Lina and I arrived at the House Guld townhouse with Emmerich in tow. When everyone first saw him, they were overjoyed at his early and unexpected return. However, after he explained what happened and what he did, they grew cross with him. Father and Mother spent a good twenty minutes scolding Emmerich for his behavior while the rest of us watched. Afterwards, everyone convened in Father’s study to discuss the situation with the Tower of Magic.

Well, everyone except Mika that was. It was after midnight at this point, well past her bedtime. She protested, saying that she was old enough to be included in the discussion. However, she yawned in the middle of her protest, which undermined her entire argument. After some gentle coaxing from Mother, Mika headed off to bed, grumbling the entire time.

With all the adults of House Guld in attendance, including Lady Amalina, it was a bit crowded in Father’s study. There weren’t enough chairs for everyone, so Sieg, Emmerich, and myself remained standing while the others sat. I stood behind Lina’s chair, with my hands on her shoulders while we talked. There was a tray of refreshments on Father’s desk, in case anyone felt hungry.

“The question is, what do we do about the Tower of Magic?” Mother asked after Emmerich explained his side of the story. “I doubt they’ll stop on their own any time soon, so we need to deal with them one way or another.”

“Perhaps we could ask the Emperor to intervene.” Lady Amalina suggested. “The Tower of Magic is protected by the Pact, but I doubt they’ll disobey a direct order from His Imperial Majesty.”

Father frowned at that, while Mother let out a derisive snort.

“That could work,” she said, “However, my brother would demand a heavy price from us in exchange for his aid. Knowing my brother, he is already aware of the situation and anticipating such a request.”

Father nodded.

“If at all possible, I want to handle this problem ourselves.” He gestured to Lady Amalina. “However, it’s not a bad suggestion. We’ll keep it in mind, just in case nothing else works.”

Lady Amalina nodded.

“I could pressure the Tower of Magic by cutting off their supply of mana crystals.” I said. “It worked before.”

“Yes,” Father said. “However, that could also provoke the Tower of Magic into escalating the situation. Right now, they’re just harassing us. If we push them too hard, they will stop holding back.”

I almost pointed out that attempting to kidnap the head of a ducal family wasn’t mere harassment, but refrained. After all, Father was right. The Tower of Magic wielded a great deal of power. What we’ve seen so far was just a fraction of that power. If they wanted to, the Tower of Magic could challenge the imperial family. One of the reasons why the Pact existed was to prevent something like that from occurring.

“In that case, why don’t we cut the problem off at the source?” Lina asked.

Everyone looked at her.

“What do you mean?” Sieg asked.

Lina gestured to Emmerich.

“The Tower of Magic is using Emmerich’s situation to justify their actions, flimsy though it is.” She said. “If we nullify that justification, they will either have to back down or reveal their true intentions.”

Emmerich shook his head.

“As I said, it began with a misunderstanding.” He said. “Even if we explained the truth to Tower Master Katarina, I doubt she would listen. After all, this situation benefits her. If we tried to go public, it would be our word against hers.”

Lina clicked her tongue.

“I didn’t mean Tower Master Katarina.” She said. “I meant her disciple, Valerie. If she spoke out in your favor, Tower Master Katarina would lose her justification.”

Emmerich frowned.

“Valerie would never go against her master.” He said. “The two love each other like mother and daughter. Besides, if she planned on revealing the truth, she would have done so already.”

An idea popped into my head.

“What if we didn’t give her a choice?” I asked.

Everyone turned to me.

“The Tower of Magic’s ultimate goal is to use Emmerich as leverage against House Guld.” I said. “So, why don’t we give them a taste of their own medicine and kidnap Valerie?”

Father gave me a serious look.

“Wulfram,” he said, “Are you suggesting that we kidnap Tower Master Katarina’s disciple and use her as leverage?”

“Yes.”

Father studied me for several moments, before he burst out into laughter.

“I like it.” He said. “It sounds interesting. Let’s go with that plan.”

Everyone else stared at him, appalled.

“Karl,” Mother said, “You just told Wulfram that cutting off the Tower of Magic’s supply of mana crystals would provoke them. Kidnapping Tower Master Katarina’s disciple would be even worse!”

“I agree with Mother.” Sieg said. “If we go with Wulfram’s idea, we may end up at war with the Tower of Magic.”

Lina and Lady Amalina didn’t say anything, but their expressions made their thoughts on the matter clear.

“If we just had to worry about the Tower of Magic, I would agree with you.” Father said. “However, we have other concerns as well, such as the imperial family and the other noble families. The longer this situation goes on, the weaker we look. Sooner or later, rumors that House Guld’s influence is on the decline will spread throughout high society. If we don’t do something, and quick, others may get the idea that they can attack House Guld with impunity. We cannot let that happen.” He gestured to me. “Forcing the Tower of Magic to back down will tell the rest of the Reichwald Empire that we are still strong. That is worth the risk of provoking them.”

No one had a response to that.

“Very well,” Mother said with a resigned expression on her face, “As the head of House Guld, you have the final say on the matter. That said, if we’re going to do this, we need to do it right. Do you have a plan?”

Father pointed at Emmerich.

“No, but we have a tower magician right here.” He said. “I’m sure our dear little Emmerich can help us kidnap one of his colleagues.”

Emmerich wore a pained expression on his face.

“Why did you have to phrase it like that?” He asked. “I’m already uncomfortable with the idea of plotting against the Tower of Magic.”

“If it helps, we’re plotting against Tower Master Katarina,” Lina pointed out, “Not the Tower of Magic as a whole. Besides, she started this fight.”

Emmerich looked thoughtful for a moment, before nodding.

“True.” He said. “The problem is that Valerie spends most of her time locked up in the Tower of Magic. Trying to kidnap her from there is suicide.” He mulled it over. “However, I know how we can lure her out of the Tower of Magic. Valerie is a collector. In particular, she is interested in the works of Grand Sage Lambert, a magician who lived in the Reichwald Empire centuries ago. The one thing her collection lacks is Grand Sage Lambert’s personal journal. It surfaced a few years ago, but another collector bought it before she could. If we got our hands on the journal, we could use it as bait. Valerie wouldn’t be able to resist.”

Father looked thoughtful for a moment.

“In that case, once we have this journal, we should take care to ensure that no one knows that it’s in our hands.” He said. “Otherwise, Valerie may realize that it’s a trap. We need a way to lure her out without tipping our hand.”

“What about an auction?” Lady Amalina suggested. “If we convince the current owner of the journal to put it up for auction and ensure that Valerie hears about it, she’ll show up to secure it for herself.” She glanced at Emmerich. “Assuming she’s as avid a collector as Brother Emmerich says.”

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Father snapped his fingers.

“That’s an excellent idea!” He said. “One that involves trickery and spending copious amounts of money.”

I sighed when I heard this. Even after all these years, House Guld’s spending habits amazed me. I didn’t think I would ever get used to it.

“How do we convince the journal’s current owner to put it up for auction?” I asked. “If he’s a collector, I doubt he’ll be easy to persuade.”

Father grinned.

“Leave that to me.” He said.

After that, we discussed the plan in further detail, working out the potential problems and pitfalls. This lasted for another hour, before we started yawning.

“That’s enough of that.” Father said in a tired voice. “Let’s resume this discussion after we secure the journal.”

Everyone, with the exception of Lina and I, started to make their way out of the study. However, I held up a hand.

“Just before we retire for the night,” I said, “There is one other matter that we need to discuss.”

Lina nodded. Everyone else gave us blank stares.

“House Galdur.” I said. “Lina and I figured out who they support.” I grinned. “Which means that I completed the task you gave me, Father.”

Father, who was in the middle of standing up, gave me a sour look.

“You couldn’t have brought that up earlier?” He asked, his tone matching his expression.

“The matter regarding the Tower of Magic was more urgent.” Lina said.

Father sighed and sat back down. The others followed his lead. Emmerich and Sieg both glared at Lina and I. Even Lady Amalina, who always seemed composed, looked annoyed.

“Very well,” Father said in a tired voice, “Out with it. Which one of the Emperor’s children is Duchess Galdur backing?”

“None of them,” I said, “She’s backing Leopold.”

Everyone gave us blank stares, before exploding with excitement.

“What?” Father said, stunned. “Are you sure about this?”

Lina nodded.

“As sure as we can be without Duchess Galdur outright stating it.” She said.

Lina and I then proceeded to explain the reasons behind our thinking. When we finished Father gave us a skeptical look.

“That is very thin.” He said. “All you have is speculation and guesswork.”

Mother, on the other hand, wore a thoughtful look on her face.

“I don’t know, Karl.” She said. “I think Lina and Wulfram are onto something.” She looked at Sieg. “You danced with Lady Josepha at the ball tonight. Did you see anything that indicated whether or not House Galdur supports Leopold?”

Sieg pursed his lips in thought.

“I noticed that she wore a bracelet with a golden tree on it.” He said. “At the time, I didn’t think much of it because House Galdur’s crest has a tree. However, it could have also been the tree on House Reichwald’s crest.”

Father frowned.

“So Lina and Wulfram could be right,” he said, “However, nothing is certain.” He grinned at me. “So, it looks like you haven’t succeeded just yet.”

I narrowed my eyes at him.

“The whole reason why we wanted to find out who House Galdur supported was because of the Tower of Magic.” I said. “However, now we know the real reason behind the Tower of Magic’s actions. So, I fulfilled the spirit of the task, if not the letter.”

Father made a so-so gesture with his hand.

“Even so,” he said, “You didn’t-”

Father stopped mid-sentence when Mother crossed her arms and glared at him.

“Karl,” she said, a warning in her tone. “Stop teasing Wulfram.”

Father sighed.

“Fine,” he said, “The joke was starting to get old anyway.” He waved a hand at Lina and I. “You two have my official approval. Consider yourselves engaged.”

Lina reached up and grasped my hand, squeezing it tight.

“Not quite.” I said. “I still have to propose to Lina.” I sighed. “I would do it now, but Mika would never forgive me if she missed out on it.”

Just thinking about my youngest sister’s complaints gave me a headache.

“Even if you tried, I would have stopped you.” Father said. “If you’re going to propose to someone, you need to make it as grand as possible.” He looked over at Mother with a fond smile on his face. “Like I did with your mother. It was quite the romantic moment.”

Mother gave him a flat look.

“You and I have different definitions of romantic.” She said, before glancing at the rest of us. “He proposed to me in the middle of the throne room in the imperial palace, while my father was holding court.” That didn’t sound too bad. “This was just after I renounced my right to the throne in front of every important noble within the Reichwald Empire.” Well, nevermind then. “I wanted to beat him to death right then and there.”

I took a moment to imagine the scene in my head. Mother standing before the previous emperor, surrounded by a crowd of nobles, in the moment of her greatest defeat. Father walked up to her, before falling to one knee and asking her to marry him. In her shoes, I would have wanted to beat him to death too.

“I plan on hosting a small party at Kaltbrand Manor.” I said. “Family and close friends only.”

Father seemed disappointed by this.

“Well, fine,” he said, “Do it the boring way.”

“Father.” Lina said, a warning in her tone.

Father clapped his hands, before rubbing them together.

“Right,” he said, “It’s time for everyone to go to bed. Otherwise, I fear that Lina may kill me.”

With that, everyone headed out and left Father’s study. I said my goodbyes to everyone, before heading towards the House Kaltbrand carriage. Lina and Emmerich accompanied me. The latter was once again disguised as Elmer. After some discussion, everyone agreed that it would be better if Emmerich continued to stay at Kaltbrand Manor. That way, he could continue avoiding the Tower of Magic’s eyes.

“You don’t have to propose to me, you know.” Lina said as we exited the House Guld townhouse and made our way to the carriage. “Everyone important to us already knows that we’re going to marry one another. A proposal is unnecessary.”

I shook my head.

“I disagree.” I said. “A proposal is an important step in any engagement. Why would I deny us the experience? Yes, our marriage is inevitable, but that doesn’t mean we should take anything for granted. We should cherish the important moments, even if they seem unnecessary.”

Lina scoffed, but I saw the small smile on her face. The three of us stopped before the House Kaltbrand carriage, which was already ready to go.

“You have a good evening, my lady.” I said, kissing Lina’s hand.

“You as well, my lord.” she replied.

Emmerich let out a sound of disgust, before he brushed past us and entered the carriage. I joined him a few moments later, before heading to Kaltbrand Manor for the night.

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

I spent the next morning sifting through a small mountain of correspondence. Baron Kurz delivered it to my study, after I finished with my daily training. Most of them were invitations to various social events and the like. While I had received plenty of invitations before last night’s ball, the amount I received this morning dwarfed them. It seemed that attending House Wirt ball had raised my profile in Haven’s high society.

Good. House Kaltbrand was the second most powerful family in the Reichwald Empire, but we had a reputation for being recluses who never left the Barrens. I intended to change that, if only to solidify our position. As appealing as it was to ignore the rest of the Reichwald Empire, we couldn’t afford to do so. Leaving everyone else alone didn’t guarantee that they would leave us alone, as Prince Dirk and Leopold demonstrated. It was better to build a strong foundation and ensure that no one and nothing could shake us, both in a martial and a political sense.

I sorted through the correspondence, accepting the invitations that I found useful and discarding the rest. As cold-hearted and calculating as this was, I couldn’t afford to be anything else. Besides, it wasn’t as if I had many friends in Haven. The only people I knew were my adopted family, and Leopold’s family. Almost everyone else was a stranger. Since that was the case, I might as well attend the events that benefited House Kaltbrand the most.

However, I came across a letter from Mom and Dad. I ripped it open and read it. A smile stretched across my face. The two of them had finished dealing with everything that kept them in the Barrens. As such, they would arrive in Haven within two weeks. I let out a relieved sigh at that. While I was capable of dealing with House Kaltbrand’s affairs here in Haven by myself, I had to admit that I would rather have my birth parents’ support.

Besides, the sooner they arrived, the sooner I could propose to Lina. They were my birth family, and I didn’t want to exclude them from such an important moment in my life. That said, I felt a little nervous. Given how Mom and Lina clashed when the latter arrived in the Barrens, I was worried that my birth family and my adopted family wouldn’t get along at all. That was the last thing I wanted. Both were important to me, and I didn’t want to have to pick one over the other.

I called Baron Kurz into my study and informed him that my birth parents would arrive in Haven within two weeks. That meant that we needed to speed up the redecoration and refurbishment of Kaltbrand Manor. He nodded, looking like a soldier marching off to war, and promised me that everything would be ready for when the Grand Duke and the Grand Duchess arrived.

After dismissing Baron Kurz, I continued sifting through the correspondence. One in particular caught my eye. It was from Kilian Ritter, the second child of House Ritter. Why would Lord Kilian send me an invitation? We didn’t know each other and he hadn’t attended last night’s ball at House Wirt. It seemed suspicious.

When I opened the letter and read it, my suspicions deepened. It was an invitation to a sporting event, a martial arts competition to be exact. Despite the name, it wasn’t an actual competition. It was a type of event where a group of Aura users, often the younger generation of nobles, came together to spar and socialize.

While I had heard of martial arts competitions, I hadn’t attended one before. I ran away from House Guld before I came of age and debuted in high society. Afterwards, I was too busy working as a mercenary to attend an event like this. Besides, martial arts competitions were more common outside of the Barrens, since the rest of the Reichwald Empire didn’t have to worry about constant demonic beast attacks.

After reading the invitation from Lord Kilian, I considered whether to attend or not. It was almost certainly a trap. House Ritter was the Empress’ family and they supported Prince Cornelius. I hadn’t endeared myself to him when we last met.

Not only that, but House Ritter was also a rival to House Kaltbrand, though not in a political sense. Both were ducal families comprised of warriors and Aura users. As such, it was natural that there were some competitive feelings between them. The two families had clashed several times over the centuries, both trying to prove their superiority over the other.

This invitation was a taunt, a challenge, one meant to lure me into a trap. The question was, what kind of trap was it? I didn’t know, yet I couldn’t help but feel a little excited. Ever since I arrived at Haven, I haven’t had a chance to use my sword all that much. I trained and sparred with the Coldsteel Knights every day, but it just wasn’t the same. There was that incident with the Tower of Magic, but it didn't count. Beating up a bunch of Sages hadn’t been a challenge for me. Attending this martial arts competition could be fun, even if it was a trap. In fact, it could be fun because it was a trap.

I hummed as I penned a reply to Lord Kilian’s invitation, telling him that I accepted.