I took a moment to survey the dining room. It reminded me somewhat of the meeting room in Ewald’s tavern, though there were several differences. For one, this room had windows, which gave its occupants a view of the street outside. It also had a small chandelier hanging from the ceiling. However, the chandelier held mana crystals instead of candles. The mana crystals provided light and warmth to the room. The walls and ceiling were cream colored and decorated with small landscape paintings. A rug with intricate designs covered the hardwood floor.

In the center of the room stood an ornate wooden table just large enough for two people. A platter covered with appetizers and finger foods sat atop the table. Their scents teased my nose. My stomach rumbled, reminding me that I hadn’t eaten anything since breakfast this morning. A bottle of wine stood next to the platter.

After taking in my surroundings, I studied Grand Duke Kaltbrand and Knight Commander Bardin. The grand duke looked to be in his late thirties, though I knew he was much older than that. Aura users aged slower and lived longer than regular people. The more powerful they were, the slower they aged. Aura Masters aged half as fast and lived twice as long as ordinary people. Depending on when he became an Aura Master, Grand Duke Kaltbrand could be anywhere between his late forties and early sixties. I doubted that he was older than that.

The grand duke looked to be the same height as me, though he was much larger and more muscular than me. In addition to that, he had a presence to him that filled the room, making him seem taller than he actually was. His features were rougher than I expected, as if his face had been carved from a craggy stone. He wore an outfit made from fine wool, though the design was simpler than what nobles in the Riverlands and the Crownlands favored.

Like many in the Barrens, Grand Duke Kaltbrand had pale skin and dark hair, the latter of which he kept short. He also had blue eyes. However, unlike most people, his eyes were icy blue and had a faint glow to them.

There were a number of families within the Reichwald Empire that had been blessed by the gods, allowing them to wield divine power. House Kaltbrand was one such family. Their blessing was the coldfire, a blue flame that froze things instead of burning them. This glacial fire also had the ability to purify anything it froze, or so I heard. I had never actually seen it in action myself.

I turned my attention to Knight Commander Bardin. She looked to be in her early thirties, though I knew she was older than that. She stood a head shorter than me. Like Grand Duke Kaltbrand, her presence also filled the room and made her seem taller. However, her presence felt colder and sharper than the grand duke’s. It was as if she were a sword in human form.

Together with the grand duke, the air in the private dining room felt suffocating. An ordinary person would have had difficulty breathing. As an Aura Master myself, I felt fine. However, I pretended to act uncomfortable in order to hide that fact. I was pretending to be an Aura Expert, so I needed to act the part.

Knight Commander Bardin also had pale skin, dark hair, and blue eyes. However, unlike the grand duke, her eyes didn’t glow with divine power. She kept her hair long, which surprised me. Long hair was a detriment in combat, since an enemy could grab it, but I guessed she was powerful enough that such a weakness wouldn’t hinder her too much. She wore the uniform of the Coldsteel Knights, though her uniform also contained an insignia which denoted her rank as knight commander.

Like me, she had sharp and aristocratic features giving her a striking, though not beautiful, appearance. Even so, she looked more like a noble than Grand Duke Kaltbrand did. They both wore unreadable expressions, making it difficult to gauge their thoughts.

I saw all this within less than a second. Despite my discomfort at the current situation, I couldn’t help but feel excited that I was finally meeting my hero. However, I made sure to school my expression into a neutral mask, to keep from giving my thoughts away.

After studying the room, as well as the grand duke and the knight commander, I approached the table and stopped a respectful distance away. I bowed to Grand Duke Kaltbrand, drawing upon my experiences as a former (fake) son of House Guld. In high society, nobles bowed when meeting each other. The depth of the bow was determined by the respective status of each noble. Equals nodded to each other, while social inferiors bowed to their superiors. The depth of the bow depended on the difference in status between the two.

In terms of status, Grand Duke Kaltbrand was second only to members of the imperial family. I was a commoner. The difference between us was like the difference between the heavens and the earth. A vast gulf existed between us.

“I greet you, Grand Duke Kaltbrand,” I said, speaking in a formal tone. “Shield of the Empire and Lord of the North.”

Grand Duke Kaltbrand raised an eyebrow at my greeting and nodded at me, a glimmer of interest in his eyes. Since he already knew my name, I didn’t bother introducing myself. After I raised from my bow, I faced Knight Commander Bardin and bowed to her as well. However, the bow I gave her was slightly deeper than the one I gave to Grand Duke Kaltbrand.

“I greet you, Knight Commander Bardin,” I said. “Sword of the North and the Iron Countess of Bardin.”

Knight Commander Bardin scoffed.

“I don’t know who taught you etiquette, boy,” she said in a sharp tone. “But they should be whipped for their failure. You shouldn’t bow deeper to a mere countess than you would a grand duke. That honor is reserved for members of the imperial family.”

I stood up straight and faced Knight Commander Bardin without flinching, despite her sharp tone.

“That is true under most circumstances,” I said. “However, there are exceptions. In this case, bowing that deeply to someone is a sign of admiration and respect towards that person. I hold you in the highest regard, Knight Commander Bardin.”

Her eyes widened by a fraction and she didn’t respond. Grand Duke Kaltbrand chuckled.

“Now that is interesting,” he said. “May I know why you hold Sofie here in higher regard than me, a grand duke? If you don’t mind me asking, of course.”

Despite his polite tone, it was clear to me that this was not a request. Grand Duke Kaltbrand bared his teeth at me in a smile. In that moment, he seemed more like a beast in the shape of a man than a human. Something told me that my answer to his question would affect the rest of our conversation.

“It’s simple, Your Grace,” I said. “Knight Commander Bardin is the one who inspired me to take up the blade in the first place.” I looked at her. “I saw your duel with Gotthard Wendel when I was a child. Rather, I saw the recording of the duel. I couldn’t see much of the actual fight since the two of you had moved too fast for a normal human to keep track of. Ever since then I have strived to follow your example.”

About ten years ago, a little after House Guld adopted me, Gotthard Wendel challenged Knight Commander Bardin to a duel over some supposed insult. I wasn’t too sure of the details. The duel took place in the imperial capital of Haven. Fathe-…Duke Guld brought me to witness the duel, since I expressed an interest in watching it. The two of us had been in the capital at the time to meet with His Imperial Majesty to confirm my adoption into House Guld.

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From the moment I first saw her, Knight Commander Bardin’s presence fascinated me. I think part of it was because she was the first person I saw who looked like me. Unlike in the Barrens, black hair and blue eyes wasn’t common in the Riverlands or the Crownlands. I stood out wherever I went. This also often made me the target of ridicule, since I looked nothing like the rest of House Guld, who all had blonde hair and green eyes.

The duel ended in Knight Commander Bardin’s victory. Afterwards, Duke Guld bought me a mana crystal which contained a recording of the duel from a magician who had been in attendance as well. This allowed me to see the actual fight, since I could play the recording at a slower speed. Gotthard Wendel was a skilled warrior, but Knight Commander Bardin’s swordsmanship looked beautiful and elegant. I wanted to be just like her. So the day after the duel, I begged Duke Guld to allow me to learn how to wield the sword. He granted my request and found a teacher for me. It turned out that I had a talent for the sword and I have trained every day since then.

Grand Duke Kaltbrand laughed.

“It seems you have an admirer, Sofie,” he said to Knight Commander Bardin in a teasing tone.

She scowled at him.

“Yes,” I said. “Though not in a romantic sense.”

“Good,” Knight Commander Bardin snapped. “I have no interest in men younger than me.”

“Does this mean I have a chance?” Grand Duke Kaltbrand said, still teasing her. “You and I are about the same age.”

“Quiet you.”

The grand duke let out another laugh, before turning his attention back to me.

“Please sit,” he said, gesturing to the chair opposite his. “I imagine you are curious as to why you are here.”

I followed the grand duke’s words and sat down.

“Yes, I am,” I said. “You lured me here using Sir Kane and the promise of joining the Coldsteel Knights. Why go through all that effort to meet a common mercenary like myself? If you wanted to meet with me, you could have summoned me to Kaltbrand Castle. And yet, you used such a roundabout method. How could I not be curious, Your Grace?”

Knight Commander Bardin’s expression hardened. Despite my polite tone, my words bordered on insolence. However, Grand Duke Kaltbrand seemed amused by this rather than offended.

“All in good time, Wulfe,” he said, gesturing to the food on the table. “You must be hungry. Eat. We will discuss the job I want you to do after you finish.”

Despite my hunger, I ignored the food. Due to the nature of my work, I was used to going without food for days at a time. I just wanted to get this conversation over with as soon as possible.

“If it’s all the same to you, Your Grace,” I said. “I would rather skip all the pleasantries and get down to business.” I gave him a smile that didn’t reach my eyes. “For those in my line of work, time is money and I don’t want to waste either.”

Knight Commander Bardin gripped her sword.

“Careful, boy,” she said in a quiet voice. “His Grace may find your insolence amusing, but I do not. You will speak to him with respect.”

The threat in her tone was clear. I glanced at her for a brief moment, before focusing on Grand Duke Kaltbrand. While I was confident in my skills, I didn’t want to get into a fight with either the grand duke or Knight Commander Bardin. They were both Aura Masters. Not only that, but they both had decades of experience. I would lose. Even assuming I survived the experience and escaped, I would be hunted down. I was better off avoiding a fight in the first place.

“I apologize, Your Grace,” I said. “The hour is late and my manners suffered as a result. I did not mean to insult you. Please forgive me.”

“There is nothing to forgive, Wulfe,” Grand Duke Kaltbrand said. “Sofie is here rather sensitive when it comes to slights against myself. We’ve had poor experiences when dealing with nobles from the south. They’re good at disguising their insults with pretty words and flowery language.”

I understood what he meant. In many ways, high society was like a battlefield. However, nobles used words rather than weapons to wound their opponents and advance their interests. They excelled at speaking in a roundabout manner, and clever nobles often insulted their opponents while pretending otherwise. I left House Guld before I came of age, so I never debuted. However, I still dealt with my fair share of nobles who hid their malicious intentions behind bright smiles.

“I’m not a noble, Your Grace,” I said.

Grand Duke Kaltbrand snorted.

“Don’t try to deceive me,” he said. “Even if I didn’t know about your history, your words and your actions gave you away. It’s clear that you’ve received an education befitting of a noble, Wulfe.” He bared his teeth at me in another smile. “Or should I call you Lord Wulfram Guld, adopted son of House Guld?”

It didn’t surprise me that the grand duke knew about my history. Given the effort he put into bringing me here, it was clear that he needed me for an important job. He must have had his people look into my past long before he ever decided to invite me here. In his shoes, I would have done the same. It was simply due diligence.

“I’m not trying to deceive you, Your Grace,” I said, shaking my head. “I’m a commoner, not a noble. I was never a true member of House Guld.” A needle of pain stabbed me in the heart when I said that, but I ignored it. “They adopted me for a specific purpose, and I left after I fulfilled that purpose. Simple as that. House Guld and I have nothing to do with each other anymore.”

Grand Duke Kaltbrand and Knight Commander Bardin both stared at me.

“They took you in and tossed you aside when you were no longer useful?” the knight commander asked, a hint of anger in her tone. “Is that it?”

I shook my head.

“No,” I said. “Though I can see why you might see it that way. It was a mutually beneficial arrangement. In fact, from a certain point of view, it was my first job as a mercenary. They took me in, provided for me, and educated me. In return, I played the role they wanted me to play.” Though it stopped being a mere role for me long before I left. “I’m grateful for everything House Guld has done for me. Without their support, I wouldn’t be the man I am today.”

Neither the grand duke nor the knight commander responded right away.

“What role did you play?” Grand Duke Kaltbrand asked, a hint of sorrow in his eyes.

I gave him a tight smile.

“If you know who I am, or was rather, then you must have also heard what people called me,” I said.

“A substitute,” he said. “For the formerly lost second son, Emmerich Guld.”

I nodded. Emmerich Guld, House Guld’s second son, fell into a river while on a trip with the rest of his family. Despite House Guld’s best efforts, they were unable to rescue him. Nor did they ever find his body. House Guld searched for him for several months, to no avail. After a while, they gave up the search and held a funeral for him.

A month after the funeral, in the midst of their grief, House Guld adopted a boy to serve as a substitute for their lost son. That boy was me. They showered me with love and treated me well, but I always knew that their love was never mine. Not really. It all belonged to Emmerich Guld, their real son. I simply filled in the empty space he left behind. I had been a fake son, nothing more.

Years later, Emmerich Guld showed up again, alive and well. By some miracle, he survived falling into the river but had lost his memories due to his near death experience. A magician found him along the river’s shore and took him in. When the magician realized that Emmerich had a talent for magic, he brought him to the Tower of Magic, the Reichwald Empire’s premier institution of magical learning and research.

Emmerich became a magician himself and joined the Tower of Magic. Through his research, he found a way to restore his lost memories. After he did so, Emmerich rushed back to House Guld and reunited with his family. When the tests proved that he was indeed Emmerich Guld and not some imposter, I left House Guld. Rather than fight to stay in a place where I didn’t belong, to be with people who no longer needed me, I decided to make my exit. Now that the real son had returned, House Guld no longer needed a fake.

Despite this, I still harbored some hope that maybe, just maybe, not all of House Guld’s love had been an act. Maybe they held some affection for me. Maybe there was a chance that I could join House Guld for real and become a true member of their family. However, in order to make that happen, I needed a title.

“Now, if we’re done discussing my personal history,” I said. “May we move on to the matter at hand?”

Knight Commander Bardin opened her mouth to say something, but Grand Duke Kaltbrand silenced her with a gesture. She looked unhappy about this, but obeyed.

“Very well,” the grand duke said. “However, since your personal history is part of the reason why we need you, it wasn’t a waste of time.”

I frowned at him.

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“The job I have for you is simple,” Grand Duke Kaltbrand said. “I need you to pretend to be my illegitimate child and heir.”