Welcome to Hell! - Chapter 251: Talk in the Castle Wing

While Antares was meeting with King Carl, Lieselotte who had just cleaned herself, was partaking in a tea party with Adelheid. The two savored the aromatic herbal tea and sweet pastries. For Lieselotte, who had limited opportunities to indulge in sweets during her travels, the delicacies offered by Adelheid were exceptionally delicious.

“Ah… this is delicious, Lady Adelheid.”

“Of course, it is. You’ve been on a long journey. Could you share some stories from your travels?”

“Yes, of course.”

Lieselotte and Adelheid became engrossed in tales of her travels. Lieselotte never ran out of topics, from the hardships faced on the road to the sights and sounds she encountered to foreign architecture and culinary cultures. Adelheid seemed genuinely interested in every topic and she was nodding and responding with enthusiasm.

However, Lieselotte deliberately avoided discussing her encounters with Antares and their activities. Even with Adelheid, whom she was close to, she held a firm resolve not to speak unless asked directly.

Her attitude of not speaking openly, even to the woman who would soon become her queen, symbolized her sense of duty and loyalty. Yet even Leo felt anxious, wondering if it might be better to speak openly. The only one unconcerned with everything happening was Lappy, who remained expressionless even now. She was focusing solely on acting like a servant.

“Ufufu, it sounds like quite the adventure. I’m a bit envious.”

“Do you want to go on an adventure as well?”

“Just a little. But more importantly… let’s get to the main topic. First, let me share what I’ve heard about His Majesty’s thoughts.”

As Adelheid’s expression turned serious, Lieselotte too straightened her back. The room, which until moments before was filled with a gentle ambiance, transformed instantly into a space charged with great tension.

Even Lappy couldn’t help but feel the strain as Adelheid disclosed King Carl’s desire to recruit Antares and his companions and his willingness to make significant concessions to achieve this. Even the minimum conditions were unprecedented in the kingdom, which made Liselotte understand how serious King Carl was.

“…. That’s why I would like you to persuade the demons to serve our country. Given the terms, it might not even be necessary, but still.”

“Persuade them? However, I believe that would be difficult.”

“Why is that?”

“Because Sir Antares and his companions have a clear purpose. Chris, please explain.”

“Ye-yes, young lady.”

Chris panicked at first, as she didn’t expect the conversation to be directed at her. However, she went on to relay the details of what she had learned from Antares in as much detail as possible. This wasn’t out of being overwhelmed by Adelheid’s authority; rather, Chris somehow felt it was the right thing to do.

Even though the conversation was revolving around Antares, Chris was speaking far too much. Lieselotte and Hilda, though they didn’t let it show on their faces, couldn’t help but feel disturbed. It seemed more fitting for Lappy and Leo to be the ones discussing this.

“To the southern part of the continent? That’s a very wild objective… But yes, the demons surpass humans in many ways and it’s not just the individual Antares. That’s correct, isn’t it, Liese?”

“Yes, you’re absolutely right.”

“Then, it’s not a reckless endeavor but a realistic goal. I’m sure our lord would be inclined to offer support.”

“Support? Would he go that far…?”

“Yes, definitely.”

Adelheid had pinpointed exactly what King Carl was proposing to Antares at that very moment. This demonstrated her ability to read the king’s mind and confirmed her ability to support the king as his queen.

However, Lieselotte couldn’t understand why King Carl would go to such lengths to establish a connection with Antares. Certainly, the strength of Antares and his companions was formidable. Establishing a friendly relationship would be equivalent to having the strength of a “hundred-men army”, and they wouldn’t be hostile toward him.

However, Lieselotte couldn’t fathom why King Carl would risk causing division within the kingdom for this purpose. Having already ascended to the throne by quelling a civil war, it seemed unlikely to her that he would sow the seeds of internal strife himself.

“Seems strange to you, Liese?”

“Yes. It’s uncharacteristic of His Majesty, I would say…”

“Oh, what do you mean? No matter how much we arm ourselves with theories, the real reason is often much simpler.”

“And that is…?”

“His Majesty is a fan of Antares and the others.”

“””…..Aaah”””

When they heard the real reason, as Adelheid explained with a smile, Lieselotte, Hilda and Chris all sighed in understanding. It was something King Carl might just do.

His penchant for mischief had been his most notable bad habit since he was a prince. But equally troublesome was his tendency to indulge in his hobbies. Unfortunately, from an early age, King Carl had been eloquent and adept at using reasoned arguments to get what he wanted.

“His Majesty has shown a keen interest in the existence of the demon race. And among them, he was obsessed with the strongest unit in the imperial troops. A knight who had witnessed such interest happened to be present when the demons arrived at the city walls. And also just as His Majesty was in the city walls for inspection. Being a romantic, His Majesty would surely see it as fate and seize this excellent opportunity.”

At this moment, Chris was taken aback by the fact that King Carl was actually atop the city walls, and she was feeling a similar sense of astonishment to Antares’. It all seemed too coincidental.

King Carl enjoyed conducting inspections personally, so his presence on the city walls wasn’t out of the ordinary. However, it was yet another coincidence that Antares had caught his eye. Could this really be just chance? She suddenly became anxious.

“Lady Adelheid, His Majesty has arrived.”

“Ah, Count Stahlern, Thank you for coming here as soon as you returned.”

As Chris was pondering the series of coincidences, King Carl arrived at Adelheid’s wing. Normally, frequent visits should be avoided, but King Carl was so efficient that he was able to complete his governmental duties in a short time. He made time whenever possible to visit his fiancée.

Nevertheless, he seemed to feel that he had wronged Lieselotte in some way because the first thing King Carl did was to thank her. It wasn’t an apology, as it would be unbecoming of a king to bow too readily. Understanding this, Lieselotte stood up and responded with a silent bow.

“It’s really not good, Your Majesty, not even allowing Lieselotte to prepare herself. It’s as if she’s being treated like a criminal.”

“Addy is very harsh. But this time, it was a race against time.”

“Your Majesty, please look at this. These are letters entrusted to me by my great aunt and the finance minister of the Galar Kingdom.”

While King Carl was being scolded by Adelheid, he received two letters from Lieselotte, who had been holding onto them. Without his guards, King Carl took the letters and opened them with a paper knife Adelheid had given him. After reading both, he let out a wry smile and showed the contents to Adelheid as well.

The letters were disguised as greeting cards but contained criticism of Lieselotte’s uncle. Lieselotte, being the head of the family and a woman, had been suggested by this scoundrel to travel with minimal guards. The letters used a variety of euphemistic language and expressed a desire for punitive action against this person for such an improper suggestion.

“It seems they are quite upset. It’s good to be loved.”

“Well, I was only informed after Count Stahlern had left, so there was nothing I could do. But… your uncle does pose a bit of a problem.”

King Carl was smiling brightly but his eyes were not smiling at all. Apparently, something happened while she was gone. Lieselotte couldn’t help but feel a chill run through her.

“Your uncle, it seems, was plotting to have you assassinated. He hired some ruffians to attack you… though, from what I gather, they were of such poor quality that they were easily dealt with by those two.”

Upon hearing about the assassination attempt, Lieselotte was not shocked in the slightest. She had been aware for some time that her uncle had been seeking to end her life. What surprised her more was her own lack of reaction to being targeted by her closest kin.

Hilda and Chris were similarly unfazed. If there was anything surprising, it might have been their inability to discern which of the attacks were carried out by assassins. The only time they were in real danger was during an attack by a band of thieves, which was thwarted by Antares and Leo’s timely intervention. This only went to show how sloppy it was planned.

“The motive seems to be related to the inheritance of the earldom and the fear that his embezzlement of the estate’s finances would be discovered. While the inheritance is one thing, it appears that he has been embezzling funds for some time. He’s already been arrested, so perhaps you could visit him on your way back?”

“If the head of a noble family, especially that of an earldom, is found guilty of attempted assassination, the death penalty is inevitable. However, some people may argue that the root cause is a lack of control over the household.”

“I…. cannot deny that.”

Lieselotte accepted the criticism with a sense of shame. Having lost her parents at a young age, she had no choice but to rely on her uncle, who was knowledgeable in many aspects of estate management. It was true that she was therefore unable to speak strongly to her uncle because of this.

Although she did not show it on her face, King Carl and Adelheid could easily guess Lieselotte’s feelings. It was for this reason that King Carl suggested she could offset the situation by earning some merit for herself.

“Merit, you say? Are you suggesting I go to the battlefield?”

“No, no, I wouldn’t suggest that. By merit, I mean something to do with Antares and his companions. I tried to recruit him, but he’s been reluctant to move on just on my word. Could you try to persuade him?”

“…. If it is your command.”

Lieselotte could do nothing but nod in agreement to King Carl’s request, which was more an order than a suggestion. Yet the thought of having to persuade Antares weighed heavily on her mind.