BSPC 08

Chapter 8

Grita had grown up in a martial household, and her lifelong dream had been to become someone’s sturdy shield.

But her husband was a Sword Master.

Her daughter was a Sword Master.

And now, apparently, even her son-in-law was a Sword Master.

As Grita continued wiping away her tears, Leon awkwardly offered her some consolation.

“Countess, don’t worry. In a year, you’ll be able to meet a different son-in-law.”

“Sniff…… Really? You promise?”

Grita wiped her tears and looked up at Leon.

“Of course. I’ll take good care of her for exactly one year without laying a finger on her, then I’ll return her to you in perfect condition.”

“Huh? Husband, are you sure you can go an entire year without laying a finger on me?”

Tamia asked with her eyes wide in disbelief.

“You said you’d spar with me from time to time. You’re not even better than me with a sword, so where do you get that confidence?”

“Tamia! He is His Highness the Second Prince! What kind of way is that to speak?!”

Theodore was startled by his daughter’s disrespectful tone and immediately scolded her.

“Oh, come on. We’re married. Husband said I could speak casually.”

“Oh, that immature girl…… Your Highness, I sincerely apologize.”

Watching the Count bowing and scraping repeatedly, Leon’s feelings became complicated.

You really don’t have to apologize that much.

It was true that Tamia had approached Leon first with somewhat questionable(?) intentions.

But Leon himself was the one who had ultimately held on to her and made her his prince’s consort.

When I saw the way she sliced through those monsters without a care in the world, I somehow felt like I couldn’t let her go.

Tamia was strong.

Stronger than anyone Leon had ever met.

If she joined the Griffin Order, the Order’s reputation would rise even further.

And if Leon learned swordsmanship from Tamia, he would become even more formidable.

In fact, he wouldn’t mind even if she did nothing at all and simply stayed by his side……

No. What on earth am I thinking?

He had grown sick and tired of watching noble ladies deliberately drop handkerchiefs or pretend to faint from anemia.

Perhaps meeting a young lady of the Count’s family who boldly swung a sword instead had temporarily scrambled his brain.

While Leon hurriedly tried to banish those pointless thoughts, Theodore continued apologizing.

“Our family’s duty is to hunt monsters, so I failed to properly educate my daughter. Rather than studying, she spent more time accompanying me to hunt the monsters that appeared all over the place……”

That experience must have shaped the Tamia standing before him now.

“Fortunately, once Your Highness founded the Griffin Order, a proper system for monster extermination was established. I finally had some free time, so I thought it would be a good opportunity to move to the capital with my daughter……”

“That’s enough. You’ve apologized sufficiently.”

Leon firmly cut Theodore off.

“I heard that your family is in debt.”

“……Tamia told you about that too?”

“If you wish, I can pay it off for you. And……”

Leon was just about to say that he would hunt down and punish the people who had dared to scam the Count’s family when—

“Husband, what are you talking about?”

Tamia glared at Leon with an icy look he had never seen on her face before.

“Why would you pay off our family’s debt?”

Leon’s mouth fell slightly open at the unexpected reaction.

“I only want to receive what is rightfully mine. This is my family’s debt, not yours.”

“That’s true, but……”

“We’re going to part ways in a year anyway. I don’t want to accept such a huge amount of money and become indebted to you too.”

“Tamia is right. We can’t simply accept money from a son-in-law who will only be with us for a year.”

Grita nodded as though it were obvious, and Theodore also looked relieved.

“Actually, Tamia, while you were out, we received a marriage proposal.”

“Huh? A marriage proposal? From whom?”

“Duke Dupont asked whether we would consider marrying you to Chris in exchange for him paying off all our debts.”

“Ugh…… That stingy, stuffy boy? I don’t like him.”

“My goodness, did the Duke really come here and say such a thing? I don’t care for having a Sword Master as a son-in-law, but that young duke is even worse, since he’s about as far from a beautiful young man as one can get. You obviously turned him down, didn’t you?”

“I told him I would ask Tamia first and avoided giving him an immediate answer. Looking back, I think that was the right decision. The thought of accepting money in exchange for my daughter made me deeply uncomfortable.”

“Wait. Duke Dupont? You know him?”

Leon asked Theodore in surprise at the familiar name.

“Ah, yes. About seven years ago, I once rescued the Duke and his son from monsters. That incident led to our continued acquaintance. In fact, the Duke recommended this town house to us as well, and that’s how we ended up buying it.”

“The town house…… Duke Dupont……”

So that old raccoon’s reach extended even here?

It’s not the right time yet.

For now, Leon decided to put everything concerning the town house on hold.

“In any case, if that is what you all wish, I won’t pay off the debt for you. Instead, I’ll do everything I can to make sure Tamia receives what is rightfully hers.”

“Thank you for your consideration.”

Theodore bowed deeply to Leon.

After saying goodbye to her family, Tamia finally entered the Imperial Palace with Leon.

“Wooooow! It’s so fancy!”

Valentius Imperial Palace.

Tamia’s eyes went round as she busily looked around at everything.

“Husband! How much is that golden lion statue over there? There are huge gemstones set in its eyes!”

“It was a tribute sent by the Kingdom of Solea in the south. I’d estimate it’s worth around one hundred thousand der.”

“One hundred thousand……! Th-then what about that blue vase?”

“That one is relatively inexpensive. It’s a vase fired over the course of an entire lifetime by a legendary artisan from the East. It was purchased for fifty thousand der.”

“Whoa…….”

Luxury items were scattered everywhere, any one of which could probably be quietly picked up and sold to pay off a considerable portion of their debt.

“For reference, the carpet you’re standing on is made from the hide of a lesser dragon. It’s priceless.”

“What? Then why would you put something so precious on the floor?!”

“You can’t hang a carpet from the roof.”

“Jeez, this expensive thing……”

Tamia raised her heels and pressed herself tightly against the wall to avoid stepping on the carpet.

Leon chuckled and asked,

“Shall I give you that golden lion statue? As a wedding present.”

“That…… You said it was worth one hundred thousand der, right? Hmm……”

Still pressed against the wall, Tamia began to seriously consider the offer.

But eventually, she shook her head.

“No. That’s too much for a wedding present. I’ll be satisfied with a maintenance allowance.”

At least she isn’t saying she doesn’t want a maintenance allowance.

Smiling, Leon led Tamia toward the Emperor’s audience chamber.

When the massive doors opened, the Emperor sitting on a glittering throne came into view.

The first thing Tamia noticed was his golden hair, almost identical to Leon’s.

Beneath it was a gruff expression practically dripping with stubbornness.

Aside from their hair and eye color, there’s absolutely nothing about him that resembles my husband.

Tamia casually erased the disrespectful thought from her mind and offered an awkward but earnest greeting.

“I greet His Imperial Majesty, the Sun of the Empire!”

“She is my wife, Father.”

Leon bowed his head slightly, his posture somehow rather crooked.

A thunderous roar immediately came down upon them.

“You got married on your own without your father’s permission?!”

Gah! That scared me!

Tamia almost let out a startled cry, but she managed to clamp her mouth shut through sheer superhuman self-control.

“You’re the one who pressured me to get married every single day. And now you’re upset because I actually did?”

“Hmph. Why is your manner of speaking so terrible?”

“I wasn’t educated properly.”

“What?”

“I never had the chance to learn how to speak politely because no one ever spoke politely to me.”

What the heck? Why is this father-son conversation going like this?!

Caught awkwardly between the two of them, Tamia could only dart her eyes back and forth.

I thought my husband had a nice personality, but now that I look at him, he’s the ultimate unfilial son.

The two men’s voices continued rising.

Judging by the reactions of the servants standing nearby, this seemed to be a regular occurrence.

Suddenly, Tamia remembered something her father had once taught her.

‘Tamia, whenever you find people fighting, you must do your best to stop them.’

‘How?’

‘There’s nothing strength can’t solve.’

That’s right. Strength solves everything.

Tamia’s eyes lit up as though she had finally discovered the answer.