My villains episode 502
interlude. The old fox
“Nari. Lord Marquis.”
The girl’s voice tickled his ears. Eabon, a middle-aged man with a robust physique, opened his eyes with a frown.
“The Count is here, sir. Hurry up and make it rain.”
“Okay.”
The Marquis wiped his wrinkled face and looked around the room.
The bedroom of Naseong Axod was quite spacious as it was reserved for the Margrave’s VIPs. The floor was covered with smooth granite flagstones, the furnishings were quite high quality, and there were several fairly large windows.
Even so, compared to the Marquis’ Palace in Lianwell, it only looked like a shabby and cramped rat hole.
Eavon sighed as he recalled the forest he had painstakingly created.
Claire, the pretty-faced maid, laughed softly, showing her white teeth. Then, she wrapped herself around the old man’s back with her white naked body, the size of her teeth.
“Get up quickly, Nari.”
“…Osu came?”
“yes. You are at the door right now.”
The girl lightly kissed the Marquis on the cheek and got off the bed.
Eavon, who had been staring blankly at the straight spine, well-breasted breasts, and buttocks with red handprints, took his eyes off it only after Claire put on a cotton smock and an orange kirtle. And he cleared his throat.
“Os? Is there a crab?”
“Yes, Grandpa. I prepared a simple breakfast.”
“Wait a little. Please open soon.”
“yes.”
Hearing the voice from beyond the door, the Marquis raised himself with a pained sound. The Marquis, who had been served by a maid, washed her face and put on her clothes, accepted the silk tunic and leaned on the bed.
“Just tidy up the blankets and leave.”
“Are you okay?”
“What is not okay? It’s not like I don’t have hands.”
Claire smiled lightly, tidying up the disheveled bedding and straightening her hair. As the girl hurriedly dressed up with a face mixed with both shyness and excitement headed toward the door, Eabon whispered.
“What are you doing?”
“yes?”
“What are you talking about? You asked, you foolish. You’re not going out there right now, are you?”
“Uh…
Seeing the girl making a stupid noise, the Marquis clicked his tongue in silence.
“What will my grandson think if he sees his grandfather eating with a boy younger than me?”
“Ah, that’s- then I”
The owner’s gaze reached the window, and the blood drained from his normally white face.
“There is nothing to be afraid of. It’s only on the third floor, and the grass is below, so you’ll only break your legs a little.”
“But sir.”
“Because of the bell, I stayed up until the sun rose in the middle of the sky, so I have to pay the price. If you scream needlessly, you will not be able to receive treatment from the priest, so you should know that.”
As the Marquis coldly shot at her, the maid shook her chin slightly. For a moment, Claire climbed onto the window sill with a pale face.
“Oh wait.”
“yes?”
Claire, terrified, looked back at the Marquis with a slightly expectant look. However, he crushed the young maid’s hopes by chinning down a pair of shoes lying next to the bed.
‘You are stupid and obedient. A crab that looks exactly like its mother.’
As Claire packed her shoes and climbed back onto the window sill, Eavon buttoned up his amber tunic, thinking of her mother.
‘What was her name…
I don’t remember it well, but she was the most beautiful woman in the castle town of Pieul.
The girl, who hesitated for a moment while standing on the window sill, closed her eyes tightly at the Marquis’ firm gaze.
” oh.”
The Marquis briefly admired Claire’s jump without hesitating for a long time. That determination is satisfactory.
Of course, the girl who fell in the courtyard couldn’t get up as if something went wrong. The Marquis put on a thin coat and looked down at her silently babbling. Claire gritted her teeth and swallowed a moan, even as the flowing tears wet her cheeks.
“what? Suddenly, where-”
Two heavily armed soldiers looked at the maid with a puzzled look, then suddenly looked up. Then, when he met Eavon’s eyes, he was startled and bowed with both heels together.
The Marquis beckoned quietly. The soldiers dragged the maid with both broken legs out of sight.
Standing by the window, the Marquis drank water lightly mixed with wine and felt the refreshing spring breeze.
“Good.”
It is the morning when the will to live is renewed.
As I savored the beauty of life like this, my desire to live a long life soared. It was essential to maintain good health in order to fully enjoy what he had and hand it down to future generations.
‘I guess I’ll have to go horseback riding in the afternoon.’
He would have to do that in order to meet Claire’s daughter in the future.
While the servants were clearing breakfast, the young count quietly looked around the bedroom.
“why? Are you looking for something?”
“Oh, not that.”
Os, who turned to Eavon, swallowed the question about the presence in the room he had overheard earlier. Instead, he pointed to the windows and turned his horse.
“I think there are too many windows for a VIP room. It’s nice to have a fresh breeze, but I’m worried that there might be a problem with the security.”
“You worry about everything. How many knights and how many wizards protect this resistance?”
It was an intentional bruise, but
the grandfather’s eyes toward his grandson showed a delight that could not be hidden.
“Are you still waking up at dawn these days?”
“yes.”
“No need to overdo it. Now that the war is over, shouldn’t we take care of our tired bodies?”
“Yes, but it became a habit…
Oss consciously tried to keep the backstory. Every time he slurred his words, his grandfather would scold him loudly, telling him to speak confidently until the end if he was a man.
“Now that this is the case, I want to make gymnastics and swordsmanship training a part of my daily routine before the start of the day.”
“Yeah, not a bad idea. All rulers must be diligent in order for the people to be at peace. However, one should not focus too much on one’s ability as a knight. The most essential duty of a lord is to protect his people, but that doesn’t necessarily mean protection through force.”
“yes. I will engrave the teachings.”
“Cancer. If not for the old fox’s teaching, where else will the young fox learn tricks?” Eavon chuckled.
Because of my grandson’s new nickname, he was called ‘Ariaga’s old fox’ instead of ‘Ariaga’s fox’. Still, the Marquis seemed to have no complaints. No, on the contrary, it was clear that he was proud.
“Since you are old too, this old woman has to find a spouse as soon as possible… but it’s not easy. It’s hard to find a woman of the right kind in Antrum, and country folks in the West don’t mind.”
“Sooner or later, if I get a chance, I’ll have to meet Aeneas from Abiden or Clarissa from Marva. They’re both great lords your age, and both Milgrester and Mullin are from prestigious families, so they’ll make a good match.”
“yes.”
“Is that the end of being bland?”
Despite the grandson’s bashful, awkward smile, the grandfather only chuckled.
Os felt strange to see his grandfather, who had always looked down on him, so happy to see him. It wasn’t until after all the battles were over that he showed such an appearance right after he belatedly appeared with a large army, but he couldn’t get used to it.
Also, he wasn’t happy to see him happy, so I was a little suspicious of myself. It’s hard to believe that even just a few months ago, he was struggling to stay out of his grandfather’s eyes.
“Your Excellency, Marquis.”
The one who opened the bedroom door and appeared was the Marquis’ henchman, ‘Golden Swordsman’ Gidebal. As the renowned knight commander hurriedly walked in with his armor clattering, the servants who were cleaning the table hurriedly retreated.
“Why?”
“This is a call from His Highness, Prince 1.”
“The Crown Prince? from this morning?”
“yes. They say Lord Kingsley and the riders are back.”
“Ohh. at las?”
Eavon furrowed his eyebrows in interest, and Os’s eyes widened as well.
“How long have you been back?”
“It’s only been two days after a full moon.” The young count turned to Gidebal as he unconsciously answered his grandfather’s question.
“Did you summon all the nobles?”
“That’s not it, sir.”
Unlike before, the old knight commander used a harsh title of honor instead of the soft title of ‘Doun-nim’. Oss didn’t like that, but now wasn’t the time to point it out.
“You summoned only five people, including the Lord and His Excellency, the Earl of Coburn, the Marshal of Baek Frix, and the Marshal of Garwin.”
“…All of them are lords who have contributed to His Highness the 3 princes. Except for those in Eisbowald.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Um”
As the grandson’s face darkened, the Marquis shook his head as if it was not a big deal.
“You’re worrying for nothing again.”
“But Grandpa. If the reply from Prince Eun was negative-”
“It would be a more favorable situation for us. How many times have I told you?”
Eavon scolded Os, wiping his mouth with a white cloth.
“Ariaga is a family that is like a brother to the royal family. For a hundred and seventy years since King Qi, the same name as you, raised the golden banner, the Arya family have always been faithful defenders of the kingdom. We must not forget this for trivial comradeship.” “I am King Milanol’s most trusted vassal, and you will be too. It means that he owes his allegiance to Lionel III and his son Zacharys, not to Ulkar, who has already died. Do you understand?”
As Oss moved his lips silently, Eavon urged with a cold face.
“Os. answer me.”
“Yes, Grandpa.”
“Whose subject are you?”
“I am your grandfather’s servant.”
“After taking my place?”
“I will go and judge then.”
The Marquis glared coldly at his grandson. And he smiled bitterly.
“Damn it. What is Ariaga’s seed?”
He pinched Os’s cheek with a satisfied face and stood up.
“Let’s go. The fat lion is calling, so the foxes must rule.”
