CH 3

The worry was a more fundamental part. Now that things have become like this, he might not be able to remain in the military, and that was the problem. According to the rule of the Great Code, which does not allow unmarried aristocrats to serve in the military, it meant that he could not remain in the military after divorce. It would be nice if he doesn’t have to face the disgraceful discharge, let alone the promotion he was expecting.

“I only have a request.” 

However, just because he was struck by lightning from the dry sky, that doesn’t mean he could merely sit down and resent the sky. Eugène had realized at the young age of five that he had to pioneer his future, so he opened his mouth with a face that showed no signs of discomposure.

“What is it? Tell me.”

“As you may know, I don’t have any relatives to stand as witnesses for the trial. My family’s fortune was unlucky, and all the blood relatives I could rely on died early, so I’m in a position of an orphan. Since I found out about this matter so suddenly, I don’t even have the time to ask my distant relatives, so what am I supposed to do? With all due respect, I want Your Excellency to be my witness. It may be difficult, but I request you.”

“You think I don’t know about your circumstances? Don’t worry. Being a witness on your side in this trial was originally what I wanted to ask myself.” 

“Thank you, Your Excellency.”

Eugène bowed his head with profundity. Thank goodness. As expected, The Marquis seemed to take more than a certain percentage of responsibility for this. After all, the Marquis was a person who showed great interest in Eugène to such an extent that he chose his niece and married her to him by hand. In the meantime, considering his meritorious service, he knew he won’t lose.

“Don’t say that. Do I deserve to be thanked by you? I’m plainly sorry to have caused you so much trouble with my vexatious niece.”

“I know very well it wasn’t what anyone wanted. It just so happened that way. Please don’t worry about it.”

Eugène replied with a soft tone to the Marquis’ apology. His calmness was deep and unwavering. His complexion, without even the wrath of a husband, who had his reputation tarnished because of his wife’s promiscuous conduct, seemed composed at first glance.

“Then I shall be taking my leave.”

He picked up his hat and stood up. After seeing him rise, the Marquis stood up himself and followed him. Eugène put on his hat and bowed once more.

“Where are you going? It’s okay to stay at my house as usual.” 

“No, whilst I’m grateful to you for being a witness, I don’t want to add to the nonsense going around. Fortunately, there are many good inns in the capital, so I’m thinking of going there. When a place to stay is decided, I’ll have an errand boy contact you.”

Though he was speaking calmly, there didn’t seem to be any room to change his mind. There was a point in what he said, so the Marquis simply nodded and begrudgingly let him go. Eugène turned around and left the study. After he left, the Marquis took his seat again and rubbed his throbbing temple with his thumb as he let out a deep sigh.

Indeed, he had lost the face to see Baron Amieux. What kind of disgrace was this just because one niece had made a blunder? What an ingrate. She married a young man who had a title and a promising future despite being the third daughter of a local baron, but this is how she paid her gratitude, no matter how unfulfilling the married life was.

Goodness, my head. Stupid fellow, I had my hands on such a blessing. 

The Marquis, saddened by the foolish choice of his niece, clicked his tongue low in his mind.

In the Marquis’ eyes, the niece was simply making a fool out of herself. No. It was as if she was digging her own grave, going beyond the foolery.

Ignorant people did not hesitate to regard the Duke of Fernand as the best bachelor in the empire. Sleek appearance and sophisticated speaking skills. He was a noble prince who seemed to have just been drawn out of the picture with proper manners and no errors. In addition, he had a strong background as the son of Grand Duchess Alienor, the leader of the central nobility, and was even a powerful heir to the throne.

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But the Marquis knew. What they see through the Duke of Fernand was all but a vain dream. The Duke of Fernand is a young and charming heir to the throne, but his future was at stake. This is because Ebroin V, the current Emperor, and a soldier, was as smart as an eagle and as cold-blooded as a viper, and would not leave such a threatening heir to the throne as it is.

Ebroin V already had five children, but even the oldest of them, Prince Sigeber, was currently seven years old. On the other hand, the Duke of Fernand was at the age of twenty-seven.

Even if the Emperor was still young, as long as he remains a human, he didn’t know the future. The Emperor ascended to the throne at the age of only ten after the sudden death of Emperor Armand IV, so he would not overlook this important fact.

That day won’t be too far away. I can tell just by looking at this. His Majesty has already begun to check up on the Duke. 

The experienced Marquis was more than capable of guessing the inside story of this incident. Unable to hold back the rising sigh, he let it out. Failure to do so could endanger not only the niece but also him.

The current situation was as close as walking on thin ice. The scandal broke out as soon as the Emperor returned to the capital after achieving victory in the Landrienne Revolution. The Marquis did not consider this ingenious time difference to be a mere coincidence.

The Emperor was a man of terrifyingly strong action. It was the Emperor who ascended to the throne as a ten-year-old puppet and became the true owner of the empire in twelve years. The Marquis had no doubts that the Emperor had planned this before the war was even over. His Majesty will surely remain.

You can’t see even an inch ahead, can you? Fool. I just wanted to make a connection with Baron Amieux for good. 

The Marquis, expecting the gloomy future of his niece, clicked his tongue and shook his head. The child’s narrow view ruined his own life.

The Marquis had lost one child early and was not only raising his wife’s niece as his own daughter but was also envisioning her husband, Eugène, as his successor. To the Marquis, Eugène was such an attractive talent, and despite what was happening, he still didn’t want to let go of him.

Even though Eugène was talented, he was not greedy, so the work was fair. He also had a manly charm, and he had a strong reputation among his subordinates and colleagues. But what the Marquis liked more than anything was the fact that Eugène had no other background.

Although he was of noble origin, he was a complete newcomer who did not belong to any faction. This meant that the Marquis could bring him under his full control, making Eugène the perfect heir to the childless Marquis. 

The Marquis’ initiating the marriage of his favorite niece to him was just the cornerstone of his grandiose plan. However, the stone that was placed was caught up in the storm and flew away, so the Marquis had no choice but to be dumbstruck.

***

Eugène Lothair de Chastan.

The manager of Argenson Inn, the capital’s number one inn, glanced at the trajectory of the powerful cursive writing that embroidered the lodging book. After the victory of the Landrienne Revolution, the man wearing a rare red uniform, rather than the blue uniform overflowing the capital, caught the eye once more, even his identity. 

Chastan? Where have I heard it? It’s a name that seems to come to mind, but it certainly didn’t come to mind. The manager tilted his head for a moment at the memories that seemed to float and could not be captured, then shook his head and suppressed the useless curiosity.

What’s the point of remembering? How could a nobleman stay at an inn? Definitely a low-ranking noble, at best.

Although it was rare, it was not an impossible case, so the manager ignored the fact indifferently. He didn’t intend to treat him as someone special just because he knew that the man was a noble. The other person was in a situation where he had to stay at the inn even after coming up to the capital.

As far as he knows, there is only one case where he would have to stay at an inn as a nobleman. When there are no townhouses in the capital, no relatives to rely on, and no financial resources to rent another noble’s mansion. 

In other words, what everyone mainly referred to as the fallen nobility.

In the eyes of the manager, the man in front of him, wearing a Navy uniform rather than an Army under an old overcoat, didn’t look any different. The manager’s speculation was also supported by the faint traces of western dialect in his accent. He was an aristocrat and didn’t know how to use the proper court language. Wasn’t that good enough for a conclusion?

“Go up to the third floor and it is the third room on the left. There is no set meal time, but dinner is ready from 4:00 to 6:00, so the restaurant would not operate during those hours.”

The manager slid the shiny silver key over the counter as he explained in a business-like manner. The fallen noble put the key in his pocket and asked the manager. 

“I’d like to request for an errand boy, how do I pay?”

“Our guests can order the errand boys for free. What do you need one for?”

“I’d like to send a message.”

“If that’s the case, you can just tell me here. I’ll take care of it.” 

“Is that so? Then I’ll request you. Go to the residence of the Marquis of La Baille, and tell him that Chastan sent you, and tell him the number of the room I’m staying in. If you need to contact me, send me a message here.”

“Yes, understood.”

The manager laughed at the man inwardly but answered politely without any display. The person was following the behavior of a typical fallen noble. The sloppy bluff that wants to show off as an influential noble who somehow wants to appeal to the great nobility.

Even so, if the other party doesn’t contact you, you’ll be caught, so he didn’t know why they did that. Perhaps the sense of entitlement to stay in an inn that is not appropriate for their status made them do that, but in reality, such an act was merely a form of self-inflicted embarrassment. 

A manager of a pragmatic nature who was born and raised as a merchant’s son could not understand why the nobles acted in such pathetic ways.

“Oh, and also, in case someone comes to visit me, then show them to my room right away.”

The fallen noble who was about to turn around stopped for a moment and spoke again. Yes, of course, I will. The manager nodded earnestly and sneered.

However, no matter what he thought inside, his service face, which had been cultivated for a long time, was not disturbed in the slightest. He looked as if he believed every word of what the fallen nobleman was saying. 

“Understood.”

It was then. The man who was waiting for his turn after the fallen noble suddenly spoke to him.

“-Excuse me, did you say Chastan?”

The nobleman, who was just about to leave the front desk, turned his head when he heard the call. A man dressed in a lavish purple velvet coat and a yellow silk vest, typical of a wealthy merchant, approached Eugène with a delighted face. Eugène tilted his head at the familiarity of the man he had seen for the first time in his life. He didn’t know who the man was. 

“That’s right. Do you know me?”

“What a pleasure to see you! You really are Admiral Chastan. I wouldn’t have so sure if I had only seen the back. Don’t you know me? I’m Victor Adelphe. Victor of the Adelphe Chamber! Did you not save our upper part from being attacked by pirates in Kelkodas two years ago?”

Eugène narrowed his brows and looked at him without a word. Victor was so delighted, as if he had met his deceased father again, and asked with a slight disappointment that Eugène did not recognize him quickly.

“Don’t you remember me? Your Excellency The Admiral?” 

“Did you say Kelkodas two years ago?”

“That’s right, Your Excellency.”

“Then, perhaps, the ship that was towed by a warship as it was unable to sail on its own…”

“Wahahaha. So you do remember me. Of course, such an impressive event cannot be easily forgotten. Thank you for taking our ship safely to the port. I have always wanted to visit and pay my gratitude to you for saving my life, but I couldn’t make time for it because I was just so busy. Come to think of it, it’s a great fate to meet you like this. I’ll buy you dinner. Let’s go.” 

The man laughed loudly and chattered. It was an exaggerated act, but it didn’t feel particularly negative because there wasn’t any sort of pretense under his smile.

“No, there’s no need for that. I only did my duty as a soldier.”

“That won’t do. Are you doing this to punish me for being ignorant of my lifesaver thus far? All right, all right. Please don’t hesitate and come with me. I will guide you to the best restaurant in the capital.”

The lively man pressed Eugène in a friendly manner. After hesitating for a while, Eugène could not resist the man’s sincere invitation again and left the inn with him. Although he seemed unwilling, he could not shake off the man’s request, which showed only pure goodwill. 

The manager watched the series of scenes as it were, and became incredibly embarrassed. Wait, what do you mean by admiral? He’s an admiral? The manager was genuinely surprised to find out that the man who had only seemed like a fallen noble, was unexpectedly an influential figure. Although it was said that the Navy is on a lower level when compared to the Army, it was not to the extent that even high-ranking officers were ignored. An admiral who leads a fleet is at the level of a general, and in order to reach that position, not only abilities but also connections were necessary. Naturally, for a soldier to be of such a high rank, there was no way that his family wasn’t influential.

Come to think of it, His Excellency The Marquis of La Baille is The Fleet Admiral of the Navy.

Realizing that Eugène was a completely different person from his preconceived notions, the manager quickly rang the bell and called for an errand boy. It would have been a big mess if he had not. He thought it was no big deal, so he tried to run the errand slowly, but now that he sees it, he felt like he was going to be punished if he did something wrong. This was a message from the Admiral of the Navy to the Fleet Admiral of the Navy. It would be very difficult if it’s delivered late and is misunderstood as an act of rebellion.

“What’s the matter, Manager?” 

A quick-footed errand boy who was working in the kitchen quickly ran to the front desk. The manager wrote the name and number of the inn on an office paper, sealed it in an envelope, and held it out to the errand boy.

“Take this to the residence of the Marquis of La Baille, and tell him that Admiral Chastan told you to deliver it. This is an important letter, so it must be delivered quickly.”

“Yes, understood!”

The youngster answered gallantly and ran out into the street. The manager looked at the back of the boy running out as he took a handkerchief from his inner pocket, and wiped his sweaty forehead.