A Famous Traitor and Treacherous Genius

17 – Gibraltar’s Invitation (1)

My father and mother are handsome men and women.

There may be differences in taste, but even now, if you look at the list of handsome men and women in the kingdom, they are among the top three.

In its heyday, it was of course number one.

The cold-blooded handsome margrave.

A beauty like a pure sunflower.

There were the most beautiful women of their time, such as Crown Prince Saint Gio and Princess Carmen, but there were always two people in front of them.

That was already 10 years before I was born.

Although this is an unofficial ranking in the social world, my mother has currently fallen from first place to third place.

Becoming a man’s woman?

No.

Just as the incompetent king is aiming for, his mother is still beautiful.

Is your body broken after giving birth?

No.

My father did his best to help my mother with her pregnancy and childcare.

Father’s devotion became the object of envy and jealousy of many women in the kingdom.

Everyone knows the answer.

Age.

People grow old, and beautiful flowers also gradually wither.

New flowers continue to flow into the social world, and among them, there are those who appeal to themselves by saying that they are just as pretty as their mother was 10 years ago.

‘A beauty competition with beauties from a generation ago. As a woman, your pride will be greatly damaged.’

To put it the other way around, the fact that she doesn’t fall behind in beauty competition with girls about 15 years younger than her means that her mother is also an amazing person.

However, my mother is a person who rarely trains her body.

Although she is still beautiful thanks to the blessings of her natural body, she cannot go against the flow of time.

Sword Master is an exception.

My father is past his mid-30s, but thanks to Mana’s blessing, he still maintains the appearance he had in his 20s.

The talent of a sword master.

Despite not being a sword master, he has maintained his good looks to this day.

Coincidentally, there are still plenty of people targeting these two.

Although there may be a difference in degree, if she had been single, she would still have been a prime candidate in the marriage market.

Especially my father.

If I were to express myself in a somewhat harsh way.

My mother is a flower that has already given birth to three children and is growing older.

Because his father is a sword master, he is still considered the No. 1 Nobleman that young ladies in their early 20s want to marry, even if he is a bit older in his late teens.

They are not the only ones who fell in love for the first time at the age of 7 when they met their father at a party where they were holding his hand.

The royal capital is full of such people.

Not only the royal capital, but also every excuse is made to come to Gibraltar if given the chance.

In the name of an invitation.

And what the mother mainly does in the family in this regard is –

“If you keep burning the invitations, it is a waste of resources. Instead, soak them in water, grind them, and recycle them.”

“That would be good. Considering how much parchment I use up every time I write a reply.”

Every time, he replies with ‘refusal’ to the invitations of numerous nobles who come to the Gibraltar mansion, and discards the invitations.

“When something like this arrives, your father throws it away without even opening it.”

My mother picked up a letter envelope.

It was quite thick, so it was clear that there was something inside.

“On the day I was first invited by the Count, an invitation personally written by the Princess…Queen Carmen arrived at the mansion. Do you know what the Count said then?”

“Burn it.”

“No. He didn’t say anything. Without even opening the letter, he just grabbed the envelope and threw it into the stove.”

“It must have been because it was in front of my mother. Normally, she would have just put it in a drawer.”

“That may have existed, but….”

Mother placed her hand on her forehead.

“The human nature itself does not care at all about this kind of friendship, so I had to reply like this.”

“You have plenty to do as the hostess of Gibraltar.”

Despite my father’s nice words, he rarely engages in social activities.

“Thanks to my mother, my father has the courtesy of a nobleman at weddings, funerals, and other family events.”

It’s all up to the mother.

Sending a wreath as congratulations on a wedding.

Sending a representative of the family – one of the vassal knights from the nobility – to the funeral to pray for the soul of the deceased.

Sending a gift to an elderly nobleman’s 60th birthday celebration.

“Do you know what the proverb of Gibraltar is?”

“If it can’t be done, make it happen.”

“Yes. It was the sword master’s story, but that’s how I went from the count’s wife to the mistress of Gibraltar.”

My mother opened the envelope, the bulge in the middle, and poured it upside down on her table.

Tuk.

“It’s a brooch. Looking at the state of the workmanship, it appears to have been made in the royal capital.”

“Do you know that he is the author of Harmania?”

“…No?”

I know.

Why don’t I know?

“Viscount Harmania has a daughter. She is now 16 years old. She is praised as a girl like a newly blooming daffodil.”

A woman who will be widely known as the most beautiful woman in the kingdom 10 years from now –

“Charlotte Harmania.”

“That sounds similar to her mother’s name.”

“It’s a shame, but at that time, many children were born with names similar to mine and the Count.”

Charlotte.

Charlotte.

Although there is only one letter difference, does the goddess of beauty bestow her blessings on girls born with this name?

“Have you ever heard of it?”

“I think I briefly heard about it when I went to the royal capital.”

“Okay. Then that child….”

My mother furrowed her eyebrows and played with her jeweled brooch.

“Now you should know that they are targeting your father.”

“Are you aiming to become her concubine?”

“That’s right.”

“What would a 16-year-old lady regret? She met a man who was twice her age.”

“Rather than becoming the second wife of a pot-bellied bald old man in his 50s, wouldn’t it be better to be the concubine of a sword master who looks like her brother on the outside?”

“…….”

Instead of answering, I answered by drinking tea.

“There are many women targeting your father. Unlike me, who has had three children and has flaws, the Count is still full of energy.”

“If you say that you yourself are at fault, what happens to me, your son?”

“You know my flaws better than anyone else.”

“…….”

“She is a corrupt, dirty woman who betrayed the Count once. All that is left for me is to do my best as your mother. Even if one day…”

Her mother crumpled her letter in her hands.

“Even if I get abandoned by the Count.”

“There’s nothing you can’t say to your 10-year-old son.”

“Are you just 10 years old? There have been many geniuses in the kingdom for generations who have shown talent from a young age to be as talented as or even better than adults.”

My father is a sword genius.

Queen Carmen, a huge figure in the social world.

“It was rare to find a child with such extraordinary intelligence as you.”

“It must have been. Because he realized that he shouldn’t be seen publicly, he probably only came to prominence when he became an adult.”

“And you?”

“There isn’t much time given to me to do that.”

10 Years.

The day I became an adult and inherited the earldom, the Margrave of Gibraltar decided to commit treason.

Even if the Count himself commits an act of recklessness and I, his son, end up stabbing him in the heart as a traitor.

“In that sense, I hope you approve this.”

“…….”

“I believe that my mother will take care of all young women who try to seduce my father.”

“You’re telling me to grab hold of those little guys.”

“You must maintain your position as a countess. For your father and for your children.”

“…Okay. How could I not listen to you?”

My mother placed her hand on the plan I gave her for a moment, then lowered her head.

“…But, keep in mind. Your father is not the only one they are targeting.”

Mother said, her eyes sparkling.

“There will be people targeting you. You…”

“Is it because he is a politically abandoned successor?”

“…….”

“It’s okay. That kind of insult is welcome. Instead.”

Among the numerous letters lined up in front of her mother, I picked up a few envelopes that caught her eye.

“I hope you will definitely invite them.”

“They….”

“Do you know who these people are?”

“…I send letters to them over and over again, but they reject me because I personally send them a reply.”

“Mother.”

“…I’m telling you not to take it back.”

Mother already knows.

As a countess for over 10 years, she had political interactions with many people, and she had a vague idea of the true nature of the malice toward the margrave.

“I’ll do a test. Tell me once. If it matches my guess, these are also-“

“Collaborators of the Empire.”

“…….”

“Imperialists who have a connection with the empire, or are formed from the assets of the empire, and have someone in their family who is married to the empire.”

My mother fell face down on her desk.

“Let’s throw a victory party for clearing out 3,000 orcs. All kinds of flies will be infested.”

* * *

Study.

“What kind of party is this with just killing 3,000 orcs?

My father scoffed at the idea of my plan to meet my teacher.

“You have slaughtered 3,000 orcs.”

“It would be better to have a party because your younger brother got 100 points on the test.”

“Are you saying that is an even greater achievement?”

“No then?”

“I admit it.”

“Ha.”

Her father fiddled with the ‘Victory Celebration Plan’ that had her mother’s stamp on it.

“Pumpkins that don’t look like stars will come here again, covered in all kinds of powder.”

First of all, let me just nail down one thing: my father is single-minded about my mother.

“He fell in love with me at first sight, so I can’t blow away that chattering mouth.”

That’s why I don’t give in to any temptation, but my partner doesn’t think that way.

“Understand. To them, their father may be the mother they think of.”

“That’s why we’ve rarely held celebrations in Gibraltar until now. To avoid even having to meet them face to face.”

“I wouldn’t know if he was the guardian of the royal family.”

“Yes. Since I decided to commit it, I have to do it clearly.”

My father grabbed the envelope of the letter I brought myself.

“Are you saying these are the people we need to contact in the future?”

“Yes.”

“…Let’s ask this seriously.”

His father corrects his posture by crossing his legs.

“How did you know that they had something to do with the empire?”

“Are you interrogating me?”

“Apart from the fact that my son has the talent of a genius strategist recognized by Carmen, if I were to know these things-“

“You may have received a hint from Queen Carmen. That’s what you think.”

When I openly interrupted my father, he openly expressed his displeasure.

“Are you worried that you are in debt to Queen Carmen and that her queen will use that as an excuse to spend time with her father?”

“And she’s worried that Charlotte will get on her nerves. If she throws a party, all the bratty little things will rush in to get her ire.”

“Don’t worry. This information was not obtained through the queen’s or Morgania’s intelligence organization.”

I decided to join hands with Morgania, but I did not use them.

“When I think of a sword master, I think of my father. When I think of espionage, I think of Morgania. It’s natural that they come to mind, but now I’m here because I’m just as clever as them.”

“If anyone hears this, they will think you are Carmen’s son.”

“Are you doing favors for the queen? Ugh.”

Per-eok.

“Hoo. Did you react before I hit you? Just go to the training ground with me starting tomorrow.”

“I don’t like it. And this is one-sided violence. Are you hitting your son?”

“You are the one who crossed the line. Watch your mouth. If you say something like that one more time, it will be you, not Noir, who will raise the sword in the training hall tomorrow. Unconditionally.”

“Yes.”

This is a man who suddenly clenches his fist at the son who tried to make a joke out of love for his mother.

Because it’s my son, it’s a fist-

“If it had been someone else, I would have put a stab in his shoulder at least once.”

“I’m glad my head didn’t get blown off. Hmm. Then, why are they here? Actually, I’m not 100% sure.”

Actually, I do.

The future information is perfect, and the nobles of the letter are the ones who committed corruption with me.

Traitorist.

But that is a result from the future.

“In my own way, I just guessed that they were related to the empire.”

“It’s not confirmation?”

“Yes. What they have in common is that they are all people who bought noble titles, and the source of their capital is quite suspicious.”

“…There’s no way Morgania wouldn’t have noticed that.”

“Father, do you know why I said you should put everything else aside and join Morgania and her hand?”

“…….”

My father relaxed his posture and stood up.

“Ha.”

He let out a slightly self-deprecating sigh and briefly bowed his head towards the portraits of past Margraves of Gibraltar hanging on the wall of the study.

“I can’t believe I ended up like Morgania.”

“You just want to use everything you want to use. Imperial products aren’t that bad.”

The parties to the letter are suspiciously closely connected to the imperial distribution network.

“Father. Among those coming to escort them, please tell me if there is someone who seems quite strong. Most likely, it is a woman.”

“Why?”

“Of course, that’s the perfect justification to plant in the Earl of Gibraltar, right? If I were an empire, I would do something to Gibraltar.”

I raised my glass towards my father.

“She will send a woman who wants to be her father’s concubine. An attractive woman that any man would want to hug at least once.”

And the woman will have poison in her arms.

“Ha. Do you think I will be defeated?”

My father snorted, but I just drank the sparkling water in my glass and swallowed the words that were up in his throat.

‘I heard you were punished for giving your son away.’

Although this is not the case for the Empire.

Noir Gibraltar.

He became a sword master, but he was killed by the revolutionary army led by the princess.

Honey trap.

Cause of death: syphilis.