WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Ceaseless
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◈ The Northern Grand Duke’s Mad Son-in-Law ◈
Chapter 68: Almost Touched
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Galahad realized something new.
Whenever Adrianna was around, the Grand Duke became ever so slightly gentler.
If he kept Adrianna by his side, Galahad probably would not have to worry about the Grand Duke tearing out his neck.
Galahad quietly relaxed and looked around.
Only three people sat at a dining table long enough to seat twenty.
Yet the Grand Duke was so large that it did not feel empty.
The table was covered with food.
The Grand Duke tore into a piece of meat with his hands. It seemed completely uncooked, and blood sprayed out in a long arc. The brutal sound of flesh being torn apart grated on Galahad’s ears.
His eating habits were closer to those of a barbarian chieftain than a Grand Duke.
“Try some of this. It’s good.”
At that moment, Adrianna placed more food on his plate. The Grand Duke’s eyes sharpened.
As the Grand Duke glared at him while tearing apart meat, Galahad’s throat tingled for no reason.
“Didn’t you say you were fine? Eat your meal.”
“I already ate.”
Though he had tried to stop her several times, Adrianna continued placing food on Galahad’s plate.
“It tastes better if you mix it with this.”
She seemed to want to teach him how Northerners ate.
It was sweet of her, but northern food was mostly revolting to begin with.
No matter how fragrant the herbs on top were, meat dripping with more blood than juices could not look appetizing.
Whenever Adrianna looked after Galahad, the corners of the Grand Duke’s mouth rose a little higher.
It was strange that someone could look more vicious the more they smiled.
Galahad recalled the Demonkin whose neck the Grand Duke had torn out. His neck itched.
“Try this too.”
‘...Is she getting revenge?’
Galahad muttered softly as he looked at Adrianna.
“What is it?”
“I feel like I’m going to burst.”
“What? From this much?”
Galahad frowned at Adrianna’s question.
He had emptied his plate five times already. Yet she called it this much. It was absurd.
Then the Grand Duke set down a piece of meat stripped to the bone.
“You did something amusing.”
The Grand Duke’s fierce eyes fixed on Galahad.
Galahad quickly reviewed the situation. He had deliberately bet half the money he had won on his own victory.
His mana exhaustion had been real as well.
It was a flawless calculation without a single weakness.
‘There’s nothing to catch me on.’
Galahad looked up at the Grand Duke without flinching.
“What are you referring to?”
The Grand Duke chuckled deeply. The table trembled slightly. The fact that his laughter could shake such a massive table left Galahad astonished.
“A draw.”
The Grand Duke finally got to the point.
Adrianna answered.
“As you ordered, I have finished investigating the match. After analyzing the circumstantial evidence and magical analysis, we found no grounds for suspicion.”
Adrianna pointed to the stack of documents beside the Grand Duke.
Judging by how thick it was, she must have been busy.
Rather than looking at the documents, the Grand Duke stared at Galahad. His eyes seemed to dig into him.
“The mages confirmed that a draw cannot be fabricated. We also verified that Commander Galahad placed a large sum on his own victory.”
Adrianna calmly continued.
“I see.”
The Grand Duke nodded readily. Even so, he kept staring at Galahad.
‘As expected, he’s weak when it comes to Adrianna.’
Galahad muttered to himself.
After a brief silence, the Grand Duke spoke.
What he said next was quite unexpected.
“We’ll hold an engagement ceremony.”
The meat Adrianna had been offering him suddenly fell from her hand with a thud.
Hmm.
Before Galahad could say anything, Adrianna shot to her feet.
Her brows were tightly furrowed.
“I refuse.”
After that short refusal, Adrianna left the room.
Galahad, suddenly left alone with the Grand Duke, quietly cleared his throat.
The corners of the Grand Duke’s mouth were still raised.
‘He did that on purpose.’
Galahad frowned.
The Grand Duke continued in a voice like the roar of a beast.
“The engagement ceremony will take place in three months. If Adrianna refuses...”
The Grand Duke pointed to an empty space among the displayed Monsters and Demonkin.
“We’ll have to hold a funeral instead.”
Galahad coughed softly at those vicious words.
An engagement ceremony or a funeral.
It was an awful joke.
But there was not the slightest hint of amusement on the Grand Duke’s face.
‘Hmm, it wasn’t a joke.’
Galahad let out a low groan.
The Grand Duke did not ask for his agreement.
Galahad had no intention of refusing either.
If anything...
“Three months? Isn’t that too late?”
The corners of the Grand Duke’s mouth rose fiercely.
* * *
“I’m sorry. I was so startled that I...”
After leaving the Grand Duke’s room while checking that his neck was still properly attached, Galahad found Adrianna standing a short distance away.
When she spotted him, Adrianna bowed deeply. Her brows were drawn low.
“It’s fine. I was startled too.”
At his reply, Adrianna let out a small breath.
“Ah. Were you? To suddenly bring it up without even giving you warning... I’ll speak to His Grace.”
Adrianna spoke strangely fast.
Galahad nodded.
“Three months from now? It’s not even the wedding. Isn’t that an awfully generous amount of time for an engagement ceremony?”
“......What?”
Adrianna’s brows twitched up and down. Galahad was puzzled.
“Why are you surprised?”
“I have no intention of having an engagement ceremony...”
“Who said anything about getting married? We’ll get married someday, but this is only an engagement ceremony.”
“Only an engagement... ceremony?”
Adrianna’s brows lowered. She was beginning to glare.
“We are already officially engaged. What would be different just because we held an engagement ceremony?”
Her brows shot up, and Adrianna glared.
“It is different.”
“How is it different? Give me a reason.”
“......It is different. I have no intention of taking things as far as an engagement ceremony.”
Galahad frowned at Adrianna’s firm answer.
If there was no engagement ceremony, it would become a funeral. Adrianna might be able to solve it if he told her.
Still, he did not particularly want to.
“I’ll speak to him properly. You don’t need to worry about His Grace.”
The Grand Duke would not listen just because Adrianna spoke to him.
If anything, he would likely tear out her neck and mouth together for being too loose-lipped.
Galahad nodded.
“Alright. I’ll trust you.”
“Yes.”
Galahad smiled bitterly at Adrianna’s short reply.
“Shall we take a walk? I feel bloated after eating.”
“What?”
“I’m a patient. I need support.”
Adrianna’s brows trembled.
“Then I’ll ask you to help me.”
“Ah...”
“Ugh, mana exhaustion...”
Galahad casually hooked his arm through hers. Adrianna’s brows quivered.
Adrianna did not pull her arm away.
The Grand Duke’s castle was not a good place for a walk. Soldiers and knights were everywhere, and eyes followed them from all directions.
To avoid them, they headed somewhere deserted. Adrianna moved stiffly, as if she were broken.
“You walk a little strangely.”
“......”
Adrianna did not answer.
Before long, they reached the top of the castle.
The dull iron scent of a massive bell tickled Galahad’s nose.
Biting winds that chilled him to the bone blew in from every direction.
“Ah...”
Adrianna sighed softly. Her long golden hair whipped wildly in the wind.
She wore her usual blank expression, yet she somehow seemed more alive.
‘She likes high places.’
Galahad remembered that.
“Isn’t it beautiful?”
Adrianna asked, sounding a little excited.
He looked around. Endless white snow stretched before them.
The snow-covered landscape in every direction looked like a magnificent painting. It was certainly beautiful.
To Galahad, who measured everything by its value, it had only been barren, freezing land...
Galahad nodded.
“It is beautiful.”
Adrianna’s hair lashed about in the wind. Through it, she smiled faintly.
Her smile was a little awkward, as though she had not smiled much before.
Still, it was beautiful.
“What you said before...”
“That you’re beautiful?”
“What? Ah, not that...”
Adrianna moved her lips for a moment. A faint look of concern appeared on her face.
Galahad did not rush her. His hand, which had habitually reached for a cigarette, fell back down.
Only after enough time had passed to smoke two cigarettes did Adrianna speak.
“I mean when you asked whether the Demonkin have a king...”
Galahad’s eyes widened at Adrianna’s careful words.
The Demon King.
At those words, his heart pounded violently. Blood rushed to his head so fiercely that his vision swayed for a moment.
Galahad had searched for the Demon King for a long time.
He had told people about it again and again to prepare for it, but their answers were always negative.
Even when he explained it logically, everyone shook their heads.
Even the subordinate who revered Galahad, and First, clicked their tongues whenever he mentioned the Demon King.
They criticized him for chasing such a strange goal.
There had been one person who listened, but even she went in a different direction.
Yet Adrianna brought it up first.
“You’re too close.”
“My apologies. You’re just too beautiful.”
“Yes, but you’re too close.”
Galahad took a step back.
Adrianna coughed quietly before speaking.
“Since Commander Galahad asked me, I have given it serious thought. There are Demonkin who act like nobles, so there could also be Demonkin known as kings.”
“Exactly. If there are nobles, there must naturally be a king! You understand! Finally!”
Adrianna was slightly startled by Galahad’s excitement. He usually showed no emotion at all.
Then Galahad strode closer.
“The Demon King exists. And someday, it will drive the continent into the abyss of destruction.”
“You’re too close...”
“No matter how much I told those idiots, they wouldn’t listen. Do you know how frustrating that was?”
“Too close...”
“But you understand! I finally found...”
“......You’re in danger!”
Adrianna urgently shoved him away.
Galahad fell over. His eyes, visible through his disheveled hair, were far too clear.
“Ah, I’m sorry.”
Adrianna hurriedly apologized and went down the stairs.
The cold wind brought Galahad back to his senses.
When he raised his head, Adrianna was already gone.
‘Adrianna mentioned the Demon King.’
Galahad rolled that sentence around in his mouth like candy.
‘Finally...’
There had always been two reactions to the Demon King.
Dismissal and ridicule. Even when he explained it logically, the result was always the same.
That was why Galahad had stopped bringing up the Demon King.
‘That was certainly the case, but...’
Adrianna had said “Demon King” first.
She had even reacted positively.
It was the first reaction like that he had ever seen.
‘Why only Adrianna?’
Everything had a cause and a reason.
Galahad reviewed the reactions he had received so far.
Even if people did not understand the Demon King, they could have at least pretended to listen. Instead, everyone rejected the idea from the start.
As though they had been brainwashed.
‘Brainwashing? Then what about Adrianna?’
Adrianna had reacted positively.
The difference between them was obvious.
‘Adrianna’s nature that burns mana! Ah, that was it.’
Her nature must have taken effect.
If her mana-burning nature had blocked it, then whatever it resisted had to be mana or authority.
‘This effect cannot be achieved through magic. Since this concerns the Demon King, it must be the Demonkin’s authority.’
Galahad’s thoughts raced.
‘Does it block thoughts about the Demon King? Across the entire continent? Could even a high-ranking Demonkin do that?’
It was an incomprehensible ability.
It clearly was not merely a high-ranking Demonkin.
If that were possible, it had to be authority.
In any case, what mattered was...
‘The Demon King exists. And...’
Galahad swept back his disheveled hair.
His eyes were full of laughter.
* * *
“Are you alright?”
Tom looked at Gilbert with concern.
Gilbert had bet his salary twice in a row following Galahad, and he had won a truly large sum.
After getting a taste for gambling, Gilbert wagered his entire fortune.
Then he lost it all.
Tom, who knew him, worried for Gilbert, but Gilbert was surprisingly calm.
“A knight needs only a sword.”
He was so calm that it worried Tom even more.
“My sword has become lighter. It was not armor slowing my hand.”
Gilbert grinned brightly and tapped his sword.
Saying he would show him, Gilbert drew his sword.
“Watch carefully.”
Gilbert began moving his sword with a serious expression.
Tom thought Gilbert was somewhat blunt, but his skill was real.
Gilbert was a knight famous enough for even a low-ranking soldier like Tom to know.
His sword moved heavily. Even to Tom, who knew little about it, the swordsmanship looked clean.
‘It really does seem faster...’
When Gilbert finally stopped, Tom clapped enthusiastically.
“Your sword really has become faster! It’s sharper than before too! As expected of Sir Gilbert!”
“I had forgotten that a knight’s sword is everything.”
Since Gilbert said so, Tom had little else to say.
“I did not lose money. I bought a valuable realization.”
Gilbert’s face was extremely serious.
‘Didn’t he lose it?’
Though he had doubts, Tom nodded anyway.
Then Gwen returned.
Unlike Gilbert, Gwen’s face was filled with smiles.
“Gwen, did something good happen?”
“Ah, ahem!”
Gwen shook the pouch in her hand. It made a loud jingling sound.
It was an oddly heavy pouch for someone who sent her salary to the children she cared for.
“They were gambling over there, so I joined in too!”
“What? Did you bet on a draw?”
“Yep! They said it paid the most!”
“What?”
“You bet on the place with the highest payout to get the most money! Isn’t that obvious?”
Tom nodded awkwardly at her response, as though she could not understand why he was asking.
A draw had offered the highest payout, so naturally it would earn the most money.
But high payouts also meant high risk.
‘She bet on a draw because she doesn’t understand the idea of odds...’
Tom admired Gwen’s gambler’s instinct.
“Urk...”
A choking sound came from beside him. Gilbert stared at Gwen with wide eyes.
Tom hurriedly intervened.
“Then you’re rich now!”
“That’s right! The children won’t go hungry anymore! Hehe...”
Gwen smiled as she stroked the pouch. It was already well known that she cared for orphans.
Gilbert coughed softly at Gwen’s pure delight. He looked somewhat embarrassed.
“It is dangerous for children to keep money. I’ll introduce you to someone trustworthy.”
It was a highly suspicious suggestion, and Tom hurriedly looked at Gilbert.
“What? Someone trustworthy?”
“He’s a soldier here named Burtman. If I explain the situation, he’ll safeguard it. He likes children, so he probably won’t charge a fee.”
“Wow! Great!”
Tom quietly sighed in relief. Then a question occurred to him.
Gwen’s pouch was smaller than he expected.
“That is less money than I thought. There was quite a bit bet on it.”
“His Grace bet on a draw too! A huge amount!”
His Grace had bet on a draw. Had he predicted this?
Tom murmured the question aloud.
Then Gwen handed the pouch to Gilbert. Gilbert received it and bit his lip for a moment.
Then he cautiously spoke.
“Ahem. In gambling, winners give out a small dog’s share.”
“A dog? How cute!”
“No, not an actual dog... Forget it.”
Gilbert sighed quietly and shook his head.
Tom stifled a laugh.
Then he suddenly felt that something was strange.
Glancing around, Tom hurriedly asked.
“Where is Damian?”
Damian was nowhere to be seen.
Footnotes:
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