Chess Mage of Faerûn

Chapter 513 Rich Girl and Playboy

But Iltan's next words made him realize that there is indeed little love or hate in this world without a reason.

“That old man Anta Silver Shield’s precious daughter, Shi Ji, is spoiled rotten to an extreme degree, probably more than his own eyes.”

Seeing the Grand Duke's cold smile and hearing the somewhat familiar name "Shi Ji," the mage's mental library rapidly sifted through the information, quickly summarizing and organizing various details about the other party.

Interesting, very interesting!
If this is just the official version of Baldur's Gate, then Miss Shiki, the apple of the eye of the richest duke, is undoubtedly a noblewoman who married a man who could save her a lifetime of struggle.

Of course, it's not something ordinary people can get their hands on.

However, some rumors circulating on the streets and alleys paint a different picture:
With a lively and cheerful nature, and an endless curiosity and enthusiasm for life, Miss Shiji doesn't seem to be the kind of well-bred lady content to stay in the deep palace. Instead, she yearns for the mysterious distant places and romantic adventures recorded in those legendary stories.

Based on the events of his past life, the monk leaned towards the latter.

After all, there's no other explanation for why she would give up being the daughter of a duke to follow a third-rate scoundrel like a wandering bard. It's either because she's been reading too many legendary novels and has become brain-dead.

Iltan's words corroborated his conjecture.

"Those damned scoundrels, those scoundrels who only know how to play with words, are like flies swarming with pus, spreading a stinking plague."

Then came a string of curses, almost to the point of degrading these street performers as Nurgle's chosen ones.

It all boils down to one thing:

It's all the bard's fault; he poisoned Shi Ji's once pure and lovely girlish heart.

It's no wonder he was angry. Iltan, who lost his son in his early years, regarded Shiki as his own niece. Seeing his once obedient daughter go astray and even cause a farce by running away from home, it's easy to imagine how Duke Flame Fist felt about these bards who believed he was fully responsible for the situation.

However, the Grand Duke of Silver Shield, who is not particularly skilled at teaching his children, probably doesn't understand what rebellious psychology and the rebellious period are, and it is foreseeable that he will cause even bigger trouble in the future.

Tsk tsk, the mage chuckled to himself as a sudden flash of inspiration struck him.

perhaps…

"The clouds don't know where the raindrops they drop will eventually fall, and parents can't ask for too much."

The monk seemed to offer the Duke a word of comfort, but before the Duke could even sigh, he changed the subject again:
"Moreover, in retrospect, Gavial's experiences and achievements were not entirely without value; they may have had many merits."

"Heh, cough cough!"

Iltan hadn't even had a chance to exhale properly when he heard this, and in his haste, he almost choked.

"Don't try to excuse that kid. It's true that he suffered a lot in that mud pit, but it's also inevitable that he went astray."

The Duke spoke quickly and urgently, but his eyes revealed a great deal of tenderness.

"Oh?"

The monk raised an eyebrow, his words carrying a deeper meaning:

"Given Gavial's age and appearance, I wonder if he is a suitable match for Miss Shiki?"

“It’s not bad, but…” Iltan shook his head and smiled bitterly. Given his friendship with the Silver Shield Duke and the current political situation in Bode City, a marriage between the two families’ children would not have been a bad thing. But his son seemed rather disappointing.

Having wandered for many years, neither skilled in literature nor martial arts, he ended up as a wandering minstrel…

and many more!

The Grand Duke, realizing what was happening, suddenly widened his eyes, his beard-covered mouth gaping open in an unseemly manner, and he muttered almost incoherently, "A bard? You mean... could it be..."

"That's exactly right!"

The mage snapped his fingers and spoke with some excitement:
"The awakening of self-will and rebellious mentality in young people cannot be suppressed by coercion, but if we can guide them in the right direction, we may achieve twice the result with half the effort."

"To put it another way, Gavial's character, family background, and future prospects are all a hundred times better than those street beggars. If he could achieve something with Miss Shiki, wouldn't that be far better than being deceived by the latter and causing a lot of unnecessary drama?"

The Grand Duke's initially furrowed brows gradually relaxed, and a surge of emotion welled up within him as his eyes flickered. In the end, he stood up with a touch of excitement and paced back and forth a few steps.

"That old codger Silver Shield is a reasonable man. It wouldn't be difficult for me to explain things to him. There's just one thing... sigh!"

Then Iltan lowered his voice and told an anecdote, which he considered an absolute scandal.

"As a noblewoman of the Silver Shield family, it's one thing for her to easily believe the big lies fabricated by those street swindlers, after all, she is young and naive, and it's inevitable that she will be deceived by those smooth-talking people."

"But she actually dared to run away from home and elope like other people!"

So the signs appeared so early?
After hearing the whole story, the mage appeared serious on the surface, but secretly found it amusing. He thought of the scene in the story where the playboy Ados seduced Shiki, but he had a history of such behavior.

Indeed, if there hadn't been prior collusion, would a mere bard have dared to go directly to the Duke of Bode's mansion to abduct someone?

Do you feel like you've lived too long?

Even so, this guy's audacity is off the charts. Iltan's expression was extremely unfriendly when he mentioned Ados's name. If it were the Silver Shield Grand Duke whose precious daughter had been kidnapped, he would probably grind his teeth to dust.

However, the fact that this guy has survived until now, and will continue to survive, even though he was forced to live in the desolate wilderness of the Cloak Forest, shows that he has some skill.

Unfortunately, before this pair of illicit lovers could see a turn of events, they were targeted by the wicked monk.

"What's there to worry about?"

After Iltan finished speaking and fell into a brief silence, the mage spoke:

"What makes a nobody like him compare to our Gavial? He's nothing but a pretty face and a silver tongue."

"That's true, but aren't bards..."

The Grand Duke was speechless. The two points you mentioned are exactly the problem!

“Gavial’s appearance is far inferior to the other party’s?”

"No, this child inherited his mother's looks and is no less handsome than that scoundrel; he's just a bit more naive and immature."

That's true. A womanizer who's into playing games is much better at seducing women than a young, handsome guy like Gavial. We need to find a way.

"It's nothing more than a love of fantasy and stories. Putting aside everything else, writing a legendary novel is a small matter for me. The key is that there needs to be some cooperation between you and the Grand Duke of Silver Shield for the story to be effective."

"This... my good mage, why have you started learning the ways of fortune tellers? Just say what you have to say." Iltan was getting impatient.

"It's always good to be patient. This great play is called The Love Story of Romeo and Juliet."

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(End of this chapter)