Chapter 6.The Embedded Thorn

Claude was invited to a banquet at the mansion of Miguel Pasto, the leader representing the Senate composed of nobles.

He crossed the banquet hall where a considerable number of senators had already taken their seats and found his place.

“I’m late.”

“It’s quite surprising that someone like you with such a precise sense of time would be tardy.”

Miguel, seated at the head of the table, opened the conversation with apparent surprise.

He was a count in his 60s with graying hair who had held the position of Senate leader for over 30 years.

“Perhaps the Duke is busy with his romantic endeavors?”

“Come to think of it, didn’t he bring a woman to the reception hall the other day?”

At another senator’s remark, Miguel interlocked his fingers and asked. He too had heard rumors that Duke Heinst had brought a woman of mysterious age as his partner.

A discussion about the delegation, they said.

When questions about who the mysterious woman he brought to the reception hall was came up right from the start, Claude was rapidly enveloped in fatigue.

“That woman…… was my escort who attended with me.”

“Escort? You mean she’s a female knight?”

“Not a knight, just one of my subordinates.”

Claude chose to call her a subordinate, knowing that referring to her as a maid would invite all sorts of comments.

“I’ve never heard of dancing with a subordinate before…… Tell us honestly.”

“I only wanted to avoid complications, there was no special meaning.”

Claude lightly brushed off the responses of those showing interest in Flora and gestured to a servant. Soon, red wine trickled into his glass.

“I see, you were trying to avoid women.”

Miguel clicked his tongue sympathetically, as if he understood.

“It’s been nearly three years since you inherited the position of duke, shouldn’t you establish a mistress of the house soon?”

“I haven’t found a suitable woman yet.”

Claude responded indifferently.

At that moment, a senator sitting across from him casually brought up a topic.

“I wonder what you think of Lady Sternbrow.”

Claude’s brow furrowed slightly. Miguel glanced at his reaction and, as if reading his mind, intercepted the conversation.

“That might have been possible before, but the current Lady Sternbrow would hardly be suitable now. Strictly speaking, the one who was engaged to the Duke wasn’t Rosaline Sternbrow but Lady Leila Sternbrow, wasn’t it?”

Claude silently took a sip of wine. His long eyes, full of boredom, soon became distant.

He remembered the lady with whom he once had marriage talks. She was a girl with such expressive features that she remained vivid in his mind from their first meeting.

Yes. Completely opposite to the expressionless Flora.

That girl often smiled even in front of his stoic demeanor, and she particularly kept her eyes on his sword. When he asked why, the girl said she was afraid of swords.

He thought it was understandable for a mere seven-year-old child, but whenever knights passed by, the girl would stare at them for a long time.

Seeing that her gaze lingered with admiration rather than fear, Claude had casually offered his sword.

‘Want to touch it once?’

‘……Is that allowed?’

Even by the lakeside, where they were alone, the girl asked cautiously, as if afraid someone might overhear. And when she held the sword, she smiled brightly, as though she was beholding the world’s most precious treasure.

After that, she said she had started practicing swordsmanship. Her eyes, full of expectation that she would become a great knight like her father someday, sparkled like the cobalt-colored lake that shone blue that day.

It was fascinating. Unlike himself who wielded a sword out of necessity, she had set a clear goal and chosen her own path.

After those two meetings, there were no significant opportunities to meet again. The next time news of the girl reached Claude’s ears was several years later.

During a turbulent period marked by the new Emperor’s ascension and subsequent declaration of war, he woke up in the middle of the night and happened to overhear a conversation between his father and his adjutant.

‘What are you saying! The lord and lady of Sternbrow were murdered?!’

‘It’s urgent news that just came in. It seems Verseum made the first move.’

It was shocking news like a bolt from the blue.

He was considerably shaken by the fact that a great family had experienced such a tragedy overnight.

‘My goodness, were they all killed? Are there any survivors……’

‘The son is dead, and the daughter’s whereabouts are unknown.’

Something seemed to snap inside him. Leila’s bright smiling face naturally came to mind.

Somewhat relieved that she wasn’t confirmed dead, he believed his father would help search for the missing Leila.

But his father had no reason to act for a woman who was merely engaged to him on paper.

The tragedy of House Sternbrow had a significant impact on noble society, but the investigation was continuously postponed due to the war, and eventually ended with the lord’s younger brother inheriting the title of marquis.

At one point, he had secretly sent people to inquire about her whereabouts. He wasn’t sure why he cared so much about a girl he had only met twice.

However, even that effort fizzled out when his participation in the war was decided. There was no need to search further as she had likely died during the long war.

Claude put aside his bitter taste and spoke.

“More importantly, it’s strange that she claims to be Marquis Sternbrow’s daughter.”

At his response, the nobles exchanged silent glances. Relief appeared on the face of the noble who had brought up the topic, and Miguel also quietly nodded.

The Senate was responsible for keeping the imperial power in check, which naturally put it at odds with the Marquis, a close ally of the Emperor.

Bishrom, who stood by the Emperor’s side, often spoke of disbanding the Senate, dismissing their proposals as mere nagging. From their perspective, he was a most unwelcome figure.

Miguel quietly examined Claude’s face and opened his mouth.

“Duke Heinst, I hear your knights are still in the south.”

Claude turned his gaze and stared directly at Miguel. A deep wariness flashed across his otherwise impassive face.

“Was the purpose of seeking me out…… to inquire about my private army?”

Claude let out a dry laugh as he briefly raised his eyes to scan the faces of the nobles one by one.

Claude wasn’t the only commander who had come to the capital alone at the Emperor’s sudden command. Most commanders, including Admiral Bargon who had been the commander of the eastern region, had been summoned, except for those in the northern region.

And unlike the troops of others who had gradually come up to the capital over the past few months, the number of Heinst soldiers was significantly fewer.

Miguel spoke with a grave face and evident difficulty.

“We’d like to know if you have any plans to summon your knights to the capital soon.”

“I didn’t realize the Senate had such interest in my knights.”

Despite the sarcasm in his voice, Miguel remained firm.

“Do you think we don’t know the size of your private army?”

“Since everyone here seems to have already made their guesses…… let’s get to the point.”

Tired of the roundabout conversation, Claude asked directly, finding politics frustratingly complex with its circumlocutions.

“Are you coveting my knights?”

“Don’t see us as mere greedy individuals. We’re simply curious because you seem to be taking a different path from your father. You know, if it were your father, he would have already sent most of his knights to the capital as imperial troops.”

“Well…… Unlike my father, I tend to do things as I please……”

Claude, with an enigmatic expression, languidly stroked his chin.

“But I’m not the type to be used in other people’s power struggles.”

He could clearly read their intentions. He should have been suspicious when the Senate called for him, especially to a private mansion rather than the hall.

“Don’t trust His Majesty too much. He may hold you in high regard now, but His Majesty inherently doesn’t trust those stronger than himself. There’s always a possibility that you too could be backstabbed and cast out.”

So that’s what this was about.

Claude could easily guess their suspicions. The Senate had arranged this meeting to firmly draw him to the noble faction after reading the subtle relationship between Claude and Bishrom.

A bitter smile involuntarily escaped him.

After the war, when they should have united their strength, the nobles were divided into two factions. The so-called imperial faction and the noble faction—Marquis Bishrom represented the imperial faction, while the Senate was synonymous with the noble faction.

The Heinst family was superficially part of the imperial faction due to the previous generation’s influence, but in truth, Claude was closer to neutral. More precisely, he didn’t want to be involved with either side.

He quietly put down his knife and elegantly wiped his mouth with a napkin.

“I regret to say that I hate complicated matters and have no intention of getting involved with either side.”