“I’m glad to hear that,” I said in genuine happiness. “I hope this will help provide further protection for Nevaria.”
The empress smiled. “I am sure it will.”
I spoke with Empress Hilda for a few more minutes, but our conversation was eventually interrupted when Kari, Fay, and Lin barged in and dragged me off to the courtyard for training.
My meeting with Lord Valstine came a few days after my conversation with Empress Hilda. I had asked Fay to return home and deliver a letter to her father, asking for a meeting to discuss our future relationship. My letter didn’t outright say, “I want to marry your daughter. Please give me your blessing,” or anything of that nature. I made it sound mostly like a business proposal.
When the day arrived, I made sure to dress in my best outfit. The black pants were made from the hide of a Demon Beast, so they were durable but comfortable. A white undershirt tied together around the waist with black bands was just barely poking out of the black vest, fastened together with silver buttons. I’d thrown a blue shoulder cape with gold embroidery over the whole thing.
According to Kari, this was the bare minimum a noble was allowed to wear during such an important meeting. Anything less would be seen as an insult. I should have technically been wearing something even more pompous, but to be honest, I felt very uncomfortable in this gaudy clothing and was only wearing it because I knew how important this meeting was.
I was also not the only one who had dressed up.
Fay was wearing a red dress that traveled down to her ankles. A slit on the left side revealed her lean, muscular leg and one of the soft red slippers covering her small feet. Gold embroidery ran along the hem, sleeves, and chest of her outfit. Some areas were emphasized, such as the V-shaped embroidery that showcased her slender waist and gorgeous hips. The cutout near her chest revealed the valley of her breasts, pushed together by an expensive brassiere Kari had picked out for this meeting. Her outfit was finished off with a pair of red gloves made from silk.
“You look really good in that,” I said to Fay.
“Th-thank you,” Fay stuttered.
“To be honest,” I continued in a casual, conversational tone, “seeing you in such a magnificent dress makes me want to take you out of it.”
“E-Eryk!”
I chuckled as I reached over and placed my hand on top of hers, which was currently clenching the fabric of her dress as she sat in the chair next to me.
“Sorry,” I apologized. “While I do seriously mean what I just said, I’m mostly trying to cope with how nervous I am. I’ve never done something like this before.”
“I’m kind of surprised to hear that. Given how fearless you always act, I couldn’t imagine anything that would make you feel nervous.” Fay admitted.
But I just smiled at her. “I’m about to ask the father of the woman I love for her hand in marriage. How couldn’t I be nervous?”
“Then… I am glad I’m not the only one who is feeling this way,” Fay said with a small but genuine smile.
The two of us were sitting in the waiting room before the meeting hall. It was just a wide room with some chairs, a few columns to support the ceiling, and some portraits of past family heads. One thing I noticed was everyone in the portraits had russet or red hair.
In most normal circumstances, Fay would have been in the meeting hall and standing beside her father as I asked for her hand in marriage, but she had decided to go against traditional conventions and was with me instead. That made my own nerves a little easier to bear.
Of course, I also calmed myself by lightly teasing Fay.
Before our conversation could continue, the doors to the meeting hall suddenly opened and Bertrand, the butler who personally served Fay and Lord Valstine, stepped into the waiting room.
“The head and elders of the Valstine Family will see you now,” he said with a bow at the waist.
“Thank you.”
I didn’t let go of Fay’s hand as I stood up and pulled her along with me. For her part, Fay just gripped my hand tighter, possibly out of her own nervousness.
The meeting room was nowhere near the size as the one Empress Hilda used, but that was perhaps to be expected. The Valstine Family was minor nobility. They had earned their title about two hundred years ago. Compared to the Eieran, Leucht, and Kriger families, which had a history spanning at least one thousand years, they were a relatively new family.
Fay and I walked past six chairs with old people sitting on them. There were three on each side of the red carpet that traveled from the doorway to the raised platform where two other chairs sat. One was occupied by Lord Valstine. The other was empty.
Lord Valstine was about a head or so taller than myself, had a broad chest and shoulders, thick arms, and an athletic build, though his stomach was also large. I’d once heard that he used to be a powerful Spiritualist, though he didn’t go on expeditions into the Demon Beast Mountain Range anymore. His red hair looked similar to Fay’s. However, his was more of a reddish-brown and didn’t contain the vibrant sheen of his daughter’s luxurious locks. His hair, traveling down to his shoulders, complimented his thick beard. It also matched the dark, fur-lined robe he was wearing. His massive hands were resting on the armrest as the two of us walked up to the throne and knelt in a show of deference.
“Lord Valstine,” I said in a clear voice that rang throughout the meeting hall, “I have come to request your daughter’s hand in marriage.”
I didn’t waste time with superfluous words and pointless flattery, getting right to the heart of the matter. That was all I could really do. Still, I must have said something wrong, or maybe I presented myself in the wrong light. The six elders, five men and one woman, were muttering in dissatisfaction.
“He asks for Fay’s hand in marriage but offers nothing in return? What a rude brat.”
“I understand that he is the victor of the Spiritualist Grand Tournament and is favored by the Astralia Royal Family, but really, a person can only act so forward.”
“I did hear that he’s been helping Fay with her training. I believe we should at least hear him out.”
“Hmm… just recently, I heard that he and Fay traveled with Kari Astralia into the Demon Beast Mountain Range. Rumor has it he defeated an A-Rank Demon Beast on his own, but even so…”
Lord Valstine let the elders talk amongst themselves for a bit longer before raising his hand for silence. When the last elder had settled down, he peered at me with his green eyes and said, “I once offered you a chance to marry my daughter and you turned me down. I am wondering why I should allow you to marry her now?”
I bit my lip as guilt settled in my stomach and refused to leave. It was true that I had denied his offer the last time he asked if I wanted to marry his daughter. However, things were different now… or so I believed.
As if she could sense my emotions, Fay squeezed my hand.
“When you first asked me if I wished to marry Fay, I declined the offer because I wasn’t in love with her. What’s more, I had already given my love to Kari. I did not believe it would be right if I married Fay when I was already in love with another woman.” While the elders muttered a bit more, I could see Lord Valstine nodding, prompting me to continue. “I still love Kari, but I have grown to love Fay just as much. She has become just as important to me. The last time you asked if I would marry Fay, I did not believe I could make her happy. Now I do.”
I was still kneeling beside Fay. While my gaze was primarily on her father, I could not help but glance at the woman beside me. Her lovely alabaster cheeks were currently just a little red. The light dusting of pink made her look more enchanting than normal, a feat I wouldn’t have believed possible if I wasn’t seeing it for myself.
She must have noticed my stare because she turned her head and caught me looking at her. While her cheeks grew warmer, her smile also grew wider.
Lord Valstine noticed this. “I can see that you truly do care for my daughter. But if she were to ma
rry you, I am assuming it would not be as your Primary Wife?”
I hesitated for a moment. “That is correct. It hasn’t been revealed yet, so I would like to ask that you keep this quiet, but Empress Hilda has given me her blessing to marry Kari. Given Kari’s position as the princess of Nevaria, the only position suitable for her is as my Primary Wife.”
The girls had told me in private that they didn’t care about who was in what position. However, while this issue didn’t matter to them, it would be a political scandal if Kari was anything other than my Primary Wife. Empress Hilda had already informed me of this during our conversation the other day.
My admittance that I was marrying the princess of Nevaria caused the elders to stir again. I couldn’t see their faces, but I imagine the shocked expressions they were no doubt wearing.
“That is all well and good, but my question still stands.” Lord Valstine frowned at me. “Why should I let you marry my daughter?”
His words caused the elders to suddenly cry out.
“My Lord! This man is marrying the princess of Nevaria! If he also marries Lady Fay, then our political power will increase!”
“Be reasonable, Lord Valstine!”
These elders sure were quick to change their tune, but I guessed knowing who else I was marrying would make anyone do the same. It honestly disgusted me. I hated having to play these political games, but if this was what it took to be with Fay, then I’d shove my feelings on this matter aside.
“Silence!” Lord Valstine shouted. The elders grew quiet, but he didn’t even pay attention to them. His eyes were on me. “I demand you answer my question. Eryk Veiger, why should I give my daughter to you?”
I didn’t know what sort of answer he was expecting from me, but I couldn’t think of any logical reason he should give Fay to me. To be honest, I didn’t think he even had the right to give her away since the choice should have been hers, to begin with. Still, I tried to think about this from his perspective. What reason could I give him to convince him to give me his blessing? Should I talk about how Fay marrying me would elevate the Valstine Family in the eyes of their peers? I didn’t give two shits about that. There was only one thing in this entire issue that mattered to me.
“Because I love Fay and can make her happy,” I said.
Lord Valstine raised an eyebrow. “Is that it?”
“Yes.”
Stroking his beard, Lord Valstine turned from me to Fay. “Fay? Do you believe this man can make you happy?”
“Yes.”
There was no hesitation in her answer, which surprised me. I had expected her to blush and stutter at being put on the spot. Maybe she had been mentally preparing herself while her father grilled me.
“Are you sure?” Lord Valstine asked.
“I am, Father.” Fay glanced at me again, and this time, her smile was wide and not accompanied by a blush. Her seductively narrowed eyes were so tender I thought I might melt and turn into a puddle. “There is no one in all of Nevaria who I believe can make me happier than Eryk.”
“So I see,” Lord Valstine mumbled before standing up. “In that case… Eryk Veiger, I give you my blessing.”
I froze for a moment, but then I shook myself out of my stupor. “You mean…?”
“Yes.” Lord Valstine finally smiled, though it was hard to see behind his beard. “I give you permission to marry my daughter.”
Thank you for reading!
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Afterword
Hello, everyone. It’s Brandon Varnell here. I hope you all enjoyed WIEDERGEBURT: Legend of the Reincarnated Warrior volume 7. If you did and would like to see more of this series, please consider leaving a review. They are the lifeblood of us authors and books without many reviews do not survive long.
With the induction of volume 7, we have passed the halfway point for WIEDERGEBURT Act II. To make up for the very slice-of-life feel of volume 6, volume 7 has a lot more action, with Eryk and his leading ladies traveling into the Demon Beast Mountain Range, where they are attacked by the Leucht Family and their co-conspirator, Skygge.
If you’ve been following the flashbacks, you might already have some guesses as to who Skygge is. I’ve been leaving a lot of breadcrumbs in the past timeline to illuminate more about what’s coming in the present. Speaking of the past timeline, I’ve left two major plot reveals for everyone that connects past and present. I’m wondering how many of you noticed them.
One thing I tried to focus on in this volume was to give Eryk’s three women a lot more screen time to explore their backstories, personalities, and personal issues. I wanted to explore more things like Fay’s inferiority complex, Kari’s intense wanderlust and the reasons behind it, and Lin’s determination to prove herself to the others. I also tried to showcase some of the side characters like Catalyna and Marko Kriger. Their role in this series might be minor, but I think it’s important to give them fully fleshed-out personalities and backstories. It makes the series richer in my opinion.
Aside from being nearly 10,000 words larger than my last volume, this one also moves a lot faster. There’s a lot going on in this volume. What’s more, volume 8, which will be the last volume of Act II, is shaping up to be my longest volume yet at 90,000 words.
Before I leave you all, I have a few last minute “thank yous” to give out.
I would first like to thank my artist. We’ve had some problems with Amazon lately, but Mykel has been killing it with her illustrations. They’re all so flipping sexy and cute. I am an especially big fan of the scenes that feature all three girls and the cover art.
Another person I would like to thank is my copy editor, who has been with me since I wrote the American Kitsune series. Crystal knows my style well and can make excellent changes centered around my particular brand of tropey anime-esque writing. I’m not sure where I would be without her.
Finally, I would like to thank all of you for giving this story a chance. Thank you for reading it, and thank you for reviewing you. Your support is the only reason I can continue to write stories. I hope you all enjoyed it, and I hope even more that you’ll stick around for the next volume. The pace is about to pick up even more. I hope you’re all prepared because the most intense volume for this series so far will be coming up next.
Until next time.
~Brandon Varnell
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WIEDERGEBURT Page 22