[V3EX] Back At Valmbelk

Henrik Blanquet, the Margrave of Valmbelk, just got back from his trip into Ridill. He immediately let out a heavy sigh as he slumped his shoulders over the mountain of documents piled on his desk.

When the lord of a territory needs to travel, a deputy lord is generally appointed to take care of matters in the lord’s absence. However, the one who had been acting as the deputy lord was his sister Frieda.

Since Frieda was now gone, work naturally piled up in his absence.

His grandfather was busy catching young people and regaling them with tales of valor all day long. Meanwhile, his father had already handed the title over to him and set out on expeditions with his mother.

Henrik swore that he would enlist the help of his younger brothers once they returned from their noble educations. But for now, all he could do was glance through the mountain of documents.

“Young Master, Young Master.”

A middle-aged woman with chestnut-colored hair peeked in through the open door. She was Eda, the kitchen maid.

“What’s the matter, Eda?”

“Your friend is here.”

“…Friend?”

Henrik did have friends, but he couldn’t think of any impolite ones who would drop by without prior notice.

As Henrik raised an eyebrow, Eda put on a kind smile and said, “It’s this person here,” as she let the guest through.

“Yo, Henrik.”

A man entered the room, smiling with a casual wave of his hand. Henrik frowned with all his might the moment he saw him. Specifically, all his facial features converged towards the center.

The guest’s name was Einhard Berger, a well-known figure in the Imperial Knights. Practically everyone in the knights knew him.

He had golden curls, a well-arranged face, and a tall, slender figure.

Since he was a master of the blade who joined the elite Imperial Guard, all the young ladies in the Empire were said to be infatuated with him.

However, Henrik didn’t have many good memories of this man.

When Henrik worked in the knights, Einhard, who was in the same unit before getting selected for the Imperial Guard, always picked fights with Henrik.

He had constantly mocked Henrik as a poor noble from Valmbelk, saying there was no way he could be the grandson of the War Wolf. Apparently, Einhard couldn’t get over the fact that he had never beaten Henrik in sword training.

“Eda, he’s no friend of mine, so would you kindly show him out?”

“Oh? You’re gonna send me away after I came all the way to the countryside? By the way, this castle is quite shabby. Even if you own a castle, it’s nothing to boast about.”

Einhard glanced around the room and shrugged, laughing mockingly. What an insufferable man, truly.

“I’ve never been particularly proud of our castle. It was originally built as a shelter in case of emergencies… Anyways, what brings the esteemed knight to this remote region?”

“Oh? That’s quite an insolent way of speaking… to your future brother-in-law.”

“Huh?”

Henrik looked at Einhard with a puzzled expression.

Einhard, who seemed unable to contain his laughter, began stroking his chin with a grin.

“Is Frieda cleaning today too? Truly, I can’t imagine the sister of a Margrave doing the job of a maid once she comes to my mansion…”

“If you’re looking for Frieda, she’s in Ridill.”

Einhard widened his eyes in surprise. Although he was the same age as Henrik, he looked somewhat childish when he made such expressions.

Tilting his head to the right, Einhard asked, “Why?”

“She’s staying at her fiancé’s house. Once all the procedures are done, she’ll come back here, then get officially married…”

“…Fiancé?”

“Lord Albright of the Ridill Kingdom.”

Upon hearing Henrik’s words, Einhard opened his mouth so wide it seemed like his jaw was dislocated.

A handsome man ruined.

“W-Whaaaaaat!? I sent you that letter, right!? The one proposing the engagement!!”

“The one that said, ‘Marry your sister to me and I’ll take good care of her. You better be grateful,’ or something like that? It quickly found its way to the fireplace.”

“You’ve gotta be kidding me! I’m fricking Einhard Berger! The Golden Knight whom every girl dreams of!”

“Isn’t it a bit embarrassing to say that about yourself?”

Einhard fell silent, apparently actually getting a bit embarrassed.

“I met Lord Albright directly. I have some complaints and concerns, but he seems to care about Frieda. At least he’s better than you. Much better.”

“You really are an idiot! Dumbass! Moron! Imbecile! How could you let your sister marry to another country when such a great guy is right here!”

Einhard suddenly began to clamor, and Henrik blinked a few times in surprise. Wait, could it be…?

“…Is it possible that your engagement letter… was actually serious?”

“It had the family crest on it!”

“I thought it was just an elaborate prank.”

As Henrik replied casually, Einhard collapsed to his knees. There was a melancholy air about him, typical of someone who had experienced heartbreak.

Even the generally good-hearted Henrik felt a bit sorry at this point. Meanwhile, Einhard raised his face and advanced toward Henrik’s desk.

“In that case, we’re drinking tonight. The entire night! I’ll throw some money into your territory, so you have to join me!”

“I don’t want to. Besides, I’m busy catching up on piled-up work.”

“Hah! There’s no way a lord from the boonies has to do anything difficult! …Huh?”

Einhard glanced at one of the documents left on the desk.

Amidst reports on crop yields and the progress of cattle deliveries, there was one document clearly out of place.

“…An alliance proposal from Ridill?”

“Could you please stop looking through stuff without permission? I haven’t shown that to His Majesty yet.”

The alliance proposal, made to counter dragon attacks, was suggested by the third prince of Ridill during Henrik’s trip.

In all honesty, the third prince clearly wasn’t the actual source of the proposal. It was reasonable to assume that someone behind the scenes orchestrated the plan, then handed the matter over to the third prince.

And that someone was most likely the second prince, who spoke to Henrik at the Starseer Witch’s mansion. He was said to have fallen ill in the incident a few years ago, then secluded himself in his territory for recovery.

(Not that I noticed any signs of poor health.)

The prince had a dignified demeanor befitting a member of royalty. Above all, his footwork resembled that of someone with martial arts expertise.

Henrik secretly wished for a match against him one day.

“Anyway, this alliance talk isn’t officially decided yet. I was told to bring it back and consult with His Majesty…”

“The proposer on their side is Third Prince Albert, right?”

After scanning the documents without permission, Einhard crossed his arms and lost himself in thought.

“The diplomatic secretary under Prince Albert is incredibly beautiful. I saw her up close once; she’s easily in the top three women I’ve ever met.”

“That doesn’t sound like the words of the guy who was whining about a lost engagement a minute ago.”

To Henrik’s skeptical look, Einhard snorted.

“You idiot, the pain of a heartbreak can only be healed by a new love… That being said, that beautiful secretary seems to be a favorite of His Majesty. Don’t even think about making a move on her. You’ll lose your head.”

To the grinning Einhard, Henrik responded nonchalantly.

“I won’t, because I’m not you.”

“Alright, we’re taking this outside.”

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