I Became the Childhood Friend of the Northern Duchess - Chapter 218



218 – Becoming Bait

Lukeville family.

This family is best described as being breakable but not bendable, and is also a family that is truly loyal to the imperial family.

Therefore, Edgar was very worried from the time he first asked them for help.

First of all, how do you give a justification? This was the biggest problem.

Even though Albrich was threatening the imperial family, he could not reveal the specific details.

Of course, if this fact were to be revealed, it could result in the authority of the imperial family falling to the ground.

Moreover, there is a possibility that those who have followed the imperial family all along will feel betrayed.

However, I thought that if I made an excuse in a cowardly manner, they would quickly realize it.

Even Yulken of the world praised the current head of the Lukeville family, saying, ‘If you tell an appropriate lie to escape his attention, it will only end up poisoning you.’ -0ba5-b4ff2d77da36″＞

Therefore, what Edgar chose was the Jeonggong method.

He visited the Lukeville family, accompanied by Yulken, and with four people, including Hagel, gathered in one place, he persuaded them and conveyed his demands.

First, spread a rumor that a group of thieves had appeared in the mountain near the Lukeville family.

Second, use that as an excuse to request assistance from the Bertus family.

Thirdly, if reinforcements from the Bertus family arrive, tie them in place and wait as long as possible as if you can’t find any traces of the bandits.

Even if we just pass over the second sentence, the third sentence, ‘Taking up time and tying us to our seats,’ clearly showed that there was malicious intent.

Even more so because the opponent is from the same empire.

“Let me ask you a question, Sir Edgar. “For whom is this action?”

Therefore, in a cold tone, he asked Edgar about the purpose of this plan.

Why on earth should they help themselves with something like this?

And whether the ultimate purpose of this scheme is to satisfy the Robeheim family’s self-interest.

In fact, from a third party’s perspective, it may have been natural for such misunderstandings to occur.

The Robeheim family is the second most powerful family right after the imperial family, and the Bertus family is a family of the same level.

Therefore, the possibility that it was a fight to keep each other’s power in check could not be ruled out.

“If it’s your petty power struggle, I’m not willing to listen. Even if this incident causes me to fall out with the Robeheim family, this feeling will not change.”

Of course, Derpaine also knew that the man named Yulken was not that small of a vessel.

However, people also change easily over time, and the current head of the family is not him, but his daughter Ariel.

It wouldn’t be strange if the family’s path changed during her generation

That’s why Derpaine firmly drew a line.

Hagel, who was sitting next to her, was unable to take her friend’s side her her or support his father her her her, keeping his eyes closed to her father’s threats her her her her.

This was because the matter was too heavy and serious for him to open his mouth about it carelessly.

“It’s for the imperial family.”

“Did you say imperial family? Well, I guess I should be willing to accept it. Just assuming that there is evidence to support your opinion.”

Der Paine’s eyes shone sharply as if she had been caught well.

Now that she had brought up the name of the imperial family, she was going to press her on the wrong ground and take her to the station for her slip of the tongue.

But her answer was completely different from what he expected…

“No. We cannot provide you with anything that can be called proof. Lord Derpaine.”

“… ?”

The story was that they could not provide a basis for providing help.

Der Paine was momentarily dumbfounded, wondering if she hearing her she was wrong, as she inadvertently exchanged a glance with her her Hagel her her her.

“I can tell you why. But I cannot tell you why it happened that way, or any evidence to support that justification.”

“Then I guess this is the end of the story. I’m sure they didn’t attack without thinking, just trusting in the power of the Robeheim family.”

In response to Edgar’s firm reply, Der Paine’s tone became somewhat harsh and her voice became louder.

Even though there were sentences mixed in that clearly seemed to disparage the Robeheim family, Yulken, who was present, did not say anything.

Because he was aware that it was not his turn to step forward yet.

Meanwhile, Edgar, who had a calm expression while receiving Derpaine’s sad gaze, soon opened his mouth.

“Even if the Bertus family is a traitor who threatened the imperial family?”

The already cold air suddenly froze at Edgar’s explosive remarks

Due to this remark, Derpaine was left wondering for the second time today that his ears were wrong.

Does this man know what he is saying so lightly?

“… I don’t know what you’re talking about. Did he go crazy after riding on the love of the Robeheim family?”

“I’m not crazy, and I’m not smart enough to use my lover’s family as a backbone to tell nonsense. “I’m just telling you the facts as they are.”

Edgar gently shifted his gaze towards Yulken next to him and responded to Derpaine by saying, ‘Tell me after seeing Yulken’s reaction.’

“Obviously, Your Highness… No, now I will call you Lord Yulken. I will prove how loyal that person was. But don’t you know that that doesn’t provide any evidence to back up this statement?”

“I know. However, even though Lord Derpaine is aware of it, isn’t he making an effort to pretend not to notice?”

“What is that?”

Derpaine’s eyebrows twitched for a moment.

It wasn’t because he didn’t know what he was pretending not to know, but because he felt a prickly feeling for a moment.

“If His Highness, who has now retired from active duty, came in person and bowed his head to persuade you, I think it would have been right to have created at least a plausible excuse, even if it was a lie.”＜ Br＞

“That’s funny. Are you trying to use something that has no basis as a basis?”

“Yes, but doesn’t Lord Derpaine have doubts about this?”

Of course. Honestly, I felt like I had read his inner thoughts.

For a while now, Derpaine could not understand why the Robeheim family was behaving so lamely and clinging to their emotions.

In the first place, they would be able to create at least one or two false evidences that the Bertus family threatened the emperor.

However, not doing so seemed like giving up on negotiations without telling the truth, rather than trying to persuade him with false evidence.

“… There is a reason why I cannot reveal the truth to you now. Is that what you want to say?”

“It will depend on Lord Derpaine’s interpretation.”

Edgar also knew. I’m not a man who would easily make such an unreasonable request.

But what can you do? There are sometimes things in the world that should not be known.

If he had decided to make this fact known in the first place, he would have spread it publicly as he had the evidence in his hands, thereby completely turning public sentiment away from the Bertus family.

However, that is not the way to save everyone.

If you use that method, you may be able to run things more comfortably and more gently, but the imperial family will most likely be treated as a puppet and condemned by the people.

Of course, Bartheus’ crime of collaborating with Albrich was a mistake in itself.

However, does that mean that the authority of the rest of the family, who had to live while being ignored by her husband and father, also fell? Edgar had no choice but to tilt his head at that opinion.

In that case, wouldn’t it be right to save a few more people even if it alleviates one man’s sins?

Some may point fingers at him for being selfish, but this was the path he chose.

“Anyway, this is all I want to say. It is your choice to believe or not. Lord Derpaine.”

Edgar bowed her head deeply and made a final appeal, but Der Paine chewed her lip and turned her head away as coldly as possible.

There are definitely a lot of strange things. Somehow I felt strongly that I had to accept this offer.

But that is not a rational choice for a head of a family to make. That’s why I deliberately looked away to keep my mind from being shaken.

“… That doesn’t even sound like a horse. Please go back. “I will report this to Hamgu.”

Edgar did not raise his head despite Derpaine’s cold answer.

At that moment, Der Payne’s eyes widened as someone unexpectedly moved her body.

“I also ask you this. Lord Derpaine.”

“Yu, Lord Yulken…” ” … !?”

Excluding members of the imperial family, the man who was the most respected person in the empire and whom Der Paine once admired bowed his head after the young friend next to him.

“It probably doesn’t even sound like it. However, we are so desperate that we have no choice but to appeal to our emotions. “Can’t you please understand this feeling?”

“Lift your head up… ” ! For the person who was the owner of the Grand Duchy to bow his head his his so carelessly is a loss to the country’s honor!”

Derpaine was horrified and tried to stop him, but Yulken did not raise his head easily, as if he would agree with Edgar.

Then Hagel, who had been watching the conversation between the three, stood up, blocked his father’s path toward Yulken, and lowered his head his his.

“Father, I too dare to ask.”

“Hagel, stay out! I only brought you here because you will be the next head of the family, but it is still too early for you to appear here! On what basis would you say something like that in the first place?”

“I know. There is absolutely no basis for what Edgar said. But at least if he is the friend I have seen, he is not a man so light that he bows his head in a game of power.”

Hagel clearly remembered the look in his friend’s eyes as he looked around at the crowd that day at the imperial palace while engraving names on the tombstone.

At least those were not the eyes of a frivolous man who changed his attitude so lightly and was imbued with power.

I don’t know if he was looking at the wrong person, but Hagel was confident in his eyes for seeing people, even if he didn’t know anything else.

The reason I ended up with the lovely woman I have today was thanks to this keen eye for seeing her through her inner thoughts of her, even though they seemed light on the outside.

After that, the two people continued to argue for a while.

Only they know what kind of conversation took place, but considering the letter Albrich received, he must have been persuaded in some way.

*

After another week like that.

Two men were standing at the head of a mountain, quite far southeast of Hildeck, with soldiers.

“They said they would send 300 people.”

“Yes, father.”

Hagel immediately responded to his father’s muttering.

At the same time, Derpaine’s expression darkened, and he supported his body with his sword and gazed down the mountain with sharp eyes.

“… “I don’t understand why we, loyal subjects of the imperial family, have to be here like this.”

“Sorry. Because of my ineffective persuasion…”

“You little one, it’s nothing to worry about. Even if it wasn’t for your persuasion in the first place, there is a high possibility that I would have been influenced by them.”

Der Paine gently stroked his strong son’s head as if placating him and relaxed his grip on his sword.

The mission given to them was not that heavy anyway.

It’s not like I’m harming anyone, I just need to keep it here. So, there is no need to have a heavy heart right now.

“Sir Edgar had nothing else to say.”

“Yes, I left after saying I was sorry for not being able to tell you more.”

“Then I guess it’s one of the two. Either it was a truly serious matter that he could not even tell his close friend, or he was so corrupt that he tried to take advantage of you.”

Der Paine’s words became like swords, piercing his son’s skin and heart.

Literally. If this is just a lie, he has lost one of the few precious friends around him.

Still, why? I didn’t feel that anxious.

“Probably not.”

“Hoo? “I wonder what the basis is.”

Derpaine’s eyebrows slightly arched at his confident answer

Thanks to his father’s teaching to always watch his mouth, Hagel never said anything carelessly.

Still, I was truly curious as to what he had seen that allowed him to say such a thing. Is it simply desperation?

“There is no basis whatsoever. I just trust my friend. Rather, I am more curious about how my father agreed to such a request.”

As far as Hagel knows, his father, Der Paine, takes action only when there is supporting evidence and physical evidence rather than based on his intuition.

In some ways, it is safe to say that he is the opposite of Yulken.

Therefore, if it were him in normal times, he would have flatly refused even if Amman’s son had come forward and asked for it.

However, I thought that the reason I supported their hand was because somewhere in my heart, there was an element of trust in them.

“I don’t have a very special reason either. It’s just because the sense of heterogeneity that remained in my mind and their situation coincided coincidentally.”

“A sense of foreignness?”

“This is the story of the current head of the Bertus family. “I haven’t met him very often, but he was truly a strange man.”

He was probably one of the most unique men I’ve ever met.

Usually, treacherous people have a snake-like aura, and loyalists have a tiger-like aura, but he was not like that.

Could it be said that he seemed like a person who acted with his face tightly covered in a mask?

“It is still nice to see that I used to hang around Your Majesty’s side quite often on such topics. At that time, it was thought that it was only because of the location that it was close to His Majesty, but maybe there was another reason.”

“You’re putting things together in a way that’s not befitting of a father.”

“That’s right. “I told your friend that, but maybe it was me who was truly crazy.”

Der Paine, who was cackling and laughing somewhat frivolously, quickly scanned the group of people approaching from the corner of her gaze with her eyes.

“You’re coming. You stay where you are with your soldiers. “I will handle the response.”

“Yes, father.”

We will have to find out whether this is a wrong choice or not after looking at the results.

In the end, Der Payne had no fear because she was responsible for her choice.

What I’m most afraid of is what the consequences will be if this choice is wrong.

Derpaine’s eyes lit up when he saw the commander standing at the head of the approaching private soldiers of the Bertus family.

It was a man with the same impression as Edgar had mentioned.

‘If that person is there, I told you to hold him as much as possible, even if it means putting a bit of strain on him.’

From noble mtl dot come

Feeling that things were about to get a little more difficult, he approached the nominal reinforcements with open arms.