BSGE 79

“Mmm.”

Beatty’s face was serious as she fell deep into thought.

Normally, she would have eagerly grabbed a cookie bigger than both her hands with an expression of delight and nibbled on it determinedly. But seeing Beatty not even touching the plate of snacks, Ather’s expression turned worried as he spoke up.

“Lady, is something troubling you?”

“Ah.”

“Would you like to tell me? If we think about it together, we might find a solution.”

After hesitating for a moment, Beatty cautiously opened her mouth.

“Well, your highness you see, I’ve been receiving gifts from my father lately.”

“We agreed to speak comfortably, remember?”

“Oh. It’s just that I’ve received so many.”

“Huh?”

Ather look confused.

Beatty, overcoming her embarrassment, continued speaking.

“It’s really a lot! Everyday clothes, banquet dresses, riding outfits, jewelry for parties, accessories for picnics, and mood-lifting jewels…”

As the endless list of gifts continued, Ather, who had initially just nodded along with “Ah, I see,” eventually adopted an expression of “Oh my…”

“…and he even built me a room that’s like an amusement park!”

Huff, huff.

As Beatty caught her breath after reciting the exhausting list of gifts, Athel, finally showed a sympathetic expression of that was quite a lot.

“So you’re feeling burdened because you’ve received too many gifts?” he asked

“Yes!”

Beatty nodded vigorously, then opened her mouth with a pale face, trembling slightly.

“How on earth am I supposed to repay all this?”

“Huh?”

Ather shrugged his shoulders and spoke nonchalantly.

“Do you need to repay it? I don’t think the Duke gave you these gifts with that mind.”

“Hmm. Still…”

Normally, a simple ‘Thank you’ would suffice, but this was too overwhelming in scale to be brushed off with such a casual expression of gratitude.

Seeing Beatty’s face turn pale again as she recalled the list of gifts she had received so far, Ather tilted his head slightly and spoke.

“If you really want to show your appreciation, I have a good idea.”

“Really? What is it?”

“Yes. It will surely be the best repayment for the Duke.”

Ather smiled softly, his eyes crinkling at the corners as he looked at the small star whose complexion had instantly returned, her eyes now sparkling.

“It’s a very simple thing for you, Lady.”

“For me…?”

Tilt.

As Beatty tilted her head to the side, her eyes caught Ather’s red lips curving into his usual eye-smile as he spoke.

“Just go to the Duke and say this.”

The next moment, Beatty’s eyes widened at the words that came out of Ather’s mouth.

*

In the Duke’s office.

Those who heard the news about the list of the delegation sent by the royal family wore grave expressions.

“They included Second Prince Ritter in the delegation coming from the capital to discuss war participation compensation?”

“Hah! Sincerity indeed. They’re just coming to haggle for a discount on war contributions!”

The elderly vassal shouted in his still-vigorous voice.

“Indeed.”

The vassals’ raised voices instantly dropped when the duke spoke.

“Lord Husan is correct. What the royal family wants is negotiations.”

Supporting the elderly vassal’s words, the duke surveyed his vassals whose eyes gleamed intensely in the quiet office.

“So. Should I listen to what the snake has to say?”

The duke asked in a low, resonant voice.

Understanding the implication in their lord’s words, the subordinates answered with pleased expressions.

“Of course not!”

“You should do entirely as you see fit, my lord.”

“Everything according to the Golden Lion’s will!”

The Duke’s lips curved slightly in a smile as he watched his subordinates clench their fists in excitement, as if he had just announced a new battlefield.

“Very well.”

“Just give us your orders, and we’ll do anything!”

“I won’t accept anything less than full value for our soldiers’ blood.”

“Ooooh!”

At the Duke’s declaration that there would be no negotiation as the royal family wished, his subordinates’ eyes shone as if they had heard a clear battlefield command, exclaiming, “As expected of our lord!”

Nodding at their usual response, the duke glanced again at the name on the delegation roster and furrowed his brow.

“To think they’d send Prince Ritter…”

Noticing the emotion in their lord’s voice, his aide asked:

“It’s rare for you to show such direct displeasure, my lord. Has the Second Prince’s side committed some offense?”

“…”

“My lord, has the Second Prince done something offensive?”

“Indeed.”

The Duke nodded as if it were obvious.

“That bastard dared…”

‘Dared?’

Grr.

Seeing their lord gritting his teeth, everyone wondered about the reason for his anger.

‘For our lord, who rarely shows any change in expression, to display such clear emotion…’

‘What on earth did the Second Prince do?’

As all eyes gathered on him, the Duke opened his mouth.

“He dared to propose engagement to my little one.”

“…”

The aide stared at his lord with a bitter expression.

“Well, that could be meant as a gesture of goodwill…”

“No, how dare he!”

“How could a weak capital brat propose to our young lady!”

The aide’s voice, trying to offer advice to his lord from a rational perspective, was quickly drowned out by the loud voices of the burly knights.

“That’s right! To propose marriage to our cute and genius young lady, one should at least be a proper man!”

A knight shouted loudly, confidently flexing his arm muscles.

“A real man needs these northern muscles! Biceps! Triceps! Pectorals!”

“No! A real man needs legs! Look at these tree trunk legs. Calves, quads, glutes!”

‘What’s wrong with them! Those muscle-heads!’

‘I don’t think I’ll ever understand those guys.’

The born-bureaucrat aide shook his head in disgust. Beside him, his fellow civil officials pushed up their glasses as if they’d witnessed something unsightly.

For a moment, an invisible line seemed drawn in the office between the brain faction and the brawn faction, with distance growing between the advisors and knights.

“Anyway, to propose to the young lady, one should at least be a man of the North like us.”

Just like me! Muscles!

Before the knights could strike a pose as if chanting a body slogan, and before the aide could express his disgust again…

“No.”

The Duke’s eyes flashed as if to say such nonsense was unacceptable.

“No man will do.”

“What?”

For a moment, both civil and military vassals united in questioning.

“But, my lord. Then the young lady’s marriage…”

“Not happening.”

The duke cut off the question before it could be finished.

“Well, you can’t keep the young lady forever…”

“…”

“…or can you?”

The subordinate who had thoughtlessly opened his mouth suddenly found his thoughts becoming dreadful under the Duke’s gaze. The Duke’s eyes was filled with rage as warm as lava.

Others who had been determined to speak frankly also—

“Well, marriage might be… something that must happen or might not happen, yes, marriage is like that.”

“When children grow up, they eventually become independent from their parents… or they might live together forever, right?”

Faced with their lord’s golden eyes, which were as sharp as a blade, everyone came to appreciate diverse lifestyles that weren’t confined to the framework of marriage to the opposite sex.

Only then did the Duke nod, seemingly satisfied.

“…”

The aide, who had been watching the scene with a sour expression, returned to the original topic and asked:

“Anyway. So this offense committed by Second Prince Ritter was… proposing to the young lady?”

The aide asked dubiously, as if unsure this really counted as an offense.

The duke firmly nodded, his brow still furrowed as if highly displeased even thinking about it.

“To dare… to not give up his wicked intentions towards my child, and to try to approach her again.”

While the aide shook his head, beside him Carl nodded vigorously, seeming to agree with his father’s words.

“Ritter? Was that his name?”

Twitch.

The subordinates detected danger signals from Carl as he tilted his head.

“I’ll give him credit for the courage to stick his head directly into the northern lions’ den.”

“W-what do you mean by that?”

“When he sticks his neck out, I’ll cut it off myself.”

“Eek! You mustn’t, young master!”

The staff was exhausted trying to restrain Carl as he emanated an ominous killing intent.

“Second Prince Ritter.”

The duke, far from stopping Carl’s display of genuine murderous intent, actually muttered while lighting up his golden eyes with beast power as if entering battle himself.

“We’ll see.”

It was definitely not meant in a good way.

The royal family’s decision to send Riter to the North as part of the delegation thus achieved exactly the opposite of their intended effect.

Far from facilitating favorable negotiations by sending royalty directly, it instead ignited the ducal family’s hostility.

From the moment they confirmed Ritter’s name, the Aslan family began sharpening their blades, thinking of him as ‘that despicable bastard who dared flirt with my little one/bushy tail while I was away.’

*

That night.

On the terrace adjoining Beatty’s bedroom.

“Phew.”

Unaware of the commotion that had occurred in the office, Beatty sighed as she recalled the events of the day.

“Prince Ather really… I got my hopes up when he said he knew the best way to repay Father, but he was just teasing.”

Beatty’s cheeks puffed out in a pout as she leaned against the railing, grumbling.

“Really. What was that!”

Tap, tap!

Her small hands striking the railing were full of frustration at being toyed with.

Beatty voiced the ‘best repayment’ Ather had told her, as if it were utterly absurd.

“Just go and call him ‘Papa’,” he says.