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

Slurp.

I lifted the porcelain cup and drained the last of the poisoned coffee. The liquid carried a deceptively sweet aroma—belying the toxin coursing through it.

“Bloomrot this time,” I observed, setting the cup down with deliberate care.

“You did ask for something sweet,” Lexa replied, her voice carefully neutral.

“I find I rather enjoy it.”

A faint sigh escaped her lips as she leaned back in her chair. “So. What exactly did you come here to say?”

The question hung between us like smoke.

I considered my words carefully.

“First, my apologies for the deception. Let me be clear about one thing: I’m not a Scribe affiliated with Artezia. Quite the opposite, actually. I’m currently in the business of opposing the Duchy of Artezia with every fiber of my being.”

“We already suspected as much,” Lexa said, her tone flat with resignation.

Of course they had. Once they’d seen through my initial lies, working out that much would have been elementary.

Still, the words needed to be spoken aloud—a line drawn in the sand between past deceptions and future cooperation.

Truth was, I could have maintained the charade longer if I’d chosen to.

A few fabricated details about First-Class Scribe duties, some grand operation requiring secrecy—they’d have looked suspicious initially, but eventually they’d have had no choice but to believe.

After that, mixing lies with truth to extract information would have been simple enough.

But I hadn’t chosen that path.

Not because my conscience suddenly sprouted wings, or because Lexa had somehow become precious to me.

I simply recognized the need for another information network—one that operated within Artezia’s borders, one with connections to me, one whose vulnerabilities I held firmly in my grasp.

Anyone with half a brain could see this was the northern branch of ‘Al Fortia de Glori.’

Besides, even with the truth laid bare, they couldn’t betray me. Not when I held their leash so tightly.

A smile tugged at my lips as I traced the rim of my empty cup.

These people trafficked drugs and skimmed profits in the process. Drug trafficking ranked among the Emperor’s absolute prohibitions—a crime punishable by death without exception.

Would they run crying to the Duchy of Artezia?

Within days, Artezia’s assassins would be slitting their throats for their embezzlement. Or perhaps, to distance themselves from the drug connection entirely, Artezia would simply cut away the infected limb.

Either way, the ones with their backs to the wall weren’t me—it was them.

“Your goal was money, wasn’t it?” I continued, my voice carrying calculated ease. “Honestly speaking, loyalty never factored into your calculations.”

“So?” Lexa’s eyes narrowed.

“Work with me. The way things stand, you’ll take the fall for both the drug trafficking and the money you’ve stolen. Rather than dying like cornered rats, why not take my hand instead?”

“And what reason do we have to trust you?”

Her glare could have cut glass. The drugs had hollowed out her pupils, but even so, the fire of leadership still burned behind her eyes.

That spirit—that refusal to simply roll over and die—was exactly what I needed in a partner.

My smile widened. “Mithril.”

“Pardon?”

“I’ll provide a Mithril ore as a contract fee. That should roughly equal what you’ve earned so far, shouldn’t it?”

Silence stretched between us. Lexa bit her lip, eyes closed in thought.

She’d likely discovered during her information gathering that I owned the Mithril mines. Smart enough to keep that knowledge from the Duke’s family, holding it in reserve for precisely this kind of contingency.

She’d need at least one piece of leverage against me, after all.

Calm and opportunistic. Exactly why I’d approached this lot in the first place.

“So,” I pressed, “what’s your answer?”

“Are we allowed to continue selling the drugs?”

“I have no intention of blocking your income stream. However, if any of your product ends up in my territory or anywhere in the northern region, you’d better prepare for the consequences.”

“Damn it all.” She swept her bangs back with one hand, the gesture carrying the weight of defeat. “Fine. We’ll do it. Not like we have much choice… seems we’d die if we refused anyway.”

“You never know. You might have found a way to win.”

“How exactly are we supposed to defeat a Master who’s immune to poison? We’d be fortunate to leave a scratch.”

I chuckled at Lexa and her crew, already resigned to their fate. “An excellent choice.”

“So what do we need to do now?” Weariness colored her every word. “You came here seeking information, didn’t you?”

“That’s right.”

“What kind? For reference, we don’t have much intelligence about Artezia either. Something must have happened—they’ve been unusually quiet lately.”

She brought a cigarette to her lips as she spoke. It appeared ordinary enough, but I’d wager it was rolled from narcotic leaves.

“The smoke’s making me nauseous,” I said, waving a hand. “Blow it the other way. First, I need you to gather information until I return.”

“Information about what?”

“The Demonic Realm. And everything about Demonkin.”

My eyes gleamed with anticipation.

Until recently, I’d believed I only needed intelligence about the Duchy of Artezia. But my thinking had evolved.

Demonkin and the Duchy of Artezia—two groups that had shared no connection before my regression now seemed strangely intertwined.

The Grand Duke’s disappearance, the appearance of gargoyles—wasn’t it all connected to Artezia somehow?

There had to be a pattern hidden beneath the surface.

“Information about Demonkin?” Lexa tilted her head in confusion.

“Yes. Myths, legends, rumors circulating among the common folk—gather it all. Every scrap you can find.”

She didn’t seem to understand the significance, but she nodded anyway. “I don’t really grasp the connection, but fine. I’ll collect what I can reach.”

“I’m counting on it.”

I rose from my chair. With business concluded, no reason remained to linger. 

Besides, the pervasive stench of drugs was giving me a headache.

“Have the information ready when I return. I’ll provide the Mithril then.”

“Yes, sir…” Lexa replied, rising to escort me out.

* * *

After parting ways with Lexa, I directed my carriage straight toward the Duchy of Praha.

“We’ve arrived, my lord,” the coachman announced, opening the door.

As I stepped down from the carriage, I found Lea and Lin Praha waiting for me at the main gate of the ducal manor.

“You made good time.” Lin Praha greeted me with a broad grin.

Her left sleeve hung empty. Perhaps sensing my gaze, she chuckled and patted my shoulder with her remaining hand.

“It’s fine, truly. Inconvenient for swordwork, admittedly, but considering I kept my life, I’d say I got off cheaply.”

“If you say so.”

“Rather than standing around making conversation, greet Lea first. She’s been preparing since dawn because her fiancé was coming to visit.”

Lin’s mischievous smile widened.

Lea was startled, her face flushing crimson. “N-no! That’s not—Sister, how could you!”

“Haha! You two catch up properly, and when you have time, stop by my office. We have matters to discuss.”

“Of course.”

I watched Lin Praha depart, then turned toward Lea. She was still blushing, her gaze fixed on the distant mountains as if they held some fascinating secret.

I found myself smiling despite everything. Less than a month had passed since we’d last met, yet somehow it felt like years had stretched between us.

“Did you travel safely?” she asked, her voice soft.

“As you can see.”

“I’m relieved. I was worried about you.”

Her faint smile carried genuine warmth, and the way she fidgeted with her fingers betrayed just how flustered she felt.

“Let’s walk,” I suggested, then addressed Lancelot. “Return to the barracks and wait for further orders.”

“Can’t I accompany you as well?”

“Don’t insert yourself where you don’t belong.”

“Fine,” he muttered, pouting like a scolded child as he shuffled toward the mansion. The man possessed all the situational awareness of a brick wall.

I clicked my tongue in mild irritation and turned my attention back to Lea. She moved closer, matching my pace as we began to walk.

“I heard from the reports that the damage was severe. Are you truly all right?”

“The damage wasn’t as bad as it appeared,” I said carefully. “It’s just... there were those who died in a meaningless war.”

“You mean the soldiers.”

“Yes. People like us at least leave behind some measure of honor when we fall. They die without even their names remembered.”

The words carried more weight than I’d intended.

Strange—I’d never entertained such thoughts before my regression. Revenge had been the sole star guiding my existence, and sacrificing everyone else for that goal had seemed as natural as breathing.

But now, something had shifted.

Was it achieving Master rank? Or perhaps the connections I’d forged along the way?

I had people to protect now, and I could no longer remain consumed by revenge alone. The survivors—the people of Berg territory, our family’s soldiers—their lives felt like stones piled upon my shoulders.

“It’s quite heavy,” I murmured, more to myself than to her.

Heavy indeed. And the heavier that burden became, the more impressive the woman walking beside me appeared.

She who had chosen a completely different path from mine before my regression—who had burned herself to ash protecting the North, safeguarding the daily lives of its people.

The weight I was only beginning to understand, the responsibility I sometimes wanted to simply set down, she had carried it her entire adult life.

I tried to clear my mind, searching for lighter topics. “Let’s discuss something else. Today your hair—”

Lea threw herself into my arms before I could finish the sentence.

I froze, my body going rigid with surprise.

“Don’t push yourself so hard,” she murmured against my chest. “If you shoulder too much, you’ll exhaust yourself quickly.”

Her voice was muffled by my coat, the words barely audible, yet somehow they reached me more clearly than any shout.

I came to my senses and gently but firmly pushed her away. “People will see us.”

My heart hammered against my ribs, but this wouldn’t do.

I, of all people, couldn’t give my heart to her.

I had to disappear once revenge was complete. I’m the despicable wretch who had once exploited the very things she’d tried to protect.

Someone far better than me should be standing at her side.

I quickly covered my burning face with one hand. “Let’s go. The Acting Head will be waiting for us.”

“Louis!” Lea called out behind me.

I strode toward Lin Praha’s office without looking back. My face felt like it was on fire, my heart racing like a war drum.

Like a child desperate to confess something precious, I swallowed the words that had risen to my throat and quickened my pace.

It seemed this foolish version of myself was still trying to offer his heart to someone who deserved so much better.

“Pathetic,” I cursed under my breath, forcing my legs to carry me faster.

It looked like sleep would elude me again tonight.