The Man’s 101st Bad Ending

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Translated By Arcane Translations

Translator: FusionX

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The succession had gone smoothly, much more so than I had anticipated.

It was mostly because I had already laid the groundwork beforehand.

I had expected to face resistance from those who didn’t acknowledge me as Duke, but the matter had been settled so cleanly that there was no controversy.

Thanks to the help I received from Adriana and Miragen, I was able to stabilize the territory much faster than I had originally anticipated.

It was a good thing, but the sheer ease of it all felt strange.

I had expected it to be more challenging.

Even Renold seemed puzzled by the rapid progress.

I had assumed the nobles wouldn’t accept me so readily.

I couldn’t understand their cooperation, but my questions were soon answered.

One day, Count Yugress visited me and said,

“The Duke of Taylor has always held absolute authority, but this time, it’s a bit more special.”

“You mean me?”

“It’s even more significant because the previous Duke was Arthur Taylor. His lineage, with Arthur Taylor and Yuria Taylor, was quite infamous. Most nobles would have known.”

Perhaps they supported me because I had broken that lineage.

But technically, I was closer to being pro-Imperial than pro-nobility.

I never imagined they would react this way, knowing that.

It was probably because my father and Yuria’s methods were too oppressive.

Now that I, their complete opposite, had become Duke, most nobles likely held expectations for change.

“That’s good to hear. They are the ones I’ll be leading after all.”

“And my support must be helpful as well. Not to boast, but I am your maternal grandfather.”

“…Indeed, it’s unprecedented.”

There were many families who had formed political marriages with the Taylors, but none had ever directly supported a specific Duke after the marriage.

They were usually either eradicated or destroyed because they chose the wrong side.

Some families even chose not to support anyone to avoid such consequences.

But Yugress, despite losing one of their own, was supporting me.

It was an unprecedented event, and its implications were quite significant, prompting the nobles to think, “Perhaps…”

I smiled, knowing exactly what he meant.

The Count smiled back and continued.

“I heard you’re close to the Princess these days. I’m curious if it’s just a friendship or if you have other intentions.”

“There are no ulterior motives. If there were, I would have gotten closer to the Crown Prince.”

“That’s true. But I’ve heard rumors that your relationship with her is quite unusual. Holding hands, going out together.”

“…I consider her a close friend.”

The Count cleared his throat at my answer and looked at me with a faint smile.

His strange expression made me frown, and he spoke softly.

“Isn’t it about time you found a wife?”

…I had a feeling this was coming.

I sighed at his direct approach.

It had only been yesterday that I visited the Imperial Palace to see Miragen.

And the rumors had already spread?

It was impossible unless they had been harboring these thoughts for a while.

It seemed he had investigated me quite thoroughly.

As I expected, the Count, who had been talking about the Princess, now mentioned Adriana.

He seemed quite amused by the conversation, so I let him continue.

It wasn’t so bad to listen occasionally.

Perhaps my mother would have talked about these things with me if she were still alive.

“You’ve formed a connection with the Saint recently, and now the Princess. I’ve underestimated your abilities. Are you interested in polygamy?”

“That’s impossible. The women you mentioned wouldn’t agree to polygamy.”

“Well, there are ways. For example, if you achieve great feats and become a Grand Duke. You would gain a certain level of autonomy.”

Grand Duke.

It wasn’t something I hadn’t considered.

But it was highly unlikely, so I had dismissed the idea.

Besides, finding a wife wasn’t a priority right now.

I simply humored him.

It would only make things more complicated if I thought about it too deeply.

If I had to seriously consider it…

It would have to be after I killed the Crown Prince.

The Count, sensing my lack of interest, dropped the subject of marriage.

It wasn’t that I was upset, I just had a lot on my mind.

It was a topic I didn’t want to dwell on at the moment.

But I couldn’t remain silent, so I decided to change the subject.

“If I have anything planned right now, it’s to restructure the entire power system.”

“Restructure, you say? To what extent?”

“I intend to completely change Taylor’s previous stance. We’ve always acted as representatives of the nobles, but this time, I’m going to support the Imperial Family.”

“Hmm.”

The Count groaned softly, seemingly contemplating my words.

Supporting the Imperial Family over the nobles wasn’t a simple matter.

It would disrupt the delicate balance of power that had been maintained for so long.

He might even question my motives.

My ultimate goal was to empower Kaitel, but the Count, still lost in thought, finally spoke.

“It seems you have something to gain from this.”

“I do. There would be no need to attempt this if I didn’t.”

“Then I suppose it’s not my place to comment. I am merely the Count of Yugress. The final decision rests with you, Your Grace.”

I smiled faintly as he took a step back, as if he wouldn’t question me further.

I had expected this, but I was surprised he didn’t express any dissatisfaction.

He had been like this since I first declared my intention to become Duke.

I was grateful he wasn’t asking.

I would have explained if he had, but supporting the Imperial Family and empowering Kaitel might seem a bit strange.

However, my relationship with Kaitel was quite secretive.

He and I were the only ones who could talk about the Four Dragons’ artifacts, and only Kaitel knew I was supporting the Southern subjugation.

I would eventually reveal it, but not now.

It was still awkward to meet with the Count like this.

No matter how hard I tried to be casual, I couldn’t forget that he was my mother’s father.

Seeing him reminded me of my mother, and I wasn’t sure what he thought of me.

I hoped he thought well of me, but if my actions mirrored those of my father or Yuria…

I hoped Count Yugress would stop me and I wanted to get closer to him so that we could have such a relationship.

As I was lamenting that I should have continued the conversation about marriage, I noticed Renold approaching from across the garden.

He wouldn’t have come here knowing I was with the Count unless he had something important to report.

“Please excuse me for a moment. I need to take care of something.”

I stood up and Renold approached, bowing his head.

Renold, who had been much more relaxed recently, sighed softly.

If he had the time to sigh, it probably wasn’t urgent.

I was curious what kind of news warranted his presence here.

But as I received the letter from Renold, I couldn’t help but chuckle.

Renold smiled faintly.

“I knew you would react that way. I think it arrived a bit sooner than expected, but I suppose it was about time.”

I stared at him as he smiled smugly, and he cleared his throat, averting his gaze.

The letter was from the North and there was only one person who would send me a letter from the North.

I rubbed my forehead for a moment before taking the letter.

I knew I hadn’t contacted her much, but I didn’t expect her to send a letter already.

I carefully checked the contents of the letter.

It contained a single letter written in Adele’s handwriting.

As always, it was concise and to the point.

I heard you’re very busy and haven’t been able to contact anyone.

I don’t know if you’re busy meeting with the Saint or the Princess, or if you’re busy managing your territory, but you haven’t even contacted the North once, so I assume you must be busy.

I’m not blaming you.

I simply offer my condolences for your hard work.

Her blunt words made me chuckle.

She didn’t seem like the type to be so direct, but it seemed she was quite offended that I hadn’t contacted her and she seemed to know about my meetings with the others.

“It seems to be from the North. Am I correct?”

The Count, who could tell even from afar, asked me, and I nodded slowly.

He would soon realize it was a letter from the Grand Duchess and when he realized the Grand Duchess was a woman…

“…Hmm.”

As expected, the Count looked at me with a strange expression.

Perhaps the conversation about marriage was still fresh in his mind.

So the candidates were the Grand Duchess, the Princess, and the Saint?

It was an absurd thought, but I watched him seriously pondering it before turning away.

“Did we have any plans to visit the North?”

Renold frowned at my question.

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It wasn’t easy to suddenly change plans but we could manage a short visit, couldn’t we?

That was why I had brought Renold with me.

We had plenty of time, thanks to the swift resolution of many matters.

Renold, sensing my intentions, looked at me intently and spoke carefully.

“I think it’s possible. Perhaps a week? Would that be alright?”

“That’s enough.”

If you have some free time now, I would like to see you before I go there.

I trust you won’t refuse this request.

She was trying to subtly convey her desire to see me.

Surely that was enough reason to make time.

It was something I couldn’t postpone.

It would be better to do it now.

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