Chapter 69: The Price of Loyalty and an Imprint

“Ahem, this is hardly the occasion to decide the future spouse of the Moore family head. Everyone, please be seated.”

A nobleman with a finely trimmed mustache, who had been among the gathered aristocrats, seemed to regain his composure and attempted to steer the conversation.

“Haha, it was merely a greeting, yet we seem to have been overly sensitive.”

As other nobles supporting Devon hastily chimed in from various corners, Herace let out a faint, knowing chuckle. He had not even realized it himself, but those who had been secretly manipulating the Moore elders to hinder Bliss had inadvertently exposed their true intentions, startled by the sudden mention of a spouse.

This afforded him the perfect opportunity to articulate the words he had been carefully considering.

“How truly fascinating. Even I, who share a close relationship with the Moore family, was unaware that their elders had not consented to the marriage of Bliss Moore and Ethan Prescott. It seems my dear younger brother must have heard some news.”

Devon’s lips, which had been fixed in a glare at Bliss and Ethan, twisted, betraying his discomfort.

“…That can’t be. I was merely concerned that the future head of a great aristocratic family like the Moores would not have their spouse decided so simply.”

At this, other nobles who supported Herace immediately retorted.

“The Moore family has already acknowledged same-s*x marriage within its lineage. Surely, the heads of families present here will recall this.”

“Through Marquis Douglas’s efforts, the late former Marquis Seth Moore and his Guide had obtained the elders’ consent, establishing a precedent. Lord Bliss Moore’s situation is no different, so gaining their approval should not be difficult.”

Herace smiled, adding to their remarks.

“Indeed. Though the previous king’s decree rendered the Moore elders’ carefully considered decision utterly meaningless in an instant.”

“…!”

An immediate silence descended upon the hall. Herace’s single statement caused every nobleman in the audience chamber to discreetly observe both Bliss and the current King Genoa.

Bliss was the successor born of Seth Moore, the Moore family’s eldest son, who had been sacrificed by a royal marriage decree, and Annabelle.

Before him, Herace had dared to assert that the former king’s decree had disregarded a decision carefully deliberated by the Moore elders.

‘What could Prince Herace possibly be thinking, making such a dangerous remark?’

Ethan, who had been half-lost in thought, gazing at the ring on his hand, lifted his head at Herace’s utterly unignorable statement. A faint smile flickered in the prince’s eyes as their gazes met.

Ethan tried to confirm it once more, but the fleeting expression had already vanished, replaced by the cool facade of royalty.

“…Indeed. Is that what you mean?”

Genoa’s voice, which had remained silent while observing them, was unexpectedly mild.

Instead of raising his head to meet the king’s gaze, Ethan respectfully angled his sight to an ambiguous point, neither too low nor too high.

This etiquette, which neither excessively humbled oneself nor met the king’s eyes directly, was a subtle art for nobles to manage their presence. It was this nuanced gesture that caught the attention of the aristocrats who were covertly scrutinizing Ethan.

Observing their reactions, Bliss finally spoke.

“In my father’s generation, the Moore family adhered to the royal marriage decree, even though the decision had already been made within the family. In this generation, we are expected to present the matching test of the next family head before the entire nation.

Regardless of how private the matter is within the Moore family, we will accept this perceived shame as an honor to demonstrate our loyalty to the Crown. His Grace, Marquis Douglas Moore, is also prepared to readily persuade the elders.”

The royal family had, for generations, imposed humiliation and tested the loyalty of the Moores. This generation’s proposal was to make the matching test public, but to allow the marriage to proceed as they wished, essentially using the royal marriage decree to their advantage.

Otherwise, there was a subtle implication that Marquis Douglas, as the head of the entire family, could leverage the justification Herace had provided to mobilize the entire family, leading to a troublesome relationship for all parties.

“Are you daring to threaten His Majesty the King right now?!”

The nobleman with the mustache abruptly rose, bellowing at Bliss, which caused the aristocrats aligned with Devon to murmur in unison. However, Genoa himself furrowed his brow at the man’s outburst.

“Does Duke Gafken Winter truly believe that a mere subject can threaten the Emperor of the Empire, to make such a statement?”

“…Your Majesty!”

“Or perhaps, does he believe that the royal blood runs so richly within his ducal family as to warrant such thoughts?”

“That is not the case, Your Majesty! You misunderstand! The Winter family has been the King’s unwavering loyalists since the very inception of the Empire!”

At Duke Gafken Winter’s words, Genoa slightly eased his furrowed brow. This family, founded when the second son of the Empire’s first king renounced his claim to the throne and adopted a new surname, had consistently incorporated members of the White family over generations, thus retaining a strong lineage of royal blood.

While their close ties to the royal family prevented them from involvement in military affairs, they amassed immense wealth primarily through trade, leveraging their vast fleet of ships.

He was an ambitious man, eager to see his A-rank Esper daughter seated beside Devon.

“…Is not the purpose of today’s gathering to set the official matching test schedule for the Esper lauded as the Empire’s finest, and the unknown Guide who has claimed the title of the Empire’s best?”

Devon tried to break the taut atmosphere, desperately attempting to redirect the conversation. Ethan swallowed a sigh, observing them. The main event hadn’t even begun, yet he felt his nerves fraying already.

“While valuing a Guide is an Esper’s instinct, elevating a Guide of unknown origin to the position of a Moore family spouse seems rather premature, does it not? Your father’s Guide, for instance, was undeniably a citizen of the Empire.”

At the king’s question, Bliss raised his head.

“Ethan Prescott possesses the verifiable status of an Imperial citizen, with a clear guarantor. He participated in an Imperial battle, prevented my rampage, and for that merit, received the title ‘Flower of the Empire’ from the royal family, signifying Aitoolia’s finest Guide. Is he not, then, already a complete Imperial citizen?”

A wave of consternation washed over the faces of Devon and the other nobles. Though it was Herace’s faction, whom Devon supported, that had bestowed the title for merit, it was nonetheless a royal act.

The implication was that if Ethan were not recognized as an Imperial citizen, the royal family would appear foolish for bestowing the Empire’s highest Guide title upon an unaffiliated non-citizen, effectively turning the king’s own words into a weapon against the Crown.

Moreover, they were taken aback to see Bliss, who was usually reticent, fluently utter such a long sentence without hesitation.

Devon, too, clicked his tongue, a hint of surprise in his eyes, at this new side of Bliss—one who could articulate his intentions precisely, despite using the convoluted language typical of a noble.

‘It seemed that if Bliss Moore could not be his, it would be better for him to merely retain his reputation as the Empire’s strongest Esper, occasionally suffering his rampages and pain, without ever stepping into central politics.’

‘A warning bell rang in his mind at the political acumen Bliss displayed the moment he found a Guide.’

However, Devon could not help but observe the king’s reaction. The current King Genoa was a man who took considerable interest in the unexpected, and the changes manifesting in Bliss Moore would certainly be enough to capture his attention.

Sure enough, the king, who had until recently maintained a wary gaze following Duke Gafken Winter’s remarks, now showed a fleeting, yet distinct, interest towards Bliss Moore.

“As for Guides, there is also Second Prince Devon Green, is there not? Even if the title went to Ethan Prescott for his role in stopping Lord Bliss Moore’s rampage at the last moment, Devon Green is a powerful Guide, a royal, and the best multi-Guide capable of caring for Bliss Moore. He must have made many proposals to the Moore family’s future head over time.”

‘For someone supposedly recuperating from illness, he certainly knows an astonishing amount of information.’

Devon cursed inwardly. When his gaze briefly met Herace’s, the prince nodded, as if in agreement with Devon’s thoughts.

While pushing back or absorbing Genoa’s faction was a shared objective for Devon and Herace, the king’s influence, despite his weakened state, continued to sprout and proliferate like weeds.

Yet the king’s eyes, full of intrigue, were fixed on Bliss and Ethan. Bliss paused momentarily, glancing at Ethan, before answering in a calm, measured tone.

“I have been imprinted with Ethan Prescott.”

“…!”

‘…Ethan, how many kisses does it take to get imprinted with Bliss?’

‘I don’t know either,’ Ethan muttered blankly to himself. He hadn’t given that many kisses that could be called mucous membrane contact.

Silence stretched for a long moment before the king finally let out a hollow laugh.

“To think you’ve even imprinted. I shall attend the official matching test as well. Now, even I am curious to see what the matching rate will be at the moment Ethan Prescott is recognized as your spouse.”

“Your Majesty!”

‘Indeed, all kings have a cunning, old fox-like side to them.’

Dongja shook their head at the king’s counter-proposal to recognize the spouse if a public matching test was held, but Ethan was satisfied. Seeing the slight upturn of Bliss’s lips, it was clear he had intended to bargain with the matching test and the king’s recognition from the start.

To have gained so much without any prior warning was quite a commendable achievement.

“Then, all that remains is to set the date for the matching test. To proceed with the ceremonial rites and receive the flower crown from the Tools region, we must consider…”

****

Two weeks later, as the matching test schedule was set and Ethan was leaving the audience chamber, still dazed, he narrowed his eyes, feeling that Bliss’s face, walking beside him, looked unusually pleased.

“…Bliss.”

“Yes.”

“This ring…”

“It looks simple, but it’s quite a fine ring. The gem is a blue Grandidierite, similar to the color of your and my eyes, worth about 24 million Gheed per carat. The design was personally commissioned from the Bicolor family, the Empire’s finest jewelry house, resulting in a smooth finish. I dislike anything ostentatious, so I kept it to about 3 carats for now. Do you like it?”

Ethan’s eyes widened.

“No, this small blue gem… it costs 72 million Gheed?!”

Bliss’s lips curved upwards subtly.

“It’s merely an engagement ring. I expect your engagement gifts will have arrived by the time we return. There might even be some real jewels that a certain raven chick would adore.”

“En-engagement gifts…!”

“Aren’t you eager to see them?”

Caw, caw, caaaaw!

Oweol, the raven, barked excitedly like a dog. Ethan’s eyes glazed over. Bliss took his hand, the one with the ring, and then, as if an afterthought, yet delivering his most crucial objective, he casually murmured,

“And shouldn’t we also try to ensure the imprinting is complete within these two weeks?”

“Ah… yes, I suppose we should.”

Dongja flopped onto their back above Ethan’s head, letting out a lament.

‘Hey, Ethan! You shouldn’t be blaming Chilbok! You can’t even sell that! You big idiot!’