Chapter 25 : Chapter 25
Chapter 25. A Conversation Between Marquis Tuso and His Wife
William said nothing more and turned to leave. Sunlight spread across the open grounds of the manor, stretching everyone’s shadows long across the earth, yet it could not illuminate the obsessions buried deep within certain hearts.
What he wanted was a power base as solid as iron. Any presence that might loosen its foundations had to be removed.
When he left the manor, knights of the City Defense Army were already waiting at the gate.
William boarded the carriage and looked out at the fields passing by the window, his fingers lightly tapping against his knee.
Loyalty had never been something earned through generosity alone. Sometimes, harsher methods were required.
Meanwhile, far away in the western region, Marquis Tuso’s castle stood upon the rolling hills. Ivy climbed across the stone walls, making the fortress resemble a slumbering beast from afar.
Inside the study, flames crackled in the fireplace, dispelling the chill of the western morning.
Marquis Tuso held the marriage letter sealed with royal wax and read it several times. A playful smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.
“How interesting.”
“His Majesty actually wants our youngest daughter to marry the Fourth Prince, William… Could it be that he thinks the Fourth Prince has a chance to contend for the throne?”
He was a tall man with a scar stretching from his brow to his jaw—an old wound left from battles against Barbarians in his youth. Under the firelight, it looked even more imposing.
Beside him, the Marchioness, Kesi, sat on a velvet sofa. She used a silver fork to pick up a piece of berry pastry and ate it slowly. After finishing, she lifted a porcelain teacup and took a sip of black tea before elegantly wiping the corner of her lips with a silk handkerchief.
“Why do you bother thinking so much?”
She looked at her husband, her tone calm.
“If His Majesty tells us to accept it, then we accept it.”
“After all these years, when have you ever truly guessed His Majesty’s intentions?”
Marquis Tuso was briefly speechless before laughing. He placed the marriage letter on a rosewood desk.
“You are right. As expected, my wife sees things clearly.”
He stood and walked to the window, looking at the soldiers training outside the castle.
“Whether the Fourth Prince becomes something or not, this marriage does not harm us.”
Kesi set down her teacup and walked over to stand beside him, following his gaze toward the soldiers outside.
“As for little Mary… although she is only eight years old, she is already a Silver Rank mage. Do you really think she would be the one getting bullied? It is not certain who would bully whom.”
“A Silver Rank mage?”
Marquis Tuso raised his eyebrows sharply and turned toward his wife.
“When did she advance again? I did not even know.”
“You have been busy attacking that secret realm for His Majesty recently. When would you have had the time to worry about matters at home?”
Kesi lightly patted his arm, her tone carrying a trace of reproach.
“You only ever think about military affairs and His Majesty’s orders. You should pay more attention to your daughters as well.”
“Mary complained to me a few days ago that you have not practiced magic with her even once in the past six months.”
Marquis Tuso scratched his head awkwardly, a sheepish smile appearing on his face.
“There was no helping it.”
“Who would have thought that secret realm would turn out to be a Goblin nest?”
“Those trash creatures reproduce faster than rabbits. Kill one batch and another appears. I had no choice but to expand ten legions and throw them all in there, and even now it is still not under control.”
His tone shifted slightly, and a sharp glint flashed in his eyes.
“But His Majesty said that as long as we can take that secret realm without anyone noticing, the Tuso Family will be promoted to a Duke.”
Kesi nodded without objection.
Over the years, her husband had taken enormous risks maneuvering through dangerous political waters. Rumors that he was “relying on his army to assert independence” or even “plotting rebellion” had never ceased. If all of that could truly be exchanged for a ducal title and the strengthening of their family’s foundation, then the risk was indeed worth it.
“Since His Majesty is already inclined to arrange this marriage, we will simply accept it.”
She straightened her dress.
“With Mary’s talent, she may not suffer any disadvantage even in the Royal Capital. It might even become an opportunity.”
Marquis Tuso nodded.
“Come. Let us go see our little genius before she complains about me again to you.”
Kesi rolled her eyes at him, though a smile remained on her lips as she followed him out of the study.
In the magic garden on the western side of the castle, a little girl in a goose-yellow dress stood on the lawn. A pale green wind blade swirled around her fingertips before slicing through a withered leaf on a distant branch with perfect precision.
Hearing footsteps, she turned around. When she saw her parents, her eyes lit up. She was about to speak when Marquis Tuso spoke first.
“Mary, I heard you advanced to Silver Rank. Show your father what you can do.”
The little girl snorted and turned her face away.
“No. You never spend time with me.”
Kesi smiled and walked over, gently rubbing her daughter’s hair.
“Do not be angry with your father. He is back now, is he not?”
“Come. Mother will take you to choose some new magic robes. In a few days… we might be going to live in the Royal Capital for a while.”
The little girl blinked and looked curiously at her parents.
“To the Royal Capital? Are we going to meet that Fourth Prince little brother?”
Marquis Tuso and Kesi exchanged glances. Both saw a trace of complexity in the other’s eyes.
How many schemes lay hidden behind this marriage was something even this eight-year-old Silver Rank mage did not yet understand.
Sunlight passed through the protective barrier of the magic garden and fell upon the three of them, warm and bright. Yet it could not dispel the subtle shadow hanging over the Tuso Family.
Behind the temptation of being promoted to Duke lay a deadly game of blades and intrigue.
And on the chessboard of that game, their young daughter had already been quietly placed as a piece.