Marquis Stargaze Mansion.
There were two men sitting in front of each other. One of them was obviously the owner of the house, Kevin Stargaze. But the other one was surprisingly the Duke of the kingdom, Sword Arbiter Lorelei.
"Hahahaha. Did you hear the news, Kevin?!" Duke Lorelei laughed out loud while slamming the table. It looked like he was too excited for the news he had just heard.
"I'm not sure what you're talking about." Kevin furrowed his eyebrows while maintaining his calm.
"Don't play dumb. I'm sure you've heard about it. The Royal Family has heard about it first, but it has become a huge rumor in the capital city, you know." Duke Lorelei smirked while pointing at Kevin. "It's about your daughter's engagement with the famous Noel Ardagan."
"…" Kevin closed his eyes, knowing what he wanted to talk about. "It's my daughter's choice. I try to respect my own children's choices. That's all."
"You're basically admitting that your and her actions in the royal court were fake, you know." Duke Lorelei was seriously amused by how the whole kingdom was tricked by their fights.
At first, it was clear that Anna had been making it difficult for Kevin. She had gone all the way to put Noel in dangerous territory.
Everything was going according to the plan until they announced the engagement.
"It's hilarious that no one can actually believe it. It started with how she asked for the Ardagan Family's execution and ended with an engagement. The supposedly mortal enemy ends up as a partner for life. How can anyone expect that?"
"I'm not sure what you're talking about."
"Oh, are you trying to play fool here? I've connected most of the dots anyway." Duke Lorelei thought for a moment. "If this is their entire plan, what do you think they expect from Lounstein? In the end, it's a dangerous territory."
"I don't know. It can be anything related to the future like resources and other things." Kevin shrugged. "Are you alright for doing this? Don't forget that you're a duke as well as an arbiter."
"It's fine. My grandfather was the one who married royalty and became a duke, I only retained this position because of my strength. So, this old man will be impartial most of the time." Duke Lorelei shrugged. "Instead, let's talk about something even more interesting."
"Hmm?" Kevin narrowed his eyes.
"So, when did it start? Don't tell me you're going to say that it's from the beginning, right? What next? Are you going to tell me that the executed Ardagan Family was fake and the real people have been hiding somewhere?"
"If only I could meet my best friend, I would have done so." Kevin sighed as if he was sad that he couldn't meet him anymore because the other party was already beyond this world.
Duke Lorelei paused for a moment, observing Kevin's face. He said playfully, "Well, even if they're still alive, it's not like they can show themselves. Faking your own execution, escaping your punishment, and lying to the masses about your own death, I'm afraid that even if they reveal themselves, they won't be treated lightly."
"Yeah. I would be the first to hit him in the face." Kevin nodded. "But at the very least, I should take care of his son. He had helped me that much in the past."
"Fair enough. So, the engagement was your idea?"
"Not at all. From the very start, I had declared that I left her marriage in her hands, right?"
"That's true. In the end, that kid grew so independent that no one could marry her. And hearing about Noel's achievement, I could only think of him as the only partner who can stand by her side."
"You seem to have free time, Sir Lorelei."
"Of course. While I still retain my position as an Arbiter, I have stepped down as the family head." Duke Lorelei shrugged. "I'm just spending my life to either hone my swords or experience interesting things."
"In that case, there is something interesting… It's said that the Third Prince and the Royal Family's relationship is not as one knows. Instead, they are friendly. One of them controls the kingdom in the dark while the other is governing it openly."
Duke Lorelei stared at Kevin for a moment without a change of expression before saying, "That's an interesting opinion. You are lucky that I'm not on duty, or I might have to detain you for that blasphemy."
"Indeed. I apologize." Kevin closed his eyes with a smile as though he had gotten his answer.
"Then, as an apology, you should answer this question. How do you think they spread the information? I'm pretty sure that the Royal Family has caught wind of it right away, but calculating the time they need to reach Lounstein, it should only be around two or three days since they met, right?
"If you take it into the equation, you will realize that the message can only be sent through birds. And surprisingly, in a single night, the rumor has spread to the entire capital. People listen to it from the market, red-light districts, and even the slums.
"You should know the power of information. If they can spread the news so easily, it's clear that they want everyone to know about it for a reason. I don't care about the reason since I don't have anything against them, but I'm quite curious about the method."
Kevin shrugged. "I don't know. I only knew about their close relationship not long ago, so I just played along. As for their method, it eludes me."
"Is that so? I guess I should say as expected of the Ardagan Family. Even with their current condition, they still have all this influence." Duke Lorelei chuckled. "There are a lot of people panicking."
"They sure do."
"At first, there are two groups: those who support Noel and the people who support Anna. Now that the people they support join hands, they're wondering what they should do. Should they merge? Should they continue clashing?
"The people are confused, considering their original purpose is to either get benefit or join the same side as the royal family."
"It will still take a while for them to calm down, but even I want to laugh about the current condition. Before, the nobles were split into two groups, but because of this engagement, it has become at least five groups."
"Indeed, especially with the fact that Noel is the teacher of the Greenwood Kingdom's second princess." Duke Lorelei's face turned solemn as if this matter weighed heavily in his heart.
"I don't know how it became that way, but don't forget his mother."
"I know. She is also an extremely talented Spirit Magician like her father." Duke Lorelei raised a finger. "I don't care much, but I think it's a bit disadvantageous for him to choose Lounstein. He should have chosen a place near all four kingdoms since even the Zaecuria Kingdom is trying to take a bite of his runes. If he gets the support from all kingdoms, he might be able to establish a neutral territory, not belonging to any kingdoms."
"Well, he is the child of that Luke, I'm sure his aim is something else." Kevin shook his head helplessly. "Even I can't say I understand my best friend completely."
"Fair enough. Then, I have one last question." Duke Lorelei raised a finger and his expression turned even more solemn. "I don't have any problems with the situation to be honest. But how far is he planning to go? I don't like raising my blade to crush the future of the kingdom."
"I'm glad that you think that way, but I think you don't have to worry about it. Let me give you one truth that you would happily hear. The grudge between him and my daughter was real."
"!!!" Duke Lorelei was astounded. This information could be interpreted in a lot of ways. If this was the truth, it meant that even if Noel had a grudge against Anna, it could be resolved in one way or another.
This meant a lot to the conflicts within the kingdom. But it also proved that there was a possibility that Noel didn't intend to destroy the kingdom, which would force him to raise arms to subjugate him.
This was the most important. He couldn't help but chuckle as if he felt relieved. "Haha. I guess that's his charm. Since they're still engaged, maybe I should throw some of my granddaughters at him?"
"Hoho, I might have to stop you here. My daughter is a little selfish, you see. Besides, don't forget that in the Ardagan Family, most of their direct lineage only has one wife."
"Now that I think about it…" Duke Lorelei nodded while recalling the history. "Well, think of it as me not saying anything. Thank you for answering this old man's questions. So, as thanks… I hope that you don't mind me having a vacation in your house."
"!!!" Kevin was surprised. Although he worded it that way, it was clear that Duke Lorelei didn't have any intention to go against Noel. But if he returned to his house, the royal family would force him. Hence, he stayed here so that Kevin could keep him in check personally. Kevin couldn't help but smile, "As long as you don't grow tired of my humble home."
