It took me five full seconds to come to terms with what the Grand Duke said.

“What?!” I exclaimed, jumping out of my seat. “You two are getting married? Why?”

Grand Duke Kaltbrand sighed, and gestured for me to sit down. When I didn’t comply right away, he gave me a stern look. I glared right back at him.

“Wulfe,” Knight Commander Bardin said, “Sit down.”

I glanced at her, before obeying.

“Why do you listen to her and not me?” Grand Duke Kaltbrand demanded. “I’m the Grand Duke.”

I gestured towards Knight Commander Bardin.

“She is my teacher,” I said, “And I favor her over you.”

Grand Duke Kaltbrand clutched his heart and made a faux pained expression.

“You wound me, Wulfe.” he said. “And here I thought that we had grown close over the past several weeks.”

“We have.” I said. “However, I still favor Mom over you.”

Grand Duke Kaltbrand scoffed, before he shook his head and chuckled.

“To answer your question, Wulfe,” he said, moving the conversation along, “Sofie and I are getting married to quiet any dissenters who would try to use your… supposed illegitimacy against you.”

Knight Commander Bardin let out a sigh.

“While I was against the idea at first, Anselm convinced me of the necessity of it.” she said.

I looked between the two of them.

“So, you two are actually getting married?” I asked. “You aren’t pretending to be engaged as part of a ploy?”

They both nodded. I opened my mouth to ask why they would go so far, since I would leave in a year. They weren’t in love with each other. That much was clear to me. So, why would they get married?

My eyes widened as a revelation washed over me.

“Mo-…Teacher is your real heir’s mother.” I said. “They are what I am pretending to be. That’s why you are getting married. It is for their sake.”

Grand Duke Kaltbrand’s expression grew strained, while Knight Commander Bardin looked conflicted.

“Yes,” the Grand Duke said. “You’re exactly right, Wulfe. Sofie and I have an illegitimate child together. That child is my real heir. We are getting married for their sake.”

So I was pretending to be Grand Duke Kaltbrand’s bastard child, with Knight Commander Bardin as the mother. However, the Grand Duke’s real heir was his bastard child, with the Knight Commander as the mother. The same knight commander, who was the Grand Duke’s wife’s bastard sister and my teacher. My head hurt just by thinking about the tangled web I found myself in.

“How does this affect our contract?” I asked. “According to our agreement, Teacher is supposed to adopt me and name me the heir to House Bardin.” I frowned. “Wait a moment, if she adopts me and you two get married, wouldn’t that make me your adopted stepson?”

As if this web needed to get tangled even further.

“Why did you start calling me ‘Teacher’ again?” Knight Commander Bardin asked with a frown. “We agreed that you would call me ‘Mom.’”

“Is that really important right now?” I asked, incredulous.

Knight Commander Bardin stared at me with a strange intensity.

“Yes.” she said.

I sighed.

“It feels strange to call you ‘Mom’ now that I know the real heir to House Kaltbrand is your child.”

“You had no problem calling Duke Guld ‘Father’ and Duchess Guld ‘Mother’ when you lived with them.” the Knight Commander said. “Why should it be any different for us?”

“They adopted me!”

Though they adopted me as a substitute for their real son, I still considered Duke and Duchess Guld my parents. That would never change.

“And I’m adopting you,” Knight Commander Bardin retorted, “So call me ‘Mom’ from now on, even in public.”

I stared at her in bafflement. Why did it matter so much to her? She wanted me to call her ‘Mom’, yet felt embarrassed whenever I did so. What a strange woman. Much as I admired and respected Knight Commander Bardin, I couldn’t deny that.

“You will still inherit House Bardin,” Grand Duke Kaltbrand said, looking amused for some reason, “Meanwhile, our son will inherit House Kaltbrand. We will put that in the marriage contract.”

I nodded. That was the usual course of action whenever the heads of two noble houses married each other. Either they merged the two houses into one, or they had one child inherit one house and another child to inherit the other. Of course, our situation was more unusual than most.

Adopted by one ducal house, before being adopted by another noble house and then marrying into a ducal house unrelated to the first one. It was safe to say that I lived a strange, and convoluted, life.

“I’m curious.” I said. “How did you two end up having a child together? You two are close, but it doesn’t seem like you’re in love with each other.” I paused. “Unless I’m blind and never noticed the signs.”

Normally I wouldn’t pry, but it seemed right to ask, given the current mood in the room. Grand Duke Kaltbrand and Knight Commander shared a look.

“It happened a few weeks after Johanna’s death.” the Knight Commander said in a quiet voice. “We both loved her with all of our hearts. Her absence left a gaping hole in our lives. We were two lost souls who sought comfort in each other’s arms.”

“I was a wreck back then,” the Grand Duke said in a wry voice. “If it hadn’t been for Sofie, I don’t think I would have ever recovered from losing Johanna.” His expression hardened. “She also protected me from the ladies who tried to take advantage of my situation, such as Countess Steuben.” He looked at Knight Commander Bardin and his expression softened. “For that, I am eternally grateful. You saved me from a lifetime of misery.”

Knight Commander Bardin shook her head.

“I am your sword, Your Grace,” she said. “It is my duty to protect you.”

“And now you will protect me as my wife.”

Knight Commander Bardin’s face scrunched up.

“Please don’t remind me.”

“Is the idea of marrying me that repulsive?”

Knight Commander Bardin looked thoughtful for a moment.

“No,” she said, “You aren’t the problem. It’s the position of Grand Duchess. I never wanted it.”

It looked like the two of them had forgotten about me, lost in their own little world as they were. I guessed this was my cue to leave.

“If you don’t mind,” I said, standing up, “I shall take my leave now.”

Grand Duke Kaltbrand nodded.

“You may go.” he said. “Sofie and I have something we need to discuss in private.”

With that, I left the Grand Duke’s study. As I made my way back to my rooms, I thought about the real heir to House Kaltbrand. I had to admit, even if only to myself, I felt a little envious of this mysterious son. Perhaps it was greedy of me, but a part of me wished that it could have been me.

I shook my head. What was I thinking? I already had Duke and Duchess Guld for parents, assuming they still wanted me as their son. Wanting to be the son of Grand Duke Kaltbrand and Knight Commander Bardin was asking for too much.

However, just as I reached my rooms and retired for the night, a thought occurred to me. The late Grand Duchess passed away about a year before the chaos caused by the large horde of demonic beasts that invaded the Barrens. Given the timing of events, the real heir to House Kaltbrand and I were about the same age.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

What if…?

I shook my head before finishing that thought. That was enough wishful thinking for tonight.

----------------------------------------

The next day was a busy one for me. While Grand Duke Kaltbrand decided to throw a week-long banquet in order to celebrate his (fake) son’s debut, this was also the seasonal meeting where House Kaltbrand’s vassals congregated to discuss the Barrens’ affairs. Now that the Grand Duke had declared me as his heir, I had every right to participate in these meetings. In fact, it was mandatory, if only to keep up the facade.

Many of House Kaltbrand’s vassals were unhappy about this. The ones who followed House Arbeit were the most vocal about it, but the rest made their discontent known in other ways. Chief among them was Countess Steuben, Lord Klemens’ mother. Like her son, she hid her malice behind a smile. However, from her whispered words and barbed comments, it was clear that she resented me for taking what she thought belonged to her son.

That said, I was not without allies. House Gerhard’s faction supported me with enthusiasm. This made dealing with the rest of the vassals more bearable. Count Wirner’s backing also played a huge part. It seemed that several of the vassals had assumed that he would resent me, since his bastard daughter supplanted his legitimate daughter’s role; both by getting engaged to the grand duke and by bearing his heir. However, Count Wirner made it very clear that he supported me and Knight Commander Bardin.

As for the remaining nobles, the ones who weren’t the heads of House Kaltbrand’s vassal families, I tasked the twins with keeping an eye on them. That way, if any of them tried anything, I would know about it. I also asked Lord Wilhelm and Lady Adelheid to try and sway as many nobles as they could into joining my side. My goal was to chip away at House Steuben and House Arbeit’s influence, until they no longer presented a threat to me; or rather, to Grand Duke Kaltbrand’s real heir.

To that end, I gave Lord Wilhelm and Lady Adelheid permission to hint at their new partnership with House Guld. This was a risk, since I hadn’t heard back from Lina and nothing was set in stone, but it was a necessary risk. The Barrens imported a lot of its food from the Riverlands, which was ruled by House Guld. Using that against my political enemies was a dirty, but effective, tactic.

Lady Adelheid’s eyes gleamed when I asked her to do this, since this was everything she could have hoped for. After years of being mocked and looked down upon, she now had the advantage over her former tormentors. Lord Wilhelm felt the same way, though his reaction was more understated.

After the meeting ended, I considered retiring to my rooms in order to rest. After all, the second night of the banquet would be just as tiring as the first. However, I had other plans. In addition to the banquet for the nobles, Grand Duke Kaltbrand organized a festival for the rest of Frostheart in order to celebrate his son’s debut.

When I first heard of this, I thought of a certain group of people and asked Viscount Holtz to look into them for me. He seemed confused by this, but complied with my request. When he came back to me a few days later with the information I requested, I decided to plan out another event, one that would run concurrently to the banquet and the festival. Of course, I asked the Grand Duke for permission and he granted it without hesitation.

Baron Edmund Kirch, House Kaltbrand’s steward, ended up helping me with this task. At first he was skeptical of my intentions, but after I explained what I wanted, he was enthusiastic about helping me. Rather than rest in my rooms, I decided to check out the results of my labor.

I disguised myself as a commoner, dressing myself in the clothing from my mercenary days, before leaving Kaltbrand Castle. Unfortunately, I wasn’t alone. Given my position as the (fake) heir to House Kaltbrand, I couldn’t wander about Frostheart without an escort. Nevermind that I was an Aura Master and could defeat all three of my bodyguards with ease.

Since it was afternoon, Elise accompanied me, also in disguise. I would have preferred Sir Kane, since I was more familiar with him, but he guarded me during the mornings. Rather than complain about it, I decided to use this as an opportunity to learn more about Elise. Of my three bodyguards, she was the one I was least close to. I was friends with Sir Kane, and Victor warmed up to me after I saved him back when we hunted the Proteans. However, Elise and I remained distant from each other. I figured this was a good opportunity to rectify that.

“If you don’t mind me asking, my lord,” she said as we left Kaltbrand Castle, “Where are we going?”

“You’ll see when we get there, Dame Elise.” I said. “Don’t worry. It isn’t anyplace dangerous.”

Elise gave me a skeptical look at that, but didn’t say anything. Now that it was the middle of spring, the temperature had warmed up enough that it felt comfortable to go outside, even for regular people. Of course, it was colder than spring in the Riverlands, but that was to be expected.

The late afternoon sun bathed the entire city of Frostheart with its golden rays. The streets were packed with people enjoying the festival. Entertainers of all kinds performed out in the open, such as jesters, jugglers, and dancers. Stalls selling everything from meat skewers to cheap jewelry lined the streets, with vendors hawking their wares. People cheered and laughed as they enjoyed themselves. The smell of cooking food and beer filled the air. The excitement and jubilation was so palpable, that I couldn’t help but smile.

This was all thanks to Grand Duke Kaltbrand. It must have cost him an astronomical sum to throw a celebration like this. I felt a bit uneasy that everyone was celebrating a lie, but only a bit. If nothing else, I’m sure everyone was enjoying themselves. Well, almost everyone. The city guard must have had their hands full trying to maintain law and order.

It took Elise and I some time to navigate our way through the crowds filling the streets. We could have forced our way through, since we were both Aura users, but that defeated the purpose of disguising myself. Otherwise, I would have ridden in one of House Kaltbrand’s many carriages.

Elise frowned when we neared our destination. The neighborhood we were in was one of Frostheart's poorer areas. It wasn’t a slum, but it was clear that the residents weren’t affluent by any means. Elise maintained a vigilant watch as we traveled through the area. Her frown morphed into a look of surprise when we arrived at a two-story stone building with a courtyard adjacent to it.

Children of all ages filled the yard and enjoyed their own little festival. There were foods and games aplenty for all of them. Several adults supervised the children, and a pair of city guards kept an eye on everything, to make sure nothing untoward happened.

Watching the children play reminded me of the other orphans I grew up with, back in the orphanage at Towerton. We hadn’t been particularly close, but we stuck together out of necessity. We watched each others’ backs, because no one else would. A few of my fellow orphans stood out in my memory, though I only remembered their nicknames and not their actual names.

There was Bull, the biggest of us all, who had a temper to match his nickname. Squirrel and her younger brother, Little Squirrel, who earned their nicknames because of their fluffy light brown hair. Foxy, who liked to scheme and make deals with the other orphans. My nickname, of course, had been Wolfie.

After House Guld adopted me, I never returned to the orphanage. However, at my behest, Moth-… Duchess Guld sponsored the orphanage and ensured the remaining orphans lived better lives from that point on. Last I heard, Bull became a blacksmith’s apprentice, Squirrel and her brother got adopted by a family from outside of the Riverlands, and Foxy joined a merchant group.

“What is this?” Elise asked, staring at the children.

“An orphanage.” I answered. “One of three located within Frostheart. Orphans are often overlooked, especially by those in power, so I took it upon myself to ensure that they were included in the festivities.”

Elise stared at me in shock.

“Why?” she asked. An emotion that I couldn’t decipher filled her eyes.

“Why not?” I asked. “I figured everyone deserved to enjoy themselves during the festival, regardless of their circumstances.” I gestured to the orphanage. “Let us go say hello.”

Before Elise could answer, I headed towards the courtyard. She followed me a moment later. The city guards watched our approach, but made no move to hinder us. I figured that as long as we didn’t cause any trouble, they would leave us alone. One of the adults supervising the children, a middle-aged woman with a matronly air, noticed us and walked in our direction. A boy, who looked to be either eight or nine years of age, clung to her side and eyed us with suspicion.

“Hello,” the woman said, wariness evident on her face, “May I help you?”

“Hello,” I said, giving her a smile, “My name is Wulfram. I’m here to check in on the orphanage.”

The woman’s expression morphed into one of joy.

“Oh!” she exclaimed. “So you’re our benefactor!” She reached forward and grasped my hands in hers. “You have no idea how grateful we are for your donations. The children are able to enjoy themselves thanks to you.”

When I started this endeavor, I decided to use my real name. That way, I could visit the orphanages as myself and not as Wulfe Kaltbrand.

“Think nothing of it.” I said. “I have enjoyed many blessings in my life, and I thought it was only right that I shared some of those blessings with others.”

The matronly woman opened her mouth to respond, but the boy by her side spoke up first.

“What do you want from us?” he demanded.

I looked at him. He glared at me through narrowed eyes.

“What makes you think I want anything from you?” I asked, giving him a curious look.

“Rich folk like you don’t do anything for people like us unless you wanted something in return.” he said.

From the wariness in the boy’s eyes, it was clear that he had lived a hard life, one that forced him to grow up fast. He had been hurt by others, and likely more than once.

“Peter!” the matron said, her cheeks flushed red. She looked at me. “I’m sorry. Please forgive him. Peter doesn’t trust many adults.”

I shook my head.

“There is no need to apologize.” I said. I knelt down before the boy, Peter, and looked him right in the eyes. “Let me tell you a secret. I grew up in an orphanage like this one.”

Peter gave me a skeptical look.

“Really?” he asked.

I nodded.

“Yes, really.” I said. “It was in this town called Towerton, located to the southwest of here, in the Riverlands.” I paused for a moment as I recalled my childhood. “Whenever there was a festival or celebration, we were always left out. Everyone always chased us off, calling us nuisances or thieves. We could only watch as others ate delicious foods and played fun games without us.”

Pain filled Peter’s eyes, the pain that only another orphan could understand, the pain of being abandoned and unwanted. It was the same kind of pain I felt as a child.

“To answer your question from earlier,” I said, “I want you and the other children here to enjoy yourselves the way I couldn’t when I was your age. Could you do that for me, Peter?”

Peter bit his lip to keep from crying and nodded. I smiled at him.

“Good.” I said. “That’s all I ask.”

I stood up and faced the matronly woman. She looked a little teary-eyed herself.

“Would you like to meet the other children?” she asked. “I’m sure they would like to say ‘thank you’ themselves.”

I shook my head.

“Unfortunately, I can’t.” I said. “I have business to attend to.”

It took far longer to reach this orphanage than I anticipated, and I didn’t have much time before the banquet started. If we left now, Elise and I would arrive back at Kaltbrand Castle just in time for me to get ready.

“I see,” the matronly woman said, sounding disappointed, “I’m sorry to hear that.” She perked up again. “In that case, feel free to visit us later on, when you are free, Mr. Wulfram.”

I nodded at her and reached over to ruffle Peter’s hair, before turning around to leave the orphanage. When the orphanage was no longer in sight, I glanced over at Elise.

“I don’t need to tell you to keep everything you heard earlier to yourself, do I?” I asked.

I let my emotions get the better of me earlier, so I revealed something of my past that I shouldn’t have. However, rather than berate myself, I decided to turn my blunder into any opportunity to test Elise’s discretion. If rumors about my past started to spread, I knew who to blame.

“No, my lord,” Elise said after a moment, “You don’t.” She paused. “However, was that story you told true?”

I gave her a small smile and didn’t respond. The two of us spent the rest of the journey back to Kaltbrand Castle in silence.