Cave King – 266

Chapter 266 – It was a false engagement?

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I questioned Rish, who was looking downwards.

“And who is this prospective marriage partner?”

“Lord Elserd, the oldest son of Count Besel.”

I had heard both of those names before. They were a rich house that had lands to the south of the kingdom.

“Count Besel, huh? Not only that, but Elserd is a general of the royal army. To be honest it is not a bad…”

I stopped there, and Rish nodded.

“Most people would be jealous of it. After all, Count Besel has more land than most in Sanfaris.”

They were a very wealthy and influential house. Even though he was a count like Leodor, his wealth and military might was several times greater.

Not only that, but Elserd was a general. And a famous one at that. He was also a renowned swordsman.

Fule leaned on her elbow and muttered.

“Hmmm. So you must dislike him as a person then.”
“Ah, no. That’s not what it is. I don’t think he is…a bad person. He acted very refined, like a nobleman. But…it is all too detached…”
“In other words, he does not make your heart flutter.”
“I don’t deny it, but…that’s not it…”

Rish understood that she could not prioritise her own feelings like that.

In other words, there must be a different reason. Rienna then asked,

“So he’s a perfect match. And you do not dislike him… But there is something else that is bothering you?”
“Yes… Lord Elserd is thirty right now.”

Fule interrupted.

“So he’s too old?”
“It is not a big problem. Only…he has been married twice already. And both of the wives died in accidents.”

Rienna looked sad.

“How horrible… That must have been very painful for him.”
“Princess… You are too pure. Still, surely there is something behind it?”
“Behind? Ah, I see…”

Rienna seemed to realize something at Fule’s question, and she nodded quietly.

I also felt that something was suspicious. It would be understandable if it was just one, but it was twice.

It was difficult to not suspect that it was not an accident.

…And if they had indeed been killed by House Besel and Elserd, then that would put Rish in danger.

Quietly, I looked around the room. 

There was no guarantee that cooperators of House Besel were not here. Right now, I did not see anyone who seemed like they were listening, but you never knew when someone might approach.

Fule had lived on the island so long that she probably lowered her guard..

I stood up and said,

“…Rish. If you don’t mind, could you take us to the mansion?”

Rish nodded as if taking the hint.

“Ah…that’s right. Indeed, you should visit our house.”

And so after settling our bill, we decided to head to the lord’s house.

As for the cake and sweets, Mappa ate all of it.

The house was on the side of the plaza that was opposite of the cafe. It was very plain and made of stone. And it had the high roofs that were typical for snowy countries.

Rish approached the house, and then the servants opened the double doors.

A young male servant bowed his head and then asked,

“Welcome back, Lady Rish. Who are these people with you?”
“Lord…Heal. The prince.”
“What!? I-I’m terribly sorry! I shall go and inform the master at once!”

But I shook my head.

“Do not worry about me. It’s my fault for visiting so suddenly. It’s just that I wanted to talk to Rish.”

“I will speak to my father about it later. Right now, just prepare some tea in my room.”

Rish said, and the servant bowed.

The way she talked now was quite different. She used to sound like she had little confidence, but now she spoke like a proper lady.

We then followed Rish down the hallway.

Fule whispered in my ear.

“…Ms. Rish. She seemed so nervous before. But now it’s like she is a different person. A composed adult.”
“Yes…”

“Perhaps she is just nervous around you, Lord Heal.”
“It was only because we haven’t met for so long…”

We had not seen each other since we were children. Even I felt awkward.

Like that, we arrived at the room and then took a seat around the table.

I looked at Rish, who sat opposite of me.

“So, Elserd’s wives have died in accidents, twice… And you are suspicious?”

She waited for a moment and then nodded.

“Yes… I don’t like to say such things, but I think it is strange. Both of the women had no brothers. Also, their mothers died of the plague too. And they had no children.”
“So he might be after their inheritance?”

Rish nodded.

Fule muttered with a conflicted expression.

“I don’t know much about how it works… But does that mean Elserd is able to inherit the Leodor house? Uh…um…I just forgot!”

Fule said frantically. She probably thought it was bad if she did not know such things.

It was not strange, as there were nobles who didn’t quite understand it either. But it was good to have our stories match up.

“…Fule isn’t really familiar with the laws of this country. But that’s the gist of it. The order of inheritance goes like this. The son first, then the daughter, followed by siblings, spouse…”
“I see. So is it the same with Ms. Rish?”

Rish nodded.

“I have no brother. And the brothers of my father and mother were all knights. And they have died in recent years. I have cousins, but they have no right to inherit.”

Rienna nodded with satisfaction.

“I see. It might be imprudent to ask such a thing, but… If your parents were to die, who would be the heir?”
“If I should continue with the marriage, it will be Lord Elserd.”
“Indeed…”

While Rienna was not one to easily doubt others, even she was suspicious.

I thought back on what I knew about House Besel.

“Up until a century ago, House Besel was one of the weakest of noble houses. Their lands were wild, and they had only one tenth of the people they have now. And yet they have risen to the top in the kingdom…”
“Are they really that brilliant a family?”

I nodded at Rienna.

“They are. Not necessarily in terms of governing. But they made lots of children and had them marry into other families.”
“So they inherited lands like that.”
“Aye. However, I am quite sure they avoided doing anything illegal. Besides, if you gain power too quickly, others will look at you more closely. But…I suppose you can be a little reckless when you have as much power as the current House Besel.”

Fule looked like it all made sense to her.

“So that is why Ms. Rish is being targeted… Hmmm. Humans are scary.”

A moment later, her face changed to that of alarm. While it may sound like a slip of the tongue, it was actually quite fitting in this case.

Rish didn’t seem to notice either.

“I am scared too…”

A powerful noble might kill her and her family. And take their lands. She must be scared to death.

Rienna turned to her with concern.

“I understand how you feel… But why House Leodor? It is so far away…”
“Perhaps distance is the reason? It has resources that are different from the south.”

Fule had a point. Leodor’s lands were known for producing large quantities of hard wood. Also, there were the furs from hunting.

“That is true, but the biggest reason is likely that Rish is an only daughter.”

I turned to Rish.

“I cannot say for sure if he is targeting the inheritance or not.”
“Yes. …Besides, it really is not a bad offer. Lord Elserd promises to invest greatly in the Leodor lands. And he gave such extravagant gifts. Jewels and expensive items.”

“Do you have any of the gifts with you right now?”
“I have some makeup. He gave it to my mother as well.”

Rish said as she took out a shell-shaped makeup case from a nearby drawer.

She opened it to reveal a white powder.

I could sense no magic from it or the case. It just looked like normal powder…

“If there is ore being used, I might be able to learn something. Let me take a little.”
“Ore? I-I don’t mind…”

I took some of the powder with my finger.

And then put it into my Inventory.

Like this, I was able to learn that there was a lot of lead inside.

“It uses lead…”
“Huh? How can you tell?”

Rish looked puzzled.

“Ah, well… When you do business, you learn to be able to distinguish such things.”
“I-I see.”

“In any case, this is definitely white lead.”

It was something often used by royals and nobles. However…

“I see… But isn’t lead addictive?”

Rish was right about that. And if you used it for a long time, it could cause health problems. 

“Indeed. It is possible he wanted to affect your health a little by little. However, this is sold in the royal capital and is quite popular… People still use it even though they know it is bad for you. It is too early to say anything based on this alone.”

I questioned Rish once again.

“Did Elserd tell you what this is?”
“No. There were so many gifts, after all.”
“What about the jewels?”
“I have some. Uh…”

She stood up again and brought out a jewelry box.

When she opened it, there were several large, polished jewels inside.

Fule muttered.

“What? That’s all there is? Ah, no…”

She felt she had misspoken again.

“N-no, don’t worry. It’s nothing rare for royals.”

Rish still sounded a little surprised.

That being said, even royals would rarely see precious stones that were this impressive.

“No, we don’t have anything like this either.”

Actually, we had more jewels than we could ever count…

“Let me take a look.”

I picked up the box and put the contents in my Inventory one by one.

Sapphire, ruby, diamond… Ordinary precious stones. No tricks or deceit.

And so I put them back in the box.

“They are normal… I mean, very good. But they are not poisoned or anything.”

Besides, if House Besel had risen through strategy, they would work in a way where they would not be exposed. It was hard to imagine they would make their first kill with poison.

And so I returned the box to Rish.

“Sorry, but there is nothing that I can say at this point…”

“Of course… No, perhaps I am just overthinking it. Please forget I said anything. I’ve always been paranoid.”

Rish answered with a forced mile.

“As if I could forget it now. Rish…we are friends.”
“H-Heal…”

Rish’s eyes welled up with tears.

I noticed that Fule was grinning.

“What, Fule?”
“No, nothing. But I suppose it’s settled then.”
“It will be necessary to investigate Lord Elserd directly.”

Rienna nodded in agreement.

But Rish answered frantically.

“No, that is too much! Besides, don’t you have your own business to attend to?”

“We were going to make our way south through the kingdom regardless. We can stop at the capital as well as Count Bessel’s house.”

We had been meaning to visit Barleon to the south anyway.

Nobles generally lived in the royal capital or in their own lands. If they had a position in the capital, they would spend more time there. As Elserd was a general, he might be in the city.

“Bu-ut…”
“Now, now, Ms. Rish. Lord Heal is unable to ignore people who are in need.”

“If your life might depend on it, it would be best to rely on Lord Heal.”

Said Fule and Rienna. Even Mappa, who had finished his food, was nodding in agreement.

However, Rish did not look convinced.

I knew what she wanted to say. She only knew me before I had gone to Sheorl. And she must have heard the stories about how I was a worthless prince.

In other words, she felt that I would not be able to do anything… It wasn’t that she looked down on me, but she was worried for my safety.

If it was someone unrelated to me, I would not put the matter. But Rish was my old friend.

“Rish, it’s fine. I won’t put myself in danger.”
“Heal…”

She finally nodded then.

“Thank you, Heal… Then I will go too. It is my problem, after all.”
“I won’t stop you, but…”

We could not take in her in the Mappa Go.

However, if we didn’t use the Mappa Go, we would be greatly delayed. And we couldn’t use the shield either…

That being said, I didn’t want Rish to go alone either. After all, there could be a spy here.

Even now, I could sense the magic energy of the servant in the hallway.

Perhaps it was nothing, but you could never be too sure.

It was then that Mappa suddenly stood up and showed me his hammer.

He was saying that I should leave it to him. Perhaps he would build us a carriage.

“Alright then. Let’s go together.”
“Th-thank you!”

Like that, we decided to head to the royal capital with Rish.

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