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Chapter 39
“Is it serious? Where? Already?”
A sense of dread hit Ronin, and his heart began pounding.
Pam, who had been avoiding his gaze the whole time, finally spoke in a tiny, trembling voice.
“…I’m sorry, Sir Ronin. I only chewed a Herno leaf.”
“A Herno leaf…?”
Only after unconsciously repeating her words did his mind begin to work again.
Herno leaves were only mildly poisonous. They made people sick, but they weren’t fatal.
“Come to think of it… these are the classic symptoms of Herno leaf poisoning… I didn’t even think of that.”
Herno leaves were difficult to obtain, and because they were so brilliantly colored that anyone could tell they were poisonous plants, very few people ever ate them.
That was why the possibility had never crossed Ronin’s mind.
“Haa… Thank goodness…”
He let out a sigh of relief.
At that very moment, a voice came from behind him.
“Finished talking?”
“Ah…”
At the sound of that voice, Ronin slowly turned around.
“Then you can report to me now.”
Father…!
As much as he wished otherwise, the man standing in the doorway was indeed his father.
Only then did Ronin completely understand what Pam had meant.
Pam had deliberately eaten the hard-to-find Herno leaf.
His father had appeared at the perfect moment.
And Pam’s apology…
It had all been a carefully staged performance.
Step.
Step.
Richard strode into the bedroom shared by Callion and Ronin.
Looking down at Ronin, whose legs had given out beneath him, he spoke in an icy voice.
“Tell me information that would allow us to sever that northern brat’s head in a single strike. Surely, my son… you aren’t about to tell me you have nothing.”
Ever since the trip to the North had been decided, Richard Alistair had been in a foul mood.
No… in truth, he had been irritated long before that.
“I can’t understand what he’s thinking.”
According to the spy hidden in the North, Ronin had been spending his dowry to keep the North afloat.
As if that weren’t enough, he had even squandered a golden opportunity to weaken the North’s military strength.
Richard didn’t know what his son’s intentions were, but too many opportunities had already been lost.
And despite all that, Ronin hadn’t submitted a proper report even once.
That left Richard with no choice but to come see for himself.
“If he’s entertaining foolish thoughts… I’ll make sure he comes to his senses.”
His first visit to the North had been miserable.
The weather was cold enough to cut through flesh, and the northerners, who clearly had never learned the meaning of civility, were unbearably crude.
But the one who displeased him most was that wildcat who strutted around calling himself a duke.
“If His Majesty desires a powerful Empire, then a carefully negotiated alliance would be far more fitting than a marriage forced through coercion.”
“Insolent little…! If not for those outdated customs, you’d be groveling at my feet!”
Just remembering that shameless face made his blood boil.
Unfortunately, the wildcat moved annoyingly fast.
He had stationed knights outside Ronin’s room, preventing Ronin from leaving—and preventing Richard from entering as well.
In the end, Richard had to deliberately create a disturbance to lure the guards away before he could finally meet his son.
After going through all that trouble, naturally there had better be a reward.
“Otherwise…”
Richard’s eyes gleamed dangerously.
Ronin swallowed hard.
“I have to answer… If I can’t give him something satisfactory here…”
His hands trembled uncontrollably, but remaining silent wasn’t an option.
If he did, he knew things would become far worse.
He couldn’t even comfort himself with the hope that the knight who had left would return in time.
Trying to steady himself, he dug his fingernails into his own thigh.
Only after pinching himself hard enough to leave a bruise did his thoughts clear slightly.
“I can still fix this. Pam… she’ll recover too.”
A stabbing ache of betrayal spread through his chest.
Even so…
“Pam was never my person to begin with.”
He had to think that way.
Otherwise, he wouldn’t be able to endure.
Carefully keeping his voice from shaking, Ronin finally began speaking.
“The people of the North were not quick to open their hearts. In order to accomplish anything, I first had to earn their trust, so I used my dowry. In addition, I happened to cure an illness that had long plagued the people here, which allowed me to gain their goodwill. As a result, I was able to obtain Lord Leofric’s…”
“Lord Leofric?”
“…My apologies. His Grace Leofric’s permission to share his bed. The arrangement was made recently, and we have spent two nights together. During those nights, more than eighty percent of our conversations consisted of my speaking, while His Grace responded very little.”
Ronin paused for a breath before continuing.
“From what I have observed, His Grace Leofric normally wakes at seven in the morning and receives face-to-face reports at least twice a day on average. The aide he trusts most is Baldwin Talbot, who serves as the deputy commander of the Black Wolf Knights.”
The tips of Ronin’s fingers trembled ever so slightly.
Clenching his fists tightly, he continued.
“In addition, the people with whom he appears particularly close are Head Maid Marwen Wyndham and Head Steward Conrad Serman. I am also building relationships with them, so I expect to obtain more valuable information before long.”
Ronin cautiously watched Richard’s expression.
His father remained completely expressionless, giving no hint of what he was thinking.
Having no choice, Ronin continued.
“Also, while overseeing repairs to the castle, I noticed that, from a military standpoint, the eastern outer wall has a structural weakness. During the season when the perennial snow melts, sections of the ground become unstable. However, I do not believe this will become a practical factor until before next summer. Furthermore…”
“Enough.”
Richard raised a hand, cutting him off.
Ronin immediately fell silent, as though someone had tightened a noose around his throat.
Watching him coldly, Richard muttered,
“So… you’ve ended up sharing a bedroom. You’ve earned their trust… Is that it?”
The corner of Richard’s mouth twisted upward.
Even before hearing the rest, Ronin knew what was coming.
“You think I came all the way to the North just to hear that worthless drivel? You should have dug up information that was actually useful, no matter what methods it took!”
“Father, I know you are dissatisfied. If you’ll only give me a little more time—”
“Time? After bungling the job this badly, you dare ask me for more time? Have you completely lost your mind?!”
Ronin pressed his lips tightly together.
If he didn’t, his true feelings would spill out.
He wanted to tell his father how desperately he had struggled to soften the distrust and hatred attached to the name Alistair, and that despite the difficult circumstances, everything was proceeding according to plan.
But none of those words were allowed.
Whatever he said would only sound like excuses to his father.
“This wretched place…”
Richard sneered as he slowly looked around the room.
“If I had been in charge, I would have torn everything down long ago.”
“Every last one of those inferior seeds included.”
He stepped closer to Ronin.
With a cold, mocking smile, he said,
“This land is rotten soil. Whatever you plant here rots. Whatever you raise here grows twisted. If that’s the kind of ground they were born and raised in, how could any of them possibly become worthwhile?”
Ronin’s entire body began trembling.
Those words hadn’t been directed at him.
Yet he felt deeply humiliated all the same.
Robert, who had given him strawberry jam as a gift.
Lady Wyndham, who had supported his efforts.
The warm-hearted Conrad.
And His Grace Leofric, who sincerely loved and cherished this northern land…
“What did any of them do to deserve being insulted like this?”
