The Duchy of Praha. The family responsible for the Empire’s northern front lines.
In my previous life, they were the ones my House and the Artezia Duchy had destroyed.
“…Did you say, the Duchy of Praha?” my father asked.
“Yes.” I nodded readily at his question.
My older brothers chimed in from the side.
“Uh… little brother? Do you even know what kind of place the Duchy of Praha is?”
“Aren’t they the family responsible for the northern front? A model family, utterly loyal to the Imperial House.”
“Mmm… and you know we’re part of the Noble Faction?”
“Yes.”
“Damn it… this is driving me insane.” My second eldest brother slapped his forehead, sighing deeply.
My first brother spoke next. “Do you know what the relationship between the Royalist Faction and the Noble Faction is like?”
“I do know they live only to destroy each other.”
“Right. Knowing that, you’re still talking about an engagement with the Duchy of Praha?”
“Well, couldn’t we just change factions?”
“…Mm, I’m getting a headache.” My straightforward answer left my eldest brother speechless. Seeing him pressing his temples, he definitely seemed to have a headache.
Hope he recovers quickly, I thought, turning away while mentally wishing for his speedy recovery. This decision, after all, wouldn’t be made by my brothers, but by my father.
That meant it was my father I needed to convince, not my brothers.
I cleared my throat and entreated, “Father, please permit the engagement.”
“…Do you know the repercussions this choice will bring?”
“Yes.”
“…Meaning you considered this choice in full knowledge.”
“This choice will benefit our House.”
“Benefit…?” My father echoed me in a hollow voice. “They say the daughters of the Praha Duchy are quite beautiful. For all your fancy words, ultimately, you’ve chosen based on appearance, haven’t you?”
His expression, unlike before, was clearly one of disappointment.
It was true that all the daughters of the Northern Grand Duke were rumored to be so beautiful they could topple nations. With me suddenly expressing a desire to marry one of them, my father likely thought I was proposing the marriage purely for their looks.
Looks no longer matter to me, though. I’d learned that much from my previous life.
Thanks to Hera Artezia, I’d already ruined one lifetime, captivated by her beauty.
This time, I won’t be swayed by appearances.
I shook my head resolutely and stated, “It is most definitely not because of their appearance.”
“Then what is the reason? What possible reason could there be for a Noble Faction family to marry into a Royalist Faction family?!”
CRASH!
My father roared, his eyes filled with profound disappointment and dismay, striking the table with force. Food and utensils scattered onto the floor.
“How much more do you intend to disappoint me! I overlooked your profligate behavior! I overlooked your laziness in training, unlike your brothers! I told myself it was merely the lingering sadness of losing your mother at a young age and pitied you! But now you’re trying to ruin the House as well?!”
My father sputtered, his voice laced with frustrated grief. This wasn’t anger; rather, it was disappointment and regret. As if... he worried his child would live like this forever.
“Honestly… how long do you plan to live like this? I thought you had finally come to your senses… You should have just not given me any hope.”
He fell silent after those words. Father’s face was expressionless, yet he seemed to be weeping silently, without tears. The expectation he’d felt just moments ago had turned into disappointment, and the pent-up frustration had burst forth.
I gazed at Father briefly before squeezing my eyes shut. I couldn’t even begin to guess how many times I had driven a nail into his heart in my previous life. So now, shouldn’t I change?
I began speaking in a low voice.
“First, if House Praha forms a marriage alliance with us, a single faction connecting the North and the Center will emerge. This will be the best strategy to keep the Noble Faction in check, and those seeking to align with us, backed by a Ducal House, will appear.”
My father’s drooping head slowly rose, his expression filled with astonishment. He stared at me, his mouth slowly gaping.
I paid no mind and continued.
“Second, although the current Emperor was placed on the throne by the Noble Faction, his legitimate heir, the Crown Prince, has a mother from a Royalist family. Whether other princes might become Emperor is unknown, but it is undeniable that he is the closest to the throne.”
In reality, the Emperor in the future was the first prince, the Crown Prince. Though well, that was the very reason the rebellion had occurred.
“Lastly, the heirs of Praha are all daughters. That means they need a son-in-law to become their heir. And I am the third son of a family from the Empire’s greatest knightly lineage. For the North, where every moment is a struggle, I would be the optimal candidate for a son-in-law.”
As I finished speaking, I felt the gazes from around the room. Astonishment, doubt, surprise, and more. Every single one of them was staring at me with expressions that couldn’t believe what they were hearing.
“…Big bro, pinch my cheek.”
“Okay.”
“Aack! That hurts like hell!” My second eldest brother fussed, rubbing his cheek. He muttered, “It’s not a dream…”
Regardless… Ignoring my brothers, I met the dark pupils of my father’s eyes. He struggled to form words for a while, then finally sighed and spoke.
“…Did you think of all this yourself?”
“Yes. You may not find it trustworthy, Father, but I hope you will trust me this time.”
“…Can I truly trust you? If you disappoint me again this time, I don’t think I can bear it any longer. So tell me now. Can I… can I trust you this time?” His voice trembled.
I gave my father a small smile and replied, “Yes, you can trust me. This decision will make our House even mightier.”
Of that I was certain. At least, I would make it happen.
* * *
After the meal with my father, I returned to my room. The attendants were visibly trembling, their eyes darting nervously, but as this wasn’t something I could fix, I just ignored it.
Moving on…
Need to do something about this body, though.
My current martial prowess amounted to little more than Aura Novice. The stages progressed as [Novice] - [Adept] - [Expert] - [Master] - [Grand Master]. So, my current level was equivalent to a rookie soldier who had just picked up a spear.
Well, maybe not a complete rookie, considering I can feel Aura.
Regardless, I desperately needed intensive training at present.
Looking out the window, it seemed the soldiers had just finished their training; they were slowly filtering out of the drill ground. Perfect timing.
I changed into training clothes and headed out.
Arriving at the drill ground, the sand swirled in the wind, tickling my throat.
“Cough! Cough!”
Trying to catch my breath, I coughed so violently that I’d hurt the inside of my mouth, spitting out drops of blood.
“Tch!”
I wiped the corner of my mouth with my sleeve and began to warm up. Then, I started jogging lightly around the ground.
Only after merely thirty minutes, my breath came in ragged gasps, and my entire body felt shaky. To think a person who could use Aura couldn’t even run for an hour straight… Did I truly have the bloodline of a knightly House?
“Goddamn it… what a fantastic state this body’s in.”
I stopped running, scolding myself. Running any further now would only be overexertion. It would be better to spend that time honing my weapon skills instead.
After pausing to catch my breath, I headed for the corner of the drill ground.
“What’s with all this?”
The drill ground was filled with various weapons, but the most numerous were spears. Then again, the spear was the most fitting weapon to symbolize Berg County; in a way, it was only natural.
The Continent’s foremost masters of the spear. That was Berg County’s moniker, wasn’t it?
But I had utter crap talent for spear fighting.
Of course, I had managed to reach the level of Aura Expert, so it wasn’t entirely hopeless—but it was a different story when you considered that level was the result of mastering the House’s secret techniques.
In this life, I won’t necessarily tie myself down to the spear.
Stubbornly clinging to something you knew you had no talent for was foolish. Of course, I’d have to cling to something if I had no talent at all, but fortunately, there was a weapon I did have talent with.
“Ah, here it is.”
Without hesitation, I picked up the wooden bow hanging on the wall. It had not a single scratch, indicating no one had ever used it. After all, even outside of Berg County, bows were unpopular weapons.
If you ran out of arrows, you were useless in combat, and you were vulnerable in close quarters. Moreover, infusing Aura into arrows was difficult even for most Aura Adepts.
In short, it was a weapon with the worst cost-effectiveness. So, it was only natural that it wasn’t popular.
Not me, though.
I curled my lips into a smile and plucked the bowstring.
Twang!
The quiet resonance of the tension made me feel inexplicably good.
“It’s been a while.”
I slung a quiver over my shoulder, drew the bowstring, aimed at a target, and released.
Swisssh!
The arrow flew at high speed and pierced the target.
Thwack!
I shot the next arrow. Then the next.
Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!
I shot a total of thirty arrows, and all thirty struck the exact same spot. Arrows split arrows as they tore through the target.
“Guess this is decent? Just need to build up a bit more strength.”
I smiled with satisfaction, lowering the bow.
Archery, the talent I had discovered in my previous life. I had found it too late then to reach the highest realms, but this life was different. If I started improving my proficiency now, I would be at least a Master by the time the rebellion came.
“I’m looking forward to it.”
I picked up the bow again and began practicing, aiming to draw out the feel of my past life to its fullest.
Meanwhile, at the edge of the drill ground. A single knight was watching Louis.
“…”
The knight watched Louis’s training with an expressionless face, saying nothing.
It wasn’t long before he turned and disappeared on his way to his original destination: the Knight Commander’s office.
* * *
Several days passed.
“A reply has come from the Duchy of Praha.” In the Count’s office, Father sat in his chair, speaking with a gloomy expression. “…They are refusing.”
“Ah.”
It finally occurred to me. Right now, I was just a spoiled brat who only knew a little spear fighting… and that was sugar-coating it.
According to actual rumors circulating, my reputation was something along the lines of ‘a skirt-chasing fool,’ ‘an addict drowned in alcohol,’ and ‘a profligate with terrible character.’
Given that, what noble would give their daughter to me?
Besides, the Duke of Praha, that man was a doting father, so he wouldn’t give me his daughter anyway.
In my previous life, I remembered that because he hated the idea of his daughters marrying, the Duke’s daughters had all remained unmarried.
Had the man used his daughters politically, he wouldn’t have been defeated so easily by the Artezia Duchy in the past. His personality, which I had considered fortunate back then, now felt like a bothersome thorn in my side.
…What should I do?
Tap. Tap. I tapped my fingers on the table, lost in thought.
If not the Duchy of Praha, countering the Artezia Duchy was close to impossible. That meant this marriage alliance absolutely had to succeed.
“…Let us look elsewhere. I’ll see if there’s a suitable young lady from a family known for beauty.” My father spoke subtly as I was lost in thought. Perhaps he was worried I would be disappointed.
Just as I was about to wave my hand and say it was fine. I felt something click in my mind.
…Wait, beauty?
The daughters of the Duchy of Praha were all known as peerless beauties—except for one. Originally known as the fairest of the Duke’s daughters, but now a lady infamous as a ‘sickening monster’.
Lea Praha.
She had contracted a strange illness that had hideously altered her appearance, turning her into someone everyone shunned.
Of course, those seeking to curry favor with the Duchy did propose marriage to her, but every single one wrinkled their nose and left after actually meeting her.
…But I know how to cure that strange illness, don’t I?
A cure revealed by a certain priest in the future. Through that treatment, she was cured of the strange illness and regained her original appearance.
Needless to say, that method wouldn’t be revealed for another ten years, but I knew all about it.
I quickly grabbed my father’s hand and spoke.
“Please send another letter to the Duke of Praha! Tell him the youngest son of Berg County can cure Lea Praha’s strange illness!”