AME 03

CH:03

Kaon eventually boarded the carriage headed for the capital. Leonidas’s first order was for her to attend the regular banquet held at the palace as her proxy.

Since Leonidas was the acting head of the Ferdinand family, that made Kaon the proxy of the proxy.

“Proxy of a proxy. How ridiculous.” Kaon thought as she watched the castle walls gradually disappear from view. In truth, it wasn’t funny at all. It was just frustrating.

“What exactly do I even have to do when I get there? Why won’t anyone tell me in advance?”

Kaon, arms crossed, glared at Joseph, who sat across from her. Her sharp look surely didn’t go unnoticed, but the quick-witted aide pretended not to see it and focused on his book before finally looking up.

“Lady Leo said to inform you just before the ball.”

“Joseph. Who do you work for, me or my sister?”

“I serve you, of course. But my salary comes from Lady Leonidas.”

“Ha…”

There was no need to explain that an acting head of the family naturally held more authority than a young noble barely out of boyhood.

Still, being reminded of that reality made Kaon’s head throb. She closed her eyes tightly and opened them again, feeling exhausted.

“Forget it. Just tell me about Ingelos. What’s going on with them? Is the agreement really settled? Those arrogant sorcerers actually agreed to that nonsense—I mean, that arrangement?”

Kaon corrected her insult, changing “nonsense” to “arrangement,” and gestured with her chin, urging him to speak quickly.

As much as Ferdinand disliked Ingelos, the feeling was mutual—perhaps even stronger on their end.

Ingelos was the quintessential mage family, completely steeped in arrogance. They looked down on anyone who wasn’t a magician. Knights, in particular, were hated the most, as they believed knights were the furthest from intelligence.

Worse yet, Ferdinand was the origin of a knightly house bound by legend to be Ingelos’s mortal enemy since the founding myth. The term “lifelong enemies” might as well have been invented for these two families.

And now Ingelos had accepted a political marriage with Ferdinand? Kaon needed to understand what kind of madness led to such a move.

She believed she had the right to know—after all, she was the one being offered up as the sacrificial lamb.

“Ingelos has always devoted itself wholly to magical research, as you know.”

That much, of course, was common knowledge. Not only to Kaon but to the entire kingdom.

Mages and research were inseparable. Ingelos was the oldest mage family in the Kingdom of Gaios—and also the one most devoted to the craft.

Their obsession with all things magical was so well-known it was practically public lore.

“As with all research, magical studies require astronomical funding. That’s why the Mage Tower tries so desperately to squeeze every coin it can.”

“They’re certainly relentless.”

Kaon gritted her teeth. Her sister had negotiated countless times with the Mage Tower. Truly, they were like money-hungry parasites.

“But Ingelos, for better or worse, most closely resembles the ancient mages.”

“Ancient mages?”

“In their pure obsession with power. Money and such things aren’t part of their priorities.”

Kaon hesitated. She had a rough idea of what Joseph was implying.

“…You’re saying they’re financially troubled?”

But she wasn’t entirely sure.

Even if they were enemies, Ingelos was still one of the seven great houses of the kingdom.

They weren’t some no-name backwater clan. They were a dukedom, for heaven’s sake. The idea of them facing financial ruin seemed absurd.

“Yes. And it’s very serious—practically on the verge of bankruptcy.”

“What?”

But Joseph confirmed it. He even clarified that it wasn’t just a “problem”—they were “on the brink of collapse.”

“How is that even possible?”

Kaon was genuinely baffled. How?

The founding king of Gaios, Helios I, had rewarded the five founding families generously.

Each was granted lands of their choosing and enormous amounts of gold and jewels.

Even if this was a few hundred years ago, it was still hard to believe that only Ingelos would face bankruptcy.

Look at the other four families. Even Ferdinand, though cautious about the future, wasn’t facing any immediate financial crisis.

“Didn’t I say? They’re the most like ancient mages. What comes to mind when you think of a ‘mage’?”

“Uh… They’re obsessive, gloomy, extremely private, and selfish?”

It sounded almost insulting as she said it, but that was the typical mage stereotype.

And it wasn’t just a stereotype—many mages truly acted that way.

Even those officially dispatched by the Mage Tower to protect territories often neglected their duties, reinforcing the prejudice.

“Ingelos is particularly closed off. I doubt there’s a more antisocial family in all of Gaios—perhaps the entire continent.”

“Impressive, in a twisted way.”

“If they abhor outside activity and focus only on individual power, wouldn’t that cause fundamental problems?”

“You’re saying no one’s making money.”

“Exactly.”

There’s nothing wrong with pursuing knowledge or refining one’s intellect.

But if everyone in the family does that? Even mountains of gold will eventually run out if nothing new is added.

“Don’t plenty of places need them? I know the royal court is always recruiting mages.”

“But it’s not what they want to do.”

Joseph shrugged, as if to say people come in all types.

“From what I’ve heard, the King himself made Ingelos an offer. He’d pay off their massive debts to the central bank and even fund their research.”

“That’s a way better deal than what we’re offering.”

Bitter as it was, Kaon couldn’t deny it. Without a Sword Master, Ferdinand—even as a loyal knightly house—couldn’t match a mage family’s utility.

“But he apparently intends to intervene more actively—requiring regular mage training programs and issuing mandatory research agendas.”

“So that’s what this is all about…”

Kaon sighed. Now she understood why Ingelos was willing to cooperate with Ferdinand. It was obvious.

To avoid the worst, both families had settled for the next-worst option.

The political marriage was just a pretense—a way to gracefully reject the King’s offer while still reaping benefits.

“It’s all so transparent.”

From the King’s point of view, it would seem like the two families chose to join forces rather than align with him. Kaon figured if she were king, she’d be even more offended.

“That’s how pretexts work. As long as they look plausible, people let them slide—even if they know better.”

“So now I’m the sacrificial lamb.”

In exchange for sacrificing two people, the families would get what they wanted.

Kaon suddenly wondered who the poor lamb from Ingelos would be.

“…What did you just say?”

“I said you need to pretend to be in love with the eldest daughter of Ingelos.”

“Pretend…?”

This was getting more and more absurd. Kaon ran her hands through her neatly styled hair in frustration. The maid who’d dressed him would faint if she saw this, but he couldn’t care less.

“That’s the second order Lady Leonidas gave.”

Kaon felt his previously fine mood vanish in an instant. No wonder everything had seemed too smooth since arriving at the palace—this was all part of the plan.

No nagging when he wandered off, no pestering him to train in his spare time—now it all made sense!

“I’m not doing it! I’d have to be insane!”

“No one’s asking you to really fall in love. Just pretend.”

“Don’t you think I know that?! That’s exactly what I hate! I’m not doing it, period!”

Kaon cut him off firmly. He wasn’t some traveling actor. To fake being in love was beyond humiliating.

“As I always say, I’m just the messenger. If you want to protest, you’ll have to take it up with Lady Leonidas once you return to the estate.”

Joseph calmly relayed the facts, as if he knew Kaon would react this way. His infuriating logic only made Kaon want to punch him.

“Didn’t you say on the way here that it was all too transparent? Lady Leonidas shares that concern.”

“So now I’m supposed to play the clown? Is that how lightly she takes her only brother’s pride?”

Kaon knew how much Leonidas had sacrificed. As a member of Ferdinand, he wanted to help her and knew he should.

That’s why he accepted the order to get engaged to a woman from Ingelos—despite everyone’s aversion. That’s why he embarked on this 20-day journey without even knowing what he was supposed to do.

But this? This was too much. He was beginning to wonder if Leonidas even saw him as her brother.

“Surely you know how much she cares for you. She truly believes you’ll become a great knight.”

“Is this how you treat someone you care about?”

“But if you don’t do it, that poor girl from Ingelos will have to—and in that case…”

Joseph, previously smooth-tongued, now adopted a solemn tone, eyes gleaming ominously behind his glasses.

“Wouldn’t it wound her fragile heart? For the future knight of Ferdinand to show no consideration—that would be the real disgrace.”

“……”

“Lady Leonidas, with her far-seeing wisdom, must have thought of all that. She wants her only brother to grow into a proper knight.”

Joseph’s impassioned speech was over the top. Kaon tilted his head and squinted one eye.

“How much is she paying you?”

“…I don’t know what you mean. As your aide, please remember I always have your future in mind. Even if Lady Leonidas did promise me a bonus, do you really think I’d sell my soul for a few gold coins?”

He totally would. If he had any soul left, it had probably already been sold.

He usually looked perpetually tired, but talk of money lit up his eyes—making him hard to trust.

“If it’s too difficult, perhaps just ask her to dance. I doubt Lady Leo expects a full-blown romance. She probably just meant: make it look like an engagement is plausible.”

“I’ll ask her to dance. That’s it. Don’t expect anything more. I’m not doing anything else.”

“Of course.”

Joseph seemed satisfied with that much and stepped back. Watching Kaon sit sulking on the bed, he suddenly added:

“Who knows? She might actually be so beautiful that you fall in love at first sight.”

“With an Ingelos girl? Me? Don’t be ridiculous.”

It sounded like an attempt at comfort, but Kaon wasn’t having any of it.

“Fall in love? My foot. That’s just dog-eating-grass nonsense.”

He waved Joseph out of the room. He just wanted to get this over with and cast off this heavy burden.