Turning Chapter 691 (Patreon)

Chapter 691

After the door closed, Kishiar relaxed his posture and tilted his head back. Through his inverted hair, his red eyes playfully twinkled toward Yuder.

"You still look impressive upside down, my assistant. I noticed the First Princess of Herne seemed quite interested in you. Did you catch that?"

During the conversation, occasionally Myra glanced at Yuder, who was standing behind Kishiar. However, that was mostly out of caution towards an unknown person listening in on her personal matters. She might have guessed his identity by his proximity to Kishiar and his demeanor, but without a formal introduction, there was no reason to acknowledge it. That was the extent of her interest.

Knowing this, Kishiar's teasing words were just his habit. Listening to him, one might sometimes think everyone in the world had a significant interest in Yuder. As usual, Yuder pretended not to hear and moved on to the main topic.

"The proposal of the First Princess of Herne doesn’t seem bad, but what are your plans?"

Yuder’s nonchalance didn't bother the man who smirked and straightened up.

"It's not a bad proposal indeed. The Second Prince might come, but there's an equal chance he won't. If nothing major changes, I might accept the First Princess’s offer."

Kishiar then explained why he had asked for a day to think.

"I asked for time to think because it seemed you already knew the First Princess."

Silence.

"The biggest variable in our current situation is only the 'previous game'. Have you met Myra El Herne before?"

Quick-witted as always. Yuder moved to sit opposite him, intending to share his story.

"Yes, I have seen her before."

"Indeed. What role did she play then?"

"There was nothing noteworthy about her role, if that counts as noteworthy."

Yuder recounted his memories of Myra El Herne, or rather Myra La Orr, from his past life.

The Empress selection battle after Katchian became the Emperor, and Myra, the noble daughter of Herne who won that position. But her misfortune on the first night meant she never saw the light of day again, locked away in the palace. That was all there was to her previous life's story.

"Thereafter, I never saw her again. Remembering it feels strange."

Yuder knew only so much, but Kishiar deduced much more from those scant details.

"That means Myra in the previous game didn't become a successor. And despite years of humiliation, her family completely abandoned her, even though she was an extremely rare legitimate girl in Herne. This would have been unthinkable under normal circumstances."

"I had simply thought her family was extremely cautious... Is it that serious?"

At Yuder's question, Kishiar explained with a gentle smile.

"You might have heard, but Myra is the first legitimate daughter born in Herne in 35 years. Despite the southern tradition of passing wealth to the eldest, connections to the second, and titles to the youngest, her birth as a girl instantly made her the strongest successor candidate. This shows how highly she was valued as the First Princess of Herne."

The mention of this southern tradition brought back a faint memory.

'...Did I hear it from Gakane?'

Originally, First Princess Myra was not the eldest but the third child born. However, as a child, she inherited the title of First Princess after her elder siblings died. Many within the current Herne Duke's family consider the Second Prince, originally the fourth and youngest, a more traditional successor. However, there are not a few who highly value the First Princess's abilities and the rarity of her being a legitimate daughter. The First Princess herself seemed to have a great ambition for her title, making it a fight worth seeing.

"...I understand. It is indeed strange that the First Princess was not in a position to be unilaterally overwhelmed, yet ended up in a situation where no one sided with her."

Yuder, despite having enjoyed a position of envy in his past life, was inevitably ignorant of such information. Intimate, personal information among the high nobility is difficult to know unless one is born into that world. How could one know that the Herne Duke's First Princess was the first legitimate daughter born in decades, and due to this, she held a position that could even shake the traditional inheritance system?

Nobles tend to tightly conceal even the smallest of matters amongst themselves as great secrets. Only those within their accepted circle are deemed worthy of knowing these secrets.

Despite serving as the Commander of the Cavalry for over ten years, Yuder realized anew that he was outside their circle. He didn't feel bad about it, as he too had pushed others outside his own circle.

"So... Do you remember who the Herne Duke was in the previous game?"

At Kishiar's question, Yuder dredged up a faint memory. As he recalled, after Emperor Katchian's imperial power increased, the dukes couldn't strut around, and Herne was especially reclusive.

‘No... Even when Emperor Katchian's imperial power was weak, Duke Herne didn't show his face much. It's the same now.’

The Duke of Herne, who always stayed in the south for health reasons and rarely appeared in the capital, died of illness after the southern earthquake. There was no direct successor to inherit the title immediately, leading to a period of discontent.

Eventually, a young cousin inherited the title, with most affairs being handled by his parents. They, not having been prominent among the nobility before, were mocked as having reduced Herne to a rural backwater. Whether they knew it or not, the new Duke and his family showed their faces in the capital only once before returning south, never to come back.

What was his name again? Yuder struggled to recall, as they were not well-connected.

‘It sounds familiar, but…’

Hearing Yuder's explanation, Kishiar's eyes deepened.

"That means, the current Second Prince also passed away early, failing to inherit the ducal title."

"Yes."

"It's not unusual in Herne for people to have short lives. Even the current Duke wasn't originally in line to succeed, but ended up in that position after all his brothers died early. But... if Myra El Herne had not become the Empress and stayed in Herne, it could have been avoided."

"Then..."

"It's plausible to suspect that Myra lost all her support and became the Empress due to some machinations within Herne. The current Duke of Herne has been criticized for not appearing in public for years, likened to a fox digging its burrow. Along with this, we should investigate those who might have been contenders for the succession of the ducal title."

"And if possible, it would be best to help Myra El Herne keep her name as she wishes." Kishiar expressed this sentiment succinctly with a single phrase.

"To prevent the same outcome from repeating."

This held the same meaning as what Yuder had said while playing a strategy game with him.

Despite it being his own words, Yuder felt a renewed pang in his heart as they came from Kishiar's lips.

The fact that Kishiar La Orr was aligned with his purpose lifted Yuder's spirits.

"Yes."

Yuder nodded deeply in agreement, prompting Kishiar to smile a bit more broadly than before.

Before Kishiar could speak, Yuder took the initiative.

"Then you'll be busier in the future. We should do what you planned to do during today's rest."

"Hmm..."

"Lie down."

The brief respite that Kishiar and he had found amidst their busy schedule was, in fact, to check on Kishiar's health.

Although Kishiar insisted he was fine, it was true that he had used tremendous power overnight, to the point of turning pale from exhaustion. Yuder had insisted on examining his body as soon as they returned.