Former Fake Becomes Grand Duke of the North

True to her word, Knight Commander Bardin started sending me out on demonic beast hunts as part of my training. Rather than kill them myself, which wasn’t difficult for someone at my level of strength, she wanted me to get used to commanding the Coldsteel Knights. At first the knights were wary of me. Despite being Knight Commander Bardin’s disciple and Grand Duke Kaltbrand’s (fake) heir, I was still a stranger. Asking the knights to trust me with their lives proved difficult for them. However, I found help from an unexpected source: Viktor.

My bodyguard talked with the other knights and convinced them to give me a chance. This was a far cry from his initial attitude towards me, which made his words all the more impactful. Even Sir Kane and Elise were surprised by his sudden change. When I asked him about it, Viktor scowled at me and looked away.

“You saved my life.” he said. “You could’ve let the Protean eat me, but you didn’t. That’s why. I may not be noble or refined, but I repay my debts.”

When I heard this, I gave him an incredulous look.

“What debt?” I asked. “Viktor, you’re one of my people. Of course I saved you.”

Viktor’s scowl deepened.

“Then consider it part of my duties as…one of your people,” he said. “That’s what retainers do, isn’t it? Serve their lords? Just consider me your retainer.”

For some reason, I felt touched by his words. While he may not have phrased it as such, it was a pledge of loyalty. Yes, Knight Commander Bardin had assigned him as one of my bodyguards. However, there was a significant difference between being assigned a task and doing it out of one’s own volition. I expected this from Sir Kane, due to our prior friendship, not Viktor.

“Thank you, Viktor,” I said. “For as long as you serve me, I shall look after you as well.”

“Yeah, yeah.” he grumbled. “Does this mean someone else can take the night watch?”

I smiled.

“You’ll have to ask Sir Kane about that,” I said. “He’s the one in charge of my bodyguards.”

“Damn it.”

Thanks to Viktor vouching for me, the knights gave me their support. While they would have obeyed me, due to Knight Commander Bardin’s orders, I would have faced some resistance. With Viktor’s help, I didn’t have to worry about that.

Commanding knights, even just a squad of them, was a far different experience than hunting demonic beasts on my own. There were many more things I needed to take into consideration, and at first I found it overwhelming. However, Knight Commander Bardin must have anticipated that, because she always assigned experienced officers as my second in command whenever I went on these hunts. They made up for any mistakes I made and offered me advice on several occasions.

As I went on more hunts and gained more experience commanding knights, my confidence in my abilities grew. Count Wirner’s lessons helped me as well. I don’t know what Knight Commander Bardin said to him, but the day after we hunted the Proteans, Count Wirner started participating in my successor lessons. He focused on military affairs: history, logistics, strategy, tactics, etc. This allowed my regular tutor, Lord Wielfried Holtz, to focus on other topics.

I had learned some of this, both when I lived with House Guld and when I started pretending to be the heir to House Kaltbrand, but it hadn’t been my focus. With Count Wirner’s help, I gained a more in-depth education into military matters. He was an excellent teacher, with decades of experience as a knight commander to draw upon, and he taught in a way that made the subject easy for me to understand. I couldn’t have asked for a better teacher.

At first I wondered why Knight Commander Bardin had Count Wirner teach me rather than do it herself. However, I soon realized that she had an ulterior motive. Before the Protean hunt, Count Wirner kept his distance from me. Having him teach me forced the two of us to interact more often. I suspected that Knight Commander Bardin wanted us to bond with each other, in an effort to influence Count Wirner’s decision on whether to support me or not.

If that was the case, then I wasn’t sure if her plan worked or not. Count Wirner remained as difficult to read as always. He taught me, yes, but he maintained a certain distance between us. He revealed nothing of his thoughts, and showed no interest in my personal affairs. Still, I wasn’t going to complain. The lessons themselves were invaluable to someone like me.

The weeks passed by and the upcoming banquet drew closer and closer. Every direct vassal of House Kaltbrand had been invited, as well as several indirect vassals, meaning that my existence would be revealed to a sizable audience. By this point, all of them already knew about me. However, there was a difference between gossip and rumors, and an official announcement.

It also meant that Kaltbrand Castle was quite busy preparing for the upcoming banquet. The most important guests would be staying in the castle itself, while the rest would be staying in inns, hotels, and estates located in Frostheart. To handle the increased workload, Viscount and Viscountess Holtz hired several servants.

Several of our opponents decided to take this opportunity in order to sneak some rats into Kaltbrand Castle. These rats hid themselves among the newly hired servants. While Viscount and Viscountess, as well as the Blue Shadows, managed to catch several of them, I had no doubt that a few slipped through the cracks.

During this time period, the twins completed the task I entrusted to them. With their help, I managed to paint a more complete picture of Lady Adelheid Gerhard, as well as Lord Ulric Arbeit and Lord Klemens Steuben. Armed with this knowledge, I was more confident in my ability to deal with my three “rivals”. That confidence was put to the test when one of them arrived at Kaltbrand Castle a week before the banquet, several days ahead of schedule.

On that day, I was looking over my new wardrobe. The tailor hired by Grand Duke Kaltbrand had finished with my custom made outfits, and I wanted to check them for any potential flaws. I needn’t have bothered. The outfits were all tasteful, stylish, and well-made. As expected of House Kaltbrand’s exclusive tailor. Unlike the first time, when I received the altered clothing, Grand Duke Kaltbrand and Knight Commander Bardin didn’t force me to put on a fashion show. I sighed with relief at this.

I was in the midst of trying on one of the new outfits, when Maria burst into my dressing room. Thankfully, I was already dressed, so she didn’t see anything untoward.

“Tsk,” she said, looking displeased. “I should have come earlier. I missed the show.”

I rolled my eyes.

“What happened, Maria?” I said, looking myself over in the mirror. “Not even you would barge in here without good reason.”

“I’ll tell you,” she said, giving me a lascivious grin. “But give me a little show first. I’ve always wanted to see you without your shirt on.”

I gave her a hard look.

“Maria.” I said, a warning in my voice.

She pouted.

“Prude.” she said. “It’s not like I’m trying to get you into bed. I just want to see some skin.”

I released some of my pressure.

“Careful, Maria.” I said in a low voice. “I like you, but don’t cross the line.”

Maria’s face turned white and she nodded. I retracted my pressure and waited for her to regain her composure.

“So, what happened?” I asked, turning to look in the mirror again.

“We have a situation.” she said, her expression serious. “Lady Adelheid Gerhard is in Frostheart and she’s on her way here. Our people managed to catch sight of her just as she exited the warp gate.”

I whirled around to face Maria.

“What?” I asked. “I thought House Gerhard was set to arrive a few days from now.” I narrowed my eyes. “She must have decided to arrive ahead of time in order to seize the initiative.”

Maria nodded. House Gerhard, House Steuben, and House Albeit were among the vassal houses scheduled to arrive for the banquet. Due to the number of people invited, use of the warp gate network had been set to a strict schedule in order to avoid any potential mishaps. Lady Adelheid must have paid an astronomical sum in order to arrive early. Even then, she could only bring herself and one other person, at most, through the warp gate. It was a risk, but one with great potential rewards if done right. By arriving early, she would get a head start over the others.

That matched with the information the twins procured for me not too long ago. From what I knew, Lady Adelheid was tenacious and driven. Like most nobles, she sought to elevate her family’s standing. However, she faced an uphill battle.

House Gerhard was wealthy, and they had connections with several noble houses outside of the Barrens. In any other part of the Reichwald Empire, the Riverlands in particular, they would have been a well-respected family. Given enough time, they might have even earned a spot in Haven’s high society, the seat of imperial power.

The Barrens was different. The northern lords respected martial prowess above all else. Wealth and connections mattered, yes, but not as much. House Gerhard weren’t warriors, and so the other noble houses of the Barrens looked down on them. Despite this handicap, Lady Adelheid and the rest of House Gerhard continued to strive onward. I found this attitude admirable.

The problem was that the members of House Gerhard, Lady Adelheid in particular, were sensitive to insults. One of the reasons why Lady Adelheid was known to have a temper was because she didn’t react well to slights against her family. She ended up in more than one fight because of this, earning her the ire of several of the northern nobles. At least she was a magician and could hold her own against Aura users.

With this in mind, I had come up with a plan to deal with Lady Adelheid and get her on my side. However, this required sending a letter to Lina, which I was reluctant to do. After I left House Guld, I had sent her a few messages to let her know I was still alive, though I kept the details of my location and my activities vague in case someone intercepted those messages.

The issue was that if I sent her a letter asking for a favor on behalf of another lady, she would be…upset, to say the least. To most, Lina was the epitome of a noble lady. Dignified, graceful and elegant. However, she could be quite jealous when it came to me. She would still help me, if I asked for it, but she would demand answers the next time we met. I didn’t look forward to that conversation.

I would worry about that later. Right now, I need to focus on the more immediate problem.

“Is Lady Adelheid alone?” I asked.

Maria shook her head.

“No,” she said. “She brought her personal maid with her, but that’s it.”

I frowned.

“This isn’t good.” I said. “If something happens to her while she is here in Frostheart, it would cause discord between House Kaltbrand and House Gerhard.”

It took time to reach Kaltbrand Castle from the warp gate, even by carriage. Right now, Lady Adelheid was vulnerable. House Kaltbrand and House Gerhard had plenty of enemies. One of those said enemies might take advantage of this opportunity to attack her. It wasn’t likely, but it was possible. If she became injured or died while in Frostheart, House Gerhard would hold House Kaltbrand responsible. At best, they would demand compensation. At worst, they would turn against House Kaltbrand. Either way, relations between the two noble houses would deteriorate.

“Do you know which path Lady Adelheid is taking?” I asked.

Maria nodded.

“Yes, she hired a carriage and is taking the most direct route here.”

“Good. Summon a squad of knights and have them meet me at the main entrance.” I grinned. “Since Lady Adelheid arrived without an escort, we shall provide one for her.”

“Let Rosaline come with you.” Maria said. “We have ways of contacting our people. If something happens to Lady Adelheid, my sister will let you know.”

I nodded, before I left the dressing room in order to greet Lady Adelheid and welcome her to Kaltbrand Castle.

In less than five minutes, I was heading towards Lady Adelheid’s location with a squad of Coldsteel Knights in tow. I gave them a brief explanation of the situation before we left. We took two separate carriages, one for the knights and one for me and my bodyguards. Since Viktor was still on night watch, we left him behind at Kaltbrand Castle so he could get some sleep, meaning I only had Sir Kane and Elise with me.

Rosalind had joined us as well, though she looked different from her usual self. Instead of her usual maid uniform, she wore a black and blue outfit that disguised her features and hid her identity. It turned out that this was the uniform the Blue Shadows wore when they needed to appear in the open. Sir Kane and Elise seemed perturbed by Rosalind’s presence, though they kept their thoughts to themselves.

As the carriages headed towards Lady Adelheid, my mind churned with anxiety. Lady Adelheid wasn’t an idiot. In fact, from what I knew, she was far from it. She had worked tirelessly to secure her family’s fortunes time and time again, despite the resistance she faced as a Gerhard. So why had she come to Frostheart ahead of time without an escort? Why did she only bring her personal maid? She had to have known the consequences if anything should happen to her.

Or maybe that was her objective? Was she trying to cause discord between House Kaltbrand and House Gerhard? I discarded that thought. No, that didn’t make sense. While House Gerhard might gain some benefits in the short-term, the long-term consequences weren’t worth it. Unless House Gerhard had aligned themselves with House Kaltbrand’s unseen enemy. Viewed in that light, then Lady Adelheid’s action made more sense.

I shook my head. At this point, it was all speculation. I had too many questions and not enough answers. Things would become clearer once we met up with Lady Adelheid and secured her safety.

As I thought that, Rosalind opened one of the windows. A pigeon flew into the carriage and landed on her lap. It had a note tied to its legs. Rosalind removed the note and read it.

“Lord Wulfe,” she said, her voice sounding deeper and rougher than usual. “Lady Adelheid’s carriage was ambushed by a group of masked assailants.”

My blood ran cold.

“Damn,” I said. “What happened?”

Rosalind held up the note.

“Lady Adelheid and her maid managed to escape, but the assailants are in pursuit.” she said. “The coachman driving the carriage didn’t survive.”

“What were your people doing during all of this?” Elise demanded. “Why didn’t they help Lady Adelheid?”

Rosalind turned to look at her.

“We are helping Lady Adelheid,” she said. “How do you think she escaped in the first place?” She shook her head. “However, there is only so much we can do. We’re spies and informants, not warriors. The masked assailants are all Aura users. It’s only a matter of time before they catch up to Lady Adelheid, even with our help.”

It seemed my worst fears had come to life.

“Where is she now?” I asked.

“Our people are bringing her to a nearby safe house.” Rosalind said. “If we hurry, we should arrive before the assailants.”

“Then let us make haste.” I said. “Where is this safe house?”

Rosalind gave me the address of the safe house.

“I’ll go ahead, since I can move faster on foot.” I said. “Let the others know about the change in plans.”

Sir Kane and Elise protested the idea.

“My lord! You can’t risk your safety like that.”

“Exactly, Lord Wulfe. What if this is a trap?”

I shrugged.

“Then I’ll just have to spring the trap.”

My bodyguards opened their mouths to continue their protests, but I silenced them with a look.

“I’m going on ahead.” I said in a cold voice. “If you have a problem with that, then try and stop me.”

That silenced them.

“Be careful, Lord Wulfe.” Rosalind said.

I nodded, before opening the carriage door and hopping out. I was much faster than a horse on foot, and I didn’t have to follow the roads. It took me about five minutes to reach the address Rosalind gave me. It was located in one of the less affluent parts of Frostheart. The buildings were old and worn, but in good repair.

However, before I reached the street where the safe house was located, I heard the sounds of a battle going on. It seemed that Lady Adelheid and the Blue Shadows escorting her hadn’t reached the safe house in time. I drew my sword and increased my speed.

When I reached the street and saw what was going on, it was clear that Lady Adelheid was in dire straits. A group of a dozen masked figures wearing cloaks surrounded a smaller group of four people. The smaller group was inside a magical barrier, which protected them from the masked figures. However, it was clear that the barrier wouldn’t last for long. The masked figures were all Aura Experts. It was just a matter of time before they broke through the barrier and reached the people inside.

Except for these two groups, the street was empty. Everyone else had already fled. Good. That meant I didn’t have to worry about any innocents getting caught up in this fight. There was the city watch to consider, I suppose, but I doubted they would interfere. The city watch existed to maintain peace and order within Frostheart, but they couldn’t contend with a group of Aura Experts.

I coated myself in mana, before charging right for the masked assailants. By the time they noticed my arrival, I was already among them. I cut down two of them before the others reacted, killing them within the span of an eye blink.

“Split up and flee!” one of them shouted.

Without hesitation, the remaining masked figures turned and fled in separate directions. This caught me off guard, since I hadn’t expected them to flee right away. I managed to kill two more of the masked figures, but decided to let the remaining ones go instead of giving chase. While it irked me to do so, my goal was to protect Lady Adelheid. If I gave chase, that would leave her vulnerable once more. If the Coldsteel Knights were here, we could have split up to chase them down. However, if I had waited for them, I wouldn’t have arrived in time to save Lady Adelheid.