Chapter 171
My Villains Episode 1
42. bridle(3)
Ionea, covered in dust from training, stepped away for a moment to freshen up..
Thanks to this, the ones who welcomed Lord Langbolt and Sir Ariad were Training Captain Chester, Minister of the Moon Tolummy, and me..
Langbold, who was sitting at the table in the center of the hall, took a couple of sips of beer and nodded..
“Mmm, honey beer is always delicious..”
“Have you ever been to Longville??”
“I stopped by when I was working as a squire. Has it already been about 15 years?.”
Lord Langbolt, leaning against the back of his chair, swiped the beer off his mustache and continued..
“The taste hasn't changed at all. The honey from my hometown is edible in its own way, but it doesn't taste as good as Mount Graduil..”
He continued speaking as he put down his beer glass on the table..
“I already heard that you are living here as a foodie..”
“Where do you mean?”
“I did some ear chasing while passing through Multingham..”
“Listen to me, yo?”
He glanced at Sir Ariad, who was sitting next to him, and spoke in a whisper:.
“Sir Ariad is the type of person who can't resist looking into every nook and cranny of every neighborhood he goes to. It was similar in Multingham..”
“ah……
Contrary to his pretense of caution, Sir Langbold's voice was not that quiet. In fact, it was quite large. This is because everyone gathered in the hall was silent..
Sir Ariad laughed and scratched his shaved chin..
“I'm just gathering information. It was at a very basic level, based on principles..”
“If you follow that damn principle two more times, your pockets will be empty before you even get to your hometown..”
“Still, didn't you get quite a lot with a little effort?.”
“Haven't gotten anything yet. Not only did I seize a worthy opportunity,?”
“Then you've got your chance, Lord Langbolt..”
The knight in the blue cloak groaned and closed his mouth at the old knight's leisurely words..
What are you talking about??
When I looked puzzled, Sir Langbold slightly shook his head..
“We'll talk about that when the Baroness comes. By the way, I heard you had a fight with Lord Esselda.?”
“……Have you heard that too??”
“of course. By the time we left, word had spread, so there's probably no one in Multingham who doesn't know the story by now..”
Multingham is the capital of the Marva region and is where Count Tristan's main residence is located..
I can't believe the rumor has already spread there. Not even a week has passed since the duel with Lord Esselda and the expulsion of Doyle.…….
“The young knights gathered together and sat giggling, wondering where they had picked up the news. They say that old maid knights have finally become obsolete, tsk..”
« O ”
As I narrowed my eyes, Lord Langbolt's eyes sparkled..
“So, what did it look like to you? Has 'Lily' become dull??”
“This is my first time getting to know Lord Esselda, so I can't compare it to the past.……
“Although I can't do it?”
“From what I experienced, I was never at the point where I was treated like trash..”
“Is that so?.”
Lord Langbolt smiled and smoothed the ends of his mustache..
“Time may have stolen her beauty, but it doesn't seem to have stolen her skills..”
“……Beauty, you mean??”
“hmm? Have you never heard of Kyung? Sir Ethel Da’s nickname was ‘Flower on a Horse’..”
Sir Langbolt is as if reminiscing.
I released my energy.
It is said that in her youth, Sir Esselda was more famous for her beauty than her swordsmanship talent. Countless men have approached me, but I have always arrogantly rejected them..
-You won't have me until you pluck the lily.
A female knight with peak skills made it a habit to say this, so people took it as a de facto declaration of singleness..
Then a man appeared in front of her. It was a young royal guard knight, ‘Sir Cagliora’..
As befits a man who will be called the greatest knight in the kingdom in the future, Sir Calliora defeated Sir Esselda in five rounds..
Many people expected that Lord Caliora would embrace Lord Esselda, but it is said that he suddenly left the day after winning the duel. No one knew what was discussed between the two..
From then on, Sir Esselda devoted herself even more to swordsmanship and did not hesitate to stand at the forefront of battle. Even after the ravages of time had engraved her beautiful face, she was alone..
Therefore, people called her ‘Beautiful Sir Esselda’..
It was a nickname that was half a mixture of respect for a noble knight and half ridicule of a stubborn woman..
At the end of Sir Langbolt's story, Dionea appeared..
Instead of the outfit that showed off her slender lines that she wore while training, she was wearing a light green tunic with a black-dyed kirtle..
After exchanging formal greetings with Ulkar's two knights, Dionea immediately brought up the main topic..
“3I heard that the prince is struggling in the western highlands, so why did two of his henchmen come to Longville??”
It was Lord Langbolt who answered her question..
“Originally, it was just a passing road. I was heading east to carry out my lord's orders..”
“……Dongbu Ramen?”
“It's the Southern Shore, ma'am..”
When Dionea closed her mouth, the old man nearby, Herald Tollami, whispered in a low voice. I instinctively pricked up my ears..
“It is the territory of ‘Lytton Earlshore’, a powerful nobleman. Sir Langbolt in front is the second son of Earl Lytton..”
After hearing Tolamy's words, Dionea nodded and opened her mouth..
“You were on your way back to your hometown..”
“......Well, yes.”
Lord Langbolt smiled bitterly and added,.
“However, what I want to say is not about my homecoming..”
“then?”
“I have brought you some important information that you would like. If you will allow me, I will tell you the proposal now..”
Saying that, Lord Langbolt took a quick peek inside the hall..
Since the only people gathered in the hall were her vassals, guards, and Prince Ulkar's knights, Dionea nodded calmly..
“Please speak comfortably, sir..”
“Thank you, madam..”
Lord Langbolt cleared his voice for a moment..
“I heard from Multingham that there is a serious conflict regarding the inheritance of the estate. With Count Tristan.”
“……yes. That happens..”
“I also heard that the count's second son was rushing this way with an army. It seems like your wife is prepared to fight back, but she must be very concerned..”
Dionea shook her head with a stern expression..
“I am the mistress of the Anig family..”
Suddenly her dark green eyes took on a dark glow. The emotions contained there are something I remember seeing once..
A sense of responsibility, stained with guilt, gained from losing my old husband as an answer to a long prayer, and from mixing myself with another man as soon as my husband disappeared.…….
“There is nothing to worry about. I'm just doing my duty.”
“ O 99
Sir Langbolt swallowed quietly after reading the faint determination on her face..
Then Sir Ariad, who had been watching silently, came forward..
“I heard that you sent a letter to the Chief Justice of the Royal Capital..”
“Because it's the only answer.”
A faint sigh passed through the short silence..
“Excuse me, ma'am. “You won’t get the results you expect.” The old knight elaborated with a cold face. “The Supreme Court Justice will not budge. They will probably send a representative who is a high judge or something. And instead of the provisions of the law, the answer will be given by reading the state of affairs, and it will not be possible to dramatically reverse the situation..”
“……How can you be so sure about something that hasn't happened yet??”
“Because that's how it's been done so far. As long as the power structure of the royal capital does not change, punishment according to kingdom law will also remain the same. Forever..”
Dione sat on the ring-cross chair and kept her mouth shut, Lord Ariad.
looked down.
‘So what?' Seeing the look in his eyes, Noh Knight quickly gave an answer..
“So, to turn the situation around, you need help from inside the territory, not from outside the territory..”
“……Inside the estate?”
“yes. An influential person within the territory. I need to ask for help from a powerful person who can put my wife in the position of Lord of Longville..”
The woman in black burst into laughter at the old knight's explanation..
“You speak so easily..”
“Of course it's not easy.”
“It's as if the Anig family has been cut off, and my parents' home is far away in the north. Who on earth should you ask for help??”
“That's exactly the suggestion I brought..”
Sir Ariad's eyes twinkled beneath his wrinkled eyelids..
“There is someone who wants his wife to become Lord of Longville..”
“yes? who”
“This is Miss Clarissa..”
“……If you are Miss Clarissa?”
“yes. She is the eldest daughter and heir of Count Tristan..”
……What is this nonsense??
I wasn't the only one with a strange expression. Not only Dionea, but also the vassals of the Agnig family, including Heraldry Tolamy and Steward Edita, looked like they were saying what nonsense this was..
“ ah.”
The one who exclaimed was Scribe Veldin. He seemed to realize something and opened his mouth with a look on his face..
“Lady Clarissa is famous for her faithfulness and good character. That kind of person does such a thing……
Sir Ariad chuckled at his foolish words..
“If Count Tristan had been faithful and good, would he have made him his successor? A young woman who was only twenty-four this year.?”
“Well, the second son, Prince Doil, is very arrogant and greedy.-”
“Confidence and greed are the main qualities a lord must have, but how could that be a flaw? And in the first place,” Lord Ariad’s smile faltered a little..
“The Mullen family is that kind of people..”
When the young scribe was silent, Dione A asked a question..
“Miss Clarissa will help me.?”
“yes.”
“He's going to help me? No, before that. Does he have the power to do that??”
“Of course.”
Ariad took out a scroll of parchment from his pocket..
“Strictly speaking, what he wants is not for his wife to become a lord. Prince Tao-Japan does not become a lord..”
“……Why??”
“Put yourself in Clarissa's shoes. What would you do if you became the owner of a county someday and your father's other legitimate son, or even a brother older than you, took over the vassal position??”
……Isn’t it reassuring??
No. Doyle, I guess he's not that guy..
“Of course, that would be terrible. If Lady Clarissa, who has become a count, makes even the slightest mistake, Count Tristan's son, Baron Doyle, will make a fuss as if he has been waiting for her to shake her authority..”
Lord Ariad handed Veldin a roll of parchment. After a moment of blank expression, the young scribe walked quickly and lifted the scroll up to Daionea..
“Pledge your allegiance to Lady Clarissa. It's an oath that you have to make someday anyway, so just think of it as doing it a little earlier than others..”
“……can he help me?”
In response to Dionea's suspicious question, Sir Ariad laughed for a moment and then quickly erased his expression..
“I don't know if my old eyes are right, but Lady Clarissa has plenty of ability..”
““Even if she is the heir, she is at best a young woman.” “He practically rules Multingham..”
“……So, how.”
“You can trust it.”
Dionea swallowed dry saliva, opened the parchment, read it, and groaned briefly..
“You already made an offer..”
“Please understand, ma’am. I was in a bit of a hurry because it was a race against time..”
“……You also know about the existence of gold mines..”
“Lady Clarissa probably holds all the information about the Marva region. “It’s not surprising.” She put the parchment down in her lap and sighed quietly. Then he slowly raised his head and made eye contact with Lord Ariad..
“Is this the 3rd Prince’s help??”
“……Although it was not an order from my lord, I would appreciate it if you would consider it that way. The reason Lady Clarissa listened to me in the first place was because of the halo that the master had cast..”
“That's surprising. I thought the Mullin family was enemies with the 3rd prince..”
“In fact, no matter what the father says, the daughter chooses the object of her affection however she wants. And our lord, as is well known, is a man we cannot help but love..”
Dionea, who was making a strange expression, glanced at me, made eye contact, and then turned her head again..
“What should I give to the three princes??”
“I haven't heard it directly from my lord, but what he wants is always similar..”
Lord Ariad, who was standing face to face, spoke in a very stern tone..
“Peace and happiness. Just keep that in mind..”
There was a short silence, and Dionea nodded with a heavy sigh..
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