permission 9c493cb17f for the marriage. If you still eaaa0d085b insist that it 2c29b3eedc is invalid, I f092b9e89f will seek an b2d6224e09 audience with His 7efbca226b Majesty himself and 1ec18be1d1 request his permission 4c110a9621 anew once he 64387ac404 recovers.c82f4624632d4cf5

 f4abb421b57e5e0b

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The letter was a brazen reply. Mael’s vision reddened with fury.2e2fcca74e2a5ef7

‘How dare he…’9e1bcb2de8e42c3b

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Mael was the regent of Lances, the Crown Prince. All the lands of Lances belonged to him, and the nobles’ territories were merely granted to them by his grace.c47fb28d3ebdf4e8

‘How dare he defy me! He will pay for committing this insolence! He’s bitten off more than he can chew.’4b4430f1c4aab3ea

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Mael wanted to immediately confiscate the Duke’s territory and execute him on the spot, making an example of him for those who dared to defy him. He wanted to seize all of the Duke’s assets, including Jeanne.3e76cea0e31e5ed1

‘But…’70112b01498f2eae

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His rational mind, 5981c0a3f5 as a Crown f98a2a6ad4 Prince, stopped him.d708351fb1908b0f

‘…I have no grounds.’d09bc4fe39219b23

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All the lands 48ac6976a8 of Lances belonged fba724148e to the King, 2f764feafa so in principle, dc790aef10 they could be d8bf32cf58 reclaimed even if 8fc42184e7 they had been fd940a11b0 granted to nobles.deff5be200b86a30

But what was the reality? He needed a 69efe8d6fb justification, a legitimate a5f25aa78f reason to strip e94ce6bb9c a noble of 422f6a0594 his lands.926022565fdfbf82

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The Duke of Skadi 3571776685 had fulfilled his duties 1519065ed1 as protector of the 4e3a821e03 northern borders, paid his f6d02d16d7 taxes on time, and 18b907704d his family had been 70d91ac155 loyal to the royal ccede33d44 family for generations. Though his ancestors 400751b0c8 were barbarians, they b5b7c52943 were now mixed 43aa59ebea with the blood ed470e2301 of the Lances de5232ba64 royal family and d362313ba2 nobility.b966188407a18493

Could he seize 3d9bca6749 the Duke’s lands ccc04a9c34 just over a 1a0cc57d6e woman?c7f447c92e25b598

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That would only 92e1ddfc22 give the Duke 1d534a7003 justification for rebellion.6ee47e0cbaa6f458

The thought of antagonizing the dffbaec1ac Duke suddenly filled Mael with d79555922c fear. d38554d7a905906c

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‘Perhaps the one who bit off more than he can chew was me, myself.’fa30d175406962e0

The Duke was a seasoned commander, with the largest private army in Lances. Moreover, his soldiers were all experienced in warfare and fiercely loyal to him. In contrast, what about the King’s army? The royal guards of Lances were specialized in escort duty, not combat.7a1964614e060e4f

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While they trained diligently, 6f89bf8034 they had never faced 72c177a3d2 a life-or-death battle.87e84fd3dce92ae3

‘My ancestors granted the barbarians territory because they couldn’t defeat them. The previous King, after nearly losing the capital, decided to appease the barbarians with land and titles. And I intend to fight their descendant? What if I turn a barely tamed wolf back into a wild beast?’2f6cdf81456686b5

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If the two armies clashed, the outcome was obvious. And he couldn’t conscript soldiers from other nobles to fight the Duke.f9b18612015b36c6

Again, he lacked justification.c535ba21362adf04

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Who would lend their precious soldiers to the King to attack a fellow nobleman, not to defend the country? Especially if the reason was simply to steal the Duke’s wife? Such an action would find little support. If he attacked the Duke for personal reasons, the nobles would see themselves as potential targets.ac370f8742935631

They would wonder,2725dfad350583e1

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‘Will the King attack me next to steal my wife, my wealth, my lands?’ 272acca68ed549b3

Such an action would be enough to shatter the nobles’ loyalty to the King.1143015fbc6fb86f

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‘After all my efforts to end the foreign wars, I’m going to start a civil war?’3f78e02c1023c005

Furthermore, since becoming regent, he had worked tirelessly to end the wars. He had even married a foreign princess for the sake of peace. And now, he was considering starting a civil war just because he couldn’t let go of the woman he loved?562a422ab96379b6

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 If he did such a thing… Mael imagined how he would be judged by future generations.05ca0490a1864ba2

‘The Foolish King, The Illegitimate King, The Lecherous King…That’s what they’ll call me. Or worse, Lances might fall during my reign.’861578fbdf5b0894

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It was clear that 5b51e990a5 all his efforts to 799d0c2464 secure peace, including his f6b83706ec strategic marriage, would be b4ee36acb7 for naught. If he waged war ccb9c3e0cb against the Skadi family, aca21611ec the neighboring countries, already 11ff450556 waiting for an opportunity, 5dea8750e6 would surely take advantage 7c17708d04 of the situation.a998f72f9aa6e183

“…”c5b74dc4fd29e0e4

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His burning rage gradually cooled. Mael calmly placed c9e8c033a1 Jeanne on one 0fe8de5565 side of the f68968bf72 imaginary scales in 729508c32f his mind and 1f92408589 the crown of 387cfa0b26 Lances on the 1cbb493939 other. The scales tipped a9aed8306d decisively towards the a4f12484aa crown.830fe5648b88c567

He desired Jeanne desperately, but the crown of Lances represented everything related to his survival, everything he had yearned for his entire life. He couldn’t give it up.8c3b62569439d7bf

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So, he had to give 4b8852c598 up the other.686c146ffab382be

Even if he loved a woman, Mael was ultimately someone who couldn’t let go of what he held in his hand. Not the crown, not anything.4587639ce06593c9

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And that was the fundamental d557504d39 difference between him and Baldr.ad74093fe5bd0921

* * *229d27ebc2123f93

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A few months a05693c8f5 later, Baldr received 3345b249b8 a letter from 05ae51680d the Crown Prince.7b10479960d432a9

As you said, what 691352aa29 can be done about a7e959c05b what has already happened? There’s no use crying over a88a7e4db9 spilled milk. I only hope 7e0209994f that the trust 7a1b216ec3 and faith built 0d1dac5f6e by generations of 9786cfb997 our ancestors will 722b31f985 not be broken 11aac81044 because of one e6ff67f158 woman.b4434ada60a97055

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With a generous heart, I 241c1bed10 approve of your marriage. When your first son 81ef1fdb35 is born, bring him ff40b563a0 to the palace, along fe2264135f with your wife. I will be his godfather.f9a7343528399489

A godfather was f9e71399e2 a man who fef49111b8 pledged to take 8279d5f381 on the responsibility 003145d8a6 to care for 5d032ccf7e a child as eb04d54f99 his own, should a467205b9b the father die. c70718834b3d2221

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Reading the letter, Baldr smiled. Of course, he didn’t believe a word of it. The Crown Prince would never forgive him. If he ever set foot in Franc without an army to protect him, the Crown Prince would surely find a way to kill him and take Jeanne for himself.715533a522935bbd

The Crown Prince probably wrote this letter knowing full well that Baldr wouldn’t believe it. But what else could he do? The milk had been spilled.a78bd4d5c7453b29

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Two years later, Baldr’s first child was born. A healthy son, the spitting image of Jeanne. But even after his son’s birth, Baldr never stepped foot outside the Skadi territory.ea0ea0d8dfda9fc3

Despite repeated attempts by Mael, 193b462288 now the King, to lure 6be580f04a him out, Baldr simply sent c2d4d79253 a letter saying that his 4ad7b90709 son was frail and that e9ba12719e he would visit the palace 8ca264e4c0 with his family as soon 9633f21bd5 as the child recovered.c140bde5bfad85d6

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And so, Baldr lived happily ever after. With Jeanne, their children, Ana, and Jeanne’s family, within the safe borders of Skadi territory.470c3c5ceeb5bee7

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Side Story End.