I'm getting drunk! (2)
“The guest from the Clausen March has just passed through the royal castle gates.”
The King of Hispania, Edgar IV, tilted his teacup and thus opened his mouth.
It was said that Lichten Clausen, the Count, had two sons. Among them, one was a late-born youngest child, and between him and the first son, who had lost his mother, there was a 15-year gap.
‘Depending on the relationship between the two, they could be either a reliable ally, or a mortal enemy.’
In the midst of power and politics, blood ties are nothing more than something that adds a little more sting to the conscience. Nothing beyond that.
At times, bloodlines are the very thing one must sever most ruthlessly and cruelly.
‘In that sense…’
Edgar IV turned his gaze to his daughter, who was sitting beside him, silently sipping her tea.
Vanessa Linclaire Hispania, the First Princess of the Kingdom.
Just a year younger than the First Prince, Erador Lagon Hispania, Irish twins, as it were. Though they were born of the same father and mother, the two siblings were utterly opposite.
It was fortunate, at least, that Vanessa was the younger. If it had been the other way around, Edgar IV was certain the chaos in the royal family would have reached extreme heights.
‘Though Erador’s succession to the throne is practically a foregone conclusion since he has no major flaws… Still, it’s unavoidable that I regret this child’s talent being wasted.’
Forcing down the bitterness, Edgar IV continued sipping his tea, until he suddenly noticed his daughter’s face stiffened in a peculiar way.
This child, who rarely showed emotion, was revealing a hint of displeasure upon hearing the news that Sion Clausen had crossed into the royal capital.
‘So she still remembers that incident, does she.’
It had been when they were but a boy and a girl. She should have long since forgotten it by now.
Muttering so inwardly, Edgar IV spoke in a casual tone.
“I hear the Clausen March won a victory in the war against Nudia.
In less than half a month, they achieved a decisive triumph once and a successful defense as well.
A remarkable feat.”
“I too have heard of it, Father.”
“The guest has come to discuss reports of that war and matters of postwar handling.”
“…”
Vanessa said nothing. Her face remained locked in that grim expression, as though something deeply displeased her.
Unable to bear it any longer, Edgar IV tapped his teacup lightly with his teaspoon, and only then did the princess come back to her senses.
“Tch, tch!”
“My apologies, Father. I was lost in thought…”
“The report says the one who accomplished the greatest merit in that war was none other than Sion Clausen himself.
It was not anyone else, but the Count Lichten himself who named him.”
“…”
“That reckless boy, who made a rather excessive mistake toward you a few years ago, seems to have grown up in the meantime.”
At Edgar IV’s words, Vanessa could neither agree nor deny. For she wasn’t judging merely from rumors, but from firsthand experience.
It had been at a royal party, years ago.
Sion Clausen had dared to let his eyes roam strangely over her.
The gaze had been so nauseating that she burst out in anger.
In the end, Count Lichten himself had stepped in to apologize in his son’s stead. But Sion Clausen never came forward, hiding instead behind his father.
‘That such a man should someday become Count Clausen, the shield of this nation!
The thought alone fills me with grief and disgust beyond measure!’
Count Lichten was still healthy and vigorous, but no one defies the flow of time.
Someday, he too would age and pass down his seat, and then that worthless man would inherit the march. The mere thought of it was dreadful to Vanessa.
But then, a report had arrived recently, one she could hardly believe.
The Clausen March had won a great victory in the war against Nudia. And in the defense that followed, they had driven the enemy away without a single battle.
All of it in just a few days. And the one who had made it possible…
‘When I heard that report, I could hardly trust my ears.’
Was that man, Sion Clausen.
The one who used to pester women, act strong to the weak, and grovel before the strong.
Suddenly he had changed, firing up his soldiers’ morale with speeches, fighting at the vanguard, showing strategy in defense that made the enemy retreat on their own, and even taking one of Nudia’s famed high knights into his service.
‘Impossible!’
People do not change. That is what nature means, unchanging, hard to alter, the unique color of one’s essence. And yet he, Sion Clausen, had changed.
So much, in fact, that she could not even grasp the extent.
“Father.”
“Mm?”
“…Could the reports perhaps be exaggerated…”
Having said so, the princess clamped her mouth shut, finding herself ridiculous.
Would Count Lichten allow such a thing? No. In the first place, would Sion Clausen dare to come in person if the reports were false?
If the lies were exposed, he would face severe punishment, even charges of treason against the crown.
“Well. What do you think yourself?”
“…”
“Erador said, ‘Perhaps he fell in love with someone and strove harder,’ a most bizarre, yet also most manly answer.”
“I, I cannot say for sure. To judge only from reports and rumors is…”
“So be it. That is fortunate. For as it happens, the guest of honor of this party has just arrived at the palace, claiming to have matters of counsel.”
Coming to the palace before the party even began, under pretext of consultation, Vanessa knew well what that meant.
To find mutual benefits, one side the guest of honor, the other the host.
“Your Majesty, Young Lord Sion Clausen has arrived.”
“Show him in.”
At the chamberlain’s announcement, Edgar IV gave the order, and shortly after the door opened.
Through it strode a tall, handsome young man, entering with confident steps unimpeded.
There was not the slightest hint of hesitation, worry, fear, or even nervousness.
“Sion Clausen of the Clausen March.
Before His Majesty Edgar Astarius Hispania, rightful ruler and head of the royal house.”
The further from the capital, the harder it was for nobles to learn the central court’s etiquette, so the king often overlooked mistakes. But this young man made not a single misstep, his greeting perfectly in accord with protocol.
“Raise your head.
This is no formal occasion, and stiffness is not at all pleasant.”
At Edgar IV’s words, Sion slowly raised his head.
And in that instant, his eyes met the princess’s…
Click!
“…?”
Sion was startled, and so was the princess.
‘What? Why is the princess here? Wasn’t it supposed to be the prince?’
Lacking great talent but no major flaws, Erador was the strongest candidate for succession. Naturally, Sion had expected him to be with Edgar IV. Instead, an unexpected young lady was present.
He glanced at her briefly, then quickly lowered his head again.
“I greet Her Highness, Princess Vanessa Linclaire Hispania.”
“…”
Still, the princess said nothing. So much so that Edgar IV had to tap his teacup again to rouse her.
Ting! Ting!
“Ah, forgive me. Lord Sion. Welcome to the palace.”
“Thank you, Your Highness.”
Replying thus, Sion turned his gaze back to Edgar IV. The fact that he didn’t pay her much mind left the princess oddly displeased.
‘It was the exact opposite a few years ago…’
Back then, Sion Clausen had looked at her strangely from the very first meeting. His eyes had held a light of desire that made her insides turn. Even when talking with other nobles, he would steal glances at her.
But now, years later, returned as a hero of war, he had changed. Truly, drastically changed. His eyes shone with sharp intelligence, a subtle smile played at his lips, and above all, his voice carried strength.
“So. I hear you wished to discuss something.”
“Yes, Your Majesty. But first, I would like to report on the course of the war and subsequent negotiations. With your permission.”
“Though I already know from the report your father sent, hearing it from your own lips is no bad thing. Sit. Stories of heroes are best heard directly.”
For the king to offer such a seat, and at his side, was an immense honor.
Most nobles would fluster and hesitate, but not Sion.
Without hesitation, yet without rudeness, he obeyed the king’s command and sat at his side, directly opposite Vanessa.
“The war began with Nudia’s declaration, and in response we of Clausen…”
The words matched the report exactly. But interwoven with them were Sion’s own perceptions and decisions made in the moment.
Edgar IV lifted his hand to halt him.
“I hear it was your first time in battle.”
“That is so?”
“And yet Count Lichten said you stood at the very front of the field, not in the rear.”
“It is true.”
“And that, to keep a promise you had made, you even ran right up to the enemy line to save a soldier.”
Huh? What was that?
The princess blinked at the king in confusion.
She had never heard that detail. That he ran into the enemy’s teeth to save a soldier, out of a promise?
“In your father’s report it only said, ‘He gave a speech,’ but not what it was about. I take it that speech was tied to the promise you made?”
“Yes. Perhaps my father omitted it as unnecessary…”
“I do not blame him. I am merely curious.”
Leaning slightly, Edgar IV looked at Sion.
“Will you tell me?
The speech you gave before departure, and the promise you made to your men.”
After a moment’s thought, Sion began.
“I told them I could promise nothing.”
“Mm?”
“…?”
“Not victory, not divine blessing, not even safe return. Instead, I promised something else. That when we advanced, I would be foremost, and when we retreated, I would be last. That on that dreadful battlefield, we would leave no one behind. Win or lose, dead, wounded, or alive, we would all go home together. For that promise, I fought in the front, stood at the rear, and could not abandon any man left behind.”
When his words ended, neither Edgar IV nor Princess Vanessa spoke.
Sion Clausen was not some common soldier or knight. He was heir to a march, a house whose power rivaled a marquisate. He had no need to make, let alone keep, such promises. He could have simply ordered others to fight, and withdrawn when danger arose.
“…So that was it. Very well. Continue.”
The subsequent tale of the war was even more shocking.
When Nudia’s forces and reinforcements descended on Clausen Castle, Sion did not bar the gates, he flung them wide open.
“Come in if you dare”, that silent challenge made Nudia retreat of their own accord.
Even if it were a trap, once inside, the siege would have ended.
‘Could that truly be possible?’
Was this really the same, useless young noble from years past?
The one who chased after young ladies, fawned before powerful heirs, and lorded over provincial nobles? Whose only asset was his good looks? Was this truly that ‘Sion Clausen’?
Vanessa could not tell.
“…When the royal party is held, many nobles’ eyes will fall upon me.”
“Of course. You are a war hero. Their welcome is inevitable.”
“Indeed. Therefore, I intend to stir their patriotism, their loyalty to the crown.”
“What?”
Even Edgar IV’s expression slipped at the unexpected words. Rather than asking what he meant, the king’s first reaction was, ‘Is that even possible?’, betraying his honest doubt.
“It is simple, Your Majesty.”
Yes. Incredibly simple.
The way to rouse people is ever so simple. You only need to tug their emotions a little.
‘When the so-called wastrel of Clausen, that notorious scoundrel, drinks deep of patriotism before their very eyes, then those self-proclaimed noble lords cannot possibly refrain from quaffing a cup themselves!’
Ahhh, what a delightful royal party this shall be!
Sion chuckled inwardly, ‘Kukuku!’
