Duke Pendragon

“Why do you care that I’m laughing in my own castle? Do I need to report why I’m laughing to you?”

“….!”

Breeden’s mouth dropped at the unexpected answer.

Raven said ‘You’. Not sir, not knight, just the word ‘you’.

Even if he was the heir to a Duchy, he dared call an elite knight of the Count, and the vice commander of a knighthood, you, without any title.

Breeden’s eyebrows moved up and down like a tidal wave and his armor rattled.

“What? Would you like to have a bout here?”

“…”

Breeden flinched at Raven’s cold words. How could he challenge the successor of the Pendragon family in his own castle? It didn’t make sense.

Raven felt assured at Breeden’s response. He really was all talk and no bite. This sort of lowly provocation would never taunt skilled mercenaries and knights.

“I guess you’re not completely brainless. You said your name was Breeden? Are you representing the Seyrod family in this matter?”

“Well.. ah, no, that’s not really the case…”

“Hmm, that's what I thought. The one who can speak for the Seyrod family here is Lady Luna. Is it not?”

Luna flinched slightly when she felt Raven’s gaze land on her, but she proceeded to nod her head slowly.

“…That’s correct.”

“Then it would be proper for me to be talking to the representative of the Seyrod family right now, not a measly knight.”

As if ‘you’ was not enough, Breeden was now being referred to as a ‘measly knight’. He felt his face turn as red as a tomato.

The whole courtyard became silent. Everyone was looking at the heir to the Pendragon family shocked and with their jaws open.

They could not believe that the young man who had just taken control over the conversation with only a few words was the same Alan Pendragon they knew to be weak and indecisive.

‘This is awkward…’

Seeing the situation take a strange turn, Luna stepped forward while lightly biting her lips.

“I would like to first make an official introduct….”

“No need. We’ve already gone over pleasantries earlier, haven’t we? Furthermore, everyone here knows who you are Lady Seyrod. Let us continue our conversation from earlier, shall we?”

“What would you be…”

“I heard about breaking off the engagement. Now that the concerned parties are here, we should continue the conversation.”

“Alan.”

Breeden, the nobles of the Conrad Castle, and even Elena all turned their heads towards Raven in bewilderment.

“This is my responsibility, and I will deal with it, my lady.”

Raven spoke to Elena calmly, then turned his head towards Breeden.

“A gold mine, a crystal mine, and two lumbermills? Good, let’s settle it with that.”

Elena could not hide her bafflement at Raven’s words. Melborn was in a similar state, not knowing what to do.

“Y, your Grace. I think it is better to think things through once more before coming to a decision…”

Raven turned his gaze elsewhere, away from Melborn, and spoke.

“Well, not that I have any plans to do so, but I don’t think anything we can do will change their mind. Isn’t that right, Lady Seyrod?”

Luna recoiled at Raven’s words. But she did not give an immediate answer.

“I’m…”

She was confused. When she was with him just a short while ago, he still seemed shy and untalkative. That was worlds away from how he was acting now.

It was as if he had turned into a new person.

A strange sense of betrayal rushed in along with a sense of pride. All she had to do was tell his smug face that the marriage was called off.

But the words evaded her even though her purpose in coming here was to announce the annulment of the marriage.

She had already made the decision as well. Now that Alan was asking about it, all she had to do was give an answer and return home. Then she would go back to living a peaceful, comforting life until she married an heir to another prestigious family to benefit her family.

That was the best outcome for everybody.

‘But…’

Even knowing that, Luna still could not give an answer. Besides the gnawing unrest she felt, she did not want a situation to unfold in this manner.

Not that she wanted it or anything, but she had imagined a scenario where she proclaimed the breakup to the weak Alan Pendragon while he begged her to reconsider.

She had not expected this.

‘Well, I have no other choice. I have to answer.’

Luna made her decision and was about to give her answer, when Raven interjected and spoke first.

“Well, it seems you’re having a hard time giving an answer. It’s not like what you’re thinking is important, anyway. You do not need to give an answer. I agree with Seyrod County’s suggestion. Let us dissolve the engagement.”

“Ah!”

“No, Alan!”

Luna’s eyes widened in shock, and Elena called out to her son in a shaky voice. Raven turned his head towards Elena.

“Who makes the decisions in this castle, my lady?”

“A, Alan…”

“There was no ceremony because of circumstance, but I have been an adult since last year. Is that not the case? Then I ask you again. Who is the owner of this castle, and the head of the Pendragon family?”

Elena was astonished at Raven’s word which contrasted from how he behaved normally. However, she soon regained composure and answered in a calm voice.

“You are. You are the master of the Pendragon Duchy.”

Raven lightly nodded his head and turned his gaze towards the courtyard.

“I speak as the head of the Pendragon family. The engagement between Alan Pendragon and Luna Seyrod has been annulled. As well, the Pendragon family accepts Seyrod family’s apology.”

“….!”

The courtyard was silent. The engagement had been voided. No one could find the words when they saw Alan Pendragon as a completely changed man from before.

Raven stood up amidst the silence.

“I think that issue’s been taken care of now. Excuse me. Take care, Lady Seyrod.”

Then he walked away, not looking back even once. Everyone stared at Alan Pendragon’s disappearing figure, still silent with shock and unease.

***

Raven walked with an evident face of distaste.

He already had a headache from having so much to think about, but all sorts of strangers kept showing up to bother him with insignificant issues. Of course, when he first heard about breaking off the engagement he was concerned.

He had no idea what the consequences that calling off the engagement would bring about, especially when he had little information about the Pendragon family. But his mind was made quickly when he heard Breeden talk.

It was not just because he did not like Breeden’s attitude. Breeden spoke of an apology, he brought up a gold mine, a crystal mine, and two lumber mills as compensation.

Raven had roughly grasped the disappointing financial situation of the Pendragon family from Irene Pendragon’s chitchats over the last few days. Even though he was the bastard son of a lowly family, he still knew the value of a gold mine and a crystal mine.

The Count that his father served in his previous life worked tirelessly to obtain one gold mine. He only had one lumbermill as well.

The most important thing was the crystal mine. The foundation of magic were crystals. Mages were rare, and high-ranking mages were even rarer. Everyone wanted to invite sorcerers, high-level mages, who researched their own magic, into their territories, and it was not an exaggeration to say that the qualification to invite a sorcerer was owning a crystal mine. If there were no crystals, the mages did not come.

That was a fact.

Conveniently, the Seyrod family wanted to hand over an entire crystal mine.

In his current situation, he had no reason to turn down an offer that freed him from an annoying relationship called marriage. Especially more so when they were offering a crystal mine.

“Your Grace, please, wait, wait for me…”

Raven turned his head. Lindsay was hurrying after him with a reddened face. His steps must have been a little too fast.

“My, my apologies.”

Lindsay sheepishly looked down, having slowed down his steps. Raven waved it away, signaling that it did not matter. In that brief pause, Raven suddenly narrowed his eyes.

‘Hm?’

Something was weird. He did not know the layout of this castle. The inner rooms of the castle were quite a distance from the palace, and the passageways were complex.

He had been led by Lindsay on his way towards the palace and he had followed her without paying attention to his surroundings. But now, he was finding his way accurately without help. Furthermore…

“If I go left here, then there is definitely…”

Raven walked towards the passageway on the left with a blank expression. He came to a stop after a few steps. A long corridor lined with giant portraits.

Strangely, Raven knew what they were. He walked down the corridor, observing the portraits with a hollow expression.

“Do you perhaps remember, Your Grace?”

Raven silenced Lindsay by raising his hand and stopped in front of a particular portrait. He intently stared at the picture. After standing still for a while, he spoke, his eyes still glued to the portrait.

“Who is this?”

“Tha, that is the older sister of the duke from two generations ago, who is also your grandfather. She is Lady Attia Pendragon, older sister of Sir Klein Pendragon.”

“Attia… Pendragon…”

Raven muttered the name in a subdued tone.

It was the...

“That’s right. That is my name.”

A whisper of a voice, sounding like it was carried by the wind, resounded in Raven’s ears. Raven slowly turned his head. A woman stood at the end of the corridor under the sunlight that shimmered through the stained glass. She was the old lady who was in the portrait. She smiled while staring at him.

Raven returned to his room and sent Lindsay away. He sat at the edge of his chair and remained silent for a moment, his eyes staring straight with concern. His dry lips finally parted.

“So… my lady, I mean, great aunt, you are a ghost?”

“Can’t you see?”

When he looked at her closely, he could see that she was translucent, and that he could see the wall behind her.

“But why didn’t you say anything before?”

“I’m already deceased. I cannot speak if my name is not called.”

It seemed that speaking her name out aloud earlier had made it possible for her to speak.

“I see.. So.. I should call you… great aunt…”

“Isn’t it odd for you to refer to me as such? You may refer to me as Lady Attia.”

“Hmm?”

Raven’s frowned in confusion. Then Attia Pendragon’s apparition smiled benevolently and spoke.

“You are not my great-nephew Alan Pendragon. Isn’t that so?”

“….!”

Raven’s felt his heart sink. She knew. The ghost of Attia Pendragon knew that he was not Alan Pendragon.

“How do you… Oh! Perhaps…”

An idea popped into Raven’s head. As if reading his thoughts, Attia nodded her head.

“That’s right. Soldrake told me.”

“Sol…drake…”

That was the name of the dragon that caused the dangerous commotion when he first woke up. But then it returned without doing anything significant.

Raven had asked around about Soldrake after the incident, but everyone he met took a frightened expression and gave no answer. To be more exact, no one could give any answers because no one really knew.

Even Irene Pendragon, who was the queen of jabbering, did not know much about Soldrake. The only person who knew anything about Soldrake was Elena Pendragon.

But for some reason, whenever she heard Raven mention Soldrake she trembled and asked him to not to speak of Soldrake.

“Then do you know who I… am?”

“No, I know not. You are not my Alan Pendragon…”

Attia paused momentarily, then continued with an even bigger grin.

“Who are you? And for what reason are you in my great-nephew’s body?”