Episode 34: The King of Icy Blood

“It is my honor to be granted an audience with Your Majesty after so long.”

I remain on one knee, responding with a sly, villainous smile.

“Hm? You seem a bit different from the last time we met, don’t you?”

King Luverios, seated deeply in the throne’s backrest, raises a slightly puzzled expression.

The last time I met the king was right after I inherited the headship of the Kreving family. In other words, before I recalled my past life’s memories. It’s only natural my impression has changed.

I let the comment slide with a soft smile.

“Even I, as the head of the Kreving family, have grown a little, perhaps? I’d be delighted if that’s the case.”

“Indeed, you’re still young. It’s the time for rapid growth.”

After saying this, Luverios shrugs.

“I’m often called a young king myself, but next year I’ll finally turn thirty. Thirty years old, can you believe it? Sigh… It’s depressing.”

Luverios gives a playful, wry smile. It’s a demeanor that feels out of place for the man rumored to have killed his brother and father, whispered to be the ‘King of Icy Blood’ with a heart as cold as frost. But my eyes aren’t fooled.

The smile on the king’s face is a false mask. Through the cracks of that smiling facade, his eyes glint with a cold, calculating light, appraising me relentlessly.

At this moment, Chancellor Joachim speaks up.

“Your Majesty, we have other matters scheduled. Perhaps it’s time to move to the main topic?”

“Ah, yes, you’re right…”

The smile vanishes from Luverios’s face.

“Count Kreving. No… shall I call you Siegfried? It seems you’ve been making quite a spectacle in your territory lately.”

“A spectacle, you say…?”

“Feigning ignorance before the king is hardly wise, Count.”

Chancellor Joachim’s voice is quiet… yet sharp as a blade.

“We’ve heard of your various policies—dismissing governors and knight commanders, elevating those of low birth in their place. We’ve also heard you’ve taken beastmen as close aides and opened establishments that offer equal treatment regardless of status.”

“Ah, those matters.”

I maintain my smile, unshaken.

“All of these are merely policies to govern my territory justly. To call them ‘spectacular’ feels a bit unfair, don’t you think?”

Chancellor Joachim studies me closely, as if probing for any sign of weakness.

Perhaps because I showed no signs of faltering, Joachim nods slightly and murmurs, “I see.”

At this point, King Luverios, who had been observing from above, speaks again.

“What Siegfried says does make sense. However…”

Luverios leans forward slightly.

“Your actions are far too radical. The hierarchy of status is the foundation of governing this kingdom. A territory managed in a way that disregards this risks shaking the very bedrock of our nation.”

He’s absolutely right.

A ruling structure built on exploiting the common folk, with those at the top reaping the benefits. As the one at the pinnacle, he cannot overlook anything that threatens to destabilize that order.

“In fact, your radical governance has led some to wonder, ‘Is Count Kreving plotting to raise a rebellion against the kingdom?’”

“Oh? It’s true my policies may have a radical edge. But to interpret them as signs of rebellion… isn’t that a bit hasty?”

“Of course, I don’t believe such things, Siegfried. I’m merely saying such opinions exist. And as king, I cannot ignore them once they’ve reached my ears.”

—No, that’s not it.

I murmur to myself inwardly.

—The one who suspects me of rebellion… is none other than you, Luverios.

The idea that my radical governance equates to rebellion is a leap in logic. But Luverios, with his keen instincts, has likely sensed it—the ambition burning in my heart to destroy this kingdom and seize the throne for myself.

“Heh…”

Damn it, I can’t hold back my laughter.

How delightful. That sharp instinct, able to discern the ambitions of a vassal. That’s exactly what makes him a worthy adversary, a villain I’ll take my time to topple.

“…What’s so amusing, Count Kreving?”

Noticing my chuckle, Chancellor Joachim questions me with suspicion.

“My apologies. The idea that I, who have sworn loyalty to the kingdom, would be suspected as a traitor—it’s so absurd that a laugh slipped out.”

Luverios’s brow twitches slightly. But without breaking his composure further, the king declares:

“Regardless, we cannot let this matter go unchecked. So, I have a proposal—how about sending a hostage to the royal court?”

As if this were the true purpose, Luverios continues.

“It’s a long-standing custom for nobles under suspicion of rebellion to offer hostages to the royal family. Typically, this would be a child or sibling. But I hear you have no close kin. Therefore… you may offer either the steward of the Kreving household or your knight commander as a hostage.”

The steward, meaning the head of the household staff. In the Kreving family, that would be Evan, the butler.

And the knight commander, of course, refers to Beatrice.

And… if I make even the slightest suspicious move, Luverios will likely kill the hostage without hesitation.

No, even if I make no suspicious moves, he might fabricate an excuse to execute them,削 weakening my forces.

That’s the kind of man Luverios, the ‘King of Icy Blood,’ is.

“What’s the matter, Count Kreving? A single hostage for the sake of trust seems a small price to pay.”

There’s a testing edge to Chancellor Joachim’s voice.

A small price? Evan or Beatrice’s life, a ‘small price’?

My goal is to walk the path of ultimate villainy. My immediate objective is to become king of this nation. Compared to that, the lives of my subordinates are a small price—… as if I could ever think that.

Without breaking eye contact with Luverios, I rise to my feet. Then, I take a step forward.

“…Don’t move.”

A sharp voice cuts through the air, rattling my eardrums. The source—Knight Commander Hofmeister, Zefard.

“This is the king’s presence. Make any reckless moves… and I’ll sever your head without mercy.”

Emanating an aura befitting the title of ‘Kingdom’s Strongest,’ Zefard places a hand on the sword at his waist, partially drawing it from its sheath. This is no mere threat. If necessary, this man will swing his blade without hesitation.

Facing the knight commander’s killing intent head-on, I offer a quiet smile.