Helmut: The Forsaken Child - H.F.C Chapter 371 (Part 2):

Sian, who was also seeing Asuka’s outfit for the first time today, let out an exclamation.

“Wow, you really do look like a different person. Clothes do make the man, I guess—you’re looking pretty impressive.”

Asuka wore a strange expression. It was the first time Sian had complimented his appearance.

“They’re making me wear this so I can ‘get used to it.’ But are they out of their minds? Why on earth does a swordsman need to get used to this frilly nonsense?”

Helmut asked, “Weren’t you supposed to join the Imperial Knights?”

“Forget the Imperial Knights. I’m being forced to undergo etiquette training as a member of the Imperial family. They say I need to cultivate manners and refinement. You know what I did today? I started learning ballroom dancing. It’s driving me crazy, man.”

Asuka scratched his head furiously, messing up his neatly trimmed short hair.

Sian teased him. “You mean that waltzing thing at balls? Have you danced with any noblewomen yet?”

“Some stern old lady… an elderly woman. But since it’s physical, I’ll get used to it soon enough. Still, I can’t help but feel skeptical about why I have to do this.”

Asuka was quick to learn, as always. Though Helmut and Alea didn’t show it, they were quite surprised by his transformation. Sian, having witnessed the process bit by bit, wasn’t as shocked, but for Helmut and Alea, who hadn’t seen him recently, the change was striking.

[It’s like watching a sparrow transform into Igrelle.] Elaga offered an apt comparison.

Helmut followed up. “You’re surprisingly obedient about this.”

Asuka muttered bluntly, “4.92 million marks.”

It was clear he was following orders because of the debt he owed. In truth, ever since deciding to stay here for a while, he had been complying with whatever Grand Duke Farnese instructed, even suppressing his usual temperament.

“My father says I need to prepare for something, but I don’t know what. Is there some event coming up? If we’re going to war with the Temple, they should have told me to train in swordsmanship. It’s frustrating not knowing anything.”

At that moment, Sian thought he might know what Asuka was preparing for.

‘Could it be…?’

But Grand Duke Farnese was a man of great initiative and meticulous planning. Now that Asuka had declared, “Life here isn’t bad. Let’s extend the grace period,” it was clear the Grand Duke would seize this opportunity to solidify things.

“Do you have any idea what it might be? Did your father give you a hint?”

Noticing the shift in Sian’s expression, Asuka narrowed his eyes. Sian shook his head.

“No, I haven’t seen your father recently. Hasn’t he been absent from the mansion lately?”

“True. Though I’m sure he knows Helmut has arrived.”

Asuka tilted his head. Grand Duke Farnese had expressed a desire to meet Helmut in person and judge him for himself. But whether that meant meeting face-to-face or observing from afar was suddenly unclear.

“Well, maybe he wants us to relax a bit first. He’s probably so busy that he doesn’t have time right now.”

After chasing away the High Priest and dealing with the issue of temple closures, the Emperor, Crown Prince, and Grand Duke were all preoccupied. For now, Helmut and the others would stay as guests in the Grand Duke’s mansion until they could meet him.

Since they hadn’t met Grand Duke Farnese yet, Alea couldn’t request access to the Imperial Palace library—a matter too delicate to ask through intermediaries. Instead, she had to endure Sian smugly boasting about his upcoming visit to the palace library.

And, as it turned out, Sian’s prediction was eerily accurate.

—

“Marriage talks? For Charlotte?”

Michael raised an eyebrow, his usual smile vanishing.

Grand Duchess Margret held up a letter bearing the Emperor’s seal, her expression troubled.

“Yes, the Grand Duke received this and called me in. It seems a decision has already been made.”

“A decision… has been made?” Michael repeated.

Margret sighed.

“As you know, given what you’ve done, it’s difficult for us to refuse.”

Michael had visited the Crown Prince to request the withdrawal of the temple closures. Shortly afterward, the assassination attempt occurred.

In the Empire, it wouldn’t be surprising for Renosa to come under suspicion for involvement in the incident. In such a situation, sending this proposal amounted to requesting a marriage alliance. Strengthening ties between the Empire and Renosa through marriage was a powerful move—nothing bound families closer than blood.

Besides, the Renosa family already shared imperial blood. The imperial household and Renosa had occasionally intermarried over generations.

“It’s not a detailed marriage proposal yet,” Margret explained. “They want Charlotte, as the Lady of Renosa, to visit the Empire. Grand Duke Farnese specifically requested it.”

Clearly, the Grand Duke intended to evaluate Charlotte as a potential bride for his son.

Michael clenched his teeth, countless calculations racing through his mind.

‘Charlotte, you’re quite the schemer.’

He felt as though he’d been struck in the back of the head—it stung.

He had assumed she was quietly attending classes at Greta Academy, only to discover she had ensnared someone of such importance. He had been complacent. Charlotte wasn’t the type to toy with commoners.

She must have known all along that her senior in the swordsmanship department, Asuka, was the heir of Grand Duke Farnese!

Though Charlotte herself had only recently learned of Asuka’s identity and was equally surprised, Michael had no way of knowing that.

Grand Duchess Margret also misunderstood the situation, believing Charlotte had secretly been in a romantic relationship with the Grand Duke’s heir while at Greta Academy.

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