91. Beggar Siblings - Baron Monarch
‘Why is this na coming up here?’
Leo straightened up and asked.
"Isn't the family na wrong?"
"What do you an by that...?"
"In the Kingdom of Bellita, there is a Count nad Gustav Peter. It's not a common na, so I don't think it's a case of a nasake."
"I'm not sure about that. But the Gustav I ntioned is definitely a baron of the Monarch family."
"Could you describe his appearance?"
Jenia Zachary thought of 'Baron Gustav Monarch.' The baron she had t...
"He doesn't have any distinctive features, but his hair color is sowhat unique. He has dark silver hair and is rather tall."
Hearing Jenia's description, Leo nodded.
‘It's indeed Count Gustav Peter.’
He felt a sense of foreboding and asked.
"Can you explain in more detail?"
"Of course. As you may know, I am..."
Jenia Zachary was a knight in the Conrad Kingdom's 1st Order of Knights.
Born as the illegitimate daughter of the Zachary Viscount family, she lived an unremarkable life.
She was normally discriminated against, unable to inherit the family's wealth, and had no promise of being arranged with a decent husband.
If she had been born as an illegitimate son, things would have been slightly better. Illegitimate sons of nobles usually used the family's connections to establish a rchant group, beco a chief steward or butler, or serve as an official in the kingdom.
Jenia did not have such options. She was destined to marry a wealthy man who would provide her family with a hefty dowry.
Like most illegitimate daughters.
It was such an expected future that she didn't even feel unhappy, but fortunately, Jenia had a talent.
When she was half-jokingly handed a sword, she was fascinated by the cold tal. She discovered the violence and talent hidden deep within her heart and imrsed herself in swordsmanship. Jenia Zachary quickly grew into a skilled swordswoman recognized by the knights of her family.
One day, feeling she could protect herself, she left her family. She honed her swordsmanship while working as a rcenary for several years and joined the royal 1st Order of Knights.
Young and promising knight Jenia. But she found her life boring.
Her marriage was also a failure.
She had been married once but was divorced for not bearing children.
She didn't feel ashad or unhappy.
She longed for adventure, and marriage was like shackles to her.
- I don't want to be used as a tool for childbirth. If I have to be used as a tool, I'd rather be used as a sword...
Perhaps her wish reached the heavens because Jenia Zachary received a once-in-a-lifeti opportunity. She followed a senior she was friendly with to have a drink and unexpectedly t a noble person.
Prince Leo de Yeriel was alive.
In her excitent, Jenia forgot her knightly manners and bowed deeply, and the prince, not feeling the need to ask for her allegiance, instructed, “It’s too late today, co at noon tomorrow.”
Last night, Jenia had a restless night.
Finally, a storm was about to sweep through her dull life.
And today, she disguised herself and carefully sought out the prince without drawing anyone's attention.
The prince asked, “If you know anything about the nobles, tell anything you know.” and she shared everything she knew.
The prince, who listened sowhat indifferently, suddenly straightened up and showed interest.
Jenia couldn't hide her joy and began to speak with a bright smile.
“As you may know, I am the illegitimate daughter of the Zachary Viscount family.”
Leo nodded, indicating he already knew.
“Our Zachary Viscount territory in the northern kingdom is close to the Monarch family estate, so we have maintained a long friendship. That's why I know so secrets about the Monarch family.”
Jenia moistened her lips with her tongue before continuing.
“The Monarch family had an heir nad ‘Bailey Monarch,’ a young lady ‘Grainen Monarch,’ and an illegitimate son ‘Baric Monarch.’ About forty years ago, there was a big commotion in that family. Lady Grainen fell ill and couldn’t go outside.”
Leo sensed a long story coming and instructed the knight outside to bring tea.
“However, strange rumors circulated through the maids. The rumor was that the lady wasn’t ill but pregnant. Since she was a noble lady who hadn’t even been engaged or married, it was dismissed as nonsense and didn’t spread widely, but there were suspicious points.”
Jenia lowered her voice to a whisper.
“Around that ti, the whereabouts of the illegitimate son Baric Monarch beca unclear. The Monarch family said he left for the monastery to beco a priest, but the timing was rather convenient. Sending the illegitimate son to the monastery just when the lady fell ill... Unless the illness was trivial, but it was a sickness that left her bedridden for over a year.”
The requested tea arrived.
Jenia received the tea poured by Leo with humility and continued to speak.
---
"Suspiciously, Lady Grainen never married. She lived her entire life in the Monarch estate. I believe she is still alive. I t her once when I was young, and she was remarkably healthy for her age."
"I see. Add this to the tea. It will taste better."
"Ah, thank you, Your Highness."
The two added a pollen called 'Cannella' to their tea.
As the sound of stirring echoed and the pollen dissolved, Jenia continued her story.
"There were even rumors at the ti that the missing illegitimate son, Baric Monarch, had slept with his half-sister. The Monarch family vehently denied it, and since there was no confirmation of Lady Grainen's pregnancy, the rumors quickly faded."
"I see. But what does this have to do with Gustav?"
Jenia smiled, calming the prince's impatience.
"Gustav Monarch is an adopted son. Bailey Monarch, who inherited the family, did not have a son. And I saw Gustav Monarch when he visited the king to be conferred as a baron after Bailey's death. It was about a year before the king fell ill."
Noble families usually managed the inheritance internally, but there was a formal ceremony called 'Banun' to receive the king's permission.
Banun was the na of the first vassal taken in by Toddler Akiunen, who founded the Kingdom of Arcaea. He was also known as the first noble.
The Banun involved the heir inheriting the family and swearing loyalty to the king. The Royal Knights confird it, and Jenia, a new mber at the ti, entered the palace for the first ti and saw Gustav.
"At the ti, I didn't think much of it as it was my first Banun, but in hindsight, it was the most modest Banun I've ever seen. Usually, nobles invite their friends, but Gustav ca alone, stayed in the palace for a few days, quietly held the ceremony, and left. He didn’t even summon many knights."
Jenia elegantly placed her teacup down as she continued.
Despite being a dark-skinned female knight, she had impeccable manners, having grown up as an illegitimate daughter of a noble family.
"The problem starts here. I once t Cardinal Verke. When I joined the Order of Knights, I went to Rutina Church to consecrate my sword and t him by chance. When I first saw Baron Gustav, I thought he looked remarkably like Cardinal Verke. Both had no distinct features, but they had the sa silver hair... and a strangely similar aura."
"So you an..."
"You’re anticipating, Your Highness. Yes, I believe the illegitimate son who left to beco a priest, Baric Monarch, is Cardinal Verke. And the rumor that Lady Grainen was pregnant is likely true. According to the rumor, she might have slept with her half-brother Baric and conceived a child."
While Leo was speechless, Jenia concluded her theory.
"If my assumption is correct, then Baron Gustav, the adopted son of the Monarch family, is likely the son of Cardinal Verke and Lady Grainen. This aligns all the circumstances and rumors."
"Wait. This is a surprising and bold assumption, but isn't it a bit far-fetched? You say the illegitimate son disappeared when the pregnancy rumor spread, implying they slept together. But there's no evidence that Cardinal Verke is Baric MonarChapter You've never seen Baric, and Gustav and the Cardinal could just resemble each other by coincidence, right?"
Jenia nodded at the prince’s question.
"You're right, Your Highness. That's a valid point. So I’ve looked into Cardinal Verke over the years."
She rubbed her left wrist and leaned forward.
"About fifteen years ago, Cardinal Verke was appointed as our kingdom’s cardinal. This was before I joined the Order of Knights. Before that, he was a prominent figure in the Monastery Church."
The cardinal was a high-ranking position in the Holy Church.
It was the second highest rank after the saint, effectively leading the church.
The Monastery Church in the Holy Kingdom had four cardinals, but each kingdom had one cardinal to oversee all the churches.
Jenia licked her lips again. Her teacup was empty, and Leo had no more to offer.
"Despite being a forr crusader, he was known for proposing innovative theological theories as a high-ranking priest. Looking at the church’s official records, Cardinal Verke went on a pilgrimage to the north every year since arriving in the Conrad Kingdom. He always visited the Monarch estate in the northernmost part of the kingdom. Isn't that suspicious?"
"..."
"Though it is said Cardinal Verke was born in the Holy Kingdom, such details can be fabricated upon entering the Monastery ChurChapter And it's not common to see silver-haired individuals."
Leo tapped the table with his fingers, organizing his thoughts.
Count Gustav Peter, whom he t in the Kingdom of Bellita... According to this female knight, he was the sa person as Baron Monarch of the Conrad Kingdom.
This was almost certain. There couldn't be two nobles with such an uncommon na and similar appearance.
‘Yes, Count Gustav did ntion our Conrad Kingdom to ...’
When Count Peter discovered Leo’s identity, he discreetly whispered about the chaos in 'our' Conrad Kingdom, showing respect for the prince.
Leo had thought he was a spy. But now, it seed he was a noble with estates in two kingdoms.
It was illegal for a noble to hold two estates.
A family could only have one estate; if they won another in a war, they had to offer it to the royal family or rge it with the existing estate.
The only way for a noble to hold two estates was through the position of 'Margrave.'
Margraves ruled border estates and were responsible for defending the kingdom's borders in tis of war until reinforcents arrived.
The Marchioness of Tatian in Bellita, the Marquess of Gaiden in the Right Kingdom, and the Duke of Tertan in the Conrad Kingdom held the title of Margrave, owning two estates.
But Gustav... He held two estates separately as Baron Monarch in the Conrad Kingdom and Count Peter in the Bellita Kingdom.
‘So that’s why Marquis Benar Tatian called Count Gustav a friend?’
Marquis Tatian must have known this. He not only introduced Count Gustav as a friend but also revealed their close relationship before the introduction.
Given the Tatian family’s status, it made sense if Gustav held such a unique position.
A noble holding estates in two kingdoms... To beco friends with Marquis Benar Tatian, such a position would be necessary.
‘And there’s more to it...’
Cardinal.
This was an incredibly high position, overseeing all the churches in a kingdom. Considering priests handled all communications, dical care, and so education, leading nurous followers, the cardinal's position was imnsely high.
If this female knight's words were true, then Count Gustav Peter’s father was Cardinal Verke.
‘But even if he fathered a child before becoming a priest, can a priest have a child?’
The Holy Church strictly forbade priests from marrying.
In the childhood scenario, Lena and Leo couldn’t be together because Lena wanted to beco a priest.
Leo lifted his head wearily.
That was all fine.
But... Gustav, this man bothered him.
He felt a chilling sense that he might have missed sothing crucial for progressing the scenario.
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