## Chapter 101 – 101. Plum Blossom Sword Master Reincarnated Into The Baek Family
101. Plum Blossom Sword Master Reincarnated into the Baek Family
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Young Master Eugene. I am Halios Helbrit, son of Duke Makellos Helbrit.”
He is the heir to Duke Helbrit, the kingdom’s prime minister. Unless something major happens, Halios will also become the kingdom’s prime minister, following in his father’s footsteps.
And he is Yuri’s half-brother. Yuri holds a grudge against the Helbrit ducal family itself, so he is also a target for revenge.
“I am Eugene Pruker. I have heard much of your reputation, Sir Halios. A brilliant mind, the next prime minister, and the king’s expectations are all on you… Sir Halios, you are a blessing to the Rapelli Kingdom.”
“Haha. You flatter me. I didn’t know my reputation had reached the Pruker territory. And if you speak of blessings, Young Master Eugene, you are the same. The things you’ve invented, especially the cosmetics, even the Queen is interested in them.”
“Oh. Is that so?”
That’s quite surprising. I only distributed cosmetics in the Pruker territory and the surrounding area. I didn’t expect the rumors about the cosmetics to have reached the royal palace, the heart of the kingdom. I thought the rumors would spread eventually, but it’s happening several times faster than I expected.
“Why would I lie? I heard that the cosmetics aren’t officially on sale yet. May I ask what your specific plans are?”
“Nothing is prepared yet, but I think we can officially sell them next year.”
“I see. If things get difficult, you can ask for help from our Helbrit ducal family.”
“Haha. Thank you for the offer.”
Even so, I won’t be joining hands with the Helbrit ducal family. These guys may act like gentlemen on the outside, but they’re no different from gangsters on the inside. Also, the Helbrit ducal family is Yuri’s enemy. To me, Yuri’s value is higher than the Helbrit ducal family.
Gent, I, and Halios’s group had various conversations. Most of them were empty talks about how delicious the food was, or how beautiful the lake in the Pruker territory was.
“By the way, Young Master Eugene.”
“Yes, Sir Halios. Please speak.”
“I heard that your personal maid has silver-blue hair and blue eyes. Could I possibly meet her?”
It’s about Yuri.
Is he suspecting that Yuri is a bastard of the Helbrit family? No, it doesn’t seem to be at that stage yet.
“She’s busy working. She’s not someone Sir Halios would meet. Why do you ask?”
“I was just curious because she has the same hair and eye color as me. And I heard she’s quite beautiful…”
“She’s just a maid. You’ll be disappointed if you see her.”
“Hmm. Is that so? I heard that maid is a relative of the Pruker head butler. Is that correct?”
Knowing Yuri’s background means he’s done some prior investigation. Maybe he’s at the stage of suspecting Yuri.
‘Suspecting is fine. It’s just that their gaze will be a bit annoying.’
Even if they suspect Yuri’s identity, they can’t easily make a move. This is the Pruker territory, after all. However, I don’t like the fact that Yuri, whom I plan to use as an assassin, is being watched.
“She’s a relative of Head Butler Hasent. Her village was devastated by a monster attack, I heard. She lost her parents and was living in poverty when Head Butler Hasent brought her to the mansion.”
“Oh dear. That’s unfortunate.”
“But she’s doing well these days as my personal maid.”
After that conversation, I parted ways with Halios under the pretext of greeting other nobles. Halios doesn’t have outstanding swordsmanship or magic skills, but he’s a dangerous guy in many ways.
‘That guy….’
There were over 30 people gathered. My gaze was drawn to the man at the center of the group. A blonde man in flamboyant clothes was gulping down makgeolli, which I brought from the real world.
“Puhah! So, this drink is called makgeolli? It has a unique taste, I like it!”
Aiden Rapelli.
He’s the prince of the Rapelli Kingdom. Despite being the king’s eldest son, he hasn’t been named crown prince. It’s because his behavior is not upright. Nevertheless, since he has no other siblings except his younger sister, Aiden is almost certain to be the next king.
Aiden is secretly supported by some nobles, including the Helbrit ducal family. From the nobles’ perspective, it’s easier to gain unfair advantages if an incompetent Aiden becomes king.
‘In the original story, Aiden doesn’t become king in the end, and his wise younger sister inherits the throne.’
Aileen Rapelli.
She’s Aiden’s younger sister and the princess of the Rapelli Kingdom. She’s also one of the five heroines. I looked around for her, but couldn’t find her. It seems she didn’t attend this banquet.
‘Aileen hasn’t made her move yet.’
In the original story, Princess Aileen inherits the throne with a lot of help from Kyle. And in the ending, she’s one of the heroines who marries the hero Kyle.
‘Hmm. Should I side with Aileen?’
I haven’t decided which side to take, the prince or the princess. Each has its pros and cons.
‘Aiden is easy to manipulate. The problem is that the entire kingdom could be shaken. The Helbrit ducal family, who supports him, will eventually die, so I don’t need to worry about them.’
An incompetent prince.
‘Aileen is not easy to manipulate. The advantage is that she manages the kingdom well. If she becomes king, the kingdom won’t be shaken.’
A wise princess.
If the kingdom is shaken, my business will also be shaken. On the other hand, if the kingdom is fine, my business will also be fine. But considering what I can gain through a foolish king, I can’t easily choose Aileen.
‘I haven’t started my business in earnest yet… I don’t need to take sides right now. I should watch the situation a bit more.’
Of course, I will get Aileen. To get a princess of a country.
‘Slurp. I wonder what a princess’s pussy tastes like.’
Marrying Princess Aileen might be one way. But I’m not really drawn to it. If that happens, I’ll become the queen’s consort… The Pruker Count has more practical power.
“So, this drink is called soju? Hmm. It’s subtle!”
I took my eyes off Aiden. Gent and Halios are here. There’s no need to approach Aiden to greet him and create unnecessary misunderstandings.
“Are you Eugene Pruker?”
Someone called out to me. I turned my gaze towards him. They were faces I had never seen before. I scanned their bodies. If they were nobles, there would be a family mark somewhere on their body. I found the mark, but it was a shape I had never seen before.
‘I memorized the marks of all the noble families in the Rapelli Kingdom for this day. If I don’t know it, it means they’re not nobles.’
In this case, there was a very high possibility that they were wealthy merchants.
“Yes, I am Eugene Pruker. And you are?”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you! I am Mail, who runs the Orrel Merchant Guild. I would like to have an in-depth conversation about the cosmetics you developed.”
“Young Master Eugene! I am Nojia from the Mutren Merchant Guild! I am interested in everything you have developed, including cosmetics, cigarettes, and perfumes!”
The merchants started speaking to me, competing with each other. Even the Magic Tower was involved.
I smiled. One of the purposes of my attending the banquet was to make connections with them.
“Everyone, please calm down. I am willing to talk to all of you.”
I’ll only talk to them.
***
The atmosphere rose even more when Ention and Elaine appeared in the banquet hall in the middle of the banquet. For the next three days, the lights in the banquet hall would not be turned off.
On the first day of the banquet.
It was 5 a.m. when I finally left the banquet hall.
First, I went to my retainers and greeted them. I made sure they knew my face and presence again.
And I was harassed by the mages and merchants of the Magic Tower for a long time. The rumors about modern items had spread much more than I had thought.
On the second day of the banquet.
It was similar on this day. The mages and merchants grilled me. In the case of the mages, they approached me to find out how I made the products that were known to be developed by me. Since modern items were not made using magic, it was not easy for mages to figure out the manufacturing method with their common sense.
I avoided the mages’ questions as much as possible. Manufacturing method? Honestly, I don’t know either. I’m just buying finished products from the modern world and selling them in this world. In other words, I’m hoarding.
In the case of the merchants, they were more interested in buying and selling than in the manufacturing method. That’s what business is about. I was also ambiguous with the merchants.
At midnight on the second day, a duel between nobles took place.
Two nobles fought with swords over a noble lady. In short, it was a love triangle.
Blood flowed in the banquet hall, but people were not displeased. Rather, they were enthusiastic. I was reminded once again that this world was a medieval fantasy.
On the third day of the banquet. An accident happened on this last day.
Alcohol is the root of all evil.
This is true in reality and here. Even if they are nobles, they are still people, and people get drunk when they drink alcohol. Of course, they usually control their drinking. In the case of nobles, they have to be more careful. But people are bound to make mistakes.
In short, one of my retainers had an accident while drunk.
He was a young noble who had recently inherited the title of Baron. He drank about two bottles of wine and three bottles of soju.
“Count Ention Pruker!”
The man’s voice was clear. If he hadn’t been staggering, I might have thought he wasn’t drunk.
It was just when the music had ended, so the man’s voice echoed loudly throughout the banquet hall. Everyone’s eyes turned to him.
“It’s Baron Jukai. Do you have something to say to me?”
Ention was as calm and composed as ever.
“I’m so curious, I can’t stand it!”
“What are you so curious about?”
“The heir to Pruker! All the other great lords have already decided on their heirs! For the sake of the future, isn’t it time for you to decide on your heir?!”
“……”
Everyone was surprised. Was it the spirit of youth? Even if he was drunk, no one expected him to ask that directly to Ention. But it was also a question that scratched an itch.
Everyone focused on Ention.
“I have not yet decided on an heir.”
“…Why not?! Young Master Gent has enough ability to succeed you!”
It seemed the young noble was on Gent’s side. He must have been anxious because Ention hadn’t decided on an heir.
“Gent is outstanding. But the second son, Kyle, is no less outstanding than Gent. Eugene also has the qualities of a head of the family.”
I desperately managed my facial expression. The fact that my name was mentioned by Ention meant that I was being considered as a candidate for heir.
“Young Masters Kyle and Eugene are too young.”
“They have all had their coming-of-age ceremonies. Kyle and Eugene are not children.”
“……When do you plan to decide on an heir?”
“That’s rude, Baron Jukai.”
Ention looked around. All of Pruker’s retainers were staring intently at Ention. The heir was a very important issue for the retainers. It was about the next person in power. The moment Ention decided on an heir, the retainers would be very busy.
I thought that even Ention wouldn’t be able to get away with this situation.
“The heir to Pruker will be decided when the time comes.”
In the end, there was no clear answer. Sighs escaped from the retainers’ mouths.
Ention left the banquet hall after saying that.
‘……No matter how much I think about it, I don’t understand Ention’s thoughts.’
Why is Ention delaying the decision on his heir? It’s good for me, but it’s not good for the family.
‘And Ention is more autocratic than I thought.’
The retainers must have built up dissatisfaction with Ention. Could I use this point?
