Former Fake Becomes Grand Duke of the North

It didn’t take long to explain why Grand Duke Kaltbrand brought me to Kaltbrand Castle so I could pretend to be his illegitimate son and heir. Viscount and Viscountess Holtz, as well as Baron Kirch were already aware of the Barrens’ political situation, so the grand duke hadn’t needed to go over that. However, when he started explaining that an unseen enemy had been interfering with House Kaltbrand’s succession, their eyes grew wide.

“When the potential heirs with the strongest claims started dying one by one, I realized that something strange was going on,” Grand Duke Kaltbrand explained with a grim expression on his face. “I had the Blue Shadows look into it, and they realized that someone had been responsible for those deaths. It turned out that all those seemingly unrelated deaths were all connected. While the Blue Shadows don’t know who it is yet, they believe that an unknown force has been interfering with our affairs for some time now.”

With the exception of Knight Commander Bardin, the others looked shocked by his words. I frowned. Blue Shadows? Who were they? Some kind of intelligence organization? That would make the most sense.

Knowledge was power, and a single piece of information could mean the difference between prosperity and ruin for a noble house. Many were willing to pay a dear price to secure their family’s future. Most noble houses worked with information guilds or independent information brokers, while the more powerful nobles houses had their own private intelligence organizations.

House Guld’s was the Pink Orchid Trading Company, which disguised itself as a group of merchants which had branches all over the Reichwald Empire, including the Barrens. Thankfully, their office in the Barrens was located in a city further south than Warrior’s Rest, near the border with the Riverlands. Otherwise, House Guld would have already figured out my whereabouts.

“If this is all true, then…” Viscount Holtz said, his face pale. “By the gods.”

The others looked no better. Grand Duke Kaltbrand nodded.

“Right now, we’re operating on the theory that they’re either working with one of the three remaining potential heirs,” he said. “Or they’re using one of the three potential heirs for their own purposes. Perhaps all three. We don’t know yet.” His expression grew frustrated. “Whoever they are, they’re illusive. Even the Blue Shadows have had difficulty tracking their movements.” His expression cleared up and he gestured to me. “This is where Wulfe comes in. By pretending that he is my illegitimate son and heir, we’re hoping to disrupt their plans and force them into taking more overt action.”

I gave them all a shallow bow.

“It is a pleasure to meet you all,” I said. “I look forward to working with you.”

Viscount Holtz pursed his lips and didn’t say anything. Baron Kirch eyed me with open suspicion. Viscountess Holtz, on the other hand, gave me a warm smile.

“Such a polite young man.” she said.

I flashed a smile at her in return.

“Your Grace,” Viscount Holtz said. “Where did you find Wulfe? How do you know he can be trusted with such an important task?”

Grand Duke Kaltbrand gestured to Knight Commander Bardin.

“Wulfe was a mercenary working out of Warrior’s Rest,” she said. “I had already looked into him as a potential recruit for the Order of the Coldsteel Blade, so when His Grace needed someone to play his illegitimate son, I recommended Wulfe. He’s an outsider, so he doesn’t have any ties to the remaining three potential heirs. From his past actions, it’s unlikely that he’s working with our unseen foe.” She raised her chin. “I vouch for him. If you can’t trust him, then trust me.”

The others looked surprised by this. I guess they hadn’t expected the knight commander to speak so strongly in my defense. Viscount Holtz was the first to recover.

“Very well,” he said. “If you and His Grace trust him, Knight Commander Bardin, then I will as well.”

Viscountess Holtz nodded at her husband’s words. Baron Kirch, on the other hand, still looked unconvinced.

“His trustworthiness aside,” Baron Kirch said while glancing at me. “How do we know that this Wulfe can play the role of your heir, Your Grace? This seems beyond the abilities of a common mercenary.” He paused. “Though, perhaps we can rectify this, given enough time.” He frowned. “When do you plan to present him to the vassals?”

“I plan to present him at the next seasonal meeting.” the grand duke said.

Baron Kirch grimaced.

“That isn’t nearly enough time to educate him to the level required of the heir to House Kaltbrand,” he said.

Grand Duke Kaltbrand smirked.

“You don’t have to worry in that regard,” he said. “Wulfe here is uniquely qualified for the role, Edmund. He is no common mercenary.”

The head steward didn’t look convinced by this, but he held his tongue. It didn’t matter. He would realize the truth for himself sooner or later.

“What do you plan on telling the vassals about Wulfe’s origins?” Viscountess Holtz asked. “Did you recently discover him, or have you always known about him? What about his mother? Who is she? When do you meet her? The sooner we figure out these details, the better.”

Grand Duke Kaltbrand gave her a thoughtful look.

“My initial idea was to say that Wulfe was the result of a youthful indiscretion,” he said. “I have always known about him, but kept him a secret until now for my own reasons and had a noble family outside of the Barrens foster him. When it became clear that I wouldn’t be able to put off naming an heir, I decided to bring him forward.”

Viscountess Holtz shook her head.

“That won’t do,” she said. “Everyone knows how much you loved Lady Johanna. They won’t believe that you betrayed her, even with our testimony regarding the lineage test.” She gave him a meaningful look. “There will be rumors that you faked the test somehow, even if they wouldn’t say it to your face. Even without those rumors, you’ll face resistance from the vassals. This will not be an easy task.”

Grand Duke Kaltbrand glanced over at Knight Commander Bardin.

“If we spread rumors of our own about Wulfe’s mother, that won’t be a problem,” he said. “We don’t even have to say who she is. We can let everyone else fill in the blanks on their own.”

The other three looked over at the knight commander, who wore an indifferent expression, and understanding lit up their faces.

“I suppose that could work,” Viscount Holtz said, speaking slowly. “There were, and still are, rumors that you two are closer than you appear.”

Viscount Holtz wore an odd expression on her face.

“Yes,” she said. “I know the truth, yet I almost believe it myself.”

Baron Kirch pinched his chin between his index finger and thumb.

“They do look alike,” he said. “So it is plausible.”

It took me far too long to realize what they were saying.

“Wait,” I said, looking at the grand duke. “You want to pretend that I am your lovechild with Knight Commander Bardin?”

Grand Duke Kaltbrand nodded.

“Yes,” he said. “Rather, the plan is to give people the impression that you are my illegitimate son by Sofie, without overtly saying so.” He gestured towards me. “You two look similar enough that you could be mother and son. Not only that, she made you her disciple. That will be enough for people to draw their own conclusions.”

I clenched my fists.

“No,” I said. “I refuse.”

Everyone looked at me in surprise, except for Knight Commander Bardin. She continued to wear an indifferent expression on her face.

“Why not?” Grand Duke Kaltbrand asked in a calm voice despite his surprise. “Doing it this way gives us the highest chance of success.”

“At the cost of Knight Commander Bardin’s reputation.” I snapped back.

Viscount Holtz, Viscountess Holtz, and Baron Kirch all blanched. They were probably shocked that I, a commoner and a mercenary, would dare talk back to the grand duke, let alone raise my voice at him. Unlike Knight Commander Bardin and Arend, I wasn’t a long time friend and retainer of House Kaltbrand.

“If we say that Knight Commander Bardin is my mother,” I said. “Or give the impression that she is, people will drag her name through the mud.” I gestured to the knight commander. “They will sling all kinds of insults her way. In fact, some might even suggest that she seduced you in order to make her own child the heir to House Kaltbrand. That is the least of the rumors that will spread if we go through with this.”

I admired Knight Commander Bardin above all others. She earned her current position and her reputation as one of the continent’s strongest warriors through her blood, sweat, and tears. I didn’t want to be the reason why she lost everything she worked so hard to achieve.

“Wulfe,” Knight Commander Bardin said in a soft voice. “It’s all right. His Grace and I discussed this already. This is a sacrifice I am willing to make.” She smiled. “Besides, it’s not like people need an excuse to insult and conspire against me. I’ve made plenty of enemies over the years.”

I looked over at her.

“And I refuse to give your enemies the means to tear you down.” I said.

“You don’t have a choice in the matter,” Grand Duke Kaltbrand said in a cold voice. “Not anymore.” He opened one of the desk’s drawers and pulled out a stack of papers. It was the contract we negotiated and signed last night. “You already signed the contract.”

I scoffed.

“Nowhere in the contract does it say that I have to pretend to be Knight Commander Bardin’s son,” I said. “Only yours.”

Grand Duke Kaltbrand pointed to a specific part of the contract.

“It says here that you must do everything in your power to aid me in this endeavor.” he said.

“Everything within reason,” I countered. “There is nothing reasonable about this.”

An oppressive pressure exploded out of the grand duke, similar to how Knight Commander Bardin pressured Viktor not too long ago, except I was the target this time. However, I wasn’t a mere Aura Expert. I was an Aura Master. While it took effort on my part, I resisted the force of Grand Duke Kaltbrand’s pressure and unleashed my own.

The two of us glared at each other, neither willing to back down, as our pressures clashed. We were so focused on one another, that neither of us noticed Knight Commander Bardin. She marched over, grabbed both of us by the ear, and twisted.

“That’s enough,” she barked out. “Stop squabbling like a pair of children. You’re scaring the civilians.”

The grand duke and I glanced over at the others. They were all the way on the other opposite side of the study, pressing themselves against the wall. Oh. The clash between the grand duke and myself must have been too much for them. I was honestly a little surprised that none of them had fallen unconscious or fled the room. Ashamed of my behavior, I retracted my pressure. Grand Duke Kaltbrand did the same. When we did, Knight Commander Bardin let go of our ears.

“You,” she said, hitting the back of the grand duke’s head. “Stop acting like an overbearing tyrant. You knew he was also an Aura Master. Why did you think you could force him to submit?”

She turned to me.

“And you,” she said, hitting the back of my head. “Stop acting like a stubborn fool. It’s my reputation. I’ll do what I damn well please with it.” Her expression softened. “I am the knight commander of the Order of the Coldsteel Blade, ready to give my life in service to House Kaltbrand if necessary. Sacrificing my reputation is a small price to pay in comparison.”

I faced away from her.

“I know,” I said. “It’s just…You deserve better, Teacher.”

“Thank you for saying that. However, it doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks, so long as the people important to me know the truth.”

Grand Duke Kaltbrand rubbed the back of his head.

“Why are you nicer to him than you are to me?” he asked.

Knight Commander Bardin gave him a derisive sneer.

“Is it not obvious?” she asked.

Grand Duke Kaltbrand clicked his tongue in displeasure, before turning towards the others.

“I apologize for that,” he said, sounding sincere. “We let our emotions get the best of us.”

Now that the grand duke and I were no longer clashing, the three of them had managed to recover their composure. However, they still seemed somewhat shaken. Despite this, they approached the desk once more.

“Thank you, Your Grace,” Viscount Holtz said, before turning towards me with a newfound respect in his eyes. “I’m beginning to see why His Grace chose you, Wulfe. To become an Aura Master at such a young age is remarkable.” He gave me a faint smile. “To mirror my wife’s words from earlier, if I didn’t know the truth, I would have believed that you really were His Grace’s illegitimate child with Knight Commander Bardin.”

I nodded my head at him.

“Thank you, Viscount.” I said.

The viscount shook his head.

“There is no need to be so formal with this old man,” he said. “After all, you are the heir to House Kaltbrand for the foreseeable future. You can call me Erik, or Butler Erik if you’re so inclined.”

“You may call me Frederica or Housekeeper Frederica.” his wife said, chiming in.

Baron Kirch kept quiet.

“Now then,” Grand Duke Kaltbrand said, after clearing his throat. “To reiterate, Wulfe is my illegitimate child by Sofie here. For reasons of my own, I kept him a secret and had another noble family outside of the Barrens foster him. However, because of the current situation, I decided to reveal his existence and name him as my heir. Is everyone clear on this?”

They all nodded, before Viscountess Holtz frowned.

“Which family will you say fostered him?” she asked.

The grand duke glanced at me and I shook my head. I didn’t want House Guld to find me before I had earned my title. If they did…I wasn’t sure how they would react. I was afraid to find out. Either they would come find me, or they wouldn’t. I feared the latter more than the former, since it meant that they had never loved me at all and no longer cared about me. It was better to put off answering that particular question for now.

“We’ll keep that to ourselves for the time being,” Grand Duke Kaltbrand said. “The next few days are going to be busy as Wulfe settles in. He’ll need personal servants of his own, a new wardrobe, an allowance, and so on.” He gestured to the Viscount Holtz, Viscountess Holtz, and Baron Kirch. “I’ll leave all that to the three of you.”

The three of them nodded in acknowledgment.

“He’ll also need some bodyguards,” the grand duke said. “If only for appearances sake. Three should suffice.”

Knight Commander Bardin snorted.

“I have the perfect candidates in mind.” she said.

As an Aura Master, I didn’t need bodyguards. Unless an army attacked me, or a horde of demonic beasts, I would be fine. Still, as the grand duke said, I needed bodyguards for appearances sake. After all, I was the (fake) heir to House Kaltbrand.

“We’ll also need a tutor for Wulfe’s successor lessons,” Grand Duke Kaltbrand said, looking thoughtful. “I would teach him myself, but I can’t spare the time.” He looked at Viscount Holtz. “Wilfried should do.”

I frowned at him. What was he up to now?

“Is that necessary, Your Grace?” Baron Kirch asked, giving voice to my thoughts. “After all, Wulfe is only pretending to be your heir. Isn’t giving him successor lessons going too far?”

Grand Duke Kaltbrand shook his head.

“If word spread that I considered Wulfe my son and heir, but didn’t have him go through successor lessons, people would find it suspicious,” he said. “In order to convince others that Wulfe is my son and heir, we need to treat him as such in every way possible.” He narrowed his eyes at the three of them. “Understood?”

They nodded. My frown deepened. While I understood the grand duke’s intentions, I still thought that having me go through successor lessons was unnecessary. Still, it would be a new experience for me. When I lived with House Guld, there had been no chance of my inheriting the dukedom, so I never had to go through successor lessons. Those were reserved for Siegfried and Lina, the two eldest children of House Guld and the ones most likely to inherit the title.

For most noble houses, the custom was that the eldest child inherited the title while the other children inherited other properties and domains. However, the head of the house had the right to appoint any member of the family as their heir instead. Most went with the custom, but there were cases when the head of a noble house picked an illegitimate child or a distant relative as their heir. Usually, this was done when the head of the house either had no heirs or no suitable heirs. House Kaltbrand’s situation was a prime example of that.

“Sofie and Wulfe, you stay,” Grand Duke Kaltbrand said. “The rest of you are dismissed.”

Viscount Holtz, Viscountess Holtz, and Baron Kirch all bowed before leaving the study.

“Is there something else you wished to discuss with me, Your Grace?” I asked.

“Father.” the grand duke said.

I blinked at him in surprise. He grinned at me.

“If we’re going to pretend that you are my son, you should get used to calling me ‘Father’. Go on. Give it a try.”

I stared at him for several long seconds, before I drew in a deep breath and let it out. Knight Commander Bardin just shook her head. The grand duke just continued to grin at me.

“Your Grace,” I said. “There is only one man in my entire life who I have called ‘Father’, and only one woman who I have called ‘Mother’. I don’t have it in me to call anyone else by those names.”

Knight Commander Bardin’s face twisted at my words, before an indifferent expression replaced it. It was only for a fraction of a second, but I saw it. However, before I could consider what it meant, Grand Duke Kaltbrand spoke up.

“It seems you care a great deal about House Guld,” he said. A somber expression had replaced his grin. “I thought they only considered you a substitute for Emmerich Guld.”

I nodded.

“They did,” I said. “However, the opposite was never true.”

Even though House Guld never truly considered me one of their own, I loved them regardless. They were my family. That was why I was trying so hard to earn a title, so I could become one of them again. It was my greatest desire. If they rejected me in the end, so be it. I could accept that. Not before I gave it a try, however.

“I see.” Grand Duke Kaltbrand said.

He seemed…deflated somehow. I guess he was looking forward to someone calling him “Father”, even if it was his fake son. Well, I was a mercenary and he was my client. The contract between us stipulated that I do everything in my power to aid him in this endeavor.

“I can’t call you Father,” I said, sighing. “However, I can call you, ‘Dad.’ You seem to prefer informality.”

Grand Duke Kaltbrand rubbed his chin while looking thoughtful.

“You’re right,” he said. “I do prefer being called ‘Dad.’” He pointed a finger at me. “I accept, on the condition that you call Sofie ‘Mom.’ We’re supposed to be your parents, after all.”

My jaw dropped as I stared at the grand duke.