I immediately told Solstice Nistonia that I wanted to take her daughter Yucca as my consort.
He still did not trust me and went to the trouble of checking with me.
"Are you sure you want such a girl ......? If it is only to nail the Nistonians, you don''t have to take them. We do not care if you refuse. ......
"No, I fell in love with her with all my heart. Please, don''t worry. And I''m not going to choose a wife out of duty. My only concern is that her body is not so strong, but I can''t help it. I''d rather pray as hard as I can than have a priest pray for me.
Now I can almost understand why Solstice is worried.
He feels sorry for his daughter, who seems to be so fortunate, to be consumed in a mere political marriage where there is no love. If that is the case, he wants to give her a good home, even if it is with a less powerful man.
"Count, I really like her. I will make her happy in my own way. Please don''t think of it as a formality.
I declared clearly, with a serious face.
But the yucca who came to me was still a yucca, looking incredulous, "Are you sure you want me like this ......?" I asked him the same question as my parents.
"You don''t realize how attractive you are. It would be disrespectful to us, who chose you, if you were more modest than that.
"Ohhh ...... sorry ....... I can''t believe I''m going to be the Regent''s chambermaid. ......"
Yucca was so nervous for a while that I had to reassure her by repeatedly stroking her stiff body.
Serafina later told me the following.
"Men are interested in a type of woman they don''t know. Like a gourmand."
That''s quite a statement, but maybe I''m not so wrong.
"You know exactly what I mean. Even if there was a woman who looked like Serafina, she wouldn''t be as good as Serafina."
"I guess that means there''s nothing that can beat me for foul-mouthed."
I''ll never have this exchange with Yucca again, but that''s okay.
"Well, then, you can give your new chambermaid a good look at Maust Castle for the second time."
"But as you can imagine, I''m busy this time, so I won''t have time for that. I don''t even have time to play with my children.
Yes, the connection with the Nistonian family has been strengthened, and we are finally going to proceed with the northern operation in detail.
If this succeeds, half of the country will be mine.
After that, if I can destroy the powerful lords of the former king''s strongholds in the west, I will be in control.
I will be the one to rule.
I gathered an army at the castle of Maust, and in early summer I finally sent it north.
The old general Sivik is in charge of the castle of Maust. He is a talkative man and not a senile old man at all, but his legs and back are indeed worn out. His beard and hair are white, and he even looks like a deity worshipped in a temple.
"I''m planning to give Shivik a big burial when he dies, but he doesn''t die very often."
"Master Arsrud, you''re being rude."
Raviara blamed me.
"But if you live too long, your grandchildren will already be of the generation in which they will play an active role, and your child, Kosivik, may have a hard time.
"What you''re saying is similar, isn''t it?"
Sivik, who has helped me for so long in my meritorious deeds, is getting too old to be on the front lines of battle any longer. He was in charge of the front when I first entered King''s Landing, and that was probably his last big job. Since he seems to be still willing to do more, I''ve entrusted him with this job.
"How about that, Little Sivik?"
I asked the little civik on the march. He''s older than me. He must be close to forty.
"I''ll have to make my father comfortable with my military achievements soon, won''t I?
Compared to Sivik, Kosivik is a man of common sense and does not have the air of a warrior. However, he has served me for a long time, just like his father. Considering the length of time he has served me, the Sivik family must be second only to Laviala.
"Don''t worry. Don''t worry... your military exploits will not make Sivik want to retire. He won''t be satisfied until he''s been on the battlefield all his life.
"I''m sure you''re right, but then I''m sure you''ll end up on the battlefield with your bones.
"But you have already lived more than seventy years. But he has already lived for more than seventy years. I''m sure he won''t resent me for it.
"Your Majesty, from the family point of view, this is a joke--"
Kosivik''s words stopped there. I think it was because he wanted my expression to look like I was joking.
"Little Sivik, I think my father''s legs and feet are weak, but I didn''t say his ability to lead has diminished.
We need to make sure that Kosivik understands this clearly.
"Would you leave the absentee role to a boring person? Do you think that being an absentee is just an honorary position?"
"No, that is never the case. ....... And, moreover, this time the absentee role could be, at worst, a battle. ......"
"That''s what I mean. If you''re not physically active, you''re doing a heavy job that doesn''t require it. You should work hard at what you do."
Kosivik said with shame, "Ha!" He exclaimed.
This man is young for his age, though not as strong as Sivik. He may be able to grow again. Depending on his future accomplishments, the entire Sivik family could play a role in protecting House Nayvul.
And how old is your son?
My son will be 13.
"He''s old enough to go into battle."
"I''m a bit of a coward. ......"
Laviala, who was standing beside me, said to me as if to advise me, "It''s safer to be a little timid.
I''m definitely on the front lines too much. .......
The region commonly referred to as the northern part of the country is made up of a vertical line of prefectures, with one set in the east and one in the west. It is said that originally, different ethnic groups migrated from other continents, and the distribution of prefectures is not as complicated as in the central region.
The first of these provinces is Machar, which is said to be the entrance to the northern part of the country.