The Northern Grand Duke's Mad Son-in-Law - Chapter 63

WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Ceaseless

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◈ The Northern Grand Duke’s Mad Son-in-Law ◈

Chapter 63: Ring Gift

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‘Damn...’

Galahad ran his fingers over the box.

The Princess’s gift was a severed finger.

He was not surprised to find a severed finger in the box. Compared to some of the things the Princess had given him, a finger was relatively tame.

The problem was who it had belonged to.

The ring on the finger was one the prince of the Kingdom Alliance had once proudly shown Galahad.

[A kingdom’s treasure filled with blessings.]

The prince had been a decent man.

Galahad had met him on a mission. It had been an espionage operation meant to destabilize the increasingly powerful Kingdom Alliance.

He had chosen the smallest kingdom.

Not simply because it was the weakest.

It had been a thoroughly calculated choice based on his investigation.

The operation had succeeded, and the credit earned him assignments from the imperial family.

That was how he became involved with the Princess.

Galahad tapped the box.

The Princess’s gift was not the ring.

It was the finger beneath it.

The swollen, blackened finger bore signs of poisoning.

Still, the prince’s mother had died of poison.

Because of that, the prince had made a habit of having someone else test his food before he ate.

Galahad examined the finger. At the edge of the blackened area was a mark jutting out like a sharp thorn.

‘Hornleaf Grass poison.’

Hornleaf Grass grew in the desert and carried a particularly vicious poison.

It only became toxic when heated as intensely as the desert itself.

Thanks to magic, the imperial palace was always kept pleasantly cool.

Body heat alone would not have been enough to activate the poison. The middle of the finger was also deeply blackened.

‘The burn is faint.’

It had clearly been exposed to fire at a temperature high enough to cause both a burn and poisoning.

‘An expert. A handshake, perhaps?’

Few people were both skilled enough with fire magic to control its temperature and specialized in this sort of work. At least, there had been no one like that around the Princess.

‘The Third Prince.’

It was a meticulous move worthy of the Third Prince.

Even if the prince died, the Princess would surely be suspected, so there was little chance the Third Prince would suffer any loss.

The imperial family would never acknowledge it in the first place...

What mattered was his motive.

Why kill a prince of the Kingdom Alliance?

There were two possibilities. Either the Third Prince had another connection within the Kingdom Alliance, or he wanted relations with the Kingdom Alliance to collapse entirely.

The Third Prince was the kind of man who enjoyed earning merit through bloodshed.

Since he profited from war, it was probably the latter.

‘Not killing him back then is coming back to haunt me.’

Galahad frowned.

“This is what you wanted.”

The Princess said with a radiant smile.

It was not a question. She was certain.

Unfortunately, he had no choice but to nod.

There were several things Galahad had failed to accomplish.

The Third Prince was one of them.

This finger from the Princess was a sword that could strike at the Third Prince.

Calling it a gift was quite fitting.

That was not its only use.

Since the Princess had personally given him the prince’s missing finger, it was a leash he could use to control her.

The Princess had handed her leash over to Galahad.

A leash cinched tight...

‘That changes things.’

The Princess’s prospects had improved somewhat.

And if he could cut off the Third Prince as well...

It was certainly tempting.

Still, there was Adrianna.

Galahad glanced at Adrianna and clicked his tongue softly.

Her brows had lowered, and her gaze was fixed on the gift box.

‘Wasn’t it said to be a treasure of the Kingdom Alliance?’

The ring was splendid enough to suit a kingdom’s treasure.

There were even rumors that its blessing kept its wearer from aging.

Galahad did not believe it, though looking at the Princess’s smooth skin, perhaps it did work.

The Princess met his eyes and smiled broadly.

“Lead me to the Grand Duke. Let’s finish this quickly and go back.”

“I won’t be going back.”

“You hold grudges for a long time.”

“I have no business here. Let’s go.”

“I want to hold hands.”

“Please shut your mouth.”

With the two of them constantly talking, Adrianna never found a chance to speak.

* * *

‘Damn...’

Galahad rubbed his dry throat.

The Grand Duke and the Princess sat across from each other, with Galahad seated between them.

The Grand Duke had an exceptionally rough appearance. With those terrifying muscles on display, he looked less like a macho man and more like a Monster.

The Princess remained relaxed before him.

She cut a piece of meat with her fork and knife, then put it into her mouth.

“It’s undercooked.”

Galahad let out a low groan at the Princess’s frown and complaint.

“That is northern style.”

“Barbaric.”

The Grand Duke’s lips curled fiercely.

“It tastes terrible.”

Clicking her tongue, the Princess picked up the cup beside her.

It was identical to the cups before the Grand Duke and Galahad, but larger than the Princess’s face.

The enormous cup was filled with liquor so strong that its scent alone made one frown.

The Princess lightly lifted it with one hand and brought it to her lips.

Then she drained it in a single gulp.

Gulp. Gulp.

Her slender throat moved repeatedly.

Without spilling a single drop, the Princess emptied the cup.

‘Just like before.’

Galahad clicked his tongue inwardly.

“Good liquor. Is there any more?”

The Grand Duke laughed quietly as the Princess shook the empty cup.

“What brings an esteemed imperial to the north?”

“I came to reclaim what is mine.”

“What is mine?”

The Princess pointed at Galahad in response to the Grand Duke’s question.

Galahad gave his most harmless smile.

“I do not belong to anyone.”

“Galahad is mine.”

The Princess spoke as though she had not heard him.

“How amusing. He is not someone who belongs in anyone’s hands.”

The Grand Duke looked at Galahad as he spoke.

“As expected of Your Grace. You are exactly right.”

“Because I am an esteemed imperial?”

“Does noble blood not spill?”

The Grand Duke asked with a growl. The atmosphere was fierce enough to send a chill down Galahad’s back, but the Princess only snorted.

“You know of the agreement, so do not make such childish threats.”

‘...The agreement?’

Galahad frowned at the word that came from the Princess’s mouth.

“The agreement applies only to imperial blood. Did that coward not tell you?”

The coward was probably the Crown Prince, the one who had supposedly come to see Adrianna before.

Galahad recalled something the Grand Duke had said.

The Crown Prince had ridden off alone...

The Grand Duke was threatening to kill everyone except the Princess, who had imperial blood.

Even Galahad found the threat chilling, but unfortunately for the Grand Duke, his opponent was the Princess.

“Galahad is good with horses, so it does not matter. No, it would be rather intimate.”

The Princess nodded.

She meant it. Even if he killed everyone she had brought, the Princess would not bat an eye.

“Ah, how about a wager? You and I can see who kills more. I’m quite confident.”

The Princess casually spun her knife and smiled broadly.

She clearly thought the wager would be fun.

“Ha!”

The Grand Duke laughed aloud.

Galahad was slightly surprised by it.

“You are better than that Crown Prince fellow who came before.”

The Grand Duke spoke quietly. His voice was fierce, but blunt.

‘Madmen really do understand each other.’

Galahad leaned back slightly in his chair.

“Give me Galahad, and I will return. The victory? You may have it. I will pay whatever price that requires as well.”

At the Princess’s offer, Galahad suddenly grew uneasy.

The Grand Duke did not like him.

That was only natural. Galahad’s marriage had been arranged unilaterally by the Empire.

He had recently earned the Grand Duke’s recognition and worked hard to gain merit, but he did not think the Grand Duke liked him.

If he could get rid of Galahad, he would want to.

Adrianna had also mentioned calling off the marriage when she heard the Princess was coming.

There was a considerable chance the Grand Duke would accept the offer.

“Wait.”

As Galahad was about to speak, the Grand Duke tapped the long dining table with his index finger.

Bang!

It sounded as though he had struck it with a club.

“There is only one way for what has entered my hands to leave.”

The Grand Duke stared at Galahad.

His eyes were excessively fierce.

Looking at Galahad with wild eyes that seemed to contain a storm, the Grand Duke opened his mouth.

“When it dies.”

Galahad swallowed hard.

“I’d prefer him alive. What a problem.”

The Princess grumbled, narrowing her eyes.

The Grand Duke grinned broadly.

If this continued, something was bound to happen.

If the Grand Duke killed all the soldiers and knights the Princess had brought, she would smile as she tore through the Grand Duke’s castle.

That was the worst possible outcome.

Galahad quickly considered a solution.

It did not take long.

When he raised his hand, the Grand Duke and Princess both turned their gazes on him.

Under their fierce stares, Galahad slowly spoke.

“It is meant as a friendly duel, but would it not be dull without a prize?”

Their eyes narrowed at the same time.

Galahad smiled.

“Let us each put up one prize for the duel.”

* * *

“Are you saying you put Commander Galahad up as the prize for this duel?”

Adrianna spoke in a low voice. Theodore, the one she addressed, looked troubled.

“Commander Galahad is not an object. How can a person be the prize in a duel?”

Adrianna rarely raised her voice. Theodore turned his head at her outburst.

Galahad was in Theodore’s line of sight, leisurely smoking a cigarette.

At Theodore’s glance, Galahad clicked his tongue softly.

“Ah, I put myself up.”

“...Pardon?”

Adrianna’s brows twitched rapidly.

Since she seemed unable to understand, Galahad explained further.

“The prize. I put myself up. I didn’t think they would calm down otherwise.”

“What do you mean by that? There is no reason Commander Galahad should be treated like an object. I will speak to His Grace!”

“I said I put myself up, so why are you making such a fuss?”

Adrianna’s lips moved. She seemed to choose her words for a moment, then pressed them shut.

Then the inner edges of her brows lowered while the outer edges rose.

It was a brow shape he had never seen before.

‘Are those angry brows?’

Galahad clicked his tongue softly.

She looked ready to cause trouble if he left her alone.

“You will win anyway, won’t you?”

Adrianna looked at Galahad again.

Looking into those blue eyes, he spoke with certainty.

“I trust you.”

Adrianna’s lips parted slightly. Her brows shot upward.

Her already large eyes grew even wider.

Galahad was slightly surprised that a person’s eyes could become that large.

“We will discuss how I am treated after the contest. We are busy now.”

“If you are busy...”

At Adrianna’s question, Galahad looked into her blue eyes.

Those eyes were clear and without the slightest blemish.

The finger the Princess had gifted him could be very useful, but...

In the end, it was only one of the cards Galahad held.

The sword that would one day strike the Demon King...

Was Adrianna.

“I will show you how to defeat the Princess.”

* * *

‘...?’

Adrianna frowned as she looked at Galahad before her.

He held a rapier and had taken a stance.

Yet he looked remarkably steady.

Like an experienced knight.

“Did you learn swordsmanship?”

“It used to be a hobby.”

Adrianna tilted her head at Galahad’s answer.

“Do you know the Empire’s duel rules?”

“Yes. I heard aura is forbidden and points are awarded depending on which body part is struck.”

“Correct. The ban on aura is the key. Also, once a point has been scored, any strikes after that are invalid.”

“I see.”

“That is why I said you could not win. Their sword matches are something they treat like a game.”

Adrianna was an exceptional knight. Galahad, on the other hand, was a mage.

A mage lecturing a knight about swords was rather ridiculous.

The Second Battalion commander had actually refused Galahad’s proposal harshly, saying it was insulting.

Yet Adrianna, the north’s finest knight, listened seriously.

“I will show you first.”

Galahad held out his sword. Adrianna took a stance opposite him.

Galahad was a mage. If he overextended himself for no reason, he could be injured.

Adrianna gripped her sword hilt more carefully than usual.

Then Galahad kicked off the ground. His footwork was strange, almost as if he were dancing.

The distance between them closed in an instant.

Knights usually watched an opponent’s shoulder rather than their sword.

The shoulder moved before the sword did.

And yet, when Adrianna watched his shoulder...

“That is what makes duels difficult.”

Adrianna let out a quiet sigh as she looked at the rapier that had grazed her gauntlet.

Galahad had moved his waist first, not his shoulder.

It was an unexpected movement.

It was not that she had failed to react.

No, the fact that she had reacted so well was the problem.

Adrianna had honed her swordsmanship on the front lines against the Demonkin.

At the front, even a slight delay in reaction meant falling to the Demonkin.

Because of that, her aura reacted before her body did.

The moment Galahad attacked, her aura rose before she could consciously register it.

Suppressing her aura slowed her down.

And Galahad’s sword was faster than she had expected.

As a result, his blade grazed the back of Adrianna’s hand first.

In a real battle, it would not have mattered. She could have blocked a strike like that with aura.

But in a duel, it was a point.

“Were you a knight?”

“Did I not tell you? It was a hobby.”

‘A hobby...?’

Those movements and that speed could not come from a simple hobby.

The question rose to Adrianna’s lips, but she swallowed it back.

If someone did not want to speak of something, it was polite not to ask further.

Everyone had a past they did not wish to discuss.

Adrianna knew that better than anyone.

“As you just saw, a rapier makes it easy to deceive your opponent. If you move your waist before your shoulder when thrusting, you can explosively increase your speed at the end.”

Adrianna nodded.

“These are techniques that are easy to fall for if you do not know them. Of course, if you use aura, you can react even to that, but aura is forbidden in a duel.”

“Yes, I understand.”

Galahad took his stance again.

It was a habit from the battlefield. It would surely take time for Adrianna to restrain her habitual aura.

Watching her, Galahad kicked off the ground once more.

Just like before, Adrianna’s reaction was slightly slow.

Her attention was divided as she suppressed her aura.

This time, Galahad attempted a cut instead of a thrust.

Cutting with a rapier was useless, but in an imperial-style duel, it still earned points.

Then Adrianna’s sword moved.

It was somewhat late again, but faster than before.

Fast enough to knock Galahad’s sword aside.

“Ah, it can be used for cutting too. It still earns points, after all.”