From a Broken Engagement to the Northern Grand Duke's Son-in-Law

My words struck like a blade, plunging both my knights and the Praha Guard into stunned silence.

The quiet stretched between us, heavy with unspoken tension.

What had they expected?

Under normal circumstances, even I wouldn’t dare speak so carelessly to the Commander of the Praha Guard.

By rank and title, I was his superior, but he commanded the North’s most elite knight order. His political standing within the House rivaled that of a High Elder, and his status as a mid-level Master was enough to make even the Emperor covetous.

He embodied an authority that could rival nearly any force in the realm. With the unwavering trust of the Praha Guard behind him, he was, in all but name, a second Grand Duke.

And I had just told him to know his place.

Small wonder he wore that expression.

Of course, the members of my Special Taskforce merely shook their heads, all too familiar with my methods.

“Here we go again,” Lancelot muttered under his breath.

I pointedly ignored his grumbling and turned my attention back to the commander. The man was clearly rattled, but his composure held firm.

“Would you mind repeating that?” His voice carried a note of careful disbelief.

So he was simply in denial.

I met the commander’s blinking stare directly. “I told you to know your place.”

“What is the meaning of this?”

“Do you truly not understand? I’m telling you not to measure Lea by your own limited standards. Your duty may be to protect the direct bloodline, including her, but she is a woman who stands on her own merit. She is not the type to be locked in a cage, waiting for some prince to rescue her.”

“That is—!”

“Ah, or perhaps you fancied yourself the prince?”

I allowed a thin smile to cross my lips. “If so, I’d like to correct that misunderstanding. If we were to compare the two of you, wouldn’t Lea be the prince on the white horse? After all, she is both stronger and nobler than you.”

The stoic mask began to crack. “I find it difficult to simply let that comment pass.”

“Difficult, you say? Then what? Do you intend to strike me down? Trying to incite infighting here in the Demonic Realm... You’re no different from the Demonkin yourself.”

“You bastard!” one of the Praha Guard roared, his face flushed with fury.

How dare he speak to our commander like this? I will not forgive him! The thought was written clearly across his features.

Fool.

Did he think the commander himself didn’t want to lash out at me? Did it not occur to him that there was a reason his commander was silently enduring my words?

Then again, if he were capable of such insight, he wouldn’t have lunged at me like this in the first place.

“And who might you be?” I asked.

“Why the hell would a bastard like you need to know!”

“I see. You must have several lives to spare. Is that it?”

“What did you say?”

“Contempt of nobility. Insulting a superior officer. As well as the crime of attempting to incite discord in a hazardous zone like the Demonic Realm.”

I let each charge hang in the air before continuing. “There are several other charges, but must I recite them all?”

The knight’s face turned crimson as he began to point a trembling finger at me. “You... you...!”

His mask of fury was complete. He looked as though he might draw his weapon at any moment.

Lancelot and the others placed their hands on their hilts. The situation balanced on a knife’s edge.

It was the commander of the Praha Guard who brought it to an end.

“I apologize. My thinking was shortsighted.”

“Commander!” the enraged knight shouted, but the commander kept his head bowed, offering me his apology.

“Damn it!” The knight hissed, struggling to contain his fury.

I’ll have to kill that one.

I’d been acting too leniently of late, and it seemed to be breeding insolence. Anyone could be eliminated if necessary. That was my standard, after all.

Hiding my killing intent, I stared down at the top of the commander’s head. “Rise. I know your actions were born of loyalty. However, you should choose your subordinates more carefully. Unless you wish to lose everything over a moment of foolishness.”

“I will see to Sir Venom’s punishment myself and report to you. Please, quell your anger.”

I let out a low hum, studying the commander with calculating eyes.

Frankly, aside from his comments about Lea, he wasn’t a bad person. In fact, one could even call him an excellent knight. His words to Lea had surely sprung from that same deep loyalty.

He looks out for his men, and he’s competent. Clearly a man of exceptional caliber.

The fact that he showed no personal animosity toward me proved he was unusually perceptive. Had I not already had Lancelot, I might have tried to recruit him.

In contrast, that one...

My gaze shifted to the knight who had exploded with rage. His hostility was plain to see, his abilities were unremarkable, and to top it all off, he was ugly.

A complete downgrade from Lancelot in every conceivable way.

“Do as you see fit,” I said with a dismissive wave. “But be sure to punish him properly. If not, I will deliver the punishment myself after this is over.”

“Yes, it will be done,” the commander replied, bowing his head once more.

The situation was settled, for now. A short while later, the commander approached me.

“Would you consider traveling with us? Given the nature of this place, I believe it would be better to move as one.”

“With your men?”

I let my eyes scan the Praha Guard. They looked capable, but aside from the commander, most of them were glaring at me with open hostility. If we traveled together, trouble was bound to erupt, one way or another.

But to send them off on their own...

It would be a waste of good bait.

Though I only had a tenth of our forces with me, it was an undeniable fact that the Praha Guard was a higher-quality lure than my men.

With their level of skill, they could certainly buy time in a fight against Demonkin. If I let them go, I would surely regret it later.

Besides, it was safer to keep a threat where I could see it.

If they were to harbor any treacherous thoughts, it would be far easier to deal with them if they were right in front of me.

“Very well,” I said, nodding in acceptance of his offer. With them around, I likely wouldn’t have to use my Aura.

They’ll fight in my place.

My Aura was currently corrupted by demonic energy. No amount of divine power or Aura cultivation could cleanse it. While it didn’t hinder me in any significant way...

The fact remains that I’m reluctant to use it in front of others.

It was demonic energy, after all. A power that could put me in danger, both physically and politically. If I were to use it, wouldn’t they jump at the chance to sink their teeth into me?

With this lot, it’s a certainty.

I glanced at the knights who were still glaring at me, then let out a faint sigh and shook my head.

“For now, let us move together. We know a place where the Grand Duke is likely to be.”

* * *

The Commander of the Praha Guard walked on, his eyes narrowed in thought.

I can’t sense his energy.

Louis Berg. The youngest son of a renowned house of spearmasters and a knight said to have reached the peak of Aura Expert.

Yet he felt no power from the man at all. It was as if he were an empty shell.

Strange.

He remembered his shock upon first hearing that Louis had reached high-level Expert. At his age, that was enough to be considered a prodigy.

Of course, considering he was an archer, the growth rate was somewhat understandable, but it was still an admirable feat—proof that he was a genius, a man worthy of being Lady Lea’s consort.

But now, facing him in person, the commander couldn’t tell if that information was true. There were only two scenarios in which he wouldn’t be able to sense Louis’s power.

One: Louis’s ability surpassed his own.

Two: He was a fraud with no real power at all.

There was, of course, the infinitesimal chance that he wielded an energy other than Aura, but...

That’s impossible.

An energy that wasn’t Aura would have to be either the divine power of the Holy Kingdom or the demonic energy of the Demonkin. Both were powers that ordinary people could not wield.

Which meant it had to be one of the first two scenarios.

Could he truly be stronger than I am?

For his level to be higher than the commander’s, Louis would have to be a Grand Master. A Grand Master archer? That was, quite literally, the level of a god-like archer.

Unbelievable.

But to think him powerless was also nonsensical, given all he had accomplished.

I’ll have to watch him.

The commander nodded to himself, tearing his gaze away from Louis. In the worst-case scenario, he would have to sacrifice himself to protect Lady Lea.

Meanwhile, behind the commander, the guard named Venom was grinding his teeth.

Ignoring me…? That damned bastard seemed to think his father’s glory was his own.

A mere high-level Expert...!

He himself was an Aura Master. He wasn’t so insignificant as to be ignored by a man from whom he couldn’t feel a single scrap of energy.

I’d tear him to pieces...!

Venom glared at Louis, his killing intent flaring. A leech clinging to Lady Lea’s skirts. The fact that he couldn’t sense a single speck of Aura from him was proof that he had latched onto Lea to get this far.

Perhaps the rumor of him being a high-level Expert was a complete lie? It was more likely that the knight named Lancelot, standing beside him, was responsible for all of Louis’s acclaimed deeds.

He looks to be at the Master level, at least.

Yes, that seemed far more plausible. A wave of fury boiled up inside Venom. How dare this man try to deceive the House of Praha? Tearing him limb from limb wouldn’t be enough.

But he couldn’t act on his own. After all, the man was favored by Lea Praha, a direct heir of the North.

This can’t continue. We’ve got to protect Lady Lea.

Venom’s eyes gleamed with dark resolve. It seemed they would have to take matters into their own hands to enlighten Lady Lea.

Just as Venom solidified his resolve, someone tapped him on the side.

What now?

He turned his head to see a knight standing there. Judging by his attire, he was one of that bastard Louis’s rank-and-file men.

Hah, so now every mutt thinks they can disrespect me.

Just as Venom’s face twisted in a snarl, the knight offered a servile smile and pressed a slip of paper into his hand.

“What’s this?” Venom asked, reigning in his temper as he unfolded the note.

A single sentence was scrawled on it in clumsy handwriting: If you’re planning to mess with the Special Taskforce, I’ll help.

It seemed the gods were on his side after all.