I Planned a Su*cide Mission and Got Kicked Out of the Party

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The procedure after that was formal. The Emperor read an official decree and received a promise from Jeongjae to be a lord who would not persecute the people, and he received a star-shaped badge that could certify his rank in an official setting.

The Emperor briefly wrapped up the ceremony, showing no intention to engage in further conversation with the new Baron. After all, there was no need for a complex and lavish process to appoint a Baron in a territory with a population of just 3,000.

Fortunately, Jeongjae was granted permission to leave the palace without having to attend a tedious social gathering.

In the central area, right in front of the palace, the heavily armored Crown Princess Rose Caprice was waiting for Jeongjae as if she had been expecting him.

“How was the award ceremony?”

Rose casually struck up a conversation. Jeongjae shrugged.

“I wasn’t too nervous, was I?”

“Just looking at you, you seemed scared. Dad isn’t a scary person. He won’t eat you alive, so just be appropriately nervous. Just a little.”

“Yeah. I guess I should learn a thing or two from Walter; I can’t keep going on like this.”

“No, don’t emulate him. He lacks respect for His Majesty the Emperor.”

Rose suddenly said with a serious expression. Jeongjae nodded, pretending to understand and chuckled softly.

“So, are we heading straight to your territory?”

Rose asked. Jeongjae thought for a moment, then shook his head.

“No. I have an appointment tomorrow evening with Count Harker. I heard he’s busy with the issue of the conscription order right now.”

It was common for prominent local nobles, especially the members of the Imperial Assembly who often summoned to Caprice to keep a residence there, which was a very normal thing.

Since Count Harker was guaranteed at least one seat every election, it was only natural for him to have a proper mansion in Caprice. Jeongjae naturally assumed that the invitation from the Count was for the event held there.

“Count Harker? Is that why you made the appointment regarding the territory issue?”

Rose asked, and Jeongjae shook his head.

“No. I had made this appointment a while ago, not knowing I would be dismissed. Things have gotten weird suddenly. Well, it’s actually a good thing. It’s an opportunity to ask about Harriet’s Territory. It would be faster to talk to Walter, of course…”

“Walter has been even busier lately. He wanted to attend too, but he’s swamped with the reorganization of the soldiers coming up from the provinces.”

“Walter must be busy. Mixing soldiers who come from various places without any background to form a new legion is a really big problem…”

Of course, there were simple ways to divide the legion by ‘region’, which could be the most efficient way in terms of cohesion and unity among the troops. There had also been historical examples on Jeongjae’s home planet, Earth, where such methods were used to organize troops in the past.

But that method had a very critical flaw; currently, they were conscripting many young men from various regions and pushing them to the frontline, which means if a legion was formed solely from soldiers of a single region and it got wiped out, it could be hard for the future of that region to recover.

With a single defeat on the frontline, all the capable adult men meant to lead the land could vanish from a territory. This was the main reason Walter was desperately trying to reorganize the forces he had painstakingly obtained in the Imperial Assembly.

“Then, I guess you don’t have anywhere urgent to go, do you?”

Rose said. Jeongjae agreed with her.

“Anyway, the only place I would go is the Magic Tower. It’s not urgent at all.”

“Then wait here for a moment. I’ve called Margaret. She should be here soon. After all, we have to greet her.”

Although Jeongjae was surprised by Rose’s words, he soon acknowledged that they were reasonable. Although he couldn’t say he had a great relationship with Margaret, he had a lot of debt to her and had received much help from her.

Jeongjae secretly held a respect for Margaret almost as much as he did for Walter. Especially when considering the recent chaotic events, it made no sense to leave without meeting her.

How long did they wait? Not long after, Jeongjae could see the Elven Princess walking slowly toward them from the other side of the Imperial Assembly building.

Even from a distance, her figure stood out. She wore simple and modest clothing, but her long golden hair that cascaded down to her waist and the elongated ears that perked up exuded a regal aura, showcasing her noble lineage.

Standing at a distance and looking objectively at Margaret, Jeongjae couldn’t help but doubt that such a woman had feelings for him. Even if Rose were to threaten him with her steel fist, it was still hard to believe.

“Margaret! Over here, over here!”

Rose shouted, waving her hands excitedly. The Crown Princess of the Empire calling a princess from a neighboring country drew everyone’s attention, but Rose seemed unconcerned about it.

“Hey, isn’t Margaret already on her way here?”

Jeongjae whispered, feeling the gaze of the people around him. Realizing Jeongjae’s concern, Rose casually looked around.

The people who had been staring at Rose turned their heads quickly as if they had seen a ghost and started to make their way. As Rose wore a triumphant expression, Jeongjae sighed and shook his head.

“Don’t misuse the imperial authority.”

“Did I threaten anyone? Can’t I even look around?”

Thinking back, Rose had only threatened Jeongjae today. Since that was somewhat true, Jeongjae couldn’t argue and quietly waited for Margaret to arrive.

“Wizard.”

Margaret approached Jeongjae, paying no attention to Rose, and spoke. The Fairy Lord, who was quite tall for a woman, was about the same height as Jeongjae.

“Margaret. Um, first, I want to apologize. I’m really sorry for what happened last time. I didn’t think you would feel that way…”

“It’s fine. Don’t worry about it.”

Margaret lightly grasped Jeongjae’s wrist and said. Rose’s eyes widened in surprise as she stuck her tongue out.

Of course, they had fought side by side many times on the battlefield. This wasn’t the first time they had physical contact; Margaret had even picked Jeongjae up and ran with him before, but Jeongjae felt much more conscious of her holding his wrist now compared to when she wrapped her arms around his thighs back then.

It could be that he had heard repeatedly that Margaret had feelings for him, or it could simply be that Margaret was wearing an altogether different gentle expression than usual.

Just as Jeongjae felt his heartbeat quicken, Margaret suddenly made a cold expression and gripped Jeongjae’s wrist tightly.

“However, this is only acceptable on the premise that you won’t harbor such thoughts again. You’d better remember my words.”

“I-I will remember.”

Jeongjae answered with a pained grunt as he felt the blood stop flowing in his hand.

“Alright, that’s settled.”

Margaret changed her expression back to normal and let go of his wrist. Jeongjae shook his aching hand, looking at Margaret.

“By the way, congratulations on your Barony. You’re now an esteemed noble. But it’s a bit heavy to congratulate you when you’ve been dismissed from our party, isn’t it? I saw the location of your territory; it’s biased towards the south and near the coast. It doesn’t seem to be a terrain that can be easily invaded, so you should be able to rest easy.”

“Thank you, Margaret. But now is not the time to rest easy.”

“The world won’t collapse if you don’t play a part. Rather than obsessing over results and having unrealistic thoughts, you might as well just take a break. I don’t know what Walter is thinking, but I believe he has such intentions.”

It was true that Margaret had become a lot kinder, seemingly having undergone a change of heart, but her tone was more about pity for ‘Jeongjae, who had been so stressed he had contemplated a suicidal mission’ rather than any feeling of affection.

An awkward silence lingered between the two for a moment. Rose merely rolled her eyes and did not interrupt, while Margaret seemed to have something to say but struggled to find the words.

Margaret took a deep breath as if she had made a decision, looked Jeongjae straight in the eye, and opened her mouth.

“Though we have parted ways as a party, I do not think the bond we’ve built has vanished. Park Jeongjae. During the war, whenever you want, if I come to your land, will you welcome me as your guest?”

“Ah, I was wondering when you’d say that. It’s only polite to ask for permission if I’m going to announce that I will visit whenever I feel like it…”

“Shut up, Rose Caprice! When did I ever say I’d visit whenever I want!”

Margaret’s face turned bright red as she shouted. Rose, unbothered, gave a thumbs-up and winked.

“Being honest is the best. I don’t know what was in fashion 400 years ago, but these days, that’s how it is.”

“Is it fine for me to hit you honestly here? To be honest, I’ve always been curious about how I could break that steel wall of yours.”

“No, don’t be that honest.”

With a frightened expression, Rose stuck out her tongue and stepped back. Jeongjae watched the two banter before finally breaking into an awkward laugh and spoke to Margaret.

“Well, to answer, of course. If you’re my friend, if you’re someone I can call my friend, then it’s perfectly fine for you to come to my land anytime. To be honest, being thrown in the countryside with no knowledge about being a lord, it would be a relief if someone who knows comes to visit.”

“Friend, relief. What a nice sentiment. Does that mean I’m a friend who can provide you with relief? If you think that way… I’ll happily accept it. I thought you would… reject me. I hope you don’t feel that way, at least not for now…”

Margaret, acting uncharacteristically, fumbled her words as she spoke. Jeongjae sensed something awkward, a strange ‘shyness’ in her tone.

Could it really be that Rose just teased her a moment ago?

Is it possible that Margaret truly… has that kind of affection for Jeongjae? But why?

“Unbeknownst to me, I believe I have received a lot of help from you and I feel gratitude and even respect towards you.”

Jeongjae said. Margaret’s face returned to its original color, turning slightly red again as she nodded.

“Thank you. I also respect you in some ways. Yes, that’s what I wanted to say. You have things to learn from, and I think you still have a lot of potential to achieve many things. In some way, I hope this moment isn’t the last connection we have.”

Margaret collected her thoughts and articulated what she wanted to say clearly. Just as Jeongjae was about to respond, a voice called out to him from behind.

“Ah, there you are, Professor! I thought you would be here!”

The only daughter of House Harker and the top student of the Imperial Magic Academy, Jenis Harker, had been looking around and spotted Jeongjae, rushing toward him.

Caught off guard by the unexpected encounter, Jeongjae turned around to face Jenis.

“Jenis? What’s up?”

“Oh, my father wanted me to tell you something. First, congratulations on your award ceremony today, Baron. Even if you’re no longer a professor, it brings me joy that you have become a proper lord.”

Jenis looked truly happy, smiling widely. For some unknown reason, Jeongjae tried to ignore the subtle killing intent he felt coming from behind him. He had a strong feeling that if he glanced back, he would see something he shouldn’t.

“Thanks. Uh, but what’s up? I don’t think your father only wanted to convey his congratulations.”

“Oh, well, he says let’s have tomorrow evening’s appointment in Harker Count Territory. Since it would be faster to get to Harriet’s Territory from Caprice passing through our estate, instead of staying an extra day in the palace, he suggested it’d be better to return with him tomorrow and spend the night at our place. What do you think?”

Hearing that, it seemed like a plausible idea, and Jeongjae was about to respond positively.

Suddenly, Margaret nudged Jeongjae aside and stepped forward to face Jenis. Jeongjae was quite taken aback by Margaret’s sudden move, but Rose looked perfectly unconcerned, as if she were watching a fun play.

“Harker? Jenis Harker?”

The Fairy Lord asked the Count’s daughter. Jenis briefly looked surprised and gazed up at Margaret, but soon after, she assessed the situation and faced her confidently.

“I am Jenis Harker, the daughter of Count Harker, currently studying at the Imperial Magic Academy. You must be Princess Margaret of Eramenia.”

Margaret stared at Jenis seriously for a moment without answering, then spat out with a sneer.

“You’re just a child.”

“Princess, you shine with the grace that comes with experience, just as I’ve heard.”

Jenis replied politely.