Bab 24: Chapter 23. Lethal selection
"No! Father, you can't do this to me!"
Jeremy fell to his knees in front of the baron and clung to his legs. But he remained steadfast.
"Shut up! Or have you already forgotten what position you occupy in our house? How dare you contradict me?!"
"But, Father... I'm your son...!" the youngest scion of the Seibel family sobbed desperately.
"If I had known that you would turn out to be such a jerk, I would have given up on you that day."
Saying such ruthless words, Rowan Seibel's tone was full of contempt.
While Jeremy was pleading with his father to change his mind and reverse his decision, Jeremy only threw his hands away in disgust. That look... It was as if the baron was looking at a stray mutt from the street, and not his own child.
The guy trembled under that look.
— If everything works out, our family will become one of the richest in the empire. And if not... Well, it's not a big loss.
With these words, the Baron made it clear that his decision was non-negotiable. As a result, Jeremy threw a tantrum in his father's office, after which he was forcibly captured and locked in a room. Tomorrow, the crew with him was supposed to go to the northern region.
The guy couldn't believe that all this was really happening to him.
Lying in a cold bed at night (the servants did not heat his room), Jeremy literally "wound" snot on his fist. The terrifying thought that his father had actually thrown him away did not fit into his head. Apparently, desperate to form an alliance with other ladies from noble families, Baron Seibel decided to take extreme measures.
Send my son to the selection of the ice witch. Or, to be precise, to certain death.
Selina de Loon was the last descendant of the magical Loon clan, whose main element was cold and ice. They were a very wealthy family, as well as the only one who owned magic in the entire continent. As magic became more and more endangered with each generation, the people who owned it were automatically elevated to the rank of "elite".
The de Lun family was so powerful that it completely ruled the entire northern region. Although this territory was part of the Ruthven Empire, the Emperor himself had virtually no authority over it. These lands were completely ruled by the heiress of the Long family, who was also nicknamed the "ice witch".
It was because this woman was as cold as a piece of ice, both inside and out. It was almost impossible to arouse any emotions in her. In fact, if desired, the Long family possessed enough power to stage a coup and seize power in the empire. This would be a serious threat to the imperial family.
But... Selina, like her descendants, remained completely uninitiative in this matter. She was completely uninterested in power and money, and, according to rumors, she did not even leave her own residence. After the death of her father, the Duke de Luna, there was no news from the northern region for a long time.
At least, until recently.
Despite the fact that, thanks to magic, the descendants of the Long family lived longer than ordinary people, she still needed to leave an heir. Moreover, Selina was her father's only daughter, and without her, the ancient clan would simply have died out. Therefore, in order to solve this problem, the princess's servants decided to organize a selection throughout the empire.
Any son from a noble family of the empire could submit his candidacy. Then everything depended on the decision of the enchantress herself. Since her fortune equaled (if not exceeded) the imperial treasury, she was completely uninterested in power and influence. Selina chose her life partner based on other preferences.
When Jeremy found out that he was going to be married to a woman who was rumored to be about two hundred years old, he was instantly paralyzed by horror. And that's not all...
There was something much worse.
The fact is that it was impossible to "lose" in this selection. Even if the young man does not like the princess, he will not be sent home, but... executed. According to the latest rumors, more than several dozen people have already died during this selection. And considering that the event was still going on, the princess did not choose anyone.
Only the lazy have not heard about the "bloody selection" in the northern region. Jeremy, having entered this world, found out about this hype the very next week. Of course, everyone was outraged, but there was nothing they could do about what was happening. The traditions of the northern people were extremely cruel.
And no one wanted to quarrel with the ice witch.
Of course, Jeremy himself did not think that he would somehow be affected by such a fate. After all, surely the baron would not be so cruel as to send his own son as a calf to a certain "slaughter"?
But, as it turned out, he was wrong. Baron Seibel had indeed sent him to a place where others like him, the scum and worthless sons of their families, had to risk their lives in an attempt to win the favor of the princess.
After all, no noble family in their right mind would send their heir to such an ordeal. Feeling a burning resentment at the injustice of the fact that all the other brothers, unlike him, would be safe, Jeremy decided that he could not just leave it like that.
That night, Jeremy made an unsuccessful escape attempt. Having tied a rope of curtains, Jeremy intended to go down to the street and escape. After all, even a life of poverty and homelessness would be better than such an unfair death at the hands of a witch.
But...
The guards caught him just as he was about to throw the rope he had made from the balcony. As it turned out, the baron had specially placed guards throughout the estate in such a case. So Jeremy was expecting a very unpleasant surprise.
"Young master, what are you doing?"
The guards patrolled right under the windows of his room. Realizing that he was in an awkward position, Jeremy tried to justify himself.
"Ah... I... I just wanted to take a walk."
— "Take a walk?" — the guard frowned, — His Grace forbade you to go outside until tomorrow's departure. We can't ignore the order. Please go to bed and don't make it difficult for us.
So, even the rootless knight treated him with contempt. Jeremy felt like a kid who had been caught misbehaving. He sighed heavily.
— Okay...
In the end, Jeremy accepted his fate. His father was strictly in control of everything. One way or another, he won't be able to escape before he gets into the carriage and heads north.
It's horrible. It couldn't be worse.
The guy had never felt so helpless before. There was literally nothing he could do to resist his fate. So this is the end of it? Jeremy smiled sadly, not imagining that such a pitiful fate was really waiting for him.
Jeremy couldn't sleep and stared blankly at the wall all night. Sometimes he sobbed.
And the next morning... They came for him.
— Young master, gather everything you need, — his father's butler informed him dryly without even knocking, entering the room, — In an hour the carriage will escort you to the northern region.
— ...
— Do you understand me? — The butler asked irritably.
— Thank you, Sir Felton. I heard everything perfectly.
— hm...
The door closed, and Jeremy didn't even know what to take with him. Maybe he could sneak a knife in to defend himself from the witch? Although it is unlikely to be useful.
She has magic, after all.
Sighing heavily, the guy decided not to take anything with him. After all, he's going to die soon anyway. There were bruises under his eyes from fatigue after a sleepless night.
Early in the morning, Jeremy went outside, where he was to be escorted to the selection ceremony in a prepared carriage. Neither his father nor his brothers came out to see him off. It was likely that they were still sleeping, not caring at all about the fate of the younger one.
Lifting his head, Jeremy looked up at the still dark dawn sky, where a fine rain was drizzling. It was as if this was the last moment of freedom before an infinitely difficult future.
"Camille, I hope your life turns out better than mine."
He smiled sadly when the guards reminded them that it was time for them to leave.
Jeremy Seibel took a deep breath before getting into the carriage. The cart immediately started moving.
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