# 75 - 75
Grand Duke Fraser had a great appetite for lands.
Although he owned countless mountains and plains that could be better developed in his view, he did not sell them and left them in their natural state – thousands of acres.
The fact that the Grand Duke was already the richest man in the Brianj Empire, without having to fuss over a single piece of land, made Emperor Alessandro even more dissatisfied.
“You always pick trivial things like this and put me in a difficult situation.”
Emperor Alessandro stared at Ferdinand as he spoke.
"Tsk. Useless idiot."
“Your Majesty, if you speak like this, the Crown Prince will be hurt even if it is just a joke.”
A soft, gentle voice came from beside him. Empress Karmei patted the Emperor's shoulder affectionately.
Only then did Emperor Alessandro seem to have subsided a little from his anger, and he leaned back reverently on the imperial throne.
The fact that Nouma's Schulz-Schmidt was also watching made him realize too late that nothing good could come from saying anything harsher.
“Crown Prince. You do realize that His Majesty spoke this way as a joke, right?”
"Yes."
Automated and clear answer.
However, because Crown Prince Ferdinand had always treated the people and the Empress this way, no one thought about it.
Even Empress Karme was wearing the smile of a loving and affectionate mother.
“We cannot simply ask Grand Duke Fraser to give us land, and since he is one of the richest men in the empire, concluding a deal will not be easy.”
twitch.
Emperor Alessandro's brow twitched.
He who always had to be the best, even though he actually held the highest position among all the others, had to share the word “best” with the Grand Duke in one way or another.
The Emperor was not particularly satisfied with this situation.
Naturally, the Emperor's view of Ferdinand grew colder and sharper.
A useless piece of garbage, and above all poor judgement.
That crazy woman gathered divine power all over her body like a monster and emptied it all out, saying that she would save such a thing.
The late Empress, Olivia.
Emperor Alessandro's face slowly hardened as he remembered that crazy woman.
As usual, Empress Karme, who feigned disinterest as she observed the Emperor's facial features, easily noticed that he was thinking of Empress Olivia.
Even though it had been more than 10 years since Empress Olivia's death, he could think of her at any moment.
Empress Karmi's expression also elegantly declined, unnoticed by anyone.
But she was a smart woman.
“Crown Prince.”
She never showed it, instead she spoke in a beautiful voice as if she was freshening the atmosphere.
“I consulted His Majesty the Emperor about the Crown Prince’s gift. I came up with a very good idea.”
“What would that be?”
It was extremely rare for Ferdinand to interrogate Empress Carmi.
So Empress Karme even felt a small sense of victory as she answered with a smile.
“I propose to the young lady of the Fraser family.”
* * *
Hmm. Speaking of which, was it around this time?
I looked out the window while eating the soup Adel brought me.
The weather was very cold with snow even in late winter.
That was in the winter, less than three years after the beginning of the game's story.
According to the events of the story, Crown Prince Ferdinand is engaged at this time to a girl from the family of Grand Duke Fraser.
“To receive land, no, but a mountain as an engagement gift.”
The name was…
Oh!
Mount Louromanance.
It was a fact unknown to others, especially Empress Carmi who had practically arranged the engagement, but that mountain was what Crown Prince Ferdinand needed most.
There was one reason.
He was in dire need of medicinal herbs that only grew in that region.
“Because that damned divine power keeps causing problems inside his body.”
He desperately needed those herbs as a temporary stabilizing agent.
Of course, only a very few people knew this fact.
Ferdinand felt pain almost every day.
The reason why these herbs are necessary.
First, because of that damned divine power, he was hated by the Emperor, despised by the Empress, and…well, also…
He's going to have a relationship with Kuriko too, right?
But now, that was before the story began.
Even before Kuriko appeared.
So this was one of the basic settings for the character of Ferdinand Cassel Ivechkaite, one of the main male characters.
-He is currently engaged to the young lady of the Fraser family
'Of course.'
But that young woman is not me.
* * *
“…Lady Sophia Fraser, you said?”
Schultz-Schmidt was confused when he heard the news.
“This is a bit... too much.”
That was the only way he could express it.
Objectively speaking, Sophia Fraser was completely unqualified to be a match for the Crown Prince.
Both in lineage and social status.
“If it were Miss Tullia, perhaps.”
He didn't even say those words. Very carefully, he did not reveal any name.
This was the Crown Prince's palace.
Not only were there no servants to serve him properly, but he had sent them all away, so that except Ferdinand, there was no one to listen to his words.
Even if someone had heard, he would have had the same thoughts.
“Lady Sophia Fraser is the adopted daughter of Viscount Lilius Fraser, is she not, Your Highness Ferdinand?”
"This is correct."
A member of the imperial family had to memorize the genealogies of all the major families.
Grand Duke Frazer's Assis, one of the current holders of supreme power alongside the Emperor, had three sons.
The daughter adopted by Viscount Lilius, the youngest son among them, was called Sophia Fraser.
Although she was registered in the family records, according to lineage, she lacked much to be a match for the Noble Crown Prince.
It was questionable from the beginning whether their marriage would even take place.
It is clear that her parents will exploit the Crown Prince's influence to obtain various advantages, and then eventually demand an annulment of the engagement.
The reason is…
“…”
Ferdinand felt Schultz-Schmidt's eyes watching him intently, so he moved his head as he dried his wet hair.
“Are you worried about my Cupid Syndrome?”
Schultz-Schmidt was taken aback for a moment, but belatedly bowed his head.
“I apologize, Your Highness the Crown Prince.”
“You apologize for everything.”
Among people who look at me as a beautiful beast, Schulz-Schmidt's anxious gaze seems rather warm in comparison.
I happen to see my reflection in the glass window.
Even though I have reached adulthood, I still maintain the appearance of a boy.
A body that does not grow thanks to divine power.
A body that seems destined to stay young forever, forever.
The Emperor summoned countless priests, and even flew into a rage asking how this matter could be fixed, but no one could find a solution.
Every time, the Emperor's wrath pierced the sky.
“If you're not a terrible retarded child, then what are you!”
Emperor Alessandro often lost his temper like this. The pieces of porcelain he threw always scratched my forehead and shattered, leaving red cracks.
But for someone to be pigeonholed by the hateful label “horrible retarded child,” Ferdinand was an exceptional talent in almost every aspect.
Noble breed.
Tremendous divine power.
Beautiful appearance as if an angel had descended.
It was no coincidence that the nobles bowed before him and the priests looked at him with reverence.
but.
Ferdinand thought he might never evolve from this condition.
Just as the Emperor had surrendered long ago.
"Anyway, all I want is that mountain, so it doesn't matter. The engagement is just a formality too, so there's no need to meet."
“Are you leaving for the battlefield immediately?”
“For efficiency, that would be best.”
“This is rather unfortunate.”
When you hear those words of regret.
When mentioning engagement.
I briefly remembered the girl who put a handkerchief in my hand.
The young woman, whether or not she was aware that her pink hair was getting wet from the rainwater, gave me nothing but a threadbare handkerchief before running away as if to escape and never showing her face again.
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