Asna and Norris
Asna went to retrieve the wooden swords from the main castle. She wanted to evaluate the son of the frontier count as a potential match for the princess and as a fellow swordsman. She hadn’t expected the opportunity to come so soon and found herself smiling naturally. With a serious expression, she selected two necessary wooden swords.
One was of normal length.
The other was slightly shorter, akin to a wakizashi.
After she tucked both swords into her belt, she sensed someone behind her and turned around. There stood an elderly dark elf quietly… it was Norris. Asna already knew who Norris was and naturally harbored no good feelings toward him. She showed a slightly stern face, but whether he noticed or not, Norris smiled at her.
“Asna-Lanmark, I am…”
“I know who you are. You must be Lord Norris. What business do you have?”
Asna interrupted him, an impolite act, but she didn’t want to talk to Norris and wanted to end the conversation quickly. However, Norris continued without flinching.
“I am honored you know of me… How do you view the princess’s marriage?”
“…I am merely the princess’s personal guard. I am not in a position to answer such questions.”
Asna felt a wave of unpleasantness from Norris’s question. She immediately understood his intention. He was here to recruit her to the opposition. Despite the recent events with Prince Raycis, Norris seemed quite bold.
As she tried to leave and pass by him, Norris spoke.
“I am quite close with your brother. I’ve heard much about you.”
“!!”
Asna spun around at the unexpected words, glaring sharply at Norris, who wore a confident smile.
“I can mend your relationship with your brother. Additionally, I can arrange for you to be released from your duties as the princess’s personal guard. You can return to the Lanmark family without any repercussions. This way, you won’t have to accompany the princess to the empire. Doesn’t that sound beneficial for you?”
“…What do you want from me?”
Asna continued to glare at Norris, who answered leisurely.
“I want the princess to marry a member of the imperial family for the future of Renalute. Marrying her to the son of a frontier count would be a waste, don’t you think?”
While explaining, Norris slowly walked around to Asna’s back. He placed a hand on her right shoulder and whispered in her ear.
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“For the sake of our country’s future, we must gain stronger power by aligning with the empire’s royalty. If the princess has a child with the imperial family, her power will grow significantly. With our dark elf longevity, even small power will increase over time. Eventually, our country will hold sway over the empire.”
“I see. So, what do you want me to do?”
Asna slightly relaxed her stern face and asked Norris. Sensing he had hooked her, Norris smiled and exaggeratedly spread his hands as he spoke.
“I want you to hurt the son of the frontier count and traumatize him. Make him secretly promise to withdraw from the marriage with the princess. After that, leave everything to me. If you do this, I will ensure all the things I mentioned earlier come to pass. Can I count on your cooperation?”
Asna looked thoughtful for a moment before murmuring.
“…One thing I’d like to know. Did you influence Prince Raycis’s actions?”
Norris was taken aback by her unexpected question but soon smirked.
“…Yes, I may have influenced him, but ultimately, everything was decided by the prince himself.”
Asna nodded slightly, seemingly satisfied with his answer. Seeing this, Norris assumed she had agreed and smiled.
“Thank you. Then, from now on…”
“Don’t misunderstand.”
“What…?”
Asna cut him off, glaring sharply at his startled expression.
“I asked you two things: ‘what you wanted from me,’ and your ‘influence over Prince Raycis.’ Not once did I say I would cooperate.”
“W-what!?”
Norris, enraged by her unexpected response, lashed out at Asna.
“Don’t be ridiculous… Here I am, offering you an olive branch, and this is how you respond? Are you content to throw away your life by serving the princess forever, unable to return to the Lanmark family or this country!?”
As Norris raged, Asna’s demeanor changed. She drew the shorter wooden sword from her belt and pointed its tip at Norris’s throat in one fluid motion, leaving him bewildered and unable to react.
“Silence… My lord is the princess of Renalute. Retract your words immediately. Consider your words an insult to both the princess and myself. As her personal guard, I am under her protection. Think about the implications with that power-hungry brain of yours…!!”
Norris, realizing the gravity of her words, was taken aback. As a personal guard of royalty, she not only protected but was also under royal protection. In this light, she held a stronger position than Norris. Understanding this, Norris spoke with a grim face.
“I-I apologize. I retract my previous statements.”
Despite his apology, Asna’s glare remained sharp, and she spoke in a commanding voice with the wooden sword still at his throat.
“You’ve misunderstood from the start. I have no attachment to the Lanmark family. I’ve no need for my brother. I take pride in being the princess’s personal guard. If you understand, never speak to me again!!”
“Ugh… Understood.”
Hearing his response, Asna sheathed her wooden sword. Norris, his legs giving out, collapsed on the spot. Asna looked down at him with contemptuous eyes.
“I’ll pretend this conversation never happened… In any case, your punishment will come eventually. Struggle all you want.”
With that, she left. Norris, recalling being bested by a mere girl, trembled with rage. Yet, he still smirked. Regardless, she would end up fighting him. This would surely traumatize the frontier count’s son.
He watched her depart, a malicious grin on his face.
Despite feeling disturbed by the encounter, Asna considered it fruitful to have directly learned useful information from Norris. However, she regretted that it was only the two of them present. If there had been a third party, she could have condemned Norris on the spot. With only the two of them, it would turn into a he-said, she-said situation.
Moreover, Norris’s reckless insult towards the princess and herself allowed her to respond firmly. Usually, she wouldn’t invoke the princess’s authority so overtly. Recalling the exchange, Asna sighed.
“Haa… That was tiring.”
Despite that, her steps were light. After all, she was about to directly evaluate the abilities of Reed-Baldia, the son of the frontier count.
“Lord Reed… It’s been a while since I’ve been this excited.”
Her eyes shone with anticipation.
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