I Became King by Following My Little Sister's Advice. Now the Princess I Forced to Marry Is Giving Me Death Stares, What Should I Do? - Chapter 11: Waiting in Anticipation

Chapter 11: Waiting in Anticipation

“Grandfather, let us deploy the troops! We must strike down the traitor who usurped the throne!”

“Yes, Lord of the Frontier!”

“Serving a false king is a disgrace to warriors! Let’s attack the capital!”

“…”

Upon hearing the pleas from his vassals, lower nobility under his command, and his granddaughter, the old man’s face grew stern. 

The location was the “Armstrong Fortress” at the eastern border.

This stronghold had repeatedly stopped invasions from the Great Eastern Empire.

The old man in charge of this critical defense was Marquis Neighber Ulbers.

In the heart of the fortress, Marquis Ulbers was being pressed by his old comrades and granddaughter.

Their appeal was unified: to obliterate the rebel army that had seized the capital.

“Grandfather, we are warriors. We are nothing more than ‘swords’ that can only fight! To the king, we are merely tools. However… we still have the right to choose who wields us!”

“…”

“Serving a traitor who stole the throne through rebellion is utterly indefensible! As vassals of the Aidron royal family, we should fight the rebels!”

“Is that so, that’s your belief, Lyusha?”

For Marquis Ulbers, what made this situation particularly painful was that his granddaughter was among those confronting him. 

Lyusha Ulbers, the young lady of the house, had her silver hair tied back in a ponytail. Her features were beautiful, but her sharp eyes gave her a cool, imposing aura that kept men at a distance.

“Of course, we must kill the traitors and display their heads. That’s only right.”

“…”

(Really… my granddaughter is either too hot-blooded or recklessly brave… As the future head of the Ulbers family, she must learn to think more carefully.)

Marquis Ulbers worried about his granddaughter’s future, but he had been much the same in his youth. 

The Ulbers family was a renowned martial lineage, and many of its members were quite headstrong.

Marquis Ulbers himself had been the same until recent years, but a change had come over him after losing his son and daughter-in-law twenty years ago. 

He wondered if his son might have lived if he himself had acted more thoughtfully. 

This reflection had led him to avoid rash decisions.

(But… she is truly an Ulbers. She reminds me so much of myself and my son when we were young.)

“Grandfather, please make a decision!”

“We will not go to war. This is final.”

“Grandfather!”

“Don’t you see? If we deploy our troops to the capital, the Great Eastern Empire will make their move!”

“…!”

Lyusha and the others gasped. 

The Shing Empire of the east, a military powerhouse with the largest territory on the continent, often provoked wars to expand its lands. 

They had repeatedly attacked and fought fiercely at the fortress.

“I understand your arguments, but… we cannot let the Empire take this land. Lyusha, do you suggest we hand over the lands of the Ulbers, which your parents died defending, to the very Empire that killed them?”

“…”

Lyusha bit her lip and fell silent.

She was a woman who cherished justice and respected duty, but her emotions ran deeper than anyone else’s.

Merely mentioning the name of the Empire that had killed her family made her lose her composure. 

The others seemed to feel the same, remaining silent with frustrated looks.

“So, what do we do? Just obediently follow along? Betray the Aidron royal family, to whom we’ve owed loyalty for three hundred years, and become part of some unknown country called the Arlengs Kingdom?”

“That might be our only option. It’s better than submitting to the Empire.”

“No way…”

Lyusha clenched her fist tightly. Her nails dug in, and a few drops of blood fell to the floor.

“Rest easy, everyone. We won’t send our troops, but we won’t just silently comply either. I will assess the worth of this Van Arlengs, the king of Arlengs Kingdom myself.”

Marquis Ulbers clapped his hands and declared firmly.

“I’ve sent a letter to the capital, challenging Van Arlengs to a duel. A warrior’s single strike is worth a thousand words. I will test whether he is a dishonorable usurper or a noble warrior with my own sword!”

“Grandfather… you yourself…!”

Lyusha’s eyes widened. 

She knew that Marquis Ulbers was an exceptional warrior, but he was already over sixty years old. 

He had been away from the front lines for a long time, and opportunities to fight were rare.

“Or are you suggesting that my eyes have clouded with age? Do you think an old soldier like me is unfit to measure a king’s worth?”

“No, not at all!”

“No one doubts your abilities, Marquis!”

“We are relieved! We trust you completely!”

The same people who had been pressing him earlier now shook their heads in unison.

They believed in Marquis Ulbers’ strength more than anyone.

The idea of judging someone through a duel was also easily accepted by these straightforward thinkers.

“Once I receive a reply to the letter, we will head to the capital immediately. And if they refuse the duel…”

“Excuse me, Lord Ulbers.”

After a knock, one of the soldiers entered the room.

“This is a letter from the capital, brought by express messenger. It’s from someone named Van Arlengs.”

“Speak of the devil… He seems to be a decisive person at least.”

Marquis Ulbers took the letter from the soldier and began to read. However, after a short while, he burst into laughter.

“Bwha! Hahaha! What fortitude!”

“Grandfather?”

“Lyusha, you should read this too!”

While laughing, Marquis Ulbers handed the letter to Lyusha. 

She took it with a puzzled expression, but as she read it, her face turned to astonishment.

“This is…”

“It seems that Van Arlengs is a man of character! He’s concerned about my old bones and has decided to come out from the capital to meet us!”

“What…!”

“No way!”

The letter contained words showing concern for Marquis Ulbers’ age and the arduous journey to the capital. It even incredulously mentioned that he would come to them instead.

“How absurd… A man who calls himself a king is coming out to meet a vassal’s challenge…!?”

Lyusha was also stunned.

It was unthinkable. 

Such a king was unheard of.

It was strange enough to accept a duel challenge from a vassal, but to come personally was beyond belief. Moreover, Marquis Ulbers had hinted at independence. 

For a king to willingly enter what might become enemy territory was not just brave but foolish.

“Indeed… This just got a lot more interesting! Let’s prepare a welcome. We shall wait for King Arlengs to arrive!”

Marquis Ulbers laughed cheerfully and for the first time, genuinely referred to Van as a “king.”

In truth, the outcome of the duel didn’t really matter to him.

Whether he won or lost, just the fact that Van agreed to the duel was enough. 

If the duel happened, he could use it to show that “King Arlengs was a brave man” and keep Lyusha and his vassals from acting rashly.

(But now… I’m really looking forward to this.)

What was supposed to be a duel merely as a formality of submission was becoming something more.

Marquis Ulbers was looking forward to the duel with Van, feeling a revival of his competitive spirit that had faded with age.