Chapter 29. Use Value

[Toxic substances detected in Lotery’s perfumes……. The Royal Gendarmerie’s 3rd Investigation Division begins investigating the manufacturing process.]

It seemed that internal whistleblowers claimed artificial fragrances were the cause. Well, perfumes themselves aren’t a big deal. The problem was that the controversy over poor management was also surfacing.

Enoch crumpled the newspaper he had finished reading and threw it into the fireplace. The crimson flames greedily swallowed the thick paper bundle and flared up.

“Your Highness, should I bring more wine?”

“No, you may leave.”

“Yes, understood.”

After downing the remaining dark red liquid in the glass, he stood up and headed for the bathroom. Inside, the bathroom was filled with dense steam rising from the hot bathwater.

Enoch took off his robe and lowered himself into the white marble bathtub. As his massive weight settled in, the bathwater overflowed.

The water rippled along the artistic arrangement of his muscles. It was a perfect body, except for the long scar running from his left abdomen to his chest. A wound he had received in the war with Atreos.

The phantom pain that the scar occasionally caused had long since almost disappeared. The mage of Atreos, who boasted overwhelming power comparable to a human weapon, had left a scar on Enoch that even Penelope’s healing power couldn’t erase.

It’s not that he still suffers from the memory of that time. Enoch had joined the war not only to fulfill his duty as a watchdog of Freuden but also to forget about the ennui of his life. Boredom, tedium, monotony. Those were his thoughts on life.

The war was a dramatic stage that made him forget all that, and Enoch enjoyed the life-and-death battles.

In that war, the aggressor with ambitions of continental unification was Atreos, but the heroes of Freuden rampaged more than Atreos’s renowned mage corps. The result was a decisive victory for Freuden.

For the next few years, Atreos will not dare to invade Freuden. However, there is always the possibility of small-scale skirmishes by targeting the small countries allied with Freuden.

What a nuisance.

Enoch Bayern recalled today’s newspaper that he had skimmed through earlier. The downfall of Lotery. It happened exactly as Ellenore Lopez had predicted.

‘It’s too precise to be a coincidence.’

He considered the possibility that she might have overheard something in advance and lied as if she had foreseen it with magic, but it was unlikely that a noble lady, whose range of activities was limited to her home and social parties, possessed outstanding information-gathering abilities.

So, should he consider it to be real? That foresight magic.

Enoch’s consciousness, recalling the mirror of colorful lights that Ellenore had shown, traveled further back in time to the night of the spring ball when he first met her.

How pitiful and fragile she had looked then. Trembling and tearful under the advances of an old rake who knew no shame. Dressed far too modestly for a noble lady attending a spring ball.

Enoch had helped her out of a fleeting sense of pity that would leave no trace over time. She was a woman who should have been forgotten as an insignificant and blurry memory of a passing acquaintance. That was all.

How did it come to this?

It was only upon reaching that thought that Enoch realized he had taken an excessive interest in her. He was the one who had followed that pitiful shadow. When she tried to escape, he even felt a hunter’s impulse.

So, in a way, it was his actions that led her to choose him as a negotiating partner.

Enoch thought of Ellen again. This time, he recalled her more recent appearances.

She was fragile but not easily broken. She had a gentle nature but occasionally showed a fierce look in her eyes. While she confined herself to morality and etiquette with obsessive strictness, she did not ignore her impulses. She seemed delicate enough to be easily hurt, yet she built a strong fortress in her mind to protect herself.

When Enoch thought this far, he realized that he quite liked Ellenore Lopez’s personality.

Perhaps that was why. Even when he was with her, his habitual misanthropy did not arise.

After finishing his bath, he found a letter had arrived. The sender was Henry Frederick, Enoch’s dear brother and the king of this country.

With a disinterested expression, Enoch tore open the envelope and lay down on the bed with the letter in hand. Reading the letter indifferently, as if facing something exceedingly bothersome, a faint sneer appeared on his lips. It was contempt. And a bit of weariness.

If only he could firmly state that Iris Philoan was not to his taste, it might make things less troublesome in the future.

Henry was desperately trying to arrange a marriage between Iris Philoan and Enoch as if his life depended on it. It was unfortunate that Enoch’s response to Henry’s tearful efforts was so lackluster. But there was no helping it. He truly did not want to marry anyone.

Love, marriage, family, a future continuing into the next generation… He did not want to fit his life into such a common and conventional mold.

Everyone has a role in life. The world is a grand stage, and life is a play. People change their masks according to the changing environment. If he stepped onto the stage called ‘family,’ he would have to play the roles of ‘husband’ and ‘father.’

Enoch crumpled the letter irritably and laughed. He threw the crumpled paper somewhere and closed his eyes. Upon reflection, Penelope’s proposal made some sense.

She, too, did not want the role of ‘wife’ and ‘mother.’

Suddenly, Ellenore’s voice floated in his mind.

‘Your Highness, please love me for just one year.’
‘……The duration is only one year. After one year, the spell will be completely broken. I will never bother you beyond that.’

Just one year.

A short time if short, a long time if long.

It wasn’t a bad proposal. By rights, he should report Ellenore Lopez to the Mage’s Tower for illegal possession of dual magic.

‘……Her abilities are too valuable to be wasted locked up in the Mage’s Tower.’

The usual period for detaining a newly awakened mage at the Mage’s Tower for education is two years. However, in the case of mages with special abilities, they could be bound to the tower for life.

Ellenore’s foresight magic was undoubtedly the best among special abilities. If her ability became known to the world, it would surely cause a great stir. The Mage’s Tower would try to use her politically, and their adversaries would see her as a thorn in their side.

Rather than living a life of being constantly threatened, it would be more constructive to aim for the position of Grand Duchess.

Thinking that she probably came to him with such a realistic judgment in mind, Enoch couldn’t help but smile anew. It was amusing and endearing that she had used her little head to present conditions for an equal deal with him.

‘Just one year…’

You asked me to love you.

He didn’t know the extent of the effect of that love magic, but Enoch wasn’t afraid of the power of such magic. He had never been afraid of the unknown and would never be.

He knew better than anyone that he could never hold anyone dear. If he were to love someone, it would indeed have to be due to the power of magic.

It might be quite interesting to see the impossible become possible. A variation in his boring daily life might not be so bad.

Of course, more important than the amusement was her utility and value.

Monitoring the political situation of Atreos and other countries was tiring, even for him. It was enough to make his already sensitive nerves even more on edge.

But what if he could use Ellenore’s foresight magic?

He didn’t know the extent of the future she could see, but if she could foresee major events in the world, her ability would undoubtedly be helpful.

‘Well… love is of no consequence.’

A mere emotion could not affect him. Nothing would change. Except for having someone beautiful and lovable by his side.

‘She said the limit of her foresight magic is one year.’

She had said that, but whether it was true or not was uncertain. She might have lied to escape him after a year.

Unfortunately for her, Enoch had no intention of letting her go easily. He planned to use her foresight ability as long as possible, ideally for life.

If he had to act like he loved her to do so, he would.

Ellenore Lopez should be grateful for her utility. He had finally decided to extend his hand to her.

With a faint smile, Enoch took out a pale letter paper, spread it out on the desk, and picked up a fountain pen. A very simple letter informing that the Grand Duke of Bayern would visit the Lopez residence was quickly written under his hand.

* * *

The letter arrived early in the morning.

Seeing the sender’s name, Margot was so startled she felt her heart drop.

Enoch Bayern Frederick.

That name reminded her of a terrible mistake and simultaneously brought suffocating fear.

Margot was afraid of the Grand Duke of Bayern. He was different from the riffraff who only had the title of knight. He was a true killer who had taken lives on the battlefield. The immense pressure that seemed to crush her chest.

Thinking of that time still made her breathing irregular. With trembling hands, Margot tore open the envelope. Why? Why a letter from the Grand Duke of Bayern? For what reason?

[Today around 2 PM, I plan to visit the Lopez residence. Please inform Miss Ellenore Lopez.]

That was all the letter said. Asking about her well-being…

The letter contained exactly that and nothing more. There were no inquiries about well-being or any formal pleasantries.

Margot let out a small laugh as she folded the letter back into the envelope. The Grand Duke of Bayern is visiting the Lopez estate. To meet Ellenore. Why?

‘Surely, surely it can’t be that, but…….’

Pacing nervously in the living room, Margot thought quickly. Anthony’s gambling debts, Helene’s marriage, the money she received from Marquis Anderson……

Many problems flashed through her mind. The only way to solve all those troubles was to… sell Ellenore to Marquis Anderson.

But, if Grand Duke Bayern were to… propose to Ellenore, although it was unlikely.

‘No.’

The plan to marry Ellenore to Marquis Anderson would fall apart.

Even if she married the Grand Duke, there was no way that girl would support the family.

‘I can’t let Ellen meet the Grand Duke.’

It didn’t take long to make up her mind. Margot led a few servants to Ellenore’s attic. Forcing the locked door open, she roughly dragged the soundly sleeping Ellen out.

Then she locked her in a windowless room at the end of the second-floor hallway.

The next task was clear. Margot quickly ordered a servant.

“Send a message to Marquis Anderson. Tell him to come to the Lopez estate immediately…”

* * *