kscans

Chapter 97 - Something Stronger Than Bloodline

For Julius, who had been raised as a true noble and taught from a young age to "be superior to all others," Leonhard, a commoner, was an utterly unforgivable existence.

He didn't want to admit it, but he believed that if there was anyone who could usurp his position, it was him and him alone.

Since Leonhard was of common birth, no matter how many achievements he accumulated, he was merely a Knight Baron, a title that would last for only one generation. While he was treated as a viscount to lead the knight order, which included nobles, the true nobles who valued bloodlines paid him no mind once they learned of his commoner origins.

What’s more, the man himself nonchalantly declared his commoner background. To Julius, this self-deprecating attitude seemed nothing short of pathetic.

And yet, for the first time in his life, he felt he could not match the man. He had never been able to beat him in a swordsmanship tournament. The deep trust he commanded from his superiors and subordinates. He compared everything to himself and was constantly tormented by anxiety.

The only thing in which he was superior was his noble bloodline and the connections that came with it. But Julius could never admit such a thing.

He wanted to bring Leonhard down, one way or another.

When the king issued an order to each knight order to "create pawns that move as you wish," Julius targeted Kyle, the vice-captain whom Leonhard trusted most.

Kyle had his circumstances, and there were openings to exploit. But more than that, he wanted to see Leonhard smile, unaware that he was being betrayed. He wanted to laugh at him. That was his desire.

Still, alongside his hatred for Leonhard, there was also envy.

He himself was a doll, ensnared by the Queen.

At first, he had resisted the Queen’s temptations. At the same time, as the heir to a marquis house, he could not afford to displease her. However, if he engaged in the relationship the Queen desired, he would incur the King’s wrath, and his house would be ruined.

In the beginning, he had told the Queen,

"While I do not wish to resist your beauty, Your Majesty, I have a duty to protect my family. It is most regrettable."

And she had been satisfied with him merely kneeling. However, being forced to gently press a kiss to her shadow became a daily routine.

Eventually, he began to wonder if the King himself was a co-conspirator, as the time he spent alone with the Queen in rooms he was confined to by the King’s order increased.

In those rooms, an incense that numbed the mind was always burning.

He tried tactics like arranging audiences in the presence of several people, but gradually, resistance began to feel futile.

Before he knew it, he was at the beck and call of a Queen he found not at all to his taste. And at some point, he even found himself craving the Queen’s affection.

This relationship continued for a long time. Trapped by the sweet scent, his means of resistance were sealed. Only the anxiety that his infidelity would be exposed occupied his mind.

Noble society had sharp ears. Someone was always watching. Rumors may have been circulating. He was the heir to a marquis, so no one would dare speak of rumors to his face, but the King, being the very person who had set him up, must have known about his relationship with the Queen.

Moreover, he could not understand the actions of a King who doted on the Queen. What was he thinking, setting up opportunities for her to play with young knights?

And yet, Leonhard had escaped the Queen’s grasp. Despite similar situations being created many times, Supreme Commander Darius had protected him.

Darius was from a ducal house. And yet, he protected the commoner Leonhard, while he, a true noble, was not protected.

It was pathetic. Tears welled up in his eyes. He was no match for Leonhard in any way.