Whoosh- As his sword sliced through the air, a terrifying wind arose. The Vice Captain's face turned pale as he faced the attack head-on.
Even so, only the Vice Captain was continuing to withstand Rodrick's attacks.
"Even the Princess blocked this attack. Is this all you've got?"
The small group of elite knights who had already been beaten under the pretext of training lay sprawled on the ground with resentful expressions.
"Do you know we almost died back then?!"
"Yes, without even managing to scratch me."
Hiiik. He's a demon. A demon, I tell you. They were already among the most skilled in the knighthood.
Just responding to Rodrick's power pushed to the extreme was already far beyond the capabilities of ordinary knights.
They deserved praise just for blocking Rodrick, but he looked extremely displeased.
Rodrick moved his sword while letting his body act on instinct, lost in thought.
Something was bothering him, but he couldn't figure out why. To feel this unsettled afterwards. What could it be?
As he frowned, a subordinate's voice reached his ears.
"You know, my wife nags me so much because I come home injured every day. You lot wouldn't understand since you don't have wives."
"Shut up."
"Couples should die."
"Stop bragging."
His movements halted abruptly, especially at certain words.
Daren sat down in surrender as the blade stopped just short of his neck. The Vice Captain, already pushed past his limits, was drenched in sweat.
"My handsome face is covered in bruises every day, it's so pitiful. Hahaha. You guys should hurry up and get foxy wives too..."
The chattering knight's mouth snapped shut as he was lost in gossip, abandoning the Vice Captain as a sacrifice.
He slowly raised his face to the shadow suddenly cast over him.
"C-Captain?"
Flinch. The tip of Rodrick's sword touched the knight's chin.
With the sun at his back, Rodrick's face was shrouded in darkness. Only his blue eyes were clearly visible.
The knight gulped, unable to gauge what Rodrick was thinking from his expression. Was he about to be punished for slacking off?
"You're married, right?"
"Huh? Yes. You didn't even come to my wedding, sir."
The knight scratched his head at the sudden question.
'What's going on?'
'No idea.'
Even when he glanced at the others nearby, they just shrugged, indicating they didn't know either.
"Do you have something to ask, sir?"
"Proposal."
"Pardon?"
"When you proposed, did your wife give you an answer right away?"
"Y-yes... I suppose so? Carol was so moved she cried as she accepted."
"I see."
With a serious expression, Rodrick lowered his sword and left the training grounds.
"..."
"..."
The knights watched Rodrick's retreating back with dumbfounded expressions before suddenly realizing the meaning of his words.
"Hey. Wait. Could it be..."
"N-no way, did the young lady reject him?!"
"Holy shit. Our captain got rejected!"
In an instant, Rodrick became known as a jilted lover among the knights.
Indeed, he had not yet received an answer to his proposal. Even though it was just an engagement, not marriage.
He roughly ran his fingers through his sweat-soaked hair and headed straight for Diana.
[This is the timeline separator]
The atmosphere in the office had frozen over, as if a bomb had gone off.
A young lady boldly asking for his son from the Schwartz Duke, whom even the Emperor couldn't treat carelessly.
The aides and servants were left speechless at the shocking scene. However, the one who spoke and the one being bombarded remained composed.
"Young lady."
The deep voice bore down. As the silence broke, those around them flinched and shrank back.
"Do you not know the relationship between your family and ours?"
Diana had slammed her hands on the desk, bringing her dangerously close to the Duke. Despite facing the Duke's imposing presence, Diana was smiling brightly.
"I do know. We're neighbors who treat each other like the dog next door."
"And yet?"
"You'll benefit more. My share of mines and assets is quite substantial. The dowry will be considerable."
"We have that level of assets as well."
That's right. The Schwartz family was not lacking in assets. However, there was an area where the Beatus family had the upper hand.
"You'll be able to secure connections to the central government. You've been failing to place your pawns in the Imperial court repeatedly, haven't you?"
I wonder whose fault that is. It was due to the interference of the Beatus family, who had a firm grip on central politics and even controlled the underworld behind the scenes.
"..."
Tap tap- The Duke drummed his fingers on the desk, deep in thought. It didn't take long for him to finish weighing his options.
"And what do you gain?"
"Your eldest son."
"Not the second son?"
Mm, I'll pass.
The second lead had a high chance of getting involved with the protagonist. From the start, he had strong childlike qualities that didn't evoke romantic feelings.
If Felice had played the role of a cure and been a reticent, damaged younger man like in the novel, would I have thought differently?
No, I still prefer Rodrick.
I preferred a fierce beast baring its fangs to a tail-wagging puppy. Diana spoke while gently closing her pink eyes.
"No, Father. I want Rodrick."
"He may look fine, but he's a dying man. The second son will soon become the heir when he dies. Do you know this?"
The Duke spoke dispassionately about his own child's death, without a hint of emotion.
My, this father. Your way of speaking is quite unpleasant. He's your own child. Is that something you can say so nonchalantly?
The Duke was subtly alluding to Rodrick's curse. He was probing to see how much she knew.
Understanding his intentions, Diana's pink eyes softened.
"I know."
"And yet, you want such a cursed man? He's a defective product of our family."
Defective product. Diana's smiling face froze. You, have you been treated like this all your life?
"That's too much, Father. To me, he is an extremely precious and valuable gem."
Search "seduce" at redcatty [.] com to read ahead up to chap 70.