Akatsuki Translations

The most effective way to uncover one’s true intentions is to provoke their anger.

Marquis Ctesiphon, having imbibed some spirits, was more prone to casting off his usual restraint, and where else better than in his own mansion?

The servants surrounding him were all allies of the Marquis, and there was no worry of his emotional outburst towards Farsa leaking to the outside world. Even if it did, it would only be seen as the just desserts of an upstart who dared to offend a noble.

Farsa’s remarks, as they stand, can be interpreted as questioning the good sense of Marquis Ctesiphon.

“Heh heh, ha ha ha, hah-hah-hah! Indeed, I heard rumors but you are truly bold. No, forgive me, it’s been a while since I had an opponent who could speak to me like that. But, is that so, is that so?” -Marquis Ctesiphon

Yet, the Marquis laughed heartily, showing a look of understanding something on his own, then lifted his wine glass to his lips and drained it in one gulp.

“Um, father? Are you alright?” -Zenobia

“Zenobia, I am perfectly sane. Now, Farsa-kun, in response to your earlier question, as the head of the historic Marquis Ctesiphon family in the Kingdom of Valois, I think this engagement is a terrible idea. However, as Zenobia’s father, I think it’s a good idea. Parents always wish for their children’s happiness. If Zenobia wishes to live as a noble, I will support her. If she wants to live as a woman, that is also fine. Moreover… Sara, my wife, also wishes for the same.” -Marquis Ctesiphon

“Father… I will definitely be happy with Farsa. If Princess Aurelia ascends to the throne, the influence of the bloodline faction will further diminish. Regardless of the color of our children’s hair and eyes, we aim to create a country where they will never be treated unfairly.” -Zenobia

Looking at Marquis Ctesiphon, with his fierce yet gentle expression, and Zenobia, who seems to have forgotten her acting and is overwhelmed with emotion, Farsa forces a smile, hiding his complex feelings.

Even if Farsa were to have a child with Zenobia, there is no guarantee that the child’s eyes would not be red.

What Zenobia is considering is strictly Farsa’s black hair and black eyes, she probably hasn’t even considered the possibility of a child with demon blood being born.

Farsa has achieved his current position through Princess Aurelia’s principle of meritocracy, but that is strictly as a human.

If his true identity as a demon were revealed, he would undoubtedly be sentenced to death, and any child that Farsa would have could only result in unhappiness.

And as he watched Zenobia, who was happily discussing their future child without knowing anything, Farsa’s heart filled with guilt.

Still, Farsa, skilled at hiding his inner feelings, maintained his composure without showing a hint of agitation.

“Zenobia, try to calm down a bit. And Marquis Ctesiphon, I apologize for my earlier rudeness. I am a coward who can’t easily trust others, and when things go too well, I become suspicious.” -Farsa

“There’s no need to bow your head for something like this. Just looking at you, it’s easy to see how much you’ve struggled in court. However, you’re not straightforward. You’re right to worry, but aren’t you underestimating me? But, if you care so much about my daughter, there should be no problem.” -Marquis Ctesiphon

“I am grateful.” -Farsa

It’s really hard when you’re dealing with a parent who cares about their child, Farsa deeply felt.

According to the common sense of nobles, Farsa had prepared for this occasion expecting opposition from Zenobia’s father, Marquis Ctesiphon.

Most of the royal and noble families of the Kingdom of Valois have the characteristics of blonde hair and blue eyes, and all members of the direct royal family without exception have the same eye and hair color.

However, Farsa, with his unusual combination of black hair and black eyes in the Kingdom of Valois, is easily shunned, and he’s a former commoner to boot.

Resistance to Farsa and Zenobia’s marriage is expected beyond the struggles that Marquis Ctesiphon has experienced, and that hardship will fall on Zenobia, his beloved daughter.

As a parent, it’s unthinkable to welcome an engagement where it’s obvious that his daughter will have more hardships than him, thus Farsa had been suspicious.

What can be learned from an investigation is only actual events, in other words, tracing the surface of facts, and it’s impossible to accurately understand people’s true feelings.

However, from his earlier reaction, it was clear to Farsa that Marquis Ctesiphon deeply loved Zenobia.

For some reason, a misunderstanding had arisen that Farsa’s actions were due to his concern for Zenobia, but this was probably due to a favorable interpretation based on Marquis Ctesiphon’s own experience.

Zenobia, the person in question, had a puzzled expression on her face, looking confused.

“Haa. My own daughter, but I’m exasperated at how oblivious she is to the intricacies of male-female relationships.” -Marquis Ctesiphon

“I agree with you on that. She often has extreme reactions.” -Farsa

“Eh? Eh? Eh? Don’t leave me out when you two suddenly understand each other!” -Zenobia

The man who proposed to her, a woman who lost her brother, hated court magicians, and kept men away, was the court magician Farsa.

As Zenobia’s father and the head of the Marquis family, sworn to the king, there’s no way he wouldn’t investigate the young magician that Princess Aurelia suddenly discovered.

Only because he judged that the man standing before him was worthy of entrusting his daughter to, was he so positive about the marriage from the beginning.

The elderly butler who greeted him at the gate had mentioned that Zenobia had been smiling a lot since she met Farsa, so he must have been informed in detail about her usual demeanor.

“Leaving my inexperienced daughter aside, why don’t you visit my territory when you have calmed down? There’s a wine in the Marquis Ctesiphon family home that has been aged for more than a hundred years…” -Marquis Ctesiphon

“I’m looking forward to it. It might be difficult to visit right away, but I will definitely come.” -Farsa

“Hey, hey! Don’t ignore me!” -Zenobia

“Zenobia, it’s unladylike to raise your voice.” -Marquis Ctesiphon

“Zenobia, I understand you’re happy to see your father after a long time, but as I said earlier, let’s calm down a bit.” -Farsa

“Grr, grr, grr. Why am I being reprimanded? Isn’t it normal for my father to say to Farsa-dono, who came to take his beloved daughter, ‘I won’t let you have her. If you insist, defeat me first.’? Why do the two of you get along so well? I can’t accept it.” -Zenobia

Looking at Zenobia’s dissatisfied face, Farsa thought to himself that it’s rare for a father to say such things to his prospective son-in-law.

On the other hand, he was slightly considering the possibility that Marquis Ctesiphon might be of the same type as Zenobia, who had once challenged Farsa to a duel.

Not only demons, but also humans, have their share of battle maniacs who love to communicate through fights.

Farsa would have liked to avoid such rough stuff as he was in the worst physical condition, so he was relieved to see the conversation progressing smoothly.

“Even I think it would be interesting, but in a duel against a magician, unless one loses their cool, we knights have an overwhelming advantage. Of course, I heard that a certain inexperienced person let their blood rush to their head and suffered defeat. It seems that recent magicians are not like that… but knights and magicians are in different fields. There is no meaning in competing. Besides, I heard that Farsa-kun was seriously injured just the other day. It would be a disgrace to a knight to challenge a weakened opponent.” -Marquis Ctesiphon

“Uh. Father, please, I’d appreciate it if you could avoid that topic.” -Zenobia

Magicians, who make a living handling magic, base their battles on long-range attacks, and are overwhelmingly disadvantaged in close-range fights like duels.

A certain female knight was defeated by a certain magician because of her hatred, but normally such a result would be impossible.

In addition, it seemed that Farsa’s near-death injury from shielding Roux had already been communicated.

“Thanks to you, Farsa-kun, my regrets regarding Leonard have been cleared, and Zenobia has grown up splendidly like this. It’s my duty as a father… I’m ashamed to say that I didn’t think of that at the time. Farsa, I really appreciate it.” -Marquis Ctesiphon

“No, what I was able to do was trivial. Without Princess Aurelia or Zenobia, we couldn’t have progressed so quickly.” -Farsa

“Even so, it’s thanks to you being there. Thank you very much.” -Marquis Ctesiphon

With these words, Marquis Ctesiphon bowed his head to Farsa.

The cause of death of Leonard, the brother of Zenobia and son of the Marquis of Ctesiphon, was due to the court magicians fleeing from the front lines.

Farsa, to date, has been focusing on the purge of the court magicians of that time, and on the training of the remaining magicians.

Not only has he been instilling proficiency in offensive magic, but he has also been training everyone in close combat, moving away from the traditional approach of using knights as shields and casting magic from safe distances, to raising them as magicians capable of standing on the front lines.

All so that the same tragedy never happens again.

“Please raise your head, Your Excellency. If it were known that you, a stalwart of our country, were made to lower your head, I would be the subject of ridicule in the court.” -Farsa

“Absolutely not, I’m not such a faint-hearted man to care about such things now. Besides, I lowered my head not as a nobleman, but as a parent. After all, if you marry into the family, you would become the heir to the Marquisate, that is, my son-in-law, so there should be no issue. Or… do you have ambitions to aim even higher?” -Marquis Ctesiphon

“Don’t joke. I don’t have such capacity. I think even my current position is more than I deserve. To be honest, I’d like to retire as soon as these troublesome matters are settled.” -Farsa

“Hahaha, you’re eager to retire even before me.” -Marquis Ctesiphon

“Th-that’s right, Farsa-dono! Even if you are to retire, it should be after our children are capable of succeeding the Marquisate of Ctesiphon! Child… wi-wish Far-Farsha-dyono-…” -Zenobia

Farsa sighed inwardly, wishing she would stop embarrassing herself by voicing out such thoughts. Where did her earlier emotional state go? No matter how favorably the Marquis of Ctesiphon might view him, it wouldn’t be proper in any way for a daughter to fantasize about having a child with a man in front of her father, especially when it comes to nobility.

As Farsa glanced at the Marquis of Ctesiphon, his smile had turned into a wry one.

“…No! That’s not what I meant! I was simply thinking about the future of the Ctesiphon family, not having any indecent fantasies!” -Zenobia

“Farsa-kun, this is my daughter… I trust you’ll look after her from now on.” -Marquis Ctesiphon

“I look forward to working with you as well.” -Farsa

“Please, don’t ignore me, both Father and Farsa-dono!” -Zenobia

Ignoring Zenobia’s pained cry, Farsa and the Marquis of Ctesiphon extended their right hands and shook them. The surrounding servants, who had been quietly watching their exchange, sent joyous applause to their masters, despite looking a little troubled by Zenobia’s actions.

Farsa felt somewhat relieved, having passed the first hurdle without any issues. Even if he relied on the connections of the Marquis of Ctesiphon, the conversation couldn’t progress unless Farsa himself was acknowledged. Now, it should be alright to propose a lobbying effort to the northern nobility.

Just when Farsa and Zenobia thought so, unexpected words flew out of the mouth of the Marquis of Ctesiphon.

“Thanks to our conversation coming together like this, it’s become easier for me to decline the marriage proposal from the Duke of Dampierre. It’s difficult to refuse without reason when the potential partner is of higher standing, especially if it’s about welcoming her as the legal wife. But, there shouldn’t be any big issues if they know she already has a fiancé who she’s in love with.” -Marquis Ctesiphon

The glass slipped from Zenobia’s hand, and the high sound of breaking glass echoed in the dining room. The liquid inside spread out on the floor, and the servants hurried to Zenobia’s side, beginning to clean up in an experienced manner.

However, Zenobia, paying no attention to the servants at her feet, was trembling with her hands on her forehead and her eyes wide open.

“What’s wrong, Zenobia? There’s no need to be so upset. Duke Dampierre, Silvestre-dono, was Leonard’s best friend. You know him well, don’t you?” -Marquis Ctesiphon

Silvestre, the Duke of Dampierre, a young hero who is the head of a ducal family at the age of twenty-two, and the vice-captain of the Valois Kingdom’s Black Iron Knights. He was a close friend of Zenobia’s deceased brother Leonard from their days at the knight academy, and Farsa also had some acquaintance with him.

The ducal family is of a distinguished lineage that carries on the royal bloodline, and it is common for the head of such a family to marry into the royal family. Even if the prospective bride is the sister of his best friend, it is extremely unnatural for the daughter of a lower-ranking marquisate to be welcomed as the legal wife. Yet, if it’s a love marriage like that of the Marquis of Ctesiphon, it might be a convincing story.

However, there has been almost no contact between Duke Dampierre and Zenobia since the death of her brother Leonard. Both of their respective heads of family died around the same time, and Silvestre had to unexpectedly succeed the Dampierre duchy and return to his territory, becoming less frequent in the royal capital due to being swamped with work.

The Duke of Dampierre’s territory is in the northern part of the Kingdom of Valois, a region where conflicts with the demon race are ceaseless, and a state of high alert is always in place. Although it does not directly border the demon race territory, if the territories of other nobles guarding the border are breached, it poses a crisis for the Kingdom of Valois. Therefore, the Duke of Dampierre provides massive assistance in terms of military and supplies. Farsa, as a court magician, had some exchanges with him when he was sent to the north, and remembers him as a likeable person, which is rare in the corrupt nobility of the Kingdom of Valois.

“F-Father, actually, Farsa-dono and I have another important issue to discuss. Could we ask everyone to leave us alone?” -Zenobia

The Marquis of Ctesiphon, who had been looking puzzled by his daughter’s changed demeanor, signaled the servants to leave with a glance. Without raising any objections, everyone exited the dining room.

Farsa used a counterintelligence spell to ensure utmost security, and began to explain.

“Zenobia, I’ll take it from here. As you know, Your Excellency, Zenobia and I are part of Princess Aurelia’s faction, and we have been protecting a demon girl who recently appeared in the royal capital.” -Farsa

“Hmm, I’ve heard about that. It’s information that every noble in the Kingdom of Valois would have heard. But, protection, not capture, huh?” -Marquis Ctesiphon

“Yes. The demon in question is a young girl named Roux, who is about ten years old if compared to human age. She was apparently kidnapped and brought to the royal capital due to some complicated circumstances on the demon side. Well, regardless of the circumstances, it has been confirmed that Roux is the daughter of the tribe chief of the Wolf Demon Race. In our terms, she would be akin to the daughter of a noble.” -Farsa

“Hmm, if we exclude the fact that she’s a demon, it’s a tradition to propose a hostage exchange in the case of a person of status. Territory concessions, monetary demands, exchanges of each other’s prisoners, the uses are diverse. But to negotiate with demons… No, Princess Aurelia has overturned common sense in the past as well, this time is no different. However, this makes the marriage proposal from the Duke of Dampierre the worst timing.” -Marquis Ctesiphon

“Indeed. Especially when the other party’s intentions are unclear. The way they proposed the marriage as if they had carefully aimed for it, it’s hard to say it’s a coincidence.” -Farsa

The Marquis of Ctesiphon, who seemed to have sobered up from his earlier drunkenness, appeared to have guessed the situation to some extent from Farsa’s words.

To begin with, the Marquis of Ctesiphon himself probably never thought that this would end with just a marriage proposal.

Before he could spout off about love and romance, there must be some aim to secure some kind of cooperation.

No one could manage as the head of a historical marquisate without being able to infer that.

Being able to stay in the position of head even after causing a major issue with his own marriage proposal is a proof of his high ability.

Furthermore, the Duke of Dampierre in question is a person with influence over the northern nobility, and is an ideal partner for lobbying with the aim of suppressing opposition to negotiations with the demons.

Even though he is of lower rank, he cannot refuse a proposal brokered by the father of his deceased friend, and there is plenty of room for negotiation, Farsa had judged.

Also, the reason why he did not go through Zenobia is because it would cause factional issues.

The third in line to the throne, the second prince, is the child of the Duke of Dampierre’s sister, making them nephew and uncle.

In that case, it would be a bad move to contact the Duke of Dampierre from Zenobia, who is inevitably in the opposing faction.

Even if the Duke of Dampierre had feelings for Zenobia, the constraints of his position as a duke and factional entanglements would leave no room for negotiation.

However, the Marquis of Ctesiphon has declared neutrality to anyone other than the king, and was also the former captain of the Black Iron Knights.

Nobility and factional disputes are often troublesome, but by sticking to principles, it is possible to mitigate opposition from around.

But to negotiate after refusing a marriage proposal from Duke Dampierre, that’s absolutely impossible.

At the very least, without knowing the intentions of the other party and taking some kind of measure, there is nothing that can be done.

As Farsa and the Marquis of Ctesiphon pondered what to do, Zenobia, who had been deep in thought as well, opened her mouth as if she had made up her mind.

“Father, Farsa-dono. Now that it has come to this, I think I will cancel my marriage with Farsa-dono and accept the marriage proposal from the Duke of Dampierre.” -Zenobia

In Zenobia’s eyes, as she voiced these words, a strong determination was residing.