Free Web NovelChapter 26: The Cursed One³
As for an illegitimate dynasty such as the Eichenheims, who ruled as a puppet for three centuries since their accession to the throne, it is only natural that a venerable royal house such as Askelund, which ruled the North and West for as long as 1,700 years and is recorded in the history books as the only dynasty in history to have ruled a vast empire such as the Arkenfels Empire from its very inception to its fall without itself collapsing,
Even their origins, dating back a millennium and a half, were recorded as a royal dynasty that had ruled for more than five centuries; before that, they were one of the great tribes in what was then known as the Northern Barbarian Lands, before those tribes united and established their kingdom. fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm
As for the Duchy of Estella, although they were not a royal dynasty with roots and a history as ancient as that of the Askelunds, they were one of the strongest southern clans. Their clan was called Starfall,... Or, as they are informally referred to in modern colloquial, ’Sternheim’, which means ’House of the Stars
and their warriors have always been considered among the strongest on the entire continent; indeed, they remain so to this day. In fact, not even the knights of Askelund can match them in fair combat.
Even their downfall was due to bad luck, as a deadly plague swept through their clan, wiping out more than 80% of the clan, leading to their downfall at the very time their empire, Goldencrest, collapsed. Consequently, they had no chance of survival, particularly with the death of their clan leader and all his heirs from the plague; the sole survivor was the clan leader’s illegitimate son, before King of Highreich offered to save what remained of , even if it meant bowing their heads to a clown like King of Highreich.
Well... everyone can indeed see the problem now.
Although Highreich exploited the fall of the two strongest powers to expand its territories, it naturally failed to control powers such as Estella—formerly the proud Starfall clan—and Askelund, a royal lineage spanning over two millennia.
And in less than a century—in fact, in just the third generation—the Eichenheim family had effectively become nothing more than a puppet between Askelund and Estella.
But why have these two powers simply not declared independence even after three centuries, despite looking down on the Eichenheim royal family and treating it as a puppet?
Quite simply... even now, these two powers have been unable to regain their strength following that downfall three hundred years ago, because the danger has not yet disappeared.
So... Are these two powers simply ungrateful, then? Actually, no.
Because if they were to let their guard down even slightly, or if they were to concede even a little, the tragedy of three centuries ago would be repeated, and even an ignorant clown like Eichenheim, who lives in a fantasy world, would find itself in ruins without even understanding how it happened.
In fact, even after three centuries of war, Askelund doesn’t even know what it is fighting, let alone how to defeat the enemy. That is why, even now, despite all of Eichenheim’s madness, it remains patient and tries to resolve matters calmly to avoid triggering an internal conflict.
The only evidence Askelund and Estella have regarding the nature of the ancient enemy was obtained three decades ago, when the great catastrophe struck the north and Askelund discovered the existence of an entire kingdom beyond the frozen sea fɾeeweɓnѳveɭ.com
Especially after what happened ten years ago, although Cassian never got the details; all he knew was that his mother and younger brother suddenly vanished from the palace one night, and his father went into a state of extreme agitation and rage, even threatening the imperial family at the time that if they dared to try to intervene, he would burn everything to the ground.
And when it was all over, their mother was declared a martyr and a monument was erected for her in the main square. As for Lars, his younger brother... he simply lost his mind and did not recover to the point of being able to reintegrate into society until some time later, following intensive efforts by his father, who even went so far as to erase his memories of those days
And although no one knows, and despite all his father’s attempts to conceal the matter even from his brothers and children, he noticed then and afterwards that the bulk of his father’s anger was in fact directed at their mother; so he suspected that she might have been a spy or a traitor or something of the sort, or perhaps she was part of the enemy. He did not know, and their father did not say anything either, so he kept his suspicions to himself
"Lord Cassian, the First Princess requests an audience."
"Let her in."
Cassian turned towards the door as the princess entered and gave him a gentle curtsy.
Yes... even after they had become an imperial family, they could not abandon their habit of curtsying, even after three centuries... even if it was merely a curtsy of greeting... Tsk.
So he, raised in the North and heir to Askelund, could not suppress the contempt in his heart, yet he showed no expression on his face and ignored the greeting entirely; even if it was rude, it didn’t matter.
A simple trick like that wouldn’t force him to bow just because she was a princess.
"Please, take a seat, Princess."
She looked at him with obvious displeasure and a touch of contempt, and he could not help but curve his lips into a faint smile.
Well, this was somewhat amusing—for a princess of a fraudulent lineage to show contempt towards a descendant of a true royal family like Askelund, simply because he had not conformed to her culture in offering a greeting.
She isn’t even heir to the throne or anything of the sort; in the future, if she doesn’t marry him or the heir to the Duchy of Estella, she’ll be nothing more than a Marquise, a Countess, or even a Baroness—and if her luck runs out, she’ll be nothing more than a noblewoman without a title... As for him, he will be Lord Askelund.
That is why he did not really understand her attempts to drag him into such a ridiculous charade as this outdated greeting, which is now practised only by the capital’s nobility, their sycophants, and those obsessed with such charlatans.
He sat down on the sofa, unconcerned that she had not yet taken her seat, and then signalled to his servant to bring the refreshments.
"What has brought the First Princess to visit me?"
