Free Web NovelChapter 5: Askelund Siblings²
"This isn’t a campaign with any guarantee of success. You realise that, don’t you?"
"I know."
"And there’s no turning back."
"I know."
side character No. 3 named Vince interjects
"Lars, this isn’t a game."
"Then here’s the bad news, Uncle Vince. This isn’t a rose-tinted world where you can resolve everything without bloodshed. Sooner or later, we’ll have to make a move, because I know you’re fully aware of it and can see it just as clearly as anyone with two eyes. This empire won’t last another decade, and since the enemy has already struck us, we simply must respond "
Then I gestured towards Cassian. freewebnøvel.com
"But Cassian is the heir to the duchy. His death would cause us a great deal of trouble indeed, for all the capable young men and skilled knights in the duchy revolve around him, and their loyalty lies with him."
I turned my gaze to Lucien, who was still kneeling before the Duke.
"And this is the heir to the 2nd side charac...., I mean Uncle Aris. He has been raised to be the Duke’s army commander since childhood, and everything in our army is already centred around him."
Then to Julian.
"As for this one... well, this man here is a fiancé. We simply cannot make a young lady a widow just because we were heartless and chose her lover to die, after all the suffering the two of them endured to gain the Duke’s approval, simply because that poor lady is Peasantess."
"You —"
"And you." I looked at Seraphine
. "I don’t know what to say, but the lady here isn’t a fighter. What?, is she going to fight the monsters by dazzling them with her dresses, or is she going to throw her high-heeled shoes at them? Oh, I reckon it’ll work with the little Evelyne!... But that’s not the point"
She didn’t smile at my joke... Tsk, she has no sense of humour...
Even Evelyne let out a small laugh despite herself before quickly covering her mouth. Yes, just as expected of the main character I’ve chosen—she’s already learnt how to laugh innocently in dire situations.
"Nonsense!"
Julian shouted angrily, his face as red as a tomato... It seems I’ve embarrassed our lovesick lad.
"Are your feelings for Lady Leta nonsense? Good heavens, I didn’t know the Duke’s son was so low as to toy with a young girl’s heart...
"Shut up... I’m not talking about that. Stop talking as if the world’s problems will be solved just by your sacrifice. You’re talking rubbish without understanding what’s happening outside your room. Do you think you’ve come up with a brilliant idea? You’re insulting everyone, yet all you’re proposing is literally burying the duchy. Do you think we live in a just world where all you need is to offer a moral justification and then, hey presto, everything will go your way?"
silent fell for a moment; even I felt a chill in my chest, fгeewebnovёl.com
"Then present what you have, you foolish lover. That is, if there’s anything in your head other than what’s under Lady Leta’s skirt."
I replied in kind, in a cold tone
Even I know how to speak coldly and shut some fools up... after all I’ve learnt from the best
"Lars... watch your tongue," I was sharply reprimanded by Cassian, the guardian of justice
"What,? does your conscience trouble you for sending your outcast brother to his death? Then go yourselves; you know full well this is the best course of action"
"Just because your mind can think of nothing but death doesn’t make it the best solution."
"Just because you’re afraid of death doesn’t make it wrong."
And so began the dogfight between the five siblings, as the topic of discussion suddenly became death, life and fear, and we completely forgot the original subject of the debate
...
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"Who’s the coward? For a child who’s never seen the outside world, you’re using big words."
"But Julian is truly the biggest coward among us."
"Whose side are you on, cur?"
"I’m just telling the truth."
"I hunted a wild bear whilst you were wetting your bed."
"You buffoon, we’re the same age. Whilst you were running after a wild bear with a sword Biggest then you like an idiot, I was taming the cat of the void."
"Why are you attacking me? It was Lars who cursed you."
....
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.
.
"Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah."
"You swine."
’’ savage’’
"You crazy suicide, go back to your fantasy books. That’s the best you can manage."
.
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.
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"The men who die there... are the men who believe the world makes sense."
.
.
"You’re an idiot."
"Why are you so racist? If it weren’t for me, the inner palace would have collapsed already. With chimpanzees like you, all you know how to do is hit or swear."
"I’m not afraid of death."
"You’re a failure."
:...
"Silence."
A cold, sharp voice commanded, then the hall shook as the Duke struck his sword against the floor, gazing with icy coldness at the clowns below
Oops...
Silence fell over the hall for a moment, then eyes turned to the Duke in embarrassment—except for me, who didn’t care
In fact, it was refreshing; it had been a long time since we siblings had fought like street dogs
"Enough... You are the children of Askelund, one of the three greatest noble houses in the entire Empire. behave like savages, Are you barbarians?"
His voice wasn’t loud, nor did it contain a hint of anger. Yet it filled the entire hall. It made everyone stand before him in silence, as if guilty.
Even I was swept up in the atmosphere for some reason.
"Are you finished?"
No one answered.
His cold eyes swept over us.
"I did not gather you here to choose a sacrifice. Nor to send one of my children to their death to appease the Emperor or that Eastern mongrel, nor am I interested in throwing my duchy into the chaos of rebellion merely to respond to a petty political plot."
He paused for a moment, perhaps to add a touch of drama or set the mood, then continued
"Nor, of course, is my duchy so pitiful as to rely on a bunch of children who can’t even control their own tempers."
What’s got into him? Why has he suddenly started insulting us? It’s not as if we’ve caused a catastrophe!!!
I glared at him whilst the others lowered their heads even further, like abandoned chickens in the rain.
"What is required of you all is to be cautious in your actions and not to act rashly until we have resolved the matter."
Then he looked at us all with blatant disappointment in his cold eyes, especially Seraphine and Cassian, who cowered even further under his gaze.
"But I had hoped that at least one or two of you were mature enough."
Whoops, whoops... What’s got into this block of ice all of a sudden, as if we’d drowned his house in shame??
