Shadow Oath

Chapter 26. Wine (1)

“You, I’ve been looking for you!”

Ram was on his way to General Terrdin’s tent first thing in the morning but unexpectedly ran into Prince Demion instead.

The prince smiled brightly, as always. His blonde hair and white teeth caught the morning sunlight, making it seem like he emitted light on his own.

“Good morning, Your Highness.”

Ram bowed his head respectfully.

“Where are you headed?”

In the prince’s hand was a wine bottle.

He also carried three glasses.

They were obviously expensive glassware.

Among the baron’s collection, Baron Selkon’s wife used to often say something whenever the slaves handled glasses like those.

“Be careful. That’s so expensive, you couldn’t buy it even if we sold ten of you.”

Ram replied politely.

“I was on my way to see General Terrdin.”

“Ah, of course. You’re Terrdin’s shadow, after all. But the general is likely in a meeting with my father right now, so you won’t be able to see him. Come with me.”

Though he said to follow him, Demion practically dragged Ram along with an arm slung over his shoulders.

The escorting knights trailed behind, their gazes filled with thinly veiled displeasure, as usual.

The walk was uncomfortable.

It was awkward to walk in that position, and the prince being so physically close made Ram uneasy.

Demion didn’t release his grip until they reached the king’s tent.

“Wait here for a moment. Don’t go anywhere. I’ll be right back.”

It wasn’t clear why he wanted Ram to wait.

Was it to let him meet the general later since Ram had mentioned it? There was no need to go to such lengths, though…

‘Do I really want to meet the general right now?’

Ram suddenly doubted whether he had the resolve to discuss the assassination order with Terrdin.

“What is this talk of an engagement?”

From inside the tent, Demion’s voice rang out.

There was no need to strain to hear him. However, the king’s voice was low enough that Ram had to focus to make it out.

“Where did you hear that?”

“Last night, Archbishop Aikop mentioned it.”

“I didn’t expect the archbishop to have such a loose tongue.”

The king clicked his tongue.

“How is it that I, the one supposedly engaged, didn’t know anything about it? When were you planning to tell me, after you’d kept it hidden for so long?”

“I planned to tell you once your fiancée arrived.”

“What? She’s coming here?”

“She will be arriving soon.”

“Who?”

“Have you not heard of Bormont’s daughter?”

“She’s coming? Here? When?”

“…By the way, why are you carrying a wine bottle so early in the morning?”

“…That’s not the point right now. When is this fiancée supposed to arrive?”

“Mind your manners, Demion. Can’t you see that I am in a meeting with the general and the commanders here? I am discussing with them how you might establish your authority as the conqueror of this region. And here you are, causing a commotion with a wine bottle in hand. Do you not see how disgraceful you appear?”

In contrast to the king’s stern reprimand, Terrdin’s calm voice followed shortly after.

“May I step outside to have a word with the prince?”

“That would be wise. It seems my son listens to the general better than he does to me.”

“That cannot be true, Your Majesty. The person the prince holds dearest is undoubtedly you.”

Shortly after, Terrdin and Demion emerged from the tent.

Ram greeted Terrdin with a bow, and the general’s expression betrayed a pleasant surprise at the unexpected meeting.

‘So that’s what Mage Kura meant by the general’s mistake. To anyone here, it’s clear the general treats me as someone special.’

The two men walked some distance away from the tent to an area free from onlookers.

Ram kept his distance to allow them privacy. However, he could hear every word of their conversation.

“Now that I’ve stepped outside the tent, I realize how ridiculous I was acting. No wonder people call me immature. My brother Ramuel was leading troops on the battlefield at my age.”

Demion spoke.

“He did hold a command.”

Terrdin replied.

“What do you mean, ‘did hold a command’?”

Demion asked.

“Prince Ramuel was stationed at the rear and never set foot on the battlefield.”

“Wasn’t he fighting? I heard he achieved victory.”

“The unit serving under Prince Ramuel won the battle. The command was handled by another officer. The victory was credited to him.”

“So the stories of my brother’s exploits in battle were all lies?”

“Not entirely lies… Well, I can’t say what exactly he told you, but when it comes to war stories, it’s safe to believe only about half of them.”

“Even half would make for an impressive tale.”

“Then let me assure you, Prince Ramuel’s accomplishments are not even half of that half. There’s no need for you to feel overshadowed by such stories.”

Terrdin’s voice was soft, and Demion chuckled.

Then, as if something had just occurred to him, Demion asked suddenly.

“What happened to Captain Clave? I saw him last night with blood running down his face near his eye, and today he has a bandage over that area.”

“I noticed as well, but the tension was too high to ask. Even if I had asked, he’s not the type to answer.”

Ram’s heart began to race.

He wanted to discuss that incident with Terrdin.

He had stabbed the captain’s eye.

What consequences would there be? Could this event harm Terrdin in any way? After all, Ram was his shadow.

Even if he couldn’t ask directly, he wanted to learn more through their conversation. However, Demion shifted back to the earlier topic as if it were unimportant.

“My fiancée, she’s Charlon of Bormont, isn’t she?”

“Yes.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I only found out last evening myself.”

“Before leaving for here, Ruseph disappeared suddenly. I thought he’d merely stepped away for a moment. I even wanted to say goodbye before heading here! But it turns out he’d already returned to Born without a word. How could he leave without telling me?”

“Well, I wouldn’t know about that either.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. Asking someone who’s spent nearly two years stationed in the north about royal matters…”

“You’re right. I wouldn’t know much about the inner workings of the royal family, but judging by the circumstances, it seems Ruseph, like you, was caught off guard.”

Demion scratched his head before asking.

“What was the trade-off?”

This was the sharpest tone Ram had heard from the prince so far.

“While royal marriages often involve some negotiation, I don’t think it’s something to speak of so harshly. Besides, nothing has been finalized yet, and…”

“My father never liked Ruseph, did he?”

“Well, it’s no secret that he wouldn’t send the eldest son as a hostage.”

“Since he’s the child of a previous wife, I suppose he wasn’t as important to the current duchess. Is this my father’s plan to take the duchess’s child as a hostage under the guise of my engagement?”

Terrdin smiled gently and waved his hand.

“Let’s just call it a friendly alliance between the two houses. As I’ve heard, His Majesty requested reinforcements from Duke Bormont for this war. Despite losing to our forces ten years ago, they still possess a powerful army, and borrowing part of it would certainly aid us in this war.”

“That powerful army was a constant nuisance to my father. He kept threatening to go to war again unless they reduced their forces, but the duke never responded. Every time that topic came up, my father would always get angry, saying their hostages were inadequate.”

“If we consider things from Duke Bormont’s perspective, it probably wasn’t easy to reduce their army. You can’t just fire knights bound by fealty oaths, and even if you told those vassal knights to reduce their retinue of squires, they wouldn’t comply easily, would they?”

“So, my marriage was traded for military support.”

“I said it’s an alliance.”

“It’s a trade.”

“This whole situation arose because of the territory exchanged as wedding gifts between the two houses, didn’t it? If we unite through marriage again, it might provide a clue to peace between the two families.”

“Or it could just plant the seed for another conflict.”

“The future is unpredictable. There’s no need to worry too much from the start.”

“Yes, life is always like that.”

When Demion imitated the tone of an old man, Terrdin burst into laughter. Then, the prince suddenly dropped his smile and spoke.

“To be honest, I find this suspicious. My brother Ramuel’s marriage took over two years. You remember that, don’t you?”

“Of course. It was a nationwide celebration. Even the children in Tamperton were making bets on who the bride would be.”

After confirming once again that no one was nearby, Demion lowered his voice to a whisper.

“I’m annoyed by how quickly my marriage is being arranged, but don’t you think the speed of everything happening is strange? As you might have guessed, my father began preparing for this campaign before he even received reports that this war was over. I’ve never seen preparations for a war proceed so quickly. Supplies and reinforcements that were so slow to arrive when you requested them were suddenly ready in no time. And simultaneously, the army from Borne was also mobilized. I can understand the engagement talks proceeding without my knowledge, but how could the army be deployed so quickly?”

“What if we assume reinforcements were prepared in advance for my sake, and when the engagement was discussed, they decided, ‘Why not,’ and set out?”

“Do you really think it’s that simple, General?”

“Sometimes, taking things at face value makes everything easier.”

Terrdin glanced toward the king’s tent and continued.

“I’ll be late for the meeting. I must go in; it wouldn’t do for discussions to proceed without me.”

“Then I’ll be on my way too.”

“You’re not going to greet your father?”

“Let’s just say I already did.”

Demion gestured to the two escorting knights.

As Terrdin turned to leave, he noticed the wine bottle still in the prince’s hand and asked.

“You were holding that in front of His Majesty earlier too. Why wine so early in the morning?”

“Wine isn’t alcohol.”

“If it makes you drunk, isn’t it alcohol?”

“According to Archbishop Aikop, wine is the breath of the gods or something, so it lifts your spirits, not intoxicates you.”

“It seems the only thing the prince takes the archbishop’s words seriously about is wine.”

Demion shrugged and replied.

“I’m planning to share a drink with Chieftain Jedric.”

Terrdin paused momentarily and then spoke.

“When meeting the chieftain, be sure to have my shadow accompany you.”

“I was already planning to drink with him.”

Demion glanced at Ram. Ram, who had been eavesdropping on the conversation, pretended not to have been listening and simply stared blankly.

“With that child?”

“Is that a problem?”

Terrdin shrugged again.

“Do as you please. Though I doubt the boy will drink.”

The prince gestured at Ram.

“Follow me. Let’s go together.”

Ram looked to Terrdin for guidance, but the general had already entered the king’s tent.

Once again, he hadn’t spoken.

And still, Ram wasn’t sure if he should say anything at all.