“Finally, we’ve arrived.”
The morning sun poured down its scorching rays.
After several days of traveling by carriage, I finally reached the entrance of a certain mansion.
The Starlight Baron’s estate.
The place where the protagonist of the original story was born and raised.
While Eileen was conversing with the servants nearby, I took a look around the mansion.
It wasn’t particularly large, but it exuded a sense of long history and strength.
It felt exactly as I had imagined, and as a fan, I couldn’t help but feel a little excited.
‘It’s not extravagant, but it has a peaceful and subtle liveliness to it.’
The atmosphere of the city I saw on the way here was similar.
It seemed to reflect the character of the current head of the Starlight family.
From what I’ve seen so far, I didn’t get the impression that Richard was a bad person.
‘In the original story, he wasn’t exactly a villain either. After all, he managed to maintain neutrality while receiving courtship from both princes.’
Well, it seems he’s decided to side with Maximilian now.
But that’s something to deal with from now on.
Since it’s Eileen’s family, I can’t just leave it at that.
I need to bring the Starlight family under my control and restore Eileen’s life as a woman.
I firmly engraved these two goals in my mind.
[Hey, Master.]
‘What is it this time?’
[Well, how should I put this? There’s a sticky, dark emotion directed at you from somewhere.]
‘What?’
I frowned at Cheonryeo’s words.
What kind of nonsense is this?
This is clearly my first time here.
Aside from Eileen, I don’t know anyone here.
Feeling puzzled, I looked around and noticed a man staring at me from somewhere.
Who’s that guy?
Judging by his attire, he seems to be a knight of the Starlight family.
Does he have business with me?
I was momentarily puzzled, but I decided to put that aside for later.
He didn’t seem like much of a threat, especially since the door opened and the master of the mansion appeared.
“Welcome to the Starlight family, Your Grace. I am Richard Starlight, the head of the family.”
“Baron Richard. Thank you for your hospitality.”
“It is my great honor to host the Empire’s Swordmaster.”
A middle-aged man with light brown hair, similar to Eileen’s, bowed politely.
He exuded the aura of a formidable figure, and the amount of mana he possessed seemed to far surpass that of a Sword Graduate.
And that gaze.
Truly befitting the head of a renowned swordsmanship family.
It felt as if the scent of iron and flames emanated from his eyes.
“I apologize for keeping you waiting outside. Please, come in.”
“Let’s do that.”
I responded to Richard with a mix of respect and formality.
It felt a bit awkward to speak casually since he’s Eileen’s father.
Perhaps it was unexpected for me, who usually speaks informally to most people, to use polite speech, as Eileen stared at me from the side.
“What?”
“…Nothing.”
“Hmph. How dull.”
I gave her a light smirk as she seemed to want to say something but hesitated.
And shortly after.
We arrived at the reception room and sat down on the sofa.
Richard sat facing me instead of taking the head seat, and Eileen sat beside me.
‘Hmm.’
In short, it was a seating arrangement for a formal meeting.
‘This feels a bit awkward.’
Looking to the side, Eileen was trying to appear composed but was clearly nervous, swallowing dryly.
In the silence, a maid placed teacups on the table and left.
Just as I was about to say something.
Richard spoke first.
“Once again, I sincerely welcome Your Grace’s visit. However, I didn’t expect you to come with my child. It seems you’ve developed a friendship without my knowledge.”
“Well, we happened to rescue some young slaves together. We got acquainted then, and I ended up teaching her a few things, which helped us build a friendship.”
“You personally taught her, you say?”
“It’s nothing grand, just a few sparring sessions and some advice.”
“…I see.”
Richard responded with a hint of surprise.
I wondered what part of that surprised him, but I quickly figured it out.
Probably everything.
The fact that I, known as the Iron-Blooded Duke, rescued young slaves.
That I taught Eileen.
And that I built a friendship with her to the point of coming here together.
He made a slightly ambiguous expression, likely because his mind was complicated by my visit, given that he had decided to side with the First Prince while I was cooperating with Justia.
‘Hmm. What should I do now?’
Though I didn’t show it, my mind was equally complicated.
I wanted to bring the Starlight family under my control, but it wasn’t going as smoothly as I hoped.
Gaining the loyalty of a traditional knightly family like this required a different approach than gaining the loyalty of other subordinates.
In my experience, being straightforward was usually the best way.
If he was the upright knight I thought he was, it would be better to be upfront from the start rather than beating around the bush.
I spoke in a gentle tone.
“By the way, Baron. Do you have any idea why I’m here?”
“I’m not sure. I’ve heard rumors that you’ve recently joined hands with Her Highness the Princess in the imperial succession competition. Are you here to recruit our family?”
“That’s right. I need the Starlight family’s upright heart and spirit. So, I’d like you to join me.”
“I’m sorry. I’ve already pledged my loyalty to His Highness the First Prince. I appreciate the long journey you’ve made, but it seems I cannot give you the answer you desire.”
“Is it because of your son?”
“!”
Richard’s eyes widened without a response.
He looked as if I had hit a nerve.
I continued.
“I heard your son Luke was seriously ill. And that Eileen entered the academy under her brother’s name for the sake of the family.”
“W-what are you talking about?”
“No need to force yourself to lie. I’ve already heard everything from Eileen. I know you pledged your loyalty to His Highness the First Prince for your son’s recovery.”
“Your Grace knows even that? How did this… Could it be… Eileen!”
Richard shot up from his seat and shouted.
He was so angry that, despite my presence, his face turned red, and he gestured wildly.
“Why did you reveal the family’s important matters without my permission? I asked you to bear with it while you were at the academy, but did you fall for His Grace and spill everything!?”
“Father, that’s not…”
“Or did His Grace use you to gain our family’s loyalty!? Did you make a mistake and reveal your gender while at the academy, and His Grace’s subordinate reported it!? In the end, even the hero of the Sword Demon is no different from other politicians-.”
“Father!!!”
Eileen shouted with a face I had never seen before.
I was about to intervene to calm Richard’s outburst, but I was momentarily stunned by her intensity.
The mana of both individuals fluctuated greatly, shaking the air in the reception room.
Eileen shouted in a fierce voice.
“Do not speak disrespectfully of His Grace!!!”
[Wow.]
“Hoo…”
Richard exhaled with a complicated expression.
Damn it. What’s with this atmosphere?
I had to bring up the family’s secret directly, but it seems there’s a difference between saying it yourself and having it exposed by someone else.
Moreover, she called him ‘Father’ instead of ‘Head of the Family.’
The fact that she was genuinely angry on my behalf made the displeasure from Richard’s rudeness melt away like snow.
Richard, having calmed down a bit after Eileen’s words, bowed his head deeply after a moment.
“I must have lost my mind for a moment. I sincerely apologize for my rude behavior, Your Grace. Please forgive me.”
“Enough. Normally, I would reprimand such rudeness, but for Eileen’s sake, I’ll let it slide this time. But there won’t be a second time.”
“Thank you for your understanding. But about recruiting our family…”
“As I said earlier, won’t you come under me?”
“I’m sorry, but that’s still difficult.”
“Is it because of His Highness the First Prince?”
“Yes.”
Richard nodded quietly.
He continued.
“My son’s complete recovery requires ongoing treatment from a high-ranking priest. Although our family has gained some renown for our swordsmanship, we don’t have the funds to keep a high-ranking priest with us for months.”
Richard spoke in a self-deprecating tone.
In short, without the First Prince’s help, his son’s complete recovery would be difficult.
I listened quietly and stroked my chin.
I don’t know the exact condition of Luke, but if what he says is true, I could provide sufficient help.
After all, I called ‘her’ on the way here.
However, given the loyalty of a knightly family, it seemed difficult to sway Richard from the First Prince.
What to do?
Then, Cheonryeo spoke up with a sly tone.
[Master. I have a really good idea. Why don’t you hear me out?]
‘No thanks. It’s probably something weird.’
[No, really. It’s a good idea. It might solve the current situation in one go.]
‘Hmm…’
Feeling a deep sense of unease but also tempted by Cheonryeo’s persuasion.
Despite being a pervert, looking back, I’ve received a lot of help from this guy.
‘Maybe I’ll hear it out.’
I listened to Cheonryeo’s words with half-hearted skepticism.
And after a while.
“Phew…”
After hearing him out, I let out a deep sigh from the depths of my lungs.
Damn it. I was a fool to believe this guy would come up with a good idea.
I berated myself and crossed my legs, running a hand through my hair.
[Come on. Think about it again. It’s really a good idea, isn’t it? This will definitely work!]
‘Work, huh… Maybe. And I’ll become trash.’
[Oh, come on. If two people are in love, it’s possible, right? Why would you become trash? You’ve lived a good life so far. They’ll understand. There’s no other way. Just close your eyes and go for it.]
The perverted devil’s persuasion continued in my head.
Damn it.
As much as it pains me, Cheonryeo is right.
Given that Richard has already firmly made up his mind, there’s no better way to sway him.
Though there are risks…
Maybe this is the best I can do right now.
I wiped my heated forehead with my hand and spoke.
“Baron. There’s something I need to confess.”
“Huh? A confession?”
“Your Grace?”
“Well… Phew…”
I managed to bring it up, but the words wouldn’t come.
This is driving me crazy.
It’s not easy.
Well, what kind of lunatic would say something like this in front of a father and daughter?
I mustered my courage and gently took Eileen’s hand, who was sitting beside me with her starry eyes sparkling.
Richard’s eyebrow twitched, but I ignored it and sent a telepathic message to Eileen.
‘Eileen. Can you hear me?’
‘Huh? Your Grace’s voice is in my head…’
‘This is telepathy. I’ll explain the details later, but for now, I need you to do me a favor.’
‘A favor… What is it?’
‘No matter what I say now, will you trust me?’
I sent the telepathic message with the most serious expression I could muster.
Eileen looked puzzled but slowly nodded.
She seemed to sense that what I was about to say would help resolve the situation.
‘She really is a good woman.’
I was flustered when I first found out she was a woman.
But during the days we spent together on the way here, I realized.
Eileen is an incredibly beautiful and considerate woman.
For her sake, I need to pull the Starlight family away from the First Prince.
In the silence, Richard and Eileen’s gazes focused on me.
In the quiet reception room.
I ended my contemplation and slowly opened my mouth.
“Actually, Eileen is… pregnant with my child.”