◈ 168. [Side Story] I will save you,
the imperial palace. Ash’s Villa.
Midnight near dawn. The living room where the light was not properly lit.
“… .”
Sitting on the sofa, I slowly put the glass in my hand to my mouth and thought.
2nd Prince Fernandez, who brought me to the villa here a while ago. And it was about the words he uttered.
The Emperor is in hibernation.
The emperor and the three princes, these four call themselves guardians.
They swore to protect the empire from its doom. Even if it sacrifices everything else in the process.
… .
What are you talking about, these assholes, the empire nerds.
It smells bad. I feel something ominous.
It’s creepy to feel a stab on the spine right before encountering a hidden boss while walking around a dungeon. A similar sensation tapped the back of my neck.
‘How are you going… … .’
I decided not to think about the part related to the imperial family anymore.
It’s said that there’s a ‘Guardian Meeting’ or something soon anyway, so if you attend it, the truth will be revealed.
Patting my aching forehead, I thought of other stories as well.
The royal family tries to break Serenade and Ash’s engagement.
Wintersilver, the family of Serenade, is from the lowly.
And Ash’s mother is also from the lower class… … .
“… .”
It feels like puzzles of fragmented information are floating in the air. I stared at each of these puzzle pieces.
I was suddenly frustrated.
I am not Ash There is no way to know his past, his thoughts, or his purpose.
If there was Ash in front of me, I wanted to ask while having a drink together.
‘About your father, your brothers, your mother, and your fiancee.’
What do you think?
you… What do you want to do in the future?
It was then.
“majesty?”
A neatly dressed old butler entered the drawing room. It was Alberto, the chief chamberlain of the imperial palace.
“I was worried because he came back late, but I was drunk at this hour.”
I wanted to nag him not to drink, but he didn’t.
“If you drink alcohol, you get upset. Have a snack together. I will simply serve it.”
Alberto made his way to the kitchen and soon brought a nice piece of cheese on a small platter.
“Would you like to have a drink together, Alberto?”
When I asked Alberto, who was pouring a new drink into my glass, the old butler smiled kindly and shook his head.
“I will be special about drinking with your grown-up Highness, but the chief chamberlain must always stay awake with a clear mind.”
“That’s too bad.”
Sipping a new glass, I glanced over at the sofa next to mine. Alberto, quick-witted like a chamberlain, quickly sat down on the sofa.
“Do you have any concerns, Your Highness?”
“… Alberto.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“I heard that you have been managing the imperial palace for a long time.”
“That’s right. I worked here before Your Highness was born.”
The old man’s face was full of pride as he said that. Hmm indeed.
“Then you must be familiar with the secret history of the imperial palace.”
“There are things I can’t help but see and hear.”
Alberto patted his chest lightly.
“But I buried Alberto in my heart and forgot about it. I have never told anyone what happened here in the imperial palace.”
“You are very loyal, Alberto.”
I put down my drink and smiled.
“So I apologize in advance.”
“yes?”
“Because you’ll have to tell me the secret you buried.”
The next moment, I activated the [Mystic Eye of Command].
Looking into Alberto’s eyes, I ordered.
“Answer me honestly until the sun rises in the future.”
[Command Difficulty: Hard]
[Contrast the user’s intelligence stat with the target’s magic stat.]
[Determine the success rate. Initiate the saving throw… … .]
Alberto is not a heroic character, but an ordinary person.
Almost no magic stat. That’s why even the rather difficult commands worked without problems.
[Judgment complete!]
>Success: 1 body
[Executing compulsory command.]
Alberto stiffened his body for a moment, then nodded with a firm face.
“Ask me anything, Your Highness. I will tell you anything that this Alberto can answer.”
***
I first asked Alberto about the emperor and the princes, but Alberto did not know anything about the emperor’s hibernation or the meeting of the guardians.
It may be something outside the realm of Alberto’s management, but it also means that the emperor and the princes thoroughly kept the secret so that the chief chamberlain did not know at all.
Instead, Alberto knew the rest of what I was curious about.
“Your Highness’s mother, Second Empress Dustia, was originally a war slave.”
When I asked about Ash’s mother, Alberto started talking softly.
“They say you are a descendant of the royal family of a small country that our empire destroyed. After the country was destroyed, he was turned into a slave and served as a slave on the northern front.”
“slave… .”
“Even though he was a slave, he had a great talent for magic, and he was hired as a wizard by His Majesty the Emperor, who was on a conquest on the northern front. Since then, he participated in many battles with His Majesty, and was even awarded a title for that feat.”
you were a wizard Did Ash inherit his magical talent from his mother?
“His Majesty favored her so much that she tried to take her as a concubine, but there was a lot of opposition. How are you trying to bring your cheonchul into the palace… … .”
“… .”
“As the opposition continued, Her Majesty became enraged and welcomed her as the second empress, not as a concubine at all. At that time, the whole country really wasn’t even in an uproar.”
I broke out in a cold sweat. Even the emperor has a temper. To have her become empress because she opposes the concubine.
“After that, you entered the palace and gave birth to Your Highness a year later.”
Alberto’s face, which had been talking with a smile until now, darkened.
“However, the First Empress and the other concubines ignored her quite a bit. Because they are all of noble blood.”
“… .”
“When His Majesty was away from the palace on an expedition, she was blatantly harassed. Perhaps because of that, he became more and more tired and emaciated.”
It was painful to hear, but I listened patiently. What you need to know
“It is said that she asked His Majesty the Emperor several times to remove herself as the second empress and return to the north. But His Majesty did not give up.”
“… .”
“And 8 years ago, when Your Highness turned 15, he suffered from weakness and delirium… … He hanged himself.”
“… .”
“The person who first discovered the body of the second empress, Mama, delivered it right away.”
Alberto’s voice was locked.
“His Highness was very playful and had no intention of studying at all, but his nature was kind. But from that day onwards, things started to go crooked… … .”
“… I see.”
Did Ash start to drift away due to his mother’s death?
“I feel like crying when I think of that day, Alberto.” … .”
Alberto, who was about to pull out his handkerchief, hurriedly asked the next question.
“Can you tell me about the Wintersilver family next?”
Then Alberto hesitated like a robot and immediately changed his story. [Evil Eye of Command] The effect is amazing.
“The Wintersilver family was originally a fallen baron family on the periphery. I was struggling with debt, but one day a merchant came and asked me to sell my title in exchange for repaying the debt.”
“That merchant… ?”
“yes. It is the invitation top bar at the top of Winter Silver. You are the grandfather of the serenade lady. It is said that he was a slave from a different race, but he was resourceful and saved a lot of money.”
The part about being from a different race bothered me, but I kept hearing about it.
“The merchant who was adopted into the Wintersilver family became the Baron of Wintersilver, and the merchant troupe he built went on and on and grew in size. In the next generation, it grew to be the largest troupe in the empire.”
Big! Alberto, catching his breath, continued.
“When His Majesty the Emperor met the second Empress Dustia, all the servants opposed it, so the national treasury could not be opened, so there was no money to build a new palace. At this time, Baron Wintersilver came to His Majesty and said that he would bear all the expenses.”
You lined up. 2 to the Empress.
“His Majesty was delighted and bestowed a new earldom on Baron Wintersilver. In this way, I became the Earl of Wintersilver, and this man is the father of the 2nd lord, the Serenade Lady.”
I tilted my head.
“Was a title originally meant to be bought, sold, lowered, and received at will?”
It’s not a game rank, it’s like raising and lowering.
“It rarely happened covertly. However, this was done too openly… … .”
“Other nobles must have hated it.”
“I hate it. How much did you get scolded for being a born-again merchant who bought your title with money? In particular, the other count families were impatient because they couldn’t eat it.”
I guess so. It is a value of tradition that they have kept for a long time, but this side was bought with money.
“But the Wintersilver family had enormous financial power. From then on, the Wintersilver family claimed to be the guardians of the second empress, and went in and out of the imperial palace carrying gold and silver treasures.”
Alberto’s eyes widened as he recalled those days.
“Especially, the Countess of Winter Silver was the only friend of the Second Empress, who was lonely in the palace. The Countess often came to play with her young daughter, and she quickly became close with Her Highness.”
Eh?
“Could it be that little girl?”
“yes. She is a serenade girl.”
“omg.”
I opened my mouth slightly.
Oh my God, Ash and Serenade were you two childhood friends?
“Since the Serenade Lady is two years older than Her Highness, we got along like a good brother and sister. Both of them were really cute back then… … .”
“You were even older?!”
Well, Ash, this guy is a bit younger than I thought. No matter how much, I thought that serenade would be older.
“But it seems that the Earl of Wintersilver was not satisfied with the countship. Somehow, he wanted to build a deeper connection with the imperial family, and it happened that he had a close relationship with the second empress. I wanted to take it to the next level.”
“next stage?”
no way… .
“Are you going to marry me?”
“yes. We promoted a marriage talk between Her Highness and the Serenade Lady.”
Alberto lowered his wrinkled eyes.
“His Majesty the Emperor… … You were pretty offended. Although the Second Empress is of low origin, Her Highness is an unequivocal prince. It was off topic for a merchant family, who obtained their title with money, to ask for a wedding first.”
“… .”
“However, the Second Empress desperately wanted to become her only friend and in-law, so Her Majesty reluctantly allowed the marriage conversation. Instead, a condition was attached.”
I remembered what Fernandez had told me.
“You mean the national road project?”
“yes. The road maintenance project had been promoted since the time of His Majesty the predecessor of the emperor, but it was sluggish because it cost too much money. You asked the Winter Silver Merchant to cooperate in this matter.”
“… .”
“The Winter Silver Merchant willingly jumped into the road maintenance business and the engagement went off without a hitch. however… We have other problems.”
“Your mother is dead.”
Alberto nodded heavily.
“That’s right. The biggest reason His Majesty the Emperor allowed this engagement was that the Second Empress drank and she passed away.”
“… .”
“His Majesty has decided to break off the engagement once the road maintenance work is over. And he decided to take care of the Wintersilver family, who believed in the second empress and climbed too high.”
That’s how it happened.
“His Majesty has also asked His Highness to trust me. Keep your distance from Wintersilver from now on.”
Is that why Ash started to treat his fiancée, whom he had been close to since childhood, coldly?
“Your Highness started to become crooked when the second empress passed away, but it was at this point that she became decisively an idiot. Ever since the breakup with the serenade lady was finalized.”
“huh?”
I asked cautiously.
“Ash… no i am Didn’t you hate serenades?”
Then Alberto jumped up from his spot.
“What are you talking about! The serenade lady was Your Highness’ first love! All the way, even before the marriage talks started coming and going!”
“uh? Is that so?”
“How many times have you consulted me on how to write a love letter? He said he couldn’t even tell Lucas about this… … .”
Alberto looked at me with a happy face as if he were looking at his grandson.
“Every time a party was held at the palace, the two became partners and danced holding each other’s tiny hands. The two of them who blushed at that time were so cute and fresh… … .”
But it wasn’t long before his old face was filled with sadness.
“But after the engagement, things turned out like this… The relationship between the two of them gradually drifted apart… … I heard that you have completely cooled down now. Big!”
Alberto took out his handkerchief again and started wiping his eyes. There are so many tears in this grandpa.
***
I cast [Evil Eye of Command] on Alberto again and sent him back after telling him to keep quiet about his work tonight.
You probably noticed from today’s conversation that I lost my memory, but due to the [Mystic Eye of Command] effect, I won’t be able to tell anyone for a while.
It was early morning when dawn broke. I returned to my room and looked in the mirror quietly.
“… .”
Still not sure.
Ash, what kind of person were you? how I wanted to live What choice would you make in this situation.
Even if I read the list of characters and listen to people’s words, I can’t really feel it.
‘The time given to me is three years.’
I don’t know what will happen to this body after seeing the ending after 3 years of capture.
Will the original Ash, who lent me his body, return?
Or will I lose my soul, fall down and die?
“after.”
Either way, I decided to keep it simple.
Having made up my mind, I opened my eyes straight.
‘I do what I want to do.’
what i want to do
It’s to protect people.
Saving people within my reach.
So Ash.
‘I will save you.’
You, whom I could not save even once while playing this game 742 times. I’ll take your life
Both as the commander of the monster front and as the third prince of the empire.
I will do my best to live with you. I will try my best to fight in my own way.
‘No matter what the result is, don’t talk about anything else later.’
Ash in the mirror smiles bitterly… … .
No, I was looking at ‘me’.
‘Because it was you who lent me this body.’
***
that morning.
Ecliptic New Terra. Inland Sea coastal pier.
5th floor of Wintersilver Upper Building. Upper caution room.
“What are you doing, sir?”
The serenade was unmoved by my sudden visit.
My side doesn’t even look at it and is busy doing business.
A quill entangled in a long, thin finger is busily going back and forth over the papers.
“If it’s what you said yesterday, we’re working on it. We’re selecting the best architects, and we’re also setting up our guild branch to send to the Crossroads. You don’t have to worry.”
The light blue hair of the serenade wrapped in the sun shimmered like the water surface at noon.
I stared at it, then turned my gaze to the side. Elysee was seen behind the serenade.
“… .”
Elise, with bandages all over her body, is looking at me with her eyes narrowed.
It’s a gaze that doesn’t seem to understand me. I smiled at that Elise.
Then Serenade finally raised her head and looked at me. Still holding a quill in his hand and wearing glasses.
“Husband? If you have anything else to do, tell me-”
“Serenade.”
I spat out the words I had prepared without hesitation.
“The victory celebration party will be held at the imperial palace in a week.”
“… ?”
“You won’t believe me when I say this, but I don’t know how to dance.”
Serenade wondered and blinked her silver eyes. I smiled brightly.
“Can you teach me?”
“ah… ?”
The serenade, which had hardened for a while, struggled and took out a new piece of paper.
“Oh, you mean to call that ballroom dance instructor? All right. I immediately searched for the most famous instructor in the ecliptic-”
“No. serenade.”
I hurriedly approached Serenade’s desk and put my hand on the paper she was trying to write on! covered
Then, looking into the surprised Serenade’s eyes, he said straight up.
“I want you to teach me.”
“… yes?”
“I want you to teach me how to dance. I would appreciate it if you could tell me about party manners.”
I shrugged.
“Am I asking too much of an unreasonable favor for the busy Winter Silver Merchant?”
rattle!
Serenade jerked her chair back and stood up.
With a flushed face and even a slight tear in her eyes, she said,
“No! Me too! I was just pretending to be busy!”
Turning to me with a trembling gaze, the serenade shouted.
“Time! So many!”
