NOVEL WEB Chapter 5 - Warning
“The Codanas? Why bring that up suddenly?”
Ember blinked in bewilderment before sealing her lips.
She must have realized how contrived it sounded, even to herself.
An icy silence hung between us for a moment. Ember looked at me with a wavering, perplexed gaze before eventually averting her eyes.
“Have a seat first.”
With an unmistakably anxious expression, Ember sat where I had gestured.
Ember was, at least outwardly, an exceptionally beautiful woman beyond reproach. Unusually tall for a female, with dark golden locks and distinct, striking features. Her slim figure lacked some volume, but she wouldn’t look out of place anywhere.
Yes, her face value was honestly outstanding.
But for some reason, even when alone with her, I never felt any stirrings below.
Why did I feel no desire for such a beauty? At first, I thought there might be something wrong with me. But that wasn’t the case – before we were engaged, there was an instance where I had dallied with a village maiden I had chanced upon while rescuing a distant fief.
The reason I became a virtual ascetic before my fiancée was… obvious. It was because of Ember’s behavior until now.
Barely 5 minutes into our first meeting, she had brazenly interrogated me like some inquisitor. Early in our engagement, she had subtly flaunted her noble status while acting haughty, only to make an abrupt shift to clinging annoyingly the moment Codana prices spiked.
Ember was a woman who would commoditize even her own maidenhood if she could. If she had just acted naturally, things might have been different.
‘She probably thinks she’s been very astute in her conduct.’
Still, she was my fiancée. It would only be proper to wait until she regained her composure. But for some reason, I didn’t feel like doing so.
“It doesn’t seem like you have anything in particular to say. It’s getting late, so why don’t you just go home?”
“…Sending me away already? Am I really that unpleasant to be around, Eric?”
“It’s not about being unpleasant, it’s just… Well, I’m not sure what we would do spending time together. Have we ever had a genuine conversation? Whenever we meet, I do my thing, you do yours, just aimless chatter without any real exchange.”
“…Other knights often recount tales of their valor to their lovers.”
Tales of valor, how random. I had briefly considered regaling her with one before deciding against it.
Like the time I successfully hunted down a group of deserters after tracking them for over five days without bathing, looking utterly disheveled. Or the time I massacred hundreds of goblins with a few comrades, ending up drenched in their blood.
A knight’s life was never glamorous. I could tell such stories if I wanted, but they didn’t seem to be what Ember desired.
Even now, she was clearly itching to bring up the topic of Codanas, just hesitating due to her awareness.
“Ember, put aside that nonsense about tales of valor. Just get straight to the real point – what do you actually want to know?”
“…I was worried you might form preconceived notions about me.”
“I’ve had preconceived notions from the moment we met, so don’t worry about that.”
“…Hah.”
So much for self-proclaimed nobility – she let out a heavy sigh before finally voicing what she had been holding back.
“Eric. Just what do you intend to do with all that money?”
“I’ll spend it as I see fit. Why are you so curious about that?”
“…Of course I’m curious. I’m the one who will become your wife. Under imperial law, once an engagement ceremony is held, both parties have an obligation to proceed to marriage as soon as possible. But you, Eric, have been thoroughly ignoring that obligation.”
Between nobles, engagements were no childish trifle. If one side broke it off, they would not only face hefty penalties but also public disgrace for the entire family.
But that only applied to nobles. I was not a noble.
The fact that I had nearly joined the hero’s party and possessed top-tier skills among the Imperial Knights did not change that.
“Ember. Don’t forget, I’m not a noble. You’re the daughter of an untitled noble. If we break off this engagement, there’s no one to criticize us.”
“…Even if it lacks binding force, you’re a renowned knight and I’m the daughter of a high prosecutor. If the engagement is called off, your reputation will…”
“I know. So behave yourself in a way that doesn’t make me want to break it off. Visiting me late at night to pry into how I spend my Codanas isn’t exactly conducive to our relationship either.”
“……”
While I spoke that way, as long as there were no fatal issues, I intended to maintain my engagement to Ember. It would be difficult to nullify an engagement I had already entered into without any justifiable reason.
Setting aside her character, Ember’s attributes were decent enough for a marriage partner.
First, her modest household meant there was no risk of her lording over me. The fact that her father was a prosecutor was also a favorable condition.
Prosecutors monitored whether the Empire’s authority and finances were being properly utilized, indicting any illegal activities. While they could lose their heads if they crossed true powers, they still held considerable authority. It was good for building connections too.
Marriage was a practical matter. If Ember didn’t openly flaunt her greed, I had been prepared to proceed based solely on her qualifications.
“Leave the matter of the Codanas to me. Whether we hold a marriage ceremony or not, the Codanas will remain my possession.”
After bluntly informing her of that, I looked at Ember.
‘Hopefully she takes the hint…’
From her frozen expression, it didn’t seem like she readily accepted it. Perhaps she failed to realize I was giving her a chance.
After staring at me with sharp eyes for a while, she abruptly stood up and took a jab at me.
“Eric, you sure think highly of yourself, don’t you?”
“I’m not too bad.”
I was in my mid-20s, at the highest expert level just below master rank. While not a master, my skills were second to none. For me to feign humility would be disrespectful to the 99% of knights less talented than me.
Ember seemed to belatedly realize this, flinching slightly, but her bitter expression quickly returned.
“But you’re not exactly a renowned genius known throughout the Empire either? Being fairly skilled doesn’t mean you can make it on your own in this world.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
Ember glared at me briefly before turning away.
It would take her around 30 minutes to walk from my quarters to her home. I wondered what her mood would be like trudging that distance after being rejected by me. Probably not a pleasant one, though hopefully she would use that time for some self-reflection and curb her greed, even if only slightly…
‘Or maybe that’s hoping for too much.’
I had been keenly feeling the need to reassess my connections lately. There was no guarantee Ember wouldn’t end up being one of them.
///
On her way back home, Ember was acutely reminded of her pitiful circumstances.
A proper noble lady wouldn’t have to walk for 30 minutes. But regrettably, her family was not wealthy enough to afford even a carriage.
By the time she arrived home after all that walking, her legs were aching and the heel of one shoe had even snapped off, inflicting that indignity upon Ember.
The more her physical suffering worsened, the deeper her resentment towards Eric grew.
His curt tone, cold demeanor devoid of any consideration, the look in his eyes that saw her not as a fiancée but an insolent freeloader – he didn’t even bother to call a carriage for her despite clearly knowing she had walked.
In the end, Ember unleashed her pent-up rage before her father.
“Father. I’ll keep it brief. Teach Eric a lesson.”
“Eric?”
Her father blinked at first, but then frowned upon seeing his daughter’s disheveled appearance.
“You’re a high prosecutor, aren’t you, Father?”
“…Ember, I don’t know the circumstances, but I’m not the kind of prosecutor who abuses my authority. And the Imperial Knights aren’t so easily intimidated, even by prosecutors. In a way, they’re more formidable than high nobles.”
“No, Father. It won’t be difficult. Eric has already fallen out of favor with the knightly order anyway.”
When Ember insisted in a ringing tone, her father let out a brief sigh.
“…Whew. Did you two have a fight? I understand how you feel, but what kind of prosecutor badgers his prospective son-in-law? Let’s sleep on it and talk again in the morning.”
But Ember was dissatisfied with even her father’s hesitant response.
Fortunately, unlike Eric, her father was someone she could persuade. He had always prioritized caution above all. Even when indicting minor tax officials, he would scrutinize the documents overnight repeatedly.
If she could just make him realize her actions wouldn’t inflict any fatal harm on Eric, her father would surely take action. Ember was convinced.
“Father, I don’t intend to put Eric in a truly difficult position.”
“Then why are you doing this at all?”
“I didn’t mention it before out of concern for your worries, but… Eric’s attitude towards me has turned ice-cold ever since he came into that large sum of money. Can’t you see how we still haven’t even set a wedding date? At this rate, I may really end up discarded.”
“Hah, surely a member of the Imperial Knights wouldn’t act that way.”
“Does Eric even care about the knightly order anymore when he has enough money to buy a castle? This is a wake-up call he needs.”
“…Ember.”
“I’ve never made a request like this before. I’m only saying this because it’s truly necessary.”
When Ember pleaded, her father finally grudgingly acquiesced.
Then the very next day, he promptly began utilizing his prosecutorial authority to dig into Eric’s background.
His aim was to find an offense that wouldn’t ruin Eric’s career, but would instill at least a minimal sense of crisis.
Fortunately, over 20 years of experience as a prosecutor seemed to serve him well. Within half a day, he had uncovered an incident.
“…There was a complaint filed against Sir Eric last year. It seems he excessively searched an entire village while tracking down some deserters. It’s not indictable, but I could recommend the knightly order issue him a verbal warning.”
“A verbal warning? That should work. But Father, do it under your own name.”
“…Of course I had a junior colleague handle it. We can just present it as an eager young prosecutor demanding discipline from the hallowed Imperial Knights.”
Those were the words from her reluctant father.
Ember nodded with satisfaction, thinking this would be sufficient warning for Eric.
‘This should make him stop looking down on me.’
Of course, it would drive an immense wedge into their relationship, but since they had gone down the wrong path from the start, she had to reestablish their dynamic like this and make him aware he couldn’t ignore her. After that, she planned to make more conciliatory gestures.
However, events unfolded differently than Ember expected.
The Imperial Knights who received the disciplinary recommendation began moving in an excessively proactive manner, showing no signs of resolving it with a mere verbal warning.