Duke 116

CHAPTER 116

***

Translator: Rae

Click here to read the previous chapters (Chapter 36-115)

The capital, which had been quiet since the scandal between the Marquess of Camellia and the Duke of Deimos, was once again ablaze with talk.

This time, it wasn’t a scandal, but the news of the Marquess’ engagement to the Second Prince.

It was the first official royal event in a long while.

Newspapers churned out article after article, each with sensational headlines designed to grab attention.

[“The silent Marquess Camellia returns with a bang, announcing her engagement!”]

[“Marquess Camellia joins the royal family! Will she, the century’s biggest flirt, settle for the role of a princess consort?”]

[“Marquess Camellia’s former lovers can’t believe it! ‘There’s no way she’ll settle down with one man!’”]

[“Is it a political move, or love? What does the Marquess’ enigmatic smile mean?”]

Reading the neatly organized newspaper headlines on the table, Elysia couldn’t help but twist her lips in a smirk.

“An enigmatic smile? More like a smile that’s forced out because she can’t cry.”

After the engagement was announced, Dustin had proudly paraded her around, making her wear a smile that wasn’t even real.

Instead of being inappropriate or groping her, he insisted she act the part of the fiancée in front of others.

This was the result of their negotiations after a silent battle over their roles. That’s why she couldn’t refuse to smile.

Then, with the Imperial Consort and the Duke of Russet getting involved and summoning her at every turn, Elysia’s frustration was growing by the day.

At least she could endure all of this because of Iker. If it weren’t for his nightly comfort through the communication device, she might have collapsed from the stress.

“If things had gone the way they should have, it would’ve been me and Iker being mentioned.”

Elysia muttered with a dissatisfied expression, and Lulien chuckled.

"You said you hated the idea of being in the newspapers, but I see you don’t mind being mentioned alongside His Excellency.”

Caught off guard by Lurien’s sharp words, Elysia felt a little flustered but quickly defended herself.

"No way. It’s just the way it is. It’s not like I would enjoy being in the papers.”

“Hmm, do you really think so?”

"Of course."

“You might want to reconsider.”

Lulien’s mischievous smile made Elysia pause for a moment, but sensing the shift in tone, she quickly redirected the conversation.

“By the way, have you seen the guy sent by Duke Russet? His name’s Charles Katia, and he asked to be called Sir Katia.”

As the day of the engagement—and the grand event—approached, the Duke of Russet had sent his men to the nine families, including the Marquis’.

Officially, they were there to observe each family’s knights, but Elysia knew well that the real purpose was to assess the strength of each order.

The knight orders had not competed in tournaments for several years, and except for the Deimos Family, whose knights regularly sparred with the royal knights, their abilities had never been revealed to the outside world.

The Duke of Russet’s man, sent to the Marquess’ estate, was the vice-captain of Russet’s Order—a man in his mid-thirties who was as arrogant and boastful as his master.

“I didn’t see him up close, but I caught a glimpse of him passing by. His nose was so high in the air, I thought it was going to break.”

At Lulien’s answer, Elysia chuckled with a nod.

“His skills are passable, but he’s so full of himself. It sounds like even people in Russet’s Order are complaining about him.”

“He somehow made it to vice-captain, though.”

“According to Har, he’s known as Duke Russet’s dog. He’s so loyal that he’ll bark if Russet tells him to. Har won’t even go near the order anymore because he can’t stand the guy. He says he’d probably beat him up under the pretense of sparring.”

“Sounds like the atmosphere in the order isn’t too great.”

“Everyone’s frustrated, even if they don’t say it.”

“I wonder how he’s going to deal with it later. Our knights aren’t the easiest to get along with.”

“He’ll have to deal with the consequences of his actions. For now, I’ve sent Sir Robert with him.”

“Sir Havel Robert, huh? He’s a perfect match for Sir Katia.”

“Exactly. He’s the perfect person to handle someone like him.”

Elysia smiled softly, thinking of the young knight with a perpetual smile on his face.

***

Clang!

The loud metallic sound echoed as a sword fell to the ground, and the young man who had lost his weapon immediately raised both hands in surrender.

It was Havel Robert, a member of the Marquis’ Order.

"As expected from Sir Katia. I lost again this time.”

Havel grinned as he picked up the sword that had fallen to the ground.

Despite losing the duel, there wasn’t a trace of frustration on his face as Charles Katia clicked his tongue.

“I’ve heard that the Marquis’ Order is quite strong, but seeing you, I’m not so sure.”

It was a comment that could have been hurtful, yet Havel’s face remained smiling.

“It’s Sir Katia who’s strong, of course. I believe the only one who can match you is our commander.”

"Is that so?”

“Yes. If it weren’t for the shoulder injury, I’m sure you could’ve had a great match.”

As Havel smiled and continued to pour out compliments, Charles, now pleased, gestured toward the commander, who was watching the other knights train, with his arm wrapped in bandages.

“I’m also disappointed. When the commander recovers, I’ll give you the match you want.”

“I’ll be looking forward to it.”

“Well, Sir Robert…”

“Go ahead.”

“It seems like Sir Teske hasn’t been coming to the training grounds. I heard rumors about his impressive skills—thought I’d challenge him, but…”

At Charles’s question, Havel smiled warmly, still wearing his usual grin, and answered kindly.

“Sir Teske is an escort, but since he’s a close friend of our liege, who treats him like family, he’s rarely taken away from her side. That’s why we haven’t had the chance to spar.”

"Is that so?"

Charles recalled a look of disappointment.

For a regular escort, it would be easy to summon him for a duel. After all, escorts are also part of the knight order, so it would be enough to assess their skills.

But as Havel had said, Har Teske was a long-time friend of Marchioness Camellia, like family to her.

He was very likely to be enraged by the Marquess of Camellia if he was careless with him. Treating him carelessly would likely provoke the Marchioness’s wrath.

‘Duke Russet himself said to be careful.’

His role was to assess the knight orders’ skills. It wouldn’t do to stir up trouble and risk falling out of favor with his own lord, the Duke of Russet.

“I see. Well then, carry on.”

As Charles turned to walk away, Havel continued to smile, watching his retreating figure, but his attention shifted when a heavy hand grabbed Charles’s shoulder.

Before I knew it, Commander of the Order had appeared beside him.

“You’re working hard. It can’t be easy, purposely losing every time.”

Havel smiled at the Commander’s consolation casually, as if it were no big deal.

“It’s fine. Sir Teske promised me some things. It’s rare to be given such an opportunity officially.”

Watching Havel grin with excitement at the thought, the commander silently wished Charles good luck for a brief moment.

Though Charles didn’t know it, Havel’s nickname in the knight order was ‘The Smiling Maniac.’

The commander’s gaze followed Charles’s arrogant swagger as he walked away, finding it somewhat laughable.

‘I’m sure the other knight orders are keeping quiet just like ours.’

Before the Duke of Russet had sent anyone, the Marquess, along with Har, had visited the knight order.

[“I’m sorry to ask this of you, but while Duke Russet’s dog is here, we need to keep a low profile and hide our skills.”]

She had even specifically added.

[“The commander’s skills will show as soon as he picks up a sword, so it’s better to wrap a bandage around your shoulder. Don’t let them ask for any duels or matches.”]

At her request, he had immediately wrapped a bandage around his right shoulder that day and pretended to be injured.

Not being able to wield a sword was frustrating for a commander, but he could endure it for the sake of the greater cause.

Besides, there was his liege’s promise.

[“Just bear with it for now. When the time comes, I’ll let you show off your skills.”]

Recalling the apologetic look of his liege, he gently grasped the bandaged shoulder with his left hand.

‘I hope that day comes soon.’

Releasing the shoulder, the commander turned toward the other knights, with Havel following behind.

***

The Emperor’s sharp gaze scanned the list of family names in front of him.

After carefully reviewing the entire list, he placed it on the desk and looked up at Iker.

“Are all of these families collaborating with Duke Russet?”

“Yes.” 

“How did you manage to narrow them down?”

“I focused on the families that have been funneling investments into Veramus and those whose mercenary movements have been suspicious recently.”

“There are more than I expected. Nearly half of the aristocratic faction.”

“You could say they’re all the nobles who follow Duke Russet.”

“Hmm…”

Thinking for a moment, the Emperor slowly began to tap his fingers on the armrest of his chair.

Iker, knowing this was a long-standing habit of the Emperor’s, remained silent and waited.

Several minutes of silence passed before the Emperor stopped tapping his fingers and slowly spoke.

“If we arrest these people, Duke Russet will immediately sever his ties with them.”

“That’s possible.” 

“What if we make them confess?”

“It’s hard to prove, so it’s likely to end in suspicion.”

“He’s a sly one, after all.”

The disapproval in the Emperor’s voice was clear, but Iker calmly added his thoughts.

“Still, we’ll be able to temporarily choke off Duke Russet’s breathing.”

“What good is that? In the end, when the time comes, he’ll raise his head again.”

Once again, the Emperor’s fingers began tapping the table. This time, the silence stretched a bit longer than before.