28. A threat and an Invitation

"I thought you were the type who would like to keep his ability secret." Tanisha, the third princess, pushed the piece of paper towards Dereck.

"Does exposing my ability mess up your Highness' plan?"

"I wouldn't deny it." The smile on her face looked anything but cordial. "Here, I thought you would hide your ability much longer so I would have more time to recruit you and…"

"I heard you even proposed to the duke to initiate a marriage proposal for Ashely." Tanisha leaned back on the sofa, adding, "I thought I could use Ashely to entice you to join my army."

"Please don't jest, your highness."

The edge of her eyebrow moved slightly as she asked, "What made you think I was joking?"

If Dereck could see her mood and emotion on the top of her head, he might really be worried if the princess was serious about it.

"I think your highness is better than this." Seeing that she was still waiting for an explanation, Dereck smiled. "I think using your precious subordinate in such a deal is beneath your highness. And it should be more so if that subordinate is so precious like Ashley."

She smirked, adding, "I think you think too highly of me. I am not a saint. I would do anything for my victory."

"Doing anything doesn't mean selling their own subordinate to everyone."

"I am not everyone." 

Tanisha continued to smile at him while he returned the smile. "Then…" Dereck returned the paper, saying, "I don't think I am suited to follow your highness."

"You are rejecting me?"

"I wouldn't dare, your highness." Dereck kept the smile on his lips, continuing, "I just make the choice that suits me the best."

"Do you think just because you have joined the magic tower and given up on your family title, you will be exempted from your noblesse oblige?"

"If the lands need me, I will dutifully complete my noblesse oblige. It doesn't mean that I have to join Your Highness's army right now."

Thanisha pushed the paper forward again. "If you are willing, then why don't you join mine."

"If I need to, I will follow my father and brother." Dereck again pushed the paper back, adding, "I don't really like working under others. If I have to, it would be better to join the troops of my family."

"Are you sure about it?"

"Joining the magic tower means I have relinquished my claim to the title. So my siblings wouldn't have any problem with my presence. On the other hand, I am someone from the magic tower. It was enough reason for my father to care about me."

"I don't think Count Dovric would be particularly happy if he learned that one of her concubines is carrying his child, but his grandchild instead."

"I don't think so either." Dereck smiled, asking, "So, your point?"

"So, you are going to ignore it till the end."

"Sorry, Your Highness, I failed to understand what Your Highness wants to say."

"Okay." Tanisha smiled and nodded. "However, you might also be aware that if you are part of the magic tower and the council calls for you, you must join the magic tower force."

"Yes, I am aware."

"Apparently, the magic families were not pleased that the present tower master had unannouncedly welcomed an unknown individual into the tower. I get the impression that they are highly wary of that new persona. Have you any opinions on the matter?"

Even if Dereck hadn't known that Tanisha had a lot of channels to gather intel, he would have been sure about the information.

"Why would they be so worried about a child like me?"

"Because the child is only the second person in the kingdom's history to achieve the four circle status at such a young age. Along with the fact that the tower master has yet to accept a disciple…"

"So, Your Highness is telling me that Your Highness has nothing to offer me to join Your Highness' army. The only reason I should join Your Highness' army is that other people are targeting me!" Dereck smiled at her, adding, "I thought your highness could do better than this."

"Oh!" Tanisha looked at him in amusement. 

"Your Highness should have beforehand explained the benefits of joining Your Highness' army if she wanted me to join that army."

"Are you trying to negotiate with me now?"

"I wouldn't dare, Your Highness." Dereck shook his head, adding, "I just want Your Highness to remember that all the good things that made me an eyesore for those people would also make me a lucrative option for the other generals."

They stared at each other for a moment. It was apparent that none of them were willing to back down.

"Even if the general of the East is not willing…" Dereck thought momentarily, adding, "The general of the North might not either. However, two other generals have the same authority as Your Highness. Also, my grandfather might welcome me to join his troop with open arms."

Tanisha laughed while looking at him in utter disbelief, "I have never thought that the hedonist third son of a count would be so wise."

"Wisdom and intelligence are the building blocks of a good mage."

"But do you really think that you are worth my time?"

"I think the other people didn't know that I am dual elemental. Why don't you make that information public?" Dereck ignored her glare as he stood up, "If I have to state my worth, then I would say Ashley might have already given you a detailed description of that."

"You might regret your decision."

"Your Highness, let me give you a piece of advice. A good leader does not allow their personal vendetta to cloud their judgment."

*Bam*

The door Dereck opened was forced shut as Tanisha suddenly appeared behind him.

"Personal vendetta?"

"If someone hadn't explained it to you already, then your subordinate might fear you more than they respect you." Dereck looked directly at her, adding, "Your Highness, if you may let go of the door…"

Tanisha continued to glare at him, still letting go of the door. Dereck left without looking back.

'How can both of the golden bachelors of the capital have the same problem?' Dereck shook his head as he left for the academy library. The meeting was happening in the royal academy, so the distance wasn't too big.

However, before he could reach his destination, other people stopped him. 

"Young Master Longhorn. May I have some of your time?" Before Dereck could check the prompt above her head, she introduced herself, "I am Amber Draeh. A third-year student and a five-circled mage. I am an assistant of Instructor Silver."

"How can I help you, senior?"

"If I can have some of your time?" She paused, clicked her tongue, saying, "I have already said it, didn't I? The family head wants to meet you."

"Draeh family head?" Dereck was a little surprised. 

Draeh's family was one of the six families of the magical council. Out of all the options, he was thinking about. It was not one of them.

'A family head is already making a move! Why is everyone out there trying to threaten me on the same day?'

"If you are busy, then we can arrange another meeting. The family head said that you can set any date you are comfortable with."

"Huh!" Dereck wasn't sure why a family head gave him such leeway. "We can have the meeting right now. Please lead the easy, senior."

Surprisingly, she didn't lead him to some corpus corner, like the place where he had met Tanisha. Instead, it was a teacher's room. It was Instructor Silever's personal room.

"Please, the family head is waiting for you."

Dereck nodded and entered; Amber, on the other hand, didn't follow him in.

"Come, come. Have a seat." Inside the room was a typical middle-aged family man. The beer belly and the bald spot in the middle of his head would have made him the most generic character on Earth.

Out of all the character traits, he was expecting that the smiling man didn't have a single one of them.

"So, you are the one who has attracted Theo's attention. However, you should be cautious; those old bones from the other family will soon make their move."

"I am not one of those old bones." Sensing the cautiousness in his gaze, he smiled and waved it off. "Well, I am old but not as crafty as them. You can rest easy. And I am not here to threaten you or anything. I am…"

The man's nonstop chattering had made him realize why 'gullible' was on his trait list.

"Excuse me?" Dereck had to intervene. Otherwise, he wasn't sure when they were going to stop. "How should I address the esteemed family head?"

"Esteemed!?" He shook his head, laughing, "I am Adam Draeh. You can call me father."

"Sorry!?"

"Don't misunderstand. I am just saying." 

"Saying…"

Adam raised his hand, stopping him. "Draeh is an old magic family. The third tower master had established the family. Other than her, the fourteenth tower master is also from the Draeh family…."

He continued babbling about the family's history until he realized he was straying from the main path.

"To sum it up, unlike other families, we only work towards developing magic technologies that can help normal people in their daily lives."

"And…"

"We are not interested in the seat of the next tower master."

"What do I have to do with that?"

"Nothing." He gave a knowing smile. "The tower master had never taken a disciple in the last twenty years and suddenly chose a special admission for you… so…"

"So?"

"The people who are vying for the seat of tower master might not be too happy about it."

"And what does that have to do with the meeting?"

"The third tower master had a set of tests. Unless any youngster from the family passes the test within a certain age limit, we, the Draeh family, never fight for the seat. Alas! None of our family members has succeeded in this generation."

"So, you are telling me that you have no problem helping me to become the tower master."

Adam shook his head. "The Dreah family will remain neutral. That is how we survived between those wolves and bears for so long."

"Then what has it to do with me?"

"How about taking someone from the Draeh family as your consort?"

"A consort? Not principle wife?"

"No, no. There is no way we will force you to do anything against your will."

"Then?" Even Dereck was a little surprised. "If you do not want your daughter to have any say in my life or help me become tower master, then why do you want her to marry me?"

"We want only one thing. We want the children of you two to be part of the Draeh family."

'So they are trying to inherit the blood of someone with better magic abilities.' Now everything makes sense to Dereck.

"As a matter of fact, the tower master is actually my uncle-in-law. If you want, you can also consult with him."

Although it sounded sketchy, Dereck had no reason to reject him. After all, he had no intention of inheriting the tower. Although it is enticing, he wasn't too hellbent on becoming one.

All he wanted right now was to have a lazy life and make a harem. And becoming tower master sounded like too much of a chore. More importantly, he didn't want to worry about something that might not even happen.

Dereck raised two of his fingers, prompting Adam to ask, "You have two conditions? Let's hear it."

"I will choose whom I will take as my consort."

"Of course. You don't have to be my daughter, either. You can choose anyone from the main family."

"And I want to take the third tower master's test."