Revive Rome: Wait! Why not make the empress fall in love with me first?
Chapter 239 - 37: Breaking the Azure Longsword

Chapter 239: Chapter 37: Breaking the Azure Longsword

All kinds of dishes had been served. After the first three exorbitantly priced dishes, Sigrdrifa and the others had ordered several main courses one after another, until the table was completely full.

Ludwig cut the capon meat absentmindedly, chatting with everyone present, occasionally throwing in an amusing topic that made the girls laugh heartily, ensuring the dining atmosphere didn’t become too dreary.

In reality, his mind was already in turmoil.

The primary Weisbach Family of the present, his father, the Duke of Bavaria, had four children in total: two sons and two daughters. As the eldest son, Ludwig was being raised as the successor to the Duke of Bavaria.

The second son, Henry, the father originally wanted to send him to do scientific research in the Cologne Diocese. However, he had no interest in research and instead had a passion for hunting and combat. Thus, the father changed his mind and sent him to serve as a Guard Officer by His Majesty.

Elizabeth, the third daughter, like other daughters of Great Nobles, had been trained in various etiquettes from a young age and had already married into the Weiding Family of Thuringia last year.

Only the youngest daughter, Eleanor, had been the darling of the father since childhood. She didn’t want to attend etiquette classes or be corseted like other noble misses. The father let her be in all of this, causing Elizabeth to cause a scene countless times. Yet even though the father patiently consoled her, his partiality toward Eleanor remained unchanged, sometimes even making Ludwig himself jealous.

Later on, she followed her second brother, Henry, in learning martial arts and joked about becoming a Knight Lord in the future, to which the father agreed—this, of course, was impossible. The Duke of Bavaria himself was not without a son; enforcing the family estates upon a daughter would inevitably provoke dissatisfaction among the other Vassals.

Considering himself the rightful Heir of the Family, Ludwig secretly sought out Eleanor and thoroughly explained their father’s dilemma.

And then, Eleanor ran away from home... resulting in Ludwig also being scolded by the father and placed under house arrest for half a year.

Ludwig, of course, was aware of the father’s unique attitude—he didn’t want Eleanor to bear any family responsibilities like the other children. He only hoped she could lead a happy and carefree life.

If she loved theology, he’d send her to a Monastery; if she wanted to fall in love, she could freely choose among the sons of other Nobles without having to consider the Family’s marriage alliances.

Even if she truly wanted to be a Lord, the father could still allow her to marry a Vassal with a small background and influence, so she could comfortably control the dominion after marriage.

However, no matter what, the Commander of a small Mercenary Corps was definitely not within the father’s range of acceptance.

This made Ludwig very conflicted. If the father knew about this matter, then The Azure Longsword Mercenary Corps would certainly cease to exist, and this person named Aske, the only outcome would be execution by hanging.

Given Eleanor’s personality, she would never tolerate such an event, thus she would inevitably break with the father.

To be honest, although this sister was always a thorn in his side, even more close to the second brother compared to the eldest, Ludwig, as the big brother, still liked her very much. Naturally, he couldn’t sit idly by and watch her and the father completely fall out.

Therefore, before the father knew about this incident, to disband The Azure Longsword Mercenary Corps and hide Aske away became the most suitable course of action at present.

Once Aske became his Vassal or Knight, even the father wouldn’t be able to act on his people.

(According to Western feudal rules, "the Vassal of my Vassal is not my Vassal." The higher-ranked cannot overstep the lower-ranked to act on those beneath them.)

Damn, I’m a genius! Ludwig savored a bite of lobster, feeling the sour-sweetness of the white wine blend perfectly with the lobster’s texture, swirling between his lips and teeth.

A certain smug sense of self-satisfaction surged in his heart.

Without any outward change in demeanor, Ludwig began to skillfully steer the conversation at the table back to the previous Mutant incident.

"Ah, speaking of mutants, Viscount, did you know?" Nora’s eyes lit up, and she immediately said, "The source of the mutants is actually a secret research facility of the Ancient Solomon Empire!"

Here we go again! The girls felt helpless and facepalmed, wondering just how many times Nora intended to repeat this topic.

Ludwig nodded with a smile, showing an expression that said, "Go on, I’m very interested."

So Nora vividly described Richarter, the Heart Stealer’s possession, and the horrifying and mysterious underground surroundings. Then she began to emphasize how the swordsmen initially scoffed, and then Aske revealed his strength, instantly astonishing everyone, prompting all sorts of worship and adoration.

She was eloquent, and with her clear and pleasant voice, even the girls who had heard the story several times couldn’t help but get drawn into the story again.

Ludwig listened attentively, mentally making a preliminary assessment of Aske’s strength: No matter what, he should be qualified to be my knight.

In addition, he naturally noticed that the attractive short-haired girl in front of him held an undisguised affection for Aske, and he made a mental note of it.

Could this be a love triangle? No way! Sister, show some spirit! Falling for a mercenary corps commander is one thing, but competing with another woman for a man! You’re the young mistress of the Weisbach family!

"I haven’t asked yet, this lady here is..." Ludwig elegantly lifted his wine glass.

"Oh, I’m Nora," Nora introduced herself, "Nora Valerius Lysinius."

A triple-barreled name, Lysinius? Sounds like the prestigious Lixini family from Solomon City, a branch member of that family, perhaps?

Ludwig thought to himself, then smiled and said:

"Lysinius? I’m very familiar with that surname. After all, my factory in the high court does business dealings with Lord Valian Bishop of the Lixini family," Ludwig sipped his wine, subtly hinting at, "I know the current head of your family."

"Valian? That’s my brother," Nora said.

"Pfft!" Ludwig turned his head faster than a thunderclap, managing to spray the wine onto the carpet beside him, avoiding the sumptuous dishes on the table.

He coughed and picked up a napkin, wiping his mouth, and chuckled, "Your brother, is it? What a coincidence..."

"But my brother doesn’t do business." Nora said curiously, "The business of our family is handled by my sister Kapaxilin, so... you must be mistaken, right?"

"Indeed, I was mistaken, my apologies." Ludwig wiped his lips, on the verge of tears on the inside.

Of course, he knew that Ms. Kapaxilin of the Lixini family was in charge of the business—it was simply because he assumed the girl in front of him was an ordinary member of a Lixini family branch, which is why he had brought up the lordship of Bishop Valian.

Who could expect that this girl would be the daughter of the main Lixini family! Sister, you could’ve mentioned it earlier and spared your brother the embarrassment!

Amid the secret look of subtle reproach from Ludwig, Eleanor furrowed her brows and put down her cutlery, saying:

"Nora and I get along very well; don’t worry about losing your composure in front of her."

Damn, my look wasn’t supposed to convey that! Ludwig silently voiced his protest, but could only smile and forcefully steer away from the subject:

"I thank Miss Nora for the fascinating story, and here I toast to Lord Aske."