I Am Being Mistaken for a Genius Strategist

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“…I heard you said that.”

“The Crown Princess herself mentioned it directly.”

“To be precise, I asked a lot of questions. My dear brother-in-law.”

“Ugh.”

Is my brother really out of his mind? That thought lingers in my mind.

Even more impressive is the fact that the Crown Princess answered so readily.

“Isn’t it a good thing? To marry someone like that. I wonder if my sister has a good eye for people or if she just got lucky.”

“I think it’s definitely the former.”

Even I have to bow down to my sister-in-law. She’s the Crown Princess of the Empire.

It’s no wonder that my father-in-law kept her close by for various tasks.

Of course, luck played a part, but there’s no doubt he had a favorable view of her from the start.

“So then, are we jumping straight to the wedding?”

“Not at all. There’s so much to do. This isn’t just any marriage; it’s a union between the Imperial Family and a Ducal House, so there’s a lot to manage, and arranging the date based on the best auspicious day comes into play.”

“Because it’s of utmost importance, it’ll require sending congratulations from other countries, and also giving time for esteemed guests to prepare for their arrival.”

From start to finish, this marriage is bound to have political implications.

At least it’s fortunate that the future head of state has positive feelings and affection for my sister-in-law.

Otherwise, it could have easily turned into a loveless, purely strategic marriage.

From the very beginning, Belle and I have been on the same wavelength, developing affection that blossomed into love.

Regardless of what others think, I can confidently say there are no political elements between us.

Just being together every day, facing each other is already so fulfilling.

Imagine being married, living together in the same house, laughing, chatting, and falling asleep together. How wonderful would that be?

With just this singular feeling, we’ve become each other’s partners, and soon we’ll become mom and dad.

“The Crown Princess should do well. Yeah. It would be good for many reasons.”

On a personal level, she’s Belle’s sister and therefore my sister-in-law, so of course, family should be happy.

Moreover, as the Crown Princess of the Empire and someone who will eventually become Emperor, the internal peace is essential.

The history of the Empire shows that many troubles arise from the monarch’s marriage.

Whether it’s the individual or their family causing problems, the outcomes were often not good.

In that regard, I can say that the house of Marquis Rael is quite acceptable.

For a long time, they’ve effectively led the Southern nobility, and most importantly, they prioritize weighing benefits over ambition.

There’s no way anyone would dare to pull any suspicious stunts regarding my sister-in-law.

Also, from what my brother told me, the Duke of Neomes seems to be a good person.

Looking back, it seems I may have had a quiet interest since the first time I met the Crown Princess.

That’s a good thing. After all, people tend to fare better when they meet those who resonate with them.

Just look at me and Belle. We were good originally, but becoming a couple has brought about so much more synergy.

—Knock knock

“Your Grace.”

The knock is followed by a cautious entry from the royal attendant.

My brother stands up first, giving me a light pat on the shoulder.

“It seems His Majesty has finished the meeting and is coming out. Go quickly, brother-in-law.”

“Yes, brother. It was a delightful conversation.”

“Let’s meet again when the nephew is born.”

It goes without saying, but I didn’t come to the Imperial Palace just to chat.

It’s an invitation from my father-in-law. No, from the Emperor himself. Probably, no, almost certainly, it’s about official business.

Even having become the Emperor’s son-in-law, he’s still a formidable figure. That’s what absolute authority is.

“Your Majesty. The Duke of Neomes is waiting.”

“Ah, let him in.”

Under normal circumstances, having finished a task, it would be right to take a break.

However, the attendant guided me in straightaway, and I could hear the response from beyond the office, suggesting my father-in-law had issued a different command.

He must have said to bring in whoever is waiting as soon as your meeting is over.

“Long live His Majesty! I, Kael Clausewitz von Neomes, present myself before you.”

“Welcome, son-in-law. I’ve summoned you urgently to discuss something important. Please, sit down.”

I sit down obediently at his invitation, waiting for his next words.

“So, how did the joint training go? Also, about the Nobogord incident and the eastern matters. I want to hear your personal impressions, not just what’s in the report.”

He wants to hear my personal impressions, meaning, he’s asking me to speak honestly.

After organizing my thoughts internally for a moment, I slowly began to speak.

“As Your Majesty knows, the joint training I personally attended was conducted by the Northern Legion of the Empire and the Nobogord side. Based on what I saw there, since it hasn’t been long since the war ended, fortunately, many parts could be carried out as if they were in real combat.”

“From what you said, that sounds like good news. But listening carefully to my son-in-law, it feels like you’re hinting at a strong sense of the opposite.”

Indeed, the Emperor of the Empire is sharp. He accurately grasped the nuances of what I wanted to convey.

As I began to express my concerns, I stated clearly the points I found disappointing.

“Just as Your Majesty said, even though it hasn’t been long since the war ended, there are already signs of dullness emerging. I’m not certain whether it’s because this isn’t a battlefield, so there’s no tension, or if it’s simply the inevitable result of forgetfulness.”

“Perhaps it’s both. From the soldiers’ perspective, those who have experienced war may feel at ease due to their memories. Meanwhile, those newly recruited lack that experience and therefore can’t display the same movements or decision-making.”

Following the end of the war, there were changes within the Imperial Legion under the Empire’s leadership.

Among the most significant changes were the transitions of the core forces, once labeled as the invincible Imperial Legion, to either active duty or reserve.

Not everyone made that decision, but a considerable number chose that path, making power attrition somewhat expected.

“Of course, it’s nothing to be overly concerned about, Your Majesty. As I noted in the report, this isn’t solely a problem faced by the Empire but rather a historical phenomenon experienced by all victorious nations. It’s merely a small worry from someone who has experienced war.”

“Your worry may be small, but the one raising it is a person of great significance, so how can we overlook it so easily? We must discuss this further at a later date.”

I feel like I’ve just created more work for myself, but I don’t regret it.

This joint training of the Imperial Legion will last at least for the next ten years.

We need to refine our strategies diligently during times of peace based on this.

There can be no gaps. Those only bring about distrust and bloodshed.

“As for what I wished to discuss today, this wasn’t it. Somehow, I feel like I’ve just burdened my son-in-law with more worries.”

“Not at all, Your Majesty. Not in the slightest.”

“What I called you for today is this: if you have the time, how about providing a more detailed explanation regarding your theories of war to various historians and scholars of the Empire?”

“Theory of war, you say?”

No way. My autobiography? It’s just a hodgepodge of random thoughts I jotted down.

Are they really going to discuss something so absurd as evaluating the essence of war from that?

“I hear that it remains quite popular, but among the scholars, it’s on a different level. They say that especially among historians, particularly war scholars, they research my son-in-law’s autobiography every day, examining what experiences led to certain conclusions. They scrutinize in detail what he saw, heard, and felt.”

“…”

“I don’t see why my son-in-law, being of this era, wouldn’t lend a hand to those scholars.”

To be honest, that sounds absurd. Scholars usually are at least in their 40s.

But here I am, still in my 20s. If the famous academics want to study someone half their age, it feels oddly strange.

Especially since it wasn’t entirely from my own brain, but rather a patchwork!

“And the Foreign Ministry seems to be planning an event, and they want to entrust the keynote speech to my son-in-law.”

“M-Me?”

“There was that lecture you gave previously, wasn’t there? Thanks to that, many in the Foreign Ministry were positively shaken. They became aware of their own importance. If they had only acted upon what you said, the Empire would’ve already faced serious dilemmas, and it’s the job of the Foreign Ministry to prevent such things before they occur.”

That’s true. Almost everything I talked about during that lecture could have been preemptively crushed.

By not giving the opponent a rationale, or if warranted, withdrawing it could be done.

What I discussed was based on times when the Empire made several mistakes.

“…I’ll discuss this with the Foreign Ministry, Your Majesty.”

“Thank you, son-in-law. Hmm. I hope I’m not making you uncomfortable by calling upon you like this every time.”

“That’s unthinkable. The grace I’ve received from the Empire and His Majesty is as vast as the sea… umm, anyway, I’ll do my utmost to repay that grace.”

My response brings a smile to my father-in-law’s face, a sight I’ve seldom witnessed.

“I’m truly delighted to hear that, my son-in-law.”

“I am unworthy, Your Majesty.”

“By the way, it seems you just coughed suddenly. It looks like you were about to say something but changed your mind in a hurry.”

Um, my father-in-law, might you please let that one slide…?