The Heir of Boden March, Count Alain Boden

Marquis Boden had a headache. He had not slept for two whole days.

"Huu… I messed up big this time." He mumbled quietly.

He and his predecessors had taken bribery from merchants for several decades and were never caught. It was not long ago that he decided to take a few slaves for himself and turn a blind eye to the slave traders passing through his territory. Although he knew it was a grave sin, he committed it because he thought no one would discover about it just like his bribery taking.

The marquis felt as if he got older for a decade in those two days. The new lord of Boswel whom he thought to be a fool came well-prepared. Although he neglected all his work and thought of ways to solve the problem for two whole days without any sleep, he could not think of a good plan.

When he heard the lord of Boswel did not go back immediately and was staying at an inn in the city, he thought of assassinating him and all of his vessels in Boswel. However, the plan was too risky and the price of failure was the existence of his whole family so the marquis did not dare gamble on the plan.

Other than that plan, he could not think of any way other than to do as he was demanded. As he thought about it, the marquis felt his headache was getting worse and lied on his bed. A knock on the door rang before he could fall asleep.

"Be quiet! I am trying to sleep!" The marquis shouted as he was annoyed.

"Pardon my rudeness, my lord." His butler replied hurriedly from the other side of the door. "But, there is a problem!"

"What is it?! Come in and tell me quickly."

"The… the lord of Boswel…"

"What about him again?!"

"He took the first young lord, Count Boden, into custody and our soldiers were about to engage in a skirmish against his guards!"

"WHAT?!! Tell me in details!"

"It is… as I have reported to you before, he hired an entire inn in the middle of city and went sightseeing around the city. It seems the first young lord heard about it and went to the inn to meet Viscount Senebres. Apparently, the young lord did not know about your encounter with the viscount and said a few insulting words.

Then, the viscount ordered his guards to detain the young lord. The young lord had only a few guards with so they could not put up a fight and fell into the viscount's hand. The viscount's guards stripped them and kicked them out of the inn. The young lord ordered the city guards to arrest the viscount when he returned.

Our soldiers are about to fight the viscount's soldier any moment! I passed an order to a servant stop them before coming here but I heard a knight also went to the inn! If you do not intervene, things will get ugly, my lord!"

The marquis pulled his hair at the end of the butler's long report.

"What have that idiotic son of mine done?!!" he roared. "Why tease the tiger again?! What will I do if that nasty brat demands more money after this? Ahhh."

"…My lord…"

"Go to the inn and stop the soldiers immediately! Place Count Boden under house arrest and give ten barrels of wine to the viscount as an apology."

"As your command, my lord."

-----

When the butler arrived at the inn where Huvel was staying, a fight had already started in front of the inn. He was troubled to see Huvel sitting by a window on the first floor and watching the fight while sipping wine nonchalantly. The butler passed the order of his lord to the knight there.

The knight had doubtful eyes but he dared not disobey. He ordered the soldiers to stop the fight and to arrest their young lord instead.

Count Alain Boden who was watching the fight with a dark expression was bewildered by the turn of event. He was the first young lord and heir of Boden March but a stranger humiliated him in his home. And before he could punish the offender, he was arrested by his own vessels.

He could not understand it and lost his mind. He shouted and struggled violently like a mad man to get free from the soldiers holding him. However, he could not fight back against trained soldiers and was sent to his room shortly after.

Huvel smiled as he put down his empty wine glass. He waved his hand at Count Boden who was glaring and cussing at him as he was dragged away. He enjoyed teasing Count Boden who had a short temper unlike Chance Boden.

The butler of House of Boden came into the inn and requested to meet Huvel. Huvel did not accept the wine the butler brought but he asked something else to make up for the offense.

"Viscount Senebres said he cannot believe my lord after this incident," the butler reported to his lord, Marquis Boden. His back was sweating as he was afraid his words would enrage his lord.

The marquis, however, was calm as he had already expected something like that.

"Just tell me want he wants."

"He… he asked for the first young lord, Count Boden, to accompany him when he goes back to Boswel!"

"What?! He asked for my son?!"

"He also said… that he would not hurt the young lord when he is in Boswel but if my lord does not comply with his request, he would do anything to make the third young lord inherits Boden March."

"Haa! He wants to make Chance the lord of Boden?! His appetite sure is big!"

"My lord, what shall we do?"

"He said that only if I don't comply right? There is still a chance for Alain. Tell him to come to my room. I have to tell him everything. It is up to him whether he can inherit my march or not!"