The servants at Kaltbrand Manor flew into a panic when our group arrived at Kaltbrand Manor. The sudden appearance of both the Grand Duke and the Grand Duchess had taken them completely off guard. However, Baron Kurz managed to calm them down and organized a proper greeting for my birth parents. Later on, after everything had been settled, he took me aside and chided me for not warning him beforehand. I told them that my birth parents’ sudden appearance had caught me off guard as well.
Thankfully, most of the preparations for my birth parents’ arrival had already been done. There were just a few minor things here and there that needed to be addressed. If either of my birth parents had noticed something wrong or found anything lacking, they kept it to themselves. Instead, they just thanked the servants for their loyal and dedicated service.
When Lina appeared, I feared that she and Mom would get into another fight. However, other than a few barbed comments, they remained polite and civil to one another. Considering Mom’s display of gratitude towards Father earlier, on our way here from the imperial palace, I had hoped that things between her and Lina would improve. Alas, it was a vain hope.
Even so, when Mom learned that Lina had been acting as the lady of the household in her absence, she reacted better than I expected. Instead of exploding with anger, Mom thanked Lina and asked her if she would continue to do so. This took everyone by surprise, Lina most of all. Her shocked expression amused Mom.
“The gods know that I don’t have any skill for this sort of thing.” Mom said. “Since you’re going to be a part of House Kaltbrand anyway, I might as well let you continue. Besides, I have an entire order of knights to look after. I won’t have the time or energy to focus on household affairs.”
It took Lina a few seconds to regain her composure.
“I see.” she said. “Thank you, Your-… Thank you, Mother-in-law.”
Mom smirked.
“You can follow Wulfe’s example and call me ‘Mom’, if you want,” she said in a half-joking tone.
“No.” Lina said, in a voice that brooked no disagreement.
After that, Father and I visited Emmerich and Gerolf while my birth parents settled into their rooms. My brother and his master had both woken up by this point, which filled me with relief. They still needed some time to recover from overextending themselves, but they were otherwise fine. Father and I told them about everything that had happened while they were unconscious, including the Emperor’s decree.
“Tower Master Katarina may end up losing her position.” Gerolf said afterwards. “She was the one who pushed for the Tower of Magic’s involvement with Prince Jeremias. Given how spectacularly it failed, and her banishment from the capital for the next five years, this will cause many within the Tower of Magic to lose confidence in her.”
“Does this mean I can return, Master?” Emmerich asked.
“Eager to leave us once again, Emmerich?” Father asked in a teasing tone.
Emmerich’s face flushed red.
“No.” He said. “I just… Wish to resume my studies and experiments.” He nodded at me. “Wulfram has been a wonderful host, but Kaltbrand Manor isn’t the best place for magical research.”
Gerolf wore a thoughtful expression.
“I would wait for a few more months.” He said. “At least until everything dies down. Several within the Tower of Magic still harbor hard feelings towards you, especially because of the rumors about you and Valerie.”
Emmerich let out a disappointed sigh at that.
“I see.” He said.
The four of us discussed the matter for a bit, before the healer responsible for looking after Emmerich and Gerolf shooed us out. Afterwards, Father decided to collect Lina and Mika, before heading back to the House Guld townhouse. He wanted to give me and my birth parents some time together, without any outsiders intruding.
This proved a bit more difficult than expected. We found Mom and Mika together in Mom’s rooms, with the former doting on the latter. Mika, of course, preened under Mom’s attention. It took some effort on Father’s part to separate the two, since Mika was reluctant to leave and Mom was reluctant to let her go. However, he succeeded in the end.
After we saw them off, my birth parents and I retreated to the drawing room. The moment we arrived, Mom and Dad caught me off guard when they pulled me into a tight hug. When I recovered from my surprise, I returned their embrace. I had missed them over the past few weeks, and it felt good to see them again.
When we pulled apart and sat down, my birth parents and I caught up with one another. While we had sent letters and messages, it wasn’t the same as speaking to each other face to face. My birth parents and I spent hours talking with one another. The servants came by with refreshments, but no one disturbed us otherwise.
“Interesting.” Dad said after I told him about my duel with Lady Melitta Ritter. “She must have imbued her divine power into her Aura for that final strike. It quite literally had the weight of the earth behind it. An impressive feat, considering she became an Aura Master not too long ago.”
I stared at him in surprise.
“That’s possible?” I asked.
Dad nodded.
“Yes, though it takes a certain level of proficiency with divine power to pull it off,” he said. “You’re still new to yours, which was why I didn’t bring it up before now. I planned on telling you about it after the social season ended and we returned to the Barrens.”
If I learned how to imbue the coldfire into my Aura, then my battle prowess would increase exponentially.
“Make sure you don’t neglect your training.” Mom warned. “Increasing your power is great and all, but you need a solid foundation to properly utilize it.”
After telling my birth parents about my duel with Lady Melitta, I moved on to the auction and how Tower Master Katarina kidnapped me. They scolded me for my carelessness, which I found hypocritical of them considering how they ran ahead of their escorts in order to arrive at Haven a few days early. However, they also commended me for breaking out of my cell and escaping Blackhold.
“When we sent you to Haven ahead of us,” Dad said, a wry expression on his face, “We hadn’t expected things to be so… Eventful for you. I thought you would just have to deal with the usual nonsense. Gossip, scheming, political maneuvering, etc.”
“We should have just killed Tower Master Katarina instead of letting her go.” Mom said, a frosty expression on her face. “I held myself back because Anselm said he would handle it.”
Dad shook his head.
“Despite what I said in the Emperor’s study,” he said, “Killing Tower Master Katarina would have caused too many problems for us. We’re better off raising the price of the mana crystals we sell to the Tower of Magic. Make them bleed that way.”
“Why not just cut off their supply of mana crystals altogether?” Mom asked.
Dad put on a grumpy expression.
“If we do that the Emperor would raise a fuss, and I don’t want to go through all that again.” He said.
He had a point. Cutting off the supply of mana crystals to the Tower of Magic would be seen as an attack. Raising the prices was a much better solution, since they would have no choice but to pay up. I wish I had thought of that. Sure, the Tower of Magic could find mana crystals from other sources, but not to the same degree.
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“What happened after that, Wulfe?” Mom asked.
I shrugged.
“There isn’t much else to tell.” I said. “The Emperor summoned Father and I for a meeting with Tower Master Katarina. After that, well, you already know the rest of it.”
A comfortable silence fell over us as I finished speaking. While there was more I could’ve told them, I already went over the most important events that happened after I arrived in Haven.
“You did well, Wulfe,” Dad said. “You could have done better, but overall you did well.”
I grinned at him.
“Thank you, Dad.” I said.
Mom sighed.
“As much as I wish we could put it off until later,” she said, “We should discuss our plans going forward.” She faced me. “From your observations, which of the potential heirs to the throne do you think we should support?”
I took a moment to think it over. Dad studied me with interest while he waited to hear my answer.
“At the moment, I’m leaning towards Princess Henriette.” I said, choosing my words with care. “She has a good reputation among the people, and several key figures within the Church of Light and Darkness support her.” I frowned. “However, this is all based on the rumors I’ve heard, as well as the reports I received from the Blue Shadows. I haven’t met with her myself. Her angelic persona may just be a facade.”
Dad nodded.
“I see.” He said. “Why her and not her brothers? Or that friend of yours, Prince Leopold?”
I grimaced.
“Prince Cornelius used heavy-handed tactics to try to intimidate me.” I said. “When that didn’t work, he turned hostile. We don’t want someone like him on the throne. As for Prince Jeremias, he schemed against House Guld. I cannot in good conscience support him, not unless I had no other option.” I shook my head. “And supporting Leopold was never an option, not after what his family did in the Barrens. That leaves Princess Henriette.”
Dad frowned.
“Still, I don’t like the idea of supporting Princess Henriette just because she’s the only one who hasn’t plotted against us or House Guld,” he said. “If she proves unsuitable, we might be better off supporting no one.”
Shame filled me. One of the reasons why I came down to Haven ahead of my parents was to find out which of the candidates for the throne we should support. Weeks later, and I had little to show for it. I felt like a failure.
“Hey, don’t make that expression.” Dad said, reaching over to ruffle my hair.
I scowled at him and fixed my hair as best I could.
“We don’t know if Princess Henriette is unsuitable or not,” Dad continued. “For all we know, she might make for a superb ruler. As you said, she has a good reputation and the backing of several people within the Church of Light and Darkness. Both are points in her favor.”
“Meet with her, Wulfe.” Mom said. “See what kind of person she is. We’ll make our decision after that.”
I looked between the two of them.
“You still trust me with this task?” I asked. “Even after my lackluster performance?”
Dad snorted at that.
“You and I have different definitions of the word ‘lackluster’.” He said. “We wanted you to figure out which of the candidates for the throne we should support. Finding out which ones we shouldn’t support is a part of that. All that is left is to determine whether or not Princess Henriette is someone we should back.” He shrugged. “I see no reason why we shouldn’t leave that to you as well.” He let out a despondent sigh. “Besides, your mother and I will be busy participating in high society. Now that we’re down here, we might as well fulfill our social obligations.”
Mom arched an eyebrow at him.
“You mean you will be busy participating in high society.” She said. “I have an order of knights to look after.”
Dad gave her a betrayed look.
“Please don’t make me deal with high society on my own, Sophie.” He pleaded.
Mom rolled her eyes.
“Fine.” She said in a reluctant tone. “Now that we’re married, I suppose I should help you. It’s the least I can do as your wife.”
Despite her words, Mom’s eyes danced with amusement. She was just teasing him.
“You are an angel.” Dad said. “I’m lucky to have you in my life.”
“And don’t you forget it.” Mom said.
I looked between the two of them. Maybe it was my imagination, but it appeared as if they were closer than they were before they married one another. I would wait and observe some more before making any judgments. Still, I hoped that was the case.
“Now then,” Mom said, standing up, “I think it’s time we retired for the night.”
I looked out the drawing room windows. It was early evening. The sun hadn’t even set yet.
“Are you sure?” I asked with a frown. “It isn’t that late. You haven’t even eaten dinner yet.”
The refreshments provided by the servants were delicious, but they hardly counted as a meal.
“Wulfe,” Mom said, “Your father and I just spent the past day and a half running. We need our rest.” She wore a determined expression on her face. “Besides, seeing Lady Mika again has reaffirmed my desire to have a daughter.”
It took me a moment to realize what she meant.
“I didn’t need to know that.” I said, making a face.
Dad smirked at me.
“At the rate we’re going,” he said, “It won’t be long before you say hello to a new baby sister.”
I closed my eyes.
“Stop.” I said. “Just… Stop.”
My parents laughed as they left to retire for the night.
----------------------------------------
“Is it that shocking?” Lina said, covering her mouth to stifle her giggling. “They are married now. Those sorts of activities are normal.” Her eyes danced with amusement. “Besides, you already knew that they had slept together at least once before. That’s how you were born.”
I grimaced.
“I know.” I said. “However, that doesn’t mean I want to hear about it or think about it.”
It was the morning of the day after my birth parents arrived at Kaltbrand Manor. Lina and I were on our way to an orphanage located in Haven’s Outer City. Along the way, I told her about my conversation with my parents last night. To my dismay, Lina used this as an opportunity to tease me.
Earlier today, after eating breakfast with Mom and Dad, I spent an hour in my study reviewing everything I knew about Princess Henriette. As I told my birth parents last night, she had a good reputation among the people, commoners in particular. This was because of her numerous charity projects. Princess Henriette regularly donated to several soup kitchens, orphanages, and other similar institutions.
However, she didn’t just donate money. She volunteered her own time to help the less fortunate, often working together with the Church of Light and Darkness. This included those who were forced into terrible situations in order to survive, such as prostitutes.
Not only that, but Princess Henriette sought to rectify the underlying issues that led to these problems in the first place. According to the reports I received from the Blue Shadows, Princess Henriette had proposed several reforms that would help the poor and impoverished. Many noble families opposed these efforts, since Princess Henriette’s reforms would negatively affect them. Despite this, a few of the reforms had gone through. Time would tell if they would be of any help.
All in all, it appeared that Princess Henriette was as charitable and kind-hearted as she appeared to be. The commoners loved her, and the pious nobles supported her. However, this could all be an act. I wanted to meet Princess Henriette face to face before I made any judgments. Still, if it was an act, it was one that helped a lot of people. That was something I needed to keep in mind when I met with her.
There were two ways I could gain an audience with Princess Henriette. The first was through the Church of Light and Darkness. Yes, I could send a message to the imperial palace. However, I feared that it would be intercepted. Even if it wasn’t, it could lead to annoying situations if people found out that I sought an audience with Princess Henriette. I could skip all of that by going through the Church of Light and Darkness.
The second was by asking Lina. While she wasn’t very close with Princess Henriette, the two met on occasion to spend time together and socialize. At least, they had before I ran away from House Guld. I didn’t know if they still did, and I didn’t think to ask until now. Regardless, it would seem less suspicious if Lina met with Princess Henriette than if I did. If I just happened to be with Lina when she met with her cousin, well, that was an unforeseen coincidence.
As if by divine providence, not long after I had that thought, Lina arrived at Kaltbrand Manor to check in on Emmerich. Afterwards, she came by to visit me. When I brought up the topic of visiting Princess Henriette, she thought about it for a moment before nodding.
“Very well.” Lina said. “In fact, we may be able to see her today. Over the past week, Henriette has been inspecting the orphanages that she donates to. For her safety, her itinerary has been kept secret. However, I happen to know which orphanages she plans on visiting today.”
I raised an eyebrow at that.
“How did you manage that?” I asked.
Perhaps she utilized one of Mother’s numerous connections to find out. Mother used to be a princess herself, and she still wielded a great deal of influence within the imperial palace, though not as much as she used to. Maybe Lina used one of her own connections. She was more than capable of making her own.
“I asked Henriette and she told me.” Lina said.
I blinked at her. Or she could’ve asked Princess Henriette herself.
“I knew that you would want to meet with Henriette at some point,” Lina said, “So I made sure to keep an eye on her.”
I gave her a grateful smile.
“You’re amazing,” I said. “Thank you.”
“I know.” Lina said with a shrug. “Shall we leave now?”
I nodded and had a carriage readied. Together, the two of us headed out to meet with Princess Henriette.