Shadow's Oath - Chapter 26
Chapter 26: Wine (1)
“You’re just the person I wanted to see!”
Ram was on his way to General Terdin’s tent early in the morning.
Instead, he unexpectedly ran into Prince Damion first.
The prince greeted him with his usual radiant smile.
With his golden hair and white teeth catching the morning sunlight, he seemed not to reflect the light but to emit it himself.
“Good morning, Your Highness,”
Ram said, bowing his head in greeting.
“Where are you headed?”
The prince was holding a bottle of wine.
He also had three glasses—elegant crystal ones, by the looks of them.
Baron Selken owned a few similar glasses, and the baroness often said the same thing whenever the slaves handled them:
‘Be careful. Those are worth more than selling ten of you.’
Ram replied politely,
“I’m on my way to see General Terdin.”
“Ah, that makes sense. You’re practically his shadow. But the General is likely in a meeting with my father, so you won’t be able to meet him now. Come with me.”
Though he said, “Come with me,” Damion practically dragged Ram along by the shoulder.
The knights escorting them followed with their usual looks of disapproval.
The walk was uncomfortable in many ways—the physical closeness of the prince was especially unsettling for Ram.
It wasn’t until they reached the king’s tent that Damion let go of him.
“Wait here for a moment. Don’t go anywhere. I’ll be right back.”
Ram had no idea why he was being asked to wait.
Was the prince arranging a meeting with the General for him?
There was no need for that, though…
‘Do I even want to see the General right now?’
Ram doubted he could bring himself to discuss the assassination order, even if they met.
“What’s this about an engagement?”
Damion’s voice carried from inside the tent.
Ram didn’t need to strain to hear it.
However, the king’s voice was quieter, requiring some effort to catch.
“Where did you hear that?”
“Archbishop Aikob mentioned it last night.”
“I didn’t expect the Archbishop to be so loose-tongued.”
The king clicked his tongue.
“How could I not know about my own engagement? Were you planning to keep it a secret until the very last moment?”
“I intended to tell you when your fiancée arrived.”
“Arrived? Here? When?”
“Soon.”
“Who is it?”
“Have you not heard? The daughter of Vormont.”
“She’s coming here? When?”
“…By the way, why are you carrying a bottle of wine so early in the morning?”
“That’s not important right now! When is this fiancée of mine supposed to arrive?”
“Mind your manners, Damion. Can’t you see that I’m in a meeting with the General and the commanders? We’re discussing how you can carry yourself as a conqueror with dignity. And yet here you are, making a scene with a bottle of wine! Have you no shame?”
After the king’s reprimand, Terdin’s calm voice followed.
“Perhaps I could step outside to speak with the prince for a moment?”
“That would be for the best. It seems my son listens to you more than he does to me.”
“Surely that’s not true, Your Majesty. The person the prince cherishes most is you.”
Soon, Terdin and Damion stepped outside the tent.
Ram bowed to Terdin, who seemed both surprised and pleased by the unexpected meeting.
‘So that’s what Mage Kura meant by the General’s ‘mistake.’ Anyone could see he treats me as someone special.’
The two moved further away, to a secluded spot where no one could overhear them.
Ram stayed back, giving them space, though he could hear every word.
“Stepping outside, I can see how ridiculous my behavior was, no wonder people call me immature. My brother Lamuel was already leading troops on the battlefield at my age.”
“He did hold a command position,”
Terdin replied.
“Held a command position? What do you mean?”
“Prince Lamuel stayed in the rear and never set foot on the battlefield.”
“I heard he fought and achieved victories.”
“The troops under his command won battles. The actual leadership was handled by other commanders. The victories, of course, were credited to Prince Lamuel.”
“So, all those stories my brother told me about his exploits were lies?”
“Not lies, exactly. I can’t say how he framed things, but war stories are best taken with a grain of salt.”
“Even half of what he said would be impressive.”
“If I may say so, Prince Lamuel’s accomplishments wouldn’t even amount to a quarter of that. You have no reason to feel intimidated by those tales.”
Terdin spoke in a low voice, and Damion laughed.
Then, as if something had just occurred to him, Damion asked,
“What happened to Captian Claive? I saw him last night with blood running down from his eye, and now he’s wearing a bandage.”
“I noticed as well, but the atmosphere didn’t allow for questions. Even if I asked, he’s not the type to answer.”
Ram’s heart pounded.
This was the issue he wanted to discuss with Terdin.
He had struck the Commander in the eye.
What consequences would there be?
Would Terdin be affected?
After all, Ram was his shadow.
Even if Ram couldn’t ask directly, he hoped to glean more from their conversation.
However, Damion, unconcerned, shifted back to the original topic.
“You’re saying my fiancée is Charlon of Vormont, correct?”
“Yes.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I only found out last night.”
“Before I left the capital, Ruseph suddenly disappeared. He left without saying a word, so I thought he’d only stepped out for a moment. I even tried to bid him farewell before coming here! But now it seems he had already returned. How could he leave without telling me?”
“I’m not sure; I don’t know about that either.”
“Oh, I apologize. Asking someone who’s been in the north for almost two years about royal affairs is out of line!”
“As you said, I can’t be aware of everything going on in the royal court. But judging by the circumstances, it seems Ruseph found out about the situation as abruptly as you did.”
Damion scratched his head and then asked,
“What was the deal?”
It was the sharpest tone he’d used so far in their conversation.
“Royal marriages always involve some kind of negotiation, but there’s no need to frame it so harshly. Besides, nothing is set in stone yet, and—”
“Father never liked Ruseph, did he?”
“Well, it’s no secret that he wouldn’t send his eldest son as a hostage.”
“Since he’s a child from the previous wife, he’s probably not that precious to the current duchess either. So, is Father planning to take the duchess’s child as a hostage instead, under the guise of them being my fiancée?”
Terdin smiled softly and waved his hand.
“Let’s just call it strengthening ties between two houses. From what I’ve heard, His Majesty requested reinforcements from Duke Vormont for this war. Despite their loss to us ten years ago, they still have a formidable army. Borrowing even a portion of that army would surely aid our efforts in this conflict.”
“That formidable army has always been a thorn in Father’s side. He’s continually threatened to start another war unless they reduce their forces, but the duke has never responded. Each time Father spoke of it, he’d grow furious, saying the hostage wasn’t good enough.”
“From Duke Vormont’s perspective, reducing his army wouldn’t have been an easy task. You can’t just dismiss knights who have sworn fealty overnight, nor would their vassal knights willingly cut down the number of their own squires.”
“So, my marriage is just a deal in exchange for military support?”
“It’s a partnership.”
“It’s a deal.”
“The root of this issue was the land exchanged as a wedding gift between the two families, wasn’t it? Another marriage could provide a key to peace between the two houses.”
“Or plant the seeds for another conflict.”
“One can never know the future. There’s no need to be so pessimistic from the outset.”
“Yes, life’s always like that.”
When Damion mimicked an old man’s voice, Terdin burst into laughter.
But then, the prince suddenly dropped his smile and said,
“To be honest, it’s suspicious. Do you remember how long it took for Lamuel’s marriage to finalize? It was over two years.”
“Of course I do. It was a national celebration. Even the children of Tamperton were making bets on who the fiancée would be.”
Damion double-checked that no one was around before speaking in a whisper.
“I’m frustrated with how hastily my marriage is being arranged, but doesn’t it feel like everything is moving too quickly? You might’ve guessed this already, but Father started preparing for a campaign before even receiving confirmation that this war was over. I’ve never seen preparations move this fast. Supplies and reinforcements that used to take ages to arrange when you requested them were suddenly ready in no time. And simultaneously, the army from Born also began marching. Even if the engagement was arranged without my knowledge, how could their army be ready to move so quickly?”
“Suppose they had been preparing reinforcements for you in advance and, upon hearing about the engagement, thought, ‘Why not?’ and set off. How about that?”
“Would you accept such a naïve explanation?”
“Sometimes, being naïve helps things progress smoothly.”
Terdin glanced toward the tents and said,
“I’ll be late for the meeting. I can’t let it proceed without me, so I should head in.”
“Then I’ll be going as well.”
“Aren’t you going to greet His Majesty?”
“Consider it done earlier.”
Damion gestured to his two bodyguards.
Terdin was about to turn away when he noticed the wine still in his hand and asked,
“You were holding that even in front of His Majesty. Why are you drinking this early in the morning?”
“Wine isn’t alcohol.”
“If it intoxicates you, it’s alcohol.”
“According to Archbishop Aikob, wine is the breath of the gods or something like that, so it only lifts the spirits, not intoxicates.”
“So, you take the Archbishop’s words literally only when it comes to wine?”
Damion shrugged and said,
“I’m planning to have a drink with Chief Jedrick.”
Terdin hesitated for a moment before saying,
“If you’re meeting the chief, stay in the protection of my shadow at all times.”
“I was thinking of inviting him to drink with me anyway.”
Damion glanced at Ram, who had been eavesdropping on their conversation.
Ram tried to appear indifferent, avoiding any reaction.
“That boy, drinking with you?”
“Why not?”
Terdin shrugged again.
“Do as you wish. Though I doubt that boy will drink.”
The prince gestured to Ram.
“Come along. Let’s go together.”
Ram glanced at Terdin for guidance, but the general had already entered the king’s tent.
Once again, he couldn’t say it.
And still, Ram wasn’t sure if he should.
———-