Chapter 50: Royal Scandal (Part 1)
Ascal, seated in the audience, looked at the arena with a troubled expression.
His father, who had abruptly announced his participation in the horseback riding tournament, had actually gone through with it and even made it to the finals.
Moreover, his opponent was none other than the Crown Prince.
"The victory in this round will grant His Highness the Crown Prince a triple crown! The comet-like emergence of Arthur Debrue- can he stop His Highness's streak of three consecutive tournament victories?"
It should be noted that the current commentator was not a professional. A drunkard, who had indulged in alcohol, had simply grabbed a bottle and started passionately commentating.
Before the final round began,
The Crown Prince looked up at the stands.
Towards where Ascal was.
Naturally, this caused a stir among the young ladies seated near Ascal.
Pointing his finger towards Ascal's direction, the Crown Prince loudly declared,
"I dedicate this victory to you."
"Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!"
The shrieks of the ladies, who mistakenly thought they were the object of his gesture, assaulted Ascal's ears.
"Prince Kain looked this way!"
"No, he was looking at me!"
Ascal, who had locked eyes with the Crown Prince, desperately looked away.
The Crown Prince smiled slyly.
'I haven't given up on you yet, Ascal Debrue. No, Count of Erindale. I will surely have you.'
Ascal was worried.
'I hope father is safe...'
****
"The winner, Arthur Debrue!"
"Huff, huff. I lost."
It was an expected outcome.
Ascal had never seen his father Arthur lose a fight, especially not on horseback. Even the Mongol cavalry of a past life would likely have had to bow before Arthur.
Beyond a perfect unity with his horse, he was practically one with the horse.
That was Arthur Debrue.
"Well fought. Truly the father of such a son. I have much to learn from you and your son."
The Crown Prince extended his hand humbly. Arthur Debrue shook it and bowed.
"It was an honor, Your Highness."
"To think such a skilled talent was hidden away in obscurity... This too is a great loss for the empire. Baron Debrue, have you considered playing in bigger waters?"
"I shall give it some thought, Your Highness."
"Hahaha. The loser speaks too much. Teach me again another time."
"Certainly, Your Highness."
Ascal, watching their exchange from a distance, sighed in relief.
Thankfully, during the tournament, his father hadn’t accidentally broken the Crown Prince's arm or leg, or worse, taken his life.
It was a nerve-wracking spectacle.
Even without doing anything, Ascal felt exhausted and approached his father.
But Ascal was unaware.
The real ‘event’ of a horseback riding tournament was not the tournament itself, but what happened after it ended.
"Baron Debrue! You were magnificent! To beat His Highness!"
"Please look this way, Baron!"
"How about a cup of tea together?"
Before Ascal could reach his father, numerous young ladies and noblewomen swarmed around the newly minted star of the tournament.
Arthur, surrounded and drifting away, gave Ascal a thumbs-up from afar.
'Son, this is life.'
It was a lesson Ascal did not wish to learn.
****
Since then, Arthur Debrue had become a celebrity in the imperial capital.
Just like a TV show winner who gets recognized on the streets for months, Arthur Debrue enjoyed a similar status.
Even the fact that he was Ascal's father became widely known, and he began receiving enthusiastic advances from eligible young ladies. Widows looking to change their fortunes joined in too.
Being a widower himself was no barrier against his overwhelming fame.
Today, Arthur Debrue was enjoying his late blooming popularity at a tea party with noblewomen.
"Speaking of which, your son, the Count of Erindale, must certainly be betrothed by now?"
It was a casually thrown question.
The empire's hidden dragon.
The Minister of the Evaluation Department.
Ascal, recently bestowed the title of Count by the Emperor, was naturally one of the most sought-after bachelors in the empire.
However, rumors that the Debrue family had already arranged a match deterred the ladies from actively pursuing Ascal.
"No, he is not."
"Oh my. I only heard about the matchmaking but never about the lady. So that's how it turned out."
Lady Karen laughed behind her fan.
****
"Son, I apologize."
"What do you mean?"
In the distance, approaching ladies could be seen.
"Count of Erindale, the weather is lovely today, how about a walk together?"
"Count, what a coincidence. Didn't we meet before? Near the fountain. To meet you again like this!"
"Oh my, isn’t that Baron Debrue next to you?"
Arthur spoke calmly.
Currently, Ascal and Arthur were rumored among the ladies as golden catches.
Snaring just one of them would mean an instant life turnaround, and even a fearsome plan was in motion by a widow and her daughter, aiming to snag both the wealthy father and son.
"Take care of yourself. The capital is more dangerous than you think. I’ll take my leave."
With that, Arthur disappeared into the bushes, his movements agile.
However, Ascal, who had become more of a bureaucrat than a man of action, had seemingly forgotten how to move swiftly. He was promptly caught by the young ladies.
"Hehe. Come this way."
"No, follow me."
The mix of perfume and cologne tickled his nose.
Ascal's head spun.
Soft touches pressed here and there, his mind growing foggy.
'I need to escape from here...'
"Hey! Where do you think you're going?"
One of the ladies boldly hooked her arm through Ascal's as he attempted to flee.
"That's not fair. Me too."
Another lady hugged him from behind.
The natural hormonal response drained the strength from Ascal's body...
'Maybe this isn't so bad?'
What’s there in life?
He prided himself on living diligently so far. Couldn’t he indulge in some marshmallows he'd been saving for a while?
'No, snap out of it, Ascal. Remember all your efforts.'
Ascal pointed at an old tree nearby.
"Look at that deeply rooted tree. My heart is like that tree. Like that deeply rooted tree, I am now silently..."
Crack!
"Ahh!"
Suddenly, clouds gathered, and lightning struck.
Ascal wrapped his coat around those nearby to protect them from harm.
Fortunately, it was just one lightning strike, and the weather cleared up again.
However, the old tree struck by lightning now bore a red mark. One of the ladies remarked,
"How romantic..."
It was a heart shape.
The lightning had coincidentally etched a mark resembling a heart, but Ascal did not interpret it that way. It was merely a coincidence.
But then,
"This must be your heart."
The young lady's cheeks reddened.
"Ah... No, wait a minute...!"
Last time it was a meteorite, now lightning?
'Please, no more.'
Ascal inwardly screamed as he saw the approaching ladies.
.
.
.
- Why are you avoiding me, Ascal? Don't avoid me, don't avoid me, don't avoid me, don't avoid me, don't avoid me...
"Ugh."
Ascal was startled, dropping the letter he was reading. Out of it fell what seemed to be clipped fingernails.
- It seems you've been avoiding me lately. You meet with Lady Lize, why avoid me? It's so upsetting, I feel like pricking under my nails.
"Ugh!"
This time, the letter contained a razor blade. A slight mishandling could have cut his finger.
Ascal trembled in his room in the palace, too afraid to come out.
Gurgling.
But he couldn't hide forever. Hungry, Ascal stepped out of his room.
On his way to the dining hall,
"There's Ascal!"
"Ascal! I've missed you!"
He was spotted immediately.
Ascal ran at full speed but soon stopped, weakened by his poor physical condition. He regretted choosing a bureaucratic path over a military one.
Once again, Ascal deeply regretted his career choice, wishing he hadn't chosen liberal arts over the sciences.
"Hello. Long time no see."
Purple hair, eyes like amethysts.
The girl with a mischievous smile was Serena.
"I hear you've been having a hard time. You shouldn't toy with women's hearts. Fool."
"I haven't toyed with anyone... It's unfair."
"Do you want to use a way to end this situation?"
Ascal, catching his breath, nodded.
'Please, someone get me out of this hell.'
Then the young ladies caught up to Ascal, their eyes like predators on prey, but they stopped when they saw Serena.
"Her Highness the Princess?"
"Oh my. Quite a crowd. Lize, Sonia, Ravenna? You all seem rather eager. But, unfortunately, this man has business with me now."
"Even for Her Highness, you should honor previous appointment..."
"Previous appointment?"
Serena laughed coldly.
"Why need any? This man is my boyfriend."
****
-----
◆Empire's Hidden Dragon, In a Relationship with the Second Princess!?
Recently ennobled Count Ascal, a hot topic for receiving a county. The high-flying Count is often seen with the empire's Second Princess Serena Barba.
They even seem affectionate enough to be considered very close...
-----
Crumple.
Reading the newspaper, Lia unconsciously clenched her hand. The paper crumpled.
She stood up, her hair now undone.
"This woman, again this time."
Yulia's eyes grew cold.
