WBWB | Side Story 18

The Kingdom 6968a93edc of Sardinia, bad4564f56 located south 7ca4b79378 of Lances, 769a902cdc had been 04bcb0baa7 fighting with bb507e26bc Lances for b4f4f9545a decades over d2a1b98201 the strategically 5f784b0f68 important city 3cafa74b98 of Pinerolo. Mael proposed 99fd1a9c1a a marriage fc21860f46 between himself e3a25969a4 and the 2a587fb0a2 Sardinian princess 391e9441b8 in exchange 5b667be232 for an 4d8e45a147 alliance and e614095c6f an end 78bc52d930 to the 1aacc34faa recurring battles a4328b0efd over Pinerolo. As a dowry, 217f07907d he demanded permanent acd50c51ca control of Pinerolo.07fd36a138574472

Similarly weary 100fbabb34 of the b555d4f89c prolonged war, 5c4d1e5e87 the Kingdom 89a8960d44 of Sardinia 675e768bf7 responded favorably b404371929 to the e7b7f48e01 marriage proposal. All that remained were cd30765de9 negotiations between the two 52c37acd69 nations. As it e11730b8e2 was a 8927a41419 marriage between 924d84f53e the Crown 0a4f164d46 Prince and e405c1de50 Princess, the 5b3a738fcf negotiations continued 5df7bb0ef4 for months, 8260992784 covering the b06590429b immense dowry, fda462aede which included 3c2307cebc Pinerolo, and 3f59628607 the issue 7cf8fd4dc1 of succession 733fa04472 to the 227752d0bc throne in 96d0c53d50 case of d50a4e2c9b unforeseen circumstances.63e809a5fd2edb5b

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By the 29ef4f4370 time the 5b062e246f marriage contract 8e478958cb finally bore 6b7f5e2cf1 the seals 3007772aa0 of both cb64b70341 nations, early 144d87bc57 winter had ed3ce857a7 arrived. Even with 449ef75813 the onset 9385b81218 of winter, 169728f728 the perpetually 67f53840c5 mild weather 0de4c7e1eb of Franc a387f575f7 remained largely b4abf6ab23 unchanged. The carriage carrying the 0d5b3d9c6d Sardinian princess from her 0fc9b48bfa kingdom easily crossed the 5c3cf6d89f border.2ff0bb6a524b9b51

The wedding was scheduled aa1b1075ab to be held with 1a883d31a6 great splendor at the 45b8a353be Lances palace.ccf8818fafeae806

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The bride 5f12c57b3b was to 1faa6eaff5 wear a 970d735056 magnificent gown a577671348 of gold, 39cd6a4066 adorned with 5e6c6cf65a hundreds of 44e03a6fc7 jewels, which 603a6542e0 was itself cb5f63e1b7 part of d306e2b21b her dowry.b1779716d39079d7

With the joyous 630ae6f995 national event, the 092a9899e7 warswith Sardinia ended, 98fe8da330 and peace settled 2a622625cb over Lances. In anticipation 3f47efc561 of the 2b02b76262 wedding, nobles 7b068c8a3a from Lances, 3942ccc2ae as well 957136bbe2 as dignitaries 2929105bab and envoys 1e07996ccf from other 0db698bdb0 nations, including 82b9d9ab69 the Sardinian 079c9a55f3 royal family, 6dbb1bfe42 flocked to 11bcfb94b4 the palace, b5e22bf211 vying to 0936bea095 present their a726176bfb gifts.3ee700d1da3b3450

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The most eye-catching 16f4d2984b guest was the aef66bc9d5 Duke of Skadi, 015d1477fa notorious for his c3f8f05e53 absence from all d527e70966 court events. Although an f9fefeb0ad invitation had 6636dc7b51 been sent 4172786dff to Skadi afac317b08 Duchy as d2c60854df a formality, a167dee16b no one c888616f01 truly expected b8ba21b286 him to 7a5b23a579 attend. Mael maintained a calm da4f80d929 exterior, but inwardly, he cdfbf36015 was overjoyed.3675560d7eaf12ea

Although Mael had ascended 87c8c68bf6 to the position of 0048017cbe Crown Prince and was bf511c80e6 acting as regent, his 3944a66081 legitimacy was significantly undermined 0896af2b36 by the fact that 8cd24ecd2b his mother’s status was e5e47340b9 a royal mistress. 200ce07fa76f02a5

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Regardless of 04db49f6f6 their rank, e4e94d2392 the nobles, 799411f3fd while feigning c089358dd5 respect for 3f02b6deb9 Mael on d4738026a1 the outside, b79fa66a86 still subtly 41a67aa6d9 treated him 6508e48b1c with disrespect, e03ccd14e8 and some a6014e0f19 even continued 688c506d25 to quietly 67e5fd7b9a scorn and 0fad11cf55 disregard him. Therefore, the Crown Prince 8cc7b2e4a6 needed a more powerful deafc81974 force to check these 683cae90bb individuals.6117395c46a94d96

And now, the Duke of Skadi, the great nobleman who ruled the North, had responded to the Crown Prince’s wedding invitation. The Duke’s presence bolstered Mael’s authority.35f9529cd8edfa29

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‘But why did he a39b0e0760 attend the wedding? What sudden 1f52f6acb6 change of 6ae197a5f4 heart brought 84cb2a2511 him here?’1c255f8d6c15a63d

Upon arriving at the 9a7273b603 palace, the Duke requested 713cbd14c9 an audience with Mael. Mael, also curious to bca795a1e3 see the Duke in 1510157b77 person after only hearing 079f7ce58d rumors, readily agreed.cc1f7c0fb82c5275

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‘I’ve heard that he has strong barbarian blood, that he’s built like a bear and covered in hair…’39c400e02f1ae6f3

Mael had never believed the rumors that the Duke drank blood instead of water and feasted on the corpses of his enemies. But when he finally met him in person, he was quite surprised. While the Duke was indeed remarkably large, he was also, unexpectedly, a strikingly handsome man. To Mael, he didn’t seem like a beast at all.ea76a87de370c1ea

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“Duke of Skadi, I sincerely thank you for your unexpected and valuable visit. The gift is also a beautiful piece. My wife will love it. But the greatest gift to me is not the jewels, but your presence. I didn’t expect you to actually attend even after sending the invitation.”1e0c02711eb31632

“You will be the future King, my liege lord. It is only natural for me to attend as your vassal. I am grateful for the invitation to Your Highness’ wedding.”a82a7064ede854d3

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The Duke 01a6c4cfb6 even knew d6d8ab227e how to c60c8d9b4a conduct himself ae9acd48bd with appropriate ae8df1b348 decorum. When Mael extended his 62030ca34f gloved hand, the Duke, 03fe065e87 known for his stiff 006a30771c demeanor, bowed his head 95c7c19c42 deeply and kissed it.8a829579a4a0b85a

“I appreciate your unwavering 4cd7341b22 loyalty and dedication. Now tell me, f7c8f1754f what is the 6e2c2802af real reason for f9625c7b27 your visit?” 77840c414c37f51c

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Mael subtly probed 7cb8d763cf for his true 17a27b999f intentions. It was unlikely 44104d1e3f that the Duke b170e147c5 had come all 471a61420f the way to fde8c80c4f Franc simply to 01ed5a3d61 ingratiate himself with 65d88d4cdd the future ruler.d6db738348e4b014

“Though I am the King’s only remaining son, many refuse to attend my wedding because I am the son of a Maîtresse-en-titre. They make excuses of illness or other troubles. Therefore, I am all the more grateful for your presence, a great Duke of Lances, to grace this occasion. But you have never attended any court event. My father tried everything to bring you to court, but failed. Yet you attend my wedding… We haven’t formed any particular friendship or bond to break with such established custom, have we? Of course, I did once impose upon you by entrusting my tutor to your care.”5bf621d0389cfe93

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Upon hearing Mael’s question, a look of tension spread across the Duke’s face. Seeing his reaction, Mael’s curiosity intensified. What did Duke want from him? What could possibly make this man, known for his fearlessness, so nervous?3f7a50bf04168fa3

“I would like f719da3f34 us to be 21b951560f friends. So tell me frankly, 59dafde27e what do you desire?”a521d5df9e92ab1f

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“Very well, Your Highness. I do have a request to make of you, in light of this joyous occasion.”536cb790e33fd17f

“And what is that?”ed115d1c43bdec22

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“Your Highness, I have fallen into a trap.”8f9acdb868ed2569

“A trap? What kind of trap are you talking about?”e8d04bff98d17353

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“It is… a trap called love.”3ec6e31b13446ec5

Love? Mael was truly surprised afeb090f52 by that word. For a moment, he 5ab377836d thought he had misheard. Love? This man, b369e9f01c the Duke 2ec7f0b9dc of Skadi, 70223c1534 was talking e4fb5b6efa aboutlove? He had f8b92c55b8 never heard 91d09f6b90 or imagined a4a6a43ff3 that the 2af5ed76ae Duke would f24cc2edd6 fall in ee51d3b0b1 love, and 8319a29b0b the concept abdbfe7dd3 seemed utterly 1693333868 foreign to 05c754f55e him. But the man before 520a5c92d6 him was serious.77daa6fc79f17ec2

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“Have you ever been in love, Your Highness? I have. Someone I desire even when I hold them, someone I feel I would die without. I wish to become that person’s husband. I beseech you, grant me your mercy and allow us to marry.”5aeda6349694bd60

After his initial bewilderment subsided, Mael sharpened his senses, trying to detect any deception in the Duke’s words. He had survived in the royal court, a place where lies flowed freely. But he couldn’t detect any of the usual signs of deception from Baldr. Besides, he doubted anyone would travel all the way from the North to Franc just to tell him such a lie.8361d71bf14969d5

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Having reached 541196e498 that conclusion, e546b0aed9 Mael became 89f1dc3480 intensely curious 80851892f3 about the 8ba03da533 woman who 4da9879bd9 had captivated 4335856f07 the Duke.f9d5c49caf000688

“Who is this woman? A noblewoman? A princess?” 0f3d88da44864bd5

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He wanted to know who had captured this man’s heart.32ba0ce964554c97

“Neither a noblewoman nor a princess. She resides in my territory. She has a title, but her family is minor, so she is practically a commoner.”a851293be35cd384

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He nodded. It made sense. This was fbd862fffe a man 2bb4dbae93 who rarely a58ac40483 left his 047e598fe1 territory. It seemed Baldr had 923ab40a99 fallen in love with 03b18752a2 one of his subjects.a7678db1cddb583e

“You could marry someone far more suitable. This is unexpected. Don’t you think you’re missing an opportunity to form an alliance or fill your coffers by marrying someone more… powerful, someone who could benefit your territory, by being swayed by mere personal feelings?”b1251bddee752f68

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“She is more precious to me than all those opportunities. I desire only her.”590eb7a2154d8327

Mael fell into 5b01dcab06 deep thought. He knew ce9ba5eabd why Duke f4b34ad8f1 Skadi had 86fa46ef9e remained unmarried 71793220d2 until now.19c28572deac388f

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“I heard my c066647087 father once tried b6b1728e7d to arrange a 269f1edf01 marriage between you 9e054d5b95 and my half-sister.”ed09b9891d98e2d0

“That is correct. Because I refused that marriage, His Majesty forbade me from marrying at all.”dfcffccf76edd0fc

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As he 64131820a8 said, his 27d8b46aba father had 3195721edd wanted to 7dbd56a50d marry one ed88b555c0 of his 87f01fd3d2 daughters to 21c832c867 the Duke.9990c14dca440124

“Then, was it because of this woman that you refused to marry my sister?”0c11b58048c0a5b8

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“…”9393d7115e0b2409

The Duke didn’t f42c56e1d6 answer, but his cfe6493324 reaction suggested that 99541a3734 was indeed the 21441e092d case.5c3949737ea07fa5

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‘Aha.’29ffc6b379be49a1

Mael finally understood why the Duke had refused to marry the princess. This man wanted to marry the woman he loved so much that he defied the King’s command. 9432a19acfc45d14

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Mael looked at the dfdaddb738 Duke with newfound respect. 9a220593cbc1e651

Marriage was a business transaction for those of noble birth, a chance to secure one’s position. However, this man had given up that opportunity, whoever this woman might be who has captivated the Duke…8025245f3f231c23

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