Tamed Monster - Chapter 150

“Hm? I asked what you were doing.”

“Your Majesty. I did not realize you were there. James Harding, eldest son of Count Harding.”

So his hazy memory had not failed him after all.

The man he found so irritating was indeed named James. If he recalled correctly, the count lingered pitifully at the very end of the imperial succession line—hardly worth his attention. That was likely why Myers had never bothered with him.

Though not on the level of Grand Duke Alexander, the count had recently distinguished himself on the battlefield and enjoyed considerable popularity among the people.

And he was handsome, too—perhaps a bit of a fool, but in a way that could be charming. Myers snorted. The defiant glare in the man’s eyes, seen up close, grated on him.

‘Is he openly challenging me?’

The maid’s anxious glances toward the count were amusing. The man’s aggressive stare was amusing. Myers was just thinking that today might not be boring after all when hurried footsteps echoed from behind.

Was the man trying to lose his head? The chamberlain came running toward him without a shred of dignity.

“Huff—Your Majesty! The Grand Duke—!”

His tone sounded as though announcing a death, but Myers knew better. That man was not someone who died easily.

Considering the suspicions that had been growing in his mind about the Grand Duke lately, news of his death might even have been welcome. The chamberlain collapsed at his feet, not out of respect, but because his aging body and excessive weight had clearly drained his stamina.

Come to think of it, he had never replaced the chamberlain his father had appointed, simply because it had seemed bothersome. What had he been thinking?

Gazing down at the loyal servant who had stood beside his father for nearly thirty years as though he were an insect, Myers waited calmly for the rest.

“Your Majesty… urgent news. Grand Duke Lancart is fighting with several knights. It would be best if you went at once.”

The knights he mentioned would be the imperial guard. Even if the Grand Duke’s title as commander was largely ceremonial now, he was still nominally the Empire’s foremost knight. For him to be fighting members of the guard, what on earth was happening?

For a moment, Myers forgot the well-matched pair standing before him.

“…Let’s go.”

Only as he turned did he notice them again. The count was still glaring daggers at him. Myers shot him an irritated look, exhaled sharply, and pointed directly at him.

“Count. It seems you bear some grudge against me. Why not come to my office when you have time?”

He cast a quick glance at the woman as well, curious how the man would react. The Count, apparently unable to contain his anger, broke eye contact and stared furiously at the polished marble floor instead. Watching this carefully, Myers finally turned away.

“Well, suit yourself.”

With that indifferent remark, he dismissed them from his mind entirely. Now the Grand Duke filled his thoughts. Just how far did that madman intend to push him?

Leaving the lagging chamberlain behind, Myers headed toward the training grounds not far from the main palace.

The sharp cries of men, faint at first, grew louder and clearer as he approached. They were not shouts of exertion, but screams.

The Emperor let out a dry laugh. “That crazy man…” he muttered, forgetting even the dignity of speaking aloud to himself.

At some point the chamberlain had vanished from behind him. Alone, Myers stepped into the training yard, boots crunching on the packed earth, and surveyed the scene.

“Aagghh!”

Vickers—renowned as the strongest among the imperial guard—was suddenly airborne before crashing into the ground. The Grand Duke had hoisted him up like a sack of grain and hurled him through the air.

Even after throwing a one-hundred-kilogram mass of muscle with his bare hands, the Grand Duke did not shed a single drop of sweat. His face did not so much as twitch; he looked as though he had merely tossed aside a small stone.

The Emperor wanted to intervene, then changed his mind.

Come to think of it, this was the perfect chance to gauge the man’s true strength. The Grand Duke was known to excel in real combat. Routine drills or hunting would never reveal his full ability, but a genuine brawl might.

Let’s see. How would the dull-witted Grand Duke—who had forgotten his homeland, his family, even his own wife—fight?

Only then did Myers notice the Grand Duchess standing off to one side, making no move to stop her husband. Ah, yes, she had been invited as well.

Murmuring this to himself, he strolled leisurely toward her.